“….The young lady has vomited blood.”
“What?!”
With a thunderclap of shocking news, my heart began to race like it was auditioning for a marathon.
“While having breakfast this morning, she suddenly…”
“Damn it!”
Cursing under my breath, I bolted to Hera’s room.
As soon as I opened her door, her frail figure caught my attention.
Her lifeless eyes gazed out the window, completely devoid of light. Her lips were pale and cracked.
Her already delicate frame looked even thinner, appearing almost skeletal from not eating properly.
Bright red fingerprints marred her neck. Could it be that she attempted suicide again in the night?
Her condition was so precarious that calling her a corpse wouldn’t be unusual.
But mischievously, Hera’s inherent beauty remained untouched, somehow exuding an even more decadent and lustful aura than before.
“…Hera…”
I called her name carefully.
Startled by the unexpected voice, she widened her gorgeous red eyes to stare at me, sparkling like gemstones.
Maybe because I hadn’t seen her for a week, she looked even more beautiful today.
“…..Get lost.”
The coldness of her voice, so beautiful yet so chilling, hit me like a hammer.
My heart ached at her words.
But undeterred, I walked over to her.
“Hera, you vomited blood—”
“Get out!! Right now!!!!”
Hera screamed, hurling nearby objects at me one by one.
Yet, oddly enough, her kind heart seemed reluctant to hurt me.
Everything thrown at me was soft enough that I wouldn’t get hurt, not even a scratch.
I actually hoped she wanted me to get hurt.
If that would somehow quell her rage, I would be ready to carve out my own bones and flesh to offer to Hera.
But she probably wouldn’t wish for that.
She was unbearably kind.
“Go away..! Just go..!! Huh…uh..”
Hera clutched her heart and began to cry.
Yet it seemed no more tears could come; her red eyes were only stained with sadness, and what escaped her were only miserable cries.
“…….I’ll go.”
In the end, I returned to my office, heavy-hearted, having been unable to help her at all.
“Hah…”
I rubbed my face vigorously with both hands.
Never in my life had I felt such profound anxiety before.
The situation, which I had thought would resolve itself in time, was far more serious than I had anticipated.
Hera was dying.
Not metaphorically; her life was truly flickering out like a candle.
Perhaps that was to be expected.
The only nutrients entering her body were the sedatives laced with narcotics that Mari made, and plain water.
Her body, unable to sleep each night, was weakening faster than ever.
“Hera… please..”
I had no idea what to do in this circumstance.
Things had changed.
Before, I yearned to share love with her again.
I wanted her to smile at me once more.
I wanted to share sweet kisses with her again.
But now, all I desperately wished was for her to regain her health.
Yet, damnably, there was nothing I could do for her.
A few days ago, I had called a high-ranking priest at the temple.
The goddess’s powers could heal external and internal injuries but couldn’t address psychological issues.
In the end, all I could do was ask Alina and Mari to take good care of her.
If something were to happen to Hera…
If she were to leave my side forever…
Bang-!
I slammed my fist down on the desk, splintering it to pieces and shaking the room.
I didn’t even want to think about it.
Absolutely.
Absolutely, such a thing must not happen.
A world without Hera was a world devoid of meaning.
*
In the past few days, my mother had started having seizure symptoms.
I couldn’t tell how often they occurred, but sometimes when they hit, she would clutch her chest, writhing in anguish.
Just like now.
“Hah… Hah… Huh..”
“Mom..!”
Seeing my mother struggling to breathe sent me into a frenzy of anxiety.
“Mari… the… medicine…”
With rough breaths, my mother begged me.
“Ah… no… you just took some…”
The special medicine I had made.
A mix of my mana and a flower called Perinian.
Perinian stimulates a part of the brain, calming the consumer’s mind and providing a bit of comfort.
Aside from its mild addictive nature, it had no harmful components.
That’s why I could give it to my mom. If there had been even one harmful ingredient, I would have tossed it out right away.
Normally, Perinian wouldn’t help someone with my mother’s severe symptoms at all.
But mixed with my mana, its effects were greatly amplified.
