Russell had, of course, noticed Felis often appearing near the secret passage.
Though he could not quite figure out what Felis was trying to do, based on Russell's judgment of his character, he should not have been showing up so often near their final escape route.
Especially since Russell had heard every word Nanalie and Aislin exchanged, he naturally understood that no matter how well Felis could soothe his own emotions, his suspicious and irritable nature was unavoidable.
Russell puffed out his cheeks. Though somewhat reluctant, since he had already made contact with Felis, he decided to ask what that boy was actually up to.
On the fifth day of sunbathing, Felis received his second Insect Letter at his second home... the bench.
Though he should have immediately gone into his Mental Sea to read it, Felis could not help gritting his teeth and frowning. This insect was not only even more lifelike, but it had not vanished after he finished reading the letter... Clearly, the sender intended to receive his reply.
Even though he had long known that Russell was extraordinarily gifted, the reality that he had made such enormous progress in only five days still left Felis feeling deeply bitter.
He struggled to suppress that sourness and suddenly understood why Mage Towers separated ordinary apprentices from those with exceptional talent for training... When you worked desperately for a year yet could not match someone else's achievements in five days, it was easy to lose confidence.
Even if you told yourself every day that effort would always bear fruit, faced with a gap in talent that no amount of desperate striving could overcome, anyone with even slightly weaker willpower would truly go mad.
At that moment, Felis could even understand Wester's complete surrender and Rolando's weakness in wanting to