A Smile After the Fear

When her eyes opened, plain white paint filled her vision. A sharp medicinal scent invaded her senses as a cold breeze slipped in through a window left deliberately wide open.

“You are awake, Ely?”

Still lying weakly on the bed, Elysia tried to turn her head and found Irine on the opposite bed, leaning against the mattress with her lips curved into their usual bright smile.

“Where is this?”

“We are in the treatment room. Do you not remember?”

Elysia rose from her sleep, straightened her back, then leaned against the headboard. Pain stabbed through every inch of her muscles.

“Uuhn~” Elysia stretched her body, hoping the pain would fade quickly. “I should not have been so careless. I pushed myself too far.”

“But because of you, we all survived. We owe you our lives, Ely,” Irine replied. “Thank you for everything.”

“You are welcome. You worked hard as well, Irine,” Elysia answered without turning her head. Still, she glanced slightly and noticed there were no bandages on Irine’s body. Perhaps she had suffered the same condition.

Using high level magic could place an immense burden on a body still in its developmental stage. Magic veins that were narrow and forcibly made to convert vast amounts of mana at once were like a small river being forced to hold an overwhelming volume of rainwater. The result was flooding and damage to the riverbanks.

It was not a serious issue since her magic veins would recover on their own. Yet the lingering pain meant she would need several days of rest for full recovery.

The winter rabbit slowly scanned the room and found everyone else still asleep in their beds. Just like her, the girls must have been utterly exhausted. A bouquet of flowers rested on the table positioned between her and Irine.

“Who are these flowers from?”

“Unfortunately, I do not know either. When I woke up, they were already there.”

The front door creaked open. Syrene entered the room while being supported by Mireya. Numerous bandages wrapped around the fourth sister’s body.

“Ah, you are awake already,” Syrene greeted them before lying down on the empty bed beside Elysia. “How do you feel now, Ely, Irine?”

“I am fine. Just a little pain and perhaps some numbness in my right hand after using Sister Elene’s technique.” Irine showed her trembling hand.

“I only have some muscle pain, Sister. How about you two? Sister Syrene held off that demon for so long, and Sister Mira used ancient magic. Are your injuries not more severe?”

Mireya answered gently. “There is no need to worry, Ely. Ancient magic is not as dangerous as you imagine. Look, it feels like ordinary magic, just a bit painful because I am not accustomed to it yet. Just like when you first used large scale magic. To be honest, I am the least injured here.”

“Yes, Mira is right. Besides, pain is daily nourishment for your seniors at the academy, including us. You will experience it too, so start getting used to it now.”

“We understand.”

Elysia lowered her head, the worry slowly fading from her heart. She then lifted her gaze toward the magic lamp hanging above.

Emptiness.

That was what she felt now. Memories of the demon’s final words suddenly surged back into her mind. Curiosity clung to her like pine resin, spinning like a vortex in the depths of the sea.

She wanted to ask, but would they understand? She wanted to speak, but would they accept her feelings? She wanted to say everything, yet feared being rejected before she had found the one she loved.

“You are thinking about something, Ely?”

Elysia only shook her head gently.

“Oh, Sister,” Irine suddenly interjected. “By the way, who brought those flowers?” She pointed toward the bouquet.

“Leon and Lirei placed them there. They visited you this morning while you were still asleep.”

“What? Brother Leon and Sister Lirei came?” Irine exclaimed. “Why did you not wake us? I have not seen them since entering the academy.”

“Me neither. Where are they now?”

“Their cohort is currently interning in the empire this semester. That is why they cannot always stay at the academy. Even during breaks, they prefer to spend their time there for efficiency.”

“Then where are they now? Can we meet them?” Irine’s eyes glistened with hope.

Unfortunately, Mireya gently shook her head and explained that their break had already ended and they had to return to the empire immediately. Irine’s rabbit ears drooped.

“There is no need to worry. You can meet them at home during the holiday.”

“That is not it…” Irine pursed her lips. “Meeting them at home is the same as always. I just want to see what they are like at the academy.”

“Ha…” Syrene chuckled softly and rubbed the back of her neck. “You remind me of Lirei when she first enrolled. That red rabbit followed me everywhere whenever I had free time.”

“Really? Can you tell me about it? Please…” Irine pleaded with teary eyes.

“I do not mind.”

But just as Syrene was about to begin, someone burst the door open and leaped straight into her arms.

“Syreneeee!”

“What are you doing here, you idiot?!”

“Of course I came to visit you. I am your cutest twin sister, after all.”

“Get off me!”

Syrene shoved her away. Mireya only laughed softly before receiving a tight hug from the identical girl.

Yes. It was Elene, their fifth sister. The triplet sisters were always like this whenever they gathered.

Elene turned toward them. “Ely, Irine, I already heard what happened. Are you both all right? Do you need a healing hug from your beautiful sister?” She spread her arms with a wide smile.

“N-no need, Sister.”

“Yes please, Sister. Hug meee.” Irine cheerfully opened her arms, allowing Elene to hug her without hesitation. Not only her, but Elysia was also pulled into the embrace despite her earlier refusal.

