“The way people think varies from person to person. If you feel like you don’t need to change too much, it might actually be a good sign.”
“Is that so?”
“If there’s a sense of calm about you, maybe trying something new might be beneficial. Have you been going out recently?”
“Oh, yes, sometimes… but just to visit someone in the hospital.”
“Yes, Laura, right? I’ve heard about her.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“How often do you visit?”
“Every day.”
“I see.”
The counselor seemed to be considering what I said.
I wondered if visiting Laura in my current state might not be the best idea.
“Um, do you think it’s not good for someone who hears the voices to be doing this?”
“Not at all. In fact, it’s a very good thing. Given the circumstances, if Laura starts relying too much on you and stops listening to the nurses, the doctors will intervene.”
“Right, that makes sense.”
“Going out to meet people is very important. Laura will be happy too, so keep visiting her.”
I felt relieved to have the counselor’s approval.
The way the counselor speaks is skillful. Before I knew it, our conversation had turned into a teacher-student dynamic, and I found myself accepting their advice naturally.
Though I didn’t feel very useful.
“Um… have there been people who heard the voices and then got better?”
I asked before leaving the room.
“Yes, there have.”
The counselor answered firmly, conveying a strong sense of truth.
“Actually, in Villeborn, it’s rare but sometimes children say they hear ‘strange voices’. That’s when I step in, but often, after a few counseling sessions, they forget about the voices entirely or it turns out to be a passing phase and I wasn’t needed at all.”
“So, if caught early, it can be resolved–“
“Vim, it’s not about ‘curing’. Let’s say the voices stop being heard.”
“Right. I’m sorry. So the voices stop being heard.”
“Yes, there are examples of that happening.”
I was a bit caught off guard by the phrasing.
“Then, are there cases where the voices never stop?”
“There are children like that too.”
The counselor stated the facts calmly.
I was pushing Laura’s wheelchair in the hospital courtyard.
Her condition had improved enough that she was allowed outside the room.
The sunlight was warm. Even with little sleep, the warmth made my blood flow properly, making it feel like an ordinary day.
“…I did rehab here too, now that I think about it.”
“Vim-sama was hospitalized too?”
Laura responded with surprise to my murmur.
“Yeah, a while ago. I got injured in the labyrinth.”
“You were injured? Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine now.”
“That injury was from when Vim defeated the floor master. It wasn’t a wound of defeat, but more like a rest after victory,”
said Camilla, walking beside us.
“The man behind you is more impressive than he looks.”
Laura turned to me with sparkling eyes.
Today, Heidemarie and Camilla were with us.
Heidemarie came as a sage to advise on treatment, while Camilla came to gather information about the Twilight Owls as the leader of the Night Dragonflies.
Whenever they talked to Laura, they often brought up stories about me, creating an image of me in her mind that was a bit too grand.
“…Vim-sama, are you perhaps an amazing person?”
I didn’t mind the admiration but felt a bit embarrassed and unworthy.
I wasn’t that remarkable.
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We escorted Laura back to her room, said our goodbyes, and closed the door.
“She’s really getting better,”
I said, seeking Heidemarie’s agreement.
“…Yes, she is.”
“What’s her actual condition? She still can’t stand.”
“She’s fine. The tissue treatment is complete. She received the latest healing.”
“When will she be able to walk?”
“I’m not sure. She still needs rehabilitation for functional recovery.”
“I see.”
I remembered when I was hospitalized.
Everyone did a lot for me. I think I received special gifts for recovery at various milestones.
“Is there something like a recovery celebration? Sorry, I don’t know much.”
“Oh, they still come, don’t they? That’s…”
“Yes. Um, I didn’t mean to seem indifferent.”
“No, that’s not it. Um…”
Heidemarie seemed off.
Usually so clear, she was hesitant, as if doing something against her nature.
She looked at Camilla and said resignedly,
“Camilla, we can’t hide it anymore. It was a cowardly move.”
“…Indeed.”
From Camilla’s hesitant tone, I sensed something ominous.
“Sorry, Vim, the truth is…”
“I’ll explain. I made the diagnosis.”
“…There’s no turning back, right?”
“Regenerative medicine is my research field. I wouldn’t be wrong.”
“Heidemarie, what’s going on? Is there something strange?”
“Vim, about her condition, the treatment is complete. But what I said about rehabilitation was a lie.”
“…What?”
“Her lower body is paralyzed. The nerves around her waist are so damaged that current medical technology can’t repair them. She probably won’t be able to stand again.”
Without listening to the end, I turned and ran.
Avoiding the nurses, I ran down the hallway.
I was in a hurry, not even sure why.
I opened the door to the room.
Laura looked confused, then opened her mouth, half surprised.
“Um, what…”
The effort she made to force a smile was painfully clear, making her previous expression all the more stark in contrast.
The face she showed me a moment ago was completely different. Her eyes, devoid of energy, seemed to stare beyond the hospital wall to a distant horizon.
Oh, I see.
She had been pretending.
I hadn’t noticed anything.
“Vim-sama, what’s–“
“You’ll be fine! I’ll do something!”
I held Laura’s hand.
What was driving me?
Pity for her? Was I moved by the fact that she, an orphan without family, had her hopes shattered after finally escaping a hellish environment?
That must be it. It’s genuine. It’s not a lie. But still…
–Please take care of Laura.
Rita’s words burned eerily in my mind.
“Vim! What are you planning to do?”
Heidemarie caught up from behind.
“I made the diagnosis. With current magic, just preventing necrosis is the best we can do.”
“Heidemarie! I used my enhancement to make her run to the teleportation circle, right?”
“Yes, but–“
“Her legs weren’t moving then either. I forced her muscles to move using a new spell.”
“Well, yeah, she might have moved then, but…”
“But her legs weren’t moving then either. I made up a new technique and forced her to move her muscles with a grant technique”
“What?”
“It’s essentially the same as regular enhancement. If I change the properties of her muscles, I can recreate movement.”
“Isn’t that just supplementary…?”
“If I increase the intensity, I can do it. I did it once. I’ll do it again.”
I tried to recall the spell from that time. Making four hundred muscles work in tandem with the upper body…
Ah, it’s too complex. It could take days.
“Shift: [Puppeteer]”
The world slowed down.
I activated [Analysis] again and measured Laura’s body in detail. Then I reviewed each code group and reconstructed the spell.
I remembered the feeling from that time.
Yes, right foot pushes off, completes one cycle with four hundred muscles contracting and relaxing in all patterns. Forty-eight types of stopping, fifty levels of jumping, about fifty thousand code groups to adjust. I reevaluated all of it considering her current body.
My head felt hot.
I thought a bit of cerebrospinal fluid leaked out.
The process was complete.
I kept my face down so Laura wouldn’t see. My throat almost let out a sob, but I held it back.
Pretending everything was fine, I gently spoke to her.
“Laura, um, just say ‘I accept the enhancement’.”
“Huh? Um… okay.”
“Trust me.”
“I accept.”
I chanted the spell.
The light of enhancement gently enveloped her.
“It’s done. Try to stand up by pushing the bed with your hands as if your legs can move.”
I gently guided her hands to the edge of the bed.
Footsteps sounded from outside the door. Camilla, and the doctors and nurses who heard the commotion, seemed to have gathered.
They stood still, watching the scene.
Laura was standing by the bed.
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Solving Laura’s paralysis is a good thing, but can’t understand Vim’s mindset. Does he feel responsible for saving her life? Truthfully pity? Rita’s mental command? Desire to help the weak, like then giving a bus ride to Dragon’s Wings? Possibilities are very diverse.