The door to Lira's room opened with a faint creak, and Nora stepped out, her face tired and eyes half-closed.

Her black tunic with white trim was slightly wrinkled, and her dark brown hair fell messily over her shoulders.

Charles straightened up, forcing a teasing smile.

"So? How'd it go in there?" he said, his tone trying to lighten the mood. "Did Lira give you a lecture or what?"

Nora rolled her eyes, waving a hand to shoo him away from the door.

"Come on, move," she said, sounding more exhausted than annoyed.

Charles raised an eyebrow but complied, walking beside her down the hallway until they were a safe distance from Lira's room.

The sound of their footsteps echoed softly on the wooden floor, and the torches cast dancing shadows on the walls.

When they stopped, Nora lowered her voice, looking at Charles with a serious expression.

"Lira told me to tell you something," she said, almost in a whisper. "Be careful with Selena."

Charles frowned, repeating the name in confusion.

"Selena?" he said, scratching the back of his neck. "Who's Selena? I don't know anyone by that name."

Nora sighed, crossing her arms.

"I don't know," she said. "That's what she told me to say. No details, just to be careful. I guess she's someone important, or Lira wouldn't have mentioned it."

Charles grunted, clearly frustrated.

"And why didn't she tell me herself?" he said, his tone betraying his irritation.

Nora shrugged, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"No clue," she said. "But it seems like she didn't want to talk about it directly with you. Maybe she didn't want you arguing with her."

Charles huffed, staring at the floor.

The mention of Selena left him uneasy, though he didn't know why.

Was she someone in the clan?

Another person suspicious of him, like Kain?

Before he could dwell further, Nora changed the subject, her tone lighter.

"And… hey," she said, glancing at him sideways. "How about tomorrow, after we rest, we grab some food together in the dining hall? You know, to unwind a bit."

Charles blinked, caught off guard by the suggestion.

For a moment, he forgot his worries, and a smile spread across his face.

"Sounds good," he said, trying to sound casual. "I'm in."

Nora grinned, clearly pleased.

"It's a deal, then!" she said, her eyes sparkling.

The word "deal" echoed in Charles's mind, and immediately, Eleonora's voice cut in, teasing.

"Ha! A deal?" she said, laughing in his head. "Wow, human, you're making deals left and right. Slow down, huh?"

Charles groaned mentally, annoyed by the interruption.

'Shut up,' he thought sharply. 'I'm not in the mood for your jokes.'

Nora, unaware of his internal conversation, kept talking.

"By the way," she said, pointing at the sword in his hand. "I told Lira I was giving you the sword, like we agreed. But since you have to go back to the medical area to rest, you can't take it with you. They don't allow weapons there."

Charles frowned, looking at the sword.

"So what am I supposed to do with it?" he said, his tone uneasy. "Leave it here?"

Before Nora could answer, Eleonora jumped in, her tone panicked.

"Hey, hey, hey!" she exclaimed in his mind. "You're not handing me over to anyone, human! Don't you dare leave me lying around like some old junk!"

Charles rolled his eyes, responding mentally with sarcasm.

'Relax,' he thought. 'I'm not ditching you. I'm just trying to figure this out.'

But before he could say more, a bright golden light blinded him for a moment.

Charles blinked, confused, and when his vision cleared, the sword was no longer in his hand.

In its place, on his right wrist, was a black iron bracelet, simple but elegant, seeming to absorb the torchlight.

"What the…?" Nora said, her eyes wide, staring at the bracelet. "What did you do, Rian?"

Charles, just as confused, raised his wrist to inspect it.

'It wasn't me,' he thought, addressing Eleonora. 'What did you do? Why'd you turn into a bracelet?'

Eleonora responded, her tone clearly annoyed.

"Because I'm not letting them separate me from you, human!" she said. "If you're going to the medical area and they don't allow weapons, this is the fix. I changed forms to stay with you. What, you thought I'd sit in a corner gathering dust?"

Charles sighed, eyeing the bracelet. Then he looked at Nora, who was still staring at him with a mix of surprise and confusion.

"It's… special," he said, trying to sound casual. "The sword can change forms. Guess it's a bracelet now."

Nora blinked, at a loss for words.

Then she rubbed her eyes, as if too tired to process what she'd just seen.

"This is… I give up," she said finally. "Look, Rian, just don't pull tricks like that in front of others, okay? If someone else sees, they might report you. And you've got enough problems already."

Charles nodded, though he couldn't help glancing at the bracelet with a mix of curiosity and irritation.

"Thanks for the heads-up," he said dryly. "I'll keep that in mind."

In his mind, Eleonora made a sound like someone sticking out their tongue.

"Pfft!" she said.

Charles ignored her, looking at Nora.

"Looking forward to tomorrow," he said, flashing a smile to lighten the mood. "Dining hall, right?"

Nora nodded, though she still looked exhausted.

"Yeah," she said. "Rest up, Rian. And… be careful, okay?"

With a final wave, Nora walked off down the hallway, leaving him alone.

◇◆◇

Charles arrived at the clan's medical area.

As he entered, several nurses recognized him immediately.

One, an older woman with her hair in a tight bun, approached with a smile.

"Rian!" she said, her tone mixing relief and scolding. "Where have you been? You had us worried."

Charles forced a smile, scratching the back of his neck.

"My outing ran a bit long," he said, trying to sound carefree. "But I'm fine, don't worry."

Another nurse, younger and with a more serious expression, approached with a tray of medical instruments in hand.

"You need to take better care of yourself," she said, her tone almost maternal. "And we don't have a choice, Rian. We need to run new tests on you right now."

Charles sighed, feeling the exhaustion in his muscles.

"Seriously?" he said, his tone betraying frustration. "Can't it wait till tomorrow? I just want to sleep."

The older nurse shook her head, her expression firm.

"Sorry, no can do," she said. "Direct orders from Kraus. He wants a thorough check-up before your meeting with him tomorrow."

Charles frowned, surprised.

"Kraus?" he said, his tone a mix of confusion and suspicion. "Why the hell does he want that?"

The younger nurse shrugged, guiding him toward a room at the end of the hallway.

"We don't ask, we just follow orders," she said. "Come on, don't make this harder than it needs to be."

Charles grunted but let them lead him.

The room was small, with a white cot in the center and a table covered in needles, vials, and bandages.

The sight of the needles made him swallow hard, a shiver running down his spine.

He wasn't a fan of medical exams, especially ones involving pokes.

"Great," he said under his breath, his tone sarcastic. "Just what I needed to cap off the day."

In his mind, Eleonora laughed.

"Come on, human!" she said, her tone teasing. "A few little needles scare you? I thought you were braver than that."

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