My Demons

Chapter 20

Today, I found myself unable to venture into the sewer.

It wasnt due to pirate or bandit attacks, nor did security guards close off the entrance.

The sewer wasnt flooded from the rain, and there were no reports of terrifying monsters lurking about.

So, what prevented me from going down there?

I turned to Ellen, who lay beneath a blanket, suppressing sighs, curses, and occasional chuckles.

Are you alright?

Do I look alright?

No.

She hesitated to speak, perhaps annoyed, as she closed her already half-closed eyes and turned away.

I wanted to say something, to give her a comforting word

But I held back. Its true that it hurts even more when you bother someone whos already in pain.

Indeed.

Our useless human, the skill-less nerd, the wandless wizard.

She was confined to her bed due to an illness.

Well, its a familiar tale. Its not uncommon to suffer and end up lying in a hospital bed while traveling in a foreign city.

Being stabbed by a window, trampled by a runaway horse, breaking or losing the artifact given by the master, struggling mentally due to her own helplessness, and losing money

No, its not just the ordinary suffering of losing all the possessions according to fair standards, meditating for a few days without proper sleep.

Come to think of it, considering her inability to use skills, it seems her stats werent allocated properly either.

In that case, her current health score is just a perfect 10, neither more nor less than that of an average person.

Considering Ellens age as well, well, its natural for her to fall ill.

Sigh.

I dipped a cloth into the cold water from the bucket. Then, I removed the cloth that had been resting on her forehead and replaced it with a fresh one.

Hmm

Is it cold?

No. It feels refreshing

While it appeared to be a common illness, we couldnt be certain since she hadnt seen a doctor.

There are no genuine professionals in this world who can be called doctors, so we have no other choice.

They say theres a doctor residing in the capital, but from what Ive heard, hes more like a surgeon.

Instead, Grania, the innkeeper, and Daria all claimed to have caught the same illness.

And notably, Sister Olga, a priestess of Grania, mentioned she had the same ailment. She assured us that a day of rest would bring improvement Well, I have to trust her.

My brief contemplation was interrupted by Ellens moans.

Ugh

Why? Where does it hurt?

My arm. My arm hurts.

Where?

I wondered if her sudden illness was a result of the new crossbow she had acquired.

Its the only thing she can do, being a useless human incapable of much else. The tension that had been tightly wound must have been released a bit.

And now her arm is strained from eagerly pulling the crossbow.

Its pathetic, but also incredibly pitiful.

Nevertheless, I massaged her right arm without uttering a word. She blinked in surprise and furrowed her brow.

What are you doing? Stop it.

Quit complaining and go to sleep.

As I tended to her in this manner, memories from my military days suddenly flooded my mind.

Back when I was promoted to Private, I caught a bout of the flu.

After a week of intense field training and a grueling march, I fell ill the following day, which seemed terribly unfair.

On that painful Saturday, it was Corporal Moon, our squad leader, who took care of me.

Corporal Moon stayed by my side throughout the day, checking my temperature, airing out the room, and even applying an ice pack. He even spoon-fed me mouthfuls of rice porridge.

But when I couldnt eat it, he went to the PX to fetch a microwave and heated it up for me.

Even when my fellow soldiers volunteered to help, he insisted on doing everything himself.

I can still vividly recall the taste of the hot egg and vegetable porridge I had that day.

I suppose I wont forget it until the day I die.

Im fine now.

Oh, okay.

I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts and moved to the other side of the bed, starting to massage her left arm.

Truth be told, while I tended to Ellen, I had some unkind thoughts.

Even after recovering from the illness, for a while, I believed I would willingly sacrifice my own life for someone like Squad Leader Moon.

So now

If I care for her this much, would she possibly take my place and die if I were in danger? That thought crossed my mind.

Im referring to a young girl who is perhaps three years older than my niece.

You you despicable person.

What?

Oh, nothing. Are you hungry?

Im fine.

Ellen half-opened her eyes and glanced up at me.

I quickly averted my gaze, afraid that my wicked thoughts would be laid bare.

As I fidgeted with a lost gaze, Ellen suddenly spoke up.

Why are you going to such lengths?

Um

Why are you doing all this for me?

In response to her sudden question, I forced a casual expression. My lips trembled slightly, but hopefully, she didnt notice, right?

What are you talking about? Were comrades.

But we havent even known each other for ten days.

What does that matter? We owe each other our lives.

Weve saved each other at least once, so what about the remaining debt?

Is it because shes in pain? Her voice sounded more subdued than usual.

Dont say strange things and go to sleep. Its not a good look in a foreign city.

Do you think Im some noble lady and trying to extort money?

What?

What nonsense is she saying?

As I wore an incredulous expression, she turned her head to the other side and muttered quietly.

If you think you can gain money by indebting yourself to a young lady from a noble family Im sorry, but Im not that person.

Hey, what are you saying?

Even if you stand by my side, its futile.

Hey, I

I wanted to get angry, but I couldnt. The anger was stifled by a cowardly thought that had crossed my mind just moments ago.

The reason I cared for Ellen was because I expected her to become a powerful wizard, like in the game. That fact paralyzed my tongue.

The reason I tolerated her irritable behavior was because she reminded me of my niece. My lips remained sealed.

I have no home, no family, no money. The person who raised me died because of me.

Ive studied for ten years and I cant even use magic. Im just useless, as you say

Ellen couldnt finish her sentence and tightly shut her mouth.

