Life in Another World as a Maid Mage
Volume 1 - Daily Life of A Maid Mage
021 – Nursing services available for unforeseen illness (2)
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This chapter is narrated from Shiori's perspective
– Some time ago, I had an unpleasant experience. I heard that the C-Rank girls were still in trouble. They were caught and decisively punished for the incident in the forest. One of them quit right after that, but the other two would return when the suspension was lifted.
"It seems they have made some other enemies, so when they come back, they'll be isolated… The people with support roles are all saying they don't want to work with them. It's natural."
Ellen said with a wry smile. Those who didn't take good care of their companions won't be cared for, in return. It was only natural.
This time, some of my colleagues secretly praised me for "doing a great job". But I felt that some of my other colleagues, mainly my juniors, have become strangely afraid of me because of how the story was told.
However, those who remembered the incident with "Dawn" were very worried about me. This was especially true of Zack, who persistently asked me if I was really uninjured as soon as I came back, which was quite embarrassing.
(I've worried y'all once again.)
It was nice to know that there were people who cared about me. But more than that, it was painful that I had made them worry.
After that, I was feeling depressed for a while. Of course, I didn't show it on my face because it would hinder my work, but there were days when my dull mood continued.
But today, I got word from the lady who ran the general store that my order had arrived, so I decided to do some shopping to distract myself and put an end to my depressed mood.
I left the general store and walked down the street in a good mood. My favorite shoulder bag was full of goodies. I made a good purchase. I felt better than I had in days.
I replaced the linens for camping with better quality ones. It was difficult to get a lot of linen made in Rinothuania, which I loved. So I settled with buying linen bath towels from a famous local brand, and I changed the weave from plain to waffle, which provides better texture and absorbency. The cloths fabric are a little more stylish with a line of colored thread on the edges. Buying cute sundries could lift up your spirits.
I also found and bought some light metal airtight containers for portable food. They were easier to carry around than the glass ones. I would buy more of them if I found them convenient.
I was having fun thinking about everything I bought as I headed home. I was almost at my apartment when I noticed a figure leaning against a building along the street and stopped. I called out to a familiar man in swordsman's attire, who remained motionless with his head down.
"– Mr. Alex?"
The man slowly raised his head. His chestnut hair was sticking to his forehead from sweat; his mauve eyes, which usually had a strong light in them, were blurred and unfocused; and his lips were half-open, laboringly gasping for breath. His face was completely pale, drained of blood. I rushed over to him in astonishment at his obviously unusual appearance.
"Hey, Mr. Alex, Are you okay!? Your complexion…"
I reached out with my hand to support his body, but I was tugged closer. Rather than a hug, it was more like a clinging embrace. His forehead was pressed against my shoulder. I felt his hot breath on my neck. I could feel that he was very hot even through my clothes.
"Mr. Ale… uh, wh-who-whoa."
The weight of the clinging body suddenly increased as he tugged me further. I couldn't support his body as it slipped and collapsed back to leaning against the wall, and I fell to my knees together with him. From a distance, it looked like two lovers hugging each other. The ladies on the street walked by us with a chuckle as if to say, "Oh, dear". However, that was not the case and I was trying my best to get out of his arms.
With my hand, I tried touching his face which was sweating profusely. It was hot. His breathing was also ragged and labored, and he seemed to be in pain. I wanted to take him somewhere so he could rest promptly. But even if I tried to move him, his tall, strong body was painfully heavy to support and walk at the same time. Just as I was at a loss, Rurie, who had disappeared before I knew it, came back with the apartment manager.
"Miss Shiori! What happened?"
He was accustomed to seeing Rurie, and when he saw his tenant's familiar appear alone, he hurriedly came out, thinking that something had happened to its master.
Lars, the apartment manager, raised his brows at their appearance. He noticed something was wrong and rushed over to them.
"This is the man from the other day…"
"He's a member of the guild."
I noticed that some of the people passing by stopped to look at me, either curiously or concernedly. I couldn't let this turn into a spectacle. Lars seemed to think the same thing. He gently repositioned his body to shield Alex from the line of sight.
But I didn't know where Alex lived. All I knew was that it seemed to be near here. It wasn't far from the guild, but it was a long way to take Alex in his state.
Shiori made up her mind.
Alex was a fellow adventurer. Shouldn't he be taken care of by his own companions?
…And he's been taking care of me a lot lately.
"…I'll take him to my room. Can you help me?"
"Yes, of course. Let's hold him from both sides."
"Please do. Mr. Alex, just hang on a little longer, please."
Alex opened his eyes thinly and gave a small nod. Lars and I supported him and helped him stand up. Perhaps it was too painful since we almost collapsed twice on the way. But I encouraged him and we managed to get him to my room in the apartment.
I sat him down on the bed and took off his cloak, which was covered with dust and something that seemed to look like bodily fluids. I stopped when I put my hand on the breastplate underneath it.
(…How am I going to get it off?)
Sensing Shiori's confusion, Lars offered a helping hand.
"… I'll do it. Just keep supporting him."
