Chapter 62 – A Complete Mess

A Complete Mess

“Ugh. My head.”
I wonder how long I’ve been sleeping. The muscle pain and fever I felt all over my body have subsided a bit, but it’s still hard to move. I really resent those two. Truly.

“Kuuu…”
“Ariel-nim… hmnnya… don’t die…”
Seeing the cool wet towel still on my forehead, it seems they fell asleep while continuing to take care of me.

Such precious children. How did I end up meeting such kids?
It was a moment when I felt a bit grateful to the goddess who reincarnated me into this world.

‘Pfel… hasn’t returned yet.’
Outside, the sun is still high in the sky. If my guess is correct, she should be back soon.
“Ariel unni!!! I’m back!!!”

…As expected, Pfel came into the house with the sound of the front door bursting open.

I could hear the sound of her quickly climbing the stairs, and soon after, Pfel approached me.
I briefly thought about pretending to be unconscious but decided against it. It seemed too mischievous.

“Phew. Unni. Are you feeling a bit better?”
“I’ve gotten a little better.”
Pfel’s body is drenched in sweat. It shows how hurriedly she went and came back.

“Thank you, Pfel.”
“Your voice is really hoarse too. Drink this quickly, unni.”
Pfel hands me a yellow potion she took out of her pocket. I struggled to open the bottle cap as I didn’t even have the strength for that, but eventually managed to swallow the potion somehow.

‘Ugh, it tastes bad.’
“Do you want to try this too? The shop owner gave it to me.”
“It’s a health potion… It must have been quite expensive.”

“…The shop owner gave it to us for free.”
A free health potion? That’s a bit strange.
“Apparently, I visited that shop with my mother when I was young. She recognized me and gave us the potions for free.”

“…I see.”
Pfel does have a memorable appearance.
“We should go and thank her later.”

“We should. Let’s go together when you get better, unni. By the way, how did you become so weak? This has never happened before, unni.”
…Well, I’ve never pushed my body this hard before.
“Ha, haha.”

I gave an awkward laugh and then finished drinking the health potion Pfel had handed me.
‘Potions are really amazing.’
Although I still felt a bit dizzy and feverish, it was much better compared to when I collapsed.

“Pfel. Thank you.”
Having regained some strength, I immediately hugged Pfel tightly. How could I resist? It’s all Pfel’s fault for being so precious.
Pfel, startled, tried to push me away.

“U-Unni. I’m all sweaty! I’m dirty!”
Pfel’s sweat is like perfume to me… no, that sounds too perverted, but I didn’t really mind it.
‘Well, let’s tease her a bit.’

“Sniff. Ah. You smell nice.”
“Unni!!!!”
…I got scolded severely.

“Um, I want to move…”
“No, unni. Rest today. You need to stay still.”
“I’m really fine… Okay, I got it.”

Although my condition had improved a lot after drinking the potions Pfel brought, it seems it didn’t look that way to the other children.
‘I’m bored…’
In the end, I gave in to Pfel’s stern gaze and was now quietly resting in bed, half-covered by the blanket.

I thought I might be allowed to move during meal times, but…
“Open your mouth, unni.”
“Um, I can eat by myself…”
“Say ‘ah’.”

…In the end, I ended up living a luxurious life of being spoon-fed in place. It felt like being a baby bird getting fed.
After lying in bed until evening, my whole body felt stiff.
Since I’ve never been this sick before, the children seem very worried from their perspective.

“Ariel. Are you okay? If it hurts, you have to tell us?”
“…I’m fine.”
Knowing their feelings, I don’t find it burdensome. Rather, I’m grateful.

I gently stroked Saya’s hair, who asked if I was okay about every five minutes.
It’s so fluffy, more like a white sheep than a dragon. Is that rude to Saya?

“Hehe. Ariel. Don’t be sick anymore.”
Saya says that and smiles brightly at me. What should I do? I think my heart just stopped for a moment.
“Yes. I’m sorry for making you worry.”

Now the fever has completely subsided, and I’m even feeling a bit cold as the sweat has cooled.
At this rate, wouldn’t it be okay to take a shower?

I immediately said to Pfel, who was peeling fruits nearby.
“Pfel. Um, I’m all sweaty and want to wash up… Could you at least let me shower?”

“…”
Having been lying down all day without washing, and with sweat from the fever naturally making my clothes damp, I feel quite uncomfortable.
I’m also worried about smelling bad to the kids.

It was a bit ironic that I needed permission even to take a shower, but… what could I do? It’s my fault for making the children worry.
“No.”

“…Huh?”
I thought she would naturally allow it… but Pfel rejected my request with a firm expression.
“If you really must, then let’s do it together, unni. What if you collapse while washing alone?”

“I’m really fine…”
“Pfel is right!”
“That’s right! I want to wash with Ariel too!”

‘Saya, you just want to bathe with me…’
Normally, I would have made up some excuse to avoid bathing together, but maybe it was because my head was still a bit fuzzy.
Unconsciously, I accepted Pfel’s proposal.

“…Alright.”
“Really? No taking it back?”
Pfel seemed oddly excited.

