Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Strange Companion
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The first thing that caught the eye was the pure white doctor's coat.
Dried dark red blood was splattered everywhere, and the scalpel tucked into the front pocket gleamed under the fluorescent light. A sharp disinfectant smell mingled with a thick metallic tang of blood began filling the corridor as it appeared.
‘Is that a doctor?’
Grayish skin. The face was nothing but a mouth crammed full of teeth. No eyes, nose, or ears to be seen anywhere, and blood dripped steadily from the torn lips.
The silver name tag pinned to its chest didn't bear a name but the title "Surgeon." He'd guessed as much from the scalpel, but it seemed this thing really handled surgeries.
Whether it had shown up because a patient appeared or just happened to be passing by didn't matter right now. Ian hooked his finger on the revolver's trigger, ready to fire at a moment's notice, and glared at the doctor.
"Um."
The doctor stared at him briefly before turning its head toward Cecilia, who was slumped unconscious against the wall.
"Explosion-induced permanent bodily damage. And burns. Critical condition. We'll need to proceed with surgery immediately."
"......"
"Are you the guardian of this patient?"
The doctor asked Ian. In this situation, Ian sifted through dozens of possible responses before finally opening his mouth.
"......Yes. And I have no intention of consenting to surgery on this child."
"Um? Leave her like that, and she'll die. Looks like cerebral hemorrhaging too. You planning to kill the patient?"
"She won't die. I'll handle the treatment myself, so there's no need for you to concern yourself, Doctor."
"Outrageous. Nurse."
The surgeon let out a hollow chuckle and called for the nurse. The emergency room door slid open with a mechanical whir, and a single nurse, her body rotting away, crawled out. The doctor looked down at her and jerked its chin.
"Hand the consent form to that guardian, and get the patient on the operating table right now."
"Yesss......"
The nurse slurred her response and shuffled toward Ian. He hesitated no longer, thumbing back the revolver's hammer.
What would happen if he fired here?
It definitely wouldn't end well, but it was far better than losing Cecilia here.
This wasn't some shallow sentiment driving him.
From what he'd observed so far, no one could navigate this damned hospital alone. They'd end up dead for sure. The emergency exit had a flaming patient dashing about, grotesque nurses with blood and flesh smeared around their mouths, and doctors obsessed with surgery.
Exploring a place like this solo to find an escape was suicide. One slip, and it'd be your neck—or worse, forced admission as a patient for life.
He desperately needed a life to sacrifice in his place, at least once. So he couldn't afford to lose Cecilia, who'd only just entered the hospital with him. If she had to die, it should be in some more dramatic spot than this.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason. It was the biggest factor, but he also felt a sense of obligation to repay the debt for her help.
No matter how much he'd become a mage or prioritized his own life above all, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of debt toward Cecilia, who'd shielded him with her own body to block that explosion. Repaying that came first.
So he'd do his best.
"Hoo......"
He exhaled through a throat burning with pain.
"Puh, puh-patient. Help me out here......"
He coldly fixed his aim on the approaching nurse's head.
And pulled the trigger—
"Ugh."
"......!"
Just as he was about to, a voice came from Cecilia's direction. Ian immediately stepped back and hurried to her side.
"Nun, are you all right?"
"......My head hurts...... Feels like I got hit by something......"
"You were hit by a mental attack."
"Oh, really......?"
Cecilia touched the back of her head, where blood trickled from her uninjured hand, and made a puzzled face. After a moment, she quickly took in the surroundings and hardened her expression.
"......Doctor and nurse."
"They're treating you like a patient and trying to drag you to the OR. Can you stand?"
"Ah, yes. One moment."
Cecilia gripped the rosary hanging around her neck. In that instant, her scorched skin and mangled arm regenerated in a flash.
"......!"
Ian's eyes widened at the absurd regenerative power.
‘A superhuman?’
He'd been aware of her existence but had never seen it in action.
Probably rapid regeneration. The trigger was likely a holy act or touching the rosary.
No wonder she'd been covered in crosses.
"Doctor. I'm fine now. Not a patient."
