Chapter :9 Nursing Care (2)

When I woke up, warm sunlight gently touched my eyes.

I rubbed my tired eyes and slowly turned my head towards the chair.

No one was there.

However, the chair was back in its original position, and a carefully prepared meal was placed on the desk.

…Also a fountain pen and paper.

I got up and slowly walked towards the food-filled bowl.

They kidnapped me.

Imprisoning me in this room, it must have been Erika’s… mistake.

Watching me at night, what were they trying to do?

…It was difficult to easily understand their intentions.

Considering that my body felt a little better, did they bring me here to heal me?

Is there another reason?

The sentence written on this paper, at least, indicated that they were approaching me with goodwill.

However, this sentence must have also implied that it wouldn’t be sent out of the room.

…I have no intention of leaving here anyway.

After all, this was a good opportunity to reunite with them, even if it was like this.

More than anything – I was worried about their injuries.

They were the ones who had been afflicted by the Demon King, holding unwanted hatred towards me.

You cannot hold a puppet responsible for the actions of its puppeteer.

I repeated that to myself again.

Warm steam, and the fragrant smell of delicious food wafting up.

Was it vegetable soup today?

Unable to resist my hunger, I slowly picked up the spoon.

…If I don’t eat, I probably won’t fall asleep.

I could already guess that they had put sleeping pills in the food.

After escaping death, had I ever truly slept well?

More than anything, I had no memory of finishing yesterday’s meal.

I was secretly disappointed that I hadn’t finished the freshly baked bread.

“Phew, phew,”

Seeing that I could think like this now, I felt quite welcoming of being embraced by them.

If it had been a few days ago, I would probably have been screaming.

But being forcibly dragged out of the forest,

Staying in a nice room, and being meticulously cared for by them, thinking objectively,

Aside from the forced aspect, I was almost ‘rescued’ by them.

A comfortable bed, good quality blankets.

The silence of the house, broken only by sounds from outside the window.

Whether they were deliberately not talking, or if they had soundproofing in mind.

…I felt a renewed sense of gratitude towards them.

For now, shall I eat the soup?

I’d rather not let the food get any colder.

“Slurp.”

As I put the spoon to my mouth, I tasted the wonderfully rich broth and fluffy potatoes.

Slurp, slurp.

I wouldn’t tolerate falling asleep without finishing this delicious soup.

I hastily shoveled the soup into my mouth, then meticulously wiped my messy lips and the desk with a handkerchief.

A comfort and satisfaction incomparable to meals in the forest.

Feeling the warm sensation embrace my stomach, I comfortably leaned back in the chair.

Soon, I felt sleepiness creeping in.

My eyelids grew heavy, and my vision began to blur slightly.

But I couldn’t fall asleep yet.

I quickly picked up the fountain pen and began to write my request on the paper.

“…This should be enough…”

Perhaps I should have written it first and then eaten the soup.

But – this should be fine.

This should allow me to get a little closer to them.

“Ngh.”

Woojin let out a small groan, and then collapsed onto the desk.

An unfinished sentence.

Foolishly, he had eaten the soup before writing the letter.

He was quite cute.

She carefully took the fountain pen from his relaxed hand and gently wiped off the ink.

Erika then carefully lifted his body.

He was still light.

She laid him down, gently smoothed out his messy blanket, and covered him again.

“…Good night.”

She stroked his hair once, then picked up the tidied dishes and quietly left the room.

Tonight, she would just give him the pills as he requested.

“Is he asleep?”

“Yes, you can go in now.”

“If the hero comes, will you give me a quiet heads-up?”

“Okay. I’ll be in the garden until then.”

“Yes, then…”

Sirke, bowing lightly, then disappeared into the room.

“Daeun, she’ll probably be back around evening…”

It was quite a distance from the city, their cabin.

Looking around at the well-growing vegetables, it was time to find spots for the new seeds.

And then, draw water from the well, boil water in advance…

And prepare dinner for all of them.

And, at night, she would be able to see his face again.

Thinking that, she felt a faint smile bloom on her face.

“Yes, now I can see him.”

A bucket in one hand, and a basket in the other.

Erika then left the house.

Meanwhile, Sirke was carefully looking over his body.

“He lost a lot of muscle.”

Where did his thick arms and legs go,

The source of his strength, which lifted many heavy loads, and the reason for his strong stamina.

