Chapter 002
……Right now, there is a gun to my head. Cold sweat began to trickle down my spine. Ugh, of course. There was no way I’d be able to get away that easily.
“I—I’ll go! I’ll follow you, so please put the gun down!”
I let out a pathetic wail. Richard lowered the weapon with a stoic expression. Then, he pulled a piece of black cloth from his coat. Wh-what is he planning to do?
“I apologize. I will have to blindfold you until we reach the Underground City. Since we don’t know when you might try to run, we cannot risk exposing the city’s location.”
Richard spoke as he covered my eyes with the black cloth.
……I wonder, was the original Astrid dragged away blindfolded like this too? Probably not, right? Richard wasn’t the type of person to do such a thing to an ‘angel’ who was entering the tiger’s den of her own free will.
And so, unable to see a thing, I began to be led away by Richard. Ugh…… I tried so hard to avoid going to the Underground City, but my plans have completely gone up in smoke.
Now was the time to think of Plan B. Either use the medical knowledge I’ve built up over 15 years of fangirling to save Jin, or find an opportunity to escape the Underground City.
Of course, I knew the latter was nearly impossible. Since I had already voiced my refusal once, I would likely be under strict surveillance from now on.
That left only one choice…….
‘I’m not even a real doctor; how am I supposed to save a patient who’s destined to die in three months?’
I let out a heavy sigh. I felt a small hand grab mine, which was damp with cold sweat.
Sniff, Rodent…… In the end, I only have you.
I took a moment to reflect on Rodent’s future. In the original work, Astrid, Jin, and Richard weren’t characters with massive roles.
After Jin dies in three months, the leaderless Liberators are dismantled by the ‘Black Spider,’ and many meet their deaths.
The Black Spider was a dark organization led by a woman named Arachne. Like the Liberators, they were a group opposing the Empire.
The difference, however, was that the Black Spider was a group that ‘became stained by evil to fight evil.’ They didn’t hesitate to commit crimes like assassination and smuggling to increase their power. After Jin’s death, Astrid is also murdered by a Black Spider assassin.
Rodent, having lost Astrid and Jin—whom he followed like parents—as well as everyone else he considered family, becomes consumed by a desire for revenge.
After hiding in the shadows for years to build his strength, he regains the scale of the current ‘Liberators’ eight years later and liberates all citizens of the Imperial territories. That was the story of the original novel.
And Astrid was the character who, after nursing the dying Jin for three months, eventually fell in love with him. Even though Jin did nothing but push her away until the very end.
The dying Jin leaves Astrid with these final words. In a very sad and sorrowful voice:
“My death is not your fault. So, I hope you won’t suffer too much.”
It wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the original, but it was clear that Jin loved Astrid too.
Having sent away the man she loved, Astrid accepts her own approaching death like a blessing. Because now, she can go to Jin’s side.
……It’s a truly beautiful relationship, really. But thinking that this is what I have to go through made me feel a bit depressed.
Of course, since I’m not the real Astrid, I won’t fall in love with Jin, but the possibility that I’ll die if Jin dies likely won’t change.
Looking at the description of Jin’s illness in The Liberator of the Underground City, I suspected it was a respiratory disease. He had a very severe cough, spat up blood-streaked phlegm, and eventually began vomiting blood.
By the time Astrid became Jin’s doctor, he was already so frail he couldn’t even walk on his own.
Severe coughing and vomiting blood. I racked my brain for all the series I had obsessed over for 15 years. Honestly, respiratory diseases weren’t a very common theme in medical dramas. Unfortunately, I didn’t know much about this specific field.
What kind of illness could it be? No matter how much I squeezed my brain, only tuberculosis and lung cancer came to mind.
If it were terminal lung cancer, there was nothing I could do. If it had metastasized to organs throughout his body, honestly, even if a world-renowned doctor possessed this body, they couldn’t save him.
However, lung cancer became common only after the smoking population increased and air pollution worsened; it was a rare disease before then. A thirty-two-year-old man who doesn’t even smoke probably doesn’t have lung cancer…… I really hope that’s not it.
