Ch.297297. Happy Ending

“Sh-should I dissect it?”

Professor Per carefully asked me, as I was wrapped in an uncomfortable truth. Her expression clearly showed her discomfort, so I shook my head.

“No, let’s leave it. Are there any other damaged parts?”

“No, only the ribs are missing. Normally, when extracting bones, there should be some damage somewhere, but there isn’t any.”

“……”

“And, Professor.”

Professor Per put down the surgical scalpel she was holding and asked.

“There are no insects on the corpse. It shouldn’t be this clean. Especially if you brought it from the mountains.”

Just as she said, when I first saw the corpse, there were no insects on the cat.

Even if it hadn’t been dead long, black flies usually come to lay eggs within 24 hours.

[That’s exactly what you said.]

This had bothered me when I first saw the cat’s corpse.

“I’m going to investigate that now.”

After asking Professor Per to keep the cat’s body safe, I headed outside the academy.

Since I was still officially missing, I received a mask to cover my face.

[Are you going to find the cat’s owner?]

“Yes.”

Finding the owner of a dead cat would normally be impossible. There are no CCTVs in this era.

But we have the cat itself.

“Even a mere creature should be able to find its owner.”

[…You seem displeased about something?]

Could she tell from my tone?

Stella asked me with a shadowed expression. Given what we’d discovered, it would be natural to show disgust toward the owner.

But I still didn’t like the cat.

“Every beast I’ve encountered so far has been hostile to humans.”

[But this cat is clearly a victim in this situation.]

“Stella.”

I understand what she’s saying.

The cat is truly pitiful.

But it was just a cat.

“You said it yourself, there’s nothing in the holy scriptures about pets.”

[……]

“I feel the same. I created a land of rest for humans because they are human.”

I wasn’t compassionate enough to care for the souls of monsters or beasts.

“In my understanding, that cat should harbor absolute hatred toward humans. That would make sense.”

[But the cat was friendly.]

“That’s…”

I was about to continue but closed my mouth and swallowed. Nothing was certain yet. Stella didn’t wait for me to finish and continued.

[Let’s find the cat and its owner first. Like the fairy tale I mentioned, the cat might have sacrificed itself willingly.]

“Yes, that’s right.”

I thought that might be the case too. There were many similarities to the fairy tale, and something strange about the wounds.

[Exactly. Even if the cat was truly bad, wouldn’t you give it a chance?]

“You’re quite compassionate.”

At my response, Stella gave a bitter smile and answered.

[Senior will have a hard time.]

Was she worried not just about the cat but also about the Dark Spiritmaster?

That was very like Stella.

“Fine, then I…”

This was my way of showing respect to the Saintess who had lived a good life.

“I’ll try to see it positively for your sake.”

Did she like that?

Stella quickly approached and kissed my cheek before responding.

[Look forward to tonight’s massage.]

“…That’s not necessary.”

[Senior told me about something called ear folding.]

“Sigh.”

Is the Saintess changing because she’s surrounded by people like the Dark Spiritmaster and Vellica?

Or is it because she’s free from her duties as Saintess after death?

Whatever the reason.

“You should spend some time with Lucia.”

Birds of a feather flock together—it seemed good for Stella to spend time with Lucia, the current Saintess.

Poke.

Her finger jabbed my cheek.

[Don’t talk about other Saintesses in front of me.]

* * *

Finding the Dark Spiritmaster and the cat wasn’t difficult. When we went into town, she was already looking for the previous owner before us.

[Come on, Ppoksil! Who was it! Who did this to you!]

Her fierce shout would have attracted everyone’s attention if she weren’t a spirit.

Some people were beginning to notice the floating staff of Heralhazad that she was connected to.

“Dark Spiritmaster, take it easy.”

As I grabbed the staff of Heralhazad, the Dark Spiritmaster finally noticed that Stella and I had arrived.

[How was it? Did you find anything from Ppoksil’s body?]

The Dark Spiritmaster had been upset about the cat’s body being abandoned on the mountain.

Although she was somewhat emotional, I explained what we had discovered.

[What a wicked person!]

The necromancer who used to play with human souls burst into anger.

She was raging without considering her own past, but I ignored her and looked at the cat.

The cat meowed happily and acted friendly toward me.

