episode_0081
by fnovelpiaStay calm. I need to stay calm for now. They said that if I keep my wits about me, I can handle even an S-rank gate dragging me in.
The moment “treatment” came out of Niss’s mouth, it felt like my life was over, but since it wasn’t actually over, I tried to keep myself together to see if I could survive somehow.
Hesitation leads to wrong decisions, while composure paves the way.
Regaining composure by a hair’s breadth to survive, I decided to speak up.
“What are you talking about?”
“What do you mean? Mr. Stay made sexual advances towards three people… No, no, I shouldn’t say it like this in this situation. Um, yes. You’re talking about that treatment.”
Damn it! She must know everything!
The sound of life falling apart echoed vividly around me.
Even though stirring up more trouble here would only make things worse, I reattached the composure I had just mustered and cautiously asked Niss with a look that said, ‘What kind of person is this?’
“Am I going to die?”
No matter how many times I tried to think calmly, I couldn’t come up with a way out of this situation at this moment.
She was a central intelligence agent of the Association, and I was nothing more than an F-rank Awakener whose ability was limited to reading the status window of a plant-human.
The woman standing before me could easily turn me into a piece of meat just by imagining what I was trying to do.
So, facing a nearly certain outcome of death or something worse, I felt strangely light-hearted and could ask such a straightforward question.
It’s better to ask if I’m going to die after asking if I can be spared rather than trembling until I die begging for mercy.
With a heart ready for any answer, Niss, with an intensified look of ‘What kind of person is this?’ opened her mouth.
“Did you really think you could get away with doing something like that to the heroes who saved the world?”
Well, I guess I’m going to die after all. Even if I ask to be sent off painlessly, she won’t listen, right? That’s because what I did was nothing short of a beast wearing the mask of a human when seen by a third party.
Regardless of who those three people were to me, they were heroes who sacrificed themselves to save the world.
To treat such heroes with respect and awe, let alone protect them, I not only crossed the line but also went as far as to hit their nipples with a hammer, press a heavy fist against their lower abdomen, and shake their buttocks until they trembled. Thinking about surviving doesn’t make sense at all.
Still, rather than just standing there and dying painfully, it was better to ask for a painless death, increasing the likelihood of being killed with a single blow. So, filled with urgency, I spoke to Niss.
“Please, try to make it painless…”
“That’s what I thought until this morning.”
“Pardon?”
Until this morning…?
As I was taken aback by the unexpected statement, Niss sighed deeply and continued.
“Anyone would think you’re a lunatic who deserves to die. How dare you do such a thing to those three. But… after you left the room, the artifacts that constantly monitor the conditions of those three detected signs of consciousness. It was truly surprising. None of the healing abilities, not even the Papal Office, could touch the madness that those three were afflicted with, but an F-rank Awakener managed to eliminate it.”
“So, are you saying those three have awakened?”
The curse has been completely lifted, so waking up is not at all strange, but the thought that I might not have truly woken up made my heart feel uneasy.
As a caregiver who treated the three individuals, it was certainly a welcome development, but from a human standpoint, it was something I couldn’t possibly welcome.
At that time, when I was swayed by strange emotions that I never thought I would feel just a month ago, a crucial fact that I had momentarily forgotten suddenly came to mind.
“Wait a moment! If they’ve really woken up now, it’s a big problem, isn’t it? When they wake up and I’m not there, they cry, get annoyed, angry, throw tantrums, basically cause chaos! If I don’t hurry, things could really go south…”
“Calm down, Mr. Stay. Their consciousness has only been detected; they haven’t actually awakened yet.”
“Oh… That’s a relief.”
…Wait, why am I relieved? Why did I think it was a big problem? They are no longer mere plant-like beings but a saint, a destroyer, a master of magic. They live in a world where whether I’m there or not doesn’t matter anymore…
It seemed that during my past caregiving days, while my body was comfortable, mentally, I had deteriorated even more than before.
Otherwise, there was no way I would entertain such absurd thoughts if I were in my right mind.
“Anyway, when I saw Mr. Stay committing that act and repeatedly saying it was part of the treatment, I thought he must be insane. I felt like I should rush over and stop him immediately. But it was indeed a treatment. A treatment agreed upon by both parties. So, well, I have no reason to interfere with your plucking.”
“Oh, I see.”
“At first, when Mr. Stay was about to undress Ms. May Loina, I seriously doubted my eyes. Who in the world starts doing such crazy things on their first day as an assigned caregiver?”