Though she turned her head away, I was still looking at her, so her pained expression was clearly visible.

Usually, I would tease her with a smirk on my twisted face, but now, I couldnt bring myself to say anything.

Even at the age of thirty, I couldnt console a child. Perhaps its because Im still a child at heart myself.

Silently, I continued massaging Ellens arm.

After Ellen cried herself to sleep, about two hours had passed when Sister Olga returned.

Sister Olga, in her early thirties, had a calm and gentle demeanor befitting a priestess.

She apologized with a remorseful expression.

What should we do? Its difficult to acquire medicine with the city under lockdown.

Well theres nothing we can do.

I feel helpless. How can I be of assistance?

No, Sister, Im grateful for your help.

Sister Olga belonged to the Elganoa Sect within Middle Worlds major religion called Radiantism. Within Radiantism, the Elganoa Sect held significant influence. Sister Olga had joined the pilgrimage to the holy land with Grania Fegeri. I believe she was originally from a monastery near Granias former residence.

In any case, as a clergywoman, Sister Olga was expected to wield divine magic, but her proficiency wasnt particularly high. She could only perform basic healing and detoxification. Even so, it was quite impressive, and she was also skilled in dual-wielding swords.

She had learned swordsmanship at the monastery I wonder what kind of monastery teaches assassination techniques?

After sharing my thoughts, I hesitated for a moment, then took out a few coins from my pocket.

If it wouldnt be too impolite, may I offer a small donation? I asked politely, and Sister Olga initially appeared surprised but soon smiled warmly.

Well, I appreciate your generosity. May the Lights blessing be with you.

And may the Lights blessing be with you as well, Sister.

I bowed my head, following the customary greeting of Radiantism, placing my hands on my chest and lips. I made a mental note to remember this gesture.

Id like to make a quick stop at a general store I know. Can I entrust Ellen to you?

Of course. I was planning to rest in the room anyway.

Thank you, then.

Returning to the room, I equipped myself with my weapons. Given the gloomy atmosphere, no one would question why I carried weapons when going to a general store. It was more of a necessity than a choice.

After a brief inspection of my body once I had put on all the equipment over my regular clothes, I felt well-prepared despite having spent most of my money on the gear.

From the knee-high leather boots to the long leather gloves, a woolen hat, a rounded iron helmet, and a chainmail vest made of connected iron plates, each item was of considerable quality. Money had become scarce after selling the pirate equipment I looted from the seashore battle, but it was worth every coin.

Especially the leather boots and gloves, which were quite expensive. A pair cost eight silver coins. However, they were sturdy and comfortable to wear, so I had no complaints.

Next, I fastened my belt and attached the pugio and buckler.

As for the round shield it seemed too cumbersome to bring along.

But ah, lets take it anyway. Who knows what might happen?

Carrying the round shield on my shoulder, I descended to the first floor, where Daria approached me from the bar.

Oh! What about Ellen?

Sister Olga is taking care of her for a while.

I see. Where are you going?

To get some medicine. I thought about visiting Olegs general store.

At my words, Darias eyes widened, and she clapped her hands.

To the general store? Then youll pass by the trading post! Thats great!

Huh? Whats great about it?

Do you know theres a grain warehouse in front of the trading post?

I didnt know. Was there such a thing?

There, as per the Lords orders, they distributed wheat to the residents.

The Lord?

Come to think of it, the Lord of South Harbor in the game was a bit foolish, but he seemed like a decent person.

Distributing wheat, huh? Seems like an attempt to appease public sentiment.

Well, it doesnt concern me anyway. Theyre only distributing it to the residents, I remarked.

Well, thats true, but Can you give me a ride on the way? Daria flashed a charming smile and shrugged her shoulders.

With the movement of her shoulders, I noticed something solid beneath them trembling. Due to having my hands gathered and raised on the table, the three-dimensionality became more apparent.

During a conversation, its customary to maintain eye contact, but inexplicably, my gaze kept dropping.

You want to go with me?

Yeah. Its a bit dangerous to wander around alone these days because the city is gloomy.

With her vibrant red hair, flawless skin, and curvaceous figure with sudden contours If she just dyed her hair blonde, she could easily fit the role of the queen bee in an American teen drama.

Well, yeah, you could be in big trouble.

Huh? What did you say?

Oops, I unintentionally voiced my thoughts

Oh, no, I mean Its a big deal that the city is gloomy.

Hmm?

I made an effort to raise my gaze and met Darias sparkling emerald eyes.

Her eyes are green. I only noticed that now because my attention was elsewhere.

Yeah, lets go together then.

Really? Thanks!

Daria smiled widely, tossed her apron aside, and hopped off the counter.

Are we going like this? Well, there are hardly any customers, so it doesnt matter.

Dont you need to prepare?

No. Lets go right away!

With that, Daria and I began walking. But from behind the bar, a drowsy-eyed boy appeared.

The young assistant chef looked puzzled as he saw Daria about to leave the inn and asked with an innocent expression.

Daria, where are you going?

To receive the distribution!

Distribution? Arent you supposed to go later to receive it from the owner?

Ill be back! Can you take care of the bar for a bit?

Daria urgently shouted and pulled my arm, then headed for the door.

Once we were out on the street, it seemed like she noticed my gaze, and Daria blushed slightly and bit her lip.

Can you not say anything?

I gave her a foolish smile and nodded my head.

What What is this?

Suddenly, it felt like something pink that had been sleeping inside my chest raised its head.