Chapter 9
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Save the Real Lady (2)
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My mind, steeped in all sorts of worries, refused to settle down easily.
Dia must have been the one who gave her the Sao, but it felt less like it was for Dia's sake and more like a deliberate attempt to pair me with her.
No, to begin with—wasn't it absurd that she would give drugs to the little sister she claimed to cherish so dearly?
And what about Dia's condition? Was she okay? My expression crumpled naturally, with no answers in sight.
I arrived at Dia's door with quick steps and ran into two maids there.
"Dia's at it again..."
"She's such a nuisance to Lady Abera. That ugly behavior."
"Speaking of, that drug Dia's addicted to apparently has aphrodisiac components too."
"Really? That explains it. No wonder they keep changing doctors so quickly."
"It's a wonder she hasn't gotten pregnant."
"Oh come on. It could just be birth control pills. Right?"
The maids burst into laughter, pffft.
No matter how much Dia was disliked, this wasn't behavior befitting maids. My face, already scrunched up, prompted me to clear my throat.
One maid yelped and elbowed the other in the side.
Only then did the maids give awkward smiles and place their hands on the doorknob. Next, they slowly opened Dia's door from both sides.
'This is too much.'
Maids were just servants, after all. Naturally, they lacked the skill to treat Dia.
Still, this was excessive.
Couldn't they at least hold her down? If not that, couldn't they at least pretend to worry?
Comparing their attitudes toward Abera, their behavior toward Dia... left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I wondered if Dia knew about this. The thought only made it more bitter.
And sure enough, the moment I stepped inside, the maids slammed the door shut behind me with a bang.
But the most urgent matter was Dia's condition. I should put aside the complicated thoughts for later.
"Lady Dia."
I glanced around. I needed to find the lady of the room.
One small relief was that the Sao in Abera's hand had been just one syringe's worth.
"Lady Dia?"
If she'd only been injected with that amount, her condition should still be manageable. At worst, she'd be overwhelmed by uncontrollable lust.
Was she naked somewhere in the room again? I scanned the surroundings once more.
It was right around then. A squelching squelch echoed through the room.
'That sound's a bit off.'
It wasn't hard to guess there was liquid everywhere. It was unmistakably a wet, squishy noise. I could clearly hear droplets splashing on the floor too.
But even if she was pleasuring herself, wasn't that sound a little strange? My eyes spun faster, searching for Dia.
Another squelch. This time, I pinpointed the direction.
The source was in the far corner of the room. Finally, I caught sight of the room's owner.
"I... I gotta... catch the bugs... Bugs keep, keep, k-keep, cr-crawling... all over my b-body..."
Could a tiny mutter like that even be called a scream? It seemed it could. That's exactly what her mumbling was.
Dia's convulsing hand gripped a fork that could pass for a deadly weapon.
"Lady Dia?"
I called her name softly.
Bugs.
Ignoring me, Dia muttered the word again and stabbed down with the fork once more—into the soft back of her own hand, like plunging into a cream cake.
A squelch, and blood splattered everywhere.
"Lady!"
I shouted and kicked off the floor.
It had been a naive assumption. She wasn't someone I could just call out to safely. I should have grabbed her from the start. Chewing on that regret during those brief seconds, I seized both her arms.
"Wh-what... Another... b-bug...? So... b-big...?"
That was Dia's first reaction upon seeing me.
A strange glint flickered in the eyes of Dia, who had been mercilessly stabbing her hand with lifeless vigor. But it wasn't a beautiful light. The pink eyes that should have sparkled with passion were dulled, as if covered in dust.
She trembled, shoulders shaking as if terrified of being caught by a giant bug.
"N-no... Bugs here too, bugs there... Bugs inside my body too..."
Something was seriously wrong here.
One syringe of Sao couldn't possibly cause symptoms like this. I didn't want to believe this was her true nature.
"Ah?"
And that's when my eyes spotted two syringes rolling on the floor.
"You lunatic—what were you thinking?!"
I couldn't help yelling at Dia. How severe the side effects were, and she'd injected two without a thought.
"B-bugs... Save meee..."
"What the hell happened?! Did you inject both yourself? Or did someone do it to you?!"
"Heehee..."
I'd asked out of genuine frustration, but all Dia gave was a foolish smile.
It only made me sadder, more wistful.
"Stay still."
"Ugh... uwaaa..."
It wasn't that Dia obeyed me. The floor was soaked in blood. She'd lost so much that her strength had ebbed away.
Damn it all.
I had mountains of work ahead.
How much time had passed?
About two more hours. Outside the window, darkness was beginning to lift.
I'd injected Dia with a drug maxed out on Vitality.
I still didn't know exactly what 'Vitality' encompassed, but the moment I administered it, the gashes on her wrist stopped bleeding.
Yes, 'max level' was nothing to take lightly. And I'd even used a cheat. This level of effect was only natural.
I could only pray the drug would mitigate Sao's side effects too. That was all I could do now.
So I watched quietly, holding my breath.
Watched the fragile angel slumbering wingless on the bed.
"Uh... ngh."
Dia exhaled roughly and propped her upper body up from the bed.
No vomiting or dizziness upon waking. The drug I'd crafted seemed to have perfectly controlled even Sao's side effects.
Phew. I let out a sigh of relief without realizing it.
"Uh...? Huh?"
Then, my figure reflected in her pink eyes. It didn't take long for those large eyes to widen even further.
"Wh-what?! You! Get out! Scram!"
Dia instinctively reached for a sharp object.
"Eh...?"
But she couldn't grasp anything sharp.
Because of the bandages I'd wrapped around her hands. They bound her hands tight, almost like gloves.
"What the hell is this?!"
"You recklessly injected two doses of Sao, then even more recklessly self-harmed. More than enough reason to bandage you up. I recommend lying back down and resting. Your condition is far worse than you think."
"Untie... Untie this! Are you kidding?! Who do you think you are?!"
"Your personal physician. I'll remove them once your hands heal."
"This...!"
Dia kicked off the bed with a thud and charged at me. She shoved me full-force with her body.
"Ugh."
No matter the physical gap, blocking a full-speed charge from a noble lady wasn't easy. I took it head-on and was naturally pushed back.
"Get out! Out of my room, out of this mansion! I don't need a doctor like you! Your patient is telling you you're not needed!"
"Why did you take two doses? You know better than anyone how bad the side effects are."
Dia froze in place.
Then, with an indignant expression, she charged at me again.
"Whether... Whether I take the drug or not is none of your business! I just need my drugs. Didn't you know? So hand them over and get lost!"
"No."
A crunch, and numbing pain shot through my hand. Dia had bitten down on it with all her might.
Even from a fragile lady, human bite force was nothing to underestimate. Her sharp teeth digging into my hand sent intense pain straight to my brain—it hurt like hell.
"Lady. Stop it."
"Uwaa! Aaa! (Die! Get out!)"
Of course, she had no intention of stopping.
"I said stop."
"Aa! (Shut up!)"
But I had to stay calm. I was her doctor. I couldn't hit her or push her away.
I forced myself to stay composed and opened my mouth.
"Sao. You didn't inject it yourself, did you?"
"Uh...?"
Only then did the lady's mouth slowly release my hand. Her expression turned blank as a bonus.
"Wh-what are you talking about...?"
She was poor at hiding her emotions. I pressed on.
"More precisely, I saw Lady Abera holding a syringe and entering Lady Dia's room."
".....What?"
Thud. Dia collapsed right there.
The room fell silent.
Only the blood droplets from my hand dripped to the floor, plink, plink.