Auri woke up in the clinic. Again.
Groaning, Auri pushed himself to sit, but his body felt impossibly heavy, as if his limbs had been turned into lead. He slumped back to the bed, his mind a hazy mess, like he had never slept at all. Then he remembered the system's message before he lost consciousness.
This extreme exhaustion he was feeling—it was the effect of an emergency function activating in his system. High-level skills were force-activated in order to process the divine energy that invaded his body, but the gap between the skills and his current level must be too vast that it came with some consequences.
At the very least, he was still alive. And the wound on his thigh had been healed completely.
However, this can't keep on happening. He can't continue being helpless and at the mercy of other people. He was supposed to be a strong, independent man!
Auri sighed as he let his weight sink into the mattress. For now, he would rest. But as soon as he recovered from the backlash, he's getting himself out of here.
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed outside the clinic. The moment the door creaked open, Auri shut his eyes and controlled his breathing, pretending to be asleep.
"It's been almost a day now, but he's still yet to wake up after receiving such a miracle," Maryam said, worry evident in her voice. "Is this really how divine healing works?"
"Ah, I wish I knew why this happened, but this is also a first for me."
Auri tried not to flinch upon hearing Captain Kaleo's voice. The man was still here, which means the inquisition team hadn't left the fortress.
Captain Kaleo let out a dramatic sigh. "Perhaps it's because I used an unorthodox method to cure his wounds."
The rough scraping sound of wood against stone reached his ears, followed by the clinking of glass as someone rummaged through the shelf filled with jars and bottles of medicinal herbs. It must be Maryam, but why was she with the inquisitor captain?
"That method..." Maryam's voice broke the brief silence. "I didn't know such a method even exists. Not that I know anything about how divine healing works, but it still surprised me."
It's not a known method among the knights." Captain Kaleo explained. "It's inefficient in battles as it takes a toll on the caster's body. If I'm being honest, I wouldn't have used it if our healer's talent had worked like normal, but it seems the situation is calling for a noble sacrifice."
"To think you would transfer his wounds to your body, it must have taken you a lot of courage to do it."
Auri almost opened his eyes at what he had just heard.
The inquisitor captain transferred his wounds to himself? Why would he do that?
"I just couldn't bear to see a poor soul in pain, so I only did what I think was right."
Auri's brows twitched.
Captain Kaleo released another sigh. "But why must fate be so cruel? All I ever prayed was to see him well, even at the expense of my well-being, yet here he remains, weak and unmoving. Perhaps my faith is not enough to make the Goddess take pity on him."
"I'm sure he'll wake up soon, Captain."
Auri wanted to feel thankful, really. But the way this guy speaks just made it difficult for him to take his words seriously. The most annoying part, though, was his voice actually sounded so soothing to listen to. The man could do ASMR videos talking about the most mundane things, and it would still sound so velvety and seductive.
"Captain, I think Auri moved just now."
"Oh, did he? Could it be that my voice roused him from his deep slumber?"
"I think we're just being too loud," Maryam said. "We should leave."
The bed's wooden frame creaked slightly as a sudden weight sank onto the mattress.
Auri kept his eyelids shut despite the presence of someone near him. He struggled to keep his body relaxed, his fingers twitching at the weight of the stare he knew was boring into his face, but maybe the other would lose interest if he held out just a little longer.
"All right, sleeping beauty, open your eyes," Captain Kaleo's suave voice whispered into his ears. "I know you're awake."
Auri screamed internally. 'No, no, no—get away from my ear!'
Captain Kaleo chuckled low, sending goosebumps all over Auri's body.
'Damn it, his voice is like little critters crawling in my brain! Stop! Stop the damn whispers already!'
"Still feigning sleep, I see. Maybe I should just keep talking. Shall I tell you a bedtime story? I know bedtime stories are meant to help you sleep, but I was told my voice could rouse even those who had already lost their ability to... rise to the occasion."
Auri's face burned at the obvious implication. The last time he suffered this kind of embarrassment was when he listened to the voice actor of the Casanova character in Jim's yaoi game. The worst part, his body was reacting to it and he could feel something stirring beneath the fabric.
"Captain, don't tease him too much," Maryam said. "He's still recovering. I'm afraid he may refuse to wake up if you keep teasing him."
"Ah, I just remembered a tale when I was a child," Captain Kaleo continued, too amused to consider stopping. "It's about a poor soul cursed into an eternal slumber, and the only remedy is the act of a true love kiss."
Auri was close to ending his little act because this man just referred to the tale of Sleeping Beauty. If he kept this up...
"I am no prince charming, unfortunately." Captain Kaleo sighed, as dramatic as always. "And you are not a princess, either. But if we were to play the role, I wonder if you would open your eyes for me."
Auri's breath hitched when a finger tilted his chin, his once numbed muscles tensing at what was to come, and for a fleeting second, he almost snapped his eyes open to glare at the mischievous inquisitor captain. But before he could end his act, someone cleared their throat.
"Captain, I've been looking for you."
It was Bastian, and from the lack of warmth in his voice, he didn't sound too happy.
"What are you even doing here?"
Captain Kaleo let go of Auri's chin, his weight leaving the mattress. "Why you ask? Well, I just ask this kind lady here to tend to my wounds. Surely, it's not a crime to seek a healer when you have an injury."
"Why would you seek a traditional healer when you have me? I'm sure I can heal you better than her!"
"I-I think so too," Maryam said in a small voice. "I'm not even as good as my sister."
"And why would I seek your service when your talents don't even work?" Captain Kaleo asked Bastian, causing the other to flinch.
"T-That—"
"I am ashamed to admit this after looking down on their primitive methods, but traditional healing still works. So, I think it's best you take this time to reconnect with the divine instead of worrying about me. I am fine receiving their treatment for the time being."
An uncomfortable silence settled in the room.
"I-I understand, Captain," Bastian said, his voice trembling, as if he was about to cry. "I'll be better."
"Ah, there goes my fun," Captain Kaleo lamented. "Well, I guess it's time for me to leave. Maybe my dear little rabbit is truly asleep and needs more rest. I'll leave him to you, Maryam."
"Of course, Captain Kaleo. It's my duty, after all."
Auri peeked behind his eyelashes to see the inquisitor captain leave through the door with his crestfallen healer. The man threw once last glance at him and sent a wink before closing the door.
"He's gone, Auri. You can open your eyes now."
Auri rolled to his side and shoved his face on the cotton-stuffed pillow, muffling his scream.
Maryam laughed at his misery. "Sorry, I wasn't much of help. I should have tried harder to stop him, but I find it really funny to watch the feared inquisitor captain of the empire act so friendly towards you, so I ended up just watching from the sidelines."
"What am I? Your daily dose of BL soap opera?"
"I don't even know what that means."
"Oh, never mind then."
"But thanks to you, things didn't look as tense in the fortress. There are still people wary of them, but I don't think they're going to cause any trouble."
Auri lay his head sideways against the pillow and watched Maryam rolled a thread into a spool. It looked similar to the thread they're using at the shop to sew book pages together before they were glued back to its hard cover. He wondered if there were jobs he could take while he's at the fortress.
"Maryam, can I ask you a favor?"
"Hmm?" Maryam looked up. "What is it?"
"Can you help me find a job?"