Playing Nurse

I pulled back the partition and came face-to-face with a familiar face.

A face I had seen so often over the past few days that I was sick of it.

"U-Uh...?"

Radie stared at me, her eyes wide like a startled mouse.

I froze in place, equally taken aback.

Why is she here...?

I had expected Radie to come this way.

After all, this was the only place nearby that rented out lodging tents.

Having just received a pile of silver coins as a reward, she had no choice but to stay here if she didn't want to get mugged of every last penny.

I just hadn't expected us to end up in the exact same tent.

And...

...I made a mistake.

No matter how short on rooms they were, there was no way they would assign a man and a woman to the same room, right?

No wonder her voice was so soft. Since she was a kid whose voice hadn't even cracked yet, I'd completely mistaken her gender.

As I stood there staring, Radie hurriedly adjusted her hood and shrieked.

"What are you just standing there staring for?! Get out!!"

"Ah, right. Sorry."

"Your words and actions don't match! I said get out, now! No, wait, why are you even here in the first place?!"

"Why else...? I paid to get in."

"......?"

For a moment, Radie stared up at me with a blank, dumbfounded expression.

Soon, as if realizing what had happened, her brow furrowed deeply. She stormed out of the tent, huffing and puffing, to complain to the merchant.

But she returned shortly after, her shoulders slumped dejectedly.

"Well? No spare rooms, right?"

"......"

"It's a shame, but you have to accept reality. What else can you do?"

"...Why are you naturally stepping over to my side? Go back to your own space, quickly."

"Never mind going back... Are you okay?"

"......"

Radie quietly shut her mouth.

I had a pretty good idea of why she was groaning.

She looked unwell ever since we fought the golem, but...

If it was this bad, she should have said something sooner.

There was no cure for level-up sickness other than getting plenty of rest.

After staying up all night to defeat the golem, followed by marching out of the dungeon without a single moment to catch her breath, it was no wonder she had collapsed.

Pushing aside Radie's weakly resisting, sweat-slicked hand, I pressed my palm against her forehead. Her skin was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠burning hot, like a ball of fire.

"I'm amazed you managed to follow me all this way without saying a word in this state. Looking at your pale face, I'd believe it if someone told me you were undead."

"The undead one... is you. And besides, my body ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠temp—my body temperature is naturally high, okay? Stop meddling and just go..."

"Do you think anyone in their right mind would leave? I'd rather not wake up next to a corpse tomorrow morning. ...Don't you dare move from here. Just wait."

This actually works out perfectly.

Illness was illness, but if I played my cards right now, I could score some major points.

If I won her over completely, I might even be able to change her mind.

Conveniently, I could also indirectly gauge her emotions through my Chaos skill.

I will absolutely win her back as a companion before we enter the next dungeon...!

Steeled with determination, I quickly headed out of the tent.

I returned from the market district carrying a wooden bucket filled with clean water, towels, and fever reducers. Radie watched me with a deeply suspicious gaze.

"...What are you planning to do with those?"

"What do you think? They said this medicine is great for bringing down a fever, so drink it all up. Don't leave a single drop."

"......"

Although Radie still looked highly skeptical, she was apparently too exhausted to argue further and quietly gulped down the medicine.

"Ugh! Pah, patooie... It's so bitter..."

"Good medicine always tastes bitter. Now, hand over the bottle and lie down. You need to get some deep sleep for the fever to break."

"Urrrgh..."

Grimacing, Radie drained the last of the medicine and lay back down. I wiped the sweat from her forehead and placed a cool, damp towel over it.

I caught a brief glimpse of animal ears peeking out from under her hood just now...

I had already deduced she was a beastman from her behavior, so I quietly pretended not to notice. A faint voice leaked from between her lips.

"...You do realize this is an absolute disaster for me, right?"

"......"

"Of all things, to get tangled up with a follower of the evil god Antagon... and on top of that, you even absorbed a holy relic of Andira, the God of Death... I don't hold any personal grudge against you, but if things go wrong and I get branded a heretic..."

"Yeah, it would be dangerous. That's why I didn't plan on hiding it from you for long either. I'm sorry."

"......"

"I'll listen to your complaints later, so just sleep for now."

"Seriously... I can't stand you..."

