The Beginning of the End of Magic

Grimoire 01 - Chapter 03 - The Balance between Science & Magic [Part 03]

Bright white filled her vision. Her mind was still a little hazy as her senses remained dull. An unfamiliar ceiling filled her blurry vision as she slowly opened her eyes. 

The curtains attached to the bay window was drawn but it was still able to let a little amount of light in. The seconds passed and after a couple of blinks, her vision eventually became crystal clear. 

She slowly got up and a small towel slid down her forehead, falling onto the blanket right in front of her. She could tell it was still cold as she felt the temperature difference through the fabric. As she reached out for the small towel, she also noticed that she was currently wearing a slightly oversized jacket which definitely did not belong to her.

The silver haired beauty remained confused as she held the small towel in her hand and looked around her. She vaguely remembered the room, for this was the place she managed to enter without much difficulty and more importantly, without being seen, to use as a refuge. 

As she searched through her memories for a good whole minute, it was then that she remembered what had happened.

"That guy!"

She tossed the blanket aside and leapt to her feet. But as soon as she exerted pressure with her left leg, she lost balance and fell to the floor. It was at this moment that the door just a short distance away from her opened, and a stunningly adorable golden haired girl entered the room.

"Ah...? What're doing?! You shouldn't be moving around! You're injured for heaven's sake."

She wanted to retort and said she was fine, but she knew clearly she was not fine at all. Looking down at her left leg, she remembered the deep laceration that ran across the entire length of her thigh. But to her surprise, it was now covered with a new roll of gauze bandage and it was tied neatly, far from the haphazard method she used with some old and worn bandages she managed to procure before. 

It also did not feel as painful as it was before.

"Here, I'll help you out."

Before she could even reject her help, the golden haired girl grabbed her arm and placed it over her shoulder and helped her up, even forcing her to sit right back down on the bed right after. Almost immediately, she proceeded to tend to her wounded leg and was inspecting the dressing of the bandage. 

Observing that the wound did not reopen, she heaved a sigh of relief. All this while, she observed her every movement while questions simply filled her mind.

"Why are you helping me?"

Without knowing, she had already asked.

The golden haired girl reacted to her question and replied as if she was the one who asked a weird question.

"Do I need a reason to help an injured person? And wait, you are speaking in Alba. Why did Finn said otherwise...?"

She was stunned by her straightforward reply. She did not know how to answer. This was a first experience for her.

"Oh? She's up and about?"

A youth entered the room with a tray in hand. On it was a glass of mineral water and a bowl of gruel. Upon recognizing him, the silver haired beauty became slightly belligerent.

"You don't have to be so hostile..."

"Why wouldn't she? You fondled her chest."

"PFT! Why would you say that in front of her! And anyways that was an accident!"

"You preyed on her while she was weak and defenceless, so I wonder about that."

"Like I said, it was an accident! I swear!"