PMEVBO 63

Embarrassed at being caught in such a state, I averted my gaze from Iser. The torn skin beneath my eyes burned as if scorched by fire.

“Prisoner Number 1004, are you listening?”

“Ah…”

Only then did I recall the guard instructor had asked me something.

“What’s the reason you left your cell after six years?”

“……There’s no reason.”

Of course, I had my own reasons. I wanted to escape this goddamn world as soon as possible, and that was the sole purpose of leaving my cell. But listening to that incomprehensible bullshit wasn’t the point of this interrogation.

“So you did this on a mere whim?”

“Yes.”

The instructor, who had scowled at my insincere answer, muttered with a look of disgust.

“Well, considering your record, it’s hardly surprising.”

I gave no reply. I knew better than anyone what record he was referring to. …The Hayut Massacre.

“What you did today has already reached His Holiness’ ears. Know that your punishment is only a matter of time.”

“…….”

The Pope. The last time I faced him was six years ago. The day I arrived in the Holy City, he stepped down from the divine carriage and brought me here, to Hell, without a word. Then, he watched silently as I was fitted with shackles before turning his back and leaving.

That was the last image I had of him.

Thinking of the monster bearing my brother’s face made my stomach churn. My hands kept trying to move of their own accord, so I quickly clasped them together.

Then, I heard an unfamiliar voice.

“Instructor, the apothecary has arrived.”

“Come in.”

Soon, a woman clad in a gray gown instead of the deep blue guard uniform entered the cell. She, likely the apothecary, didn’t even glance at me, turning her head toward the guard instructor.

“He forcibly broke the restraint collar around his neck?”

“Yes.”

“You must have suffered quite severe internal injuries. For the time being, you’ll need to be administered medication for three hours every day. That should prevent any life-threatening complications.”

The apothecary took a glass vial from the large bag she carried. A thin tube was immediately connected to the vial, which contained a dark-colored liquid that sloshed inside. A needle was attached to the opposite end of the tube.

The apothecary skillfully inserted the needle into the back of my hand and secured it. She then turned the connected vial upside down and hung it on the wall. The liquid inside the vial began slowly flowing through the tube into the back of my hand.

I thought this when reading the novel too… It really is like an IV drip.

The original Lucariel was a pro at escaping. Even though he was as good as dead the moment he stepped outside the prison walls because of his neck restraint, the bastard would break it and escape his cell at every opportunity. And he’d always be found somewhere in the prison, near death from his injuries.

This IV-like device was the original Lucariel’s only means of survival. By the time there was no more space left on his hands to insert needles, he walked out of prison on his own two feet and died.

“I’ll handle inserting the needles myself… but I think we’ll need a guard to monitor him while the medication is administered and then collect the equipment afterward.”

At the apothecary’s words, the guard instructor glanced back and forth between the two guards standing behind him.

“Palet.”

“Eh, y-yes…?!

“You will be the medication handler for prisoner number 1004.”

“M-m-me…?!”

The voice of the guard called Palet shot up an octave. He really didn’t want to be my medication handler.

Honestly, the conversation between the two guards felt familiar to me. It was written word-for-word in the original story.

But in the original story, it was Isabelle who ended up being Lucariel’s medication handler.

Isabelle wasn’t here now. Instead…

“I wish to be the handler.”

A pleasant, deep voice recited the exact words his sister had spoken in the original story.

I couldn’t stop my gaze from drifting toward Iser. Iser stared at the prison instructor with an expressionless face, revealing nothing of his thoughts. After a brief silence, the prison instructor finally nodded.

“…Well, fine. As of today, you are the one in charge of prisoner number 1004, Eve.”

……Eve?

In the original story, Eve was another name for Isabelle. It was her nickname, but it was also the name she used when she was commoner. But why would Iser use that name…….

“He’s already severely injured, so he won’t be able to do anything reckless. Monitor him, then collect the equipment in three hours and bring it to the instructor’s office.”

“Understood.”

This was the first time I’d seen Iser converse with another person. He’d barely nodded to Tykvana before, and it suddenly struck me how much he’d grown.

