She stood at 5'10" (178 cm) tall, athletic, and toned. On her left chest area was a holographic ID patch badge displaying her name.
Nurse Cynthia.
She stared at me with a detached gaze.
"Hello, Earth to Ezekiel. Are you going to keep staring, or do I have to sedate you again?" Cynthia asked sternly.
I shook my head. "I'm fine."
"You always say that," she responded, exhaling a tired sigh.
"The next time you come here in such a terrible state, I'm charging you extra for a revival kit," she added, her expression solemn.
"I can't make a promise that I won't keep."
"Charge the bill to my account."
As the top elite hero academy, Grand Avalon Academy ensured that upon registration, students were assigned a nurse who would be responsible for their well-being.
The student paid 10 per cent of the treatment as part of their yearly tuition, while the school covered the rest.
This only applied to injuries sustained within the academy's premises. Students will have to pay out of their own pocket if they sustain an injury outside the academy.
However, if students are capable of covering the entire treatment by themselves, they will be given the option of having a personal nurse assigned to them.
One of the perks of this option is that it applies to injuries sustained within and outside the academy premises because the students are already paying for the entire treatment.
Of course, only descendants of noble clans or those from affluent backgrounds could afford the second option.
The Zahara Clan assumed I would be landing in the hospital more often than others. To maintain their image, they covered my entire treatment.
It was in their best interest not to allow people to uncover that a Zahara Clan's descendant couldn't pay his medical fees.
But if they hadn't paid for it, I would have covered the bill with my own allowance.
Thanks to my substantial savings, I had managed to purchase a Rank One magical beast that cost four hundred thousand Roble notes.
Though I wasn't as rich as the other direct heirs of the Clan head or the other Zahara Clan descendants, I certainly wasn't poor, either.
I could feed an ordinary commoner's family for generations.
Cynthia was the nurse assigned to take care of me.
She received a moderate percentage of the payment.
Unlike other nurses who care for five to ten individuals yearly, she has time to rest, laze around, and do other things because she was only tasked with ensuring my well-being.
"When you first came here after the awakening ceremony, all battered up and injured, I thought that you were all just unlucky. Then, you foolishly decided to solo a dungeon by yourself every single week; I understood you were crazy," Cynthia said, her brow twitching.
"Now you molested your classmate, who happens to rank 1st in your class on the first-year Magical Swordsman rankings, and accepted to duel her."
"What is going on in that head of yours? Other nurses have to treat and cross-examine their patients once a month or a handful of times during a special occasion. But I have to be prepared to use a revival kit on you and pray that you are not too far gone every time you set foot into this hospital," she added.
Her stern expression twisted into anger and exhaustion. Her burning gaze locked on mine.
I rolled my eyes.
I remained silent.
Although I enjoyed seeing her expression gain some emotion, there was no need to exchange words with her. I was already aware of how this would end.
It typically ended with her sedating me back to sleep.
Fortunately, Cythnia picked up my unwillingness to continue the conversation.
She exhaled softly.
"I heard about what happened from your instructor when he brought you in. So could you be honest with me? Did you really commit the crime?" She asked.
I smiled. "What do you think?"
She shook her head. "I don't think you did it."
I nodded. "You are right. I didn't assault her. I was framed."
I explained everything that had happened the night before. From the moment I completed my fake nightly training to when I returned to the boys' dorm.
I completed my explanation within ten minutes.
Cynthia nodded with a thoughtful expression.
"Does this mean that the Zahara Clan is responsible for this?" Her voice was filled with suspicion. Worry. Wariness.
"They are." I nodded.
"If that's the case, then this is a difficult situation. The entire academy is now aware of this rumour. It would be difficult for you to clear your name unless you have substantial proof," Cynthia replied.
I couldn't help but frown.
They hadn't kept their promise.
Though I had expected this scenario, I thought that with Serafina's presence, everything would remain under wraps for a while before it escalated.
My assumption was correct.
Serafina was also an accomplice.
"How did the matter spread? And how long have I been unconscious?"
"I heard that a ruckus had occurred within the boys' dorm compound featuring you and Ivory. Since both of you had ended the duel with severe injuries, it was difficult to keep the event under wraps," Cynthia answered.
"And even if they wanted, it was impossible because there were some students who had witnessed everything, and had decided to spread the rumour about what had transpired."
"You have been asleep for one and a half week. Ivory was released three days ago."
One and a half week?
If using the Overclock skill for a few seconds can leave me bedridden for one and a half week, that means its side effects were truly severe.
But because of it, I could defeat Delilah and complete the quest, so it was a decent gamble.
"Some heirs from other noble clans and affluent backgrounds have tasked their personal nurse to play some dirty tricks on you so they could earn some good will from the Zahara Clan's descendants."
That didn't seem like too far-fetched a behaviour for a typical noble descendant.