I took his place and supported Alex's body as he was about to fall. Lars took off his waistband and placed his sword by the bed, then began to unfasten his breastplate. A sigh escaped from Alex's mouth as Lars removed the loosened breastplate. Maybe he felt a little more comfortable. The gauntlets and boots were removed in the same way.
"I used to be an adventurer too. I was a swordsman."
"I had no idea you were. That's a little surprising."
"It must be since I'm often told that. I got married young and changed jobs. My term in the guild was brief, so I'm guessing that's part of the reason."
Lars, with his refined figure, looked like the butler of some nobleman. There was no trace of the man who used to wield a sword in the open against monsters and bandits.
"Now that I've removed his equipment, please take care of the rest. I'll go get a doctor."
"Sorry, please do."
I watched Lars leave in a hurry and then turned my attention back to Alex. I also wanted to take off his dirty clothes before I put him to sleep.
"…You tell other people not to overdo it, but you overdid it yourself."
The clothes under his cloak were also stained with what looked like fresh blood, as if he had been asked to do a quest despite his condition. After some hesitation, I loosened the belt of his pants, unbuttoned his shirt and pulled his arms out of the sleeves. A whiff of body odor - the smell of a man - hit my nose. I blushed when I saw his toned naked body covered with old scars, but I instantly drove it out of my mind.
"Excuse me for a moment, Mr. Alex."
After I called out to him, I put my hand under his neck, then lifted his body slightly and pulled off his shirt in one motion. Alex's eyes remained closed throughout the whole ordeal. He seemed to be already unconscious.
"… I have to wipe his face and body…"
I pinched a tuft of his dusty hair while muttering, and then Rurie moved over to the bed and took Alex's hand into her translucent body. After a few moments, his hand was pushed out and was cleaned of dirt. Rurie had ingested only the surface dirt.
"Amazing! You're so clever! You can do that, too. Then the rest of his body should be easy… No, no, no, um, wait a minute."
I imagined Alex being licked all over his body by a slime, and I couldn't stop myself from picturing this strange and obscene scene.
(If I recall correctly, there was a book about that kind of action, wasn't there!?)
It inadvertently reminded me of an obscene book I had seen in a bookstore in my hometown that was aimed at a certain type of enthusiast, and I couldn't bear it. In order to protect his honor, I decided to wipe him off myself. I asked Rurie to only do his hair and she shivered in satisfaction. She seems pleased when I request something from her.
While Rurie started cleaning the dirt out of his hair, I filled the water bucket with warm magically-created water, submerged the towel, and gave it a loose squeeze. Then I gently wiped Alex's face and I felt that his pained expression relaxed a little. I rinsed the towel again, this time wiped from the neck to the waist, and then put the towel on my shoulder. I gently touched his forehead and it was still hot. I soaked a clean towel in water, squeezed it, slightly cooled it with ice magic, and placed it on his forehead.
I pulled together the dirty clothes, hesitated a bit, and then made up my mind to put my hand in the underneath underclothes.
(I'll just try not to look, okay?)
I probed inside his underclothes, then put my hand on his underwear before pulling them out a little strongly. Alex let out a breath of relief. He probably didn't feel so good wearing something smeared with body fluids, probably from the demon beast. When you're sick, even the slightest odor could stick into your nose. That's what I was thinking.
I put the underwear in the basket along with the cloak and shirt I took off him. I remembered washing them when we subdue the Manticore, so there would be no problem if I washed them the same way.
In the meantime, Lars returned with a doctor. The doctor checked his pulse and temperature, then examined his mouth and eyes. After carefully examining his body up until the tips of his fingernails, he raised his face and smiled softly.
"… It's probably from fatigue. You should let him rest. Make sure he drinks plenty of water, and if he has an appetite, he should eat something nourishing and easy to digest."
Lars and I let out a sigh of relief when we found out that there was nothing wrong with him. The doctor handed me a fever reducer and said, "If it lasts too long, give it to him." After a word or two of advice, I paid the doctor's fee for his in-home visit. I politely thanked Lars for seeing him off downstairs, and he told me that he would be back after a little while.
"Please give me a call if anything happens"
He said and left with the doctor. Silence returned to the room.
I turned back to the bed and checked on Alex again. His eyebrows were still furrowed in agony, but his breathing seemed to have somewhat calmed down compared to when I had brought him into the room. I should let him sleep like this. I drew the curtains on the side of the bed to block out the sunlight and dim the room. I tore up a page from my notebook and quickly wrote down a message, then gave it to Rurie at my feet by a tub that I had magically filled with water.
"I'm sorry, but I have one more errand for you. After you drink this, I want you to hand this note to Brother Zack."
Rurie shivered once, drank the water, and wrapped the note carefully inside her. She opened the door and slipped out of the room.
"Well…"
I've got urgent work to do. It was an emergency request to take care of a suddenly sick person.
First, let's make some homemade fruit juice flavored water. That said, it's just some leftover berry syrup mixed with water and a little salt. Then I'll make a nourishing broth. A nutritious food that he could eat immediately after waking up and was hungry. After that, it would be time to do the laundry.
I rolled up my sleeves, put on my apron, and quickly started to work.
Lars Leksell: 45 years old. Shiori's apartment's manager. His favorite food are eggs.