I Was Reincarnated as a Mob Noble, and I Swear I'll Protect the Villainess Who Got Married Off to Me No Matter What ~To Dodge Our Total Downfall, I Went All Out Training My Trash Skill [Super Recovery] Through Crazy Hard Work, and Before I Knew It, I Could Totally Wreck the Game Protagonist Who Condemned My Wife Easily - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Sleeping in the Same Bed as Valeria, She Suddenly Grabbed My Hand?

“W-wait, is this… your skill? You’re seriously telling me you’ve got 【Miracle of Healing】 inside your own body!?”

Valeria’s voice sounded weirdly far away to me.

Sure, I beat Gawain, but the price for going all-out was huge. I’d lost way too much blood, and my head was all foggy and spinning.

“C’mon, like we agreed, you’re resting till tomorrow, Valeria.”

I squeezed out every last bit of strength just to get the words out.

“Then I’ll use this power to heal you up!”

“…Um, can I ask for a bit more detail, if that’s okay?”

Valeria stepped closer and stared right at me, her eyes full of confusion and… like, this spark of hope.

“Your 【Super Recovery】—can heal other people too?”

“Of course it can. And it’s not just that…”

“If that’s true, then you could become a savior to replace the saintess!”

The second I tried to explain more, Valeria leaned way forward and practically shouted it. She looked super excited.

“…Savior?”

I was so shocked I swallowed the rest of what I was gonna say.

“Exactly! If someone like Alicia—who kills people just for her own selfish gain—gets worshipped as a savior, becomes queen, and starts throwing her power around, we’re heading straight into a dark age! That’s exactly why we need your power to stop it!”

“Huhhh?”

For a background noble like me to take Alicia the saintess’s place as some kind of savior? The idea was so insane I just stood there stunned.

But Valeria looked completely serious—her cheeks were bright red, flushed like crazy.

For me though, right now, the way more important thing was figuring out how to avoid the total disaster staring me in the face.

The fact that Valeria actually acknowledged my power was already a massive step forward.

Anyway, I decided to put the whole “savior” thing on hold for now and keep the conversation moving.

“…So, uh, you’ll fight the Imperial army together with me?”

“Of course I will.”

Valeria gave a deep nod.

“We’re bound by fate now, aren’t we? (Like husband and wife.) I could really feel how strongly you feel… and, um, it made me happy.”

I opened my mouth, totally thrilled, ready to say something back—

—and then I just collapsed right against her.

W-wait, what the hell? My body… I can’t put any strength into it at all.

“Kyaa!? …A-are you okay!?”

Surprisingly, even though she ended up sitting hard on her butt, Valeria still caught and held me up. Just earlier when I hugged her she screamed “How rude!” and got furious, but now…

“Young Master Zenon, please go rest right now! Compared to Lady Valeria, you’re in far more danger!”

Felix grabbed my body and lifted me up while yelling at me.

“What’s that supposed to mean? His wounds are already healed…”

“Young Master Zenon has been coughing up blood nonstop from magic training since two days ago! He’s already collapsed multiple times because of it…!”

“Wait… you don’t mean 【Magic Power Deficiency Syndrome】!? And in that condition you still challenged Gawain to a fight?”

Even Valeria turned a scary look on me.

“…Couldn’t help it. If I didn’t push that hard, my magic was so low I wouldn’t have been able to use recovery magic—or unlock 【Miracle of Healing】.”

“I’m speechless. So you were being reckless because you figured you could just heal any internal injuries with your skill anyway?”

I nodded.

“I swore I’d beat the Imperial army. So I’m gonna do whatever it takes.”

“Y-Young Master…! To protect the people of the territory… ugh, truly admirable!”

Felix looked like he couldn’t hold it in anymore—he pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of his eyes.

Uh, no, I’m doing this so I can survive, though…

“Y-you…!”

Valeria looked genuinely moved.

“I respect that noble spirit of yours… but it’s completely insane!”

“Insane…?”

“Yes! Magic Power Deficiency Syndrome does serious, long-term damage to both body and mind. Every year talented mages die from it. Even the ones who survive can suffer lifelong aftereffects!”

That actually surprised me a little.

The aftereffects of magic deficiency never showed up in the game. First time hearing about it.

“…I always thought if you failed to cast a spell you’d just lose half your 【Life Force】HP. Didn’t know there were aftereffects too.”

“You were seriously just training on your own without knowing any of that?”

“…Pretty much, yeah…”

…Wait. Does that mean thanks to 【Super Recovery】, all I ever got was mild anemia-level symptoms?

Thinking about it now, that actually sends a chill down my spine.

“So that’s why you fought like everything was riding on one single blow? You didn’t have the stamina left to swing your sword more than a few times.”

Yeah, that was part of it too.

Even though I recovered a bit with breakfast, my body definitely wasn’t back to 100%.

Valeria’s got some sharp observation skills. She’s probably gonna be really useful.

