episode_0012

Blaber de Stipula cursed as he got up from the infirmary bed.

Skillful treatment using divine power and medicine, followed by sleep… When he came to, dusk was already falling outside.

Blaber’s right shoulder blade, which Ras had dislocated during their combat magic sparring session, was perfectly set, but a little pain still lingered.

To be precise, the sharp pain was mostly gone, but a faint, hot sensation, almost like causalgia, subtly remained in his right shoulder.

It was as if someone had planted a flame in his shoulder.

But in any case, the severe shoulder injury was perfectly healed, and even this much was an incredibly remarkable treatment.

Normally, even at a major trauma hospital in the Imperial Capital, a dislocation couldn’t be fixed this quickly.

Leone Academy’s infirmary, though called an infirmary, was essentially a sizable hospital ward, its reputation high even externally.

In particular, the ‘Professor’ in charge of the infirmary had the unique distinction of having healing skills superior to most specialists.

Knock knock-

Along with the knocking sound, a voice that was impossibly soft, almost sticky and alluring, came from outside.

“May I come in~?”

Though Blaber had been cursing like a back-alley thug just moments ago, hearing this voice made his face turn beet red, and he quickly composed himself.

“Oh! Yes. It’s fine, Professor-nim.”

A woman walked in, pushing aside the curtain of the ward room where Blaber had been lying.

She was a remarkably mature beauty with voluminous, sleek bob-cut hair.

Her body, impossibly voluptuous, could not be hidden by her neat attire, and a sweet, subtle scent emanated from her even without perfume.

The angel of the infirmary, who not only set fire to the hearts of countless male students at Leone Academy but turned them into a fiery hell.

It was Rosalie Berhart, the professor in charge of health.

As an elite priestess dispatched to the academy five years ago from Sephiroth’s Celestial Church, she was a truly special presence at Leone.

Especially for students who frequently got injured due to practical classes, her very existence was like light and salt [a biblical idiom for essential goodness].

Moreover, her indescribably mature appearance and gentle personality led to her being unofficially called ‘Infirmary Mama’.

Blaber, who prided himself on being a rough wild guy, was nothing but a flustered child before the Infirmary Mama.

Our Infirmary Mama skillfully and quickly touched various parts of Blaber’s body, checking his condition.

“Alright, I’m going to press your shoulder gently with a bit of force, okay? Tell me right away if it hurts.”

“Yes… Yes…”

Rosalie pressed Blaber’s dislocated shoulder firmly, performing a final check, and confirmed that there was no problem.

“Don’t use your right shoulder vigorously for a while, and I’ll give you a week’s worth of medicine, so take it without fail. You know you absolutely can’t drink alcohol while taking the medicine, right?”

“Yes! I will be very careful!”

Rosalie bid farewell and rose to leave, as Blaber responded with a powerful, spirited shout.

“Then, Professor-nim will get going now, okay? You should also clean up well and discharge safely~”

Seeing Rosalie’s back as she stood up, Blaber involuntarily wanted to say something like, ‘Considering the time, perhaps dinner…!’

But he had no choice but to swallow those words upon seeing the unusually beautiful ring on her left ring finger.

“Sigh… right… damn it… How could a woman that beautiful not be married? Ugh, so annoying…!”

Even while muttering softly, Blaber diligently collected his bag of medicine before leaving.

The ward, now deserted after Blaber’s departure, became quiet, with only Professor Rosalie sitting idly alone at a small desk in front of it.

Perhaps because it was Monday, there were no students hospitalized that day, making the ward unusually tranquil.

Professor Rosalie, who had been quietly sitting and rummaging through documents for a while, furtively looked around before suddenly grumbling loudly.

“Awoo…! Damn it…! Monday is already so tiring…! Even if it’s sparring, why rip out a shoulder? The one who ripped it out is a total idiot! I have research to do today, and I’m so drained…”

The mature woman from moments ago was nowhere to be seen, replaced by Rosalie’s whining, spoiled tone.

It was a slightly childish side of her, usually sealed away because she felt she had to show a capable and trustworthy demeanor to sick children.

So, when she was alone on physically tough days, it would often pop out as her own small method of stress relief.

However, as she stretched and her magnificent figure became emphasized, it was a far cry from a child’s whining.

“Oh my… It’s been a long time since I got a research topic about a rare symptom. Mana aggregation in the shape of ice crystals near the heart? But wouldn’t this require direct surgery…?”

The stack of documents Rosalie was holding was a research report on a girl suffering from a rare symptom.

It was a report on a special case patient sent to Rosalie by the Celestial Church’s slum-area clinic in the Imperial Capital, specifically from the department that researched mana-related rare symptoms.

Rosalie was currently studying unusual symptoms caused by mana’s side effects.

As an excellent divine power healer, she was exceptionally specialized in treating external injuries, but she felt inadequate regarding other diseases and mana-related peculiar symptoms.

Of course, regardless of her own feeling of inadequacy, she was quite diligent and serious in her studies, acquiring extensive knowledge in magic within a few years.

