episode_0019

“Gasp…!!”

Augh… My head… What happened? Ah, right. I remember drinking the potion of superhuman strength and losing consciousness. I remember passing out after drinking the potion of swiftness before, and Aria taking care of me… But why is something so heavy… Wait, where am I?!

“Ugh… Where am I…?”

I wondered why my body felt so heavy. I was lying on a bed in some room, and Aria was lying on top of me, covered by a blanket… Her eyes are swollen. How much did she cry? Sigh… How much time has passed? If my body has wasted away this much… it definitely can’t be just one day?

“Aria… are you okay?”

“Waaaaah…? Uh… WAAAAAAAAH!! Zeke-nimmm!!”

Waaaaah, you startled me…!! As I gently touched her arm to wake her, Aria sprang up and hugged me tightly, crying again. If she’s reacting this intensely, how much time has passed? No, more importantly… I noticed candles and strange patterned papers scattered across this room, which looked like a typical inn room. Amidst all this confusion, the most urgent matter right now is…!!

“A-Aria, too strong… G-Gently…”

“Oh… I’m sorry… For giving Zeke-nim pain, I…”

“Stop that… How many days have passed, exactly?”

“Yes! Uh… a week has passed… since Zeke-nim collapsed.”

“Right… a week has passed… What?! A week?!”

A week… Seven days have passed?! Seven days since I collapsed… Something’s strange. The potion of superhuman strength does have side effects, but I shouldn’t be unconscious for that long…? Did something else happen to me?

“Aria… I was unconscious for that long?”

“Yes, Zeke-nim… Sob… Please don’t forgive me for letting Zeke-nim lose consciousness like this…”

“…But you nursed me to the point where your eyes are swollen.” “Thank you.”

“Ah… Aaaah… Zeke-nim’s kindness is always the problem… Still… Still, I like it, Zeke-nim… I love you… Now, never leave my side…”

“Okay. Anyway… why was I unconscious for so long?” “Do you know anything about it?”

“Yes, Zeke-nim… The man who ordered that thief cat to kidnap Zeke-nim had poison on his sword…” “So Zeke-nim was poisoned, and because of the side effects of the potion of superhuman strength, you couldn’t get up easily…”

Poison, huh… To think there was poison on the sword. I didn’t expect that. So that’s why I was unconscious for so long. Aria probably removed the poison through her blessing, and that’s how I barely managed to wake up.

“You removed the poison, right? With your ability.”

“I wish I could have, but… no.” “The one who treated Zeke-nim’s poison was a person named Rascal, who saved Zeke-nim and detoxified the poison circulating in Zeke-nim’s body.”

…What? My expectations have been off a lot lately, but… Aria didn’t detoxify the poison in my body? Aria, who would do anything for me… Ah… so that’s why the room was in this state.

“What was the reason? The reason you couldn’t detoxify my poison…”

“Yes… No matter how earnestly I prayed and offered my power to Zeke-nim, Zeke-nim’s symptoms didn’t improve…” “Then Rascal-nim fed Zeke-nim some kind of liquid, and Zeke-nim recovered…”

“Right… It seems there might be a poison we don’t know about.” “But where is Rascal?”

“Rascal-nim left after feeding Zeke-nim that antidote.” “He said to ask someone named Tess in Cartoon for more details.”

It seems he rushed off to apologize to the slaves he had hunted. Perhaps it was a waste of time to stay by our side. That’s understandable, as I was also filled with the desire to explore other places quickly.

“Understood. Ugh… My body has wasted away a lot…” “Shall we eat?”

“Yes, Zeke-nim! Ah, stay here! I’ll bring the meal! Heheheh!!”

“Okay, please do.”

“Yes! I’ll make it with all my love! Heheheh…”

Aria smiled brightly and hopped down the stairs after opening the door. It’s a relief Aria cheered up. Aria also looks a bit thin… Ah, I should tell Aria to bring herself something to eat too…

“Aria!! You need to bring something for yourself to eat too!!”

…She heard me, right? I shouted with all my strength despite my weak body… But there’s something else I forgot… Ah! Karina and Riera! Where did they go? And… Melian. What happened to that child? I kept thinking and tried to move my body. However, perhaps because my body was weak, I couldn’t move easily.

“Huu… Surely I won’t have to be confined to bed for a while, right?”

I quickly obtained information on Melodian, and Bosca was destroyed, so time was plentiful. But if my body condition continues like this, even that plentiful time will disappear. My body needs to recover quickly before that happens…

“Uncle!! Are you okay?!”

“Gah, you startled me!… Is that you, Eli?! How are you here…”

Eli, the fairy with yellow bobbed hair, rushed into my room in her human form and grabbed both my hands. So Riera didn’t come alone after all. But… why is she so worried about me?

