Chapter 65
Chapter 65
Episode 65
[Erosion Rate 24%]
A familiar ceiling.
"Damn it..."
I've finally become accustomed to the hospital ceiling. It seems like I end up in the hospital every time a main story arc ends.
There are fourteen main story arcs that I know of. And there are probably areas I'm still unaware of, so this is a big problem. At this rate, my body won't be able to handle it. I need to get stronger.
"I'll have to go dungeon diving as soon as I'm discharged."
"That's not allowed, Oz."
"...?"
When I came to my senses, Arietta was nearby. It was truly unsettling. I had become so accustomed to the scent of peppermint that I hadn't even noticed her presence.
"If you say that, I'll really postpone your discharge until you're fully recovered, in the literal sense of the word."
"...I'll rest."
"Really?"
"..."
Ah, this is difficult. Is it because I'm in front of the Saintess, who can see through lies? Even answering such a simple question is hard.
"I see. Still, please don't overexert yourself."
Arietta's words carry weight. Even simple greetings feel heavy. She has something about her that stirs up a person's guilt.
"I'll be careful."
"Yes, that's not a lie this time. Good thinking, Oz."
It was a gentle smile, but she also had a subtly intimidating side.
"This injury is lingering as well."
Slide
Arietta began to trace the wounds on my body with her finger. It was a strange feeling, but it was for healing. As proof, her fingertips were imbued with divine power. She moved her fingers as if drawing musical notes over the wounds.
However, her divine power couldn't purify the scars etched into my body.
"I can do much less than I thought."
"No, Arietta. This injury is..."
It couldn't be helped. This injury was caused by mana, to the extent that even her divine arts couldn't fully purify it.
"Yes, I know. That it's Headmaster Tia's power. Still... It's a little frustrating. Because there's ultimately nothing I can do."
Tia's attack was dizzying, even thinking about it now. If I hadn't been wearing the [Starry Sky Robe], I would have been pulverized.
No, actually, defense is irrelevant. She would have beaten me to a similar state regardless of what I was wearing. Truly a fair and violent dragon.
"Does this mean the effort I've put in so far isn't enough?"
"It's because of who your opponent was. Even I couldn't put up much resistance against the Headmaster."
"Well..."
Arietta gave a wry smile. It didn't seem to be much of a comfort. This was a problem she had to come to terms with herself, so no matter what I said, it wouldn't make a difference.
"I think I need to work harder."
"There's no rush, Arietta. You can take your time..."
"No."
Arietta spoke firmly.
"The person I'm chasing is running without even taking care of themselves."
"..."
"That person won't listen to me even if I tell them not to..."
A rare mischievous smile.
Arietta poked my cheek with her finger and said,
"So I'm going to do the same."
It was the Arietta of old, the one Oz remembered, that he saw after a long time.
[Erosion Rate 40%]
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Thanks to Arietta's efforts, I was able to be discharged relatively quickly.
"Hmm..."
I was discharged, but my body felt stiff. The bruises, along with the mana interfering with the healing of the wounds, made the aftereffects worse than the previous two hospitalizations.
"Well then."
This time, I intended to take it easy, just like Arietta had said. Breaking a promise to her made me feel guilty.
"What should I do now?"
I thought I had lived a relatively relaxed life, but excluding training and other physical activities, I couldn't think of much. My life had mostly been filled with such endeavors.
It seemed I was more mentally driven than I had thought. It was quite unsettling to not be moving, not preparing.
I'd have to think carefully about this problem. Acting without any breathing room like this could narrow my perspective.
If I kept this up, when it really mattered...
"Ah."
What was I even doing? The fact that my stream of consciousness flowed in that direction showed how serious my condition was. I needed to let go a little. It might actually be more helpful to just not think at all.
Should I at least grab something to eat? Yes, it might be good to find a new place this time, instead of the usual spot.
It was while I was wandering around the academy grounds at a leisurely pace that it happened.