“Find your owner.”

The cat tilted its head.

Seeing its innocent expression, I sighed.

“I’ll listen to your story.”

I had no intention of listening to a beast’s story, but Stella had asked me.

At my words that I would at least talk with it, the cat escaped from the Dark Spiritmaster’s arms.

[Ppoksil?]

The cat, which had been passive until now, began to run quickly through the city.

It led us to a hospital.

[When I talked to it, it just yawned as if it didn’t understand.]

The Dark Spiritmaster was perplexed by Ppoksil’s suddenly active behavior.

But I ignored her and headed into the hospital.

There was no need to go up high.

The cheapest eight-person room.

Many patients gathered there.

And the cat.

[This, this is.]

[Deus…..]

Surprisingly, each patient seemed to have a cat, as cat hair was floating around the room.

Normally, pets should never enter hospital rooms.

But for some reason, the nurses and doctors were ignoring the cats, and the patients were taking great care of them.

“Who are you here to see?”

The elderly man closest to the entrance carefully asked me.

His polite manner and courtesy reflected his years of experience.

“Oh my, what a handsome visitor.”

“You can’t even see his face because of the mask.”

“You can tell he’s handsome just by looking at him.”

Not knowing who I was, they all welcomed me with laughter.

The cats also meowed loudly to welcome me.

[They’re all terminally ill.]

Stella sighed with her eyes closed. As a Saintess who had sent off many dead, her words were certain.

Being in an eight-person room despite being terminally ill meant they had no money.

Yet they all kept cats as if it were a trend.

Despite facing death, they showed will and passion to live.

I threw a stone into their peace.

“Who abandoned the black cat on the mountain behind Robern Academy?”

The room suddenly went quiet.

They looked at me with surprised eyes but couldn’t say anything.

I waited patiently for them to think, but…

“Excuse me, who are you?”

A young man in a white coat approached from behind. He seemed to be a doctor and appeared uncomfortable with my presence.

[Meooow!]

The cat let out a long meow.

“I see.”

I turned my gaze from the patients to the doctor and said.

“So you’re the owner of the black cat.”

* * *

In the hospital’s lounge.

It wasn’t a large hospital, so the doctor and I faced each other across a small desk in a cramped space.

“First… my name is Martin. I’m a doctor at this hospital. Who are you?”

“It’s better if you don’t know.”

“…If you come here like this without revealing your identity, I have no choice but to call security.”

You’ll regret it.

I added that thought as I removed my mask.

“Deus Verdi. I’m known as the kingdom’s spiritmaster.”

“S-Spiritmaster?!”

Martin, who had been hostile until now, hurriedly stood up and knelt.

“I-I-I’m sorry! I didn’t recognize you, Spiritmaster! I heard you were missing, I’m glad you’ve returned!”

“Your cat’s soul came to find me.”

To be precise, the Dark Spiritmaster brought it, but I condensed the story for a quicker conversation.

When I mentioned the cat, his expression darkened.

I sighed and spoke to him as he trembled.

“I’m not here to blame you. I’m just curious. The cat had no ribs left.”

“…!”

“Explain what happened.”

Martin slowly stood up and began to explain what had happened.

“The cat’s name was Nabi. It was my pet.”

The original name of Ppoksil was revealed.

Martin had raised Nabi with great care. To him, Nabi wasn’t just a pet but almost like family.

“My father has a chronic illness. He didn’t have much time left. That day, I had just examined my father.”

“……”

“Nabi was holding a bone in its mouth. It reminded me of the fairy tale about a cat’s gratitude! The one where drinking ground cat bones cures illness!”

He desperately wanted to save his father. Despite thinking himself foolish, he was so desperate that he boiled the bone and gave it to his father to drink.

“My father’s condition improved noticeably. It wasn’t a complete cure, but he got better gradually.”

After that, it became a pattern.

Whenever Martin’s father’s condition worsened, Nabi would bring a bone.

Drinking it would improve his condition.

“Twenty-five. After drinking twenty-five boiled bones, my father was completely cured.”

Twenty-five.

One less than the total number of ribs a cat has.

“All the ribs were gone. What about the last one?”

“…I still have it. Nabi gave it to me last and then disappeared.”

Disappeared.

A significant word.

