Otherworld Hospital (2)

"Huh? Oh.. it didn't make it," the guy fidgeted with his hands.

"Something happened.. didn't it.." I knew they probably didn't recognize me as I was hidden away during the entirety of the conversion in the dream.

"Hm? Yeah.." his tone of voice was heavy.

"Alright.. Where should we meet after this?" the girl asked.

"How about now.. ouch!" the guy was kicked again.

"You and your pickup lines.."

"What pickup lines?!"

"Will search for you again later, Rin-san, let's go." Prune said and turned around.

I nodded.

"Huh? You're going to.."

"We'll go search for you again later, I have something I need to do now. We can find you with our skills, so give us some time," Prune-san and I returned to the church. The place was bustling, even more so as the day dragged on to the later morning.

The recordkeeper was nowhere to be found.

Prune-san went to the next staff in-charge. This time, it was a female staff.

"It says here the visitors have not left, it's been quite a while. Hm.. I'll bring you to her room, please follow me."

"Much appreciated," Prune-san thanked.

We were led through the crowd– towards a corridor that led to the further back– the light forming nets of shadows on the floor as the morning soon poured through the glasswork windows.

This place was larger than I thought. It seemed almost magical.

There were various rooms where the diseased were tended to by the church members here.

"Tie him down!"

"GUaH!!!"

One adventurer which I saw on a wheeled stretcher went into a rampage, blue veins popping on his arms.. I think this was the effect of demon blood. Fluids of certain demons can cause people to go berserk. I was curious what had happened.. but hadn't had the time to care as we proceeded forward.

"Excuse me, there's a visitor that would like to see the patient named Nataline-san," the female staff called out to a sister.

"Oh, what a surprise. It seems she has quite the handful of acquaintances?"

"Are there still other visitors in?"

"No, they left."

"Fuuny, they didn't update this. I'll go tick it off later."

"Please, the more the merrier. Be careful to keep your noise down and be considerate to the other patients," the sister said to Prune and I with a cheerful smile.

I nodded.

"Yes," Prune-san said, "Thank you."

The sister led us into the room– it was a spacious place, but numerous beds, clergyman, runners and healers were running about. Screams and groans echoed behind closed partitioned spaces– childbirth was a painful process I heard..

Mother's holding their newly born child.. they were small creatures, skin was flushing red, as if burning. Was that also how my future child would look like the moment they were born? I.. didn't know that.

"Nataline, how are you," the sister greeted.

"Hm?"

Nataline-san was curled up in one of the beds placed close to a large pillar. Something I hadn't mentioned was that statue of the Goddess of Love at the topmost arch of the entrance. There was also a sundial in the centre of the room, and it was projected to a part of the wall to show the time with the help of crystals and some complex circuit magic tool.

"Are you feeling alright?" the sister checked the glass cup to the side, took note of something and wrote it on a booklet on the small wheeled table on the side.

"I'm alright.. just sleepy," with a blanket overhead, she replied.

"Does your abdomen still hurt?"

"Yes.. slightly.. four."

"I see. It's gone down a little."

"Urn.." she sounded hurt somehow.

The sister gestured with her head, signalling to us that this was the chance to talk to her.

"Nataline-san," Prune called out.

"Hm?" she shifted the blanket just enough to allow her to peek.

"I'm here Nataline-san. I was just told today that it happened.. sorry, I'm late."

"Prune-san.." her voice was trembling in sorrow.

"Are you alright?"

"No.. I'm not alright.. I hate it.. why does it have to be me.." her words choked in tears.

The sister pulled over two chairs for us.

"Thank you."

"If you need anything, feel free to call any nearby church staff alright?"

"Will do. Thank you," I replied.

"See.. it's gone now.. but.." Nataline-san said, Prune's hand tightly held onto her hand– her only hand. "I thought I could return.. but those bastards just kicked me.. "

"Kick?"

"You don't know? It's when a party thinks you're a dead weight. Because of my absence, they had to find a replacement and they found a person better than me. And now they're promoted to a B-rank party... we've been together for so long.. and they just replaced me like that.." tears couldn't stop pouring from her eyes.

The world was cruel.

