98.Birth Secret

Editing/Standardisation: Medicine Melancholy
Original Translation: Medicine Melancholy

Iris

“…Return to your original self… Restoration!”

I pressed the brilliant light in my palm against the chest         of the patient in front of me, a man who’d lost an arm.

As the light enveloped him, the stump where his missing arm had been gradually grew back to a healthy arm, just as it was before the injury.

“Good, no external injuries, no abnormalities in the internal organs…”

After thoroughly checking his condition and being satisfied with the results, I swiftly packed up my belongings and left the room, leaving the man, still asleep under the effect of dreamgrass’ nectar, on his sickbed.

This was a building located slightly off from the central square, akin to a citizens’ hall in Japan.

Currently, it was being used as a temporary clinic by Leonhardt-sama’s arrangement. However, the majority of the occupants had already recovered and returned home.

Compared to a month ago when the injured and sick crowded the place, the number of patients walking through the building was sparse.

Nevertheless, many eyes still watched. I covered my head with the hood of my thin, white summer robe, avoiding the gaze of others as I stepped outside.

Immediately, I was met by the glaring sunlight.

My purple irises seemed to lack resistance to intense light. Squinting against the brightness, I adjusted my robe to cover my eyes.

The season had transitioned from early summer to midsummer.

Despite it being midsummer, this area, located at a relatively high altitude, was considerably cooler compared to Japan’s own summer climate, with a crisp and refreshing breeze flowing.

Inhaling deeply of the pleasant air, I stretched my entire body in relaxation.

Though using Restoration had been quite taxing in the past, it was now much less burdensome.

…Still, healing five people in succession did leave me somewhat fatigued.

While I was confident that I could go for more, Leonhardt-sama’s ironclad “Five people per day only. No exception.” rule left me with no room for protest.

“…Looks like you’re done here as well.”

A voice came from beside me.

It was Reiji-san, who had been accompanying me as an escort today.

…He still got along quite badly with the Sirius cub, without any sign of improvement.

It seemed that they had been fighting the whole time while waiting for me outside the building.

“What am I ever going to do with you two…?”

“You can’t blame me, she started it.”

“Yes, yes… Come here, Snow.”

Hearing my voice, Snow happily rushed over to me.

At first, I named her “Snowdrop”. Then people started shortening it to just “Snow”. After a while, everyone, including me, had grown to accept this new name.

I lifted Snow up and enjoyed her fluffy fur, then turned to Reiji-san.

“How’s your body feeling, Reiji-san? You’re not pushing yourself too hard, aren’t you?”

For the past month, I’d heard him spend all his time either aiding in the reconstruction or indulging in rigorous training, with little breaks in-between.

“Told you I’m fine. See, I’m even taking a break from today’s training.”

“Lies. You were forbidden from entering the training ground by Leonhardt-sama for the entire day, weren’t you?”

“Uh…”

“Good grief… Training is important, but overexertion is not good for you at all. You know I can tell just by looking, right?”

Though Reiji-san only had a wet compress on his cheek visible above his clothes, it was evident that underneath, he was dealing with bruises, abrasions, and muscle soreness.

This was a new ability I’d gained since the capital’s defense.

I was now able to see the outline, albeit vague, of people’s injuries and other conditions.

“…Sorry.”

“Alright, let me fix you up. Please stay still for a moment.”

I reached my hand toward Reiji-san.

With just a touch, his wounds disappeared from his body. However, I left his muscle pain untreated on purpose.

This was another newly gained ability of mine. I could now perform something similar to my Heal spell by simply laying my hand on a target, without the need of chanting. Moreover, depending on my visualization, I could apply it quite flexibly, such as only focusing on surface wounds.

In fact, it’d become so natural for me that I’d been inadvertently doing it until someone else pointed it out to me.

“Why didn’t you treat my muscle pain too…”

“It’s a no-no. Since you didn’t actually injure the muscles, I think you should rely on your own healing abilities for that.”

That, and if I simply healed him fully, he would, without a doubt, start another round of intense training.

“…You’re right. Thanks.”

“It’s my pleasure. But from now on, try to say it properly.”

