Chapter 34
“Yes! Kae-senpai! You remembered me!”
When I called his name, Jard’s eyes sparkled even brighter.
“Right. The clinic’s running smoothly, right? How’s Bree?”
“Yes, senpai! Bree-senpai is waiting for you a lot. Everyone wants to see you!”
He bounced excitedly as he answered my questions.
“Let’s go see Bree-senpai right away!”
Jard grabbed my wrist and started pulling me along, his face full of excitement.
Then, a huge shadow fell across my back.
“You… who are you?”
The one radiating a powerful killing intent was… Lloyd.
Lloyd approached with a grim expression and grabbed Jard by the collar.
Jard’s face immediately turned pale.
“What are you?” Lloyd growled.
Jard’s feet dangled in midair from Lloyd’s strong grip.
Is this… jealousy?
No, this is extreme even for jealousy.
We only talked, and Lloyd’s already grabbing his collar? This is too much.
Passersby stopped and murmured at Lloyd’s sudden action. Jard was a healer in the empire uniform. This could get out of hand, so I quickly grabbed Lloyd’s hand.
“Lloyd, let go. He’s my junior healer. We were just talking. Please.”
Lloyd looked at me, clicked his tongue, and released Jard’s collar. Jard fell to the ground with a thud.
“If you come near her again, you’ll die. Remember that.”
Jard trembled at Lloyd’s harsh words, nodded quickly, and ran off. Watching him leave, Lloyd spoke to me.
“If that guy appears, stay away. He’s dangerous.”
No, you’re the dangerous one, Lloyd.
Do you really need to ruin someone else’s human relationships?
“What are you talking about, Lloyd? Whether I meet my junior or not is my choice. Who are you to tell me what to do?”
“Huh?”
“I said, don’t interfere in my relationships.”
“No, Kae, that guy is—”
“I don’t want to hear excuses.”
I cut him off quickly.
Davien, holding a drink, saw the tense situation and rushed over in surprise.
“Eh? What’s going on? Did you fight?”
“Davien, I’ll leave now. Thanks for bringing me this far. Be careful going home.”
I bowed quickly and turned to leave.
Home. These people are no longer my concern.
I’ll stop by a nearby restaurant and buy a bottle of wine.
After walking a little, I heard running footsteps approaching.
“Kae, come with me. I’ll show you around Zeronia.”
It was Davien, her hand on my shoulder.
“I’m different from that idiot Lloyd. I haven’t even shown you the best restaurants yet. Are you going to leave now?”
Right. Davien hadn’t done anything wrong. I sighed and said:
“Do you want to go drink tonight?”
Her eyes sparkled at my words.
“Drink…? Sure!”
Her bright laugh lifted my spirits.
Alright. Today is the first fun day in Zeronia. Let’s go all out!
“Ah? Healer!”
At that moment, someone blocked my way and shouted.
Who now? Even in Zeronia, it’s crazy how many people keep calling me. I looked up and saw a woman holding a small child’s hand.
“Healer, you’re back! Jerome, say hello. This is the healer who saved your life!”
I didn’t remember the boy’s name, but I vaguely recalled treating this small child before.
“Th-thank you,” the little boy said with a bright smile.
“Ha ha, I just did what I had to. Is the child alright?”
The woman’s eyes had become moist as she answered, touching them with her finger.
“Yes, I was so shocked at that time! Anyway, I’m relieved you’re back. The clinic and temple were all closed recently, so it was really inconvenient.”
“Closed? What do you mean, closed?”
Her words hit me like a bell.
“You don’t know? It started about a month ago. Priests began disappearing from the temple, and two weeks ago, many clinic healers went missing, so everything was closed. It was chaos.”
“Missing?”
“Yes. The Zeronia Count’s family is still treating emergency patients, but the city’s in a panic over the missing people.”
Temple, clinic… a bad feeling ran through me.
Davien, who was watching, asked the woman.
“Where can we find the list of missing people?”
“You can check at the Zeronia Count’s security station.”
Davien grabbed my arm, pulling me along.
“Get a grip, Kae. Let’s go.”
“Healer, be careful,” the woman said, worried. But I couldn’t even respond properly, my mind filled with dread.
