By the time Jeanne finally realized that Kal'tsit had been looking for her regarding something potentially important, she was already back in her room, preparing for a proper rest. Standing by the window, she pondered whether she should first find Kal'tsit to inquire about the matter or just collapse onto the bed immediately.
As she struggled with these two choices, she caught sight of the pristine white bed and blankets lying there quietly, as if constantly tempting her. Jeanne shook her head quickly, casting aside the "wrong" thought of doing work. On such an important occasion, how could she let her focus on sleeping be distracted by other matters? She really needed to reflect on her priorities.
With that thought, Jeanne let herself fall toward the bed. A soft "thud" echoed as her substantial weight hit the mattress. She grabbed a corner of the blanket and rolled, wrapping herself up until she resembled a giant silkworm cocoon.
In that very instant, the "silkworm" entered the land of dreams. Outside, the sun was shining brightly, but the fact that she could fall asleep so instantly spoke volumes about the formidable quality of her sleep.
On the other side, Kal'tsit was momentarily stunned when she heard Jeanne's refusal. She had heard many excuses for rejection—some true, some false—but this was a first. She hadn't expected Jeanne to be in such a rush specifically to sleep. However, she simply glanced back and returned to teaching the other doctors. Though she did have something important to discuss, it wasn't so urgent that it required disturbing someone's rest; she could simply wait.
However, there was one thing Kal'tsit did not expect: for the next four days, she didn't see so much as a shadow of Jeanne. Not even a shadow!
Does this child really sleep that much? Is she truly alright? As a doctor who fully deserved the title of "well-traveled and knowledgeable," this was a first for Kal'tsit. After making inquiries, she learned that Jeanne hadn't woken up once during those four days. This was essentially sleeping as if dead! Who sleeps for four days straight?
Kal'tsit couldn't help but worry. Based on her years of understanding the human body from the Doctor, sleeping like this could be life-threatening! Following these concerns, she eventually found Talulah to explain her medical worries regarding this abnormal situation.
Talulah, however, wasn't overly concerned upon hearing Kal'tsit's worries. This wasn't the first time Jeanne had done this, and she had grown used to it. Early on, Talulah had been worried enough to have a doctor check on her, only to be confirmed that Jeanne's body was perfectly fine with no irregularities.
"Thank you for your concern, but we are aware of this. Though it might seem frightening, Jeanne's health should be fine," Talulah said.
Hearing this, Kal'tsit stopped worrying and convinced herself it might be a unique trait—perhaps a way to accumulate fatigue and recover all at once. She wished the Doctor by her side, who was also human, had such a trait; then she wouldn't have to constantly worry about that idiot dying of overwork or having to check if they were staying up all night.
Nevertheless, Kal'tsit took the time to visit the slumbering Jeanne. The girl was sleeping so deeply she didn't seem to notice Kal'tsit's arrival at all. However, Kal'tsit keenly noticed that the moment she approached, the single cowlick on Jeanne's head went from still to swaying left and right, as if issuing a warning.
Kal'tsit had reason to believe that if she got too close or showed any intent to harm her, the girl would wake up instantly. But Kal'tsit had no ill intentions and no desire to test Jeanne's sensory abilities during sleep. After a brief observation to confirm there were no accidents, she left.
Throughout the entire process, Jeanne remained in her dream. Her vital signs remained constant—so normal they were almost abnormal, leaving Kal'tsit amazed by the wonders of this child's body.
This time, Kal'tsit could clearly sense a certain energy within Jeanne, and the stored amount was massive enough to make even her click her tongue. If that energy were extracted, it could easily power a small landship for a month, if not an entire nomadic city.
Kal'tsit was curious how the child managed to store such vast energy in her body. Could she be some kind of mutated Originium Slug that just looks like a human? Not that she doubted Jeanne was human, but to her knowledge, no sapient creature on Terra contained such vast internal energy, with the exception of creatures like Originium Slugs.
When people on this land thought of energy, they thought of Originium. Since it was the most common power source, having energy stored inside the body was usually not a good thing. Those with internal energy were known by a specific name: Infected. Currently, few creatures besides the Infected possessed such traits.
Normal people required a staff containing pure Originium to use Arts. Or could she be a Feranmut? It wasn't impossible, but Jeanne maintained she was human, which puzzled Kal'tsit.
Kal'tsit then recalled that Jeanne had been eating Originium lately. Since she didn't contract Oripathy, Kal'tsit hadn't paid much attention to it then. Thinking about it now, was that massive energy replenished by consuming Originium? It was no wonder she hadn't noticed it during their first meeting; it had likely been replenished recently.
Kal'tsit's interest in Jeanne grew even deeper. The ability to store energy within a humanoid body was truly a first in history. However, she didn't wake Jeanne. After a few glances at the girl's somewhat poor sleeping posture, she turned and left, returning to her room to ponder.
Kal'tsit didn't emerge for a long time, and while no one knew what the doctor was contemplating, no one disturbed her.
"Wuaah~ that was a good sleep!" As the sun was about to set one day, Jeanne woke from her deep slumber, feeling the restored mana and vitality in her body. She felt like she could beat up four Sanguinarches! While that might be an exaggeration, her body certainly felt much more comfortable.
"How many days did I sleep? Three, four? Maybe even five?" Jeanne guessed based on the light outside. She felt certain it had been more than two days. Her minimum deep rest was usually around three and a half days, though she hadn't stayed up as long as she did this time.
"It's been five days! If we didn't know your sleeping didn't affect your health, Talulah would have sent you to Dr. Kal'tsit for another check-up," Alina said, having heard Jeanne wake up and hurried in to check on her. Seeing that Jeanne was unchanged, she was relieved.
Alina had seen this "hibernation" habit before, but she always worried Jeanne might not wake up or that she might suffer some harm from sleeping too long. Seeing Jeanne wake up so spiritedly made her happy. However, the timing of her waking was poor; in just a few hours, it would be time to sleep again.
Perhaps that's a good thing for Jeanne, Alina thought as she looked at her. "You haven't eaten in five days, you must be hungry. There's soup and bread outside; eat a bit to tide you over, dinner will be ready soon!"