Not the Female Lead, But An Extra - Chapter 20. Bad Guy
Chapter 20. Bad Guy
The moment I opened my eyes in the morning, I could tell my body wasn’t normal. Not just my head, but my whole body was burning with fever.
Ah, I knew this would happen.
I should have been careful when I felt off yesterday.
Thinking about it, I felt angry.
I gave a gift, and what I get in return is deployment.
Of course, I know I have to go.
But the timing! Were they discussing deployment right after sending me on vacation!
Feeling backstabbed, I was in low spirits all day yesterday. Then I forced my body to move, did afternoon training in the rain, and in the evening… I couldn’t rest properly because thoughts kept swirling in my mind.
As a result, my mind and body were overworked in many ways.
The accumulated fatigue of a month probably played a part too.
What would life be like moving from one battlefield to another?
Of course, in my memories, I had been to battlefields several times. But as a healer, I was always in the rear and never had to see the undead up close. It was called a battlefield, but I just stayed relatively peacefully with the supply wagons.
But this time, I’ll be at the forefront.
Standing on the front lines in a war against the undead.
‘Is my purification ability really okay…?’
Honestly, I was worried.
So I tried it a few times alone in my room, but without the actual undead, I couldn’t tell if it was working or not.
However…
‘Maybe Yoon Ji-ah’s cleaning ability was a purification ability.’
It felt subtly different yet similar.
As if the ability had been adjusted to fit this world, since it’s different.
The warm and clean feeling of the white light coming from my hands was similar to what I felt when cleaning on Earth. Just that there were no undead or magic in that world, so the purification ability might have been reduced?
Somehow, it felt like it wasn’t a coincidence that I entered this body.
Seraphina and Yoon Ji-ah might originally be connected beings… That’s what I thought.
Anyway, I couldn’t think for long now.
Swoosh.
Faye soaked a towel in water, wrung it out, and placed it on my forehead.
“Miss Seraphina, your fever seems to be getting worse. If it rises any more, it’ll be serious.”
Ah, be quiet, Faye.
My head is pounding.
Her anxious figure blurred in my vision. Yes, if it rises any more, it’ll be serious.
I might lose consciousness.
Just then, someone knocked on the door. An older man’s voice echoed in the room.
“I’ve been sent by His Majesty. Pleased to meet you. I’m Bremen, the one who’s responsible for His Majesty the Emperor’s health.”
He was a middle-aged man with graying hair.
The Emperor’s personal physician, no less.
…Isn’t that great?
I felt a little less upset with Johann. He probably didn’t come to visit because he was busy. He was really concerned, sending his personal physician.
“Let me take a look.”
“Yes, please. I’m worried sick that something might happen to her.”
Shut up, Faye.
Don’t say such things. Words can become reality…
As Bremen removed the towel from my forehead, cool air settled where it had been. Soon, he rummaged through his bag and took out a few medical instruments to check my condition.
“I’ll take your temperature.”
Taking temperature through the ear is similar, huh.
“Open your mouth and say ‘ah’.”
“Ah.”
I did as told, even in my hazy state of mind.
Bremen wrote something on paper, then spoke in a calm tone.
“I’ll do some healing first.”
“You’re… a healer…?”
It was unexpected because he didn’t look like one at all. I mustered all my strength to express my surprise. He nodded with a kind smile.
“Healing is most effective for external wounds, and in cases of overwork like this, it can only slightly reduce physical fatigue.”
“I see…”
I had no strength to reply.
“But it’s better than nothing.”
Whoosh.
A clear, white energy spread from his hands and warmly diffused into my body. It was definitely better than nothing.
The fever didn’t drop at all, but somehow my body felt more comfortable. Being in such a poor state, even a small change felt significant.
“His Majesty was very worried about you, Miss Seraphina.”
“Re… ally…?”
This guy.
The corners of my mouth slightly turned up even in my sick state.
“He said you need to recover quickly so there’s no delay in your deployment.”
“……”
This bastard.
The faint smile on my lips turned into a bitter one.
I’m an idiot for thinking well of you even for a moment!
Unaware of my feelings, Bremen added pleasantly,
“I’ll prescribe effective medicine to ensure you can go on deployment next week as scheduled.”
I just closed my eyes.
You’re the same, waaah.
I don’t need any of this!