“Didn’t you hear from my sister? Our sisters have become wandering bards together. Before, I couldn’t join Uncle’s party because of the Black Saintess, right? So Riera Unnie decided to become a wandering bard. Tiara also enthusiastically welcomed it. And this token is proof that I’m a wandering bard from Melodian!”

Eli pulled out a token with a star decoration from her pocket. Oh, wow… So this is the token bards carry around. Ah, seeing this reminds me that I haven’t been able to make entries lately… I should make a record later.

“But why are you in human form?” “I heard from your sister that all fairies from Melodian can transform into humans.”

“When traveling long distances, the human form, which is larger than a fairy, is better.” “Well… but we still prefer our fairy form.”

“Why?”

“Because when we turn back into fairies, the room gets bigger.”

Ah. That’s true. Indeed… Fairies can fly, but their speed is on a different level from a human’s pace. In short, they’re slow. Even in human form, they have wings, but not being able to fly is probably a side effect of transforming into a human… Wait, if this is the case, I have to record more about the fairies of Melodian, don’t I? There are blanks… Uh-ohhhhh…

“Huh? Uncle, your expression suddenly…!!!”

Yeah. That’s right. That. Eli, who saw my chilling expression after seeing something, also seemed to feel something chilling. And Eli slowly turned around. Outside the door… Aria, holding a tray of food, was looking at us with a dark smile!

“A-Aria…”

“Th-The Black Saintess…”

“Heheheh… Eli? I clearly warned you, didn’t I? Not to ever enter Zeke-nim’s room…” “But if you ignore my warning like this… I really can’t help but…”

This is bad! As Aria made a motion to take something out with her right hand, I quickly looked around. Uh… it’s not here! The terrifying golden staff that destroyed Robdooom isn’t in the room! Then that staff right now…!!

“A-Aria! Let’s eat first!” “A-Eli, you should go back quickly for now!”

“Uh… okay! My sister and I are in the next room, so come over there after you’re done eating! See ya!!”

Eli transformed into a fairy and quickly darted outside. Then Aria smiled happily again and walked lightly over, handing me the tray of food and cutlery. Oh, what a relief… Anyway, did she hear my shout earlier?

“Heheheh… It’s an honor to be able to dine with Zeke-nim! That thief cat tried to interfere, but… anyway! For the food, I prepared Garuda steak and salad, which Zeke-nim loves!”

“Oh, really? This smell… Garuda stea…?”

Wait. Garuda steak? How did Aria know I like Garuda steak? Moreover, the salad to go with the Garuda steak consists of vegetables I like. I hadn’t told Aria what my favorite foods were, had I…?

“Heheheh… That expression! It’s the ‘how did you know?’ expression!”

“…Uh… How did you know…?”

“While Zeke-nim was sleeping, I fed Zeke-nim a drop of oil from various meats!” “And I deduced it from the expression Zeke-nim unconsciously made after tasting the oil.” “As for the vegetables, I looked for all the vegetables that would go well with Garuda steak!”

…Why on earth would she do such a thing behind my back? Couldn’t she have just asked me from the beginning? Rascal was right. Aria now is completely… self-indulgent.

“Alright! I’ll cut the meat for you! Say ‘Ah~’!”

“Do I have to…”

“…You, thief cat over there… Aren’t you going to stop staring???”

What now…? Oh, that long green hair. It’s Tiara. Tiara was peeking her head out from outside the door, watching Aria cut and feed me steak. But why is her face red… I’m the one who should be embarrassed right now!!

“Oh my, oh my, oh my!! That’s definitely what newlyweds look like!”

“N-Newlyw… Haaahhh… Z-Zeke-nim and n-newlyweeeeds…”

“Don’t put ideas in her head, Tiara!!”

“Well then, have a good time~”

That… that darn fairy… Tiara, thanks to you, I now have to deal with Aria, whose ecstasy has pierced even the heavens, dammit!! How are you going to take responsibility!! Just as I was greatly flustered… Aria, with a truly ecstatic expression, picked up the steak with a fork again and said,

“Here, Mr. Zeke~ Ah~”

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!”

Thus, Aria, completely immersed in delusion by Tiara’s words, continued to feed me steak, and I barely managed to endure Aria’s ecstatic expression. I almost threw up everything I ate… Gasp… Gasp… I still don’t have even the slightest intention of keeping anyone by my side and loving them, I tell you…

“Gasp… Gasp…”

“Oh my, oh my, oh my! Was the food I made so delicious it took your breath away?! I’m so happy!”

Yes… it was delicious. For some reason, after eating the steak, my strength began to return. Haa… Since I barely managed to endure it, then it’s time to do what I need to do, right? The records can wait for now. What I need to do now is…

“I’ll go to the next room for a bit, Aria.” “I have some business there…!!”

“Oh my. Karina is also there, so you’re not going to see Karina, are you…?”

