A Sudden Sensitivity
The morning sunlight quietly seeped into the room, gradually brightening the atmosphere. Eloise slowly opened her eyes. Her room was always tidy like this, with all the necessary items neatly arranged. On her desk sat neatly stacked books alongside the textbooks and stationery she needed for studying. While lying on the bed, she did a simple stretch, glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, and, to fully wake up from sleep, slowly sat up from the bed. From the soft mattress, Eloise walked straight to the window and flung the curtains wide open. Outside was still slightly dim, but she could sense that morning was about to break. After opening the windows, Eloise took a deep breath and began preparing to greet the new day. “Haa… Today’s air is especially nice.” Letting out a small yawn, she stretched once and headed out of the room. The room was quiet just before morning. Her roommate Serina was probably still asleep, and her own room showed no sign of any presence. Looking at her roommate’s door, Eloise let out a sigh. “Haa. I wonder what on earth happened.” When she had returned to the room after her midnight promise with Chloe at the Black Market, Eloise had seen Serina’s face. But the moment her consciousness vanished, and when she had come to her senses a while later, her roommate was already gone from the room. ‘I’ve had a similar experience before…’ The uneasy feeling didn’t disappear, and there was no answer. Since Eloise couldn’t find a solution, she headed to the bathroom to prepare for school. Walking on the morning-cold tiled floors that had grown chilled, Eloise turned the faucet to adjust the shower so that lukewarm water would come out, then stepped into the shower space. The stream of water from the shower soaked Eloise’s long hair, flowed down her shoulders, and washed away her fatigue and the remaining tiredness. After cleansing her body with body wash to create plenty of foam, she rinsed her hair with shampoo and enjoyed the pleasant routine of starting the day. The rich foam gently cleaned her scalp and hair. While showering under the flowing lukewarm water, Eloise suddenly felt her nose become sensitive. She knew the body wash she used always had a refreshing lavender scent, but today it felt much stronger than usual. It was as if she were surrounded by a flower field. The scent-filled bathroom made her feel like she was standing in a lavender field. The fragrant scent enveloped her body, wrapping it in a stronger odor than usual. “That’s strange. It feels denser than usual… Did I use this scent before?” Eloise felt the weird sensation and wondered if the body wash had changed. She briefly glanced at the bottle and checked the ingredients, but nothing was different from before. Maybe it was a change that had occurred over time, but since it wasn’t unpleasant, she continued the shower. After showering in a state of pleasant scent, stronger than usual, she dried off. Standing in front of the mirror, Eloise began a simple makeup. After finishing her daily makeup, Eloise opened her drawer and pulled out a perfume different from the one she usually used. Since she had decided the body wash scent was stronger than usual, she chose to spray a weaker-scented perfume. Flicking a little perfume onto her wrist repeatedly, Eloise soon brought her nose close to smell the scent. The originally faint perfume scent felt exceptionally strong today. She sat for a moment at the vanity, staring at the perfume bottle in thought. “I feel like it used to be weaker than this…” Eloise rummaged through her memories and felt puzzled. Even comparing to the first time she had used it, the scent today somehow felt richer and more layered. Though her now more sensitive nose made her a little flustered, she set the condition aside and continued preparing for school. Wearing the magic-pressed uniform, Eloise put on leather-finished shoes and, lastly, gathered the necessary items like pens and notebooks from the desk drawer into her inventory. After circling the room once to confirm everything was in order, she closed the door and walked through the hallway, exiting the dormitory building and heading toward the wide campus of the Academy. The fresh morning air brushed across her face. On the path to the Academy, Eloise’s nose reacted sensitively to the shop aromas carried by the wind. At every turn she passed, a line of various stores stood side by side, each emitting its own unique smell. As she twitched her nose, a store that caught her nose’s attention appeared. It was a popular sandwich shop among students that sold freshly baked bread. Since the oven was outside the shop, it drew people’s gazes both visually and by scent. Especially the bakery’s aroma strongly stimulated her nose. The sweet, fresh scent of warm bread, just taken out of the oven, assaulted her sense of smell. The scent that wafted along with the crisp sound of baked crust felt like it was inviting her. Eloise stopped for a few steps and took a deep breath. The aromas that had previously seemed simply good suddenly appeared far more vivid and intense today. She stood for a moment in front of the bakery, fully savoring the scent. “That’s odd. It feels much denser than usual.” Eloise muttered while thinking about why her nose had become so sensitive. Feeling these subtle changes, she thought perhaps this heightened sense was not accidental. Because her nose had been ordinary until yesterday, but clearly sensitive since this morning. But as far as she knew, she had never heard of a disease that made the nose sensitive. “…Could it be a curse?” Eloise had heard stories of adventurers exploring labyrinths receiving curses from traps, monster magic, or unknown ancient relics. There were many kinds of curses, and since the exact cause or cure was uncertain, people who received them simply accepted them and lived. Although the church helped those who received curses, they said it was difficult to solve the monetary or practical aspects. “But I didn’t seem to have touched anything wrong…” Scratching around her now-sensitive nose, Eloise sighed and suddenly stopped at a fleeting memory. “…No way?” Thinking about it, the night before she had visited the Black Market. The biggest purpose of the visit was to buy herbs that would help Chloe with her mana circuit treatment, but of course they hadn’t bought only that. They had also met merchants selling peculiar magical tools and unverified items, and in the process had seen many things. On the streets of the bustling Black Market, merchants had spread out and sold jewelry. The merchant, acting as if daring anyone to take it, invited passersby to take a look, and Eloise and Chloe had spoken with him. Of course they hadn’t carelessly touched unverified jewelry or relics just out of curiosity… Cursed items didn’t always require direct contact to activate. The necklace, ring, and earrings the merchant had shown off had a strangely ominous aura, and quite a few people had been looking at them while listening to his talk. Of course, among so many people, the probability of her being the one to get cursed wasn’t that high, but since her nose had truly become sensitive, maybe it really was a curse. “No. It doesn’t seem bad yet.” In fact, she felt that the scent was having a fairly large influence on her, and at the same time it might be helpful. It might even be useful in conquering the labyrinths that would come someday. She had heard that among other races sensitive to scents, some could react sensitively to poisons and avoid danger. “Maybe I can use it well…” Since it wasn’t yet clear whether it was a real curse, she decided to go to the church when she had the chance and resumed walking to school. Of course, her mixed hope didn’t last long.