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 [Dropped] - Chapter 42: Mob Recovers

Chapter 42: Mob Recovers

About four days passed with me mostly resting in the infirmary, chatting now and then with Alicia and Hank whenever they came to visit.

Now, I was sitting on a chair, shirtless, in front of the school nurse who wore a white coat.

She gently touched the faint scar still left on my shoulder, checking it with both her fingers and a bit of magic.

After a few minutes of examination, she gave a small nod.

“Yup, it’s healing nicely. I think it’s safe for you to start swinging a sword again, though you should avoid any intense physical activity for now. Just come back for healing magic for two more days, and you should be completely fine.”

“I see…”

“…Hmm? You don’t look too happy about it. Don’t tell me you’re not excited because… you don’t enjoy studying?”

“A-Ahaha… Yeah, something like that…”

There was no way I could say, “Actually, I’m about to get summoned by a duke’s daughter to be used for her… weird tastes.”

At this point, I didn’t care if I looked like a lazy student. I had zero energy left to fix any misunderstandings.

“Studying is important, okay? Skipping it now might make things harder in the future. You’ll thank yourself later.”

“Hahaha… y-yeah, totally…”

“Do your best, alright? I believe your future’s going to be bright.”

She gave me a warm smile.

With a bit of a slouch, I bowed politely, then made my way back to the private room where my things were waiting.

◇◆◇

(Sigh… So I’m finally all healed, huh…)

I left the private room where I’d spent the last few days, carrying my belongings as I headed back to the dorm.

My steps were heavy. But my heart was even heavier.

[Isn’t it still better to be healed than to stay injured forever? Human bodies are pretty fragile, right? Just losing one arm can throw your whole balance off.]

(Yeah… I don’t think anyone would take “just losing one arm” lightly.)

Spirits were different. Even if they lost a limb, it would grow back eventually.

Of course, there were limits to how much they could recover. And apparently, if their contractor’s life force weakened, they’d get weaker too. But even so, they were way tougher than humans.

[Why so gloomy? You should be celebrating your recovery!]

(You do remember I have to go see Charlotte now, right?)

[Didn’t you come up with that whole plan to bring Charlotte back to normal? You were all serious about it, saying “It’s perfect, this’ll definitely work!” and everything.]

(The word “definitely” is one of the least trustworthy things in the world, you know.)

[You’re the one who said it! And now you’re doubting it!?]

Honestly, no matter how confident I was in the plan, that didn’t mean I wanted to go.

I had wished so many times that my recovery would take forever.

[If you hate it that much, why not just tell Charlotte you’ll go tomorrow since you just got discharged today?]

(Listen here. “I’ll do it tomorrow” is the motto of an idiot. Besides, I really don’t want to spend the whole night with this heavy feeling in my chest.)

Honestly, that second reason was the bigger one.

It’s not like I’m the kind of guy who finishes his homework early or has some admirable, hardworking personality.

But this situation wasn’t some school assignment. Compared to summer homework, the mental weight of this was on another level.

No way I could relax with the whole “Charlotte situation” hanging over my head.

[“I’ll do it tomorrow” is the motto of an idiot… Huh. Not sure if that’s wise or just depressing.]

(Whatever. The point is, I’ve got no choice but to go today. So I’m going.)

[Okay. Good luck with that.]

(But I don’t wanna gooooooo!!!)

I screamed in my heart.

I might’ve heard Lana mutter something like, “So loud… so annoying…” but I ignored it. Completely ignored it.

I’m not a troublesome guy, okay? It’s just that this situation is way too extreme.

Grumbling back and forth with Lana the whole way, I suddenly found myself standing in front of my dorm room.

It hadn’t been that long since I’d been away… but for some reason, it felt kind of nostalgic.

(Feels like I’ve finally made it back…)

I reached for the doorknob and stepped inside.

And right away, Hank came out to greet me.

“Hey! You’re finally back!”

“Yeah. Got the doctor’s permission and everything.”

“If you’d told me, I could’ve helped carry your stuff… Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I didn’t have much to bring, and my injury’s pretty much healed now. So don’t worry about it.”

Hank was as kind as ever.

If it weren’t for that other thing I had to deal with later, I would’ve been genuinely happy to be back.

As I carried my things into the room, Halbert came over with a tray of tea.

It had been a while since I’d seen him.

He usually stayed hidden inside Hank, so it wasn’t often he showed up like this.

“Lord Edward. I’m really glad to see you’re recovering. My master was very worried about you, you know.”

“Of course I was. Edward’s my friend.”

“Haha, thanks.”

I took the cup of tea from Halbert and sat on my bed to take a sip.

Maybe it was because he was a fire spirit, but he had perfect control over the heat—this tea was seriously good.

(Man, fire spirits are really convenient… I wonder if they’re good at cooking too?)

[Spirits aren’t tools, you know? And are you saying that just to spite me because I’m an ice spirit?]

(No way. But seriously, Lana—can you cook?)

[…I can make shaved ice]

Pretty sure anyone could do that.

Just shave some ice and pour syrup over it.

(Well, I’m sure there are things only Lana can do. Like instantly cooling me down during a hot summer, for example.)

[Don’t use me like a walking ice pack!!]

She snapped.

But isn’t that kind of what an ice spirit’s whole identity is about?

Sure, summers in this world were a bit cooler than on Earth, but they still got pretty hot. I figured there was definitely a demand for what she could do.

Maybe I should start a business selling that service and make a fortune?

[I can hear you, Master. And I’m telling you now—I’m not doing it.]

(Stingy.)

[I’m not stingy!]

Well, it’s not like I was desperate for money anyway.

Thanks to reselling those spears, I had enough saved to live comfortably for a few years. So I could afford to be a bit bold and spend freely when needed.

Not that I planned to waste it or anything.

“Oh, right. I should get going.”

“Going? Where? You just got better. Shouldn’t you take it easy for a bit?”

“Unfortunately, it’s a summons from Lady Maxwell. Want to come with me?”

“Yikes. Suddenly remembered I’ve got something else to do.”

“…Weren’t you my friend?”

“Exactly! That’s why I’m cheering you on! Good luck, buddy!”

He really didn’t even try to hide it.

Well, even if he had wanted to come with me, bringing him along would probably just make Charlotte mad, so I wasn’t planning to anyway.

I didn’t have anything to carry, so I headed straight to the entrance.

Hank saw me off with a worried look, and I couldn’t help but smile wryly before setting off toward Charlotte’s room.

(Haaah… This is it, huh…)

I’d been here a few times before, so there was no way I’d mistake the place.

It was supposed to be just like any other room, but somehow, the door alone radiated an overwhelming pressure.

Actually, forget the door—the real problem was me standing here alone in the girls’ dorm. That alone was enough to make me feel seriously out of place.

I quickly went over the plan in my head one more time, took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

The lock clicked open, and from inside, I heard Charlotte’s voice.

“You can come in.”

I cautiously opened the door… and froze at the sight inside.

“Haaah… haaah… So? What do you think?”

“Uuuh… woof…”

Standing there—ready and waiting—were a fully prepped cat girl and a dog girl.

And I just stood there, completely speechless.