Thanks to Nis’s continuous words shaking my mind since I was alone, those strange thoughts were gradually pushed aside in my mind.
I concluded that due to the physical comfort I had never experienced in my twenties, I had become too accustomed to that lifestyle, leading me to entertain such absurd thoughts. After reaching this conclusion, I held onto one question that arose after hearing Nis’s words.
“But if you were monitoring from the beginning, why didn’t you stop me earlier?”
Given that Nis could have burst into the room and prevented my actions of undressing the moment I started, neither of us would have had to endure those bloody days.
Since it was something I couldn’t understand, questions naturally arose, and upon hearing my words, Nis let out a deep sigh before responding.
“Ugh… Well, I’m the one who put you in that position. I also bear responsibility for what you did. It’s related to saving the world with those three, so… You’re not the only one who will face consequences. Since I’ve been watching you from the start, there was nothing I could do except cover it up once you touched Ms. May Loina. The Information Department was short-staffed, and I was the only one available to monitor you. So if I keep quiet, no one inside the ward knows what’s happening.”
“I see…”
“If a caregiver shows signs of doing something suspicious to the three heroes, I had plans to rush in and punish them… But I never thought someone who could carry out such acts without any hesitation towards the heroes who saved the world existed. If I had at least pretended to hesitate for a few days, or even a few hours, I would have rushed in and imposed sanctions immediately…”
Without even considering such hesitation, since I abruptly undressed them, Nis had no opportunity to intervene from his perspective.
It was so realistic that I couldn’t help but accept it.
It was all made out to be nothing since it was too late to take action regarding my behavior.
Unaware of that fact, the three of them thought they were abandoned, thinking there was no surveillance, and did all sorts of things, which was like walking a tightrope blindfolded.
“Uh…”
Goosebumps covered me.
If I had hesitated even a little, I might have been caught by Niece, causing my body to involuntarily tremble at the thought.
In stark contrast to me, Niece, with a relieved expression, said to me with a faint smile.
“Well, thanks to me covering up, everything worked out well, didn’t it? Miss Stay managed to treat the three patients remarkably well, and I achieved the feat of assigning such a Miss Stay as a caregiver. They say you never know how life will turn out. Thanks to that, I got promoted. Thank you, Miss Stay.”
Niece sincerely smiled, extending her hand to me.
Though it was a handshake I didn’t receive earlier, now that I knew everything, I could accept it, so I shook her hand with arms trembling to calm my goosebumps.
“I’m thankful too. For covering for me.”
And I expressed sincere gratitude.
For whatever reason, because Niece covered up my actions and pretended not to know, I was able to successfully complete the treatment of the three individuals, allowing me to repay a debt that I could never have easily repaid with my abilities.
So, this expression of gratitude contained only sincerity.
“It turned out well for both of us.”
“Yes… That’s right.”
“…”
“…”
Hmm… Why do I suddenly have nothing to say?
Since we weren’t close friends and our interaction was merely a brief touch on the face, an awkward silence engulfed us when words failed to come out.
Honestly, I was grateful, and since I wasn’t someone who wanted to continue the relationship, I had nothing more to say. So, I gently withdrew my hand from hers to dispel the awkwardness.
“Well then, I should go back to the ward now. I have something to get from Miss May Lina…”
As I was about to leave naturally with the box, Niece, as if she had forgotten something, exclaimed softly, “Oh!” and told me,
“Actually, you don’t need to go back to the ward now. Miss Stay’s debt has already been settled.”
“What?”
“The contract Miss Stay made with Miss May Lina was to receive compensation equivalent to the debt, right? However, as soon as the consciousness of the three individuals was detected, our central information department settled the debt, so the compensation became 0. So, there’s no need for you to go.”
The debt… is gone? I’m no longer a debtor?!
What I had only dreamed of had become a reality. And in a completely unexpected, unbelievable way.
Feeling incredulous, my eyes widened, but Niece, misinterpreting my reaction, looked at me emotionlessly and said,
“We’ve also handled Miss Stay’s severance pay well and deposited it into her account, so you don’t need to worry about anything you’re owed anymore. So, please go ahead, Miss Stay. Your role here is finished.”
Even in a situation like this, Niece was blatantly trying to discard me as someone of no further use.
A situation that was a complete turnaround.
In this situation, I…
This is amazing! Niece, are you an angel or what the heck~~~!!
Once again, I felt an indescribable level of gratitude towards Niece.
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