Curse of Lysertis

A heavy silence hung over the hot springs.

Adam had seated himself as far away from Charlotte as possible, his back turned to her. Meanwhile, she leaned her elbows on the edge of the spring, lounging like a queen, her expression one of pure satisfaction. A smug smile stretched across her face—not just from the comfort of the spring but also from the fact that she had completely caught Adam off guard.

For a while, neither of them spoke. Then, Adam finally broke the silence.

"What made you so sure that I was the only one here?"

Charlotte smirked.

"Simple. Call it a woman's intuition."

"And if we're being serious?"

"If we're being serious, then look over there."

She pointed toward a tree just beyond the fence. Its top extended toward the springs, offering a perfect vantage point.

Adam followed her gaze and immediately spotted that owl—the same one that had delivered a letter to him yesterday, the same one he had seen on his way to the springs.

He let out a small, dry laugh.

"Of course. The owl."

But then, his smile vanished. A realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. He snapped his head back toward Charlotte, his expression darkening.

"Are you spying on me all the time?!"

Charlotte's grin widened.

"Oh, absolutely. I even know all the naughty little things you do, you little pervert."

Adam's face turned red with fury.

"OF ALL PEOPLE TO TALK, YOU'RE CALLING ME A PERVERT, YOU CRAZY OLD WOMAN?! YOU'RE THE ONE SPYING ON ME!"

"There you go again, calling me old. It hurts, you know."

"I don't care! And for that matter, don't you think it's about time you left? If someone sees you here, we'll never live it down!"

"Aww, how sweet. You're worried about me?"

"No! I'm worried about myself! If anyone catches me here with you, I'll be ripped apart by the academy's students! They already hate me for a dozen other reasons."

Charlotte tilted her head, feigning an innocent pout.

"So mean… Kicking me out already? And you won't even touch my chest first?"

She stood up and pressed her arms around her breasts, pushing them up slightly.

Adam's nose immediately started bleeding again—this time even worse than before. His vision blurred as his brain shut down.

"YOU"

Before he could finish, his legs gave out, and he collapsed into the water. He desperately tried to crawl backward, away from her. But the way he was positioned only gave him an even better view of her curves.

He panicked.

Charlotte took slow, deliberate steps toward him, closing the distance inch by inch.

Adam scrambled back—until he hit the edge of the spring.Now, he had nowhere to go.

His face was as red as a freshly boiled lobster. But despite his embarrassment, there was only one emotion visible on his face:Pure terror.

His eyes widened as Charlotte loomed over him. The way she moved, the confidence in her posture—she looked completely sure of her intentions.

She leaned in, her face drawing closer and closer to his.Adam shrank back as far as he could, but there was no more space to retreat.He shut his eyes tight and, in a trembling voice, whimpered:

"P-please don't…"

Charlotte stopped mere centimeters away from him.

Silence.

Adam could feel her warm breath against his lips. The tiniest movement would have closed the gap between them.

Slowly, he cracked one eye open.Charlotte's hands were clamped over her mouth, her body shaking violently.Then, she lost it.She burst out laughing.

"PFFT—BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Charlotte fell into the water, clutching her stomach. She pointed a trembling finger at Adam, completely unable to contain herself.

Through gasps of laughter, she tried to speak:

"Oh Great Magnus— You—you should've seen yourself! 'P-please don't!'" She mimicked his shaky voice, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

She howled with laughter, completely out of control.

Adam, still pressed against the edge of the spring, stared at her in utter disbelief.

Charlotte wiped the tears from her eyes, still giggling.

"Did you seriously think I was going to go through with it?"

She let out another chuckle.

"O, Great Magnus… You really are too funny."

She stretched her arms above her head, her satisfaction obvious.

"Well, I got what I came for. I'm heading out."

She stepped out of the water, grabbing a towel and drying herself off.

Adam remained in the spring, completely still. He was stunned.

He knew Charlotte liked to tease him. He knew she did things just to get a reaction out of him.

But this?

This was a new level.

Just as she was about to leave, she paused and turned back toward him.

"Oh, by the way, I'll call off my owl, so you can sleep in peace. After all, you'll probably need to relax… in every sense of the word. I don't forbid you from fantasizing about me."

She blew him a kiss.

"Bye, Adam."

Then, she was gone.

Adam sat in the water, gripping his head with one hand.

He remained there for a long, long time.

Thanks to Charlotte, he wouldn't be leaving the hot springs anytime soon—he had a psychological wound to heal now.

Adam ended up staying in the spring for another two hours before he finally decided to leave.

In the changing room, he got dressed, hung his towel to dry, and stepped into the main hall to pay.

But Albert was nowhere to be seen.Not in the lobby, not at the reception desk.Frowning, Adam sat on one of the sofas near the entrance, deciding to wait.A few minutes later, the front door slid open.A young man entered.Adam had never seen him before.

