Just One Puff?
"Can I try just one puff of that?"
That evening, nothing much happened. Ainshel nearly fainted listening to my story, and some high-up from the academy came by with a new uniform, begging me not to spread rumors.
Aside from the guards and knights-looking folks rushing off somewhere, that is.
Even I had to admit it was wild. I'd only been at the academy for two days, and I'd already caused two major incidents.
If I stirred up trouble tomorrow too, I'd probably get labeled as the student who brought disaster from the moment she arrived.
"I'm off, Ainshel."
"Miss... please, just for today..."
Seeing the exhaustion around her eyes from two days of worry made even my heart ache a little.
If I caused more chaos, she might actually collapse. So today, I really had to behave.
Arm and all.
"Yeah, nothing will happen today. I promise."
I know my promises don't carry much weight, but it seemed enough to ease her mind. With a much softer expression, she saw me off, wishing me a safe return.
Partly because Cecilia told me to stay put, partly because of my promise to Ainshel.
I planned to behave as much as possible, but you never know with the world.
Thanks to Cecilia's lingering blessing, I made it to the student dorm without wheezing.
And that let me overhear the whispers around me even better.
-Ilisha...
-Heard she went to the temple with some commoner yesterday looking like absolute hell...
-The smell... it was unreal. Like she'd been rummaging through the sewers. Her clothes were filthy too...
-Nah, come on. Causing back-to-back disasters just two days in? That doesn't add up.
I didn't exactly want the stench remembered, but this was fine.
At least I'd be remembered for those two big incidents in two days.
Today, I'd have all eyes on me again.
Savoring the gossip aimed my way with delight, I stepped into the classroom and spotted Ern being grilled by Lucia and her crew up front.
From what I could overhear, Lucia was hounding him about what exactly he'd been up to with me.
Poor Ern must be dying inside, hopping mad with frustration.
It was his solo cleanup job that I'd crashed, after all.
If he could just spill what happened down there, fine—but he'd probably been asked to keep quiet too, so he couldn't vent freely.
The protagonist squirming was a sight to behold, but since it was half my fault, I decided to bail him out.
"So! What the hell did you do dragging her all the way to that creepy place?! She came out with her arm frozen solid, and you can't even explain?!"
"Lucia, something you need from Ern?"
I sidled up quietly and spoke to the one most aggressively interrogating him. Lucia jumped like she'd been shocked.
"I-Ilisha?! When did you... Whatever, perfect timing. What'd you do in the sewers with this guy?! What happened yesterday? Why'd you come out hurt?!"
Lucia seemed more curious why I got hurt than what I'd fought.
Either way, it was tricky to explain, so no satisfying answer for her...
"First off, yeah, we went to the sewers."
"Why the hell? Say you got lost and I'll make you regret it."
Oof.
...Yeah, figured she'd say that.
"Ehehe, I was out for a stroll and got lost..."
"Agh...!"
She trembled like she wanted to smack me, but dropped her hand limply—couldn't bring herself to, I guess.
"...Fine. So why go into the sewers? And what happened to your arm?"
Couldn't spill from here on out.
"Ern was looking for something down there, seemed fun, so I tagged along. Then... we ran into something nasty, had to fight whether we wanted to or not."
"Something nasty? What?"
"Just something nasty. That's what froze my arm. That's all you need to know."
"'That's all' my ass?! You and him both! Why dodge the important part?!"
Lucia was fuming, hating how I slyly skipped the key details.
"Um... sorry, Lucia. Can't say more."
Some things just couldn't be said, so I drew the line firm.
"Uwaaaah!!!"
She'd pinned hopes on getting answers from me, apparently—clutched her head and let out a weird yell.
"You can't say?"
"...Huh?"
As I enjoyed watching her, Reinhardt butted in out of nowhere.
"What can't you say... exactly."
Even Lucia toned it down a notch for the crown prince, getting subtly polite.
He ignored that, turning straight to me.
"Asking again. Is it something you can't disclose?"
After a sneaky glance with Ern, I took the lead and spoke up.
A crown prince's interest was valuable.
"Well, it's something I can't say, but..."
"Looks like a gag order's in place."
Sharp as ever, fitting for the crown prince.
"Not sure if I can say, right... Ern?"
Great to have his attention, but I wasn't taking the blame—so I tossed the hot potato his way.
His gaze shifted from me to Ern.
Sorry, protagonist.
Take one for the team.
Ern shot me a betrayed glare, then shut it down curtly.
"It's not sorted yet."
Reinhardt's eyes sharpened at that.
"Serious matter, then... Your arm got like that fighting it?"
He asked while looking at me; I just smiled silently in answer.
"W-Wait. So... you fought something in the sewers? Something you can't say? What the hell was it?"
"Lucia. Best not to pry."
Reinhardt had already pieced it together, telling her to drop it.
"...Tch."
Even the super-curious Lucia couldn't ignore the crown prince, so she quit grilling Ern.
"I'll ask again later, so think up some excuse by then."
Couldn't back off quietly without saving face, so she tossed that parting shot our way.
With Lucia gone, Ern sighed in relief like he could finally breathe.
Only for Reinhardt to crush that peace.
"Ern, was it? Ilisha's arm froze from using her power?"
"Yes."
Ern went on guard at the sudden question from the crown prince, but soon his focus shifted back to me.
"Frozen solid like that? Basically as good as amputated. And you still pushed your power that far?"
"Yes."
Right? If someone swung down on it fully frozen, it'd shatter right off.
Chilling just imagining it.
"...Why destroy your own body like that? Why?"