Though she grumbled petulantly, Radie soon began to breathe with soft, even rises and falls.

Once I was sure she was asleep, I returned to my side of the partition and lay down on my bed.

I had played the part of the benevolent nurse, but truth be told, I was also utterly exhausted.

...At least I won't have to worry about waking up to any loud noises tonight.

The moment my head hit the pillow, I passed out.

When I opened my eyes to the sound of a crowing rooster, dawn was already breaking outside the tent.

What... Did I seriously stay passed out for over half a day?

Clutching my stiff head, I sat up. From across the partition, I heard the rustling sounds of someone waking up.

"...Hey, you awake?"

"...Yes."

"Man, I'm dying of thirst. I'm coming over for a second."

When I pulled back the partition, Radie was sitting on the edge of her bed.

Though fatigue still clung ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to the corners of her eyes, her complexion looked much brighter. She seemed to have recovered significantly.

"Looks like the medicine did its job. How are you feeling?"

"I tossed and turned a bit, but I feel much better. ...What about you? You must have experienced level-up sickness too."

"I'm fine now after getting some solid rest. It wasn't nearly as bad for me as it was for you anyway."

"...For some reason, that's annoying. Do you have any water?"

"Water? Hold on, I'll grab my canteen."

I went back to my side, grabbed my canteen, and returned.

But as I drew closer, Radie subtly turned her head away.

"Ugh, the smell..."

"...Hey, even I'm a little hurt by that reaction."

"Ah, I didn't mean it like that... I'm sorry. My sense of smell is just incredibly sensitive, so it came out without thinking..."

"Well... I guess that makes sense."

I lifted my shirt and sniffed.

I had passed out immediately upon returning from the dungeon without washing up, after all.

Left with no choice, I began to unbutton my shirt. Radie shrieked in horror.

"Why are you taking your clothes off all of a sudden?! Are you seriously an exhibitionist?!"

"What do you think? I'm wiping off the sweat. It's a long walk to the nearest water source from here... wouldn't it be better to at least give myself a quick wipe-down with a wet towel?"

"But why are you doing it in my space?!"

"Come on, it's not like we have any secrets left. You saw everything when I transformed."

"That's because!! You!! Unilaterally showed me!! Besides, you seem to have been under a massive misunderstanding this whole time! I'm...!"

"You're?"

"......"

The indignant Radie opened her mouth to say something, but then clamped it shut, as if her pride had been wounded.

She glared at me with murderous intent, then suddenly kicked me square in the shin.

Clang!

"Ow! Why are you still wearing greaves indoors?!"

"Ah, right. I forgot to take them off yesterday. I was just too tired."

I gathered my clothes and wet towel, preparing to head back over the partition.

"Oh, but by any chance, could you help me wipe my back—"

"GET OUT THIS INSTANT!!!"

After giving myself a quick wipe-down, I headed back over the partition to find Radie slumped over, completely drained of energy.

"See? That's what happens when you waste your energy on useless things."

"You...! *Sigh*... What do you want this time?"

Radie tried to bolt upright, but she immediately sank back down as if hit by a wave of dizziness. I casually gestured toward the exit of the tent.

"You're hungry, right? Let's go grab some food together."

"...Have you been letting everything I say go in one ear and out the other? I told you, if I get branded a heretic for hanging around you—!"

"As long as you keep your mouth shut, no one will ever find out. Rest assured, I won't use Disguise in front of other people."

"......"

"My treat."

Despite dangling the bait ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of a free meal, Radie glared at me with eyes full of wariness, looking like a wild squirrel on high alert.

Sensing her hesitation, I pulled a silver coin from my pocket to seal the deal.

"Let's do this then. I'll flip this coin. If I guess the side correctly, we go out together. If you guess it right, we eat separately. How about a bet?"

Besides, I had something I wanted to test.

Swindler

Perfect timing.

I hadn't had a chance to use it yet, but this was a great opportunity to test it out.

If I could figure out the exact activation conditions for this skill, I might even find a way to exploit it in combat.

For some reason, though, Radie stared at me with an even more suspicious look than before.

"What?"

"...No, you expect me to bet when you might have rigged the coin? It's glaringly obvious you're trying to cheat."

"......"

Sharp brat.

It was common sense in this world never to trust a game of chance or a shell game hosted by someone else.

