Cecil's Unexpected Surprise
“Jeden, you okay?”
“No.”
“Just a little further and we’ll reach the medical room… hold on, hold on! Don’t throw up! That rule about wearing your uniform to lectures is strict!”
We headed straight for the medical room the moment class ended.
I’d have toughened up with the usual stuff, but one punch had left me groaning in pain like this. The distance was long enough that getting there felt like an achievement.
There, slumped in a chair, sat a man who looked utterly drained. Veined eyes, dark circles, bent posture, messy hair. Without the white coat, he could’ve passed for a grad student.
“Shoes. Hands. Gait. Face. Eyesight. Magic Engineering and combat departments, right? Come here.”
“Ah, hello.”
“Lie down. On the bed.”
“Yes!”
The man scanned me with lazy, weary eyes.
“Straight through. Just like I thought. Mana channels twisted at the worst possible moment. Bad luck, really.”
His words showed real insight, nothing like the usual surface level.
He opened a drawer and pulled out two pills, then spoke again.
“Take these and lie down for ten minutes. Mana simply blocked—happy coincidence. Or maybe not. Cases like yours are rare.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Cecil handed me the pills and water.
“Here. Say ‘ah’.”
“I’ll eat… it myself…”
“Ah.”
“……Ah.”
Slurp. Down. Down.
“All done?”
“Yeah.”
“You heard the doctor, right? Lie down.”
“Yeah…”
I swallowed the pills and lay on the bed. The softness felt like a dream.
The medical room bed was ridiculously comfortable. Even compared to Luke’s house or the dorm, it was heaven.
Just as I was about to pull the blanket over me, the man approached again.
“Sorry to interrupt, but I need to record your chart. Look at me and tell me your name, year, and department.”
“I’ll say it. Jeden, first-year, Magic Engineering.”
“Got it. Jeden, first-year, Magic… Magic? That’s not you saying Magic Engineering, is it?”
“Yes.”
“…Hold on.”
He tapped at his computer for a moment, then smiled faintly and turned back.
“Cecil, right? Mind stepping out for a second?”
“Huh? Why?”
“I have something important to say to Jeden.”
Cecil’s face turned sour.
That made sense. She’d been glued to me since class except for the short trip here—suddenly being asked to leave?
“It’d be awkward for Jeden to hear this here. Or… do you want to know the parts of him that aren’t so ‘clean’?”
“?! No way! I-I’m leaving!”
But before I could finish, the man’s next words sent her bolting out in panic.
He watched her go, chuckling, then looked at me and spoke.
“Of course that was just a joke. A bit of twisted mana won’t mess with your… you know. You’d figure it out yourself easily enough if you knew the methods. I only say this because it’s for your ears alone.”
“…Performance?”
That explanation had me puzzled.
And then the man said:
“Heh heh. Oh, right, we haven’t introduced ourselves. I’m the medical director here, Albert Buckers. And I’m also your senior disciple.”
Delivered like a casual bomb.
“…Huh?”
“Nice to meet you, Saje.”
***
Whenever someone teaches you, that person is called your master, or Saje in Korean terms.
You call the master’s wife Saje Mo, and if it’s a female master, Saje Bu.
Among disciples, the terms split too.
Someone who entered training before you is your Sahyung—brother or sister.
Someone who entered after you is your Saje—brother or sister.
So the fact that this man called me his Saje meant:
“Eh… so you’re the diligent student who eats well?”
“Heh heh. If the master said that, he meant it. To repeat: Albert Buckers, first disciple of Luke Se Tes. The one who cooks, washes, and cleans the best.”
“Exactly.”
“Still in good shape, I see. That’s him.”
Albert Buckers.
I’d heard the name before, but only in passing as “the old master’s first disciple.”
Before I could even reply, Albert glanced at his watch.
“It’s been a while since I sent the letter, so I’d love to hear the master’s stories… but I can’t keep the patient long. The medicine should start working soon. You should go rest. And if you have time, stop by sometime.”
Albert flashed a nostalgic smile, jotted down his number, and sent me on my way.
Just as I was leaving the medical room:
“Ah, one more thing, Jeden.”
“Yes?”
Albert’s expression was hard to read.
“I checked the records. You’re using the Se Tes surname.”
“Yes. Father’s name.”
“Father… I see. Okay, then it’s fine. You can go now.”
“Yes.”
I had nothing else to say to Albert Buckers, so I simply answered and left the medical room.
***
Outside, Cecil was waiting with a nervous look.
“Ah! Jeden! What happened? Did you have a problem?”
