When I told him to take it off, Theodore looked completely stunned.
“What?”
“Take it off. We need to stop the bleeding.”
Even in movies and novels, stopping the bleeding comes first, right?
I’m not a medical professional, but I knew wounds like that couldn’t be left untreated.
Theodore stared at me for a moment, then obediently removed his armor.
When he rolled up the inner shirt underneath, I saw firm abs shaped by training.
Normally, I would have appreciated the view.
But this wasn’t the time.
The wound on his abdomen was worse than I expected. The claw marks were deep, and the skin around them was blackened like it had been burned. Blood kept flowing from between the torn flesh.
Theodore spoke through labored breaths.
“…It’s from the poison in the wyvern’s claws.”
Cold sweat ran down my forehead.
Is he going to be okay?
Is he going to die here?
I even excluded him from my romance list to avoid his burning-at-the-stake ending.
Even if he’s just a game character, I can’t let him die here.
And I definitely can’t escape this cave alone.
“Oh! Right!”
I quickly searched my pouch.
Luckily, I still had an extra detox pill I’d made earlier to treat the knights injured by the basilisk.
I helped Theodore lean against the wall and handed it to him.
“Swallow this.”
“…What is it?”
“A detox pill. I made it for basilisk poison, but it might work on wyvern poison too.”
It worked earlier with Lowell’s healing magic, but doing nothing wasn’t an option.
Theodore swallowed it.
Soon, the blackened skin around the wound began to fade.
“How do you feel?”
“…Better.”
Good. It’s working.
I looked around for something to wrap the wound with.
Fortunately, I still had the handkerchief Jerome lent me. But it wasn’t enough by itself.
So I lifted my skirt.
My bare leg was revealed, and Theodore choked.
“W-What are you doing?!”
His pale face turned bright red.
At this rate, his face might explode.
“Stay still. I’m not showing off my legs. Do you have a dagger?”
Still red-faced, he handed me a small dagger.
I took it and ripped a long strip from the inner lining of my skirt.
I placed Jerome’s handkerchief over the wound and wrapped the torn fabric around his abdomen.
Now what?
In movies, they press the wound, right?
I tried to recall every medical scene I’d ever seen and pressed around the injury.
Theodore let out a low groan.
“Ghh—!”
“A-Are you okay? Should I be gentler?”
“…Be honest. You’re not a mage. You’re an assassin, aren’t you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You press the wound itself, not around it. You’re making it worse.”
“Oh.”
I thought pressing directly would hurt more, so I pressed around it instead.
Apparently that was wrong.
Theodore narrowed his eyes at me.
“You really know how to stop bleeding?”
“…It’s my first time.”
“….”
He looked at me with complete distrust.
Hey! I’m helping you!
“Still! It’s better than you trying to do it yourself!”
Ignoring me, he made the sign of the cross and muttered.
“…God, please accept this poor soul—gk!”
Before he could finish, I pressed directly on the wound.
The way he was joking around, it didn’t seem life-threatening.
After some time, he spoke again.
“That’s enough. The bleeding stopped.”
I pulled my hand away.
He was right. The bleeding had stopped.
But detox pills and pressure were just emergency treatment. He couldn’t fight properly like this.
This is bad.
In the game, Lowell and the knights cleared the cave.
But now, if more monsters appear, I’m the only one who can fight.
Me. With level 1 strength, stamina, and mana.
We need to get out.
Fighting in this condition would be suicide. We had to regroup with the others.
The problem was the pile of rocks blocking the entrance.
There’s no way I can clear that with an injured person.
We need to find another path.
Then Theodore muttered softly.
“Lumen dominare, malum avera.”
A small flame appeared above his palm, lighting the cave slightly.
The flame flickered in one direction.
He explained, “If the flame leans like that, it means air is flowing. There’s probably an exit that way.”
“Then we follow the airflow.”
“Exactly.”
He tried to stand but staggered.
I quickly moved under his arm and supported him.
When I draped his arm over my shoulder, he sounded startled.
“Wait, what are you doing?”
“Unlike some people, I help when someone needs support. And no one’s watching.”
“You’re really…”
Was it my imagination? His body felt hotter.
Then a system window appeared.
[Theodore Blair’s affection has increased by 5.]
[Theodore Blair’s Affection: 10]
Seriously?
Why does his affection keep going up?
I glanced at him.
“Just so you know.”
He turned his head toward me.
“Don’t fall for me.”
I looked straight at him.
“It’s dangerous if you do.”
I warned him clearly.
Don’t fall for me.
I just saved your life.
His expression was serious for a moment.
Then the corner of his mouth twitched.
And—
“Pfft!”
He burst out laughing.
“Puhahaha!”
Why are you laughing?!
He laughed like he couldn’t breathe.
“Puhaha! Hah—cough—!”
He grabbed his wound, clearly aggravating it from laughing.
Still, he kept chuckling.
I can’t even hit him. He’s injured.
“Why are you laughing?! I’m being serious!”
He shook with leftover laughter.
“What am I supposed to do? Even I can’t cure delusions.”
“….”
This guy.
I’m giving you a serious warning!
He wiped tears from his eyes.
“When we get back to the palace, get that fixed. High self-esteem is good, but too much is a disease.”
My face burned with embarrassment and anger.
He kept snickering.
This is supposed to be a patient?
I briefly considered leaving him here.
Then he handed me something that looked like a hammer.
“Take this.”
“What is this?”
“You need something to protect yourself.”
He couldn’t fight properly, so if a monster appeared, I had to do something.
I examined the weapon.
It was slightly larger and longer than a hammer, with square heads and spikes on both sides. Heavy, but manageable.
A mace?
Finally, my years of gaming experience paid off.
“Oh, it’s a mace, right?”
“No. It’s a meat tenderizer.”
“…A what?”
He mimicked pounding meat.
“You know. For tenderizing meat.”
“…You’re telling me you gave me a kitchen tool as a weapon?”
“Yep.”
