BANG
"Hey, I am back!"
The door of the hospital room was kicked open and a girl jumped in, yelling excitedly.
"...."
"...."
No one welcomed her but that didn't seem to bother her as she just continued to talk while strolling towards the bed that was placed in the room.
"Oh, Kairen you are awake? I heard you were unconscious for two days!"
Serria picked up a chair from a corner of the room and placed it on the other side of the bed. She placed a shopping bag full of snacks on the table beside the bed and sat down.
"I heard you did a hell of damage with your magic! Oh boy, I wanted to see that as well."
"...."
Kairen didn't even raise his head. He was staring at his hands silently with a gloomy expression.
"...."
Reyan who was sitting on a chair on the other side of the bed was playing with his phone, not caring enough to even look at Serria.
"What is it? Did you guys have a fight?"
"..."
"No."
Reyan answered her, still looking at his phone.
"Hey Kairen, Are you sulking?"
"...."
"HOY, Reyan, what did you do to him?"
"Huh? Why is it my fault?"
"You have been by his side the whole time. Whose fault can it be if not you?"
"He has been like that ever since I told him he killed some of the attackers. What else was I supposed to do?"
"Why would you tell that to someone who has just woken up after two days?"
"Ah, please! Don't fight again!"
Kairen yelled angrily at them. Then moved his body and laid down on the bed again, covering his whole body and face with his blanket.
"...."
"...."
His actions were surprisingly effective as silence descended in the room. But this peaceful silence didn't last that long.
Poke Poke
Something was poking his side from outside the blanket.
"...."
POKE
"Oww."
"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."
'You didn't mean to hurt? My ass!'
Kairen turned around, distancing his sides from Serria.
Poke Poke
A finger was poking his back this time.
"..."
"Come on, stop acting like a kid!"
"..."
'Who is acting like a kid?'
Poke Poke
"What are you doing? Do you want to dig a hole in his back?"
"Oh, sir Heartz. You revealed my plans just too early! What should I do now? "
"Haaa!"
Poke Poke
"STOP IT!"
Kairen forcefully pushed her hand away from his body. Then hugged his blank tougher and buried his face in the pillow.
"How can you disrespect your MASTER like this? You unworthy disciple!"
Serria grabbed the blanket and pulled it away.
"HEY!"
'Who is a kid now?'
Kairen grabbed the other side of the pillow and tried to take it back.
'Why is she so strong?'
"SEE! SEE the power of your MASTER!"
"This isn't fair! I am a mage! You are too strong!"
"HEHEHE!"
"...."
Reyan was blankly looking at his two friends pulling two sides of a blanket when suddenly a hand grabbed his arm.
"You have to help me, half-mummy! This isn't a fair fight!"
"OY! Don't drag OUTSIDERS into our fight!"
"What? Who is an outsider?"
Knock Knock
"Sorry to interrupt you...."
A man's voice made the three of them stop their blanket-pulling battle and turn to the door. There was a man standing there looking at them with a smile.
But that man's voice made chills run down on Kairen's back.
'Why is he here?'
He suddenly moved and sat up straight.
"H-Hello professor Exell!"
His hair was ruffled and his hospital clothes were untidy with a few buttons of it open due to his struggles with Serria. He was nearly falling out of the bed due to Serria pulling him strongly and was grabbing Reyan's arm to hold himself up.
"Oh hello, professor."
"Hello, sir."
Professor Exell moved in and closed the door behind him. He looked at Kairen and smiled again.
"I heard sir. Steyton wasn't in a good shape. It seems like you have recovered."
'No!! My whole body hurts!'
In his answer Kairen just forcefully smiled. The professor walked closer and placed the flowers he had bought on the table. The three blanked-defenders quickly organized the mess they had made in the meantime.
Kairen buttoned his shirt and asked.
"What brings you here, professor?"
"Oh? I wanted to talk to you regarding an important issue."
Important issue. Kairen could somehow guess what that issue was. Rayen and Serria got up at the same time.
"Then we will leave for now."
"See you later Kairen."
'NOO! Don't leave me alone!'
But they both left the room as fast as they could.
"...."
Professor Exell moved the chair that Reyan was using and sat down on it. His smile vanished the moment Reyan and Serria left the room and he was now looking at Kairen with a serious face.
"You must know what I am here, right?"
"...."
Kairen subconsciously massaged his left hand's wrist where the tracker was supposed to be.
"Don't be too nervous. I'm not here to threaten you or hand you over to The Special Military Forces."
"T-Then..."
"Actually I'm here to apologize for the misunderstandings that accrued between us and explain the situation."
"Huh?"
'What is going on now?'
After that, professor Exell started explaining himself and the situation.
Apparently, he had some kind of connection with the SMF. He didn't explain it in detail because he didn't want to reveal his identity. That was why he called Kairen and questioned his actions back then.
"I am telling this to you because you are going to work at the SMF soon as well."
