Jean retrieved a notebook from her satchel and started going through a data table at an opened page.

"This batch will contain an equal mixture of Carathian Poppy and Enduring Lotus seed oil," she indicated as she poured in a phial from its stand into the milky solution in the cauldron.

"That's a lot of vitality!" Al commented. "Are you sure that's safe for mortals?"

Jean nodded and highlighted, "We've measured the concentration well. It will ultimately get diluted once infused into soap bars. Furthermore, it is administered cutaneously in extremely small dosages over an extended period. It is perfectly safe."

Al murmured in affirmation and observed as Jean poured out the last batch of soap. He then turned to Guy and asked with a mirthful chuckle.

"Where's your tail? I don't see him anywhere."

Guy squinted as he tried to decipher the joke, "You mean Markus? He's... cultivating in seclusion."

"Wow! I never thought I'd ever say that sentence out loud," Guy muttered in a low voice.

"He must be close to breaking through," Al hummed. "It's a feeling you get, you know? The urge to jump when you're close to the edge. Faithful to that analogy, either you fly, or collapse magnificently."

Noticing Guy's increasingly dour expression, Al added, "But I'm confident Markus will succeed in his endeavour. The boy is both diligent and intelligent," while patting Guy on the shoulder.

"I hope so," Guy murmured.

A few days before Marie unlocked the ability to decipher the waves of fate, Markus approached Guy about entering seclusion. Guy didn't get it at first and waved it off as some form of a jest, but then the boy sat down and explained his reasoning. Apparently, the session with Marie brought forth interesting concepts that sparked some inspiration within him, and he believed cracking through this blockage might just give him some insight into his cultivation method and push him over the edge into Foundation Establishment.

Guy didn't know what to say to that apart from acquiescing. His Disciple was eager to advance after stagnating in the same state for a significant duration, and Guy could feel that as well. The kid's cultivation method was still a mystery to them both. Through infrequent |Extrospect|, Guy could only determine that the boy's cultivation might have something to do with space. Neither Guy nor Al could decipher what it meant, even after thoroughly scouring through available texts.

To that end, no one could help Markus advance but himself, which was both commendable and concerning.

historical

"Medium Sis, you didn't add any colour to this one as well," Dora commented, effectively redirecting the conversation.

"We're only conducting tests to see their medical efficacy, we aren't testing their marketability," Jean explained. "Once we know that these work, we can move on to that."

"I will decide what colours to put in, okay?" Dora demanded. "The last time I let Medium Sis do it, and it came all drab and boring."

Jean exhaled lightly through her nose and said, "Sure. When we get there, you will add the colours."

"Teacher Larks! Young Mistress Rasmus! Dora!" A faint voice echoed towards the group, filled with heart-wrenching urgency and exhaustion.

"Teacher Larks!" As the voice approached them, the group observed the hobbling figure of a middle-aged man approaching them. His face was warped with panic and concern and looked as though it had aged decades just within a short time frame.

"Uncle Lane!" Dora called out in surprise.

The man stopped before the group and bent over, supporting himself at his knees and panting vigorously.

"Oh good... you're all here! Teacher Larks, Young Mistress Rasmus, Dora..." He wheezed. "Please. Help."

Jean's usually unperturbed face showed a trace of concern. "What is the matter, Mister Lane."

"My Chiani," he blurted out with difficulty. "She's... she's-"

"Giving birth?" Jean completed anxiously, to which the man nodded.

"It's early," the girl muttered. "Let's go!" She declared and sped out without a second thought, followed a few seconds later by Dora.

The man wore a pained expression as he began to hobble back. Climbing up the many steps up to the orphanage had drained him significantly, adding on the emotional turmoil of possibly losing his wife did not help either. Just as he was about to take his first step, a hand reached around and grabbed him. It pulled one hand of his upwards and draped it over a shoulder, while another hand reached to his other side and latched on firmly.

"T-Teacher Jeeves," the man exclaimed in shock and fear.

"Hold on tightly, and do not let go," Al instructed casually.

"What?!" The man barely managed to ask before Al lifted off, zooming upwards.

"AAAAAAaaaaaaa...aaa...aa..." His blood-curdling screams receded as he disappeared into the blue sky.

Guy gazed in their general direction for a few seconds before a realisation struck him.

