Chapter 29

Hastily, Luluka and I moved through the night streets, urged on by the urgency of the situation. Given the late hour, only Luluka and I were heading to her inn.

According to Luluka, Fran and Sera suddenly fell ill with a high fever while they were finishing dinner and preparing their equipment. They wanted to receive healing magic, but since it was already night, most of the clinics were closed, so they sent for me, an acquaintance.

What's concerning is that both of them fell ill almost simultaneously, but there seems to be no apparent reason. They all ate the same meal for dinner, so it doesn't seem like they ate anything bad. Luluka, for her part, seems fine.

By the way, earlier in the day, Luluka mentioned that they almost got lost in the forest during a mission. Probably, the accumulated fatigue from returning to the city has caught up with them.

After a while, we arrived at the inn where Luluka and the others were staying. It was a fairly ordinary inn, not too close to the labyrinth and not too far away. It seemed a bit more expensive than the one where Yuel and I stayed before.

Entering the inn, Luluka opened a locked door on the second floor to a room with three beds.

Two girls were lying on the beds. I believe the blonde with a small chest is Fran, and the blue-haired girl with a large chest is Sera.

Their faces were flushed from the high fever, and beads of sweat like pearls dotted their skin. Neither of them was covered with a blanket, which had been pushed to the corner of the bed. Perhaps they were too hot.

They were wearing their regular clothes, not pajamas. It seems Luluka prioritized calling me over tending to them or changing their clothes. Their labored breathing and closed, pained eyes indeed looked miserable.

However, to be honest, this is...

"Hey Shiki, I'd rather you didn't stare at the sleeping Fran and Sera."

As I was looking at them, Luluka said this. Yes, the sight of the sleeping Fran and Sera is, well, a bit toxic to the eyes.

Now, they are wearing their regular clothes, so it's just a bit concerning. If they were in thin pajamas, the sweat would have made the fabric cling to their skin, making the situation even more revealing. Maybe that's why Luluka didn't change them into pajamas. Perhaps she suspected that I might take advantage of the situation while treating them. That's quite rude.

"Luluka, don't misunderstand. I'm just observing their condition."

"Observing?"

"Yes, the treatment for a disease depends on the type of disease. For example, if the disease involves toxins in the body, not only a Heal spell but also a Dispoison spell is necessary. To properly treat Fran and Sera, it's important to observe their condition carefully and tailor the treatment to the disease."

I stated this to Luluka. I still don't know why both of them fell ill simultaneously. If it's due to ingesting something toxic, a Dispoison spell is needed. If it's just a fever from fatigue, a Heal spell would suffice. I wasn't just looking at them with ulterior motives; the proper use of magic is crucial.

In any case, I'll cast both Heal and Dispoison. I don't have much knowledge about diseases in this world.

"O-Oh, I see. Sorry, I misunderstood. Thanks for coming at such a late hour... But, could you not look at the hem of Fran's skirt or Sera's chest too much?"

Luluka looked somewhat doubtful but still apologized. She also made it clear that I shouldn't do that.

"Alright, I understand."

Turning my gaze back to the sleeping girls, I noticed Fran's short skirt revealing her slender, sweat-drenched thighs, and Sera's chest trembling slightly with shallow breaths.

They didn't react as I approached. I couldn't tell if they were just sleeping or in a daze, but they seemed unconscious. As I was about to start the treatment—

"Hey Shiki, wait a moment. Why are you touching the buttons on Sera's shirt?"

Luluka stopped me.

Of course, there's a reason.

"That's because when someone is weak from illness, it's important to loosen the chest area to make breathing easier."

"Is that so?"

"Yes, loosening the chest area makes breathing easier and prevents the heat from building up. Look at Sera; her chest is being compressed by her shirt, making her uncomfortable."

"O-Oh, I see. Sorry, I misunderstood. But you don't need to do that; just use the healing magic, please?"

Luluka looked somewhat relieved but still uncertain. She probably wasn't sure if I was being serious or lying.

"Alright, I'll carefully and thoroughly check Sera's condition first."

Hearing this, Luluka positioned herself between me and Sera. While I understand her caution, it's a bit excessive. But maybe she just cares a lot about her companions.

However, this makes it impossible to treat them. So, I turned to the other bed where Fran was lying.

Fran. I remember she was quite rude from the first time we met. I don't hold a grudge, but seeing her face now makes me feel a bit annoyed. However, since Luluka asked me to treat her and I came all the way to the inn, I can't just leave Fran untreated. I don't intend to ignore the patients in front of me. As I was about to start treating Fran—

"Wait a moment, Shiki. Why are you trying to lift Fran's skirt?"

Luluka stopped me again.

Of course, there's a reason.

"I was thinking of taking a look at this annoying girl's underwear."

"Stay away! Get away from Fran now!"

"Just kidding, don't take it seriously."

"But it looks like you're serious... I'm worried..."

Luluka sighed, looking tired. If she was so worried, she could have brought another healer. It was late, and there might not have been any other acquaintances available, but still.

I might have gone a bit too far with the joke. Deciding to get serious about the treatment, I noticed something.

"Huh? What's this..."

Fran's skirt, which I had tried to lift earlier, was slightly raised, revealing something on her inner thigh. It wasn't her underwear.

"Ah! You lifted it! You lifted the skirt of an unconscious girl! Shiki, that's the lowest, the lowest!"

Luluka was shouting, but I wasn't lifting Fran's skirt to look at her pink, lacy underwear. I had a legitimate reason. I needed to lift it. I'm sure Luluka would understand.

Pointing at it, I said:

"No, it's not like that. Luluka, look at this."

On Fran's inner thigh, there was a clearly unnatural, purplish rash spreading from the center of her body.

"Look at this... What is this!?"

Luluka, seeing the purplish rash on Fran's thigh, forgot to cover her exposed underwear and was shocked.

"I've never seen such symptoms at the clinic before. This might be the source of the illness. Luluka, could you check Sera's clothes too? She might have the same rash."

"O-Okay, I understand."

Luluka started to undress Sera and then looked at me with a startled expression. What's wrong?

"Could you step out of the room for a moment?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Get out! Please, get out!"

After waiting outside the room for a bit, I went back in.

"Sure enough, there was a purplish rash."

Luluka confirmed that Sera also had the purplish rash. It was indeed a common symptom for both of them.

"Do you have any idea what it could be? Maybe they ate some mushrooms they found in the forest?"

"N-No, they didn't eat anything. We were lost in the forest, but we had food in our item box. I'll check, though."

However, the cause was still unknown.

Well, I don't have much knowledge about diseases in this world. I did work at Elise's clinic for three months, even though it wasn't very busy, so I know about the major diseases. But my knowledge is probably on par with the average person in this world. There's no point in overthinking it.

For now, I cast Heal and Dispoison on both of them.

As I was about to lift Fran's skirt again to check the rash, Luluka glared at me, so I had her confirm that the rash had disappeared and received payment before leaving the inn.