Chapter 108
“Hmm….”
Was this what they called a lucid dream?
I was able to realize quite naturally that I had entered a dream.
For starters, the scenery was strange.
It was neither the interior of a burning building, a clean hospital bed, nor a filthy grocery store warehouse….
A vast expanse of pure white stretched out before me.
It was an eerie place where I could not discern the boundary between earth and sky, or even the end of the horizon.
‘Ah, I suppose there are other possibilities, too.’
Maybe I had really died and had just arrived in the afterlife.
“That isn’t it. This is merely…. a brief dream you’re having during an interlude.”
I was startled by the voice that came from right beside me and turned my head.
There had definitely been no sign of any presence….
“……Morpheus?”
I had never seen the movie itself, but I knew the character from memes floating around the internet.
Come to think of it, I might have had a dream with similar content before….
But the atmosphere was a little different this time.
It was somewhat closer to silence, if anything.
The man, who looked good in his round sunglasses, began walking forward while greedily chomping on a blue pill.
“The journey will be boring, so let’s hear your story.”
“…??”
“How has life been lately?”
I thought he was just an ordinary lunatic, so I stood there silently and ignored him, but the man who had walked far away soon appeared behind me again.
That was when I became certain.
This really was just a ridiculous dream.
“Are you enjoying your holiday?”
Holiday.
“Holiday.”
For the record, the name of the game I had played was ‘Risk City: Holiday.’
A sudden surge of anger rose within me at those words.
Screw holidays….
“If you were me, would you be enjoying it? I think I would have preferred my time doing military service in Cheorwon. At least back then, there was a guarantee that it would end if I endured it.”
Now?
Now there was no such guarantee.
Normally, the standard rule was that you could return after clearing a game, but I had fallen into this game after only watching the trailer, so I did not even know what quests it had.
Damn, I should have at least read a strategy guide while the game was downloading….
…You clickbaiting piece of trash.
Apparently, I had been holding in a lot without realizing it, because complaints and grievances poured out of me without end.
“I only handed expired food out to homeless people, so I don’t even know how things ended up like this. Corporate test subjects? Corporate mercenaries? People fired by corporations? Why are these homeless people so capable?”
These days, even that Paul Lucas fellow had disappeared, so I could not sell anything at all anymore, yet why did the amount of goods I was supposed to ship keep increasing every month?
Honestly, I couldn’t have blamed the boss for firing me.
“At least you have the fulfillment of having done something good.”
“Bullshit. If it weren’t for Michael, I would’ve just thrown it all in the trash and let them take it. What fulfillment is there in….”
“Listening to you, it seems you regret it.”
“The thing I regret is buying this game just because it was 75% off. Damn, I should have just played Animal Crossing….”
“Even so……”
The man’s gaze turned toward me.
“Michael, Rivera, Nova. Even the cat. And Eleanor, whom you helped this time, too. Aren’t they all grateful to you? Leaving aside the mafia boss who manages perfectly well on his own.”
“…What good does that do? All of it just happened by chance, as things went along. That’s all.”
Damn it.
I roughly scratched my head.
“What am I even talking about in my dream? How much longer until I wake up? I passed out right in the middle of enemy territory, so I don’t have time to be doing this.”
I hadn’t expected to faint so pathetically.
Even when I fought Bansho Takemaru, I had been in a blood-soaked Halloween cosplay state, but I hadn’t actually passed out.
I must have been under a lot of stress from that searing pain.
Fire Punch, what kind of fight were you in….
The man who had listened to me drew a mocking smile and muttered in a low voice.
“As I thought, in my opinion, Anderson suits you better than Neo….”
“…??”
What the hell was he talking about?
Was he talking about a movie? I haven’t seen Mattress─.
And then I opened my eyes.
A pitch-black ceiling appeared before me, and the overpowering smell of disinfectant stung my nose.
‘I really do have the strangest dreams.’
Beep, beep, beep.
A vital-sign monitor beeped at regular intervals.
…Was this really a hospital?
The facilities seemed far too luxurious for a place run by Doctor Florence.
Ah, right.
‘This is District 44. I wouldn’t have gone all the way back to District 49 for a hospital.’