“Idiot! If you die, it’s all over! Get in that bed and rest right now!”

“Uh… wait, you’re the one saying that?”

I just stared at her, dumbfounded.

“What did you say?”

“It’s great advice, but we don’t have time. I can only use 【Heal】 once a day right now, remember?”

At this rate, I’m useless in real combat.

I need to get to the point where I can use 【Heal】 at least ten times a day or it’s pointless.

“If I rest a bit and then get back to magic training, maybe by tomorrow I can spam 【Heal】 a few more times and—”

“Young Master, no! This time Felix will absolutely not allow it!”

Felix scolded me with terrifying intensity.

Valeria let out a long, deep sigh.

“…Fine. Like Zenon said, I’ll behave and rest quietly.”

“Really…?”

“But only if you rest with me. Otherwise, while you’re passed out, I’ll just go straight to the battlefield on my own.”

“…Wait, that completely breaks our deal, doesn’t it?”

I finally sheathed my sword and glared at her.

My wounds had healed enough that I could finally stand on my own without leaning on Felix.

“Listen. Magic training isn’t just about spamming spells mindlessly. If you get your body into perfect condition first, you’ll increase your 【Magic Power】MP way more efficiently. I’ll guide you, so just shut up and do exactly what I say. For now, step one: spend a full day doing absolutely nothing and sleep deeply. Got it?”

“…I’m really grateful for the magic guidance, but…”

I was honestly a little worried that while I was asleep this death-seeking princess might charge off to the front lines.

“It’s fine. We’ll rest in the same room and keep an eye on each other. How’s that?”

“Huh… yeah, that works.”

That actually surprised me.

Was Valeria seriously worried about my condition?

Time’s precious, but if I can get proper instruction from a top-class mage like her, it’ll probably end up being the faster route anyway.

“Hmm. Same room… In that case, since the two of you are engaged, why not share the same bed? That would be the most effective way to watch each other, wouldn’t it?”

Felix winked with one eye and casually dropped an absolute bomb.

He probably thought he was helping push things forward according to my father’s wishes, but…

“H-hey!? Isn’t that skipping way too many steps!?”

I freaked out and got right up in Felix’s face.

Yeah, we’re engaged, but we literally just met. We haven’t even gone on a single date—there’s no way!

She finally said she’d become my comrade-in-arms bound by fate, and now he might ruin everything!

“No, Young Master Zenon, you seemed to be quite taken with Lady Valeria—”

“Haaah!?”

I mean, sure, her determination to risk her life to protect this country did hit me hard, but…

When I looked over, Valeria’s face was bright red.

Oh crap. I braced myself, thinking she was about to explode again.

“Hmph! I-I don’t mind. With your body barely able to stand, it’s not like you could do anything to me anyway, right?”

…Huh?

For some reason she turned her face away, all embarrassed, and huffed through her nose.

“…Well, yeah, that’s true… but you’re really okay with it?”

I asked, totally stunned.

“D-don’t get the wrong idea! It’s because if I leave you alone you’ll probably go berserk and get yourself killed. Got it? This is an order from me—start taking better care of yourself.”

Valeria pointed right at me with this super haughty attitude.

“Huh!? No, that’s literally you. I’m not okay with my fiancée dying right after we get engaged.”

“F-fiancée…!?”

Valeria’s whole body stiffened, but then her expression softened and she gave a small, wry smile.

“…W-well, looks like we’re two of a kind, huh.”

That smile made my heart skip a beat.

Valeria’s got a sharp tongue, but damn, she’s seriously beautiful.

“Then, Lady Valeria, allow me to show you to the room.”

Felix bowed very politely.

“Young Master Zenon, you mustn’t run away just because you’re bad with women. This is also Lord’s wish.”

On top of that, Felix grabbed me by the back of the neck so I couldn’t escape.

I’d already used up every ounce of strength I had, so I just let myself be dragged along.

“I’m not running away, okay?”

“That’s good to hear.”

“But, like, I need a second to mentally prepare—”

“Hahaha! This is also a kind of battle. Do you really think you can make excuses like that on the battlefield?”

And just like that, Felix basically forced me—without giving me any real choice—into lying down in the same bed as Valeria.

…W-what the hell is this situation!?

For someone like me who’s never even had a girlfriend in this life or my last, sleeping next to a beautiful girl is something I’ve only ever dreamed about.

My body’s screaming for rest, but with Valeria right there next to me, I can’t even close my eyes.

Sure, it’s good for keeping an eye on each other, but isn’t this the complete opposite of resting?

Then, out of nowhere, Valeria reached over and took my hand.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest.

She’d already had a light meal and taken a bath.

Her skin still carried that soft post-bath flush, kinda pink like cherry blossoms, and it looked insanely alluring. She smelled faintly of nice soap too.

And on top of that—wait, whoa!? She was wearing this thin negligee that showed off every curve of her body.

And… damn, her hand is so soft and warm… W-wait, what exactly is this girl thinking!?