Sickbed Visit 2
It's been about two weeks since I was hospitalized. I'm recovering well, but they still won't let me use any mana. And of all the rotten luck, I'm stuck sharing a room with this lame scrub, so I can't even secretly speed things up with time magic. I'm still hobbling around like a wreck, but this freshman punk in the next bed over came back from total ruin and is already bouncing back like that. He gets down from bed all the time now and even heads outside for "rehab" walks. And get this—how popular is he? Ever since visits were allowed, our room's been a nonstop parade of people.
Look at that.
"Gail, you feeling okay?"
"Nah... ugh! I'm dying here."
"Come on, dude, get better quick so we can hit up Lahoc's. Let's grab a drink!"
"Ugh~ I could go for that. Me too."
How good does your rep have to be for randos to swarm you like this? All around that... scrub's bed, it's buried in flowers and snacks. Meanwhile, me—the firstborn daughter of the Ascentrius family? Nada.
"But isn't it scary sharing a room with the monster that tried to kill you? I'd piss myself."
"Why say it like that?"
"Dude, look at her eyes. She could eat someone alive."
"No way, no way. Shoo, go on. Scram."
Hoo... Fine, whatever—at least no one's doodling on me or chucking food. That's him weaponizing his five years of academy networking to snipe at me. So petty. As if I need connections at scrub academy level☆
Once the scrub's rowdy friends finally clear out, the room quiets down for the first time in forever. It still reeks of herbs, rotting wounds, alcohol, and mana herbs. They say healing magic fixes everything in a flash, so are they faking the infirmary vibe on purpose with these smells? Tch... whatever!
But seriously, not one visitor? Useless☆ Even if those losers showed up, it'd just be embarrassing.
"Kesera."
"Ahhat~?! What're you up to, calling my name, lame☆scrub?"
"Sorry."
What the hell's with this guy? Why's he suddenly apologizing like that? But separate from that... hearing my name made my heart skip. Huh, ha, huh, ha. I breathed in and out fast. Grrr... I seriously don't get why I'm like this.
"Whoa~! You think I'd accept an apology like that? Lame~! I still totally hate your guts~☆"
"And... thank you."
"Wha-wha-what the—?!"
Why's he suddenly talking in that spine-tingling tone...? I messed up way more anyway. I'm the one who should apologize, but this scrub just keeps going off-script.
"I get it—you hated me enough to kill me."
I wasn't really trying to kill you, okay.
"Tomorrow's discharge, so I won't show my face around you anymore."
That's not it, but whatever, I don't care about a scrub like you—better if you stay out of my sight.
"Thanks for saving me. And for teaching me my place."
Good, at least you finally figured out your place☆ Somehow, if I let him keep going, I felt like I'd cringe into oblivion. That's when the door opened and someone walked in. I flicked my eyes over, and at the end... dozens of magic circles layered together to hide a bald spot. The balding geezer from next door... no, President Sormon of the Imperial Academy.
"Balding geezer..."
"Hoho, bad timing on my part? If you two were talking, finish up first."
"Ah... no, sir. Please come in, President."
"Gail, I heard you were badly hurt too. Rest easy."
The scrub tried to sit up like it was proper etiquette, but the geezer stopped him. I'd rather he worried about his own body first. Legs still wrapped in bandages, one arm all trussed up too.
"And our Kesera here is quite the joker. She said she was lonely, so I came to visit."
"Eugh~☆ You reek, geezer~? Don't need ya~☆"
I said that, but hey, even the balding geezer showing up is something... Why'd it have to be him, though? Maybe I should actually make a friend worth calling one.
"Gail, I need a word alone with Kesera. Mind giving us the room?"
"Of course, sir. I'll get up."
"No, stay put. I'll draw the curtain."
"Kyaa~...☆! Pervy geezer!"
The curtain between the scrub's bed and mine snapped shut. And... having this balding geezer in here with me is making me uneasy. He's not gonna make me do weird stuff, right...? Eung~☆?
