Meeting Anger Management Disorder

In. Out. In. Out.

Steady, rhythmic breathing filled the room.

"…Mmm."

Elara was curled up, sunk deep in sleep. Fortunately, that terrifying death-grip from the night before had finally loosened. The moment she shifted and rolled over, I carefully slipped free of the bed.

…That should do it.

I looked down at her sleeping face. Everything was finished. She had overcome her trauma and was ready to reclaim her place as a Hero. And yet the Happy Ending notification still refused to appear. The reason was obvious.

Because I'm still here.

That had to be it. What the system wanted wasn't her clinging to me — it was her standing completely on her own two feet. Only when I left this mansion would her story truly begin again.

Bittersweet.

To save a heroine and still not be allowed to stay by her side. Never get deeply involved with anyone. Never form a physical relationship. That was the taboo — the fate handed to the psychiatrist Aris.

"…This is enough."

I let out a low sigh and set the short letter I'd prepared on the nightstand. By the time she woke and read it, I would already be far away.

Soft. Soft.

Like a thief of a cat, I killed my footsteps and left the room. The hallway was silent. Only the bluish light of dawn stretched along the long corridor.

I have to get out without being noticed.

I carefully descended the stairs. I was almost to the first-floor lobby when—

"…"

In the darkness, someone stood perfectly upright in the middle of the lobby — as if they had been waiting for me from the very beginning.

"You're up early, Doctor."

It was the Old Butler. Dressed as neatly as ever, he quietly regarded me as I prepared to leave.

"Butler?"

"I shall see you off. Together with this child…"

A small girl stood at his side. Bobbed hair, one eye covered — a face that looked exactly like Lillian's. But where shyness should have been, her eyes held only an empty, expressionless look. She was the child the Hero's Party had dragged around like a beast. She must have suffered terribly, psychologically speaking.

Creak.

The girl opened the front door with her tiny, delicate hands. The Old Butler politely extended one arm, gesturing outside.

"Shall we go?"

The voice was warm — nothing like the mechanical stiffness of our first meeting. He never bothered to say thank you out loud. But the deep bow of his waist and the tremor in his eyes were more than enough. He, and everyone in this mansion, were offering me their deepest gratitude.

I nodded without a word and pressed down my top hat.

"Haha, thank you for seeing me off. And please take care of Lady Elara… and this child as well, I suppose."

I carefully regarded the girl. Was it because I had possessed Aris Mardia? I seemed to have developed an unnecessary habit of sticking my nose in. Whenever I saw someone with mental troubles, the urge to treat them rose a little higher.

"Have no concerns. The seeds you planted, we shall cultivate with care."

I turned without lingering and stepped outside.

Whoosh—

A warm dawn breeze brushed past the hem of my coat. From the trees in full bloom across the garden, white petals scattered like snowflakes. Soft as the pure white light Elara had once shown me, they settled gently on my shoulders as I left.

Warm.

The world she had found after breaking free of black-and-white thinking — it was this warm a color.

I had only taken a few steps with my back to the mansion when—

"Doctor, do you remember? When we first met."

"Pardon?"

"Back then… I suspected you."

The Old Butler continued, gazing at me with a solemn look. We walked slowly along the mansion's long garden path. Dawn mist wrapped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around our ankles.

"No matter which doctor came, they all tried to climb over our master's head. But… you were different after all."

At the butler's praise, I rubbed my nose sheepishly.

"…You're too kind."

"No. You were different. There was no one who stepped forward this far for Elara."

Elara…?

Wasn't it a clear breach of etiquette for a servant to call their master's name without honorifics? Startled, I looked at the Old Butler walking beside me. As if reading my question, he smiled faintly at his wrinkled lips and said,

"Elara was, before she was my lord… the daughter of my old friend and comrade-in-arms."

"Ah…"

"The reason I volunteered to work under that child was also out of friendship for my friend… and because I thought of Elara as my own adopted daughter."

His eyes reddened. How much must his heart have ached over the years, watching his daughter fall apart? That was why his gratitude toward me went beyond simple thanks.

"You gave our Elara hope, and furthermore gave her courage…"

The Old Butler paused briefly and drew a deep breath.

