Reincarnated as a Mob in an Otome Game, but the Characters Were Worse Than I Expected, So I Crushed Them All and Destroyed the Story - Chapter 40: Mob Recuperates

Chapter 40: Mob Recuperates

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was an unfamiliar ceiling.

I tried to sit up and look around—

But the moment I moved, a sharp pain shot through my shoulder, forcing me back down.

Hesitantly, I reached for it, only to find thick bandages carefully wrapped around the wound.

“You’re awake.”

“…Professor.”

Standing nearby was the school nurse—a gentle-looking woman.

The way she casually brushed her hair aside had a certain elegance to it, but—

After spending so much time around absolute beauties like Charlotte, Alicia, and even Jessica (at least in terms of looks), I had built up a solid resistance to that kind of thing.

Not that she wasn’t attractive.

She was definitely beautiful.

But at this point, it would take more than that to faze me.

“I’ve sealed your wound as much as I could with magic, but it was pretty deep. You’ll need to stay on complete bed rest for a while. As long as you get regular treatment, it should fully heal in less than a week, so don’t worry.”

That’s… pretty fast.

Gotta love magic.

With high-tier healing spells, I’d probably recover in an instant, but there were only a handful of people in the world who could use magic like that.

And honestly, just being able to use any kind of healing magic was rare.

This nurse? She was definitely an elite in her own right.

“Sorry… for making you treat me on your day off.”

“It’s no trouble at all. This is my job, after all. Besides, we work on a rotation, so I’m not here every day.”

I see. So she wasn’t some overworked monster pulling seven-day shifts nonstop—she actually worked on a rotation.

Well, that made sense.

Someone with valuable skills like hers wouldn’t be pushed to exhaustion.

Of course they’d make sure to take care of her properly.

“For now, you should just rest. There’s a small chance you might develop a fever over the next few days due to an infection, but don’t worry—it won’t be life-threatening. The academy has healers who can use fever-reducing magic, so if anything happens, help will come right away.”

“That’s reassuring. Thank you so much.”

“No need to thank me. Now, take it easy.”

With a polite bow, she pulled the curtain shut.

Even though the room lights were still on, the curtain blocked most of the brightness, casting the space into dim shadows.

Whether it was exhaustion or the lingering pain from my wound, drowsiness crept up on me fast—

And before I knew it, I was asleep again.

◇◆◇

The next day.

Even though classes were in session, I had been given official permission to take the day off.

This was the first time since reincarnating into this world that I wasn’t being pushed into some kind of chaos.

Honestly, the last time I had a day this slow was probably when I was a baby.

I stared out the window aimlessly…

But the view was so boring that I lost interest almost immediately.

…Is this what skipping school feels like?

It’s way too dull.

[Well, at least you got away with just that injury. Could’ve been worse.]

(Oh? That’s rare. I was expecting something more like, “You let your guard down! You should’ve been able to block that!” or something.)

[As if. Charlotte was seriously dangerous back there. It wouldn’t have been surprising if you actually died]

Hearing Lana speak in such a serious tone made me scratch my head.

Normally, our conversations were just back-and-forth banter—me being reckless, her scolding me.

But when she got genuinely concerned, it threw me off balance.

It just didn’t suit us.

(Well, I’m still alive, so it all worked out, right?)

[That’s what I’ve been saying. But you never learn. You just keep throwing yourself into danger—do you know how many times I’ve wanted to hold my head in frustration over you?]

(Haha… My bad.)

But even now, I didn’t regret stepping in to stop Charlotte and protect Jessica.

If Charlotte had actually killed Jessica back then, the consequences would’ve been catastrophic.

The love interests in this world wouldn’t have just let that slide—their retaliation would’ve been brutal.

And even though Charlotte was a duke’s daughter, her standing would have definitely taken a hit.

I couldn’t let her get removed from the picture.

If I wanted to turn things around, I needed her to stay in the game—

And more than anything, if I was going to take someone down, it had to be with my own hands.

Once I was fully prepared, I wouldn’t hesitate.

I’d crush them completely.

This would be the last time I saved them—unless something really extraordinary happened.

As I was thinking all that—

Knock, knock.

There was a knock at the door.

At some point, they had moved me from the treatment room to an actual hospital room.

I had assumed that, as a commoner, I’d be stuck in a shared ward—

But apparently, being in A-Class meant I got my own private room.

Since I was the only one here, I raised my voice slightly to let the visitor in.

“Come in.”

“…Excuse me.”

“Huh? Lady Hamilton?”

Alicia stepped in hesitantly, as if unsure whether she should be here.

I wasn’t expecting her to visit. If anyone, I figured maybe Hank would drop by—but Alicia?

That was a surprise.

“How is your injury?”

“I’ll be back in class the day after tomorrow. And in a few more days, I’ll be fully recovered.”

“I see… When I saw all that blood, I was really worried. But I’m glad it’s a wound that can heal.”

Unlike duels, mock battles can result in serious injuries—or even death.

That was probably why Jessica had chosen a mock battle in the first place.

But still… it was way too reckless.

Having students fight to the death wasn’t exactly healthy, and duels were far more structured and convenient.

Honestly, they should just stick to one system and make duels the standard.

“So, what was the final result of the match? I ended up sleeping through the whole thing and missed my chance to ask.”

Technically, it was a one-on-one duel between Charlotte and me, and Charlotte admitted defeat.

But Jessica was still standing at the time, so no official winner was declared.

I had blacked out before they could announce a verdict, so I wanted to know what had happened.

“In the end, Jessica was declared the winner. But… she refused the victory. And instead, she chose to forfeit and pass the win to Lady Maxwell.”

Huh.

So even Jessica didn’t have the guts to shamelessly claim victory after all that.

For Charlotte to crush someone’s spirit that completely in an instant…

That was honestly terrifying.

That level of dominance—making someone surrender out of sheer fear—was something I could never pull off.

Charlotte really was on another level.

“Oh, right. I brought some fruit. Would you like some?”

“Huh? Are you sure?”

Fruit wasn’t exactly a luxury item—

At least, not for commoners.

But when a count’s daughter brought fruit, there was no way it was anything cheap.

I had a feeling this wasn’t something I should casually accept.

“Fufu, don’t worry. A few days ago, my family sent over a huge batch, and I can’t finish them all by myself. I’d be happy if you helped me eat some.”

“In that case… I won’t hold back.”

“Please do. I’ll peel them for you now.”

With a gentle smile, Alicia sat down in the chair beside my bed, pulled out a fruit knife, and picked up an apple.

She began peeling it with practiced ease, the blade gliding smoothly over the surface, stripping the skin away in a single, fluid motion.

Her movements were quick and precise, each slice clean and elegant.

“You’re pretty good at that.”

“Fufu, I love fruit, so I used to peel them myself all the time.”

Within minutes, she had finished slicing the apple and arranged the pieces neatly on a plate.

She then took one and stuck a thin wooden pick into it, similar to a toothpick, before handing it to me.

Gratefully, I accepted it and took a bite.

“Yum… This is really good. It’s so juicy and incredibly sweet.”

“These apples were grown in Hamilton territory. Our land is famous for producing sweet apples.”

Alicia smiled, looking genuinely pleased—maybe even a little proud.

It was… a surprisingly peaceful day.

A day like this wasn’t so bad once in a whi—

“Oh, right! Lady Maxwell told me to let you know that as soon as you’ve recovered, you should go see her.”

…Never mind.

So much for a peaceful day.