Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 94

“Could you tell me exactly when and where the Gate will appear?”

Zion was inquiring about the location and date of the Gate.

I thought we were finally getting into the main story, but this unexpected, trivial question left me feeling a bit deflated.

“Beyond the northern empire of the continent, the same place as last time. It will open on the last Sunday of June this year.”

It’s been over a year and a half since the false prophecy of the Demon King’s return was made.

It’s imperative that this lie never comes to light.

I shouldn’t be flustered by such a question.

“I see. Is that date certain?”

“Absolutely. How could I forget that day?”

I’m brazenly acting composed while telling lies.

Even if this deceit will be exposed in the future, it can’t be helped.

That was a decision I made when I first deceived Zion, and there’s no going back on it now.

I’ve imagined countless questions Zion might ask me during this time and have prepared for every possible inquiry.

With leading questions, there’s no way I’ll get caught.

No matter what Zion asks regarding reincarnation, past lives, or the future, my responses will be limited to the imagination I’ve built up over a year and a half.

Since it’s something I have to do… I’ll do it thoroughly.

“How many times has Professor Hop reincarnated?”

“Yes, how many indeed.”

“What’s the method?”

“Reincarnation magic. It’s a spell that allows movement to a desired point in time.”

“So, can you reincarnate right now if you wanted to?”

“Yes, if I wanted to.”

What’s with this atmosphere?

It feels more like an interrogation.

Could it be that Zion… suspects me for real?

“If you’re an Aptitude Holder of time magic, does that mean you couldn’t heal either me or Naou with magic?”

“Reversing time for just one person is entirely different from returning alone to a time while leaving the world unchanged. I’ve never done it, and I can’t gauge how much memory would be lost.”

That’s based on what I heard from Naou.

I’m sorry, Your Highness, for using this as my basis.

“How did you come up with Rehabilitation Medicine?”

“It was a method I thought of when all magical attempts failed; I wanted to return to basics. I thought of healing through exercise, and surprisingly, it worked.”

“How many times have you reincarnated?”

“Way too many to even count.”

“How did we first meet?”

“You came to me first since I was an Aptitude Holder of space magic.”

The questions kept coming.

Zion also continued to throw questions about reincarnation and past lives my way.

But isn’t this questioning method a bit strange?

If they’re trying to reveal contradictions in my words through leading interrogation, wouldn’t continuously asking about past lives and reincarnations be the wrong approach, considering only I would know those things?

Nonetheless, the questioning and answering went on, and without showing any signs of hesitation, I continued to respond naturally.

“Out of all the lives you’ve lived, how many times have you confessed your love to me?”

“…….”

That was an unexpected question from Zion.

I was a bit flustered but managed to respond, “It’s the first time. This is the first time I’ve completely healed you.”

Fortunately, I was able to answer immediately.

“I see.”

Suddenly, Zion smiled.

“That was the first truth Professor Hop has spoken.”

“Huh?”

What did Zion just say?

The first truth, huh?

Does that mean she realizes that everything else I’ve said until now was a lie?

How does she know?

“Professor. Could you please stop lying now? I can’t take any more.”

No way. That can’t be true. Where did she catch me? What went wrong?

Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Was there a contradiction somewhere?

I can’t figure it out no matter how I think about it.

I don’t think I said anything suspicious.

Maybe Zion is just probing to see if she can catch me off guard.

“Lying? When have I ever lied?”

“…….”

Zion quietly stood up and headed toward the hot spring.

Is she really planning to leave me like this? No way, for real?

“Zion…?”

When I called her name, Zion stopped in her tracks.

“I’ve got just one last thing to say, Professor Hop.”

But Zion didn’t turn around; she just stood there with her back to me.

“It might be the last chance, so you better choose your words wisely. I’ve been extremely generous with you.”

Zion’s final opportunity for me. If I mess this up, is it really the end?

But for me, this was not even a choice.

If all the lies I’ve told Zion have been exposed, then I’ve already reached my end the moment that happened.

All I can do is desperately deny it…

“Zion, I think you might be misunderstanding something. Was there anything in my answers that you didn’t understand? If you let me know what it was, I can explain in detail…”

“You were wrong, Professor. This has truly become the last.”

The moment I’ve dreaded hearing has finally escaped Zion’s lips.

Wrong? What does that even mean?

The last? What exactly does that mean?

It’s impossible. There’s no way it could be the end between Zion and me.

Just a moment ago, we embraced and kissed. We were sharing drinks and having fun.

We confirmed our love, swore promises, and envisioned a future together, creating a child…

“You didn’t trust me twice, Professor.”

Zion was still turned away from me, her fists clenched, her entire body shaking with emotion as she spoke.

Honestly, I couldn’t comprehend what Zion was saying at all right now.

But whether I understood or not, Zion was mercilessly spilling her words, one by one.

“First, I told you I knew your lies, but you didn’t believe me. I’ve been listening to how you respond to everything I’ve said from the start.”

Listening? Then what did all those countless questions mean?