"Kesera..."
"Eung~☆ Balding geezer? You're not planning something on a kid like me, are yooou~?"
"Why do you keep pulling these dangerous stunts?"
"Ow! It hurts... zing zing, it huuuurts...☆"
Why go straight for the head poke! I can't use magic yet—is tattling to Mom okay?
"Hoo... I only want one thing from you. Stay put and you'll recover half-decently."
"You stop hitting and you'll recover half-decently? I'm telling Mom!"
"Your mom said to beat some sense into you if needed."
"...Whaaat~☆?"
Mom? No way. The president must be lying... Or so I thought, until he pulled out a crystal orb from his robes. Seeing the face reflected in it shocked me speechless.
"Th-that... uh... M-Mom?"
"Kesera, long time no see."
Golden witch hat sparkling, cascading red hair, pristine white robes emblazoned with the star brooch symbolizing one of the empire's five rulers. Definitely Mom... but why's she dressed so flashy, making weird old guys kneel in the orb? Is there something I don't know...? Faintly in the background, I spotted a plaque reading "Imperial Daily."
"Kesera, you can't go killing people."
"Y-yes... Mom... I know."
"Two weeks in the hospital? Discharging tomorrow?"
"...Yes."
"Then I'll visit soon. Behave yourself."
"Yes..."
I turned into one of those coin-op dolls that just nods "yes yes," helpless against Mom. She's the one person in this world I can't beat. My knowledge outstrips hers, but Mom's magic computation power is insanely insane...☆
"And listen to Sormon, kiddo."
"No, he gave me this bump on my head! So—"
"Kesera."
Mom's face turned scary. She's the world's strongest. A grand mage leagues above useless regular mages, one of the empire's five revered leaders.
"Our Kesera can live quietly, right?"
"...Yeah."
"Good, hanging up. No crying—be good?"
"Yes..."
Gulp. Gotta live quietly for real now.
The president watched the mother-daughter exchange in disbelief. That arrogant Kesera shriveled up like a lamb before her mom. She was already down about the incident, but now she was totally meek. If only she'd learned something from this. Of course, he had mountains to say to that mother when she arrived. In the two weeks since Kesera enrolled, the entire academy—no, the empire's magic world—had been upended. She wouldn't care, that little monster.
"Ahem, Kesera. You heard her?"
"Pfft... I'll cherry-pick what I listen to from you, lame geezer~☆"
"She said live quietly. So please, no more huge incidents... I'm begging on my knees."
Sormon dropped to his knees before Kesera. She looked a bit guilty, hanging her head.
"Refrain from void magic, please."
Kesera used void magic. Something even tenured professors with over a decade of study struggled with. The ensuing turf war among faculty was barely contained.
"Don't go charging solo against Chaos."
Kesera captured a Chaos executive. Disguised as a freshman, it planned to possess the academy and topple the empire. Luca's growth potential might've made him president and devoured everything. The Imperial Magic Bureau stepped in to hush up Kesera's secret, so that was swept under too.
"And... can we do something about our colosseum?"
Her void magic stunt wrecked an entire arena. Public outcry demanded banning the pinnacle of modern magic, reigniting debates on researching this dangerous art. The academy threw its void specialists at the massive rift she tore, but they all shook their heads. Sure, a grand mage was coming post-incident—but which one? The Red Creditor... no, a imperial leader and this monster kid's dam. He'd taken her in to settle debts, but if she proved uncontrollable, the debt would pile back up. The aftermath was too horrific to imagine.
The empire's ruler deeming the Imperial Academy worthless, reclaiming Kesera—and though Eclina wouldn't go that far, hypothetically—negative public opinion building, the academy crumbling by his own hand...!
"Fiiine... since you went this far, I'll make an exception just this once☆"
Kesera played merciful. Of course, Sormon knew that rift was insanely dangerous. But only the caster could seal it.