Maria and I passed through the ceiling too—since it served as an Exit, and we found ourselves at the surface of the Dark Desert.


    I looked around and saw the vast expanse gleaming with darkness—just as we left it. Perhaps I was hoping to see some sign of Stefan, but he was long gone already.


    ''Damnit...''


    There were many questions I wanted answers to, but first I needed to take care of Maria.


    ''She''s really shivering. This expression she''s making... it''s like she had a never-ending nightmare. Is it trauma?''


    Using [The Tower], I briskly teleported myself and Maria away from the Dark Desert and we arrived at a morefortable ce.


    >VWOOOSHHH<


    The blue portal closed behind me as I brought  Maria into therge, well-lit room.


    The ambiance was warm and nice, and as I took in the familiar scent permeating the room, I felt nostalgia.


    ''Why did I first think of this ce? I guess this really is home for me...''


    Iid Maria on therge bed within the room, and fetched a Potion from my Subspace. It glowed bright white, and it was supposed to grant relief to whatever psychological distress she was suffering.


    ''Spells like [Calm] and [Stability] have been imbued within it...''


    Even if one wasn''t in a traumatized state, it was still a good Potion to take for meditation and rxation.


    At the moment, though, it seemed Maria really needed something to calm her down.


    ''She won''t stop trembling...'' My thoughts trailed as I tried force-feeding her the Potion.


    Her eyes appeared nk, and I knew she was barely holding on to her string of consciousness.


    "I don''t want to be rough, Maria. Just a bit more, and—"


    >WHAM!<


    The door behind me suddenly opened, and someone appeared from outside it.


    "What in the world?!"


    I sharply nced back, donning a guilty look as I made eye contact with the matriarch of the property I was on.


    "M-mom, rx. I can exin."


    "What was I hearing from behind the door? You don''t want to be rough? What are you doing to that young girl?"


    ''A-ah...''


    Now that I looked at things, my position appeared verypromising.


    Maria was incapacitated. She was currently lying down on my bed, and a sweet-smelling Potion was in my hand. Not only did the situation appearpletely suspicious, but my Mom was a very very big exaggerator.


    ''How do I get out of this mess?''


    I instantly med myself.


    I just had to choose the one ce where Anabelle Leonard would be.


    "You have to calm yourself mother." I could already see her hyperventting as she looked at me with worry and disappointment.


    "I''m not trying anything shady! Trust me, Mom!" I yelled


    "What have you be, Jared." Tears fell from her eyes as she covered her mouth while sobbing.


    "This woman—"


    My attention sharply fell back on Maria, and I saw her tremble once more.


    "I don''t have time for this!" Sharply moving in a fluid motion, I made sure to pour the Potion at just the right angle.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "J-Jared wait—!"


    Ignoring my mother, I treated my friend. It didn''t matter what kind of image she had developed in her.


    Once everything was done, I just needed to exin things to her.


    "Haaa..." My eyes beamed as I saw Maria''s tensed body rx.


    The sweat on her body stopped flowing, and her condition stabilized.


    "You better have a good exnation for this, Jared..." My Mom drew closer, now gaining a better perspective of the situation.


    "... Wait, isn''t this the daughter of the Helmsworth household? Hold on, why are you even here, to begin with? Ah, so many questions."


    I still had no idea why I teleported here in my desperate state. However, deciding to ce my trust in my mother... I decided to spill a little bit.


    "Can we talk?"


    ***********


    Anabelle, my mother, ordered the servants to take care of Maria.


    They were to bathe for her and freshen her up as gently as possible. Since she was soaked in her sweat and was also recovering from trauma, it was best to handle her with care.


    As for me, I decided to leave thedies to their business.


    Lingering around the room would only make me appear more suspicious... and I couldn''t have that, could I?


    After she was done directing the maids, my Mom entered our private lounge—where I was patiently waiting for her.


    She gave a gentle sigh, and then smiled at me.


    "She''ll be fine. Just let the servants do their thing."


    She was quite perceptive, considering I did my best to hide my worry. Perhaps because she was my mother?


    "That''s a relief to hear." My response was that of relief.


    A lot of unprecedented things happened in our quest for [The Pope] Arcana, and while I was worried about the others, Maria''s condition worried me.


    ''If Stefan appeared on our end, the others could also be in danger...''


    However, so far, I had gotten no response from them. Even though Ciara and Lemi didn''t agree with the Soul Brand idea, their partners had them.


    That meant I could still monitor everyone''s safety.


    ''So far, they don''t appear to be in any trouble. If they were, they can also use the Spell Cards I have them...''


    With that in mind, I decided to dedicate my brain power to the current situation at hand.


    "So... exin yourself, Jared. What''s going on?"


    To be frank, I was under no obligation to tell my Mom about the things that were urring. There was also the question of how much to divulge.


    However, at the moment, I needed someone to talk to. The shock of Stefan''s new identity, and my deep-seated worry about Maria''s shaken state...


    ''... I don''t like this feeling.''


    Which was why I decided to confide in my mother.


    "Mom... how did you fall in love with Dad?"


    I could spot my mom''s eyebrow being raised, and I knew that wasn''t where I ought to have begun my inquiry. However... the question just came out.


    A smile formed on her face, and I realized that she was having another one of her weird thoughts.


    ''Haa... what am I doing?''