PMEVBO 37

“What?”

I forgot to breathe. Without realizing it, I’d stopped walking, creating distance between us.

Then Iser tightened his grip on my hand and turned to look back. The dazzling morning sunlight bathed his pink hair in a rose-gold glow.

“If you don’t want to read it, I can’t force you… but I’d still like you to read it for me, Lucariel.”

…He’d like me to read it for him?

Iser is the type with clear boundaries. He doesn’t pry into others’ affairs, but he also doesn’t easily reveal his own feelings. That’s why I’ve always thought Iser resembled a cat.

Not in appearance, but in personality. He couldn’t stand anyone trespassing into his territory. So he was the type who guarded his space by not prying into others’ affairs. That was the Iser I knew.

That’s why, during the time I spent with Iser, I was careful not to get too close and make him uncomfortable.

A boy like that… wants me to read this? Why…?

I had definitely felt he’d opened up to me a lot lately… but wasn’t this giving me access to something far too deep?

Even when he said he didn’t want to go to his sister, I’d secretly wondered if maybe he liked me more than I thought. …Could that be true?

My thoughts piled up, and my silence must have dragged on too long. Iser lowered his gaze and spoke again.

“You don’t want to read it…?”

I take back what I said about him not looking cat-like just now. Looking down at our clasped hands, I saw the face of a sulky cat. That sight triggered an automatic response like a spinal reflex.

“No. I don’t mind. I’ll read it.”

My speed and precise diction were so swift and accurate, it felt like I could expect a passing grade.

Iser lifted his gaze upon hearing my answer. Then, he looked at me with a warm, smiling gaze, gentle as spring sunshine. I felt a little dizzy, like when you’ve stared too long at a cloudless, azure sky.

That was when it happened.

0m 0s

A pure white light spilled out from the status window, enveloping both me and Iser.

The next moment, we were standing in my room within the annex of Hayut Castle.

“…How strange.”

Iser muttered, looking around the room. Somehow, Iser’s voice felt distant.

That was also when my vision began to blur.

What? Why is my body acting up all of a sudden……?

I immediately opened the character stats window. And then…….

HP: 8/100

Through my vision, darkening from the edges, I saw my HP was depleted.

This…… When did it get this low……?

I had ingested poison immediately upon possession and intuitively sensed my HP plummeting in real time. Because of that, whenever I felt slightly off, I compulsively checked my HP status. But except for the first day of possession, my HP had never dipped below around 100.

Even when I thought I might die from a trauma attack, my HP was still around 98…

Damn it, but why now…

────【 Help 】────

When the player manually casts a skill, HP is consumed. However, depending on the skill’s scale and level, the amount of HP consumed may vary.

───────────────

This isn’t some insurance ad, why tell me something so important now.

With a final sensation like my heart stopping, my vision went completely black.

***

Lucariel’s body slumped. Even after returning to the room, he could feel the strength slowly draining from the fingertips he hadn’t let go of.

Iser reflexively reached out. But being smaller than Lucariel, all he could do was collapse while holding him.

“Lucariel…!”

But even at Iser’s call, Lucariel remained unresponsive, his eyes closed. His cheeks, already as white as snow, had turned deathly pale.

Iser cupped Lucariel’s cheek. Normally, he would have grimaced in pain, but there was no reaction from the unconscious man.

“So cold…”

Iser knew Lucariel’s body temperature was usually high. The heat he felt through his clothes, through his gloves, was always intense.

That’s why touching him always felt a little strange. It was also why he’d reacted so sensitively when Lucariel brought up body temperature earlier that morning. He’d jumped to conclusions.

While he was unconscious, touching him should be fine. If he felt no pain, shock death wouldn’t occur. But if he regained even a sliver of consciousness midway, that’s when it became dangerous.

Iser frantically scanned the room, his gaze landing on the dagger. He carefully laid Lucariel on the floor, walked to the table, picked up the dagger, and returned.

Having repeatedly served as a test subject, he could now roughly gauge another’s physical condition through mere contact. Thanks to that, Iser had already realized, from just that brief touch moments ago, that Lucariel was now on the brink of death.

Therefore, to heal Lucariel without pain, he needed to inflict a wound more fatal than his. After all, wounding his own body was something he was accustomed to. The last time he’d inflicted a wound on himself was to heal Lucariel’s hand. But…

‘You nearly gave me a heart attack, you little brat.’

Lucariel said this as he wiped the blood from his palm with a disappointed expression. He added that he shouldn’t hurt himself to heal him anymore. The very person who claimed to hate pain.

“…I have no choice if I’m to save you, so just bear with me this once.”

Iser muttered softly, then without hesitation pressed the blade into his wrist.

The sound of metal tearing into flesh echoed.

After confirming the bright red blood gushing from his own wrist, Iser stroked Lucariel’s cheek. The blood, pouring like a waterfall, stopped flowing after a short while. Even after Iser’s wound had healed completely, Lucariel still needed further treatment.

Lucariel’s complexion returned to normal around the time the second cut on his wrist healed.

‘He’ll wake up soon.’

Thanks to his body’s exceptional regenerative abilities, the blood hadn’t spurted like a fountain, but a sizable pool had still formed on the floor. The pungent smell of blood stung his nose.