Just as I was trying to think of another way, Radie rested her chin on her hand and let out a sigh.

"Fine. Let's do it. I'll bet on tails."

"Oh, then here goes."

Ting! With a flick of my thumb, the coin soared into the air, tracing a silver arc.

I snatched it out of the air and opened my palm. There, the dignified portrait of a ruler was clearly engraved.

I quickly checked the log window, and a new notification had popped up.

Just as I thought...

If it worked like this, it would be incredibly useful when negotiating with merchants or digging up information from people at taverns.

However, my focus lingered on the sentence: You have not yet discovered the exact conditions for its usage.

Just as the Disguise skill didn't merely change my appearance but completely warped my identity, there had to be something hidden within the Swindler skill as well.

Since it said Antagon's power intervened in reality to bring about change, perhaps as the skill level rose, I could even twist larger realities or fates.

Maybe I could even catch a glimpse of destiny if I paid a price or met certain conditions.

While I was lost in thought reading the log window, Radie, who had been staring intently at my eyes, stood up from the bed and tidied her clothes.

"Well, since I lost, let's head out right away. ...Is Malton-nim not coming with us?"

"Malton said he's staying at an acquaintance's place. He probably won't be coming around here for a while unless he has business."

Radie and I stepped out of the tent and strolled along at a leisurely pace.

As we walked through a street lined with restaurants, we stepped into a decent-looking place and sat down. A server brought over the menu.

Since we're near the dungeon, there are a lot of dishes I've never seen before...

Come to think of it, this was the first time since coming to this world that I was eating at a proper restaurant.

Even when I made money by selling monster materials, I used to turn back because I felt too self-conscious to enter a restaurant in my shabby clothes without even a spare change of garments.

Besides, I had been so busy hunting in Verastin that I barely had time to eat proper meals.

But when I looked across the table, Radie was tapping the menu with a deeply troubled look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"...Do you really look at this and feel nothing?"

"Like what?"

"It's way too expensive! A simple plate of pickled vegetables is three pennies, and a stew with barely any meat in it is six pennies. They even charge for plain water...! What is this?!"

"Well, I almost cursed out loud when I first saw it too... but even if it's dirty and unfair, there's nothing we can do. It seems these prices are the standard around dungeons. ...By the way, that fever reducer you took yesterday cost two silver coins."

"W-What?! You fed me something that expensive?!"

"What was I supposed to do? You were burning up with a fever."

"I-I'll pay you back right now, so...!"

"Forget it. It's no big deal."

"Then at least for the food..."

"I already said the food is on me. If you really feel bad, you can buy dessert."

"...Fine. Let's do that then... Wait."

Doesn't that mean we naturally have to eat dessert together too?

Radie glared at me, but I casually avoided her gaze.

Let's see... what kind of menu would a kid like...

"Excuse me, could we get the venison stew and the mushroom cream soup?"

When I ordered the exact dishes she had been staring at ever since we walked in, Radie looked up at me blankly.

"Just now, those..."

"I ordered them because it looked like you wanted them. If you don't feel like it, should I order something else?"

"......I don't care either way. I only came here because you dragged me, after all."

Looks like I guessed right.

She was trying her best not to show it, but her stats were honest.

Since she had been sick, no one in their right mind would turn down hot soup and meat.

And one more thing.

...She really is an incredible cheapskate.

Even when we first met, hadn't she eagerly accepted the free alcohol Malton bought, or eaten rock-hard ship biscuits to save money on meals?

As a D-rank adventurer, she shouldn't be completely broke, yet she was looking around from beneath her hood as if even eating in a restaurant like this felt foreign to her.

It's not even a high-end restaurant...

Normally, it was custom for adventurers to indulge themselves on the day they returned from a successful quest, but she didn't seem to know that kind of pleasure.

Was there some reason for it?

"...Well, this works out perfectly."

"What did you just say?"

"Nothing. By the way, do you have plans after we eat?"

"Huh? Why do you ask...?"

"If you're free, come with me somewhere for a bit."

I stretched and made the proposal as casually as possible.

I harbored the grand ambition of winning her over during this break and recruiting her as an official companion, no matter what.

When I smiled warmly and met her gaze, Radie glared back at me, clearly wondering what kind of scheme I was cooking up this time.