Chapter 32 – Sleep-Talking

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While Yuika and Hanna were heading to the southern district, Mari had already arrived in the central district.

Thud, thud. 

Hunched over, she walked with her body leaning forward, resembling a zombie. As a result, Mari drew the attention of passersby.

Normally, she would have been startled by the stares and quickened her pace, but Mari, half-asleep, didn’t notice the gazes and continued to walk slowly.

“Hey, are you okay?”

“Huh…?”

One of the passersby, unable to watch her staggering any longer, was about to step forward when someone else approached first and asked about her condition.

It was Ulrika, a beastkin with animal features. As he grabbed her shoulders to stop her, Mari slowly lifted her head, and upon recognizing her face, Ulrika exclaimed in surprise.

“What? It’s Mari! But what’s wrong with your face? Are you sick or something?”

“Ugh…”

Instead of answering, Mari blinked dazedly with unfocused eyes.

Seeing this, Ulrika stroked his chin and thought.

‘I don’t know what’s going on, but she looks in bad shape.’

Though he wasn’t as close to Mari as Yuika was, he knew her personality well. Normally, she would have averted her gaze the moment their eyes met, but now, Mari was just staring blankly at him as if it didn’t matter.

Clearly, her condition wasn’t good. Ulrika waved his hand in front of her eyes and, seeing no reaction, immediately slung her over his shoulder.

“Ugh…”

“Hang in there for a bit. I’ll take you to Sister Andreina right away.”

Though he didn’t know what was wrong with Mari, it was clear she needed healing. So, what he had to do was simple: take her to the cathedral, where the village’s only healer was.

As Mari, slung over his shoulder like a sack, complained of dizziness from the swaying view, Ulrika quickly made his way to the cathedral.

True to his werewolf nature, which surpassed most people in speed, Ulrika arrived at the cathedral in no time. Standing at the door, he knocked with his fist.

“Sister Andreina, are you there?”

Bang bang. 

Thanks to the loud knocking, Sister Andreina soon appeared, looking flustered.

“You don’t need to knock so hard. My ears are open.”

“Sorry. I was in a hurry because there’s a patient.”

“A patient?”

Sister Andreina turned her head and saw the person slumped over Ulrika’s shoulder. If that was the reason, she could understand the earlier rudeness. She opened the door wide and said to Ulrika,

“Come inside first.”

“Excuse me for a moment.”

“If you lay her down on the chair right here, I’ll check on her… Huh?”

As she followed Ulrika, Sister Andreina noticed the twin tails of hair peeking out from under the hood and tilted her head in confusion.

Something felt familiar, but was it just her imagination? The brown hair reminded her of a certain girl, but she shook her head to clear her thoughts and approached Ulrika.

“Could you fetch a glass of water while I tend to the patient? She’ll need it when she wakes up.”

“That’s no problem. U.P. is right nearby, so I’ll be back soon.”

Ulrika carefully laid the patient on the chair and then turned to leave the cathedral.

The name U.P. reminded Sister Andreina of his name, but it wasn’t important, so she turned her attention to the patient.

And when she saw the familiar face under the hood, she called out in a dazed voice.

“…Mari?”

Seeing Mari with her eyes closed, Sister Andreina’s earlier tension tightened. Feeling her body stiffen, she quickly bent down, her face showing clear confusion.

Who would have thought that what she dismissed as her imagination was actually true? Realizing that the patient Ulrika had brought was Mari, Sister Andreina spoke with a flustered expression.

“What on earth is this? Mari, can you hear me?”

There were no visible injuries. Of course, she’d need to remove Mari’s clothes to be sure, but her clean face suggested it wasn’t due to combat. However, her gaunt appearance made it seem like she might be ill.

‘It’s unlikely she’s sick. Especially since Mari is still on the 1st floor.’

The dirt on her robe made it clear she had been in the dungeon.

But while the dungeon was full of dangers, Mari was only going to the 1st floor. There were no poisons or monsters that cast curses there.

So, could it be something like a cold? But even that was unlikely, as those summoned to the Floating Island rarely suffered from minor illnesses.

Of course, considering Mari had starved to death despite having such a body, it was hard to be certain.

Sister Andreina prepared to channel divine energy and spoke to Mari again.

“Mari, wake up.”

“Mmm, just five more minutes…”

“…Huh? Five more minutes? What do you mean…”

“I’m sleepy…”

‘…Sleepy?’ Sister Andreina stared blankly for a moment before realizing the small murmur was just sleep-talking. She let out a sigh of relief.

“Don’t tell me the reason you came to the cathedral like this is because you didn’t get enough sleep?”

Thinking something serious had happened, Sister Andreina had been on edge. But to think the reason she was mistaken for needing urgent care was simply because she hadn’t slept properly!