Woojin, who had lost that, looked heartbreakingly emaciated.

His cheeks, now slightly less sunken, his face, a little more relaxed.

He was gradually improving with her care.

“First, from the joints of his body…”

The words of the Mother Superior seemed to echo in her ears once more.

First, let’s massage these thin arms.

She began diligently massaging each of his muscles with her small hands.

Tiny beads of sweat began to form on her face.

His quiet breathing, at first, began to grow a little rough.

Although his physique had shrunk considerably compared to before, he was still a strong man.

For the delicate saintess, simply massaging him was exhausting.

“Hoo-eeh, hoo-ah, hoo-ah…”

His body, massaged thoroughly, every corner.

“Now, if I wipe his body…”

Perhaps it was because her hands had been in contact with his body for too long.

His body was also soaked with sweat.

She needed to change his clothes and wipe him down with a damp towel, but…

Doing that alone was impossible for now.

“Should I really call Erika-nim…”

But he seemed to feel the heat, as he frowned in his sleep –

“As expected, I have to do it now.”

Her attitude changed abruptly, and she began to undress him.

She unbuttoned one by one.

His emaciated torso and arms were revealed.

She had expected it,

A moment ago, while touching him, she had somewhat anticipated it,

But seeing it with her own eyes was like a sharp dagger piercing her heart.

Holding back tears, she hastened her work.

Leaving his underwear on, she carefully folded his clothes and placed them aside. Then, Sirke went outside, struggling to bring back a towel and a bucket of water.

Then, she wet the towel with her own hands and began to wipe his body.

When a cool breeze blew, she smiled at the coolness.

As his complexion improved, her eyes grew softer.

His body, now clean.

Feeling a sense of pride, she began to dress him again.

After passing the shirt under his back, she put his arms into the sleeves.

And after buttoning each one,

She supported his back with her hand and put on his pants…

Only then did her nursing duties end.

“Phew… If the hero had been here, it would have been a bit easier.”

However, only Daeun could go to the city.

It was obvious that people would become suspicious if they even heard her voice, being a well-known figure.

The archer, wearing a hood and covering her ears, was already being tracked.

If word got out, the trackers would surely find this place.

On the other hand, the hero said that she could easily avoid suspicion by pretending to be a common knight from the frontier…

At least, unless the kingdom itself was looking for her, visiting the city wouldn’t be a big problem for her.

When I came to my senses, I found myself caressing his hair.

“…!”

I shouldn’t do this. I should leave now so he can rest comfortably.

I hastily put things away and quietly left the room.

Her hand still retained his warmth.

She pressed it to her cheek and softly closed her eyes.

“This warmth… I missed it…”

“I’m home—”

Clank, the sound of armor echoed.

It was evening, and the hero had returned after purchasing ingredients and daily necessities.

“Daeun, you worked hard.”

The archer, who had decided to use a more casual name, greeted the hero with a bright smile.

“You look much better. Woojin’s condition seems to have improved a lot.”

“Yes, both his body and mind seem to be getting better little by little.”

“That’s a relief… Saintess—Sirke?”

“She’s asleep. She said she had a really hard time massaging and wiping Woojin by herself.”

Sirke, deeply asleep, softly breathing.

It’s only natural that she would be exhausted after diligently caring for him with her delicate hands.

But after exerting herself, it’s time to eat something delicious and regain her strength.

“Shouldn’t you have dinner?”

“I was just about to wake her up.”

“Okay. I’ll go wake her. What’s for dinner?”

“Today, it’s well-roasted chicken.”

“Sounds delicious. I’ll go wake her up right away.”

“Then I’ll go set out the food.”

“…? Roasted chicken? What about the sleeping pills?”

“I was just about to tell you that.”

He handed Daeun the note he had written, and the hero asked for an explanation.

“What in the world is this?”

“I asked him to write down anything he wanted, and this is his direct reply.

I think… he wants to communicate through writing.”

“You’re…exchanging letters?”

“Yes.”

“…What did Sirke say?”

“She said it would be good to choose words carefully, since it’s not a direct meeting.”

“…”

Wearing her helmet, she didn’t open her mouth easily.

But her expression – though probably not visible…

It was as if she was about to cry at any moment.

“I’ll do it. Until when do I have to write?”

With a heavily suppressed voice, she continued the conversation.

She must have barely swallowed her tears.

Erika decided not to voice that thought.