He had ashen-gray hair and pale blue eyes. A scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck, though it did little to hide his sickly appearance—his skin was far too pale, and deep dark circles sat beneath his tired eyes.

Something about him felt… off.

"Well, I can't deny that he's attractive. Kind of a handsome guy," Adam thought to himself, making an effort not to stare.

The young man met his gaze and gave him a friendly smile.

An awkward silence followed, but it was quickly broken when the manager, Albert, entered the room with a cheerful grin.

"Oh! Welcome back, Adam. How did you bathe?"

The moment Adam heard the question, he nearly wanted to sink through the floor. His voice came out shaky.

"W-who? You? Who are 'you'? I was alone!"

"'You'? Oh, I was just being polite. Of course, you were alone. No one else entered the springs."

"O-oh, right," Adam mumbled.

"So? How was it?" Albert asked again, still smiling.

Adam took a deep breath, trying to regain his composure.

"It was great. Thanks a lot."

He scratched the back of his head, forcing a smile to avoid further awkwardness.

But the awkwardness returned the moment the unfamiliar young man spoke up.

"So your name is Adam? Nice name."

The boy smiled and extended his hand.

"I'm Fubuki. Nice to meet you."

Adam hesitated for a second before shaking his hand.

"Yeah, nice to meet you too."

After that, Adam turned back to Albert and handed him the payment for the bath. Meanwhile, Fubuki walked past them and entered the changing room, closing the door behind him.

Curious, Adam glanced at Albert and asked, "Who is that?"

Albert sighed, a hint of apology in his expression.

"Sorry about the awkward introduction. That's my son. He moved here with me."

"Your son?"

Albert nodded.

"He's been sick for most of his life. The strange thing is, no healer has ever been able to diagnose exactly why he's sick. He's seen countless doctors, but none of them could figure it out. One healer, however, suggested that the healing waters of Lardoria might help. So, I decided to move here. And when I found out that these hot springs were for sale, I saw it as an opportunity."

"That explains why Heinrich sold the place. You must've made him a good offer."

Albert chuckled, nodding.

"You're quite perceptive, Mr. Lancer."

"Does it help him?" Adam asked, glancing toward the door Fubuki had disappeared behind.

Albert sighed.

"I'm not a doctor, but from what I can tell, yes, it helps. The problem is, he needs to soak in the water daily—sometimes more than once a day."

"He's that sick?"

Albert's expression grew somber.

"Unfortunately, yes. For him to feel good throughout the day, he has to stay in the water for at least an hour—sometimes even two."

His shoulders slumped for a brief moment, but then, as if shaking off his worries, he smiled again.

"But! He has magic and recently transferred to Moro Academy."

Adam's eyebrows raised slightly.

"Oh, that's cool."

He glanced at the changing room door again before turning back to Albert.

"He looks younger than me."

"He's seventeen."

"Really? He looks younger, but he's actually older."

Adam crossed his arms and rested his chin on his fingers, as if deep in thought.

"That means he should already be in his eighth year."

Albert nodded.

"He started magic school a year later than usual."

"Oh, in that case, we might be in the same class."

Adam stroked his chin, continuing his exaggerated thinking pose.

Albert simply smiled, placing the coins Adam had given him into the cash register.

After saying their goodbyes, Adam left and made his way home. As Adam walked home, his mind was consumed by what had happened at the hot springs: "Thanks to Charlotte, I'm never going to the hot springs again."

Once Albert was certain Adam was far enough away, he stepped outside and flipped the sign on the entrance door to "Closed."

Then, securing the front door with a wooden latch, he turned and walked toward the men's section of the hot springs.

Inside, Fubuki sat still in the water, completely motionless.

Albert stepped inside and, seeing no reaction from his son, spoke gently.

"Fubuki, how are you feeling?"

"I've been better."

His voice was distant. Detached.

Albert sighed but continued with a soft smile.

"Well, when you're done, be sure to eat something. I made your favorite soup."

Fubuki nodded slowly.

"Thanks, Dad. I'll eat once I feel a little better."

"Alright. I'm heading to bed, then. Good night, son."

"Good night."

Albert closed the door, and his footsteps creaked softly across the wooden floor as he walked away.

The moment he was gone, Fubuki's smile faded.

His previously kind and sickly expression was replaced by something... darker.

Serious. Cold.

Almost sinister.

Then, his pale blue eyes shifted to a piercing yellow.

The following days passed without incident—mostly because Adam didn't leave his apartment at all.

The start of the school year was approaching, but Adam wasn't worried.

Lectures. Practical training. Exams.

Most students started preparing weeks before classes began, but Adam?

He didn't care.

His days consisted of lying on the couch, eating, then lying on the couch again.

Rinse and repeat.

Some might call it laziness.

Adam called it his personal way of preparing for school.

Somehow, despite this attitude, he had made it all the way to his seventh year. How?

Even he didn't know.

Probably dumb luck.

But the closer the school year crept, the less he wanted to go.

And yet — No matter how much he didn't want to go, he had no choice.