“What? Karina’s there?”

“Yes.”

I thought Rascal took Karina, but she’s with the fairy sisters? Unexpected things really happen frequently these days. Why didn’t she go back to Cartoon with Rascal?

“Why is Karina here? Didn’t Rascal take her?”

“I also kept telling him to take her. But Karina kept begging to stay with Zeke-nim… So just as I was about to scold Karina, Rascal-nim suggested deciding with a coin toss.” “And I lost… I should have called heads then..!!”

…Karina was saved thanks to Rascal. Scolding her surely means hitting her with that golden staff. Well, since I know Karina’s here… then I should go scold Tiara…

“I’ll be back in a moment…!!”

“I’ll go with you, Zeke-nim~”

After getting out of bed, I left the room. And then, the room next to mine. I flung open the door to Room 202, and there I encountered another unexpected person. That person on the bed…

“Tia…? Melian?”

It was Melian. But she looked different from how I’d seen her in the slave torture chamber. Her back hair was down instead of tied up, and she had a hairpin in her bangs. She was also wearing blue cloth clothes, and although her skin was still pale, it was better than before. However, she was still just staring blankly at me. As I was surprised to see Melian, I noticed Karina sleeping next to her.

“They were all here.” “But where did that little kid Tiara go…!!”

“Oh my, Zeke-nim. You’re awake?”

“Huh? Riera? But that thing you’re holding…”

Turning around, I saw Riera holding vegetable stew. What on earth is going on? There’s no way Aria would just leave Melian alone, yet Melian is perfectly fine here. As I stepped aside, Riera went to the bed where Melian was sitting and sat down on it herself.

“Uh… Aria, why is Melian here?”

“Because Zeke-nim forgave her before.” “I simply couldn’t refuse my kind Zeke-nim’s request~”

“Zeke-nim, it’s alright if my sister and I take this child, isn’t it?”

“What?”

Just as Aria covered her cheeks with her hands and spoke shyly, Riera said something shocking to me. Why are they saying they’ll take Melian? You’re strangers to Melian. Even Riera was scared when she saw Melian in her ruined state, wasn’t she?

“Why you two?”

“Well… because I can imagine what kind of wrath the Black Saintess-nim would unleash if Zeke-nim were to take this child.”

“…True.”

At that one sentence, I understood immediately. So that’s why Aria left Melian alone. But why would the Riera sisters specifically want to take Melian? I had a feeling it wasn’t just because of Aria.

“But is that really the only reason?”

“No… Well, you see.”

Riera chuckled, then scooped up some stew with a spoon, blew on it to cool it, and put the cooled stew into Melian’s mouth. As Melian gulped down the stew that entered her mouth, Riera smiled faintly and said,

“You know how this child became a slave at a young age?” “Now that I think about it, her situation seems similar to ours.” “Of course, this child’s past is worse.” “Still, it’s obvious she must have only thought of ways to survive without anyone’s help.” “That bothered me.” “I also took care of younger siblings who were abandoned by their parents, just like us.” “So, perhaps because of that, I really want to take this child with us.” “Tiara says she’s happy to have a younger sister…”

“When it comes to age, Melian is older than Tiara, though.” “But those clothes…”

“They’re clothes we bought here.” “Eli’s human form has a similar physique, so we roughly measured the size.” “It’s a relief it’s not too small.” “That’s right, eat well… Swallow it.”

At Riera’s words, Melian swallowed the stew in her mouth again. Hmm… It seems she can understand human speech. What kind of torture did you inflict to ruin an already unstable child like this, Aria…

“She listens well to you, doesn’t she?”

“Yes. But she can’t do anything other than listen and react.” “Once, when I told her to get down from the bed, she rolled off the bed.”

“How are you going to take a child like that with you? You’re wandering bards now.”

“It’ll be inconvenient, but we can stay in human form.” “This child hasn’t received any love, so we should at least do this much.”

What a good personality. But… As I chuckled and looked at Riera, an ominous aura began to emanate from beside me. Of all things, praising another woman in front of a woman who’s incredibly jealous when it comes to me… I’ll be tormented again today, damn it… Just as I was cautiously glancing at Aria, I heard someone running up the stairs.

“Unnie!! I brought loooots of clothes for Melian to wear! Eli Unnie, help me… Ah.”

Right. I had something to do, indeed. Tiara, the culprit who created that agonizing mealtime earlier, was behind me. But when she saw me, she quickly put the clothes somewhere else and dashed downstairs? Hmph… Does she think I won’t catch her!!

“You, stop right there, Tiaraaaaaaa!!!”

“Uwaaaaah!! I’m sorry, Zeke Oppa!!!”

Perhaps because my strength hadn’t fully recovered, as I chased after the fleeing Tiara, I heard Riera chuckling from upstairs. But that’s not important. Tiaraaaaaaa!!!