“Ughh…”
I groaned as I lay sprawled on the floor of the inn, feeling utterly drained.
My whole body felt heavy.
I couldn’t muster any strength, and waves of intense nausea washed over me.
My body temperature was high, like I had a fever, and my breath was ragged. It was clearly the symptoms of magical exhaustion.
This is the worst… I shouldn’t have gone overboard like that yesterday.
Was it a mistake to use healing magic to cover the entire Reconstruction Zone in a desperate attempt to help all the beastmen who kept coming?
Perhaps casting multiple high-magic-cost healing spells simultaneously was a bad idea. Even professional White Mages don’t cast more than five simultaneously, I learned that the hard way.
I opened the lid of a mana replenishing potion I took from my dimensional storage and brought it to my lips.
“Eugh… so nasty…”
It tasted like concentrated, earthy herbs. I felt like gagging.
But there was no point in vomiting it out, so I forced myself to gulp it down in one go.
Magical exhaustion is just a temporary condition where the body lacks internal magic and experiences physical discomfort. By drinking potions like this one to replenish magic, the symptoms, akin to a cold, will eventually disappear as the body becomes accustomed to the magic circulating within. The time it takes for the symptoms to vanish varies from person to person.
For me, it would be about eight hours or so.
Because I have a large total amount of internal magic, it takes time for magic to circulate in my body.
Moreover, potions with high magic content have a high concentration of the materials used, so they taste extremely intense. Specifically, it tastes like potent medicine.
That’s why all magicians make sure to avoid situations like magical exhaustion.
Naturally, I tried to avoid it too. But yesterday, I was so overwhelmed by the endless overtime hell that I thought, “Maybe it’s okay to cover this whole area?” and ended up doing it.
As a result, I ended up safely experiencing magical exhaustion. I might be an idiot.
…Well, as long as I rest all day today, it’ll be fine. I didn’t have any plans to go out anyway.
The gathering of heroes was approaching tomorrow, and I was planning to stay indoors all day today.
But…
“Oh, you poor thing… You’re suffering so much… Wait right there, I’ll make you feel better now–“
“I’m fine, really. Just don’t do anything.”
A girl leaned in close to my face, offering assistance. I pushed her head away.
By the way, there’s another way to deal with magical exhaustion, and that’s to receive magic from other magicians to alleviate the symptoms, just like with potions.
The method involves physical contact between the bodies of both magicians. Holding hands or hugging each other is common, but the most effective and quickest method is contact between mucous membranes—basically, a kiss.
“Then at least let me kiss you.”
“What do you mean ‘at least’? You’re not compromising at all.”
It’s just the sentiment that matters. It’s really just the sentiment. Besides, I already drank a potion.
“Is compromising okay?”
“Huh? Uh, well…”
“In that case, I’ll compromise and give you a lap pillow.”
I was led by the nose to rest my head on Rafine’s lap. Wait…?
Did she use some kind of con artist’s technique……? …Haha, must be my imagination.
I immediately tried to move my head away—but then I realized.
The soft sensation against the back of my head. A comforting embrace.
It was as if—being cradled against the finest pillow imaginable,
it was so comfortable that even though my body was trying to pull away, my will vehemently refused.
Naturally, my eyelids grew heavy, and I began to feel sleepy.
“It’s okay, you’re not in pain anymore. I’ll be right by your side.”
Rafine gently stroked my head.
Her soft and soothing voice made me want to entrust everything to her.
“Jirei-sama, you’ve been working so hard and you’re amazing. But you also need to take care of yourself. You don’t have to do everything alone. When it gets tough, please rely on others.”
“It’s not like I…”
“Hey! I won’t accept any response other than [Understood] or [Let’s get married]!”
“Such a tyrant…”
Rafine pouted and pressed her finger against my nose.
“But, I’m glad. I was worried when I heard you collapsed.”
“I… apologize.”
“It’s not ‘I apologize’! Reflect on it properly!”
“Uh, my bad.”
Rafine puffed out her cheeks and scolded me, while I apologized timidly.
From what I heard,
Rafine rushed over even though she was at work when she heard I had collapsed.
She seemed relieved to find out it was just magical exhaustion. However, she still seemed worried and even took time off work to take care of me.
Even now, she looked genuinely concerned, without any ulterior motives.
But it wasn’t just Rafine who cared.
Eve was currently borrowing the inn’s kitchen to prepare recuperative meals for me.
And Letty… she exclaimed, “This is serious! Wait right here!” and dashed out to buy mana recovery potions in the middle of the city. I didn’t even have time to say I had them. She never listened to the end of a conversation.
…Come to think of it, being nursed by someone else might be a first for me.