Whatever the case, the fact that I was lying in a hospital meant that we had escaped safely from the burning building.
The moment I let out a sigh of relief.
A bone-chilling pain mercilessly struck my entire body.
Agh! This really hurts.
I was reminded that when people were in too much pain, they could not even scream.
During the battle, adrenaline must have been pumping through me, but now that the fight was over, I could barely move a single finger.
Then I discovered Eleanor sleeping in her chair.
Judging by the soft snoring, she did not seem to be pretending to sleep.
“…Are you asleep?”
“……”
“Hey.”
I didn’t feel any need to wake her.
I slowly tried to sit up in the hospital bed.
It wouldn’t have been bad to lie here and focus on recovering, but my stomach had been growling nonstop for some time now.
IV lines were already dangling from my arm, neck, and chest, but apparently that alone did not provide enough nutrients for recovery.
‘It can’t be helped.’
Only after enduring enough pain to bring tears to my eyes could I finally raise my mummy-like body, wrapped tightly in bandages.
This looked like a fairly upscale hospital. Did it have a separate cafeteria….
I should go outside and ask.
Then, taking care not to wake Eleanor, I opened the door as quietly as possible and went outside.
It must have been close to nighttime, because the inside of the hospital was extremely quiet.
As I walked down the hallway, dragging the line connected to my IV, I soon spotted two women who appeared to be nurses.
Perhaps they noticed my presence as well, because their gazes slowly shifted toward me.
“…Uh, uhh.”
“Excuse me, cough. Is there perhaps…….”
“Eek.”
Eek?
“Eeeeeek!!!”
The nurse’s sudden scream echoed throughout the entire hospital…!
* * *
The fastest way to summon a doctor in a hospital.
The answer was to have a nurse scream.
It was not information I particularly wanted to know.
From my perspective, I had simply walked because I was perfectly capable of walking, but apparently it looked different to everyone else.
“T-this is medically impossible. Your nerves should have been completely burned away, and your muscles should have died. You were in a critical condition….”
“Ah, I see. So when is mealtime here?”
“……”
Was it because of the serum Christine had given me, or because I had entered the game?
I had no idea.
The only thing important to me right now was the name of the menu that would enter my stomach.
The others looked at me as though I were a walking corpse, but I had recovered perfectly in just a few days even after fighting Bansho Takemaru.
In fact, the doctor could not hide his astonishment at the speed of my recovery.
“Um, excuse me, but…. Are you actually human?”
“……Get out.”
Fortunately, before the situation grew complicated, Eleanor ordered him out.
I still hadn’t heard when the food would arrive….
I watched the doctor hurry out of the private room, then smacked my lips regretfully and looked at Eleanor.
To think she had driven a doctor out of a hospital. She really was a member of the family.
What overwhelming authority.
Eleanor, who did not know that I could recover perfectly in just a few days, looked extremely depressed.
The corners of her eyes also seemed slightly red.
A heavy silence filled the hospital room.
I calmly waited for Eleanor to speak first.
“My brother…. I don’t think he was exactly a good person.”
It sure seemed that way.
But I did not say that out loud.
She had not asked because she wanted to hear my answer in the first place.
She was talking to herself and sorting out her feelings.
“But I never imagined he had fallen so far as to offer people as sacrifices to a black magician from Hell Service…. What was that pathetic strength worth….”
In a situation like this, simply listening beside someone could provide them with comfort.
Eleanor suddenly raised her head and looked straight at me.
“In any case, thank you….”
“For what?”
If he had not made a contract with the black magician, I thought there would definitely have been a future where I beat him senseless and straightened him out.
Or it might have been possible if I had taken out that black magician, Milo, quickly enough beforehand.
But everything had already passed.
A little later, Eleanor wiped the moisture from the corners of her eyes and stood up.
“I wish I could stay until you’re discharged…. But given the commotion that took place, it seems the family has sent someone separately.”
She continued speaking with a look of resolve on her face.
“…Considering the situation between you and me right now, there’s probably no good reason for me to stay here.”
“Is that so?”
Now that she had truly become the family’s sole heir, I had been constantly bonking her on the head, so I could more or less understand.
Eleanor placed another business card on the table in the hospital room, just like the one she had given me last time.