“Aaah… this feels nice. It must have been scary, was it not? That place was dark and dangerous, right? The demon that attacked you was very strong, was it not?” Elene whispered softly, her voice soothing. “It is all right. Sister is here, so do not be afraid. Next time, I promise I will protect you from every danger.”

“Sister Elene…”

Elysia, who had initially resisted, finally gave in and hugged her back tightly, letting her sister’s warmth flow through her body.

After hugging them long enough, Elene sat at the edge of Elysia’s bed and began talking with them. Instead of listening, she ended up telling stories about her mission in a forest type dungeon with her disciple. Eventually, Irine’s voice joined hers, creating an endless stream of chatter between the two.

One by one, the sleeping girls finally woke up without the help of a prince’s kiss. Of course, they were not fragile princesses who waited helplessly, nor weak princes who relied only on status as in fairy tales.

Elysia smiled faintly as she watched them.

They would truly grow into beautiful butterflies once they emerged from their cocoons.

As Elene and Irine continued talking, everyone gradually woke up, looking momentarily confused. Before long, they were all awake, swept up by Elene’s relentless energy.

For some reason, Elysia often encountered people like her. People who could ease trauma and atmosphere simply by never stopping their chatter, even back in her past life.

When things finally settled, Syrene broke the moment with a cough. “Ahem. May I have your attention for a moment.” Her tone dropped, her once firm expression turning cold. “There is something I must tell you.”

The others straightened immediately. Their jaws hardened. Their eyes sharpened. Their ears stood upright.

“Listen carefully. All of you have witnessed highly classified information that should only be known by a very small number of people.”

“You mean about that demon, Senior Syrene?” Arabella asked.

Syrene nodded toward her. “Among the students, only a handful, including the three of us, are aware of this.”

“So far, information about demons is still under investigation. No one knows for certain how their race has returned or what their true objective is. To prevent panic among the populace, it is best that you keep this matter secret for the time being. If possible, forget it altogether.”

Arabella narrowed her eyes. Emilia looked like she was about to speak, but Arabella raised a hand to silence her. “It is fine, Emilia. I will explain later if you do not understand.”

“I-I understand. Thank you, Arabella~”

Elysia exhaled slowly. They all likely understood without explanation that if this information leaked, panic would spread. Villagers would flood into cities for safety, abandoning their fields.

Without farmers, a food crisis would follow. Prices would soar, and governance would fall into chaos. Instead of dying by demons, people would turn on one another and perish in civil conflict.

Sometimes, even when it risks casualties, choosing silence for the sake of the many is the better path.

Silence followed, broken only by the sound of breathing. Time seemed to stretch, granting each of them a moment to drift within their own thoughts.

That silence shattered when voices echoed from outside.

“De deputy chairwoman… please do not enter without the healer’s permission.”

“Hah? Who cares about that? What is wrong with visiting one’s injured lover? Are you trying to stop me?”

“N-no, but the chairwoman and the others inside need rest.”

“I will be careful. Now leave and do not disturb us.”

“Y-yes!”

Footsteps retreated from the door. Elysia glanced sideways and saw Syrene hurriedly grab a mirror, fixing her hair. She also tried to adjust the bandage on her head to cover the deep scratch on her cheek.

Elysia wanted to ask who was outside, but the door opened before she could speak.

A tall man stood there with a solid build. Even from the definition of his arms alone, it was clear his body was densely packed with muscle. His blue hair was neatly slicked back. His smile was warm.

His sapphire blue eyes focused on only one person, her fourth sister.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and kissed her hand, making her face flush crimson. Everyone stared in shock.

“B-Ba-Ba-Baztien… w-w-what are you doing here? A-a-and besides…”

“I have completed my mission. The moment I heard you were injured, I came to see you.” His hand reflexively brushed aside Syrene’s hair, making her blush even deeper. “There is no need to hide it. You are still beautiful, my sweet rabbit.”

“Aaaaaaah!”

Crash!

For reasons unknown, Syrene suddenly screamed and smashed his head against the edge of the bed, blood splattering vividly.

“He is dead.”

“Yeah, definitely dead.”

“Y-you all!”

“Who is he, Sister?” Irine frowned, staring at the man lying motionless.

“Ah, he is her husba—”

Crash!

Before she could finish her words, once again, Syrene did the same thing, this time to Elene. Mireya could only hold back her laughter.

“Aaaah! He is not my husband!”

“No-no, not ‘not’, but ‘not yet’.”

“M-Mi-Mira! Stop teasing me too!”

“Y-yeah…” the man suddenly lifted his head weakly, blood still flowing down his forehead. “I am… your future… sweet rabbit.”

“Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up.”

Crash. Crash. Crash.

With her face burning red, she slammed his head repeatedly, driven purely by embarrassment. It looked more like an attempt to kill him in front of everyone.

Everyone’s jaws dropped. No explanation was needed. Their instincts told them he was her lover. More shocking, however, was how the girl who seemed like an alpha wolf could turn into a shy maiden simply because of his presence.

“So… Sister Syrene has a cute side too, huh?”

Elysia nodded.

Who would have thought that there was still someone who called her a sweet rabbit, when nearly everyone else called her an alpha wolf.

That man might be… a masochist.