"What am I doing here?" He blurted out in disbelief before following his student with a jog.

____

Muffled moans and pained screams echoed from within a sizeable house at the village. The commotion had inevitably attracted a large crowd, mostly consisting of women, who knew just by the tone of the screams that someone inside was going through an arduous birthing process.

"Chiani's really struggling. Where did Kannan run off to after leaving his wife all alone?" One of the elderly women observing the scene commented with an irate tone.

"The midwife is inside," another pointed out. "Kannan went to fetch Teacher Larks, Young Mistress Rasmus and little Dora."

The first woman clicked her tongue dismissively and commented, "What use are they? One is just a Teacher, another is a spoiled little Young Mistress, and the third is a little girl."

"You can't say that Grandma," Durkas standing next to her interjected while shaking his head. "Don't you remember? Young Mistress Rasmus was the one who healed Father when he fractured his arm a few months back. We all know that the Young Mistress is working to become a healer."

"Still!" The elderly woman reinforced. "What would a young girl and little child know about childbirth? What would a man know about childbirth?!"

"Great master Nara instructed Kannan to do it," Durkas clarified.

"Really? Well, what's taking them so long? Quick, Durkas, you're younger and faster, go and fetch them. Kannan's probably winded midway through the steps!" the elderly woman instructed hurriedly. "If great master Nara said so, it must be important, we cannot afford to delay."

Right at that moment, Jean rushed in. Without slowing down, she leapt over the surrounding thatched wall in one bound.

"Medium Sis! Wait up," Dora hobbled a few seconds behind, panting as she struggled to catch her breath.

"a...aa...aaaaaaAAAAAAAAAA!" The figures of Al and Kannan Lane descended slowly from the sky, surprising everyone present.

As soon as Al released the screaming man he collapsed to the ground. With unstable footing, the man slowly managed to stand up, but he immediately hunched over and threw up violently.

"Umm, sorry about that," Al hummed apologetically. "I guess, I didn't fly slow enough."

"I-It's oka- BLAAAARGHH!" Al approached the nauseated man and gently massaged his back with an unpractised motion.

By this time, Guy had arrived as well. He threw a cursory glance at the two men before following his student, normally through the fence gate, into the house.

Guy followed the sound of the woman's screams and quickly arrived outside the room where the delivery was taking place. He knocked loudly and called out his presence, before entering.

"T-Teacher LAAAAAARKS!" the sweating, pregnant woman laying on her back barely managed to greet Guy before her contractions intercepted her.

"What's the situation?" Guy asked Jean with a frown. Jean was currently sitting beside the pregnant woman with her hand placed over the bulging belly, inspecting the foetus using her mana sense.

The midwife who had shifted from her prominent position was a much older woman and was garbed in a closed outfit wrapping her head and face as well as the rest of her body. Although he couldn't see it, Guy could feel that the woman was miffed to sacrifice her position to a younger girl.

"What are you doing?" The woman demanded. "We need to get the baby out, otherwise both the mother and the baby's lives are forfeit!"

"If we do it your way, we will be killing the mother!" Jean challenged with uncharacteristic vigour. Her forceful declaration had unwittingly caused the release of a mana wave that intimidated the non-magical midwife.

Unwilling to concede, the midwife held her ground shakily and said, "That is the only way! Would you rather kill the baby, then?"

"No," Jean repeated. "We can save both of them. We MUST save both of them!"

"Jean," Guy interjected while pulling the shaken Dora next to him before their argument devolved into a circular mess. "What are you planning to do?"

Dora silently cowered behind his back. She had initially rushed over excitedly in pursuit of an adventure, but she had grossly overestimated her mental constitution. Upon witnessing the struggle Auntie Lane was going through, the little girl silently vowed to never have a child in this lifetime.

"Teacher Larks, Auntie Lane's foetus is entangled in the umbilical cord," Jean quickly explained.

"And?"

"Well, the midwife suggests two options that require either sacrificing the foetus or the mother for the sake of the other," Jean said. "But... I believe there is a way to save both of them!"

Guy tilted his head sideways and asked. "How is that?"

"We cut open the womb and extract the child-"

"That will just kill the mother," the midwife pointed out smugly. "That's what I said first."

"We extract the child and then close the womb back together," Jean finished firmly. "Just like my mother theorised."