I immediately tried to take back my words, but the atmosphere absolutely didn’t allow for that.
“Sigh. Saya, Cherni. Unni and I are going to wash now.”

“That’s unfair! I want to wash together too!”
“Me too! I want to wash too!”
Pfel spoke to Saya and Cherni, who were expressing their dissatisfaction, with a face full of amusement.

“Saya and Cherni already washed, didn’t you?”
“”Ah.””
They beat the ground with the most sorrowful expressions in the world. While restraining Saya and Cherni who declared they would wash again, Pfel and I headed to the bathroom.

‘What should I do…’
At this point, I feel bad about going back on my word seeing Pfel’s excited expression.
Besides, this isn’t the first or second time, and I can’t keep refusing forever.

“Hehe. It’s been a while since I washed with unni.”
“Y-Yeah.”
Back then, Pfel was a complete child. How did she grow up so fast?
…So this is how parents feel watching their children grow.

‘Come to think of it, how old is Pfel…? I think she was an adult in elf years.’
Maybe because I still remember how Pfel looked when I first saw her, she still feels like a young child to me.
…Perhaps I shouldn’t treat Pfel too much like a child anymore.

Eventually, Pfel and I reached the bathroom.
At this point, there’s no choice. I’ll have to get into the bathtub before Pfel.

Someone might say I just need to not view Pfel sexually – but human hearts aren’t so easily controlled.
Even if Pfel is like a child to me, this situation is different.
Besides, after what happened yesterday… I’m even more reluctant to see a woman’s naked body.

“I’ll go in first!”
I quickly undressed like a soldier in a war situation and opened the bathroom door.
“Unni. You should wash before getting into the tub.”

Due to the warm air in the bathroom, I felt dizzy for a moment and staggered, but fortunately, I was able to safely reach the bathtub.
“Ha, haha. Right. I forgot.”

“…I’ll let it slide today, unni. Because you’re sick.”
‘Get a grip, Ariel. Pfel is my child. Don’t think of looking at her with strange eyes.’
“Ouch.”

I barely managed to maintain my composure by pinching my thigh hard enough to draw blood.
Yes. Let’s just keep it this way.

While I was quietly submerged in the water, thinking about reaching a state of perfect calmness, the sound of water beside me stopped.
Then came Pfel’s words.
“Unni. I can’t reach my back… Could you soap it for me?”

Huh…?
Reflexively turning my head towards the voice, I froze for a moment.
“Unni…? Are you still in a lot of pain? Your face is red…”

“Uh, uhh.”
“Huh? There are a lot of red spots on your body. Were you bitten by bugs?”
A difficult situation, with difficult questions. I barely held onto my sanity in a situation where I felt like I was losing my mind.

My thigh that I had been pinching was already blue.
“I went to the forest the other day, I might have been bitten by bugs.”
“I see…”

After vaguely agreeing with Pfel’s words, I grasped the towel she handed me.
“Hmm…”
While I was trying my best not to be conscious of the sensation felt through the towel as I was soaping her, Pfel let out a slightly sensual moan.

“Wh-What’s wrong, Pfel? Did it hurt?”
Did I use too much force? Because I was trying to look as far away as possible…
“No. It just tickles a bit… hehe.”

‘Why are you doing this to me, Pfel…’
Pfel, who had been testing the limits of my patience, then snatched the towel from my hand and said,
“Unni. Now it’s my turn to wash you.”

“It’s, it’s okay…”
Just as I was about to refuse her offer, I heard Pfel’s voice with a terrifying pressure.
“Surely you’re not thinking of refusing, are you?”

“Please…”
Pfel’s eyes are scary… She must have been hurt when I was soaping her.
“Ugh…”

“Tell me if it stings, unni.”
I’m not sure if it’s just my imagination, but it feels like she’s using her hands instead of the towel to soap me…
“It, it tickles, Pfel.”

“Phew. Bear with it a little, unni.”
Pfel continues soaping while breathing roughly for some reason.
‘Wh-Where are you touching…!’

…After that, I was washed in a complete mess.

In the outskirts of Lonzville.
Inside a half-collapsed house, a man covered in tattoos spoke in a cold voice to a woman trembling in fear in the corner.

“Hey. You said you have an elf daughter. I don’t know if my eyes are bad, but it looks like you’re alone here.”
The man is holding a small hand axe.

Knowing that the axe is not just for intimidation, the woman spoke with a trembling voice.
“Ju-Just wait a moment. I’ll, I’ll be able to find her soon!”

“…Soon?”
However, the man’s face twisted horribly, seemingly displeased with the woman’s answer.
“What was the condition for me to forgive your debt?”

“Hiiieek!!!!”
The axe stuck into the wall right next to the woman clinging to it. If she went against the man’s words, it was obvious where this axe would be stuck next.

“One week! Please wait just one week! They said an elf is sometimes seen in this city! That elf is my daughter! Kyaaaaa!!!!! It, it hurts! Let go!!!”
The man, grabbing the woman’s hair and lifting her to his eye level.
Without blinking at the woman’s painful screams, he spoke quietly.

“Three days. I’ll give you exactly three days. Bring your daughter here immediately. If not… you know what will happen, right?”