Reinhardt asked like he couldn't comprehend me.
Why go that far?
"Um..."
To leave an indelible scar on Ern's heart.
Couldn't say that, so I pulled out a decent deflection.
"Because I could save someone's life with my arm as the price?"
Ern winced, squeezing his eyes shut with a downturned mouth. Reinhardt scowled but kept staring.
Like gazing at an enigma.
"...I don't get it. I don't get you at all."
Still can't decide if I'm strong or weak, huh?
Keep pondering.
Anyway, that's how you stay interested in me.
"I'll head to my seat now."
Brimming with gains, I sat through the boring lecture, then headed to the cafeteria at lunch with Lucia's crew.
"...Doesn't all-meat get boring?"
"Not at all?"
If anything, I'm the one wondering.
Doesn't chowing grass every day get old?
After eating, as we drifted toward the dessert shop with the group, Lucia peeled off first.
"You guys go ahead," she said, slipping toward a shady spot behind the cafeteria.
Wondering what she was up to, I tailed her quietly. She pulled something from her pocket and stuck it in her mouth.
Snapped her fingers to spark a flame, lit the end.
A burning scent mixed with a crisp aroma wafted through the air.
Oh, right. I remembered.
Lucia smokes mana cigarettes.
They're for loosening stiff ether or aiding focus—a luxury item, basically.
Unlike tobacco, harmless to the body, so not a bad rep. But Lucia wasn't the type to chain-smoke like a delinquent.
Pretends to be bad, but isn't really.
Which made me even more curious.
What face would she make if caught in the act?
I crept up silently and called her name softly.
"Lucia?"
"What the—"
She startled, spotted me, and frantically hid the mana cigarette behind her back.
"...I said go ahead first!"
Saying that, but worried I'd inhale the smoke, she whipped up a breeze with magic to clear it.
"Sneaking a treat, huh."
"It's not a treat! Just... ugh, I shouldn't have said anything. Just... go. Go!"
Her shifty eyes screamed embarrassment.
Exactly the honest reaction I'd predicted—almost made me burst out laughing.
"...That's a mana cigarette, right?"
"......Yeah. So what."
She acted like a kid caught sneaking candy at night.
Lips pouting a mile out—must've been mortified.
Anyway.
Truth be told, I'd always wondered.
What it feels like to smoke one.
This life, no way. Last life, never touched tobacco either.
But yeah, kinda wanted to try once.
"Mind if I—"
"No."
I'd barely asked, and she shut it down cold.
"Why not?"
"With that body? You serious?"
"It's not bad for you."
"That's for healthy people!"
"Feeling pretty healthy right now..."
"You're not! You were hacking up a lung nonstop—what?!"
Heh, nice. Lucia's feistiest when she's venomous—tastiest that way.
I drank in her pissed-off face, then tried persuading her.
"...Always been curious."
"About what. What now."
"What it feels like to smoke one. Father does it often. Begged him once, but no dice."
"Smart man!"
"I wanna try before I die."
Finally played the trump card, and her face changed.
"...Why's that a dying wish?"
Her eyes held irritation, worry, pity.
Strike ten and the tree falls, huh.
"Feels like if not today, never. Might not have a later. So, just once? Please?"
I clasped my hands pleadingly, and her brows twitched.
She squeezed her eyes shut, muttered something under her breath, then pulled a fresh one from her pocket and handed it over.
"One sip only. Feels off? Spit it out. Got it?"
"Thanks, Lucia."
"Don't thank me for this crap. If you're really grateful, spill what you saw in the sewers."
"Oh? That's top secret."
"Sigh, fine. My bad for asking."
Grumbling, she still slipped it between my fingers.
A little thrilled, I put the mana cigarette to my lips.
Felt grown-up somehow.
Even if I already was, last life.
She lit the end with a flame, and a subtle aroma rose.
Ooh.
Pretty nice? Head feels clearer already.
Good vibes—I took a cautious sip.
And.
"Kehack?! Hack, cough...!"
My lungs burned like fire.
Tears welled up, breath caught, throat like a red-hot poker shoved in.
I yanked it out almost spitting, waist buckling automatically.
"Cough, keh, heuk...!"
"Hey, hey!"
Lucia freaked for real at my state, chucked the mana cigarette to the ground.
"Breathe! First-timer, and you inhale like a chain-smoker?!"
"Like, hack—this...? Cough, cough!"
She cursed while thumping my back.
Thanks to her, I calmed down and caught my breath.
"...So this is the bitter taste of adulthood."
"Shut it."
She glared like she'd devour me, but softened seeing my tears, looking conflicted.
"...I tell you no, and you crawl into the fire anyway. Suicidal much?"
"Didn't know it'd be this bad..."
Really didn't. Thought harmless meant fine.
"Sigh, whatever. Lesson learned."
Mana cigarette nearly flipped my guts, but even getting chewed out felt fun.
Knowing she cared this much.
"No more next time, even if you beg."
"Haha, will there be a next time?"
"Hey...!"
Hm. About here, maybe. Didn't wanna make her cry yet.
"...Do all magic hall folks smoke these? Never seen it in swordsmanship."
She was magic hall, so I tossed out a casual question.
"Not all... Just upperclassmen."
"Ah. Makes me wanna check out magic hall. Smell was nice."
Couldn't do sword classes for days anyway—planting seeds.
But it irked her.
"Come to magic hall for mana cigs, and I'll beat you out myself."
"Just for the smell. The smell."
"You, seriously..."
I rubbed my still-burning throat, grinning at her.
Grinning at the thought of following her to magic hall to tease more.