Chapter 295: Treatment Plan (1/2)

Youre awake, I see. [???]

Someone is here, but I dont recognize her. A little girl? I feel like Ive seen her, yet at the same time, I feel like I havent

More like you woke him up. Though it seems hes not fully awake just yet. [Gayn]

Gayn Oh, right. I was receiving treatment. How much time has pa.s.sed?

Are you feeling alright? [Gayn]

Yeah Is it over? [Ryouma]

I was still in a daze, but my condition wasnt by any means bad. I tried getting up and saw that Kufo and Rurutia were here too. Tekun and Fern.o.beria-sama also came a moment later.

Whys Tekun here too? [Ryouma]

Gayn called me to make sure your treatment goes smoothly. [Tekun]

The longer the time you can stay here, the more thorough the treatment, after all. [Fern.o.beria]

Oh, right! My time here was limited!

I see. Thank you. [Ryouma]

Dont sweat it. Here, have a drink. [Tekun]

As Tekun said that, he filled a cup with liquor and handed it to me. Theres always liquor when I meet him.

Drink? Right now? [Ryouma]

Yeah, drink up. [Tekun]

I took a mouthful as he told me to, and a heat unlike that of alcohol filled my body.

What is this? [Ryouma]

Medicinal liquor. It has a calming effect on the mind and is also a stimulant. Its just the perfect medicine for you right now, dont you think? [Tekun]

Ah, Im awake now. [Ryouma]

He called it medicinal liquor, so its still liquor, but I hardly feel anything from the alcohol. Rather than get me drunk, it gives me a refreshed feeling like that of mint, rousing my sleepy mind.

It was at this point that I finally noticed it.

Oh, right. Just now, I think I saw a G.o.ddess I dont know [Ryouma]

Im here. [???]

!? [Ryouma]

Before I knew it, there was a G.o.ddess in the form of a young girl with golden hair and emerald eyes standing behind me. She was dressed in gothloli-like fas.h.i.+on, and her expression was hard to read. Not to be rude or anything, but she kind of gives me a similar impression as that of Bisque Doll. I wonder if shes Manoairoa-sama or Meltreze-sama?

Its a pleasure [Ryouma]

Ive heard of you, Takebayas.h.i.+ Ryouma, the current otherworlder. [Meltrize]

Yes. [Ryouma]

I am the G.o.ddess of Death and Sleep, Meltrize. Its a pleasure to make your acquaintance. [Meltrize]

The pleasure is mine. [Ryouma]

Now then, shall we move on to the explanation? [Meltrize]

Wait a moment. The two of you are meeting for the first time. [Tekun]

You cant just move the conversation ahead like that without greeting each other properly. [Kufo]

Ive already heard about him. He cant stay here for long, so we should prioritize the more important topic. [Meltrize]

Meltrize-sama wanted to get into the main topic right away, but Tekun and Kufo stopped her. However, while they spoke at first, they soon fell quiet. They were probably still conversing among themselves, only in a way unique to G.o.ds. I couldnt hear their voices, but from the way Meltrize-sama was behaving, I could more or less tell what kind of personality she has.

I had a similar subordinate in my past life who was often thought to be lacking manners because he was always too blunt and curt. I try to mindful of that myself, but I cant help but sometimes display similar traits.

Whenever I pulled that off with my scary face, my superiors would think I was being impertinent, while my subordinates would cower. Maybe shes the same.

I dont care about it as much as you. To be more precise, there is no one I need to care about. But youre not wrong. [Meltrize]

I didnt say it out loud, but she still heard.

I dont mind. You havent soured my mood. If anything, I think its good that youre quick on the uptake. You can just refer to me as Meltrize. Theres no need to be formal too. [Meltrize]

Im just glad I didnt offend you. [Ryouma]

More importantly, lets move on to the main topic already. [Meltrize]

In that case, let me begin by talking about the curse thats been cast on Ryouma-kun. The curse has yet to be dispelled. [Gayn]

Gayn said with a face that looked as though hed eaten something bitter. But the situation did not seem dangerous by any means, so I just quietly waited for him to continue.

Its troublesome, but the fragment of the demon king that was hidden in the magic stone managed to flee into your soul through the curse Think of it as a parasite. The will contained is so spa.r.s.e that it might as well not exist. It had merely acted on instinct to avoid being destroyed.

We could remove the curse and the fragment right now, but doing so forcefully would put needless burden on your soul. So I didnt remove everything, but I did do something to suppress the remaining curse.

If we apply the same treatment several times regularly, we should be able to safely remove the curse and the fragment. Its laborious, I know, but youll have to drop by regularly. The time could shorten or extend depending on the situation, but Lets set your treatment to a once a month for the year, so a total of 12 treatments for now. [Gayn]

So its like regularly going to the hospital for treatment then? Thats no problem, and if anything, Id say its more laborious for you. Anyhow, Ill be in your care. [Ryouma]

It doesnt seem like itll have any effect on your body for now, but just in case, theres a few things you should keep in mind until the curse is completely dispelled. [Gayn]

The treatment of illnesses, their symptoms, and the medicines prescribed could restrict ones daily life, so its important to follow the doctors instructions, but that was only a given.

The curse cast on you is for conveniences sake let us call it the Curse of Isolation. It worsens your relations.h.i.+p with other people. [Gayn]

Thats not good. [Ryouma]

Indeed. This curse stimulates your malice, and things normally found bearable will be unbearable. It is a curse that incites. As a result, your relations.h.i.+p with others will worsen, and you will be isolated from those around you. [Gayn]

Hmm? Just to confirm, Ive already been afflicted with that curse, right? But I went back with Reinbach-sama and the others, and we even got to the church together, yet I didnt exhibit any such behavior. The dragon did look like it had a bone to pick with me, though. [Ryouma]

Thats because youve already developed a bond among yourselves. Ive said it many times before, and I shall say it again, the source of the curse is a fragment of the demon king. Its power has greatly diminished compared to the original. Had it possessed its original strength, it would have been able to unconditionally make you hated by everyone else other than yourself. But of course, were it that strong, there would have been no reason for it to afflict a lone person with such a curse in the first place. [Gayn]