Feeling slightly annoyed, Sister Andreina gently pinched Mari’s cheek and said,

“Mari, I know you’re tired, but can you wake up for a moment?”

“Ugh, nooo…”

“I’m sorry, but no. You need to open your eyes and explain what’s going on.”

In truth, explaining the situation could wait, but Sister Andreina had no intention of letting the little lady who had startled her off so easily.

As she continued to poke and prod Mari’s soft cheek, Mari whined and turned her body. It was an attempt to hide the cheek being poked, but Mari had overlooked one thing: cheeks come in pairs.

Sister Andreina chuckled as she poked the other cheek.

“There’s still more to poke, you know?”

“Ugh…”

Finally unable to endure the torment, Mari forced her eyes open.

“Sister Andreina… are there two of you…?”

‘Or maybe three?’ Mari blinked dazedly and muttered.

Her unfocused vision made things appear split, but instead of finding it strange, she giggled foolishly and said,

“This side… is triple…”

Unlike a ghost, which would have been alone, there were three Sister Andreinas.

Considering that clergy members typically have a hundredfold advantage against ghost types, it was clear that no ghost, no matter how mischievous, could stand a chance.

Moreover, Sister Andreina wasn’t just any clergy member—she was a saint, the highest-ranking clergy member…!

That ghost… You were so scary yesterday. But now Sister Andreina will teach you a lesson, so don’t mess around…

“Hehe…”

“Mari?”

Seeing Mari suddenly start giggling, Sister Andreina seriously wondered if she had gone too far in teasing the half-asleep girl, causing her to act strangely.

Anyway, it’s a relief it’s nothing serious. Placing her hand on Mari’s forehead, Sister Andreina channeled divine energy, and Mari’s half-open eyes slowly closed as she fell into a deep sleep.

Cradling the fully asleep Mari in her arms, Sister Andreina saw Ulrika return with a water bottle.

“I brought water… but it looks like you don’t need it anymore.”

“I’m sorry. I thought it was something serious, but it turns out she was just sleep-deprived.”

“Sleep-deprived?”

Ulrika looked incredulous, and Sister Andreina nodded with a wry smile.

Ulrika opened his mouth in disbelief but then laughed and said,

“Well, I’m glad it’s nothing serious. It’s ridiculous that she was staggering around like that just because she hadn’t slept, though.”

“By the way, where did you find Mari?”

“In the central district. I’m not sure where she was headed, though.”

“I see… Thank you for bringing her here, Ulrika.”

“Someone else would’ve done the same. She was walking so unsteadily.”

Ulrika waved it off as no big deal and turned to leave.

“I’ll head out now.”

“Alright, see you next time.”

Watching Ulrika leave, Sister Andreina let out a steady breath and gently stroked Mari’s head.

Though her robe was now covered in dirt, she didn’t mind.

Dirt could always be washed off. Sister Andreina turned and left the chapel.

–

“…This is the place?”

Yuika asked in a troubled voice as she looked at the house they had arrived at.

Hanna, unaware of Yuika’s unease, nodded and said,

“Yes.”

“Really, really? You’re not mistaken?”

“I don’t make mistakes. I have good night vision, you know.”

Yuika knew that all too well, which was why she asked. While Hanna’s shoulders seemed more relaxed than before, Yuika pressed her hand to her forehead.

‘This is Mari’s house…!’

She should have realized it when Hanna mentioned something happening in the southern district. But even then, who would have thought it involved Mari?

Even though the southern district had few people, it was still a place where people lived.

Of course, as far as Yuika knew, only three people lived there: Mari, Hanna, and one other. But still, people lived there…!

Who would have thought it would involve Mari?

‘And she said there was a scream at the end.’

Considering Mari’s personality, it was no surprise she’d be terrified. A sudden knock in the middle of the night? It was like a scene from a horror movie.

Even Yuika would have been scared out of her wits if something like that happened, so for someone as timid as Mari, it wouldn’t be surprising if she had a heart attack.

No, maybe she actually did have a heart attack and had to be resurrected at the cathedral.

It was sad that such a scenario wasn’t entirely impossible.

“Yuika…? Is there a problem?”

“Well… no, let’s see if she’s inside first.”

Yuika approached the door and knocked.

“Mari, are you in there? It’s Yuika.”

She even announced her name in case Mari was too scared to come out, but there was no response. With no other choice, she turned the doorknob, and it opened.

After what happened last night, this was incredibly careless. Yuika thought she’d have to give Mari a stern warning as she stepped inside.

“Mari… huh?”

But the house was empty.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
[Exclusive] application… it was so long and tedious…!

If you suddenly refuse towards the end of it (though no one sane would do that), you’ll get tangled in a bunch of mess!

…It’s really cool though.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Our professional girlfailure is also a professional upstairs neighbour…!

Good to know.