An Unfamiliar Ceiling

When I opened my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

As I was wondering where I was, I heard a scraping sound from beside me.

When I turned my gaze, Finn was peeling an apple with a knife.

The peel was coming off in one unbroken strip. As dexterous as ever.

She noticed me stirring and looked my way.

She crossed her legs and flashed a grin.

"You're awake?"

"… Yeah. Where am I?"

"A hospital room. The VIP kind. When we finally found you, you'd passed out. Started sleeping peacefully in Elza's chest."

"I see. I remember escaping, but that wasn't a dream, right?"

Finn blinked for a moment, then snorted haughtily as usual.

I was honestly relieved to see that again.

"Hah? Quit talking nonsense, here."

Finn tossed the peeled apple into the air with a flick of her wrist and moved her knife.

By the time she caught it, it was neatly cut into six equal pieces.

She placed them on a plate and thrust it toward me.

I took it and put one piece in my mouth. When I bit down, sweet and sour juice flooded my mouth.

It soaked into my dry throat and empty stomach, and I finished it all in no time.

"If you've got a good appetite, you're fine. You were pale as a ghost when we pulled you up, so I was worried."

"Oh, you were worried about me?"

Perhaps realizing she'd said something unnecessary, Finn suddenly stood up and poked my shoulder.

It hurt quite a bit, but I wanted to believe it was just her being embarrassed.

"So, what happened?"

"A lot… is all I can really say. First I want to hear about your side of things."

"Let's see. Four days ago in the morning, suddenly you and some others went missing. That was the start. When the Kingdom's envoy of all people goes missing, it's a disaster for Imperial security and Crown Prince Kelves's reputation. I wish I could've shown you the looks on Kelves and his guard Gloria's faces."

Four days ago. It had already been that long.

There was no morning or noon in that place, and everything had been so hectic that I'd lost all sense of what day it was.

"Azu was a mess too. One moment she was crying, the next she was radiating killing intent at everyone around her… If we hadn't found you, things could've gotten really bad. Make sure you take care of her, got it?"

"I know. That's my responsibility too."

Azu was usually stable, but when something happened to Yohane, that changed.

In any case, I was just glad we managed to escape safely.

"No matter how much we searched, we couldn't find you, so we quickly moved to magical detection. After a while, Elza finally located you and we managed to provide support."

"That was a lifesaver. I was in quite a pinch."

"The problem was how to actually save you, but… suddenly, massive magical power was detected from the sky. We rushed over and found a space connected to somewhere else had appeared. We sensed your presence from it, so we pulled you up."

I remembered someone's hand grabbing mine at the very last moment.

"You've got incredible luck… Everyone else was found dead in their bedrooms."

"Did anyone else come out besides me?"

Iefuda and Jill should have exited before me.

From the way she was talking, it sounded like they hadn't been found.

"Hmm? I didn't see anyone. Though, come to think of it, there was a marker that made it easy to find you."

"I see."

Those two were quick to flee.

They probably ran off before anyone else arrived because they didn't want to be seen.

They didn't help me escape, but leaving a marker was just like them.

That was more than enough repayment for the meal tab they'd stuck me with.

As for the job payment… I had a feeling I'd meet them again, so that could wait until then.

"After that, we brought you to this room and took turns nursing you. Be grateful."

"Of course. Finn, thank you."

"Hmph. It's just a job."

There was a knock at the door before someone entered the room.

It was Orleans and Alexia.

"Sir, thank goodness. You've woken up."

"My, how tenacious."

"As you can see, I'm alive and well."

"Please have some of this if you'd like. It's something I drink when I'm tired…"

Orleans had brought ginger tea, so I sipped it slowly.

It was slightly bitter and sweet, and warmth gradually spread through my body.

"Thank you. It was delicious. Where are the other two?"

"Azu's sleeping. She'd been up the whole time searching for you since you disappeared, Master. Elza's watching over her."

"Azu-sama was completely exhausted."

"Oops, now it's your turn. What hap—"

"Finn, stop. Let him sleep now. When he recovers, he'll have to report to the Imperial officials too, so it'd be twice the work."

"Fine, Alexia. Well, I'll settle for getting to see this dumb face again."

I was grateful. Honestly, just listening was starting to tire me out.

Alexia gently reached out and stroked my head.

"If you picked us up only to die somewhere without us knowing, I won't forgive you. Remember that. If you're somewhere we can see, we'll protect you properly."

"Really, you're so reliable."

As we talked, intense drowsiness washed over me.

Without any chance to resist, my consciousness drifted into slumber.

"Sleep well, sir."

I thought I heard Orleans's voice.