Of course, Rise’s temper did not allow him to actually just leisurely rest in captivity. Once in a while, he would make some vain attempts to escape.

Rise was not hoping to succeed, but to always remind Mitchel that he did not want to be there. Also, he wanted him to be paranoid and not let him rest.

Even an S-rank esper was not immune to exhaustion, especially lack of sleep.

Four days after he woke up, his routine was the same. Rise had not felt any improvements in his body. He was healthy, but his mana was not recovering at all.

He suspected that some dosage was put in his food to maintain his state. With this, he was helpless. He either stopped consuming anything and starved, or that also risked his overall recovery, which in turn made it harder for him to escape.

Rise usually ignored Mitchel, but there were times when he could not just find himself to do so. The impatience and worry in his heart aggravate the betrayal he felt.

"You look absolutely terrible," Rise mocked. He gave a glance before he averted his gaze once more, clearly not wanting to look at the other party for more than a few seconds.

For the record, he was not just saying something for the sake of insulting him either. Mitchel’s appearance was truly terrible. He already noticed the dark circles when they met at the restaurant, but they became larger and darker.

Mitchel’s overall demeanor also exuded a gloomy vibe, unlike his usual arrogant and playful persona. Rise truly felt unfamiliar to him now.

And he hardly felt any pity for him. They had already gotten to this point. Rise could never empathize with his reasoning. His thoughts also completely leaned towards Mitchel, letting the author control him.

Some of it was also his to blame, and Rise resented him for that.

"Just looking at your state, I’m just waiting for you to drop dead," Rise smirked.

Mitchel did not respond to him, but he could feel the other party’s gaze. The first couple of days, he was still initiating conversation, but after being ignored, Mitchel chose to just stare like this.

It was annoying, so Rise always drove him away. Rise had stopped asking him for his reasons since Mitchel only repeated what he said the first day.

Again, Mitchel did not react. Rise’s lips twitched before he sighed. He stood up and decided to leave on his own this time. Arguing with such Mitchel, who seemed to have only become an empty shell, would only be exhausting for him.

He did not repeat the reasoning to him either, which he did for the second day in confinement. Mitchel was so controlled and too deep in his delusions.

When he returned to his room, Rise sighed once more and sat on his bed, his mind elsewhere. Despite his efforts, he knew what he was doing would need more time.

In reality, most of his hopes relied on Kamille finding him. However, counting the days he was unconscious, Rise was already captured for less than two weeks.

Rise realized that Kamille should be having a hard time finding him. The author might have hidden this place away from Kamille’s reach. Rise’s hand subconsciously turned into a fist as he closed his eyes firmly.

His leisurely and relaxed look vanished and was replaced by a worried and troubled look. Could it be... he could truly only rely on weakening Mitchel’s mentality and his recovery?

Rise bit his lips. The illusion of calmness that stabilized him was crumbling. He now felt more helpless than ever.

Who... could possibly save him? Being powerless was truly not a good feeling.

Two days later, an opportunity arrived. The person he was least likely to see appeared to save him. Her familiar smile and the glitter of his eyes filled with admiration lingered.

"Thalia..." Rise muttered under his breath, shocked but also relieved.

Not just him. Even the corner of Thalia’s eyes moistened upon seeing Rise.

"I’m not late this time..."

Thalia was thankful his memories returned just in time, or she would regret it once more.

Going back to four days ago, Thalia was actively participating in searching for Rise. Her whole attention was solely on this matter, so Kamille’s chaos was not reaching her.

Despite the chaos in the capital, she remained devoted to finding Rise rather than helping Kamille or reprimanding him. For her, there was always this priority.

Thalia was also not sure about this. This was beyond just admiration as an idol. It was more like a loyal devotion instead. Something within her was distressed and agitated by Rise’s disappearance.

She did not care about any questions; most of her resources and even the guild were allocated to finding Rise.

If someone asked him, the only thing she could reason was that they were friends. But was it truly just the case? Would Thalia truly go to this extent for a friend?

She did not know, but for Rise, she would. Those were her pure thoughts. It was a belief without any resistance in her heart.

It was a long day, and Thalia was exhausted as usual. She was also in a low mood because there was no news about Rise. It was even more so that Kamille was now being accused of things left and right, and Thalia was being requested at the front lines.

Everything was just so stressful. And then she had a dream. No, it was more than just a dream. It all returned to Thalia. These were her memories.

When she woke up, Thalia’s eyes were filled with tears, but her mind was vividly clear.

This time, she would not be late.

Although what she was seeing was not part of her memory, Thalia did not doubt one bit about what she needed to do. This scenario was unique, but it also gave her a realization.

Perhaps, this time was truly different.

Her actions the next day were more subtle. Thalia’s changes were not significant, and she knew how to act like nothing happened. Wary of the world and the influence of a higher being, Thalia paid commissions to just ordinary mercenaries.

The people who absolutely had nothing to do with her or her guild. Unlike Kamille, who always had the author’s watch, Thalia did not have that.

And so, she could freely and subtly search for Rise’s whereabouts by observing the Blue Guild members and Epsilon without alerting the enemy. In a way, she took advantage of the author’s strong attention to Kamille.

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