I’m dizzy. I couldn’t properly control my body. I lay there for a while, blankly staring at the ceiling. My vision was different from usual, and I was briefly confused, but it didn’t take long for me to realize.
I had sacrificed one eye as a cost. Having one eye missing was more uncomfortable than I could have imagined. The first thing to go was depth perception. The next worst thing was the corners.
As proof, I reached to grab the cup of water right next to me, and it dropped instead. The sound of glass shattering echoed through the hospital room, and someone rushed in.
“Doctor…!!”
The red-haired girl’s hair bounced wildly from the momentum. Her unstable eyes were filled with tears. I smiled at Helia, the girl who had grown taller in the year since I last saw her.
“Welcome, Helia.”
“Doctor!!!”
Helia dashed over like the wind and pressed herself against me. Fortunately, she didn’t throw herself at me as an injured person. At least she realized I needed some consideration, unlike before.
Thinking that was a good thing, I raised my hand and gently stroked Helia’s red hair. Despite not being taken care of usually, the soft texture overwhelmed my hand.
“Where are the other members?”
“They went to find Commander Yuren. Not a single one is missing…”
“That’s understandable.”
Helia spoke with some bitterness. I shook my head, denying her words. The person who had spent the longest time with them wasn’t me, but Commander Yuren.
After all, Commander Yuren’s life was in grave danger. So it was natural for everyone to flock to her. Helia needed to understand that now. I opened my mouth.
“Everyone has a sensitive spot. Just as you hold me in high regard, they only believed in and depended on Commander Yuren.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, and it’s not like they’ve never come to see you.”
“Now that you mention it…”
“Then it’s settled. Demanding equality in affection is something no sage could accomplish.”
Helia had gone through a troubled childhood. She lost her parents and lived on spoiled food until I helped her. Even in the original story, the village where she lived was completely destroyed.
As a result, that twisted affection turned into an excessive desire for power in the original. Now, it had transformed into an obsession with me. But if I take it slow and teach Helia from now on, her future could change as well. And that was a problem I had to take responsibility for. But aside from that, I wasn’t feeling left out because of Helia.
What if I opened my eyes and found no one around? No matter what, a person couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, right? Of course, I could understand with my mind. I sat up slowly.
“I’ll take care of you, Doctor.”
“I’m fine. More importantly, how many days has it been?”
“It’s been a week since you returned, Doctor.”
“A week… that’s longer than I expected.”
So, I had been lying in bed for a week without moving. My body felt stiff, making it hard to move properly. I slowly stretched and asked.
“Then how is Commander Yuren’s condition?”
“I heard she has passed a dangerous point. She’s somewhat stable now.”
“I see, that’s a relief.”
“If the treatment had been delayed by just 10 seconds, Commander Yuren’s life would not have been guaranteed, according to Cluna.”
Going to Cluna was the right decision. Even though time stop was still in effect, if I had released it immediately, the chances of death were high. So I barely lifted it in front of Cluna.
And all the efforts I’d made until now weren’t in vain. I succeeded in saving Yuren, the former leader of the Royal Knights. But that didn’t mean all problems were resolved.
I had to deal with that damn clown somehow. Be it Yuren or Bayard, the clown had certainly done something to them. Otherwise, Bayard would never dream such a dream.
Commander Yuren was receiving concentrated treatment in the hospital room next door. As I entered with Helia, the others beside her seemed a bit flustered and hurriedly spoke.
“Uh, Commander…”
“Th-this is…”
“We were just waiting a bit before heading to see the Commander!”
“There’s no need for excuses. It’s natural to care about Commander Yuren, who was in critical condition.”
And more than anything, Commander Yuren was the top-tier talent who would resume leadership after me. It would be better for them to strengthen their bond from now on.
“Are you still treating me as the Commander? It seems these guys have made up their minds.”
“Yuren, your condition is…”
“Yuren needs to stay down longer!”
“What do you mean?”
“…Let’s discuss this later. Right now, don’t we have something to do?”
She forced herself to sit up. Her black hair barely covered her bare chest. But my eyes were drawn to the gaping hole in the middle.
“If you move now, you could die.”
“It’s fine. I’m just happy to be in my right mind.”
“…What do you plan to do in that condition?”
“Revenge.”
Her eyes were burning with anger. It seemed she had gone through unimaginable experiences there. I looked at her. More precisely, I was barely able to look at her.
According to the setting, dragons are a Race of Benevolence.
No race could pose a threat to them.
It’s said that dragons rarely get angry.
However, if a dragon is angered, no race can survive their wrath. But who would have thought I’d directly experience it? Just standing felt exhausting.
Even more so, considering that the anger wasn’t directed at me! I glanced around. Everyone was visibly crushed under her momentum. I couldn’t let this continue.
“Stop being stubborn, Commander Yuren.”
“What did you say?”
Whoa, wait a second!
The pressure on my shoulders intensified. I couldn’t withstand it and ultimately sat down. Thank goodness I had stopped time beforehand. Otherwise, I would’ve been humiliated.
Hah, ha.
I calmed my mind through deep breathing. I completely understood her anger. It wasn’t just that her comrades had died. They had been openly humiliated in a way that was less than human.
On top of that, she wasn’t in good shape either. Being agitated was somewhat expected. However, in her current state, the chances of her suffering a backlash were extremely high.
She hadn’t just sustained minor injuries; she had taken a fatal blow to the heart. If she weren’t a dragon, and if the enemy hadn’t been careless, she would have died before I could do anything.
…There’s no choice.
Right now, I had to overpower her.
So, I used “that.” It felt like lead flowed through my heart. At the same time, time stopped.
I approached Yuren and grabbed her neck, slamming her against the wall.
Of course, I controlled my strength.
I didn’t slam her hard against the wall.
I just pushed her lightly.
Caught off guard, Yuren didn’t react at all. And she couldn’t let go of my hand. I silently stared at her. Clara tried to stop me.
“Just wait.”
“Y-yeah. Right now, we should trust the Commander.”
“But Yuren needs stability…!!”
I thanked Ruby and Bayard for trusting me and turned my head to look at Yuren. She glared at me, but didn’t say anything more.
“Let’s be rational. What can you do when you can’t even shake off the touch of a mere human?”
“…”
“Keep your heart hot, and your head cool. That’s the basics of battle.”
“…I understand, though it’s frustrating… it seems you are right.”
She was once the leader of the Royal Knights. Fortunately, my sharp advice seemed to have some effect. I quietly released my hand. And then, I froze time again.
“I really can’t deal with this.”
Damn, that was scary. Since I was the leader, I had to take charge. Honestly, provoking a dragon like this was a death wish. I normally wouldn’t have even considered it.
Especially not when she was in a state of rage. But I couldn’t just leave her be. After all, she was going to be the Commander in my place. So I had to make sure she survived.
So I took a gamble, and somehow it succeeded. I gulped and got back up. After all, I had to maintain my composure until I passed on the Commander position.
“…?”
I tilted my head. Just before I released time, I saw Yuren’s face with the corners of her mouth turned up. No, it wasn’t a suspicious smile.
It looked like she was enjoying something… but I couldn’t see well. Because as soon as time was released, her face returned to its neutral state.
Could it be that she liked having her neck grabbed?
Nah, no way.
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