"Ah, Master! Over here!"
"What are you doing here again...? Noah."
Eleanor, the girl who stood out no matter where she was or what she was doing, appeared.
"Hee hee hee, doesn't it suit me?"
Eleanor was wearing a blue waitress uniform. It was a skin I had seen in the game. 500 diamonds in paid currency. In other words, worth 5,000 won.
...Saying it like that made it sound cheap, but since it was purchased with paid currency, it did suit her quite well.
"Ta-da! See? I knew blue would suit me!"
It wasn't strange, since in the original story, she had earned money after the end of Chapter 3 to see Chrysos with her own eyes. Yes, it wasn't strange in general. She might not make much money, but wouldn't it satisfy both her attention-seeking desires and her need to earn money?
"It does suit you, but weren't you still hospitalized?"
That's what I would have said if she weren't still a patient.
"The Saintess said light exercise would be okay... Oof!"
I lightly poked Eleanor's side with my finger as she was talking nonsense, and she screamed and collapsed.
That much? Was her condition really that bad that she got permission for light exercise? No, even if light exercise was permitted, this kind of part-time job wouldn't have been allowed.
This girl was a mental patient who had escaped the ward... no, she was still an ordinary patient.
"Noah, I don't want to subdue you with rough methods. I'd appreciate it if you'd surrender quietly."
"No, Master. The checking process itself was already too rough!"
I hadn't imagined she would be in so much pain. Eleanor's injuries were more severe than mine, but I had already been discharged, hadn't I? I thought she would have recovered to some extent.
"Master, it's a little embarrassing to say this, but..."
"What is it?"
"I think my wounds have reopened."
"..."
Yes, you should be a little embarrassed. What kind of nuisance was this? I felt sorry for the medical staff who were probably desperately searching for her by now.
"Noah, let's go quietly. Baekyang and Lucia will be looking for you too."
"I managed to ditch them! That..."
"You really need to reflect on your actions."
"You're right... Noah needs to reflect... "
"..."
Just then, a chilling voice echoed. At the same time, Eleanor's face turned pale. She looked like she had seen a ghost, or rather, a goblin.
"I really... spent so long... looking for you...?"
"It seems so."
Baekyang was panting, drenched in sweat. Considering her usual behavior, it was unimaginable.
It seemed like she had been running around diligently.
"Hmph."
Baekyang caught her breath, tidied her sweat-drenched bangs, and then reached out towards Eleanor, who was still slumped on the ground.
"It seems Noah belongs in an isolation ward, not a regular hospital room."
Baekyang, with a cold gaze, used her specialty charm on Noah, who was sitting dejectedly.
[Frozen in Place]
It was one of Baekyang's active skills, a technique that restricted the opponent's movement. Eleanor probably couldn't move anyway, but Baekyang likely did it to be thorough.
"This should stop the bleeding, too."
"Whenever I see you like this, I think you're a better person than I thought."
"...Hmph."
She was the disgrace of goblin-kind. I hadn't realized it in the game because she didn't have much of a presence, but Baekyang took care of Eleanor quite a bit.
Would she get angry if I said she was like a mother? Then, let's put it a little more mildly...
"You're like Noah's older sister."
"Don't say such horrible things. I don't need a little sister like this."
"That's right, Master. If anything, I'm the clumsy older sister."
"No, you're..."
I was at a loss for words. I didn't have the confidence to handle Eleanor's warped sensibilities, which were so distorted that I didn't know where to begin correcting them.
"I'll take her with me."
"Okay..."
Baekyang escorted Eleanor away with a colder expression. But unlike her cold demeanor, Eleanor was carried in a very stable manner. It seemed like she really was the disgrace of goblin-kind.
Around the time the two disappeared from sight,
"Why don't you come down now? Why were you hiding, Lucia?"
At that moment, Lucia jumped down from the branches where she had been concealing herself. As expected of a cat-person, she was stealthy enough to make almost no sound.
