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“Take care over there, Zion.”

“Yeah.”

In the center of the Magic Tower, Zion and Nao were exchanging greetings in the Space Movement Array.

Both of them sat side by side in their wheelchairs, unable to embrace each other, so they could only nod as a substitute for greeting.

“And please take good care of Zion, Director Hop Harvey.”

“Yes, of course.”

“But really, you managed to persuade Zion to come with you… How did you do that?”

“Psychological therapy is part of rehabilitation, after all.”

Zion’s reasons for engaging in rehabilitation were to remain a secret from Nao.

He didn’t want her to participate in the battle two years later.

Though it was a lie that the Gate would open again and the Demon King would invade, it was better to keep such lies secret since it wasn’t good for many people to know.

“Nao, Nao…”

“Huh? Zion?”

Suddenly, Zion reached out to Nao as he tried to stand up.

Nao barely caught him before he toppled from his wheelchair and pulled him into her arms.

“Nao… I will definitely get better, I swear… Waaah~”

Zion, cradled in Nao’s arms, suddenly nuzzled his face into her chest and began to cry like a child.

“Then you must. Let’s encourage each other.”

And Nao, who welcomed this side of Zion, showed no signs of surprise.

She simply held him tightly and patted his head.

‘Seems like it’s not the first time seeing such symptoms.’

Normally, Zion was feeble and rarely expressed emotions.

But occasionally, he would show excessive displays of emotion.

Having met Zion only two days ago, it was still too soon to judge, but I had to catch every response he showed.

“When you’re all healed, let’s walk together on the Kingdom’s famous flower path. We’ll enjoy the spring of the Empire, being showered with fluttering petals. We’ll greet people with smiles and listen to songs praising heroes, reclaiming everything you should have enjoyed. One day, we must greet that day together. Okay, Zion?”

“Nao…”

With a warm smile, Nao spoke calmly about the hopeful future.

It seemed Zion found comfort in her hand and voice, for he remained quiet, eventually leaning back into the wheelchair guided by Nao’s touch.

“I’ll be back.”

“Yeah.”

That short farewell felt long.

As Nao signaled to the mages in the Magic Tower, the Space Movement Array surrounding us began to glow.

And before we knew it, we had left the Empire and returned to the Kingdom.

“Hero Zion Laurel, we have successfully completed the transportation with Director Hop Harvey of the Kingdom Rehabilitation Medicine Center.”

It was good that I had brought Zion back to the Kingdom, but how was I supposed to handle the fact that I was now unexpectedly in charge of treating the hero…?

“Zion.”

“Yes?”

“You’ll be admitted now; do you want to keep your identity hidden?”

“Identity?”

“It might get noisy if Hero Zion Laurel gets admitted to the center.”

Since the end of the war, there had been no news of Hero Zion’s whereabouts or condition.

In a situation where Zion suddenly got admitted to the center, wouldn’t it be problematic?

“If you want, we can use a pseudonym…”

“It’s okay. I’m me.”

Maybe it was an unnecessary worry; Zion showed a firm and confident demeanor.

“I was never hiding my identity; everyone in the Empire simply didn’t recognize me.”

“Then I will proceed with that in mind. It seems I have a lot more work to do.”

“Work?”

“I’ll have to fully care for you, so I’ll need to adjust the schedule after your admission, and then report to the King as well…”

Thinking about Zion coming into the center as a hero was a relief.

As the King’s words said, I was one of the most important and busiest people in the world.

In order to dedicate ample time to Zion, she had to be worth it.

It wouldn’t just be because she saved the world; I also had to consider how to utilize her presence in the treatment of other patients when reporting.

In fact, even without that, everyone alive in this world owed a debt to Zion, so any necessary treatment for her would surely be approved.

“Besides, I’ve been away from the center for three days. I’ll be incredibly busy when I get back.”

“By the way, I’m curious—are you very busy, Teacher Hop?”

Busy? Now that I think about it, Zion said she didn’t know what rehabilitation medicine was.

“I mentioned I’m a reincarnator.”

“Right…”

“I’m busier now than I was in all my previous lives combined.”

“Huh? Really?”

Actually, I’ve only lived two lives, counting this one.

Still, my past life was that of a resident intern, which was by no means easy, so I wasn’t exaggerating too much.

“That can’t be true!”

But it seemed Zion found it hard to relate to my words.

“You lived through my companion’s life! You mean to say now is busier?”

