"Eh? Are you perhaps talking about Young Lady Vallhall wishing to one day summon and make contact with the Grand White Wolf Fae itself?"
"Precisely. What, does it NOT sound like just the dumbest thing to you?"
The future hero let out a confused gasp before asking cautiously, making Rotsard confirm the guess and snort mockingly.
"...why would you say that…?"
"Because I know better than to put my faith in a creature that abandoned our bloodline four hundred years ago and never looked back since."
Justin's voice was as upset as it was quiet, yet Rotsard's response was unabashedly straightforward.
His words weren't baseless either. In the entirety of the story, the deofol read to him, Saria never achieved that lofty goal of hers. It was the one thing that the stubborn princess of the Vallhall family had to actually give up on, and which cost her a lot of resources and wasted effort.
"If she, you, or anyone for the matter, really has to rely on something other than themselves, why not focus more on the faes you already have a contract with? You might have missed it, but despite keeping it close, Saria isn't completely happy with Spite because of it being the darkness attribute and not ice. Just like with her own talents, she wastes the potential she was handed. You need to be careful around her, or you may get infected by the same attitude."
"..."
Rotsard scoffed angrily, completely shutting Justin up with the unexpected take, and also unintentionally causing Polaris to nudge him with her cold nose in a worried manner.
The youth really didn't want to make the baby fae upset, so he quickly smiled and started playing with it again to make it stop worrying.
He was so absorbed in the play that only after a few minutes pass did he realized that neither he, nor Justin, spoke up since.
The bleached-blond-haired youth felt a bit awkward… he certainly didn't want the future hero to start worrying that he was trying to spy on him or something equally creepy, so he furrowed his brows trying to come up with another subject…
That didn't take long at all, as there was a conversation subject right then and there waiting to be acknowledged.
Not that it was on his mind constantly, but Rotsard did inquire nurse Chloe in passing about treatment for hemorrhoids, and she did surprise him with information about the new type of treatment involving ice magic. Specifically involving freezing the troublesome fragment in order to get rid of it.
Normally, that wouldn't be something that Rotsard would even consider aiding anyone with…
…but since he was already going to risk the whole world in his fight against the Arch Deofol, having a reliable ally in the form of somone desinted save humanity couldn't hurt...
...no matter how bothersome the process of assuring that help would be...
…especially since with his current level of control over ice mana, the treatment would be performed without a need for any form of actual physical contact…
"...Commoner…"
"Y-yes…?"
Even so, it was extremely awkward to even start that conversation, and the blissful unawareness of Justin only made it worse for Rotsard.
"Have you… considered taking measures against your… disposition…?"
"...wh-what are you talking about…!?"
Rotsard asked and felt bad instantly as the obvious panic sipping into Justin's voice really made him think that the future hero was gravely ashamed about his problem…
"I'm just saying… that since your… condition makes you indisposed from time to time, wouldn't you prefer to be freed from it, at least for a few months? There is a certain treatment… a certain ACT that could be performed that would help with that… although not permanently, since your body disposition would…"
*WHAM*
"!?!?"
The youth was really struggling to come up with the right words that wouldn't offend the future hero any more than inevitable, but considering that the person inside the stall ended up slamming their hands against the door so hard it startled the baby fae in Rotsard's lap, he failed in that regard.
"..."
Rotsard glared angrily at the door for a moment before looking back at the golden bear cub and leaning down to kiss its fuzzy head apologetically and motioning at it that it was time to go.
Polaris needed a few more kisses before it was convinced and disappeared in a flash of light…
"R-Rotsard! Y-you bastard! That's absolutely inappropriate! You…! You beast! P–pe-pervert!"
The baby fae was gone just in time for Justin's high-pitched outburst from within the stall, followed by a couple more slams on the stall's door that prompted Rotsard to stand up, as he expected it was simply because he was blocking the way out for the future hero and not an outlet for Justin's agitation.
Only when the slamming stopped and was followed by the hurried rustling of clothes, Rotsard's brain made the right connection, and the bleached-blond-haired youth's face scrunched in realization.
"Let me make something clear! I know I was very forward with the proposition, but first of all, it really comes from a place of genuine concern. Second of all, it was just that, a proposition. I know that earlier I put you in a spot where I didn't really give you a choice, but this one is a completely different matter. I do not intend to force you in any way, either verbally or physically, so do not add that to your list of concerns."
"You shouldn't be asking something like that in the first place!"
He was then quick to defend himself, only stating facts, but still got shouted at.
"…but I'm worried about you…"
"...!"
Since he really did have only good intentions, getting a reaction like that made him grumpy, and he muttered with a sour expression, causing the person in the stall to flinch and freeze up for a moment.
'E-even if you're worried, how in the world do you imagine that doing that would help me out? Yes, if… if it was successful, it would stop the issue from occurring for nine months, but then that also comes with A LOT of issues and consequences on its own!"
It seemed that the future hero calmed down from the initial outburst, as when he called out again, although still agitated, he sounded a lot more collected.
"Huh? No, I don't think that a hemorrhoid treatment of that sort has side effects that would be anywhere near as serious as you suggest…"
"..."
Rotsard furrowed his brows and finally properly said out loud the name of the condition he believed Justin to be suffering from…
…and the silence that responded to him from the stall was deafening…
"...h-hemorrhoids…?"
"Yes, treatment for them."
After an excruciatingly long couple of seconds, the future hero asked quietly, and the bleached-blond-haired youth nodded in confirmation.
"You… you think that I have hemorrhoids and… and offered me a treatment for them…?"
"Yes?"
Justin's voice trembled as he muttered, confusing Rotsard, who believes he has been as clear and delicate on the matter as he possibly could…
"...get out…"
"Huh…?"
After a couple more seconds of silence, a barely audible murmur coming from the stall made Rotsard take a step closer and let out a worried voice.
"GET OUT!"
"!"
But as it was followed by an ear-piercing shriek that made him grimace and take a step back, Rotsard certainly wasn't going to stay in the bathroom any longer after that anyway.
"That… went as badly as it could, huh…? I shouldn't have said a thing. I'm not a medical professional... why would anyone want an amateur to mess with their health? Haaaa…."
Already back in the hallway and on his way back to the classroom, Rotsard muttered to himself with a heavy sigh.
"I might have become a bit more self-aware thanks to knowing the story, but… tsk… I'm almost as dumb as Saria, aren't I? Subtlety of a battering ram."
He added, clicking his tongue at himself while self-reflecting, still convinced that the mistake he made was about the approach and not the entirety of the premise…