After seeing Kairen in his midterm exam, he had felt a strange kind of energy from him. It was kinda similar to the power used in the Philomns' weapons. That was why he got suspicious of Kairen.
"But after what happened a few days ago, I felt like I have done a mistake."
"Because I... killed those attackers?"
The professor shook his head.
"No, not that. But the attack you used to kill them."
"The attack?"
Professor Exell continued his explanation again.
"There were a lot of witnesses there when you cast that spell. We asked the students, all of them were sure that what you used wasn't mana."
"...What was it then?"
"Who knows? But one thing is for sure. My hypothesis wasn't correct. If you were to use the power that is used in the Philomns' weapons... with the amount of energy that was sensed in your magic... well... half of the capital would have turned to ash."
"...."
"But that doesn't mean we are not suspicious of you anymore. You have to give an explanation about what exactly you did when you are asked to. It seems like The SMF doesn't want to harm you, you are a great mage after all they don't want to lose such talent without a proper reason. But they will watch you closely."
"...."
'Oh great. We move one step forward. Switching from being observed by a professor to being observed with a whole organization. Oh, Such a great life I have!'
Kairen couldn't tell he was happy, but he wasn't that anxious anymore. They wouldn't harm him as long as he was a good boy so there was nothing to worry about since he planned on living silently and peacefully... well if that was possible.
But there was something that he was curious about.
"Why are you telling these to me? What if I am really working for Philomns? Wouldn't it be better to silently observe me?"
Back in the office as well. When he placed a tracker on him, why did he explain what it was? If Kairen was really a criminal it wouldn't it be better to let him go without knowing that he was being observed?
In his answer, the professor smiled. Small lights and symbols appeared in the air around him again. Kairen's left wrist suddenly shone and a bracelet-like line appeared on it. The line shone, shook, then cracked and scattered in the air. Its fragments slowly moved in the air and disappeared.
"Who knows?"
"...."
With that, professor Exell got up and moved to the door.
"Well then, have a nice day."
He opened the door and left the room.
"...."
Kairen was left alone in his room once again. He rubbed his wrist as he mumbled.
"What was with him?"
Kairen picked up his blanket and lied down again, thinking about lots of things while enjoying the silence. By the time his two friends came back, he had fallen into a deep sleep.
Kairen had to stay in the hospital a few days more as his body wasn't in a good condition. Reyan and Serria would come to visit him often so he wasn't alone. But on the third and last day of staying there, someone came to visit him that he didn't know.
"Oh my... Look at what you have done to yourself!"
"..."
A young man about three or four years older than Kairen was examining his body with worry.
"You also didn't send me any messages these days, have you forgotten me?"
'Yes... probably.'
Kairen still kept silent. The man kept on nagging nonstop from the moment he came in. Kairen looked at him closely. The man was tall, with dark brown hair and dark green eyes. Kairen could see his hands that were covered in scars and his somehow muscular body.
"I wanted to come to visit you after my mission finished but when I came back, you were in this condition?"
"...."
The man finally moved back. He picked up an apple and peeled it. After slicing it into small pieces, he put them all on a plate and placed the plate in Kairen's hands.
'Who is he? Is he also a friend?'
"What is wrong? You seem to be down..."
"Ah, no..."
Kairen shook his head and picked up one of the apple slices. He wanted to ask the man who he was but couldn't do so. He didn't know what kind of relationship Kairen and this man had so he just kept silent.
The man observed him eat the apples for some time, then talked again in a soft and warm voice.
"You are free for some time, right? Why don't you come to our place?"
"...Huh?"
The man smiled at his stupid face.
"Don't be shy. You haven't visited us for a long time now. Ariyan also misses you so much."
"...Ariyan?"
The young man's smile widened.
"He has grown up so much. You must see him! He goes around saying "Where is uncle Kairen, When will he come to play with me?" and such. What do you think? You want to come?"
"Ah, I... Um..."
Kairen scratched his cheek and looked away. What was he supposed to do? He didn't even know this person's name.
'Please, Help! Someone save me!'
"...What is the matter?"
"Ah, no you see... I just... don't feel well... so..."
"Is something bothering you?"
"No, no..."
"...."
"Tell me, what is it?"
"Really nothing."
The man frowned slightly.
"Don't lie to your brother!"
'What?'
"B-Brother?"
'Did Kairen have a brother?'
"Why do you look so surprised?"
'HEEELLLPPP'
click
The door opened at the moment and Reyan walked in. The young man and Reyan made eye contact.
"Ah!"
"Oh, it's our Reyan!"
"...."
'They know each other?'
Reyan moved forward and shook hands with the young man.
"Good afternoon."
"Yes, I'm glad I could see you as well."
"...."
Feeling a gaze, Reyan turned to Kairen. He could see him screaming for help silently. He scratched his forehead and sighed.
"Hmm?"
The man tilted his head seeing them exchange glances.
"Mr. Kain, can we talk a little bit?"
"...."
'Talk? Why talk?'
Kairen suddenly had an ominous feeling. As if he was going to be dragged into another mess again.