"Hey, wake up!"
Huh...? Who's bothering me? To my annoyance, those words were followed by a hard slap.
"Ah!"
I woke up with a start, quickly looking for the culprit. It didn't take me long to realize that it was Hernesto, who was next to me, who had hit me to wake me up. I didn't hesitate for a second to lunge at him, with the aim of hitting him back. But a hand rested on my shoulder, holding me in place.
"Lukas."
Oh shit... That voice is my mother's. Fearfully, I turned around to find Selira standing there. Just by looking at her face, I could tell this was going to be difficult.
"What do you think you were doing? You said you were just going out to play, and I found you at the guild hospital."
Every word was charged with anger, and her eyes stared intently at me.
"Y-yes... maybe... Velric and I went to a dungeon practice..."
The moment I finished speaking, a strong pressure fell on my shoulder, causing me to double over in pain. I let out a groan as the force increased, so much so that I had to wonder how my arm wasn't breaking.
"No one gave you permission for that!"
Damn it, it's not that big of a deal! Although I wanted to say that, Selira's gaze wouldn't allow it. There was no doubt that if I spoke, the problem would only get worse.
"What would I tell your father if you were more injured than you already are!?"
"I-I'm sorry!"
"Ms. Selira, you're hurting him!"
Hernesto approached us, trying to push Selira's hand off my shoulder. But he only ended up getting pushed and falling to the ground.
"Shut up! Stay out of this!"
Things were getting extremely heated, so I had to forcibly remove Selira's hand.
"Enough, it wasn't that bad!"
I shouted, visibly frustrated. After a few moments, I regained my senses. My strength had increased significantly. Normally, that simple effort would have exhausted me. Now my body even felt as light as a feather.
Selira was shocked, keeping her eyes on me before turning her head away angrily. She started muttering something I couldn't hear, as I clenched my jaw and didn't let any words come out.
I jumped out of bed and helped Hernesto up. I put my hand on his shoulder and whispered to him.
"Leave us alone, maybe I can calm her down."
At my words, Hernesto nodded, turning around and leaving the room. When I turned back, I was surprised by Selira, who lunged at me and grabbed my face.
"You're not hurt, are you? You don't have any internal injuries?"
Without asking me, she began to check every part of my body. I had to push her away again, as she was being extremely annoying.
"Stop it! What's going on?"
I asked her, surprised by her behavior. She had always been overprotective, but she had never gone this far before.
"Don't you understand? What am I going to do if your father sees you like this?"
"Stop worrying about what my father would say!"
I didn't understand her obsession, but my doubts were quickly cleared up.
"How dare you!"
- Slap!
A loud slap echoed through the room, followed by my body falling backward from the impact. It was unlike any I had ever received in my previous world. Was this one charged with... anger or fear...?
After the blow, the room fell silent, those few seconds feeling like an eternity. Selira's expression changed to one of pure horror. She bent down and took my face in her hands, leaning in to get a better look at me.
"S-son, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, you have to believe me!"
The blow had stunned me for a while. I never thought this woman would raise her hand to me or do anything like that... How dare she!?
My whole body was boiling with rage. I couldn't understand her audacity in raising her hand to me. My anger was so great that I thought about hitting her back. At that moment, the door behind us opened, and a woman carrying a tray loaded with things entered.
"Huh? What's going on?"
At her question, Selira stood up instantly, doing the same with me.
"It's nothing, she wanted to leave the room. She says she's fine."
Her ease in lying surprised me. She didn't look like a liar, but her words changed my perception of her.
"Oh... That happens all the time. Sit on the bed, I'll check you out."
I made a great effort to calm down and do as the woman said. She only checked me quickly and declared that nothing serious had happened. The poison had been cured correctly, so I could leave without any problems.
When I left the room, I saw Hernesto with his grandfather. The latter was talking to a long-haired man who was sweating profusely. I think he's the owner of the guild.
"Let's go, we'll talk at home."
Without giving me a moment to object, Selira pushed me behind her. We left so quickly that I couldn't even say goodbye to Hernesto.
<<<>>>
"Do you know how scared I was? No, you don't, you never think!"
As soon as we entered the house, she pushed me to the floor, where she proceeded to hit me several times. I had to resist each blow, covering my face. After a long time like this, she seemed to have gotten tired, because she stopped and stared at me while panting.
"Oh, are you badly hurt? I can't leave you like this. Get up, I have to clean you up."
Her attitude changed in an instant, helping me up and taking me to the bathroom to clean the dirt off my face.
This is already the second or third time she has changed her attitude, and it is becoming tiresome. My face reflected this, and although I was not tall enough to reach the mirror, I could feel a tremor in my eye.
"I hope you understand, I am doing this for your own good. You cannot let him see you like this."
Her face wore a fake smile, and her voice lacked conviction. Besides, his eyes only showed absolute desperation for me to believe him
"Yes, Mom."
Swallow each of my insults and bow your head. Even though I couldn't stand the treatment, I didn't have to do anything that would only make the situation worse.