Thanks to that, I could be of significant help to my mother.
But no matter how harmless the medicine was…
Because it was addictive, she could not take it often.
“Mari… please…”
My mother grasped my hands, earnestly pleading. I could feel her trembling body through our clasped hands.
“Ugh… but…”
“Ugh… Aah!!!”
“Mom..!”
When my mother’s body began to seize uncontrollably, I had no choice but to take out the medicine and give it to her.
Slowly, my mother’s body calmed, and she collapsed onto the bed, gently closing her eyes to sleep.
She would probably wake up in about thirty minutes.
She always woke up screaming around that time.
To help her sleep as comfortably as possible, I wiped away her sweat with a towel and tucked her in.
Then I quietly slipped behind her to lie down so that I wouldn’t wake her.
“…Mom…”
Tears streamed down my cheeks in fear.
My mother’s condition was worsening.
Though I was consistently feeding her my mana, it wasn’t being absorbed properly.
As if she no longer wished to live.
What if she really left me?
I was scared.
Had I not met my mother, I wouldn’t have known.
But having known her, I couldn’t imagine living without her warm love.
While I wept silently behind my sleeping mother, the air in the room began to swirl.
The turbulent air converged like it was being sucked into one point.
And then, a small door-like thing appeared in midair.
Suddenly, a woman sprang out from it.
“Hehe!! Here I come!”
With pink hair adorned with a pair of horns, it was the succubus who had previously tried to charm me without success.
“Hera. I missed you—………huh?”
The moment the succubus appeared and saw Hera’s state, her eyes widened in shock.
“Hera..?”
.
.
.
How long has it been?
Not a terrible nightmare, but a happy dream.
When I woke up, my sister Dania had made me a warm breakfast, filling the air with a delightful aroma.
Seeing my sister watch me with a beaming face as I enjoyed my meal, I couldn’t help but smile.
We exchanged heartwarming conversations over breakfast, making it a joyful occasion.
Having a fulfilling breakfast, I went out with Lily to hunt down some monsters.
Lily, stronger than before, was now catching monsters just like me. She rushed to me, beaming with pride and asking for praise.
As a sign of appreciation, I planted a short kiss on Lily’s lips. She beamed back and gave me a kiss in return.
She was truly an adorable girl.
At lunch, I read books with Mari.
I couldn’t quite understand why she was studying so hard about taming beasts, but she bragged that she could now perfectly tame them.
I wasn’t sure if that deserved praise, but since learning is good, I ruffled Mari’s hair and told her she did well.
Mari promised she would tame them properly in the future.
Did I really feel like she was looking at me when she said that? Surely it was just my imagination, right?
In the evening, I cooked dinner with Alina.
We chatted casually while preparing our meal.
Alina took a bite of my chicken and gasped in astonishment, exclaiming she had never tasted anything this delicious before and wanted it every day.
Her words filled me with pride.
Truly, the power of chicken was incredible.
At night, I went to bed with Sephir.
I felt a strange sense of unease in this unfamiliar situation, but I quickly shrugged it off.
Sephir had been explaining just how amazing she was to me.
I found her so cute that I chuckled quietly, letting her voice lull me to sleep.
I was happy.
So happy that I could hardly believe I deserved to be with such remarkable people.
But…
Something felt empty.
After thinking hard, I finally realized what was missing.
Ah, I see.
She isn’t here.
The one who promised to share every moment by my side.
The one who introduced me to the feeling of love.
My most grateful one.
Just as they say, “Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.”
As I thought of her, a woman appeared with hair like brilliant sunlight cascading from the sky.
As I approached her with a bright smile, she gently ruffled my hair.
I wanted to look at her face, but the dazzling sunlight above blocked my view of her.
But that’s okay.
She was surely smiling sweetly at me.
….I suppose it’s about time I should wake up.
Being in a dream so blissful would only lead to feelings of deprivation.
Still, just a little longer.
Just a little longer, couldn’t I stay here?
Either way, all that awaited me was profound suffering when I awoke.
So, wishing this dream would last just a bit longer.
I quietly closed my eyes.
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