80

"…The young lady has vomited blood."

"What…?!"

At the news, like thunder from a clear sky, my heart began to race wildly.

"She was having breakfast this morning, and then… it just happened…"

"Damn it!"

Cursing under my breath, I rushed to Hera's room.

By the time I arrived, I opened her door, and there she was—her frail figure in full view.

Her lifeless eyes, devoid of any light, were fixed on the window, while her lips had turned pale and cracked.

Her body, already fragile, looked even more emaciated from the lack of proper meals, making her appear more sickly than ever.

Clear red handprints were imprinted on her neck. Could she have tried to take her own life again during the night?

She looked so close to death that it would have been no surprise if she were already a corpse.

But perversely, Hera's inherent beauty had not faded. In fact, it radiated an even more decadent and lustful aura than before, filling the room.

"…Hera…"

I called her name carefully.

She flinched at the unexpected voice, and then her large red eyes, like jewels, widened as she looked at me.

It had been a week since I had last seen her, and today, she seemed even more beautiful than before.

"…Get out."

The cold, almost icy voice that came from her beautiful face made my chest ache.

But I paid no mind and walked towards her.

"Hera, you've vomited blood—"

"Get out!! Leave this instant!!!!"

Hera screamed, throwing anything she could find around her.

But perhaps because of her kind nature, which didn't want to harm me,

everything that flew at me were only soft objects that couldn't hurt even if they hit.

I almost wished she had wanted me to get hurt.

If doing so could calm her anger, I would gladly cut out my own flesh and bones to offer them to Hera.

But she would never wish for that.

She was just too damn kind.

"Go away..! Go away now…!! H-huh… sob…"

Hera clutched her chest and started to cry.

But it seemed like there were no more tears left to shed, as only her red-rimmed eyes grew more bloodshot, and all that came from her were pitiful, heart-wrenching cries.

I…

"I'll go."

In the end, I couldn't offer any help.

With heavy steps, I returned to the office.

***

"Sigh…"

I ran both my hands over my face forcefully.

I had never been this anxious in my life, not even once.

What I thought would naturally resolve over time had turned out to be much more serious than I had anticipated.

Hera was dying.

It wasn't a metaphor—her life was truly flickering out like a candle.

It might seem obvious.

The only nutrients she had were the tranquilizers containing drugs made by Mari, along with water.

Her body, unable to sleep, grew weaker by the day.

"Hera… please…"

I had no idea what to do in this situation.

Things had changed.

Before, I wanted to love her again.

I wanted her to smile at me once more.

I wanted to share another sweet kiss with her.

But now…

She was desperately hoping for her health to return.

But damn it.

There was nothing she could do for her.

A few days ago, she had called a high-ranking priest from the temple.

But the goddess's power could only heal physical wounds—both external and internal. It couldn't address psychological issues, they said.

In the end, all she could do was ask Alina and Mari to take good care of her.

If Hera were to fall ill…

If, perhaps, she were to leave her side forever like this…

Bam—!

Slamming her fist onto the desk, it shattered into pieces, and the room shook.

She didn't even want to imagine it.

Never.

Never should such a thing happen.

A world without Hera…

A world without meaning.

***

For the past few days, her mother had been experiencing symptoms of seizures.

The intervals were unpredictable, but whenever a seizure occurred, her mother would clutch her chest and suffer in agony—just like now.

"Ha…hah…hheuk…"

"Mom..!"

Seeing her mother's ragged breath, she grew frantic and didn't know what to do.

"M…Mari…the…medicine…"

Her mother gasped for air, pleading with her.

"Ah…no…you just had some a moment ago…"

The special medicine she made.

A concoction of her mana and a flower called Pernian.

The flower stimulated part of the brain, calming the user's mind and offering some comfort.

Aside from being slightly addictive, it had no harmful effects on the body.

That's why she could give it to her mother. If it had even a single harmful ingredient, she would have thrown it away immediately.

Normally, the Pernian wouldn't help with symptoms as severe as her mother's.

But when mixed with her mana, its effects were greatly amplified.

Thanks to this, she was able to be of great help to her mother.

