Chapter 21
Chapter 21
The next morning. In the shabby kitchen, a strange, suffocating, sticky silence had settled.
Only the sound of me stirring the stew with a wooden ladle filled the awkward quiet.
Camelia couldn’t even turn her head toward me, repeatedly hiding her flushed cheeks behind her platinum-blonde hair as she stared intently at the pot.
“Uh, um… Camelia? Th-the stew… it’s done…”
“Huh? Ah! Y-yes! It looks very delicious today too!”
We exchanged awkward words into the air without even meeting each other’s eyes.
Right then—
“Yaaawn…”
Erika, our food-devouring glutton who had been curled up asleep in a corner of the living room, stirred awake.
The dragon scratched her messy black hair and walked toward the kitchen, glancing between me and Camelia.
“…You two, why do you both look so out of it first thing in the morning? The air smells strange. Did something happen?”
An unusually sharp instinct.
At that moment, Camelia’s shoulders jolted, and cold sweat ran down my back as well.
“N-nothing happened! Right, Camelia?!”
“Y-yes! N-no, it’s just…! Nasus is making stew with some special ingredients this morning!!”
As we hurriedly threw out excuses in perfect sync, Erika’s furrowed brow relaxed and her eyes lit up.
“Ohh, special stew, you say.”
She immediately plopped down at the table and held out an empty bowl.
“I’m hungry. Serve it.”
Only then did Camelia and I finally let out the breath we’d been holding.
For the first time, I almost felt grateful for the dragon’s simple-minded appetite.
After that suffocating breakfast ended, it was time to head to work.
As I put on my worn coat and tied my shoelaces, Camelia timidly approached from behind.
I turned to her and forced the most natural, composed smile I could manage.
“Camelia. You don’t have to worry about saving bathwater anymore. I told you, right? Your rights are important.”
“…Huh?”
“Even if I have to work a bit harder, I’ll earn more money! So from now on, don’t think twice about using warm water—just bathe comfortably every day, okay?!”
If I wanted to prevent that horrifying ‘Great Mage corruption ending’ from last night, I had to eliminate anything that might trigger her trauma.
When I finished speaking,
Camelia paused.
“Th-that… Nasus… again…”
She started to speak, then lowered her head.
“…Yesterday, I…”
Her voice faded into a murmur.
She couldn’t continue, fidgeting quietly with her fingers.
…
I hate this kind of awkward atmosphere.
Unable to bear the embarrassment, I waved my hands hastily and fled.
“Ah, I’m going to be late. See you.”
At the construction site, thick with dust,
I gritted my teeth and carried piles of bricks nonstop, my shoulders feeling like they were about to fall off.
“Huff… huff…!”
My breath was ragged and my back felt like it would snap, but I endured.
‘Just one more.’
If I carry this one more stack, that’s a sip of recovery potion for Camelia.
‘Just a little more.’
One more stack means another page of magic basics for her.
‘Just one more.’
And this one…
…means one more piece of meat for that freeloader at home.
For the sake of my long-term investment that would one day shine, and the blood-draining short-term expenses,
I pushed myself to the limit and climbed the makeshift scaffolding with a heavy load of bricks on my back—
Crack.
“…Huh?”
A faint, ominous snapping sound beneath my feet.
And then, a strange sensation as if gravity flipped.
“H-hey…?! Hey!! Nasus!!”
The panicked shouts of the workers tore through the air.
The rotten wooden platform snapped, yanking at my ankle, and the bricks on my back cascaded down like a violent waterfall.
Craaaash!!
Bang! Crash!!
“Aaaaargh!!”
Dust flooded into my mouth.
The sky spun, and then—
A dull impact.
A blinding pain exploded through my right leg and arm.
“Ghh… huff…!”
Broken.
This was pain beyond a simple fracture.
Every breath sent waves of agony through my body.
My vision blurred, and a ringing filled my ears.
“Hey!! Stay with me!! You’re bleeding too much!! We need to get you treated!!”
The workers rushed over, pale-faced, clearing the debris crushing me.
But even as my consciousness faded, the first words that escaped my lips were—
“My… my wages…”
“You idiot!! Is money really the problem right now?! You almost died!!”
“The book… I need to buy the book… and meat…”
My bloodied hand trembled as I reached into the air.
As darkness crept in, the worst possible scenario unfolded in my mind.
‘No… If I’m bedridden, I can’t earn money… If I can’t earn money, we can’t use warm water freely… Then… Camelia will try to save water again and suggest bathing together… That’ll trigger her trauma… and then… she’ll become a corrupted archmage…’
That day, I was rushed for treatment and survived.
My life wasn’t in danger, but the cost was severe.
Lying in bed,
I stared blankly at my swollen right arm and leg wrapped in crude casts.
More than the throbbing pain, what troubled me was my ‘top-tier investment’ kneeling beside me, crying her eyes out.
“H-hey, Camelia. Stop crying. I’m really fine. Bones get stronger after breaking, you know.”
“Waaah… b-but… because of me… you pushed yourself too hard for me…!”
Camelia sobbed uncontrollably, blaming herself for everything.
Seeing her like that made my chest feel heavy.
‘Well… it’s true I overworked myself to earn money for you…’
Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud.
I forced a smile.
“Camelia. Investments always come with risks. I’ll recover soon, so don’t worry.”
“But… your arm… your leg…!”
“Don’t cry. It’ll heal with time.”
No matter how much I pretended, reality was bleak.
If I couldn’t work, there was no income.
I could starve if needed, but—
What about that dragon’s appetite?
‘Seriously… how am I supposed to handle that disaster’s food costs? Even the money from selling those valuables is running out…’
As I fell into thought,
Erika, who had been leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, suddenly approached.
“Fine! You just lie there and don’t move for a while.”
“…Well, I don’t really have a choice.”
“But if you don’t work, the meat I eat will decrease, won’t it?”
“…That’s true, but my condition—”
“The solution is simple! I’ll go do that work instead!”
“What?!”
‘A dragon… going to do manual labor…?’
I had planned to use her strength eventually, but only after she adapted to human society.
Letting a barely controlled monster loose on a construction site now?
“H-hold on! Erika! That’s… admirable, but…!”
A different kind of fear crept in.
But with no income, there was no alternative.
“Don’t! Absolutely don’t destroy the construction site! Don’t throw materials around! And don’t hit people if you get angry! We can’t afford compensation!”
“I know! What do you take me for?!”
…
In the end, unable to stop her, I could only hope my desperate warnings reached her ears as she went out to earn her ‘meat money.’
The living room fell silent after the storm.
Only Camelia and I remained.
‘That dragon… please don’t cause trouble…’
Just imagining it made me break out in cold sweat.
“U-um, Nasus…”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“You’re sweating a lot… you need to wash. In your condition, you can’t do it alone.”
Her voice was strangely calm.
She placed a basin of warm water and a clean towel beside me.
“Huh? It’s fine! I won’t die from a bit of sweat. I can manage with one arm—”
“Please stay still. You always said cleanliness is important.”
Her voice carried a quiet authority.
She rolled up her sleeves, revealing her pale wrists.
“N-Nasus… excuse me. I’ll… wipe you down.”
Her trembling hand reached out.
“I’m really fine—mph?!”
“P-please… just endure it… I’ll finish quickly…”
Though her voice shook,
her hands did not stop.
My sweat-soaked shirt slid off.