Emma’s eyes widened. She made a muffled sound of surprise, but when Luke urged her again, she began chewing.
He crouched in front of her, blocking her from view. "Swallow."
She obeyed, then coughed into her hand. "Young master, what was-" Suddenly, she froze. Her face changed, and she curled up on the ground as if she were in immense pain.
"Emma?"
She didn’t answer. Her fingers dug into his sleeve, and a strangled sound escaped her throat.
Luke caught her shoulders as she folded forward. Heat poured through her clothes. A moment ago, she had been pale and trembling. Now her face was flushed, sweat gathering along her hairline.
"Emma, talk to me."
"It burns..."
"Fuck." Luke immediately picked her up in his arms and stood up.
He knew a little bit about the process and that it would be painful. He didn’t think it would be this painful. Perhaps he should have waited before using the flower. But if he did that, then the flower wouldn’t be that effective anymore.
He had to act immediately. He knew that Emma would have also preferred to endure a few minutes of pain rather than lose the chance to improve her affinity. Still, he should have warned her before stuffing the damn thing into her mouth.
"Emma," he whispered, bending his head toward hers. "It was a fire lily. You’re absorbing it."
Her fingers tightened around his coat. She looked up at him, confusion briefly breaking through the pain. "A fire... lily?"
"Yes. I found it right beside us."
Another spasm passed through her, cutting off whatever she had been about to say. Luke adjusted his grip, nearly losing his balance when she curled against him.
Fuck. Carrying someone looked considerably easier when other people did it.
"What’s wrong with her?" Helena asked, stepping into his path.
"She needs somewhere to lie down. We will be returning to our room."
Helena looked at Emma’s flushed face. "She was just healed. What happened?"
Luke started walking away, not bothering to explain anything. There was no need to. Perhaps Helena felt guilty. She quickly rushed over and handed another ring. She then clicked her tongue and took the ring back.
"I keep forgetting that you cannot use the space ring. Sorry about that. I will walk you both back to the room. Do you want me to carry her?"
Luke looked down at Emma. His arms were trembling and aching, but the sight of her throwing away her life as if it meant nothing was still in his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to hand her over just yet.
"No. I am fine."
Helena nodded. She moved ahead silently, clearing a path toward the road. Luke followed, adjusting his grip beneath Emma’s knees. They did not walk all the way back this time and took a carriage. Soon they arrived at the guild’s residence.
The receptionist stood when she saw them, but Helena waved her toward the stairs. The group finally reached their suite.
"I got it from here," Luke muttered and shut the door behind him. He made it to the bedroom and lowered Emma onto the bed. His arms shook as he eased his hand from beneath her knees.
For a moment, he stayed bent over her, catching his breath. Emma curled onto her side, her fingers gripping the bedsheet. "Still bad?" he asked.
She nodded without opening her eyes.
Luke pulled a chair beside the bed, then changed his mind and went to the bathroom. He returned with a damp cloth and a basin of water, setting both on the bedside table.
He brushed her hair away from her face and pressed the cloth against her forehead. "I should have warned you."
Emma’s eyes opened slightly. "The flower..."
"A fire lily. Yes."
"Why would you give me something like that?"
Luke stared at her. "Because you’re a Fire Mage?"
"But you could have eaten it, young master. Maybe... you..."
"I am going to stop you right there. You do know that fire lily is absolutely useless on anyone who doesn’t have an affinity for the fire element? You need to have a fire-related class for it to be useful. So far, only alchemists and fire mages have managed to get any benefits from it."
Emma looked at him for a moment, then lowered her eyes. "You could have sold it."
"And what will I do with the money? Isn’t it better if you take it and become stronger? Then you can work hard and earn lots of money for me in the future." Luke joked.
However, Emma’s face turned serious. "I will earn it back, young master. Every credit."
Luke’s smile faltered. "Emma, I was joking."
"I know. But I will." She said it with such determination that he could almost see her planning a lifetime of repayments while still curled up in pain.
"You can start by resting," he said. "That’s your entire workload for today."
Her lips parted, but another wave of heat passed through her. She shut her eyes and gripped the sheet. Luke rinsed the cloth and laid it against her forehead again.
