Mother's Sharp Eyes
"You should've come to Mom or Dad right after the world fusion happened!"
"Eeeh... I got here as soon as I could, though..."
"It's been three whole months! After he said he'd contact us the moment you found him, we heard nothing. Of course I thought you were dead!"
"I-I had my own reasons..."
"What?"
"N-no, never mind..."
Ju Joyeon tried to argue but shrank back the moment he met Sosia's wide, glaring eyes.
Even if he's the master, it's only natural to feel small in front of the mother who gave birth to and raised him.
Master is adorable.
'Be quiet.'
"Haa... You're not hurt anywhere?"
"Nope. I'm fine."
"Good. Dr. Park!"
Sosia called out to the doctor who had been assigning tasks to people nearby. The doctor quickly wrapped up what he was doing and hurried over.
"I'll be stepping out for a bit. You can handle things here, right?"
"Are you going to rest?"
"No. I'll be right back. It won't take long."
"Just go rest. Nurse So. From what Nurse Lee said, you haven't slept in thirty-two hours even though you're not even on duty."
"...Fine. I'll rest for four hours."
"You were the one who told everyone to rest at least six hours, Nurse So."
"...Six hours. Got it."
After thanking him, Sosia gestured for Ju Joyeon to follow and left the emergency room.
They walked down a cold, silent corridor until they reached the lobby. The lobby had been turned into living quarters for the guards at the main gate. Everyone stood up at Sosia's appearance and greeted her respectfully.
"You're all working hard. Thanks to you, we can focus on treating patients without any worries. I'm always grateful."
Sosia smiled faintly as she greeted the guards. They bowed even deeper, visibly moved.
"Not at all, Saintess. It's an honor to assist you in your work."
"No one near here doesn't know about this hospital now, so don't push yourselves too hard."
"Please don't worry."
Sosia climbed the stairs in the corner of the lobby. She passed the second, third, and fourth floors before arriving at the fifth. The fifth floor was filled with patient rooms, and quite a lot of people were gathered there.
"Ah! Saintess!"
"Nurse!"
"Saintess! Hello!"
Modern humans and mages alike were living together on this floor. They all rushed over at Sosia's arrival to thank her.
"Nurse! I didn't expect to run into you so easily. Thank you so much last time. Thanks to you, I'm doing really well now."
"I only did what anyone would do."
"Saintess, thank you so much for the antibiotic potion you gave me last time. I'm almost fully healed thanks to it."
"It's medicine, not a potion. I'm glad it worked well for you."
"Saintess~ Thank you for helping us~"
"Yes, you all take care not to get hurt too."
Unlike the people in the emergency room, those greeting Sosia seemed very familiar with one another and showed no signs of wariness or fear.
"Aah, the ones in the emergency room must be new arrivals. No wonder the atmosphere felt tense for an absolute neutral zone."
At Lara Tiasia's words, Ju Joyeon nodded in understanding and looked around.
"Stop spacing out like an idiot and come over here already."
Sosia, who had somehow already reached a patient room, scolded him. Ju Joyeon pouted and followed her inside as she opened the door. Sosia entered right after him and closed it.
The room was meant for three patients, but the beds had all been pushed into one corner. A simple desk, several ledgers, and writing tools occupied the center instead.
"So, are you going to tell me what you've been doing all this time before finally coming here?"
"Eeeh~ I just ended up stuck outside and came as soon as things seemed a bit safer, that's all."
[Insight (D-grade) has activated.]
'Huh?'
"Don't lie. What happened?"
Sosia's eyes gleamed dangerously. Her expression made it clear she wouldn't let any half-baked excuse slide.
"...Mom, you seem to have adapted to this world pretty well."
Faced with his terrifying mother's threat, the helpless son began honestly confessing what he could.
****
"So you're saying you wandered around outside like an idiot right after the world fusion and got captured by bandits?"
Sosia asked again while staring at the shackles and iron ball on Ju Joyeon's ankle.
"Yes."
"But you got lucky and the boss took a liking to you, so you lived comfortably until you said you wanted to leave and they let you go?"
"Yes."
"You were going to come straight here, but you got curious about the school you used to attend so you went to look around, and then stopped by Modern University to check out the black smoke you saw?"
"Yeees."
"......"
[Insight is currently active.]
"And then you came here?"
"Yes."
[No falsehood detected. His words contain no lies.]
Ju Joyeon let out a sigh of relief after seeing Sosia's Insight result and looked at her triumphantly.
"...You're lying."
"What? No, the skill just confirmed I wasn't lying."
Ju Joyeon protested in confusion at Sosia's unreasonable statement. She shook her head and turned her gaze to Lara Tiasia beside him.
"You didn't mention anything about that girl. You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"
"Uh... um..."
Ju Joyeon was caught off guard and couldn't answer properly. The magic he used was black magic—specifically, undead magic that commanded the dead. It was a field even mages avoided. Sosia, on the other hand, was a medical professional who saved lives. Hiding the existence of the undead Lara Tiasia was only natural.
As Ju Joyeon struggled to find words, Lara Tiasia stepped forward after being pointed out by Sosia.