I tried sounding a little angry as I said that, but for some reason, Reiji-san was looking flustered and scratching his cheek awkwardly… Did I tease him too much?

“…U-Understood.”

“Now that’s better. Can you make it a promise?”

Though he seemed bewildered, Reiji-san nodded.

Thus, we continued walking through the city side by side.

It’d been a long time since we’d gone out together like this…

Almost like a date, I thought before hurriedly shaking my head to dispel the notion.

“…What’s up?”

“I-It’s nothin’!”

Did I just bite my tongue?!

I quickly covered my aching mouth.

“…Pfft, did you just… Woah?!”

Before Reiji-san could burst into laughter, Snow slammed herself into the back of his knee.

That staggered Reiji-san a little, but he managed to keep himself from falling over. It’s actually kind of impressive.

“Laughing at people’s mistake is bad, you know. Thank you, Snow.”

Snow replied with a proud bark.

“You… Well, whatever, as long as you feel better.”

“Ahaha… Thank you for your concern. But I’ve already made up my mind on that. There’s no use worrying about things you can’t change, right?”

I recalled the few days when my life hit rock bottom. It was still awful when I think about it.

With a wry smile, I began walking leisurely again.

“What could I even do anyway… if it’s about my own birth?”

It was one month ago… the day after I dispelled the curse on Reiji-san and Saul-niisama.

“I’m really sorry. As the tank, I shouldn’t have been the first one to be incapacitated in battle…”

“Can you please stop blaming yourself for that? None of us could have expected fighting such a strong opponent.”

As soon as Saul-niisama woke up, he kept saying things that sounded like self-blame while lying on the bed.

Reiji-san, on the other hand, was already up and sitting by the window, looking out while lost in thought, his expression grim.

Seeing those two like that… I merely sighed while peeling an apple at the bedside.

Suddenly, there was a light knock on the door.

“Come in,” I said, representing our voice, and the door opened.

“Yo, pardon my intrusion.”

There appeared a young man with bright red hair, who had taken off the flashy coat he usually wore and was now dressed comfortably.

“Ah, Higami-san.”

“Long time no see, Higami-san. I heard you lent Onii… Iris a hand this time, thank you so much for your help.”

Saul-niisama bowed deeply.

As for Reiji-san… he seemed somewhat displeased and turned away.

“There, there, Ayame-chan and friend, it’s good to see both of you making a recovery.”

“How have things been on your side, Higami-san?”

“Well… Things have been oddly busy in the castle lately. I came here so that I wouldn’t get in their way.”

“Is that so? I’ve been here the whole time, so I don’t really know what’s going on outside.”

“Hmm… from the bits of conversation I overheard, it seems they’re expecting a scheduled visit or something. I don’t know the details.”

It was true that after treating those two, I’d been staying in their room since. I wondered about what happened.

“…There’s another thing I want to discuss.”

“Oh, right. Higami-san, were you at the company when we were sent here?”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m here for. How much do you guys currently know about this situation?”

“Um, we…”

We listed the limited amount of information we’d gathered so far.

About the “White Book” that appeared in the game.

The speculation that the CEO of Arks VR Technologies in our old world, Aureo Uber, might be someone in this world.

“…Wow. Didn’t expect you to know this much already.”

“Does that mean…”

“That’s correct, Aureo is indeed the former king of this nation, Aureolus… I heard it directly from his mouth just before I was teleported.”

“I see…”

Although I thought of that person as my benefactor, I felt like there’s something else to him…

Besides, we had more important things to ask before worrying about it.

“Do you know how he ended up in our world? If so… Is there a way for us to come back?”

“…Sorry, I can’t fulfill your expectations. It wasn’t like he teleported himself to Earth… Someone or something must have done that to him, along with his sister who was with him at the time, apparently…”

Saying that, he flipped through the book he had in his hand.

He had borrowed it with Leonhardt-sama’s permission. It seemed to be a royal family almanac containing portraits and photographs of the royal family of this country.

Why would he have something like that… as I was wondering, his hand stopped, and he placed it on the table to show it to us.

