The Hunter Mage

CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE

He shook his head slowly, he did not want to lie and he was worried that if she had been the one to clean the table she would have known he did not eat. Besides, it would not do him any good now to lie. He needed to get better and one thing was sure, food was definitely a fast way to get better. He needed all the nutrients he could get.

"Really? Did Madame Rachel return?" She asked.

"No, not that I know of." He added the last part because he had fallen asleep, she may have come to check on him while he had been fast asleep.

"I see," she said and got to her feet. "I will.be right back."

"Where are you going?" He asked, he could take a guess but he wanted to confirm.

"To get you something to eat, it is the least I could do and probably see if I can get you some hot cocoa." She replied but did not stop moving as she spoke.

"You don't have to, you know. I am sure Madame Rachel would send something." Courtesy demanded that he added that part even though he knew he was hungry and definitely would not mind something to eat. However, it did not dispute the fact that he did not want to stress Bess.

"Why wait when I can easily go get it and I'll be back faster than she would get here?" With that, she was out the door faster than he could come up with a reply.

He sighed, he was still lying down on the bed, he might as well try to get comfortable. He didn't need anyone to tell him food was vital and he made a personal note to try to eat everything she would bring for him, maybe not all but at least most of it.

He just felt slightly better than the moment he first woke up. That was not good. He had fallen sick a couple of times and he knew the sickness usually wasn't a hundred the entirety of the day. There were highs and lows but running at a hundred all day was sure to be damaging, he just didn't want to think about that just yet.

There was also the fact that he was stuck in bed; this was not appealing in any way and a part of him was wondering how long he would actually stay on the bed before he lost his mind.

He was certain that if his sister was not at the academy, he would not have minded the break but the fact that his sister was here made him want to jump out of bed and run to her because he knew he needed every minute he would spend with her.

He was hoping her case would be different but what if it wasn't? What if in a couple of months she had to leave too? How would he handle it? He knew he would not be able to.

He sighed, already feeling super tired from having to sit up especially with how tired he was already but he would remain this way as long as he didn't faint. He needed to start taking this seriously because he feared it might get worse than it already was.

Bess showed up less than five minutes later and he wondered if it was already dinner time or Florence set aside his meal for him or did they just make something up? Well, he obviously did not know the answer and it would be terribly rude to ask so he pushed the thoughts away.

She showed up with a tray that had little bits of everything for appetizers, to the main dish, and then fruits for dessert. At least that was how he arranged them in his head.

She dropped the tray on the table and then handed him the mug. He accepted it and gripped it with both hands, he was not sure one was steady enough.

He brought the hot cocoa to his lips enjoying the warmth and the strong smell. He closed his eyes slightly before taking a sip, a gulp would have set his lips and tongue ablaze. He definitely didn't want to add burnt tongue to the list of the things that were wrong with him.

"Let me help you cool it down a little, at least I can do that." Bess offered.

Vernon opened his eyes to look at Bess then he smiled faintly and stretched out the mug towards her. She touched it and Vernon watched the steam go down until it was almost non-existent.

He felt himself brighten up, he was super grateful that he didn't have to perform some throat wind just to take a sip. He could still feel the effects of the first sip. Though he was not sure the decrease in temperature was a good idea because of what Vivk had said once before, it only took a sip for him to realize it was still hot, it just wasn't burning.

He nodded his head in satisfaction at the new feel and gulped it, he was done in four gulps. They were huge gulps however, there had been no break in between and he had simply gulped four times in a row.

He smacked his lips in satisfaction and Bess laughed. He giggled back at her and tried to place the mug on the table by himself. He knew there was no way he could perform the task without excessively stressing himself but he did want to do it himself because it didn't feel right to stress Bess instead.

"Give me that!" Bess yelled and took the mug from his grasp. She then carefully placed it on the table.

"Thanks," he said, softly.

She scoffed, "Do you want to eat anything else right now?"

"Maybe in a couple of minutes," he already felt bloated even though all he just took was literally a cup of water.

"Yeah, I figured you want to take a break first. That was quite the um drink." She chuckled as she said the last part then took her seat.

Vernon swallowed, he did not know what they couldn't possibly talk about but he did not want her to go yet, he doubted he would get another company any time soon and if he should try sleeping again, he doubted he would wake up.

He could not remember the last time he had slept this much, considering he had been spending all his free time with his sister. As soon as training was over, he was always right by her side. He was not complaining, he totally enjoyed every minute of it. It was the constant lying on this bed that annoyed him.

"Have you ever gone to the castle?" He blurted. No sooner was the question was out of his lips that he scolded himself for asking such a dumb question.

"Nope," she muttered. Vernon could not hide his surprise that she answered.

"Do you want to?" He immediately asked. He was not exceptionally curious but he did not mind the information and for some reason, he could tell that she knew a lot about the castle. He wondered if she got the information for Lae since she has not been to the castle herself.