The door creaked open. Violet stepped in, her flaxen hair spilling over her shoulders, worry etched across her face.

"Myra... sister?"

"What is it?" I rose to my feet.

"The servants brought word—all the city’s physicians have been taken away."

"Taken?" My eyes narrowed slightly. "By whom? Can we still summon a physician back?"

Violet shook her head. "The servants mentioned a man named Carolio. Those physicians won’t be returning anytime soon."

*Carolio?*

I understood instantly.

Carolio’s forces had crushed the Wolfhawk detachment, but not without casualties. With Bluewater City the only settlement nearby, he’d naturally bring his wounded here.

He’d seized every physician in the city—clearly, his losses were heavy. Destroying an entire detachment wasn’t easy, even for him.

But this meant no physician for Rosalynd.

Violet’s expression turned guilty, her lips parting as if to speak but falling silent.

"I’m sorry, Myra... sister. I promised you both..."

I smiled lightly. "It’s alright. Don’t worry. Aranthien—my brother—he’ll find a way."

Eunice had changed clothes. My modern jacket and jeans were replaced by simple black attire from this world, making her look like a delicate-featured black-haired youth. Yet her aura remained icy, untouchable.

After coaxing Violet to set aside her worries and return to her room, I sighed softly. It seemed I’d have to trouble Ada, the Alchemist granddaughter of that old Mage.

Eunice stood, her gaze calm as she met my eyes. "Let’s go, Krein. We must find that potion master. Rosalynd’s condition can’t wait."

I nodded in agreement.

*I wonder if we’ll be welcomed... or despised.*

Leaving Violet’s lavish mansion, Eunice and I navigated the unfamiliar streets of Bluewater City, following the address the old Mage had given.

Bluewater City was vast—far grander than I’d imagined for a frontier town. I’d been utterly wrong.

Amid wide streets thronged with people, I scanned for the street name on our note.

According to the old Mage, her granddaughter ran a flower shop. Skilled in Alchemy, Ada used magic potions to accelerate growth—her blooms were endless.

Her flowers outshone ordinary ones: richer colors, longer-lasting blooms, intoxicating fragrances. They were adored by Bluewater’s young ladies and noblewomen.

Many young men spent fortunes here, buying vibrant bouquets to win their beloved’s heart.

*Alchemy-powered floristry—definitely a goldmine. Magic truly is the ultimate productivity hack.*

After hours of searching, I finally spotted the flower shop. A sweet fragrance lifted my weary spirits long before I reached the door.

Pushing past golden and white blooms flanking the entrance, I entered. Behind a wooden counter stood a girl in a white dress, her movements graceful as she arranged a bouquet of orange flowers. Her sea-green hair fell like silk, her focus absolute—she hadn’t noticed us yet.

The shop was empty. I approached, my deliberate footsteps finally drawing her attention.

She looked up, offering a gentle smile.

"Welcome. What flowers would you like?"

I hesitated. "We’re... not here to buy flowers."

Her eyes flickered with surprise, then cooled.

"If Walker Scaur sent you again, leave. Tell him I despise persistent pests. I sell flowers, not myself."

"No—it’s not that!" I stammered, flustered. "May I ask your name? We’re looking for a girl named Ada."

"Ada?" Her guarded expression softened slightly. She nodded. "That’s me. What do you need?"

"Do you... have a relative in the Severed Forest?"

Suspicion flashed in her eyes. "A relative? Have you seen her?"

She didn’t confirm it was her grandmother—the hidden Mage. Trust didn’t come easily when magic meant danger. She feared her grandmother’s secret was exposed.

If Eunice and I were Church spies, admitting kinship would mean capture.

Of course, we couldn’t be certain this girl was truly Ada. We’d never seen her. Caution was key.

"A few nights ago, lost in the forest during a storm, your grandmother sheltered us in her marshland cabin."

That hidden realm, veiled by illusion, only admitted those the Mage permitted—or those overpowering her magic.

Hearing this, Ada’s wariness eased. "Grandma... Did she send you to me?"

I nodded. Eunice stepped forward, handing her an envelope.

"She asked us to deliver this."

Ada examined the seal’s magical sigil—a unique resonance impossible to forge. After a pause, she locked the shop door and opened the letter.

Silence filled the flower-scented air as we waited.

*Please agree to heal Rosalynd. Only then can we use her connections to reach the Imperial Library... and find a way to swap our bodies back.*

***SLAM!***

The door burst open. A grating voice, like a broken gong, shattered the quiet.

"Ada! I’m back! Nine hundred ninety-nine gilded begonias this time! Huh? Why’s the door locked in broad daylight? Has that pretty boy Rodney been bothering you again? Don’t worry—I’ll beat that bastard so bad his own mother won’t recognize him! And I’m not a Scaur if I don’t!"