“I-I tried to find Nabi! I didn’t know it would die so lonely on that mountain!”

I had thought the owner might have abandoned it since it wasn’t buried.

But the cat had moved on its own to find a place to die.

The seemingly abandoned corpse now made sense.

“Then why did you have the patients in that room keep cats…?”

I deliberately left the sentence unfinished.

I waited for his explanation, and Martin answered with a guilty expression.

“Those patients don’t have much time left. They have no money, and even with treatment, their chances of survival are slim.”

“……”

“I told them my story. I even let them meet my healthy father! They had to try something! The cats are pitiful, but… shouldn’t humans live?”

“The chances of finding a cat like yours are extremely low.”

Not just any cat would bring bones out of affection. This had to be considered a unique phenomenon.

Not a fairy tale or a ghost story, but reality.

“I know that…”

Martin hung his head.

Nevertheless, he clenched his fists and exclaimed.

“But it’s the only way to save people! As a doctor! I won’t hesitate to do anything to save people.”

His determination as a doctor.

His firm resolve to save patients.

As I faced this directly, Martin let out a heavy sigh.

“Actually, I still have the last rib Nabi gave me. My father is already cured.”

“……”

“I was going to keep it as a final memory of Nabi, but I plan to boil it and share it among the patients.”

They dream of a miracle, fighting to live a little longer. It’s the only struggle those facing death can make.

“Didn’t you see? There was even a child there. Cruelly, God has given the child a disease that humans cannot cure!”

[……]

[……]

The Dark Spiritmaster and Stella standing behind me couldn’t say anything.

They realized they couldn’t simply condemn the cat’s owner.

Especially since Nabi had given the bones willingly. It was hard to blame the doctor.

In fact.

[Meow.]

Nabi waved its front paws as if to say it didn’t mind. It seemed to be telling us to give its bone to the patients quickly.

So I answered.

“I wouldn’t make that choice.”

“…Pardon?”

My words surprised not only Martin but also the Dark Spiritmaster, Stella, and Nabi. I could clearly feel their gazes on me.

“In fairy tales and legends, when dying or sick people recover, they pay a price.”

Typical fairy tales don’t just give things away. There are usually limitations or prices to be paid.

“Don’t do it. Be satisfied with saving your father. Their deaths are truly sad, but I will come to comfort and embrace them when it’s time for their funeral.”

“…Words befitting the name Spiritmaster.”

Martin’s eyes held a cold emotion as he covered his face with both hands and glared at me.

“I cannot do that. If your mission as Spiritmaster is to comfort the dead, my mission is to treat and save the injured. I swore to that.”

Martin stood up abruptly and bowed his head respectfully toward me.

“Would you please leave.”

“……”

Without saying anything more, I went outside.

No matter what I did, he would fulfill his duty and reach the same outcome.

[P-Ppoksil!]

The cat quickly ran out the door and took a position in the center of the ward.

That appearance.

It looked almost like a guardian deity.

And indeed, it carried such power within its body.

It would protect this place.

That was Nabi’s commitment.

As I stepped outside, I felt conflicted. The knot in my chest wouldn’t untie, but I knew it couldn’t be untied.

No matter what I said.

Martin and the patients would not stop struggling to survive.

And that was human instinct.

[Ppoksil!]

Having heard the sad story, the Dark Spiritmaster had to leave the cat behind and grieved in Stella’s arms.

While comforting the Dark Spiritmaster, Stella carefully asked me.

[Is what the doctor said really true?]

“It is.”

I was certain.

“There was no forceful extraction of the cat’s ribs.”

Because there were twenty-six wounds.

“If they had been forcibly extracted, there would have been no need to cut the belly each time.”

If it had been forced, they would have taken all the ribs at once after cutting the belly once.

[Ah, I see.]

Understanding, Stella nodded. While their struggle to survive was understandable, it was hard to praise it.

[A kind animal and humans trapped by duty.]

Stella clasped her hands tightly and prayed toward the hospital.

[I hope for a happy ending.]

As much as I hated to disappoint her who was praying so quietly.

“……”

Seeing the end that awaited them, I couldn’t agree with Stella’s words.

All that remained was a heavy heart, knowing I could do nothing.

A few days later.

All eight patients and the doctor, Martin, were found dead.