‘This affectionate person will be upset again when he sees this.’

To be honest, Iser rather enjoyed seeing Lucariel upset over him. It gave him a peculiar sense of satisfaction. But he didn’t want to torment him just for that petty desire.

It was right then that he spotted the cleaning supplies in the corner of the room. It seemed Lucariel had been cleaning it himself all this time, likely to keep the maids out.

He carefully moved Lucariel to the bed, making sure their skin didn’t touch. Then he opened the window and began mopping the floor.

After rinsing the blood-stained mop clean, setting it back in its place, and returning, the blood-soaked stench that had filled the room had faded.

A breeze seeped through the open window. Worried Lucariel might be cold, Iser pulled the edge of the blanket up to cover Lucariel’s neck.

‘I want to see him wake up before returning to the hideout…’

***

I opened my eyes, feeling the soft breeze.

Still groggy, I blinked, then heard a familiar voice.

“…Are you alright?”

Turning my head, I met Iser’s gaze. He was crouched on the floor beside the bed, his chin resting on his hands propped on the mattress, looking at me with concern.

Ah, you startled me.

…He was so cute I almost fainted again.

Seeing my face stiffen unconsciously, Iser looked up with a startled expression, perhaps misunderstanding.

“Why? Are you hurt somewhere?”

“No, I’m perfectly fine, no pain anywhere.”

Huh? Come to think of it, why am I so fine…? It wasn’t just that, I was too fine. It wasn’t like I’d fainted from an HP nerf; I felt like someone who’d just woken up after a deep sleep.

Only after checking my status window did I understand why.

HP: 100/100

“Thank you. For healing me.”

Iser nodded, averting his gaze from me. Watching him, I recalled how he’d cut his own palm without hesitation to heal me painlessly.

Well, this time I was unconscious… he probably didn’t cut himself.

Then Iser asked with a serious expression.

“…But why did you suddenly faint?”

“Ah, that’s a side effect of using my ability.”

I answered with an awkward smile. Hearing that, Iser’s face darkened.

“So it was because of me…”

For a moment, I was completely speechless.

“Why is it your fault? It’s my fault. …It happened because my training was insufficient.”

It wasn’t wrong. The System said the HP cost for casting skills varied depending on level. Even so, Iser still looked downcast.

Just as I was about to say something more.

A commotion sounded from outside the door.

“…Let’s go to the hideout and talk first.”

“Ah…”

Iser bit his lip and whispered softly.

“…The hideout collapsed.”

“What? …The hideout collapsed?”

At that moment, urgent knocking sounded.

Knock, knock—!

“P-Priest, it’s Paf! Uh, it’s an emergency, so I’m coming in! I-I’m sorry in advance…!”

“……?”

What kind of emergency all of a sudden? And what? ……She’s coming in?

I definitely locked the door. How does she plan to get in? But just in case, I hurriedly tried to refuse.

But.

“No, don’t come in─!”

……Before I could even finish my sentence, the wooden door shattered.

Thud—!

Paf burst into the room, smashing the door to pieces with a body slam.

“What the hell is this……?”

I glared at Paf, who was charging toward me, and spoke icily.

But my heart was pounding like crazy. Iser probably noticed. Because I was holding him under the blanket on the bed.

I was so preoccupied with hiding Iser that I hadn’t even had a chance to check on his condition. If I was this startled, Iser must be even more shaken. I didn’t know if he was okay.

…Seems like he’s not okay.

I could feel the body pressed against mine trembling. He must be scared of being discovered. I gently patted Iser’s arm with my fingertips, making sure it didn’t show outside the blanket, and spoke softly.

“I told you not to barge into my room. What kind of situation is this, breaking down the door—”

“Why aren’t you answering me, why!?”

“…What?”

This was the first time Human Paf had ever raised her voice like this. She was usually so quiet you had to lean in and listen carefully to hear her…

I was completely dumbfounded when Human Paf suddenly demanded in a loud voice.

“…Do you have any idea how many times I called you earlier!? Why didn’t you answer me even once, why!?“

”Uh… Why were you calling me?“

Her spirit was so overwhelming that I could only manage a dazed voice.

“…You said you had a fever at dawn. I was worried, so I kept knocking on the door since morning… I couldn’t hear a single sound from inside….”

Yes, of course there was no sound. Because no one was here then. Surprisingly, it had been less than an hour since Iser and I had returned to this room.

Wow, the timing is really…

If Human Paf had barged in just a little earlier, it would have been truly hopeless.

“Sniff.”

“…Hey, are you crying?”

And indeed, Human Paf was sniffling, her nose reddened.

Wait, didn’t this kid used to be scared of me…?

Wasn’t she always watching my every move, afraid this bastard might snap and kill her at any moment?

“I, I thought something had happened to the priest… Sniff, so I brought the physician.”

Only then did I notice the awkwardly standing young man behind Paf. He must be the physician.

“I, I’m sorry for barging in. Are you going to… punish me…?”

Back to cringy mode.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity.

Then, Iser, who had been nestled quietly in my arms, flinched. Only then did I realize my hand had stopped patting him. As if I’d never stopped once, I resumed patting Iser.