And at that moment, the spirits that had been clinging to me suddenly fell away and began to glow around Zion.

“These spirits can tell whether a person is lying or not. They kept letting me know, ‘This person is lying.’ I was only listening to them.”

I thought it was a bit strange how Zion was questioning me, but I never imagined the spirits attached to me had such capabilities.

Did they act like lie detectors? Sensing biological signals to sniff out lies…

So, she deliberately brought me all the way here for that?

“And secondly, you didn’t believe that I could forgive you. You thought I wouldn’t believe my vow to you. That I wouldn’t be someone who would never leave you.”

‘……!’

In that instant, it felt as though I had been hit in the back of the head; my mind grew hazy.

Forgive?

The things I’ve done wrong, the lies… were they forgivable?

Then what exactly have I done?

What should I have done, the right thing…

“Could Zion really forgive me? The one who fabricated her reason to live… me, who has told countless lies for her sake?”

No way, that can’t be true, that can’t be, that can’t be. The things I’ve done can’t possibly be forgiven by Zion.

Because what I’ve done is…

“I have deceived and misled the hero Zion, who saved the world, purely for my selfish desires. I sold out a demon king who won’t come, forcing Zion to shoulder the burden of the world alone, gloating over her pain while she struggled, making her undertake unnecessary and meaningless battles, causing her anxiety and suffering, using her however I liked…”

“Are you really saying that such ridiculous actions could be forgiven?”

“Of course they can.”

Zion responded immediately, without any hesitation, her certainty blazing.

“I asked you to come here and spent the weekend thinking only about that. The adventure I mentioned was a lie. I just hid in the house, wondering if I could forgive you if everything you told me really was a lie. The conclusion I reached was…”

“If Professor Hop could sincerely admit to his wrongs and seek forgiveness, then I could probably forgive him somehow. Though your actions were despicable and made my teeth grind and cold sweat trickle down my back, even if my head is throbbing from it…”

I couldn’t see Zion’s face.

But Zion’s trembling back, her clenched fists, and her firm stance acted as if they were telling me something.

That she truly wanted to forgive me, that she didn’t want to leave me behind, that she didn’t want to part ways.

If only I had sought forgiveness…

“Professor Hop, what you’ve given me was far greater than anything else, so…”

Zion’s voice trembled as she spoke.

“Those things, I could have forgiven you for…!”

In the end, Zion broke down, her shoulders shaking as tears streamed down her face.

Zion still has feelings for me.

Of course, she does. How could feelings change overnight? Then maybe…

“Zion, I messed up. So please…”

“It’s too late.”

Just like that, I returned late for the forgiveness I sought, but Zion’s voice turned resolute in an instant.

A desperate plea for forgiveness was cut off with cruel finality.

I heard her clearly, but I couldn’t believe that ‘too late’ was Zion’s verdict.

“While our relationship might’ve started with lies, it didn’t have to end that way. You kept lying until the moment I told you it was the last. In the end, everything about you was a lie!”

She still had her back to me, but finally turned her head to look my way.

Only half of her face revealed, her teary eyes were cold as ice.

“But… but I was happy. Even if I was deceived like a fool, even if it was hard, painful, and caused anxiety, even if all my efforts, burdens, determination, and resolve turned out to mean nothing… if only you had believed in me, that would’ve been enough!”

Before I knew it, Zion’s emotions had shifted into anger.

Tears streamed from her eyes not with warmth, but with cold fury.

An ominous feeling engulfed me; I sensed that no further words would matter.

“I’ve given you all of me, yet at the crucial moment, you couldn’t believe in me. If you couldn’t believe in me, why even say you loved me? Was that also just a lie? To you, was I really just a being to deceive and use for your own desires?”

“No, Zion. I truly…”

“How could I ever believe that?”

“……”

I felt an extreme tightness in my throat; it was as if breaths were being choked out of me.

I truly believe that no words from now on would ever earn Zion’s trust.

Then, is this really it? That we end here… just like this?

“Then it’s goodbye.”

Zion’s devastating final declaration punctured the air.

The last sentence that severed all ties.

The word ‘goodbye’.

“Goodbye? Where exactly do you think you’re going…?”

Zion dismissed my desperate call and took a step toward the exit.

“I’m right here. I’m here, but where are you…?”

Zion’s hand reached for the doorknob.

If she opens that door, it truly is the end.

No, I won’t let this happen. I can’t let Zion go like this!

“Restrict.”

I reached out and sealed off the space surrounding Zion.

I’ve finally crossed the line.

But now, without Zion…

“……”

Pausing at the sudden change in space, Zion stopped moving.

“I vow to you, Zion. You can’t go anywhere while I’m here.”

I truly didn’t want to resort to such a desperate measure.

No, I never imagined I’d end up doing this to Zion.

But I had no other options left.

If I didn’t do something now, she would truly leave me!

Zion turned her head to look at me, her cold gaze piercing through.

She quietly lowered her hand that was attempting to open the door…