OHNIR – Chapter 50
Chapter 50: Ominous
The next day, the sky was bright. Wisps of sun-warmed wind blew in through the slightly ajar glass window, slipping through a gap in the thick curtains to lift the stray hairs framing the girl's cheeks.
"I hope Wend is just as reliable this time," Kelusta said, her face scrunched up in a melancholic expression. Dressed in light blue loungewear, she sat on the edge of her bed, leaning back slightly with one hand propped behind her. In the other, she dangled the potion bottle before her eyes.
"I'm sorry, I cannot help you make a judgment," the System said apologetically. "I can only tell you... this potion is indeed not on the currently published list for the Potion Conference, and that includes dark potions."
"So when you told me to get the detailed potion list for the Potion Conference from Wend a few days ago, it was to update your database?" Kelusta said, surprised and grateful. "As expected of my Old Sy! You're so thoughtful!"
The System didn't reply immediately. After a moment of silence, it seemed a bit embarrassed and deliberately changed the subject, urging, "It's almost seven o'clock. You should prepare yourself and drink the potion."
Kelusta nodded and casually placed the small bottle on her bedside table. Shuffling in her slippers, she went to the window, shut it tightly, and pulled the curtains closed. She pattered back to her soft bed and sat cross-legged by the pillow, lost in thought for a moment before asking nervously, "Should I leave the door a little open? What if Gloria can't get in? Wouldn't all this be for nothing?"
"...You're really muddled, temporary host," the System reminded her. "The Fake Illness Potion will only raise your body temperature; it won't cause any other symptoms. You just need to act the part a little when you open the door for her."
"Mmm, right," Kelusta tapped her head and said weakly, "I don't know why, but I'm afraid I'll actually get a fever... After all, my cold isn't completely gone yet."
"Alright, even so," the System considered for a moment, following her train of thought to soothe her. "To be honest, I doubt she doesn't have a key to your room. Besides, even if I'm wrong and she really can't get in, she can always ask the administrator for a spare key. He knows you and Gloria are acquainted, and he certainly wouldn't dare make things difficult for the esteemed daughter of a duke."
Kelusta sighed, knowing she was overthinking. She suppressed her anxiety and said, a little dazed, "That makes sense."
She stared at the potion on her bedside table for a moment as if facing a mortal enemy, then stretched out her arm, took it in her hand, and pulled out the cork stopper. The pure blue liquid sloshed slightly in the transparent bottle, emitting a bittersweet scent, exactly as described in the data the System had provided.
"Seven-oh-one," the System announced considerately.
Kelusta propped her chin on her hand, still hesitating. She bit her lower lip and asked tentatively, "If something really goes wrong—can my Light Magic suddenly awaken and save my life?"
"...According to the original world line, your Light Magic awakens when you have a strong intent to 'heal'," the System said, speechless. "Why don't you try it on the cup you broke last night? Awaken your magical potential first, and then drink the potion."
"I just broke a cup in the middle of the night and startled you. Do you have to hold such a grudge? Besides, I was just spitballing," Kelusta muttered. With textbook wishful thinking, she added, "Wend already checked it. There shouldn't be a problem, right?"
With that, she gave the potion in her hand one last frowning glance, raised the bottle to her lips, closed her eyes, and drank it down in one gulp.
"Lux—Lux... Sister!"
Gloria stopped in her tracks, finally deigning to glance back at her relentlessly pursuing brother. "What is it," she said coldly.
Wend, a book tucked under his arm, ran up to Gloria's side as if he had just come from class. He hesitated, carefully controlling his tone—not too worried, yet not too indifferent, lest he strike one of his sister's sensitive nerves. "Today, when I passed by Miss Breviou's classroom," he began tentatively, "I overheard her friend... that girl named Doris, talking to a boy. She said that this morning, when she went to call Miss Breviou for class as usual, she knocked on the door for a long time but got no answer."
"..."
"The girl also said she thought the other had already gone to the classroom, but she didn't see any sign of her even after class started. I heard the history professor was furious, saying something like, 'That damned Breviou is finally not satisfied with just sleeping in class,' and even threatened to fail her..."
Wend studied his sister's unreadable expression and said cautiously, "She doesn't seem like the type of student to skip class for no reason... Could something have happened?"
Gloria narrowed her eyes, giving him a meaningful look that sent a chill down his spine and made his expression tighten. Only then did she say coolly, "This isn't some scheme you two cooked up together, is it? The method is so clumsy that I'm actually having trouble telling if it's real or fake."
"..."
Wend shut his mouth and said nothing more.
Well, what can you do? Your dear Kelusta only has so much intelligence.
As an observer, however, he had never deliberately pushed Kelusta to refine the plan. After all, when it came to traps, sometimes the cruder the execution, the more it made clever overthinkers like Gloria uncertain of its authenticity.
Just like now.
Seeing his silence and natural expression, Gloria grew suspicious. She frowned and shot her brother a warning glare. "If I find out you two teamed up to trick me... I'll deal with you first, and then her."