"My greetings are late, Mother. I am Lara Tiasia, whose life was saved thanks to Master. Master wasn't trying to hide me from you—he simply felt too embarrassed to introduce me."
"...Saved? You? Joyeon did?"
"Yes, he saved me."
Sosia's eyes flashed with interest.
[Insight is currently active.]
However, her pupils quickly returned to their original black color.
"...That's a lie."
[No falsehood detected. Her words contain no lies.]
Sosia declared it a lie even before her Insight result appeared, and even though the skill had judged Lara Tiasia's words to be true.
"...? Mother, why would you deny your own ability..."
"You said your name was Tiasia? You probably didn't lie. But my ability is quite stupid, you see. It can't grasp hidden intentions. Even if you weren't saved, if you believe you were saved, then that becomes the truth."
Sosia accurately understood and utilized the limitations of her own ability.
[Insight is currently active.]
[An anomaly in the target has been detected.]
Sosia stared intently at Lara Tiasia before approaching and gently stroking her face with her hand.
"What a pretty face... like a sculpture... but there's no moisture at all..."
"......"
Sosia carefully removed Lara Tiasia's mask. Her distorted face was revealed. Sosia touched it with extreme caution.
"Master... saved you... undead... I see. The reason you didn't tell me. I think I understand now."
After replacing Lara Tiasia's mask, Sosia walked over to Ju Joyeon. Her unfathomable black eyes looked down at him. Ju Joyeon rolled his eyes frantically, unsure what excuse to make.
'What should I do? What should I say? Does anyone have a good idea... no undead?'
-It's best to get beaten quickly.
-It's best not to lie to your parents.
-Why not think of it as medicine?
-Mother is only scolding you for your own sake~
'I don't want that kind of scolding!'
Tok.
While he was talking with his followers, Sosia's hand landed on Ju Joyeon's head.
"Don't make stupid excuses. Just tell me honestly. I'm not going to scold you."
...Nod.
Ju Joyeon gave up on making any more excuses and honestly told her everything.
****
"Honestly. Your uncontrollable curiosity hasn't changed at all. Reading such a dangerous book to the end even though it might kill you. I really can't understand that part."
After hearing all of Ju Joyeon's misdeeds, Sosia sighed while holding her head.
"Is it instinct... or should I call it nature..."
"Don't say such stupid things. You're not an animal."
"Yes..."
Ju Joyeon shrank back after getting scolded again for making an unnecessary excuse.
"...Still, it's a relief that you've gained the power to protect yourself."
Sosia spoke positively about Ju Joyeon's abilities as she took off her doctor's gown and hung it on the rack.
"If you're going to stay here, you have to help out unless you're a patient. You saw Luna earlier, right? Find something you can do too. It doesn't matter if it's carrying luggage or whatever. And since Mom needs to rest now, get out of the room. I'll pick out a room for you later."
"Ah, yes. Thank you for your hard work."
Feeling liberated, Ju Joyeon bowed ninety degrees to Sosia and walked toward the door. However, Lara Tiasia, who should have followed him, approached Sosia instead.
"I'll help you a little, Mother."
"Oh my, you don't have to. I'm not old enough to need someone's help."
"It's my personal wish. Since I tried to deceive you, please think of it as an apology."
"Hmm-- Then I'll accept your kindness."
"Thank you for allowing it, Mother. Master?"
"Do whatever you want~ It's not like anything dangerous will happen here anyway."
Ju Joyeon, who only wanted to leave the room quickly, casually permitted Lara Tiasia's sudden action and opened the door.
"Joyeon."
"Yes?"
When Sosia called him again just as he was about to leave, Ju Joyeon turned around nervously, wondering what she wanted now.
"I'm glad you came back without getting hurt. I was worried."
"...Yes."
At Sosia's sudden serious words, Ju Joyeon could only give a dazed reply before leaving the room.
****
Now alone in the patient room with Sosia, Lara Tiasia skillfully assisted her despite having been a noble lady before her death.
"...How did you know?"
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
When Lara Tiasia suddenly asked while quietly assisting Sosia, Sosia asked back in confusion.
"I think you're someone who has adapted very well to this world, Mother. Your ability utilization is excellent, and I believe you're someone who wouldn't find anything strange no matter what happens in this changed world."
"Well, you have to be like that to survive."
"But you were so firm in denying what Master said about saving me that I found it a bit strange."
Lara Tiasia had stayed by Sosia's side to apologize and to resolve her own doubts. Sosia's earlier reaction had seemed somewhat odd to her.
After a moment of silence, Sosia spoke.
"...Because he's just like me."
"Pardon?"
"He's exactly like me. That child would never save someone without any reason. If he saved someone, it was either a simple whim or because there was some reason connected to himself."
"...But aren't you the 'Neutral Saintess' who has saved countless people? How could someone who resembles you never save anyone?"
"Saintess... I'm not really anything that grand..."
Sosia lay down on the bed and closed her eyes without giving any further explanation. Lara Tiasia also stopped asking questions and quietly stood guard by the sleeping Sosia.