Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! Chapter 104: 104-Who Is He?

Read chapter 104 of Reader Mage-Stubbing August 10! by A_Random_Turtle on NovelPedia.

Nikolai opened his eyes, and his senses awoke. His head hurt like he had been struck at the back by a mallet, and he could barely recognize the bland taste of his own spit as it had been diluted with the somewhat repulsive tang of countless medicines. His breathing was slow and ragged, and supported by an oxygen mask, while needles connected to drips stuck out of his arms as the rhythmic beeping of the monitor to his bedside filled his ears. He weakly glanced around as much as he could in his state, and came to the realization that he was in an ICU. However, something was wrong with him. He couldn’t seem to recall why exactly he was in such a place. What had happened to him? “You’re awake?” a husky voice said from his side and Nikolai glanced in its direction to see an aged but able man with a mustache and a goatee standing there, a cup of coffee in his hand. Nikolai’s eyes narrowed. A vague idea of who the man was brushed past his mind, but he couldn’t get a good grasp on it. The image was blurry—far too blurry. Who was he? “How are you feeling now?” the man said as he sat down on a stool beside the bed. Nikolai glanced at his oxygen mask, and the man nodded. He reached for the mask and pulled it down. Nikolai drew a sharp breath which led to him coughing briefly before he settled down. “Good,” the man continued. “You’re a lot better now.” Nikolai remained silent for a few seconds as he let his body become accustomed to breathing once again. Then he turned to the man and said, “How long have I been asleep?” He had wanted to ask the man who he was, but he felt the need to find out just how much time had passed while he’d been in the ICU instead. That intuitively felt more important. “Three weeks,” said the man as he took a sip of his coffee. Nikolai wanted to be shocked, but his body and mind lacked the energy for such a spike in emotion. “What happened to me?” he asked, and the man frowned. “You don’t remember?” said the man. Nikolai nodded. The man cocked his head and placed down his cup of coffee. “Do you know who I am, Nikolai?” Nikolai was taken aback by the man calling his name, but his blurry memories, and the fact that the man was the first person he had seen as soon as he’d opened his eyes, told him all he needed to know. Whoever the man was, he knew them—or, he had known them. In other words, whatever had brought him to lying in an ICU had caused him to lose his memories. “No,” he replied. The man sighed softly then knotted his fingers together. “What is the last thing you remember?” he asked. Nikolai turned his gaze to the led light staring down at him from the ceiling, and let his mind wander. The last thing he could recall was… “Heading to Prestige Academy for the practical examination,” he said with a wince. “Everything after that is blurry.” “I see…” The man rubbed his forehead at that reply. Nikolai turned back to him. “Who are you, and how do you know my name?” he asked. “Forgive me if that seems rude. As you can see, I just can’t seem to remember.” The man smiled. “It’s fine. My name is Im Ilseong. I’m the headmaster of Prestige Academy.” Nikolai blinked. It was the only reaction he could give. “If you’re here, does that mean I passed the exam and got in?” he asked. The headmaster nodded. Nikolai turned back to the ceiling. “I see.” He paused. “Then what happened to me?” Headmaster Im Ilseong took a breather. Nikolai stole a peek at the man from the side of his eyes and noticed that he was contemplating on what to say. “I’ll tell you when you’re a lot better,” said the headmaster as he stood up from his stool. “Get more rest.” Nikolai turned once again to the ceiling. “What about my elder brother?” he asked. “Did he pay me a visit?” The headmaster took his time before nodding. “Yes,” he said. “But, as I believe you know, he’s a professor at the Academy, so he spends most of his time teaching. He does come whenever he has the chance though.” For some reason, Nikolai felt like that was a lie. But he didn’t push