“This woman… Do you recognize her?”

Saying that, he pointed to a photo in the book, and what was reflected there was…

““…What?!””

Nii-sama’s and my voice of astonishment overlapped.

There was Aureo-san with the signature pure white wings of the Highborn race… or rather, the previous king Aureolus in his twenties.

And smiling next to him, appearing to be in her mid-teens, a woman without wings… someone very familiar, someone unforgettable…

“……Mom?”

The only difference was her hairstyle… Aside from that, she was my mother in my old world without a doubt.

“…So she was really your mother. Aureo did speculate that might be the case when I confronted him about it.”

“Are you saying that…”

“…I’m a child born in this world all along?”

I hadn’t paid much attention to the family tree stuff since I thought it was just a piece of the game’s settings. But, if it’s true…

“Exactly. By the way, Iris-chan… Yanagi-kun was originally your mother’s stepchild, right?”

“Yeah… we’re stepsiblings.”

Even though our father in our world treated me no differently from Ayame, who was his actual child, the fact that we weren’t related by blood was mostly forgotten unless it’s brought up…

“Yanagi-kun. Your mother was sent to this world when she was pregnant with you… in other words, you’re completely a native of this world.”

So not only that I wasn’t related by blood to my father… but the world I’d lived for more than twenty years in wasn’t even my own.

“So, uh… Do you wish to know who your birth father, by any chance?”

“That’s…”

Scar-san, without a word, looked away from me, and just for a moment, his gaze shifted toward the photo… toward the previous king, and I didn’t miss it.

I see. So that’s how it was all along.

“…If that’s all for this discussion. I’ll take a walk outside for a bit… I need some time to process all this.”

“Yeah, let’s call it a day here. Sorry if I was a bit too hasty.”

“It’s not… Sooner or later, I’d have to know.”

With that, when I stood up, Reiji-san, who had been silently listening to the conversation, also got up from the window side.

“…Let me come with you. You need an escort, right?”

“…………Yes, please.”

I almost broke into a run when I left the now deathly silent room.

Just for a little while, I didn’t want to think about this multiple worlds stuff, or my family at all.

That’s why… I felt relieved that Reiji-san, who wasn’t part of my family, decided to come with me…

The person I thought was my benefactor… turned out to be my real father.

Moreover, he was the mastermind behind this incident.

When I found out, I felt like my entire world had collapsed, and I was in some extreme depression since.

But soon, I became too busy with my duty to treat patients, and it completely slipped from my mind.

No, that’s the wrong way to put it. At that time, I threw myself into work to cope with the depression.

Until I was on the verge of mana depletion, I was busy treating patients, barely eating at night before jumping into bed, and sleeping like a log until morning due to fatigue.

For a few days, everyone was thoroughly appalled by my sudden change in lifestyle. It was so bad that Leonhardt-sama had to personally step in and enforced a new schedule because he couldn’t bear it anymore.

But because I was working my butt off, I didn’t have to think about stuff.

As time passed and I gradually moved on from the depression, I realized that it’s pointless to dwell on the truth of my birth.

One thing remained clear, however.

When I said, “I’ve already made up my mind”, I meant “absolutely find a way to come back and confront him”.

And when I do, I WILL slap him. Not once, but twice, one for me, and one for Mom.

I clenched my fist tightly and reaffirmed my determination. That much is non-negotiable.

“…Hey, stop emitting such an ominous aura.”

“…Sorry, I let it slip a bit.”

I hastily coughed and calmed myself down.

“So… What’s on the schedule today?”

“Let me see… There’s no more work today, so maybe I’ll… Is it okay here?”

I took out my sketchbook from my bag.

“In that case, I’ll go get some drinks or something. Snow, I’ll leave Iris to you.”

At Reiji-san’s words, Snow merely snorted.

I could see veins popping on Reiji-san’s temple.

But since Snow snuggled closer to me, it seemed like she didn’t object to it.

…Geez, I wonder if I’d seen this kind of dynamic before. She must have taken after her mother more than I thought.

Sighing at that, I sat on a bench in the central square, where there was some shade, and the sunlight was milder.

