The Priest of Complete Dispel ~ Every Time I Save a Cursed Beautiful Girl with My Status Abnormal Cure Skill, For Some Reason Her Dependence on Me Maxes Out ~

Chapter 7: Burning Fever ※

“……Hot…… it’s so hot……”

A hoarse, gasping moan echoed through the dimly lit room.

The girl scratched desperately at her neck, her sweat-soaked hair falling in wild tangles as she writhed in agony on the bed.

Every breath she exhaled carried heat, sweat poured from her entire body in an abnormal flood, and her chest heaved violently.

Her whole body felt like it was on fire—she wanted nothing more than to rip off every piece of clothing right now. Her temperature had skyrocketed to an insane degree.

“Lady Artemisia…… Lady Keryneia……”

From her faintly trembling lips spilled the names of the goddess she worshipped and the sacred beast who served her.

Clinging to those names, the girl simply kept waiting—waiting desperately for the moment her fever would finally break.

◇◇◇

“—Miss Mizette! Miss Mizette!!”

Early morning. The sky still held a faint indigo hue.

The quiet was shattered as someone pounded urgently on the door of the Mileister house.

The woman who appeared was out of breath, her face etched with panic.

“What in the world, at this hour……”

“It’s Amelia! Amelia’s fever won’t go down……! It’s higher than anything we’ve ever seen! Please, can you come take a look at her?!”

Her voice was frantic.

Seeing that desperation, Mizette’s eyes sharpened just a little.

“Amelia, huh…… Got it. You go wait at home.”

“Thank you so much!”

Amelia’s mother bowed deeply and hurried off.

Before her figure even disappeared from view, Mizette was already heading for the kitchen.

She grabbed a frying pan and ladle from the shelf, clutched them in her hands, and marched upstairs with the determined stride of a soldier heading into battle.

Then she flung open the target door—

“Wake uuuuuuuup!!”

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG!!

“Uwaaaaaah!? What the hell!?”

The merciless metallic racket of ladle striking frying pan instantly blew away any trace of sleepiness.

The victim was Shu, who had still been lost in dreams on his bed.

◇◇◇

“I’m so sleepy……”

“Quit whining and walk faster!”

It was barely five in the morning. Normally, this would be the time I’d still be curled up snug and warm under the blankets.

But the old hag had dragged me out of bed, and now I was stumbling along in my drowsy state, still wearing my monk’s robes, half-forced to head to Amelia’s house.

On the way, I heard that Amelia was running an extremely high fever and was in serious danger.

Fevers were usually cured by drinking the cold medicine the village herbalist mixed.

Even the old hag could handle some status ailments with her light magic <Cure>, though not as well as I could.

But it wasn’t omnipotent, and I’d never heard of it working directly on fevers themselves.

That’s why I’d been summoned.

“Show me Amelia!”

“Miss Mizette!”

When we arrived at the house, Amelia’s parents were there, along with Nora, who was still rubbing sleep from her eyes. She must have forced herself awake for her big sister’s crisis.

Led into Amelia’s room, I was immediately struck by how perfectly it suited her—cute and charming.

Shelves, desk, bedside table: every surface was crowded with little stuffed animals.

Things like that hardly ever came into the village with traveling merchants.

Most likely Amelia or her mother had sewn each one by hand, stitch by stitch.

And on the bed—

There lay Amelia, brows furrowed in pain, covered only by a single thin sheet.

For some reason her upper body was bare; the nightgown she’d probably been wearing was draped loosely over her.

She must have torn it off in the grip of the fever’s heat.

Because of that, part of her chest and even her navel were left completely exposed—

……No, this is definitely not the time to get excited.

While mentally beating my own crotch into submission, I approached the bed alongside the old hag.

“—<Appraisal>”

The old hag raised her right hand and activated the skill.

She lowered it almost immediately, and a low, grave voice came from her mouth.

“This is…… ‘Burning Fever’.”

“‘Burning Fever’……?”

I’d never heard the name before.

“It’s a fever you catch from a certain insect. Normally a human’s immune system would fight it off, but…… Amelia was just unlucky enough to get it. If we leave it like this, it’s dangerous.”

