Chapter 7

The site had 100,000 hits in a day.

Well, I'll just be honest and be happy about it.

Thank you to everyone who read it.

While moving through the noble district, in the town square, many explorers had gathered to exchange information.

Their voices reached Kuren's ears.

"It seems the first case has appeared this year."

"Is it that time already? I hope I don't get haunted by the fever."

"Come to think of it, it's already July. It wouldn't be strange for it to appear."

"Does this mean we'll have to start our days of visiting the recovery clinic and taking stamina recovery potions again?"

"It's not a big deal if you don't get it, right?"

"I'll be damned if it gets bad and I die. I'll spend the money to get treated. I don't want to die without clearing the dungeon."

"There's no way you can clear it."

"What did you say, grrrrrr!"

Kuren, intrigued, approached the group of explorers.

"Excuse me. You were talking about a disease, right? Could you tell me more about it?"

With a smile, he joined their circle and listened.

"Huh? You're a healer, right? Why don't you know about it?"

The explorer looked a bit puzzled.

"Ah, I'm not from this town. The place I was in before didn't have this disease."

Kuren chuckled.

"What kind of place did you live in? Anyway, it's a disease that spreads in town from July to September. When it gets hot, people start to fall ill with a high fever of unknown cause. The first person to get it is always an explorer returning from the dungeon. That's why we call it 'Dungeon Fever.' The symptoms vary, but they include vomiting and diarrhea. In severe cases, people can be bedridden with a high fever for two weeks. The only way to treat it right now is with stamina recovery potions and visits to the clinic for stamina recovery and enhancement."

He spoke with a tone that suggested he didn't want to catch it.

"It's a troublesome disease for explorers. You can't enter the dungeon if you're sick."

Kuren had a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yeah, we hope they come up with a treatment at [Eclix] soon. Otherwise, we'll all go broke."

The explorer laughed.

"Thanks for the info. I'll look into new treatments too."

Kuren chuckled.

"Sure! I'll count on you. I don't know if I'll get it, but if I do, I'll rely on you."

With a nod, Kuren waved and left the square.

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Kuren arrived at the Orvis residence.

On the way to Alicia's room, he was led by Karin.

"It's all thanks to you, Kuren-sama. It's like a dream to see Miss Alicia greet us so cheerfully. Just seeing her smile makes me so happy."

Karin beamed and spoke with enthusiasm.

"It's worth it to save someone. It's great to make people happy."

Kuren said, a bit embarrassed.

"If we increase the rehabilitation time, she can return to daily life sooner. She needs to work harder."

Karin said, breathing heavily.

"Don't rush her. We need to avoid putting a strain on her heart. Take it slow and don't add unnecessary pressure."

Kuren cautioned the overexcited Karin.

Karin, looking a bit dejected, scratched her head and said, "I'm sorry," as she escorted Kuren to Alicia's room.

"If anything happens, please call me. I have work to do, so I'll be going."

Karin skipped away, leaving Kuren slightly worried. He thought about adding another caution before knocking and entering Alicia's room.

"Alicia, I've brought your examination and medicine."

Kuren called out.

"!!?"

Alicia panicked.

She was lying on her back with her legs raised for rehabilitation, and her clothes had come loose, revealing her pale, beautiful abdomen.

Her face turned red, and she quickly tried to adjust her position and cover the exposed area.

"That's terrible. Kuren-sama, you shouldn't just barge in like that."

Alicia puffed out her cheeks in anger.

Kuren found her expression cute and said, scratching his head,

"I'm sorry. I did knock before coming in."

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I was so focused that I didn't notice."

Alicia bowed deeply in apology.

"You seem to be working hard on your rehabilitation. But don't overdo it."

"Yes, I only pushed a little, making sure I didn't feel unwell."

Alicia blushed and looked down as she spoke.

"That's good. I've brought your medicine. There are red and white packets inside. Take them after dinner."

Kuren took a small paper bag from his pocket and handed it to Alicia.

"Thank you, Kuren-sama."

Alicia checked the contents to make sure the red and white packets were there, then placed them on a table next to her bed.

With a smile, she asked for the rehabilitation massage Kuren had given her before.

She seemed to really enjoy it.