It’s been a month since that stampede.

Only a week had passed since I spread my sketchbook here in the central square, but the scenery had changed again compared to when I last drew.

For example… the cafe across the square had a corner destroyed in that commotion, and last week it was still covered with sheets.

However, now it has been cleaned and repaired, and it seems they didn’t just restore the damaged part but turned it into a cafe terrace.

Despite it being mid-afternoon, there were already several customers in the seemingly reopened store, chatting away.

A month ago, everyone was lined up at the soup kitchen with gloomy expressions, anxious about their future. But now, daily life had largely returned, though I couldn’t help but notice that the soldiers seemed unusually busy today.

No one in this bustling city paid attention to me, sitting on the bench with my hood low.

…Actually, a small girl who was talking happily to a troubled-looking young soldier noticed me.

With a bright face, she waved her hand energetically, and I responded with a small wave.

She was carrying a paper bag with something that looked like a baguette… perhaps she was running an errand for her mother?

Seeing this scene somehow lifted my mood, and I eagerly opened the sketchbook.

Flipping through the pages, I found the drawing I was looking for.

There, the scenery I had drawn here a week ago spread across the entire paper.

“Hehe… Guess I need to redraw it again.”

Erasing the parts that had changed in the past week, I started drawing the current scenery in their place.

Having done this several times, the paper was quite worn out.

However, thinking that the ever-changing drawing was testament to the city’s recovery made me feel happy, and a small giggle escaped me.

While enjoying the tranquility in this way, tracing the traces of my redraw, suddenly…

“…Young lady, you’re quite skilled at this, aren’t you?”

“Eh… Kyah?!”

Startled by the voice that suddenly came from behind, I hurriedly hugged my sketchbook.

Looking to the side, the first thing I saw was white wings.

A well-built Highborn man who somehow popped out behind the bench was peering my way.

“Please excuse me, young lady, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“*pants*…”

The man quickly held up his hands in apology.

…Snow, after briefly glancing at the situation, immediately returned to basking in the sun.

So, it seemed this person who appeared behind me wasn’t someone requiring special caution. Snow is sensitive to malice, so if there were any issues, she wouldn’t be quiet like this.

With my heart, which had been beating violently, calming down, I raised my head to have a better look at the man’s face…

“………Huh?”

I froze at the sight.

It was a face I’d seen before.

Though there wasn’t direct acquaintance, during the game era… due to my position, I had many chances to see this face up close, more than other players.

“Trouble seems to have happened a little while ago, but the recovery work has progressed considerably. It seems the ruler and residents of this city are quite spirited and capable.”

“Y-Yeah, I think so too…”

While giving a half-hearted reply, my head was in chaos.

Why is he here of all places…?!

Looking around, there was no one else accompanying him.

It was at this time that Reiji-san returned, and he immediately rushed over to my side.

“Hey, what do you think you’re doing-”

“Reiji-san, don’t!”

I hurriedly stopped him from pushing the man’s shoulders.

His hand stiffened as if he was surprised by the look I was giving him, so I gently wrapped it with both my hands and lowered it.

“This person meant no harm… Please, trust me on this.”

“…If you say so.”

He reluctantly stepped back, and I heaved a sigh of relief.

If he actually got physical, who knew what could happen next…

The man, seemingly unperturbed, gave me a smile.

With a “shhh” gesture at his mouth.

Okay, I kind of get what’s happening now.

He must have slipped away from his entourage. Come to think of it, he was certainly capable of doing that, I smiled wryly at the thought.

It made sense why no one else was around.

“Uh-oh, if I stay here too long, Leonhardt won’t be happy when he finds out. Allow me to excuse myself.”

“Ah… T-Take care of yourself!”

“Thank you… It’s my pleasure to see you full of life like this, Irisria. Until we meet again.”

He said that casually and left.

If the castle was turning upside down with preparations for receiving visitors for a month now… Considering who it’s for, everything makes sense when put together.

“…Who the hell is that, anyway?”

“Aha… Ahahahaha…”

I could only let out a dry laugh in response to an utterly unamused Reiji-san.