However, no matter how harmless it seemed, the addiction meant that it shouldn't be taken too often.

"Mari…please…"

Her mother grasped both of her hands and begged urgently. Through their joined hands, she could feel her mother's trembling body clearly.

"U…but…"

"Ugh…huh…aaah…!!!"

"Mom..!"

As her mother's body began to convulse from the seizure, she had no choice but to take out the medicine and place it in her mother's mouth.

Slowly, her mother's body started to calm down, and soon she collapsed onto the bed, closing her eyes and falling into a peaceful sleep.

She would likely wake up in about 30 minutes.

At that point, she would always wake up with a scream.

She wiped the sweat from her mother's face and covered her with a blanket, making sure she was as comfortable as possible.

Then, quietly, she lay down behind her mother so she wouldn't wake her.

"…Mom…"

Tears ran down her cheeks in fear.

Her mother's condition was worsening.

Though she continued to feed her mana, her mother's body wasn't accepting it.

It was as though she no longer wanted to live.

Isn't she really going to leave me like this?

I was scared.

I wouldn't have known if I hadn't met my mom.

But now that I've known her, I couldn't imagine living without my mom's warm love.

At that moment, when I was silently crying behind my sleeping mom.

The air in the room began to swirl.

The turbulent air seemed to be sucked into one spot.

Then, a small door-like thing appeared in the air.

And from it, a woman suddenly popped out.

"Hehe!! Here I am!"

A woman with pink hair and a pair of horns growing from her head.

It was the succubus who had tried to charm me before.

"Hera. I missed you… huh?"

The succubus who had appeared in an instant.

When she saw Hera's condition, her eyes began to shake violently.

"Hera…?"

.

….

How long has it been?

It wasn't a terrible nightmare, but a happy dream.

When I woke up in the morning, my sister Dania made me breakfast with a warm hug and a delightful aroma.

Seeing the happy look on her face as she watched me eat, a smile involuntarily appeared on my face.

We shared a hearty meal together and exchanged lighthearted conversations.

After a fulfilling breakfast, I went out with Lily to hunt monsters.

Lily, much stronger than before, had soon caught up with me in monster hunting. She came running to me with a proud smile and asked for praise.

I left a brief kiss on Lily's lips as a sign of praise. She smiled brightly and kissed me back.

She was truly a lovely girl.

At lunch, I read a book with Mari.

I don't really understand why she's studying so hard about taming beasts, but she proudly told me that she could now tame beasts perfectly.

I'm not sure if I should praise her for that, but increasing knowledge is always a good thing, so I patted Mari on the head and told her she did well.

Mari said she would make sure to tame them properly next time.

I probably imagined it, but did it feel like she was looking at me when she said that?

In the evening, I cooked with Alina.

We made dinner while chatting about all sorts of things.

Alina took a bite of my chicken, then looked surprised and admired it.

She said she had never eaten something so delicious and wanted to have it every day from now on. I felt a sense of pride.

Indeed, the power of fried chicken was incredible.

At night, I went to bed with Sepher.

For some reason, there was an uncomfortable feeling in the unfamiliar situation, but I quickly shook it off.

Sepher was explaining to me how amazing she was, one by one.

I found her so cute that I giggled and used her voice as a lullaby to fall asleep.

I was happy.

I felt so happy that I almost couldn't believe I was living with such amazing people.

But…

Something felt empty.

It took me some time to figure out what was missing.

Ah, I see.

She's not here.

The one who promised to be with me at every moment.

The one who taught me what love is.

The one I'm so grateful for.

Wasn't it said that when you speak of a tiger, it comes?

As I thought of her, a woman appeared with hair the same dazzling color as the sun floating in the sky.

I approached her, smiling brightly. She gently patted my head.

I wanted to look at her face, but the sun, too bright in the sky, shielded my eyes, making it impossible to see her face.

But that was okay.

She was surely smiling kindly at me.

It was time to slowly wake up from this dream.

Such a blissful dream always brings a sense of deprivation.

Still, just a little.

Just a little longer here wouldn't hurt, right?

After all, even if I woke up, all that would await me was unbearable pain.

So, I quietly closed my eyes, hoping this dream would last just a little longer.