Despite her harsh words, she turned on her heel. Abandoning her plan to go to the study hall, she turned and headed for a passage leading out of the academic building.
Wend's steps faltered. He sighed inwardly, wondering just who he was wading into this mess for, but he had no choice but to follow Gloria's lead toward the tower.
...Still, a faint, ominous feeling lingered in his heart.
According to the formula and description Kelusta had provided, the Fake Illness Potion was supposed to raise one's body temperature to mimic a fever without actually causing illness or harming the user. Naturally, it shouldn't produce the negative effects of a real high fever, like weakness or loss of consciousness.
And every word he had just told Gloria was true.
Kelusta's history class had just ended. At the classroom door, Doris had told Pascal that she had gone looking for Kelusta before class and had indeed gotten no response when she knocked. The accommodations in the first-year tower weren't great, and the soundproofing was poor. She had even pressed her ear to the door for a while, confirming the room was as silent as if it were empty, before heading to class alone, full of questions.
Was Kelusta really that dedicated to the act? It wasn't necessary. Even if she had just told Doris she was sick and asked her friend to request a leave of absence, it wouldn't have affected the plan.
Perhaps it was for the sake of realism?
Wend shook his head. He couldn't quite grasp what that seemingly flighty girl was thinking, so he stopped guessing and simply focused on following Gloria out of the academic building and toward the tower.
Though her words were sharp, Gloria's pace was anything but slow; it was practically a hurried stride. The paths were mostly empty just after class, so they reached the base of the tower without obstruction. The administrator peeked out, saw the duke's daughter gracing him with her presence yet again, and simply closed his eyes, pretending not to notice as she brazenly entered the tower that was, "by regulation, only freely accessible to first-year students."
Wend followed close behind. When Gloria set foot on the stairs leading to the girls' dormitory, he stopped decisively. Hiding his unease, he said flatly, "I'll wait for you in the common room."
As he spoke, his fingers slipped into his pocket, involuntarily gripping the long handle of the magic mirror.
Gloria gave a noncommittal "Mmm," gathered her slightly long skirt, and headed toward Kelusta's room with practiced ease.
After a few turns, she arrived at the door. Gloria frowned slightly, bent a finger, and knocked three times. "Ruth?" she said in a low voice. "...Open up. It's me."
There was no sound from within.
Gloria paused for a moment, then, instead of knocking again, reached into a hidden pocket in her skirt and pulled out a small, brass-colored key. She inserted it into the keyhole, and with a turn of her wrist, the lock clicked open.
The silver-haired girl withdrew the key and stepped inside. The thick curtains blocked the bright sunlight, making the room as dim as a rainy evening. Gloria blinked, her eyes adjusting to the gloom. Then she saw her—a figure curled up on the modest bed with its dark-colored sheets. The blanket had been pushed aside, and the person's body was trembling slightly. Against the dark sheets, her light blue loungewear made her seem exceptionally small and fragile.
Gloria frowned, crossed to the bed in a few quick strides, and sat on the edge. Without hesitation, she reached out to touch Kelusta's forehead.
...Burning hot.
The girl's hair was disheveled and dry as she lay on her side. Her breath was scorching, yet there wasn't a single drop of sweat on her skin. Gloria immediately pulled the blanket back over her. The girl, lost in a deep stupor, let out a low moan of discomfort and involuntarily tried to push the thin blanket away.
Her push was feeble, like that of a newborn kitten. Even without Gloria holding the corner of the blanket down, Kelusta likely wouldn't have had the strength to shove it off as she might have before.
Ordinarily, Gloria might have found the sight so adorable her heart would skip a beat, but the current situation left no room for such flights of fancy. Kelusta had no strength; she hadn't even woken up when someone entered her room... She must be burning with such a high fever that she was completely unconscious.
"...How could this be?"
Gloria's expression was grim, her face dark enough to drip ink.
She had assumed it was a minor illness, deliberately exaggerated by Kelusta to win her pity and mend their relationship. She never expected the situation to be this serious—so urgent that there was no time to waste.
She didn't even have time to sigh. Almost in a panic, she took the magic mirror from her hidden pocket. Her fingertips traced the pattern on its back as she whispered a complex, tongue-twisting incantation.
As she finished speaking, ripples spread across the mirror's surface. A moment later, Wend's face appeared, his light-colored brows knitted in a serious and tense expression. "What's wrong?"
"...Something's happened to Kelusta," Gloria's voice was tight, her usually composed face showing clear unease and fear for the first time. "She has a drug-resistant constitution, so potions will be of little use. Madam Lechena has been summoned to the palace to discuss the Potion Conference... Hurry home and bring Mr. Dite—"
A drop of sweat slid down her smooth skin, dampening a few silver strands of hair before falling with a soft pat onto the mirror, landing right over the image of Wend's suddenly changed eyes.
She gritted her teeth and said sharply, "You must leave now! Don't delay for a second!"
Author's Notes
Lux: Latin for light. Transliterated as Lekesi, it is the Silentdis family's nickname for Gloria.
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