Kuren agreed and had Alicia lie down, then began the massage.

He placed a towel on her shoulder and started massaging from the spine to the shoulder blade.

Using the pad of his thumb, he applied pressure from the spine to the shoulder blade, and Alicia said, "Ah, that feels so good," while moving her hands in delight.

Kuren chuckled and continued the massage.

He moved to her back and readjusted the towel.

He lightly pressed the spine with his thumb, being careful not to apply too much pressure.

He didn't want to strain Alicia's heart, so he kept it light, and Alicia's hands didn't move as they had before.

Kuren silently moved to her waist.

He held her waist and pressed the erector spinae muscles with both thumbs, and Alicia said, laughing, "Kuren-sama! This is too much. Don't tickle me with your other fingers!"

"Huh? Alicia, you seemed unsatisfied earlier, so I thought I'd give you a little more stimulation."

Kuren said with a smile.

"This is different. Ah, ah, ah!"

Alicia twitched and moved, wetting her pillow again.

Kuren thought he might have gone too far.

He stroked her head and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You react so cutely, I couldn't help it," causing Alicia to have a complex expression of anger and happiness.

After that, Kuren continued the massage properly.

Alicia eventually fell asleep, exhausted.

Kuren gently covered her with a blanket and stroked her head.

"Alright, Kain should be back soon. I have a lot of questions to ask him."

With that thought, he left Alicia's room.

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As he walked down the hallway, Kain returned.

"Kain, I'm here to visit."

Kuren bowed slightly.

"Oh, Kuren-sama, are you here to deliver the medicine?"

"Yes. I've given the medicine to Alicia, so she'll take it after dinner."

"I see. Thank you very much. She's been so cheerful and eager to get better and become a healer. I haven't seen such a lively Alicia in years. I can't thank you enough, Kuren-sama."

Kain said, genuinely happy.

"Don't overdo it. Recovery takes time, so take it slow. Pushing too hard can make her condition worse."

Kuren thought about giving Kain the same warning he had given Karin.

"Kuren-sama, would you consider staying at this house? It would save you the trouble of making house calls. Plus, Alicia has asked for it."

Kain said with a smile.

"That's a good idea, but I have something I need to look into."

"What is it?"

"There's a clinic in the medical district that has no customers. Do you know about it?"

"Yes, it's the [Rees Clinic], where you're currently staying, right?"

"Yes. The first time we met, they said they were trying to shut down the clinic. What happened?"

Kain looked troubled.

"It's hard to say. The clinic got into a conflict with a noble-run clinic. The noble is a bit of a problem. He's a baron named Argus Derby. He used to have the best recovery magic in town, but then Rees surpassed him. The prices were lower, and customers naturally started to go there. Argus, who had been in control, became furious and started to harass the [Rees Clinic]. He hired explorers to go there and cause trouble, and now he's spreading false rumors to keep people away from the clinic."

Kain sighed as he spoke.

"Another troublesome person. If we know who's behind it, can't we do something about it?"

"The problem is that even when we question the hired explorers, there's no evidence."

"Without evidence... If we had evidence, could we do something?"

"Yes, with evidence, I think the baron would face demotion and lose credibility. People would stop associating with him."

Kuren pondered Kain's words, thinking about how to break this situation.

He came up with a somewhat risky plan.

"Kain, can you help me with something?"

Kuren looked at Kain seriously.

"Hmm? I can help within my limits, but I'm a viscount, so I can't move too freely. Is that okay?"

"Huh? You're a viscount? Then I should call you Viscount Kain from now on."

"No, just call me Kain. I don't like the title much."

Kain scratched his head.

"Alright, I'll call you Kain. I won't ask you to do anything unreasonable, so don't worry."

"Okay. What do you have in mind?"

Kain asked, a bit apprehensive.

Kuren had a mischievous look on his face as he explained his plan to Kain.

---

I apologize for the delay in posting.

It's the first Bon Festival. My grandmother was hospitalized, and I was busy, so I couldn't touch my PC. I've been fixing typos and other errors on my phone.

The number of bookmarks has reached 4,500. I'm so happy! I can't be scared anymore. Let's aim for 5,000 bookmarks!

Thank you so much to everyone who has read it.