“Shall we give it to him with breakfast tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’ll give it to him by tomorrow morning.”

“Alright. I’ll be right back.”

Erika then placed a large chicken thigh, mashed potatoes, and honey-glazed sauce into a bowl.

She placed the bowl on a platter already holding various items, and headed to the room.

Tap, tap.

She knocked, slightly opened the door, slipped the bowl and paper inside, and quickly closed the door.

…The hero watched her, holding her breath.

“He was… awake, right?”

“Yes.”

“He didn’t see us, right?”

“You only opened it a little. Yes.”

With a sigh of relief, Daeun finally sat down comfortably.

A succulent chicken leg was placed before her.

“Wow, that looks delicious… Are you sure I can have this?”

“There’s one more, so eat as much as you like.”

The two bowls she then brought out each contained another chicken leg.

“Oh, Sirke.”

The hero stopped her hand that was about to lift her helmet and then entered the room where Sirke was sleeping.

“Sirke, dinner’s ready.”

“Ugh… Ah, Hero.”

“Call me Daeun, Sirke.”

“Ehh… Habits are hard to break…”

“Chicken leg—”

“Chicken leg? Chicken leg!”

The drowsy child was gone, replaced by a girl whose eyes shone as she rushed into the living room.

“Honestly, she really loves it.”

With a small chuckle, Daeun headed to the well-prepared dinner table.

The three, without realizing it, were creating a bright atmosphere.

It was a stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere of a short while ago.

As always, the evening sunset illuminated them.

Sadness, pessimism, self-loathing.

If those were what the sunset had once reflected,

Now, peace, rest, and relief were finding their way to them.

A knock, and the door opening slightly.

Woojin briefly averted his unconscious gaze from the door.

Clink, thud.

The bowl was placed, and the door closed again.

Darkness was approaching outside.

A beautiful sunset. Clouds dyed red.

A landscape like a painting.

He felt deep gratitude that he could now comfortably view this, recalling memories.

“You’ve really improved a lot.”

His resentment, pain, and anger towards them,

They had disappeared,

Now, only happy memories with them remained.

The jokes and chatter from camping.

Stories about the path they had walked.

The sunset, retrieved them from the depths of his heart and showed them to him.

A greasy smell stimulated his nose.

“S-surely not.”

Its luscious appearance.

Its glistening sheen.

It was a chicken thigh, and a chicken leg from which the bone had been neatly removed.

“…Gulp.”

He carefully picked up the bowl, which contained various items besides food, and placed it on the desk.

Looking closely…

Utensils, a fountain pen and inkwell, lined stationery,

A bowl of water, a cup of water, a pill,

And a palm-sized piece of paper with a short magic spell written on it were neatly placed on the bowl.

Come to think of it, there was a candle next to the bed.

If it got any darker, he wouldn’t be able to see his surroundings.

Thump, thump, he brought the candle holder and shook the paper once –

Flicker,

And a flame gently ignited.

He carefully transferred the flame to the candle, and placed the burning paper in the bowl.

After confirming that the fire had died down, he shifted his gaze to the food.

“I will eat well.”

Dipping it well in the sauce, when he put the meat in his mouth…

“Haaah.”

A sigh of delight escaped him.

Come to think of it, was the first chicken Erika roasted a lump of charcoal?

He let out a small chuckle.

It was a meal filled with her sincerity.

He ate not only the chicken meat but also the mashed potatoes, chewing them thoroughly.

Thanks to the strongly flavored sweet sauce, he fortunately didn’t choke.

After filling his stomach well, he placed the cleaned bowl in front of the door.

And relying on the candlelight, he filled the fountain pen with ink…

And slowly began to write.

…

How much time had passed?

Now, it was a completely dark night.

The chirping of birds had long ceased, and the crickets began to fill the silence with their sounds.

Chirp, chirp.

He blew once on the letter.

The ink must be perfectly dry by now.

He folded it neatly and placed it carefully on the bowl.

And then, he slowly picked up the pill next to it,

“Gulp,”

And swallowed it whole with water in one go.

Carefully, he moved his body to the bed and lay down his heavy body.

His body hadn’t fully recovered yet; perhaps he had overexerted himself writing the letter.

With that thought, his consciousness faded.

“Swoosh…”

Quiet breathing filled the room.

It was a day when a peaceful night could finally come to him as well.