"I wasn't planning on hiding, but the timing was a little off."
"Is that so? Then what did you want to say to me?"
"My, my, you can't be fooled."
If she had simply been looking for Eleanor, she would have followed her. But Lucia had stayed instead of following Eleanor and Baekyang. That meant she had something she wanted to ask me.
"Go ahead."
My body still felt languid, so I sat down on a nearby bench in an Oz-like manner and gestured to her.
Lucia sighed once and then cautiously began,
"...You fought with the Headmaster, right?"
"Fought? Don't make me laugh. It wasn't even a proper fight."
I was unilaterally beaten until I used an SSR-rank spell to inflict a small scratch. And other than that one time, I was just a punching bag. Tia didn't even fight in her dragon form. Was she a monster?
"Still, you left a mark, didn't you? The higher-ups in the Empire seem to be taking that fact quite seriously."
"Surely no one is foolish enough to think I'm hostile towards the Headmaster?"
"...Surprisingly, you're right."
"The Empire's history is amazing. To think they succeeded with such fools."
In short, some of the higher-ups in the Empire were needlessly worried that I might be hostile towards Tia. They probably discussed cutting me loose since they didn't want to antagonize Tia.
"So, did you come to get confirmation from me?"
"I know this is stupid, but it's an order from above, so I can't help it."
"Making life in society difficult, huh?"
"Seriously..."
Lucia plopped down next to me on the bench as if exhausted.
"There's just so much work."
"..."
What was with this sudden familiarity? Lucia, whether knowingly or not, began to pour out her complaints without pause. She must have had a lot bottled up, but did she intend to use me as a sounding board for her problems?
However, I wasn't interested in the dirty laundry of the Empire. Let it go in one ear and out the other.
"Excuse me..."
As I was idly passing the time, a kind-looking woman approached and spoke to us.
"Students, I'm sorry to bother you while you're busy... but could I ask you something?"
"Certainly. Go ahead."
Oz was an arrogant character, but there was no need to maintain that impression in situations like this. She didn't seem to recognize me, and I felt uncomfortable being haughty towards someone like her.
"Have you seen a student wearing a blue waitress uniform around here?"
"..."
"It's strange... Where could that child have gone...?"
"..."
Nine times out of ten, it was Eleanor. Come to think of it, since she was working part-time, it was only natural that she was employed by someone. I had forgotten that obvious fact.
"Where do you think you're going, Lucia?"
"Huh?! How did you...?"
I grabbed Lucia's wrist as she was stealthily trying to slip away. How foolish. As long as I had [Contemplation], there was no way I would miss her. Did she think I would let her escape this extremely awkward and guilt-inducing situation?
No way.
"I apologize, but it seems that child had to leave due to an urgent matter. So..."
I pushed Lucia in front of the woman with as much courtesy as I could muster. Here, it was most appropriate for her to be the sacrifice.
"I've arranged for her to have a substitute. It seems things are urgent, so it turned out like this. I apologize."
"Oh, is that so? My, she could have at least said something before leaving..."
The woman, despite being in a situation where she could have been rude, spoke as if she was worried about Eleanor. I was glad she was as kind as she seemed.
"Are you crazy? You want me to work as a waitress? Absolutely not."
"You're always putting on a similar act anyway, so what's the difference now?"
The fact that she usually accommodated Eleanor showed how remarkable her ability was.
"Then shall we go? The work won't be that hard... Oh, what color uniform would you prefer? Your eyes are red, so I think a shade of red would suit you..."
The woman started chattering non-stop, as if she already considered Lucia an employee.
"...Prince Oz, I won't forget this. I will never forget this."
"Just accept it, Lucia. I'll help you."
"Prince Oz working part-time? That sounds even crazier."
"No, what are you talking about? I just got discharged, so I shouldn't do any strenuous activity. I'll go as a customer."
"..."
I was planning to eat anyway.