"We made a promise.. that I'll return to the party when I recover.."

The world was unfair.

"Now I don't know what to do.. I can't keep staying in the orphanage forever.. I don't know how long I'll be here before being discharged.. I don't want to think. Ugh.." she wept..

Prune took a tissue from empty space and wiped Nataline-san's face with it.

"Thank you.." she said with a lisp.

"I'm sorry," Prune said, sorrowful.

In this sort of situation.. what was the best thing to do? Ah yes, I have that. A perfect item to help bring out and release all the dark emotions within the heart.

"Nataline-san.. is there anything you cannot eat?"

"Anything.. no?"

"Can you sit up?"

"I can try.."

Prune operated the weird panel and a green light appeared and wrapped around Nataline-san– a blank expression appeared on her face, her fingers twitched. Nobody seemed to pay attention to what was happening.

"Uh.. huh? The pain is gone.. " was what she said when she came to a few seconds after that– the light subsided.

"I thought it could work since.. it's light regenerative magic applied many times over.. you feel better?"

"It doesn't hurt.. you didn't tell me you were a mage, Prune.. and a healer at that?!"

"No. I'm just using a special skill from someone else.. I can't use magic, really."

"Then.."

"You can eat right? Here.." I tried to use that weird UI menu.. and I remembered Noel-sama giving some of this– ice cream sandwich. sharing one when I have seven for myself is alright.. I suppose..

"What's this?"

"An ice-cream sandwich," I took the two flaps on the side and pulled it open. Voila– the perfect opening, just right for preventing the fingers from being stained.

"Noel gave you that?"

I nodded to Prune's question.

Nataline-san received my gift and bit into it..

"It's sweet.. where did you get this?"

"From Noel," I said.

"Weird taste.. it's really amazing.. it tastes like Coco, but it's soft and sweet.. " her eyes sparkled like never before.

See. I knew it'd do the trick.. it can't possibly be that.. even Prune-san wants one.. ugh.. stop staring.. I'm not giving!

===

"So you're the one pulling the string here?"

"No. There's no one pulling the strings here. Even the creator of the world would doubt such a question." I wasn't lying, such was the truth if Noel were here.

I knew that there was a need for some clarification to be done so I took this chance to speak with Sid-san, Margrett-san's husband, a conversation between the two of us.

We were in the kitchen, Margrett-san working outside. She understood what we were up to so sought not to involve herself. I'm sure Miss Margrett had given her husband preliminary explanations. It was necessary that I complete the picture.

"If you have any questions, by all means. I will do my utmost to answer them."

In front of us were two cups of tea which I had taken pained efforts to brew. These weren't the simple instant tea packaging that I preferred due to its convenience, it was the kind that required me to roast the grains myself– and then strain it over low heat for minutes..

Buckwheat tea. One of my favorites. I hoped it would suit his taste.

"First. Previously I heard my wife mention that you were Irregulars. Can you explain on that?"

"It's much easier if you were to experience it yourself. This is the effect which I could bring into effect with the combination of Nine and Noel's Unique skill. Please have a feel of the effects though your own body, it'll be temporary please understand," I lowered his STG status to 1.

He noticed the change and tried to move his arms.

"It's stiff."

"What I've done is reduce your strength status to a low value."

He was silent. I returned his status value to normal.

"Asides that, the Unique Skills have the capability of stealing, and removing skills from others," yes, I was purposefully saying this to one, stop any form of hostility due to his perceived notion of our weakness, and two, to say that we can be trusted as we hadn't done any harm to his family.

"You're not.. bribing us are you?"

"It's the other way around," If I remembered the story correctly.

"Yeah. I think I heard that from Margrett. So how did you end up here? You, including the other four, are irregulars?"

"Rina-san is not an irregular, she's a special case. As for how we were brought to this world– is what you wish to know?"

"If possible."

"It happened on a whim."

"By that you mean?"

"Isn't that how these events happen? Of course, I was the trigger of this, but our arrival to this world came as a surprise."

"I still have trouble believing that you're Irregulars. There's never been a case where Irregulars have hair other than black, unless it's that special case where a noble's soul was swapped with one from the hero's world."

