第１３２２堀：医者と技術者の意見 (Part1)
Chapter 1322: Opinions of the Doctor and the Technician
Side: Fiora
Right before my husband’s eyes, Nina—who possesses an Enchanted Sword once hailed as a holy blade on the If Continent—is changing her clothes without a shred of shame.
...As someone who shares the same long, green hair, I find her attitude rather questionable.
Admittedly, my husband hasn’t complained about her behavior, and while this is an unofficial meeting, I believe a modicum of etiquette is still required.
Above all, is she trying to pick a fight with me by swaying those breasts of hers, which are far more bountiful than my own?
Her every word and gesture since she arrived feels like a calculated attempt to sell herself.
I cannot help but feel as though she is speaking not to my husband, but directly to me.
Just as I was thinking of telling Riel to give her a little discipline... Nina finished changing, took her seat, and Kishua began running a comb through her tangled hair to tidy it up.
"You’re surprisingly sloppy, aren't you?"
"I’m perfectly proper when I’m outside. It’s just because Kishua and Difes are here."
"Don't talk about them like they’re your servants. Besides, you still haven't broken that habit of being spoiled, have you?"
"It can't be helped. I was the youngest among the Holy Sword users. It’s only natural to rely on my sister."
"That’s news to me. Nina was the youngest?"
"Even so, it was only by a few years. And yet, my height hasn't grown at all..."
Kishua complained, yet she continued to groom Nina’s hair until she finally sat down.
"Now, to return to the matter of Lyushi—to what extent has she recovered?"
My husband finally steered the conversation toward the main topic.
Lyushi is a patient we encountered just before I was wed to my husband, right around the time we were taking in Aurelia and the others.
Rurua showed me the details when she said I needed to be informed, and I was shaken by a tremor of pure rage—I could hardly believe a human being could inflict such things upon another.
More than that, I felt a deep, chilling terror imagining the living hell she must have endured.
My husband managed to treat her, but due to the torture, her psyche had nearly collapsed, leaving her in a state where it was uncertain if she could ever reclaim her humanity. I know that thanks to the efforts of the Holy Sword users here and Comet, they created a device to stabilize her mind, allowing her to regain some degree of consciousness.
Presumably, this is what happened afterward.
The only small mercy is that Seraria and the others immediately dispatched an army to wipe out the wretches who subjected Lyushi to such horrors...
"She speaks with us normally. She still tenses up a bit around men, but she talks to doctors without issue."
"That’s why I wrote the report. Whether it’s the effect of the ring or simply the strength of Lyushi’s own will, we can’t judge. More importantly..."
"Lyushi wants to see Yuki."
"So she remembers me, then?"
"Yes. It seems she held onto the memory of you saving her even in that state. Of course, she remembers the female adventurer as well."
"Eh? From that far back? I thought she meant when you came to visit."
My husband looked surprised. I, too, was taken aback.
If she remembers the female adventurer as well, it means that even in that unspeakable, inhumane situation, she had maintained a firm grip on her consciousness.
"Hm? But that means she was conscious, right? She was in a daze for a while after the treatment."
"It seems it was a case of 'remembering.' Until then, she had forgotten everything."
"Remembering, you say... I’m surprised she didn't commit suicide after recalling all that."
To think she remembered the circumstances of that torture.
And yet, she managed to keep her mind intact.
Surely, that must be thanks to the mental stabilization ring my husband developed with Comet and the others?
"So, you want me to check on her? Thinking that as the developer, I might notice something?"
"Exactly. Though, as I said, she remembered it on her own. I wouldn't suggest bringing you to see her while she’s still trembling at the sight of men."
Indeed, as Nina says, if she is still terrified of men, meeting my husband won't move the conversation forward.
"So, what will you do? Will you meet her or not? Well, if you’re busy, it can't be helped, but I do hope you’ll meet her eventually."
"I see. I want to gather information as well, so could you tell them I’ll come for a visit tomorrow?"
"Information?"
"Yes. I’d like to verify things from a medical and scientific perspective, so it would be best to coordinate with Rurua, Comet, and Agil."
"Ah, that makes sense. But, please, only Yuki should meet her. We don't know what might happen if she meets a large group all at once."
"I see. Just me, then. Wait—is it off-limits for Fiora and the others, too?"
I realized then that "only my husband" meant excluding us.
Being with him has become such a natural state of existence that I hadn't even anticipated such a thing.
However...
"That is not acceptable."
"Yes. That is a no."
"Absolutely not~"
"I-it is absolutely forbidden."
The four of us spoke in unison.
Meeting her with only my husband is far too dangerous.
Even if she is a doppelganger, we cannot allow him to do something so reckless.
"That’s a given. We’ve already told Lyushi about Yuki’s position. I told her that a guard would definitely accompany him, so it’s fine. Well, I don't think Yuki would be defeated by Lyushi, anyway."
"Besides, who could even defeat him?"
"He gets defeated by his wives all the time."
"That’s not the kind of 'defeated' I meant."
"I don't think it’s appropriate to talk about that so casually."
"No, I’m just saying that when they ask for something, he grants it. Don't connect everything to lewd topics. Is your head filled with nothing but pink thoughts?"
...I apologize, Husband.
I, too, thought that was what she meant.
Certainly, he does grant us many wishes.
In that sense, "defeating" my husband is not entirely impossible.
Though, in combat, I suppose it is quite impossible.
"If you’re going to say that, you should say it’s the children. They play hero games and such."
"Ah, you’re right, that would have been a better way to put it. Well, that aside, if Lyushi accepts Fiora and the others, or Ria and her team accompanying him, then there’s no problem. All that’s left is to make the arrangements."
Just as my husband said that...
"Yuki-san. Rurua says she can make time tomorrow. Would around noon be alright?"
"Comet says she can make time as well. When shall we rendezvous?"
Ria and Jessica, who had been acting as guards today, seemed to have been making arrangements before we even noticed.
Their efficiency is remarkable.
"I see. Before noon, specifically at 11 o'clock..."
My husband tried to set the time, but—
"Yuki-san. Rurua is asking if you could discuss the details regarding Lyushi-san today."