How to survive in the Romance Fantasy Game

Mana Drain Sickness.

Or MDS, as most people liked to call it.

It was one of those common mana-related conditions you'd hear about from time to time.

The kind you got when you overused your mana reserves and pushed yourself past the safe limit of your core.

Nothing new.

Plenty of mages suffered from it, especially those who didn't know when to stop.

The basic explanation?

When your mana output exceeds the overlapping threshold of your core—either from reckless overcasting or stress during combat—your core gets overworked.

And when that happens, it starts breaking down, slowly frying itself from the inside out.

But the good news? It was treatable.

Usually, you'd just chug a few mana potions, maybe lie down for a day or two, and you'd be back on your feet.

In more serious cases, a few divine healing spells from a church priest or a skilled healer could patch you up clean. That's how it normally went.

But Stacia's case… wasn't normal.

"It seems my case is quite unique, senior…" she said.

I looked down at her, still pushing her slowly through the stone path of the medical ward's park.

"What do you mean?"

She let out a soft breath, her eyes drifting up toward the tree branches overhead.

"The doctor and even the healers from the church said my case was different… I didn't just damage my mana core."

She turned to glance at me, lips pressing into a faint smile.

"It's like I burned it out entirely. They said it looked like my core had… changed. Like it's been reshaped or molded into something else."

I didn't say anything for a while. Just kept pushing the wheelchair forward.

We were strolling through the small recovery garden behind the ward.

Compared to the other parks in the academy, this one felt quieter, more isolated.

The flowers here were different too—mostly rare herbs and calming plants.

There were people here and there, mostly patients walking with assistance or just trying to get some sunlight.

Some of them looked at us. Some didn't.

Whether they were staring because of me, or because of Stacia, was hard to tell.

By the time we reached the center of the park, Stacia quietly stood up from her wheelchair.

"Are you sure about this—?"

"It's fine, Senior. The wheelchair was just a little charade to calm my servants… While I do appreciate their worries, they tend to get a bit too unreasonable with it."

She spoke lightly, but I could still catch the slight annoyance hidden in her voice.

Right… actually, back when we were just planning this walk, her butler—Skirt—nearly threw a fit. That man was a whole disaster.

The way he hovered over her, it was like he thought Stacia would collapse the moment she took a step.

I wouldn't be surprised if the guy already submitted a formal letter begging for her withdrawal from the academy, just so she could go back to the royal palace and recover in peace.

We only managed to get this far because I was with her—and technically, she wasn't walking at first. Semantics.

Stretching up her arms, Stacia let out a soft breath and stood under the warm sunlight, eyes closed as the gentle breeze flowed past her.

"Looks like spring is really here now, Senior."

"Yeah…"

Winter had overstayed its welcome anyway.

It was about time the air stopped biting and started feeling fresh again—though we both knew this peaceful spring breeze wouldn't last long before the heat of summer took over.

"By the way, Senior…" she looked at me with a slightly teasing smile. "Weren't you supposed to attend the ceremony today? Especially someone like you, with your S-rank and all?"

"It's fine," I shrugged. "There are certain… exceptions at play. I already cleared it with the principal and the student council president in advance. The announcement's mostly just for the semester rankings anyway."

"I see… Top-level privileges, huh? That's quite the unfair advantage, don't you think, Senior?"

"Well," I glanced at her with a half-smile. "The world's not really fair to begin with."

"Fufu~ true enough," she chuckled softly.

Stacia stood still for a moment.

She didn't say anything—just let the silence wrap around her like the spring breeze.

But even if she looked composed on the surface, I could tell… the effects of MDS were still weighing on her.

It was subtle, but there. Her breathing, her stance, the slight strain in her movements—none of it escaped my notice.

Despite her usual calm and grace, something about her felt… fragile.

I knew that feeling.

Back when I was training with Seo, I'd experienced it once myself.

That gut-wrenching weakness, that awful sensation of your own body turning against you.

But what I felt back then… it wasn't the same as what Stacia was going through now. Not even close.

I thought I had prepared her for it—for everything. I thought I was helping.

But maybe all I really did was push her too hard.

"You know," Stacia finally spoke, her voice gentle. "I forgot to thank you, Senior… for taking the time to come here with me."

"No… I should be the one who's sorry," I muttered. "For everything."

"Fufu~ please don't be," she said with a soft laugh, her expression warm. "You were the one who pushed me. You helped me see past my limits… and now, my flame feels brighter than ever. Even if my illness is still unknown, I have no doubts I'll overcome it. One way or another."

I couldn't help but smile. Yeah… that was still the same Stacia I knew. The kind of girl who refused to be caged by her own fate. A sickness like that—no matter how mysterious—wasn't enough to bring her down. Not really.

"Besides," she added, turning slightly to glance at me. "Senior took the time to take care of me today, so what else could I feel besides thankful and happy? So please—don't apologize anymore, okay?"