“Eh? No?”
“Ah, thank goodness…”
Still, Albert mentioned a long time since they’d exchanged letters.
Everyone at home was an old man or woman; there was no one using a phone. So the connection had probably been dead for ages.
Meaning I probably hadn’t heard anything about Enter and Ipril yet.
“Cecil, I got the medical director’s number. Can you save it?”
“Of course. You remember it?”
“Yeah. 010…”
***
The next day.
Class started at eleven, so I left the dorm at ten twenty.
Ten minutes should’ve been enough to reach the lecture hall—why had I left forty minutes early?
“Here it is. B Wing of the girls’ dorm.”
Because today I was the one waiting for Cecil.
When I arrived, it was about ten thirty. She’d be out soon.
One minute passed.
“Huh? Who’s that?”
“Don’t know. Probably waiting for her girlfriend.”
“Disgusting couple.”
Three minutes.
“Excuse me.”
“What?”
“Do you have business in the girls’ dorm?”
“Ah, yes. Waiting for a friend.”
“You’ve been here too long. Looks bad and could cause problems.”
“Ah… yes.”
Five minutes.
I was starting to feel uneasy and regretful.
“Ah.”
The familiar head of white hair appeared from the dorm building.
She walked over with an unreadable expression, staring at her phone. Unlike the usual cheerful smile, it felt strangely cold.
Honestly, it didn’t match the energetic Cecil I knew.
“Cecil!”
“…Eh?”
I called her just as the stares from the surroundings began to burn.
“What? Why are you here?”
She approached with a bright smile that looked completely out of place.
This was the Cecil I knew.
“I hate making you wait every time.”
“Hehe, this feels weirdly different.”
“I know.”
Waiting was nothing new.
The burning stares were nothing new.
But something felt… different from before.
I couldn’t put my finger on it.
Or rather, I didn’t feel anything at all.
Yet if I had to describe it, I would say:
“It’s warm.”
“Yeah. Spring’s coming.”
“…Heh. You’re right.”
We chatted a bit and arrived at the lecture hall a little early.
Luckily, the previous class had ended, so the seats were empty. We sat by the window.
“Did you see today’s student cafeteria menu?”
“Codfish steak and squid vegetable salad.”
“…Eh? Really?”
“Yeah.”
The cafeteria split into two.
Traditional Korean with rice, sides, and soup.
Western with bread or pasta.
The Western stockroom had broken down and dumped all the supplies.
So this week only Korean food.
“Ugh. We have to eat at the cafeteria because of the budget.”
“It’s not that bad once you try it.”
“Eh? Have you tried it? It looked really…”
“Well, since Luke’s hometown food, his table was always Korean.”
I knew a decent amount from watching from the shoulder.
“Don’t complain about the sides.”
“Even if it was yesterday, you can complain now.”
“Hmm.”
Yesterday I was still in the slums.
“Well, maybe I just couldn’t back then.”
“Ugh. Trash.”
When that happened, the direct approach used by those from the same background worked.
Deep-fried fish would’ve been too soft and gross.
Wrong. Crispy and tender—delicious.
After arguing that, the lecture began.
***
“Ugh, lecture again in an hour.”
“Let’s eat quick and go.”
“No time for lunch and you’re buying a sandwich? Are you serious?”
“That’s enough for you? Last time you looked like you were starving…”
“…….”
“S-sorry. Sandwich?”
“Hmph.”
***
The morning’s engineering magic was a continuation of the previous class; general magic didn’t grab much attention.
So at two o’clock I was back in the Thunder Hall for the engineering circuit theory lecture.
“Hah, hah… This schedule must’ve been made to boost student stamina.”
“It’s because your stamina is low.”
“I’m average for the Magic Engineering department, you know?”
“Even in the combat department you can say that?”
“…….”
I sat Cecil down in the lecture chair and looked out the window.
Some of the trees were already blooming, their buds opening into full flower.
“Huh? You like flowers?”
“Not bad. They smell nice and look pretty.”
“Then what about me?”
“Smell and pretty… wait, why did you suddenly jump to that?”
“Huu?”
Her eyes curved and the corners of her mouth lifted.
Just moments ago she’d been sprawled over the desk panting, and now she was teasing. Annoying.
“Keep talking.”
“No way.”
“Hehe, then buy me a flower.”
“No money.”
“I’ll lend you.”
“Then there’s no point. Plus you said the budget was tight.”
“Emergency fund is always there.”
“That one’s for saving.”
We kept chatting until the lecture finally started.