She thrust her once-exploded hand toward the surgeon. It stood there a moment, looking down at her, then turned without a word and vanished. The crawling nurse retreated back into the emergency room.
"......"
Silence settled over the long corridor again. Ian let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the wall, while Cecilia slowly pulled herself up.
"That book."
She spoke as she did.
"By any chance, a grimoire?"
Grimoire.
The French term for a magic book, used almost synonymously across Europe. Ian glanced at the Deep Sea Chronicles clutched in his left hand, then nodded.
"Yeah."
No point keeping up the formalities now that she knew he was a mage. The informal speech had felt awkward at first during the vampire hunt, but now it came naturally. Quick adaptation was one of his strengths.
Ian tapped the Deep Sea Chronicles' cover with his revolver grip and turned to Cecilia.
"And you're no ordinary nun from the Vatican either, right?"
"......Heresy Inquisitor. Cecilia Capone. Sorry for the deception. But you hid things too."
Perhaps because she now knew he was a mage, Cecilia dropped the forced politeness. She pouted her lips and drew a pistol from inside her coat.
"You acted all innocent."
"No upside to advertising I'm a mage."
Ian's reason for not hiding the grimoire and revolver was simple. Pretending to be a normal guy or a newbie here wouldn't help.
If this place weren't so insanely bizarre and he could escape easily, he'd have kept up the ordinary act. But the general hospital was grotesquely beyond imagination. Cecilia couldn't shoulder every risk alone.
Every time she got hurt, patients or doctors would freak out, and he couldn't cover for her every time. Regeneration or not, the moment of injury left her defenseless.
Better to reveal he was a mage and cooperate fully. At least, that's how Ian saw it. He didn't know Cecilia's thoughts, but it wasn't a big deal.
"Let's move. Body working okay?"
"......Yeah. Good as new."
"Good. Exploration first. Better not to provoke the anomalies here unnecessarily—move slow and steady."
"......You're proactive."
"Isn't that better?"
Ian chuckled dryly and took the lead. Cecilia followed, dagger in one hand and pistol in the other.
They passed the long corridor into the hospital lobby.
No visitors in sight. Just receptionists with brains floating disembodied in jars and nurses scurrying about. Naturally, none looked remotely normal.
Ian shot a glare at a nurse whose upper body was intact but lower half consisted of dozens of heads, then spoke.
"You said spatial anomalies like this are best handled with role-playing, right? Meaning we should each pick a role......"
"Freer role is best."
Cecilia answered instantly. She checked her pistol's chamber and continued.
"Trapped in a hospital. Like medical staff, security, or patient—you can't leave on your own. So the best role is one that can come and go between inside and outside."
"Makes sense."
Doctors and nurses obviously worked here, so leaving wasn't an option. No way an anomaly grasped concepts like shift changes, so they were essentially indentured. Same for security.
Time itself was nebulous here. Like the theme park, no day or night—just endless tasks.
What a horrific place. Ian wondered what the Management Bureau was doing letting it fester. He sighed deeply and scanned for an info brochure.
"What're you doing?"
"These spatial anomalies usually have rules. Sometimes handed out by the anomaly itself, sometimes written and placed by someone."
"Oh...... I'll look too."
Cecilia nodded and began thoroughly searching the lobby.
Soon, Ian found two pamphlets: "Hospital Life Guide" and "Hospital Center Guide."
One from the hospital, one from the Management Bureau.
Good to know the Bureau wasn't totally useless.
Ian called Cecilia back, and they read the Management Bureau one together.
Rustle.
He flipped the cover to check the contents.
[Commonly known as Yohan General Hospital. Named after Director Yohan. This document is the guide discovered and compiled by Management Bureau Agent Park Sang-cheol during exploration, undersigned.]
[If you're a civilian finding this, you'd need an explanation of the Management Bureau. But time is short for me. Simply: it's the organization that professionally handles and investigates situations like yours.]
[Below is what my team and I learned. Hope it aids your survival.]
[1. If before entering, you introduced yourself as a patient by any means, or the hospital staff treat you as one—give up. Unfortunately. Better to just kill yourself.]