Chapter 39: Nina’s symptoms.

“Both of you, come out!”

When Noemi called, Rudy and Solaris, who were hiding, entered the living room.

“Seriously… I told you to hide…”

Noemi sighed in exasperation at Rudy’s apologetic expression and Solaris’ emotionless face.

“Are these two roommates from hell?”

“Rudy is my disciple, and Solaris is my servant.”

Upon Noemi reluctantly answering Carl’s question, he opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“You, who hates humans, has a disciple?”

“Well… yes. But that’s beside the point. Solaris, you forgot to bring tea for the two…”

“Understood!”

Solaris, who now had an excuse to escape, hurriedly disappeared into the kitchen.

In just one second, she bowed and turned on her heel, making it seem like an instant.

“You’re the only one being unfair!”

Left behind, Rudy resented Solaris for disappearing in an instant, considering her a coward.

Observing Rudy after hearing that he was an apprentice of the witch of the abyss, Franz tilted his head in confusion.

There was a reason for his thinking. In order to use magic, mana is necessary in the body. If Rudy was a renowned apprentice of the witch of the abyss, he should have magical talent.

However, according to Franz’s assessment, he couldn’t sense any mana from Rudy’s body.

As Franz wondered about it, Carl spoke to Rudy.

“You’re Rudy, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Carl, and this is my son, Franz.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Rudy.”

Rudy nodded politely in response to Carl’s greeting.

Upon seeing his courteous greeting, Carl and Franz smiled.

“He’s quite well-mannered.”

“No, that’s not it. He’s just unfamiliar with the local language around here.”

When Carl addressed Noemi, she smiled wryly in response.

“Is that so?”

In Carl’s reply, Noemi glanced at Rudy’s attire. Rudy was dressed in foreign clothing. He probably came from a distant land.

“You’ll understand if you talk to him. He’s a mess and terrible. Rudy, Carl and I used to be acquaintances when I was an adventurer. He’s a renowned swordsman. As for Franz, it’s our first meeting, but… well, based on my assessment, he seems to have magical talent, although he’s still growing.”

Praised by Noemi, the renowned witch of the abyss, Franz had a delighted expression.

Then, he tried to greet Rudy and spoke to him.

“Rudy, I’m Franz. Nice to meet you. What kind of magic are you learning from the Witch of the Abyss?”

“It’s theoretical study.”

“Theoretical study?”

Surprised by the unexpected answer, Franz blinked, and Noemi, who had been listening, chuckled.

“The basics are important. So, have a drink and ask various questions during that time.”

“…”

As Franz was astonished by Rudy’s choice of words, Carl burst into laughter.

“Hahaha. Your way of speaking is truly chaotic. Rudy, are you from the North?”

“How did you figure it out!?”

Amazed by Carl’s accurate guess about Rudy being an adventurer from the Northern country, Rudy grew wary internally.

“In the past, I had a conversation with an adventurer who came from the depths of Northern Palace, a city in the far north. He spoke just like you. How did you come here?”

As Carl spoke, Rudy felt a sense of urgency, but Noemi came to the rescue from the side.

“Rudy, sit down too. Carl’s wife fell ill, and we were discussing her symptoms. Listen to the conversation and let me know if you come up with anything.”

Feeling relieved that his true identity might not be exposed, Rudy also sat on the sofa.

“Excuse me.”

Solaris appeared in the living room with tea for everyone and distributed it, then promptly retreated to the wall.

“You’re sneaking away so quickly, that’s unfair!”

“Not appearing in front is the maid’s policy.”

“Grumble…”

When Rudy complained to Solaris through the electronic interface, he responded that it was a natural action, leaving Rudy frustrated.

“Now that the tea is served, tell us about Nina’s condition. How is she?”

“Ah, Nina…”

Although Carl was surprised by how delicious the tea was, he regained his composure and began speaking.

“Her condition worsened about five days ago. She had been unwell before that… She stubbornly kept it to herself, not wanting to trouble us. The symptoms include vomiting, fever, and pain in the lower abdomen. Right now, she’s lying in bed, suffering.”

Noemi had been listening to Carl, hearing about Nina’s symptoms. Gradually, her expression grew pale.

“Perhaps Nina has a problem with her uterus…”

“I’m not knowledgeable about illnesses, so please enlighten me. If there’s a problem with her uterus, can Nina be saved?”

In response to Carl’s question, Noemi wore a desperate expression and shook her head from side to side.

“…She has limited time left. All I can do is try to make her more comfortable without causing her pain.”

“Seriously…”

Carl, who had thought Noemi could cure her, was shocked and held his head.

Franz, sitting next to him, was also surprised, his mind going blank.

Observing the downcast state of the two, Noemi wore a troubled expression and turned her gaze towards Rudy.

Rudy understood from Noemi’s gaze what she was thinking.

However, in order to treat Nina, it would be necessary to use the therapeutic culture solution. If he were to proceed with the treatment, there was a possibility that his origins as someone who came from space would be exposed.

He wanted to avoid that if possible. Therefore, Rudy intended to refuse even if Noemi told him to do it.

“Nina is my benefactor.”

“Hm?”

Rudy furrowed his brow at Noemi, who suddenly addressed him.

“I told you that I’m known as the witch of the abyss, right? When I met Carl and Nina, I had a disfigured face from burns, an immense magical power, and a cruel nature due to despair. People feared me, and I hated such humans. Yes, I truly fell into the abyss.”

Rudy listened attentively to Noemi’s serious story, but in his mind, he thought, “Wow, that sounds so cool. I want to say a line like that at least once,” in a foolish manner.

“Nina treated me kindly despite all that. And with that, well… I regained a tiny bit of conscience.”

Saying that, Noemi chuckled softly.

“The current you, master, is interesting… No, kind.”

“Hey, what you just said wasn’t a slip of the tongue; your true thoughts slipped out.”

As Noemi glared at him, Rudy shook his head fervently from side to side.

“It’s just a minor mistake.”

“Well… fine. I would like to help Nina if possible. But in the end, it’s up to you, Rudy.”

“Master, that’s unfair.”

Rudy glared at Noemi, burdened with the responsibility of someone’s life.

“Hehehe, have you come to dislike me?”

Noemi laughed with a slightly lonely expression and sipped her lukewarm tea.

“It would take more than that for me to dislike you.”

Rudy huffed and snorted in response.

Carl, who didn’t understand the negotiation taking place in their conversation, had one thing in mind. Noemi had the conviction that if it was Rudy, he could cure Nina, and she entrusted that decision to Rudy.

“Rudy-kun! I don’t know how you’re going to cure Nina. But I firmly believe that if you’re with the witch of the abyss, you can heal her. There must be some way. Please, save my wife! If you can save her, I’ll give you my life!”

Carl stood up from the sofa, then prostrated himself on the floor, bowing his head to Rudy.

Franz, who had been watching, also knelt down and bowed his head, just like Carl.

“Please, help her. Save my mother!”

Seeing the desperate bows of the two, Rudy was torn about what to do.

————

T/N: Considering how emotionless Rudy is, he gets pretty emotional when it comes to Solaris.