“Could Bree… be missing?”
The last time I saw her was before leaving Dorkan.
Davien patted my shoulder.
“It’ll be okay, Kae.”
But it wasn’t okay at all.
At the security station, the list of missing people included everyone I knew.
“Bree…?”
From my roommate Bree, to priests I had been close to, the new healer Mika, senior Sandal, and other healer colleagues… all missing.
Was this even possible?
“Where did they go?”
Tears streamed down my face.
“We… don’t know. Everyone disappeared suddenly,” said the officer, looking troubled.
“Isn’t there any last witness? Did all these people disappear at once?”
Davien pressed the officer, who stiffened at the sight of the Helderios emblem on her robe.
“Yes! So far, no witnesses. They vanished during their daily routines.”
I sank to the floor, my legs giving out.
“Two weeks ago, Apostle Terina suddenly died, and since then, people started disappearing. Some say God was angry…”
“Wait, the apostle… died?!”
“Yes, she passed suddenly in the capital. She was old, so it could happen…”
I was too shocked to think.
I remembered the last moment I met her.
‘A crocus flower. I picked it on the way.’
The apostle had handed me a beautifully wrapped flower. That was the last memory. I had ignored her usual advice to be careful, thinking it was just her usual words.
Why did I ignore it? That was our last conversation.
I couldn’t even cry. Tears streamed silently.
“Kae… it’s not your fault. Get a grip, Kae.”
Was this a dream? Or reality?
After ten years in Zeronia, all the people I knew had disappeared. It didn’t feel real. Zeronia, once my peaceful home, felt strange.
I cried silently in Davien’s arms.
It must be a dream. A dream.
After crying for a long time, I finally calmed down. I was sitting with Davien at Zeronia Port.
The day had faded into the late afternoon, sunset coloring the sky.
“Ah, it’s already evening. If you have nowhere to go, want to see my apartment?”
Rubbing my swollen eyes, I asked Davien. I couldn’t go back to my apartment alone; I’d feel so lonely.
“Um, compared to the Helderios Mansion, it’s really small and shabby. Hehe, be prepared.”
“That’s fine. Let’s also buy some of that restaurant food you mentioned before.”
“Oh… that restaurant owner went missing too…”
Davien quickly changed the subject at my words.
“Hey! Lloyd, did you hear that Kae’s going home? Lucky you!”
Davien shouted, and Lloyd had somehow appeared.
“Let’s go. It’s cold.”
I nodded and stood up.
Yes. Let’s go home.
After walking a bit, my apartment building came into view. I pointed and said to the twins:
“That’s the building. Well, it’s old and small… be prepared.”
But their expressions as they looked at the building were not good.
What’s wrong? Too old? For noble kids, it probably seemed very shabby. I wondered if they’d be shocked by how cramped it was. I was about to open the attic entrance door when…
“Wait!”
Davien suddenly wrapped her arms around my shoulders, blocking the entrance. Lloyd quickly opened the door and looked around carefully, then nodded at Davien.
What the heck? They’re acting like we’re entering a dungeon.
There’s nothing here, you two.
Shaking my head at their overprotective behavior, I hurried upstairs.
“I’ll go first. The stairs are a little old. There are parts to avoid. Oh, my apartment is on the top floor.”
“No, I’ll go first.”
Lloyd grabbed my arm and strode ahead.
In front of me was Lloyd, behind me was Davien. They scanned around like monsters might appear.
What is this? A new type of slapstick bodyguard act?
Reaching the top-floor attic, it got even stranger. I tried to take out the key to open the door, but Davien insisted on keeping me away. Lloyd then suddenly drew a sword from a pocket dimension.
What now?
Confused, I watched as Lloyd used the sword to open the door. The old hinges creaked loudly as the apartment door swung open. He entered with a determined expression, banging and searching through the rooms.
Are you guys filming some FBI drama?
No, of course, you don’t even know the FBI.
After a while, Lloyd came out and gestured to Davien.
“Let’s go in, Kae.”
The apartment looked exactly the same as before I was sent to Dorkan. The only difference: dust covered all the furniture, proving no one had entered.
Bree… she’s really gone.