“Ugh..! It’s difficult! But even if she were to receive surgery, the cost would be too high. Sigh… She must be suffering greatly from her body being so cold. Only about six months left… How pitiful. If it were an external injury, I’d go see her.”

Clutching her pretty head in a daze, grumbling with sympathy and regret, she decided to forget everything for now and go have dinner.

When research on such rare symptoms went well, she would often provide treatment to the affected individuals without any special compensation.

Especially Rosalie, hearing that a young child was suffering from a rare disease and had limited time, somehow wanted to diligently research and help, even if just a little.

“I need to eat well to get my brain working again. Should I eat out for a change? I should ask Isera to go to ‘Joy of the Bald Man’ with me. A perfectly satisfying taste!! Hehe!!”

Rosalie, having decided to ask Isera, who was of a similar age and with whom she had a close relationship, to dinner, stood up from her seat.

“But… the patient’s name seems familiar? Was there someone I knew like this?”

Rosalie briefly tilted her head, then finished her preparations to go out and left the ward.

At the top of the report Rosalie had set down on the desk, the following information and name were written:

*

“Damn it…! Isera is never there when I look for her. What a complete airhead!”

A little later, Rosalie grumbled as she walked out alone.

Seeing a stone rolling on the street, she childishly gave it a light kick out of anger.

She had planned to go out with Isera and enjoy some spicy hot pot, roasted sparrow, and a single glass of beer! Just one glass after work!

She had envisioned eating contentedly like that and then going back up to happily immerse herself in research, but her mood was ruined.

“Huh…?”

As she walked along, still sulking, her eyes caught sight of two people walking closely, as if embracing each other.

One of them was even someone very familiar to her!

“…Isera? And next to her is…”

Her close friend Isera was walking, embracing some man.

It was the sight of Isera, who had been passionately giving pointers and teaching repeatedly, helping Ras, who had collapsed from overtraining.

But it was a bit dark, and the angle and distance were ambiguous, so Rosalie perceived it as a passionate embrace.

She herself was at an age where she was starting to feel a bit lonely.

“Gasp! Oh my, oh my, what to do…! Isera… In the academy, so passionately…!”

The man, whose identity she didn’t know, looked too young to be a professor.

“Are you crazy! What era is this for her to be with a student…!”

Of course, Leone Academy generally accepted students after they reached adulthood, but from Rosalie’s perspective, Isera seemed rather brazen.

Isera was pretty and quite an attractive woman, but still, the age difference…!

She discreetly followed them, maintaining a distance so as not to be noticed, and the entangled pair exited the academy gates.

Now, if she concentrated, she could hear their voices to some extent.

“Th-That… I apologize. It seems I was too intense…”

“I said I wanted to stop, but ‘Just one more time! Just one more time!! Last one!! This is really the last one!! Professor-nim must be great, you never have a last one!’”

Isera’s apology, followed by the male student’s harsh scolding, greatly surprised Rosalie.

‘Good heavens… ‘Just one more time!’? What on earth have you been doing, Isera…!’

What on earth did they do to require that kind of assistance?

And for a student in his early twenties, who was usually overflowing with vigor, to be gasping like that.

Rosalie felt as if she had glimpsed the true, candid side of her friend, who usually acted indifferently towards men.

She thought, ‘Perhaps because she’s a martial artist who had trained intensely on the battlefield, her stamina must be extraordinary.’

In any case, Isera, supporting the grumbling Ras, and Rosalie, secretly trailing behind them, were now on the street.

Weaving through pedestrians, the three arrived at the same place by coincidence.

[Joy of the Bald Man – Delicious food, and the owner shines.]

The popular restaurant with a quirky sign, “Joy of the Bald Man,” was the destination for all three.

“Gasp! Couples these days must do this and that first, and then have a meal. It might not be so bad…?”

Rosalie watched the two intently as they entered the restaurant, then cautiously followed them inside.

She had to eat dinner too, after all.

*

Ugh…!

This damned woman.

Training, discipline, anyway, I truly didn’t know she was a person excessively obsessed with such things!

In the past, I hadn’t had much reason to interact with her, so I didn’t really know what kind of person Isera was.

Just a good professor who was fair, neutral, and disliked bullying?

And I’d only heard she was quite good at fighting and later died in the war.

But experiencing it firsthand, this person was a training demon!

And she seemed to have a twisted personality, like a seasoned veteran who couldn’t stand seeing talented newcomers.

When I first met her in the training room, seeing Professor Isera watching me from next to me, I thought, ‘Oh no!’

It was only then that I remembered I was supposed to visit her in her guidance office after school today.

However, Professor Isera, far from being angry, simply smiled brightly, playfully pinched my cheek, and let it go.

After that…

“Ras, your posture is excellent. Would you like to do some fiery training with me today? I’ll watch you from the side in between.”

Thinking it would be nice to have a pace-setter, I agreed, and that was the beginning of my misfortune!