The guard instructor, the apothecary, and Palet left the cell one after another. Clang. The iron door closed, leaving only Iser and me in the cramped cell. In the silence, only the sound of liquid dripping drop by drop from the glass via could be heard.

Iser quietly sat down beside me and began carefully untangling the knotted IV line. The lamp’s light bathed his long eyelashes in a rose gold glow.

“Another guard might come in while we’re doing this, so it’s probably best to leave it as is.”

“……”

“Once the medicine is all in, I’ll treat you. Even though it’s medicine, it might actually be bad for a healthy person.”

“……”

As I hesitated to answer, he met my gaze. Because we were so close, I could clearly see his eyes fixed on the area under my left eye.

“If the wound suddenly disappears, they’ll get suspicious, so I can’t treat this one… ”

He murmured as he gently wiped the blood smeared beneath my left eye with his own hand.

I held my breath for a moment and looked at him. Scratching my skin until it bled was sufficiently abnormal behavior. Yet, Iser only examined my wound with a worried look, asking me nothing. I knew that was Iser’s way of caring.

As his cool fingers touched the wound, the burning pain seemed to subside just a little. So I let my face rest against him, when suddenly I realized he was barehanded.

I immediately raised my hand and grabbed his. As expected, I felt no pain.

“You… this…”

“It doesn’t hurt, right?”

Iser intertwined his fingers with mine as he continued.

“I can control it now.”

“…That’s good.”

Iser smiled at my reply. I gazed at his face for a moment before looking away.

The distance from Hayut Castle to the Holy City was considerable. Since he must have traveled using ordinary means of transport, not a divine carriage, it would have taken at least three or four months. During that journey, he inevitably had to share space with countless people.

…It was far too arduous a journey to undertake without being able to control the Power of Life.

But even if Iser had gained control over his ability, there was still something that didn’t sit right.

“Iser,”

When I called his name, he, who had been looking down at our clasped hands, immediately met my gaze.

“…Why are you here?”

There was no answer from Iser. He looked at my face, then tilted his head to one side and asked.

“Did you want my sister to come instead of me?”

“What…?”

My heart skipped a beat. Without thinking, I tightened my grip on his hand.

“Ow.”

Iser let out a pained sound. Only then did I realize what I’d done.

“…Did it hurt?”

“A little.”

“Sorry, let me see.”

I quickly pulled his hand toward me to examine it. I gently stroked his large hand with both of mine, but I couldn’t focus.

The fact that he’d used the exact same words as Isabelle in the story to become my medication handler. The fact that he was called Eve here. And above all, that question just now… whether I’d hoped his sister would come instead of him…

Could it be… Iser knows the original story…?

Even if I could accept repeating the exact same words as Isabelle… Using the name Eve as an alias, and that remark just now, no matter how I thought about it, it seemed strange.

No, he couldn’t have seen it.

…It had to be. Iser couldn’t possibly know the original story. He himself was killed before the story even began, and his sister sought revenge against the murderer who killed him… Just thinking that far made my breath catch in my throat.

I lifted my head and looked at Iser’s face. He was staring at me with an expressionless face, but when our eyes met, he gently lowered his gaze.

“Originally, it wasn’t me, but my sister who was supposed to come here.”

“Oh… really…? Ah, so that’s why…”

“Yes, that’s why I was joking.”

Ah, what the hell, so it was just a fluke then…?

But one part still didn’t make sense.

“…But why are you called ‘Eve’?”

“Ah, that’s because it was my sister who took the exam, not me.”

He said it so casually I almost laughed, thinking, Oh, so that’s it.

“What does that even mean… Wait, so she took the exam for you? Hey, what if you’d gotten caught…!”

Frankly, I have no idea how he managed to avoid getting caught until now.

I was on the verge of fainting, but Iser remained perfectly calm.

“I heard taking the exam for someone else is a serious offense.”

“Someone who knows that…”

“I’ll make sure not to get caught. If I do, I won’t be able to stay by your side.”

Iser gently wrapped his pinky finger around mine.

“Does that answer your question?”

Only then did I realize that was his answer to my question. Why he came here.

Looking at his face, which seemed a little disappointed, I remembered the words I heard just moments ago at the top of the stairs.

‘I missed you, Lucariel.’