"…Alright," I replied, quietly.

Then, she began walking.

Not fast. Not slow either. Just steady.

And I walked beside her, matching her pace without a word, like a quiet guardian trailing at her side.

It seems my plans with Stacia needs to be altered for a bit… the clown demon has to be eliminated now.

Although Stacia's MDS was unique—and probably curable—I wasn't planning on taking any chances whatsoever.

After all, this technically only happened because of me.

Her battle with the clown was tied to her own scenario, so it shouldn't have affected the main storyline too much.

In the grand scheme of things, aside from Stacia not being able to follow the proper course of growth she was meant to take, there wasn't much else being lost.

Still… something about it didn't sit right with me.

This strange sickness of hers wasn't even something that existed in the game.

Which meant—maybe—my rushed guidance toward her strength had its own side effects.

I pushed her as far as I could without thinking of the consequences.

And honestly, I should've seen this coming.

Someone like Stacia, with her naturally high mana reserves, running out to the point of total depletion?

It wasn't something I had ever really considered… not seriously.

I should've taken into account my own ridiculous level of power when I was training her.

It was pretty clear now—whatever she was feeling, it was the result of overusing [Mana Burn]. Your support at MV^LEMP^YR keeps the series going.

Her body was simply not ready to handle that kind of strain, not yet.

But well… mistakes are regrets.

There was no point wallowing in them.

What mattered now was finding a way to fix what's already been done.

Should I ask Emilia for help?

Knowing her, she wouldn't say no—especially not if it was for Stacia.

The two were already on good terms, and Emilia wasn't the type to turn her back on someone who needed help, especially with something like this...

Cough…! Cough…!

Stacia's coughing snapped me out of my thoughts.

She brought a red napkin to her mouth, dainty and precise in her movements as always, but no amount of grace could hide the thick, sharp color that stained the fabric.

Even with that deep crimson cloth, the scent of blood still carried through the air.

Damn it…

Noticing my gaze, Stacia let out a soft sigh and gave me a light smile.

"Looks like you're really worried about me, senior."

"Obviously…"

She paused after I said that. Her eyes flickered down for a second, and I noticed her ears turning slightly red.

"Fufu~ While I do appreciate the worry, please don't blame yourself too much. I already told you, didn't I? I don't blame you… and I definitely don't regret what I did."

She then reached into the inside pocket of her coat and pulled out a small vial.

The liquid inside sparkled faintly—clear blue, almost like melted gemstones.

A mana potion.

Not just any kind either.

It was one of the highest quality ones available.

She uncorked the vial and drank it slowly.

Graceful as ever.

As the last drop passed her lips, I saw the color in her face return bit by bit.

Her pale complexion warmed slightly, like someone waking up from a long nap.

"I told you it's treatable, right?" she said softly. "So please… just be the calm, mysterious senior you've always been to me. My hero."

"...Hero?"

"Ah—what I meant to say was… my senior. Please ignore that part."

"...Alright."

"But you know, senior," Stacia suddenly said, her voice carrying a playful lilt as she looked up at me, "if you're really still worried about me—and still blaming yourself—why don't we make things a little more even?"

"Even?" I raised a brow. "Do you want me to burn through my mana too or something?"

"Haha, as interesting as that sounds, no." She chuckled softly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "What I meant was… to help you feel a bit better, why don't you just compensate me with something~?"

"What kind of compensation?"

"Something that could ease a bit of the burden I'm carrying now," she said, her voice slightly dropping into a gentler tone. "Trust me, it's something only you can do—and quite easily at that."

I let out a breath, glancing at her. "Well, if it's something that'll help, then sure. What do you want?"

"Senior just needs to give me his mana."

"…Huh?"

"In a way that won't interrupt my mana veins," she added, her red eyes glimmering with subtle mischief, "and without disrupting my currently healing mana core. An essence-sharing, if you will~"

She tapped her lips playfully.

"Although daily mana potions are doing the trick for now, I have a strong feeling this kind of treatment would be far more effective. Your mana's incredibly dense and pure. If I get even a little of it… it could reduce my mana potion intake to just once a week. That's huge, you know?"

"…I see. Alright then," I said after a pause. "Take as much as you want."

"Mhm~ Then please don't move… unless you want to hurt me~"

Before I could even respond, she smiled and stepped closer, reaching up to grab my necktie.

Since I was taller, she had to tiptoe just slightly—and in the next moment, I felt the warm breath against my lips.

A trickle of energy, steady and controlled, being transferred from my core to hers.

It didn't even last that long.

Slowly her feet touched back down, I found myself staring at her, wide-eyed.

She looked… content.

"Well then… Let's do it again next week, senior~"

There were still people all around us.

Yet she simply smiled like she'd just taken a refreshing sip of tea.

'This crazy princess…'