Even when I had serious injuries, fell ill, or was cursed, I always managed on my own.
I had no one to rely on, and I didn’t need anyone.
That’s who I was, and that’s how I planned to continue.
But… I don’t know.
“…I feel relieved. Thank you.”
I raised my head from Rafine’s lap and thanked her. Rafine smiled softly and said, “I’m glad to hear that.”
Her expression made me feel slightly overwhelmed, so I turned away.
What’s this feeling?
It’s like an itch, embarrassing. A feeling I’ve never experienced before.
But it’s not unpleasant… it feels warm somewhere deep inside.
“…”
I’m perplexed by this unfamiliar feeling. What is this?
Could it be… love? …No, but the books say that love makes your heart race and fills your head with thoughts of the other person. This is definitely different.
It’s not an affectionate feeling… I think. It’s not love either.
Even though I thought about it with a fuzzy head, I couldn’t find an answer.
Eventually, whether from mental fatigue or mana exhaustion, I fell asleep without realizing it.
The sensation was …… For some strange reason, I felt nostalgic.
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When I woke up, I found myself surrounded by vials.
To be precise, I was surrounded by vials of mana recovery potions.
“What’s this… and it’s heavy…”
I tried to sit up, but something heavy was pressing down on me, preventing me from moving.
I raised my head and saw a peach-colored tuft of hair bouncing up and down.
“Letty, you’re heavy, wake up. Hey!”
I tried to wake her up by tapping her head. She just clung to me even tighter.
Letty was sleeping soundly, looking carefree and worry-free. And to top it off, his mouth was open, so my clothes were covered in drool. Gross.
Right next to her was Rafine. She was also quietly breathing in her sleep.
“Ah, it’s already nighttime…”
Looking out the window, it was already dark. …It seems like I’ve been sleeping for quite a while. It was only natural for the two of them to be asleep.
I slipped out of Letty’s restraints without waking her up. In passing, I placed bottles of mana recovery potion around Letty. It felt like some kind of ritual.
…Or maybe she bought too many. There are over thirty of them, but I can’t drink this much.
Looking at them, there were various types of mana recovery potions. There were so many that it was impossible to buy them all from one store. Did she run around the town to buy them…? I’ll thank her later. But I won’t drink them.
“And… yeah, I’m feeling much better now.”
Thanks to a good night’s sleep, my condition improved, and about seventy percent of my mana had returned. I still felt a little sluggish, but I should be back to normal soon.
“Ah… awake?”
As I changed out of my drool-covered clothes, I heard a voice from behind and turned around.
“Eve? Good morning.”
“Good morning… I don’t think so, though.”
Looking outside, Eve tilted her head. It’s true, it’s time for bed now.
“You were still awake? Are you going to sleep now?”
“Yeah. …I was thinking of going to sleep in a bit.”
Eve seemed somewhat weak. She lowered her eyes as if she were worried about something.
I could tell from her demeanor.
“Are you… worried about me this time?”
When I asked, Eve’s face darkened even further, and she nodded slightly.
“I’m sorry… because I asked you to… I’m sorry.”
It seemed my guess was correct, and Eve sank into a gloomy mood.
Certainly, it was true that I ended up like this as a result of being taken along without asking anything.
But……
“You fool.”
I lightly tapped Eve’s head. Eve’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I agreed to it, and I pushed myself too hard.”
“But… because I invited you…”
“Even so, that’s it. It doesn’t change the fact that I made the decision. So, there’s no need for you to feel responsible. Don’t just blame yourself.”
The present is the accumulation of the past. Whatever it may be, the consequences of my actions. Blaming others for it is out of place, and in the end, it’s all my fault.
Besides, I could have refused, but I accepted it. Eve did nothing wrong.
“You thought it might be bothering me, but you asked me because you thought I could treat more people if you had me, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Then that’s fine. You can do as you please.”
It’s free to say whether it’s a bother or not. It’s up to me whether to accept it or not.
“…Thank you.”
Perhaps Eve felt lighter from my words, and she raised her face and smiled.
“Oh, right… I’m hungry, but you were making something, right? Can I have some?”
“Ah… yeah. I’ll bring it right now.”
Saying that, Eve trotted down the stairs to the kitchen and brought back reheated recovery meals on a tray.
“Say ‘Ahh.’ I’ll feed you.”
“No, I’ll eat it myself. I’m not a baby.”
“Say ‘Ahh.'”
“I said I’ll eat it myself.”
Eve and I had a few exchanges like that, and I ate everything by myself in the end.
…Hey, why do you look a little dissatisfied?
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Some mistakes:
“Right next to him was Rafine” – right next to her.
“I slipped out of Letty’s restraint without waking him up” – without waking her up.
thanks, fixed