“So it’s not an ordinary fever?”

“That’s right. Your body heats up like you’ve been burned, and the temperature shoots up to insane levels. Regular medicine or potions won’t touch it, and even my <Cure> can’t do anything…… The only one who can cure it is you.”

Even after the explanation, I still didn’t fully grasp it.

But just the phrase “a fever like being burned” was enough to understand how dangerous it was.

Memories from my past life flashed through my mind. If body temperature exceeds 42 degrees, the brain suffers serious damage—and life itself can be at risk.

There was no time to hesitate.

Just yesterday she’d been energetically arguing with me, but now her face was twisted in pain.

Seeing that change, there was no way I could just stand by.

“Shu…… please, save Amelia.”

“You’re the only one who can…… I’m counting on you.”

“Shu…… please help big sis……”

Each member of the family pleaded desperately.

I nodded quietly and raised my right hand.

Instantly, the activation conditions for <Perfect Clear> flowed into my mind—but when I read them, I swallowed hard.

“…………”

……You’ve got to be kidding me.

I could treat it. But the instructions were by far the most detailed and invasive ones I’d ever received.

Now I understood exactly what the old hag had meant by “dangerous.”

“Amelia’s mom. Sorry, but can you leave me and Amelia alone?”

“I understand…… Anything’s better than her dying…… I won’t complain no matter what you have to do.”

“O-okay……”

Amelia’s family knew the nature of my skill.

They must also understand that the treatment could end up borderline sexual harassment.

That’s why those words came out—though I couldn’t bring myself to look at her father’s complicated expression.

Just before everyone left the room, the old hag leaned close and whispered in my ear.

“Shu. You won’t catch it, so don’t worry.”

“……? Oh, got it. Leave it to me.”

I didn’t really understand what she meant, but I didn’t have time to care right now.

“Hot…… so hot…… my skin feels like it’s burning……”

“Amelia…… I’m gonna cure you…… Just please don’t hit me later, okay……”

She was delirious with fever and didn’t seem to even notice I was there.

I stripped off my monk’s robes, leaving my upper body bare, and climbed onto the bed.

“Hot…… but still……”

The moment I touched her cheek, an abnormal heat poured into my palm.

I had the gut feeling she might not even last the night.

I gently rolled her onto her side. Her sweat-slicked white back came into view.

I pressed myself tightly against her from behind, slid my left arm under her neck to wrap around her, and placed my right hand over her heart.

I could feel the softness of Amelia’s chest from a little earlier, and the strong beat of her heart, right in my palm.

And then—

“—<Perfect Clear>”

I activated the skill—and began to knead Amelia’s left breast.

Because our bodies were pressed so close, a thick, sweet scent unique to Amelia rose up—something I’d never smelled before.

If this kept up, I was going to lose it too—

……But this is medical treatment.

This time, I’m only kneading her left breast. That’s all.

Nothing more, nothing less…… or so it should be, but the sensation transmitted through my fingertips refused to let me stay detached.

The feeling of her sweat-dampened breast swallowing my fingers was completely different from touching her through cloth.

So soft, so warm, sinking in until the shape gave way—an indescribable, sucking sensation that words could never capture.

“Ah, ah♡ Hot…… so hot……♡ Haaan♡”

Every time I activated my skill, for some reason the cute ones always started moaning like this.

Widow Marie, still-young Nora, and the other young women in the village—there were no exceptions.

It’s like beautiful girls are especially prone to this…… no, it’s honestly a mystery.

But hearing that sweet voice right in my ear, I’m nowhere near saintly enough to stay calm.

……Still, I have to endure.

“There……♡ Nooo……♡ Ah, ah……♡ Shu……♡ Shu……♡”

—Like hell I can endure it!

Hey, why the hell are you calling my name right now?!

Because of that, my lower body, already rock-hard, swelled even more and pressed right between Amelia’s soft buttocks.

If I hadn’t been wearing pants, things could have gotten really bad.

The only saving grace was that Amelia was unconscious.

