Nurturing the Hero to Avoid Death

Ch 11.3

After the beautiful and bespectacled school physician patched me up, I’m finally able to walk. Moreover, the super sticky, for-some-reason-unwilling-to-let-me-down Alfred finally releases me—

As if.

Both the worried trio of bullies and Alfred trail after me like ducklings after their mother until I reach my room. I have to keep persuading them to go back to their own room. That I’m perfectly fine. In the end, the trio reluctantly leave. But Alfred is still as stubborn as a bull.

After pulling a chair beside my bed, he sits down.

Lying on the mattress, I sigh. “…Look, Alfred. My injuries are already healed. I’m fine. You’re also tired from today, right? That’s why, quickly go back to your room and sleep.”

“…If your wounds hurt during the night, wouldn’t you be troubled?”

Well, it’s obvious that my injuries aren’t a hundred percent healed.

In my opinion, light injuries don’t really require specialized medical treatment. But since I’m not an expert on this topic, I had the doctor check me out just in case. They told me I had no internal injuries. There shouldn’t be any problem, since the doctor was the one who said this, right?

I study Alfred’s appearance. For some reason, he looks different from usual. Or maybe it’s just my imagination?

Why do you, the one who saved me, look so sad?

His face is tilted toward the floor. His eyes, half hidden by golden locks, seem somewhat deep. Somewhat dark.

“Alfred, you—”

“…Blood… You were bleeding so much… What if I come back to fetch you in the morning and your body is ice cold…?”

Hey.

Why is this bastard saying such ominous things?

What will you do if they come true?! You shouldn’t say those kinds of things out loud, you know. Grandpa used to remind me of this over and over. Both good and bad words have their own power, so I shouldn’t run my mouth carelessly.

To dispel the ominous prediction, I rise a bit from my bed and smack Alfred’s head with all my strength.

“Stupid!! Don’t say such unlucky things!”

Even though I hit him, Alfred doesn’t budge an inch, face still lowered.

“…Telling me…”

“What?”

I hear him muttering with a low voice, “…Telling me to go first. To leave them behind. Everyone who has ever told me that died… Mom too… You said the same thing she had said back then…”

So I could have died for ordering you to leave me, huh?

Fed up with such flawed logic, I take a deep breath. “I won’t die. Didn’t you come and save me? That’s why I’m still alive, right?”

But Alfred still does not raise his head.

“…Alfred?”

At the sound of my voice, he finally looks up. But when I peer into his eyes, I find that they are a dark shade of indigo.

They’re out of focus, looking toward me, but not actually seeing me.

Shadows cloud brilliant blue, tainting them even darker.

I feel distressed from the bottom of my heart.

I feel uncomfortable sending him away like this. Judging by his current gloomy state, I doubt he’ll recover even with a full night’s rest.