This person didn’t even do her own exercises; she just relentlessly pushed me until I was on the verge of throwing up.

Thanks to her, I ended up training about 1.3 times more than I had originally intended.

Poor me, who was already weak and had ended up ‘ouching’ myself!

Of course… it wasn’t all bad.

Overtraining is usually bad for the body, but it’s not like you’ll die from doing it once or twice…

And after the workout, Isera stuck close to me and gave me a skilled relaxation massage.

She called it an effective practical massage using mana or something…

Anyway, as I walked, supported by her (she didn’t carry me on her back, saying it was better to make me walk than to carry me), the pain had subsided a lot.

It was also a small good thing that I got to have dinner treated by the apologetic Professor Isera.

“Ras, I know a very excellent restaurant. They have delicious roasted sparrow. I’ll treat you to dinner as an apology…”

Someone who buys you food is a good person.

I followed the kind Professor Isera to a restaurant with a strangely eccentric name, ‘Joy of the Bald Man,’ to eat.

This was a restaurant I had never visited during my academy days in my first life.

Professor Isera said it was a hidden gem, but also that the owner was bald.

She said the occasional flash from the kitchen would startle you by poking your eyes…

“Welcome…! Oh? Ras? Professor Isera???”

As we entered the restaurant, a familiar voice, sounding a bit naive, brightly greeted us.

Irha, the subordinate, was serving, chirping away, at the ‘Joy of the Bald Man’ restaurant.

True to his unique nature, he was doing a part-time job in a unique place.

“Irha? I didn’t know you were working here. I hadn’t been here since the beginning of this semester, so I didn’t know.”

Professor Isera said, a little surprised, next to me, upon seeing Irha.

“Oh! First, I’ll take your order!”

“Ah, yes. First, four servings of roasted sparrow, hot pot with chuck eye roll and coriander…”

Professor Isera’s elaborate order continued, and Irha pulled out a notepad and pencil from his apron pocket and wrote it down.

“That’s a lot…”

“Didn’t you work hard today? When you’ve used your body a lot, you should eat a lot.”

I looked around the restaurant, watching Irha disappear into the kitchen for a moment.

It wasn’t a very large restaurant, and it was even quiet enough that there were hardly any customers besides us.

Is this really a popular restaurant?

“It’s definitely a popular restaurant. Professor Rosalie and I often came here too. Perhaps today is just a quiet day.”

As if reading my skeptical gaze, Professor Isera quickly added.

Moreover, Professor Rosalie… that name, once again, made my heart heavy and bitter.

She was the true ‘doctor’ who had helped me desperately to save my life and build a foundation for becoming strong, even though I had been poisoned and crippled, and whom I had been indebted to several times during my academy days, and even after I was expelled from the academy until contact was lost.

I had so many debts to repay her, but in my previous life, she died before I could repay them.

That’s why life is truly so fleeting.

“Hmm? That person sitting over there looks a bit familiar… Please wait here for a moment, Ras.”

While I was briefly reminiscing about Professor Rosalie from my previous life, Professor Isera suddenly spotted someone sitting at a table behind us and moved towards them.

It seemed she had found an acquaintance.

“Hey! Isera, are you crazy, you girl…! With a student…! Oh, it’s Ras, now that I see you again!”

“??? Did you eat something bad? What on earth are you talking about? Since we’ve met, we might as well eat together.”

The two bickered for a moment, but soon the woman sitting alone let out a deep sigh and came to our table to join us.

“Ahaha… So it was Ras? Hello? I came out for dinner and happened to meet you two…”

The kind doctor from my memories awkwardly smiled and greeted me.

Like a great doctor, she remembers the names of all her patients, even those who only briefly passed through her care.

During those days, I also used to go to the infirmary for treatment whenever I got beaten up sparring with Blaber or the Prince’s gang, so Professor-nim already knew me.

“Ah, Professor Rosalie. I received personal training from Professor Isera in the physical training room. She said she felt bad for pushing me too hard…”

As we exchanged awkward conversation, Irha arrived, carrying plates of food on a tray.

Wobble wobble- Oh dear, why is his serving so clumsy?

I sighed deeply and stood up to help him with the tray and setting the table.

Professor Isera chuckled, as if she found the flustered Irha cute, and then headed to the kitchen.

Professor Isera soon returned, sat Irha down, and said,

“You should also sit and eat with us until new customers arrive. I told the owner, and he said it was fine. Order more if there’s anything else you want to eat.”

“Ah…! *Slurp*… Am I really allowed to eat for free?”

“Yes! Irha, eat with us too~ Is the place where you got hurt last time okay?”

The pitiful one, who was first concerned about money, quickly sat down, and just like that, an impromptu gathering of four people began.

The woman who had poisoned me in my previous life, the woman who had done her best to treat me, and the woman who had no relation to me.

Somehow, in this life, I felt like I was already eating with women quite frequently.

Should I call it the feeling of eating in a flower garden?

Whatever it was, there was nothing bad about it.

Because eating in a flower garden is inherently delicious.

Nom!