"I acknowledge your suspicions. I was after all, born from this world– by chance, brought over to the modern world, and now have returned."

"From.. this world? That creates even more convolution.." he took a sip of the tea, a surprised expression on his face– success. He looked at the tea twice.

"How is it? This is something from the modern world.. yes. I have to clarify one thing. We came not from the heroes' world, but a world similar to that. Thus I will draw a line between our relations with the heroes."

"No surprise there. If the gods can send people over from other worlds, it's very possible for someone from another world similar to our own to come in the future cycles. Just a thought process."

I took a sip from my cup.

"Sid-san. We don't intend to stay here forever. There's a point in time that will return to the other world. Until then, I want to express my gratitude for allowing our stay," I lowered my head.

"As long as she's safe, I have no problems," He said nonchalantly. He looked out the window, "Spring is coming.. Jenn-chan is graduating."

"Yes."

"You're acting as her supervisor, correct? When she comes of age, she'll start taking her dream more seriously. I'm concerned for her safety, but a warrior must face the tribulations of life through their own efforts."

I noticed the numerous scars on his body– some barely noticeable ones on his face. The large slash wound that had now recovered, stretching from his neck down.

"How did you meet Miss Margrett?"

"What kind of question.. well. Let's see now," he was caught off guard.

"I heard you met as adventurers?"

"Yes. Something like that. We were from different parties actually. She grew up from a village far in the east, south-west of Korroko Kingdom. As for myself, I was from a family of merchant houses in Korroko Kingdom. I actually escaped so that I could become an adventurer, my family wasn't in favor of it. But I don't regret it, those first few months were an absolute nightmare though," he laughed.

I took a sup from my cup– the warm roast taste spread through my mouth.

"And then I got help from her, somehow. She was one of the better sharpshooters in the guild you know? C-rank. We got to know each other by chance. Our parties would bump into each other so often. It was fate, probably."

I felt Margrett-san's presence close to the door– she was listening in to our conversation.

"Then somehow, I was recruited by a noble to do some bidding– ended up as their guard and then made my way up. Years later, I found myself a knight for Erudite Kingdom. Even then, I couldn't stop remembering her so.. during a break, I returned to Korroko kingdom to find her. It wasn't that difficult, we had a communication talisman that we gave each other. And I proposed to her and that's how we got together," he said, reminiscing.

I nodded, "Quite an interesting story."

"There's a lot of details I missed in between, like how her village almost lost everything to a large bandit hunt. Or that time she saved me when I was just about to be killed by a Giga Wombat. Or that time she and I kept exchanging letters. It's so easy to misunderstand if you can't meet the person face to face, you know? I thought she fell in love with someone else," Sid chuckled.

"And how did she end up becoming a florist?"

"Ah, that decision came about from my passion for garden plants and the connections I had with various nobles."

"Eh?"

"Fufu.. I heard that dear."

"Oh.." Sid-san placed his hand behind his head and turned away.

I smiled wryly at that scene.

"He was so jealous in the past. He would indirectly hint at me not to receive any invitations from the nobles. That was before marriage of course."

"I see.. do you regret it?"

"Regret it?"

"How could I? I was able to marry the girl of my life."

"Oh dear.. you're saying some embarrassing things in front of our guests again."

"It's true!"

They don't.. regret it seems? Or was it that the reality of love was different? Their love looked like it was free from conflict, one could say it was perfect even. Though, having read so many novels, I realized that it was all but a false reality. Was it false? Love couldn't be so perfect can it? To be apart for months at a time yet be able to stay so connected..

I was confused.

Why was there a dissonance? Love couldn't be so simple right? Or.. was I overcomplicating things? Every love is different, same said for my relationship with Noel.

"Sid-san, Miss Margrett. Thank you.. for showing me."

"Being all enigmatic again. I have some trouble understanding what you're trying to say at times you know?" Sid-san sighed..

"She's from an upper class upbringing after all."

"Oh? So from which house?"

I smiled.

I suppose my debut would be soon.

"The Fourth Princess of Toren Kingdom."

What would my parents think? About me.. my disappearance, my return.. about Noel..

Our meeting would be soon, wouldn't it?

Kyoshi-niisan.