Could it be that she found it hard to believe for that reason?

The life of Hero Zion and her companions. According to what I’ve read, they undoubtedly faced tough times during the war…

“At that time, I wasn’t busy, it was hard, though.”

“That’s impossible! You fought all day, keeping an eye out, looking for resting spots, putting up tents, hiding, and all that!”

“When a resting spot was available, I could rest properly. Even with a good house, I couldn’t find any rest.”

“I couldn’t even sleep at night as the lookout!!”

“For the last three years, I’ve only been able to sleep about three hours a day, six days a week.”

“Eh? Really?”

Since I became the Director, I seriously have only slept about three hours a day.

It was obvious that the hero party conducting a solo breach to the Demon King’s castle was undertaking a hard march, but that was a different story than leading a busy life.

Even a special operation team breaking through enemy lines could find ways to secure some rest.

Whether it’s detouring to a village or setting up camp, those processes are essential for any journey to relieve fatigue.

In war, without rest comes immediate death; it is a clearly different story from simply being busy.

“Ugh… Three hours a day for three years—is that really true?”

“Why would I lie about that?”

“How on earth can a person live like that…?”

“Turns out, it can be done.”

It was the Napoleon sleep method I studied during my residency, trying to minimize sleep time to make three to four hours my biological rhythm.

Thanks to that, I could run the center while only sleeping three hours a day.

Is this a kind of perk from my past life? Since Napoleon doesn’t exist in the history of this world, nobody would know this method.

“Teacher Hop, you do that for the sake of healing those ruined by war…”

“Not exactly.”

This was work I enjoyed more than for the sake of others, and I was only helping people as a side effect.

“……”

Suddenly silent, Zion seemed to be lost in thought. What could she be thinking? Could it finally be that she understood that I was indeed a busy and remarkable person?

*********

‘Oh, I see, it wasn’t for others.’

Zion reflected on what Hop had initially said.

He was a reincarnator, her companion. He had told her that he needed his power to prepare for the Gate that would reopen two years later.

So, the reason he’d chosen rehabilitation medicine was…

‘It’s for me. I’m the one he needed…’

Whether it was to defeat the Demon King or any other reason, Hop had devoted multiple lives to create a medicine that never existed for Zion.

*********

As we exited the room with the Space Movement Array and descended to the lobby of the Magic Tower, a staff member in a maid uniform from the center hurried over, lifting her skirt as if she had been waiting.

“Doctor!! You’re finally back!”

Seeing her rush over, it seemed the situation I was worried about had come to pass.

“It’s good to see you like this. Is everything okay at the center?”

“Oh my~ There’s no way it’s fine! Please hurry, it’s chaos right now.”

I tried my best to hand over everything, but it seemed it wasn’t enough.

The training of personnel related to rehabilitation was just beginning, and the operation and treatment of the center relied heavily on my experience and skills as the only specialist.

If the center was functioning properly without me, it seemed that was just a wishful thought on my part.

“Looks like I’ll be on duty right after returning.”

“Oh!”

Just as I felt a bit of pity, the nurse maid seemed quite surprised.

“Are you going to rest? Are you tired from your trip?”

“No, I’ll head right there. I have a few things to check on.”

“What do you need to check…?”

“Room 205 is vacant, right? A patient was discharged just before I left.”

The center was always overflowing with patients, so it was fortunate that a place was available for Zion to be admitted…

“Where’s the empty room here?”

“Huh? Surely, before I left…”

“Naturally, we filled it with the waiting list. How many admission reservations have you forgotten?”

“Ah…”

That’s right. I guess there was never a time when our center had empty rooms.

So where would Zion be placed?

I hadn’t arranged alternative lodging since I intended to admit her directly…

‘If there’s nowhere for Zion to stay immediately…’

To organize my thoughts, I turned to Zion sitting beside me,

“Huh?”

Zion was simply tilting her head, puzzled about the situation.

“Um, Zion.”

“Yes?”

If she couldn’t be admitted right now, then where she would stay was quite simple—

“It looks like you’ll have to stay at my house for a while.”

Our home was the only option. Finding accommodation wouldn’t be hard, but Zion’s current condition was the issue.

She was almost unable to move, so she wouldn’t be able to get by without a caregiver.

“W-What?!!”

Zion responded with a look of panic and disgust.

I understood that this was a sudden suggestion, but did she really need to make a face like that…?

 

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