The Night Without a Healer (1)

Ethan and I, who had almost crossed the line on the bed, hastily composed ourselves and came downstairs.

Perhaps because of the earlier atmosphere, both Ethan and I entered the changing room with slightly flushed faces. The manager, as if encouraging this mood, nonchalantly pushed us into the same changing room.

‘As mentioned earlier, please place the clothes you’re wearing in this basket. I will wash, spin-dry, and have them ready in your rooms by tomorrow morning.’

“Ah, is there only one bathroom here…?”

‘Have a pleasant time, Prince Ethan, Miss Lilith.’

-Creak.

“……”

“……”

…Well, it would be ridiculous to ask for two bathtubs just because the atmosphere was awkward when we’re already indebted to them.

In this slightly strange atmosphere, Ethan and I began preparing for our bath by slowly undressing.

-Thump.

‘Calm down, calm down. This isn’t the first time I’ve been in the same bathroom with Ethan.’

-Thump, thump.

‘Strictly speaking, we’ve only done something in the bathroom once, and most of the time, it was just entering together or washing each other…’

While desperately trying to calm my pounding heart, Ethan and I removed our clothes layer by layer.

The only consolation was that I wasn’t the only one reacting so sensitively-Ethan seemed to be feeling similar emotions.

With that thought in mind, we quietly placed our clothes in the basket and entered the bathroom, sitting across from each other and pouring warm water from the tub over our bodies with ladles.

-Splash.

“……”

“……”

-Splash, splash.

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere was so tense it felt suffocating.

Though we were facing each other’s naked bodies, neither of us had any intention of doing anything indecent.

The purpose of the therapeutic act to relieve Ethan’s stress had already been fulfilled, and as Ethan had said, this was technically class time for Necromancy Research.

Though we naturally ended up in the same bathroom following the manager’s guidance, we definitely didn’t enter with any ulterior motives.

-Glance.

“……”

-Peek, peek.

“……”

Still, no matter how much we tried to suppress those feelings, both Ethan and I couldn’t help but sneak glances at each other’s bodies.

It was inevitable for my gaze to linger on Ethan’s body, and I could feel his eyes on me too-he was probably feeling the same way.

“…!”

“…!!”

-Flustered.

Occasionally, when our eyes met, we’d hurriedly look away, repeating this awkward dance.

‘Seeing this, it’s clear that Ethan when he’s doing indecent things and Ethan when he’s not are almost like two different people.’

Innocent or sly-I liked both, so it didn’t really matter.

After hastily finishing our bath, unsure where to look, Ethan and I soaked in the tub for a while, thinking of the manager who had kindly prepared the water for us.

By the time we returned from the bath, which had left us flushed in more ways than one, the manager had already moved the blankets we would use into the room.

‘As I mentioned earlier, changing the bedsheets and blankets daily is part of my routine. No matter how cleanly you use them, I will wash them every day, so please feel free to use them without hesitation, Prince Ethan and Miss Lilith.’

“…Ah, okay…”

“…Understood, so you don’t need to emphasize that part anymore.”

The villa’s manager had a way of making us more conscious by telling us not to be.

Come to think of it, I realized I couldn’t keep calling them “Manager” forever, so I thought I’d take this opportunity to ask for their proper name.

“By the way, Manager, what’s your name?”

‘As a managerial intellectual spirit created by Professor Mamari, I don’t have a designated name.’

“Then is there any name or title we can call you by? It feels a bit awkward to keep calling you ‘Manager.'”

‘My official designation, as given by Professor Mamari, is “Villa Management-Type Intellectual Spirit No. 4.”‘

“That seems a bit long to use as a name…”

‘Then you may call me Dina for short.’

“…Understood, Dina-nim.”

‘Yes, Miss Lilith.’

It had nothing to do with an abbreviation, but I didn’t point that out.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

“Lilith, incoming from above!”

“Confirmed, Young Master Ethan!”

The next day in Necromancy Research class.

Ethan and I were once again engaged in a fierce battle against an undead-type boss monster that had appeared.

A Jiangshi zombie-a Poison Blood Zombie-with a body hardened like solid ice.

Its body was frustratingly tough, magic attacks barely worked, and it could even use poison-based attacks, making it a troublesome opponent without proper preparation.