Sure, Amelia was someone I saw almost every day since coming to this village.

Working under the old hag at the church meant I couldn’t avoid seeing her every day…… Wait, didn’t this girl actually hate me?

Damn it…… You’re literally on the brink of life and death right now……!

So don’t let your nipples get hard like that!

“More…… more……♡ The hot thing…… it’s flowing into me♡ Shu, Shu…… haaan♡”

“……Just…… end already……”

But Amelia’s sweet cries didn’t stop.

Her nipples, already stiff, grew even harder every time I touched them, and she let out louder moans.

I’d been seeing Amelia almost every day for the past three years.

Even back then she was already the cutest girl in the village, and I thought so too.

Because of the sexual-harassment-style treatment I’d given Nora, she hated me, but I never imagined I’d be doing something even more intense to her now.

And this reaction from Amelia was completely new.

Maybe when a more powerful treatment is needed, the reaction becomes this strong.

So right now, Amelia was—

“Ah…… ah……♡ ……No more…… Shu, Shu♡ It feels good…… more…… more…… ah♡…… If this keeps up…… I’m gonna…… I’m coming, I’m coming…… aaaaaaaah〜〜〜!?!♡”

Even unconscious, her body jerked violently and stiffened in spasms.

The cute white panties she still wore were soaked with a wet stain as the pleasure flowed elsewhere.

“…………”

There’s no way I can ever tell Amelia everything that happened.

—In the end, the treatment lasted a full thirty minutes.

It was easily the longest I’d ever used my skill on anyone.

Apparently when it’s a life-threatening condition, the time required stretches this far.

If I’d tried to do it without contact, it probably would’ve taken days.

My right hand, which had kneaded the same breast for that entire time, felt like it was about to cramp from overuse.

Maybe that’s why—right after the treatment ended, all my strength drained away at once, and I collapsed beside her, falling straight into sleep.

◇◇◇

—I had a dream.

It was when I was twelve.

Shu had just arrived in the village and become part of Miss Mizette’s household.

He was a strange, listless boy.

I didn’t know why. But knowing he’d been abandoned in the forest, it wasn’t hard to guess.

Surely he carried a past too heavy for me to imagine.

But as he lived with those two, little by little, Shu’s expressions began to return.

With those two around, cheering him up was the easiest thing in the world—because they were……

And besides, Shu had a special power.

A skill that church people all over the world would kill to get their hands on.

Yet he never acted arrogant about it; he only used it to save the people right in front of him. Honestly, I thought that was really cool.

……Until I learned about the perverted nature of the treatment.

One day, Nora hit a ball up into a tree. When I climbed up to get it, I slipped and fell.

It was a height that would’ve definitely broken bones. But Shu happened to be passing by and, without hesitation, jumped in and caught me in his strong arms.

A princess carry—in that moment, something deep inside my chest grew warm.

If what he was doing wasn’t so perverted, even now……

That’s why, being wrapped in his scent like this, held tightly in those strong arms, doesn’t actually feel bad at all—

Ah…… somehow, my body feels lighter.

Just a moment ago, every inch of me had felt like it was burning, like I might stop breathing any second.

My consciousness had been hazy; my mind felt like it was boiling from the fever, and I didn’t even know where I was or what I was doing…… yet now that heat was slowly, gently receding.

“There♡ Nooo……♡ Ah, ah……♡ Shu…… Shu……♡”

Before I knew it, Shu’s name was spilling naturally from my lips.

I didn’t even know why I was calling him now.

All I knew was that deep inside my left breast felt pleasantly warm, and still caught in the fever’s haze, I kept calling his name over and over.

And then an incredible pleasure I’d never felt before raced through my whole body, and even in my dream, I reached the heavens.

“Nn, nn………… Huh…… morning……?”

I opened my eyes.

What entered my vision were all the stuffed animals I’d sewn myself. And the familiar ceiling.

I immediately knew this was my room.

But the warmth enveloping my back and the sweaty sensation covering my whole body gave me a strange sense of security.

For some reason my body felt light and wonderfully refreshed.

—Right, I was burning with fever.