“Your terminal was completely burned out. This is my personal terminal number. I’ll leave it with you again.”
“Ah.”
I had fought hard enough to end up so thoroughly wrapped in bandages that my body felt heavy, so it was not particularly strange.
“I still don’t know what kind of past you have…. But if you ever need my help…. If there’s something you want to do again or a problem related to the family….”
Eleanor’s gaze as she stared down at me lying in bed suddenly felt burdensome.
“I’ll help you no matter what. So don’t ever forget, and be sure to contact me.”
The corners of her eyes curved into a gentle arc.
It looked almost like she was looking at her younger brother.
“Um…. Even if it’s not that, you can contact me over something trivial, too.”
“Got it.”
Eleanor left the hospital room with slow but unwavering steps.
Just before the door closed, a voice that was almost too quiet to hear reached me one last time.
“See you later, Abel.”
And so.
The little errand that had entangled me with the family was over.
But I could not help mulling over an uncomfortable feeling inside….
“…Tsk, the mood.”
Looks like getting paid will be difficult.
It would be awkward to ask for money from someone who had just lost her younger brother.
Then I discovered that something had been placed beneath the business card Eleanor had left behind.
Could it be a data chip filled with dollars?
But my guess was wrong.
“…A ring?”
It was small, but its blue glow sparkled vividly.
If I remembered correctly, this seemed to be something Eleanor had worn….
Had she forgotten and left it behind, or did she not have any money on hand and leave this instead?
“…Hmm.”
Well, I should hold on to it for now.
After taking the ring, I lay down on the soft bed mattress and closed my eyes again.
It was finally time to rest for real.
* * *
“Did you enjoy your outing?”
“……”
Eleanor Crossfell ignored the knight’s mocking question and boarded the air vehicle.
When the unmanned vehicle rose into the air, a semitransparent hologram appeared in front of her.
On the screen, a cold-looking man who appeared to be in his twenties was watching her.
[Eleanor─.]
“Head of the family.”
That mask-like face flinched slightly.
It was because Eleanor’s attitude had suddenly changed.
It was not difficult to understand.
She always acted emotionally when it came to matters involving her younger brother.
The head of the Crossfell family quietly waited for her to speak first.
But even after quite a long time passed, she merely called him and did not ask any questions.
At that moment, the head of the Crossfell family noticed that the ring that should have been on her finger was missing.
A token given only to the heirs of the family─.
[Where did you put the ring?]
“Why? …Will you cast me aside too if I don’t have it?”
[?]
The head of the family deliberately knitted his brow.
It was a suddenly hostile remark.
He guessed that it was probably related to Aiden.
But the person Eleanor was thinking about now was not Aiden.
She was thinking of ‘him,’ the one who freely wielded the magic of the Crossfell family.
“I gave it to my brother.”
[And Aiden?]
“He’s dead. He sold his soul to a black magician.”
[……. ]
The head of the family was speechless for a moment before quietly adding a few words.
[The ring is merely a token. I don’t cast anyone aside because of it. In any case, you should be satisfied with that much. You don’t appear to be injured, so take care on your way back.]
The hologram screen shut down.
She stared blankly into the air, then cooled the heat in her head with a chill and let out a small sigh.
In any case.
Her priority was to find out what on earth had happened in the family, and why her younger brother had been staying in District 49….
* * *
I wonder how much this ring would fetch at a pawnshop.
While I was entertaining that pointless thought, the hospital room door suddenly swung wide open.
Oh-ho, is it finally mealtime?
I turned my head with an excited expression, only to see.
“……”
“……”
A face that absolutely should not have been here.
Chilly.
It felt as though a dagger had flown straight into my face….
No, this was not a situation where I could even joke to myself.
Eventually.
The walking turret─Nova─appeared in the hospital room and spoke in a gentle voice.
“I believe you said you were only going out to get some air for a moment.”
“……”
I had no remotely convincing excuse.
At times like this, it was best to avoid an unfavorable subject.
“I just happened to…. No, more importantly, how did you know I was here and find me?”
I’m seriously about to get goosebumps.
In response to my trembling voice, Nova answered with the most natural smile I had seen from them so far….
“I also just happened to come here.”