Since there was no mention of severe pain, I hoped it wasn’t lung cancer and considered tuberculosis. Tuberculosis…… I don’t think it’s that either. Tuberculosis is contagious.
If Jin had tuberculosis, wouldn’t Richard or the others nearby have caught it too? No, then what on earth is it? I’m not even a doctor…….
But as long as it isn’t lung cancer, isn’t there a chance I could improve things by enforcing strict hygiene and providing high-quality, nutritionally balanced food? Even if I can’t cure him completely, couldn’t I at least extend his lifespan a little?
Reaching this thought gave me a glimmer of hope.
How long had we been walking blindfolded? Passing through countless stairs and reaching level ground suggested we had arrived at the Underground City.
‘Since it’s called the Underground City, I thought the air would be very acrid, but it’s surprisingly fresh.’
I couldn’t help but be surprised. In fact, the air was much better than in the alleys above ground, which reeked of sewage. I could hear the sound of a massive ventilation fan spinning somewhere.
The ‘Underground City’ was a civilization built by dwarves who had disappeared thousands of years ago. No one knew where they went after creating such a magnificent civilization.
“We have arrived, Teacher Aubert. Wait a moment. I’ll untie you.”
I heard Richard’s voice. As he removed the cloth covering my eyes, a sudden, brilliant light attacked my vision, making it impossible to see.
After a little while, as my eyes adjusted to the light, the Underground City began to come into view.
“Whoa……”
It was a truly magnificent sight. Golden metals and colorful jewels decorated the area, and streetlamps illuminated the shining streets. The Underground City was much more beautiful than I had imagined.
Stunned by the overwhelming scenery before us, Rodent and I looked around. Was this truly a city located underground?
Perhaps the dwarves possessed a civilization superior to the modern people of the era I lived in? Maybe they were actually aliens or something?
After a brief moment of sightseeing, we were moved in front of an incredibly grand door.
Right. If he’s the King of the Underground City, Jin should be living in a place like this. Just how many jewels are embedded in this door? I felt like I could live a life of luxury forever just by ripping off this door and running away. Though, it looked so heavy I doubted I could even carry it.
Suddenly, the grand scale—larger than I expected—made me feel a sudden surge of fear. They say when a King dies, the royal physician drinks poison too……. What if I die because I can’t save Jin?
Of course, the original Astrid wasn’t harmed by the Liberators even after Jin died, but that was when Jin loved Astrid.
The current me was different from Astrid. I still had the beautiful appearance—the warm brown hair and sparkling green eyes—but my personality was completely different. There was no way Jin would love someone like me.
Standing before the door, I recalled Jin’s first impression as described in the original work. It was written that he looked like a living skeleton. A pale impression that seemed like he couldn’t even swing a single weapon with his own hands.
Long black hair covered his bloodless face, and only his deep blue eyes let one know he was alive. Just how thin must he be for such a description?
“Please enter, Teacher.”
Richard pushed open the heavy door. I entered the room with a trembling heart.
I heard the sound of a weak cough that seemed like it might fade out at any moment. The owner of this cough must be Jin.
“Jin. I brought Teacher Aubert.”
I saw someone lying on a luxurious bed draped with curtains. Just as described, it was a thin-looking silhouette that was definitely emaciated.
The coughing grew even more intense. Is he going to die like that?
Richard walked toward the bed. It seemed Jin had trouble even sitting up on his own.
And the moment Richard supported Jin to help him sit up, I felt my breath hitch.
‘W-wait. Author……? You never mentioned that Jin was this handsome!’
Certainly, it wasn’t much different from the original description. It was a thin body, skin and bones with no fat to be found. He was so thin that the definition of his chest muscles was visible beneath his loose clothing.
But! There was a description the original had left out.
I mean, how could they leave out the fact that he was this handsome? His skin was parched and dry, and he looked pitifully thin, but…….
With a sharp nose, beautiful blue eyes shaded by long eyelashes, and a small beauty mark under his right eye that added a sultry charm.
I can say this for certain: if he gained just 5kg—no, 10kg—he would have the kind of beauty that could unify the entire world.
There was a reason Astrid loved the dying Jin. Because he was this handsome.