* * *
After taking the medicine Bremen prescribed, I felt drowsy, caught between sleep and wakefulness.
Either it’s very effective or it’s full of sleeping pills.
“Miss Seraphina, get some sleep.”
“Mm. Thanks, Faye.”
Faye tucked the blanket up to my neck.
“You need to sleep well for the medicine to work better.”
“Mmm… Hmmm…”
Maybe there’s a reason he’s the Emperor’s physician after all.
Getting healed and taking medicine was a direct hit.
With a mumble, I was sucked into the world of sleep after my last response.
I slept deeply without dreaming.
How many hours had passed like that?
Ah.
It feels cool.
Half-asleep, I felt someone’s hand on my forehead. It made me wake up slightly. But I was still too tired to open my eyes fully.
In my hazy state, I lifted my eyelids a little and saw a figure sitting beside the bed. With moonlight behind, their face was shadowed.
‘Who is it…?’
As soon as the question crossed my mind, I heard a man’s voice.
“The fever just won’t break.”
It was Johann’s voice.
Huh?
Johann?
Did he come to check my condition to send me on deployment?
“Bad guy.”
Words without a filter flowed from my mouth. Being sick made my judgment hazy.
Heh.
I felt the shadowed man smile.
Strange. If it were Johann, he would have said something like ‘Bad guuuy?’ as if I was being disrespectful.
I blinked my eyes.
I tried to look closely at the shadowed face, but whether the fever had taken my vision too, I couldn’t see clearly.
Seeing how nicely this was going, it couldn’t be Johann.
My eyelids slowly closed and opened again.
And then…
‘He’s gone.’
As if he had never been by my side, the man had disappeared. The cool touch of the hand on my forehead was gone too.
I thought so.
It must have been a dream. Or maybe even this is a dream.
I had no energy and my eyelids were heavy.
Once again, my consciousness sank below the surface of sleep.
* * *
How can I feel this refreshed?
I declare, Bremen was a genius doctor.
I bounced around with my lightened body. After being heavy and then becoming light, it felt like my body was even lighter than before.
“Hmm hmm…”
“You’ve become a different person in just a day.”
Faye followed behind me, giggling as I hummed.
As I changed clothes and grabbed my sword, I suddenly remembered last night’s events and turned around.
“Faye.”
“Yes?”
“Did anyone come to see me last night?”
“……?”
“Ah, nevermind. It’s nothing.”
Seeing her tilt her head in confusion with an expression of not knowing anything, it seemed no one had come. So Johann touching my forehead was just an illusion…
I casually touched my forehead once.
Was it really an illusion?
I thought it probably was, but a small part of me had hoped it wasn’t…
Well.
Remembering the atmosphere when we last parted at the training ground, it didn’t seem likely he would have come.
<Then I wish you good fortune. I look forward to your achievements in defeating the undead and protecting the peace of this land.>
<Yes. I’ll do my best.>
<Good. I must be going now.>
Someone in the distance was waving their arms towards Johann. As if some urgent matter had come up.
He was actually so busy, that he even sent his personal physician instead.
Moreover…
The cold and rigid atmosphere that lingered at the end.
It was very different from the Johann I saw in my dream at dawn.
Thinking about this, I headed to the garden where I was scheduled to train with Jesuf. There wasn’t any specific talk about whether there would be training today or not, but out of habit, I headed to the same place at the same time.
“…Huh?”
And I let out a surprised sound when I discovered Johann guarding the garden. He turned around.
“You’re here.”
Ugh.
The atmosphere is still cold.
As expected, the foolish man who smiled at being called a bad guy at dawn only exists in my dreams.
Are you saying the jokes are over now?
Fine. I’m going on deployment, I’m going!
Newly aware of reality once again, I asked him bluntly.
“Where’s Sir Jesuf?”
“Ah. He’s coming over there.”
I turned my head towards where he gestured.
Huh…
And I shook my eyes slightly.
Next to Jesuf, a man exuding a murderous aura was coming. Jet-black hair and blood-red eyes. Although it was my first time seeing him in person, I could recognize him immediately.
[…The area where undead appeared most frequently was around the Grodes Mountains, which Claude, the Guardian of the North, is protecting…]
So why is Claude, one of the three heroes, here…?
I turned to Johann with disbelieving eyes.
You bastard, where are you trying to send me!