"And stop trying to put a price on everything I do for you."
Emma opened her eyes.
"You jumped out of a tree for me," he said quietly. "What am I supposed to pay you for that?" Luke was about to ask her something else but as he watched her wince again, he let it go. She thought that she was going to die so she probably blurted out something without actually meaning it.
Luke just continued observing silently. The next hour passed by with Emma continuously tossing and turning around in pain. At one point, Luke even contemplated calling for a healer. Maybe he did something wrong hastily?
But then the pain started slowly reducing. Emma seemed to do better and better. Her breathing steadied first. Then her fingers loosened around the bedsheet, and she slowly stretched her legs.
Luke leaned forward. "How do you feel?"
Emma took a moment to answer. "Warm. But it doesn’t hurt anymore."
He touched her forehead. The feverish heat had faded, leaving her skin damp with sweat. "Thank fuck."
She looked at him apologetically, but he raised a finger before she could speak. "If you’re about to say sorry, don’t."
Her mouth closed. Luke helped her sit up against the pillows and handed her a glass of water. She drank slowly, holding it in both hands. He watched until he was satisfied she could manage without spilling it, then sank back into his chair.
His entire body felt exhausted. He hadn’t fought a single monster successfully, but still he was dead tired.
Emma lowered the glass. "Young master. I got a notification."
"About the flower?"
She nodded, her gaze fixed on the air in front of her. Then her eyes widened.
Luke waited for her to explain. When she didn’t, he leaned closer. "Emma? Don’t leave me guessing here."
"I... let me show you." A window appeared between them.
[Ding! Fire Lily successfully absorbed.]
[Fire affinity has increased.]
[Class evolution requirements fulfilled.]
[Class evolution successful.]
[Class: Fire Mage]
[Rank: D]
Luke stared at the last line. Then he looked at Emma. "Your class evolved?"
She nodded, looking equally stunned.
Luke read the notifications once more, a grin slowly spreading across his face. He had hoped the flower would help. Stronger spells, perhaps. Better control. But taking her up two entire ranks on the same day she awakened?
That was considerably better than he had expected. It probably wouldn’t change someone’s rank from D to B but it definitely worked wonders for a F rank. No wonder this was a rare herb which everyone was after.
"I am D rank, young master. I am actually a D rank mage." Emma smiled, tears falling down her eyes.
Luke grinned. "Congratulations, Emma." He paused for a moment and asked. "What does it feel like?"
"I can feel my mana more clearly. Before, I could only really feel it when I used the skill. Now I know it’s there."
"Does that mean you can cast more than three times?"
"I think so. My maximum mana increased." Her eyes lost focus briefly. "And my recovery is better."
Luke leaned back with a satisfied nod. "Excellent. We’ll find somewhere to practice after you’ve rested. And this time, we start in a training room." he added. "We will first figure out what you can do and then go outside to hunt."
The two of them chatted for a while about the fire mage class and even watched a stream where a D rank fire mage was clearing a dungeon with friends. But Emma fell asleep in between.
Luke glanced over when she stopped responding. Her head had tilted against the pillow, her lips slightly parted.
On the stream, the mage launched a fireball into a cluster of monsters. Flames filled the corridor, followed by a flood of cheering comments.
Luke closed the window. They could watch someone else risk their life later. He had seen enough of that for one day.
He eased the pillow into a better position and pulled the blanket over Emma. She stirred when he moved her hand, catching his fingers.
"Young master..."
"I’m here."
Her grip loosened, but she didn’t quite let go.
Luke sat back down. For a while, he watched her sleep. Without the pain or worry on her face, she looked much more like someone who had just turned eighteen and much less like someone responsible for keeping his entire life in order.
A D-rank mage.
He smiled faintly. His gaze drifted toward his own interface.
[Luck: 3]
The smile faded.
Yesterday, an examination had nearly killed him. Today, a supposedly safe outing had gone to shit. Both times, they had survived. Both times, he had walked away with something valuable.
Luke frowned. He wanted to ignore it. He wanted to chalk it to something random but it looked like he could no longer afford to overlook the new title he had gained along with his new talent.