Ethan and I had surrounded the dangerous monster from front and back, exchanging attacks-a relatively relaxed approach for a boss fight.

‘As long as you prepare properly, it’s not that difficult.’

The reason the Poison Blood Zombie’s body could be as hard as ice was due to the poisonous blood flowing through it.

Conversely, temporarily purifying that poisonous blood could soften the corpse enough for a sword to pierce through.

-Thud!

‘Ghkhehk!’

The Poison Blood Zombie let out a pained scream as my third dagger, thrown using the Dagger Throw skill, struck it.

It was a dagger I had kept close to my body, imbued with ‘Healing Aura’ and an additional ‘Clean’ effect, so its purifying power wasn’t something to scoff at.

Of course, this level of purification wouldn’t kill the Poison Blood Zombie, but my role was strictly support. The final blow would be Ethan’s job.

“This is the end, Young Master Ethan!”

“Huaaaaah…!!”

At my signal, Ethan lunged forward with a battle cry and delivered the final strike.

With a single precise slash, Ethan’s sword, infused with energy and mana, cleanly bisected the monster at the waist.

-Slash!

‘Ghkhehk…!!’

“Now, Young Master Ethan!”

As soon as I confirmed the monster’s body had split into upper and lower halves, Ethan and I threw the Sealing Magic Stones we had prepared.

In its weakened state just before regeneration, the Poison Blood Zombie was sealed into the stones, divided equally between us, just like the Giant Skeleton before.

‘Poison Blood Zombie, you’re mine now!’

…I couldn’t resist saying it out loud as I held the magic stone. The mechanic of sealing monsters by throwing stones was just too similar to an anime I’d seen in my past life.

Well, given that 『Luminor Academy』 was such a massive game, it was inevitable that some events would include parodies or homages.

With this, we had safely completed the second assignment, so I felt a sense of relief after the grueling battle.

『Lilith has reached Level 34!』

…Still, facing boss monsters frequently does speed up leveling, which is nice.

The Poison Blood Zombie required Lilith or Celista in the party as a mandatory condition, making it a tough opponent without the standard team composition. However, with Celista or Lilith present, the difficulty dropped exponentially.

Of course, even considering that, this was originally an 8-player Hero Party raid that Ethan and I had reduced to just the two of us, so some struggle was unavoidable.

Still, it was a hard-earned victory, with Ethan making full use of the opportunities created by my three daggers imbued with Healing Aura and Clean effects.

“Whew. At least today ended quickly, Lilith.”

“Yes. It’s fortunate we didn’t struggle as much as yesterday, Young Master Ethan.”

“We can rest properly today. Even though we have to move at night for class, sleeping during the day isn’t great for managing our condition.”

“I agree, Young Master Ethan.”

If possible, we needed to get as much sleep as we could while the sun was down to recover properly.

Ethan aside, I had become a morning person after years of maid work, so I wasn’t used to sleeping during the day either.

“First, let’s ask Dina to prepare a meal as soon as we get back. If we eat lightly and take our time bathing before going to bed, we should be able to rest until tomorrow afternoo-ugh.”

“Young Master Ethan?!”

Mid-sentence, Ethan suddenly groaned and clutched his arm.

Startled by his reaction, I quickly moved closer and placed my palm on his left shoulder, where he was holding.

“Young Master Ethan, are you alright?!”

“I’m fine, Lilith. It’s nothing serious.”

“That didn’t sound like ‘nothing,’ Young Master Ethan. Please be honest.”

“…My left shoulder muscle feels a bit sore. Maybe because I was gripping and moving the sword differently than usual…”

“……”

Normally, Ethan wielded dual swords, one in each hand, but in yesterday’s and today’s battles, he had used both hands for the final strike.

It was disheartening to see him injured in the shoulder-a swordsman’s lifeline-so my mood soured as well.

‘If Celista were in the same class, she could heal him immediately…’

Unfortunately, Celista had left with that bastard Gyeotmwa for another exploration class.

To make matters worse, there were no churches or clinics nearby, leaving us with few options for immediate treatment.

‘A Wound Recovery Potion won’t heal torn shoulder muscles, and bandages and splints would take too long…’

With tomorrow’s final assignment still ahead, we needed him to recover by tonight, but the methods to treat Ethan’s shoulder were limited.

Worried on multiple fronts, Ethan and I quickly made our way back to the lodge.