"You pushed her back so she could step out into the world again as a Hero. That grace, I will never forget even in death."

"Is that so. Haha… I merely did my job."

I answered with feigned humility, but inwardly swallowed a bitter smile.

My job, huh…

There had been the system's threat that I'd die if I didn't, so I'd just struggled to survive. But that those struggles had become salvation for someone — it wasn't a bad feeling.

Before long we approached the main gate…

The Old Butler carefully opened the door.

Creeeak—

"I don't know when we'll meet again. But I will always support you, Doctor, and come running if anything happens."

"…Thank you."

The Old Butler carefully extended his hand, and I clasped it. Rough but warm hands. It was a touch that proved the time I'd spent in this mansion hadn't been in vain.

"Then, may the protection of von Heim be with you…"

With those words, I stepped outside the gate. The moment I left the garden where white petals scattered, my vision flickered with blue light as the system window updated.

Ding.

Sudden skills and shop points. I wanted to scream with joy inside, but I kept the cheering locked in my chest and walked out in silence — through the quiet forest, toward counseling the next heroine.

Having left Elara von Heim's territory, the carriage rattled in the opposite direction. Several days of surrendering myself to the jostling vibration later, a magnificent city woven from colossal intertwined trees finally appeared in the distance.

Gracia Wonderworld.

For a city name, it was excessively romantic and extravagant. This was a magical city where humans and other races — especially the notoriously proud elves — coexisted.

"…The scenery alone is incredible."

But I had no leisure to enjoy the view. Before the afterglow of clearing Part One could even fade, the system had seized me by the collar and forcibly stamped the next destination.

A choice?

There was no such thing. This damn game was always answer-first, questions-never.

The answer's already decided, so just roll with it!

…That was the deal.

I sighed and opened the gallery window. Better to dig information out of those ghosts than charge in alone and faceplant into the dirt.

WhiteMage seemed to know something. I kept watching his comments.

Anger management disorder…?

Was that it?

A fiery one, huh…

If Elara had been the type who hid behind cold walls, this one was the type that burned you the second you got close. My head already ached.

"…Flame, huh."

I stroked my chin and muttered. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠A half-elf, a heretic who wielded fire. The moment I heard those words, a puzzle piece in my head clicked perfectly into place.

"Ah."

The reward skill I'd obtained for clearing Elara.

White's Oath (Passive)

Effect: Generates an absolute-defense ice shield that blocks fatal attacks.

At first I'd thought it was just a free extra life. But looking at it now, this was the key the system had thrown me for the next route.

"…Because she's a fire-wielding lunatic, I'm supposed to block her with ice?"

What extinguishes fire is water — no, ice. The power of Elara's cold holy sword was the only counter capable of suppressing that rampaging arsonist.

"Ha. The design is vicious."

I smirked and opened the carriage window.

"Man, this is stifling. Stifling."

Ding.

"?"

Another comment notification. This time it was the great king emperor general himself — Gogumador.

What the hell was a ghost user so busy with…

I smirked.

I naturally opened the point shop and checked the item.

Salamander's Gills. Price: 15,000 PT.

"What the hell, that's ridiculously expensive."

I frowned and checked the item's effect.

Why would I need this?

With White's Oath, did I really need it? It protected me from any life-threatening crisis.

I replied to Gogumador.

…Ah. Thinking it through again, he was right.

White's Oath would block a fatal hit — a fireball Ruby deliberately launched to kill me. But the byproducts? The smoke and toxic gas? No way it covered those. And even if it did, would that insane arsonist only attack once? Once a day was nowhere near enough to handle the continuous heat and gas she poured out.

Haa…

He had a point. If I asphyxiated before I burned, ice shields and whatever else were useless.

"…Veterans really are different."

I pressed the purchase button without hesitation. Fifteen thousand points for my life. Not a waste.

"Good. That opens up my breathing room."

I equipped the purchased Salamander's Gills. Just a small ring set with a round blue white-jade stone. I slid it onto my finger.

"This is where it really starts, isn't it?"

The carriage was already drawing near the beautiful city.