Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 23

“Whoooa…”

Hero Zion, after staring at the mountain of candy, fruit, and chocolates for a while, finally made a decision, finished the checkout with Serin, and returned with a plate of desserts.

“Here it is, Zion.”

While Zion eagerly chose his desserts, I had already grabbed a table outside to sit at. With it being a holiday morning, the place was bustling with people, but luckily, I managed to snag a spot.

“Looks like you’ve finally shown some sense to do something on your own, Hop Harvey.”

“It’s just that Zion took too long, and a spot opened up.”

“But isn’t that the fun part?”

“So, did you enjoy yourself enough?”

“I had a blast! Just like you said, Hop Teacher, worrying is actually fun!”

Zion was all smiles as he placed his desserts on the table, which included a few slices of kiwi coated in chocolate and some jelly that was heavily dusted with white powder.

“That seems a bit less than I expected?”

“I’m saving some for later.”

“Saving for what?”

“Because eventually, I’ll be able to try them all, so I sample a little at a time.”

After finishing his sentence, Zion picked up a kiwi and popped it into his mouth, chewing with a happy expression.

“The sweet melting chocolate and the juicy fruit go together like a dream! I’m so glad I came here.”

“Really? I kinda wish I had tried those too.”

“What did you choose, Hop Teacher?”

“I picked this one.”

It was a sticky, sugar-coated strawberry shaped like a rectangle, covered in chocolate.

It might be stretching it to call this a Tanghulu since it didn’t have the crispy shell, but I thought the ingredients were similar enough that the taste might also be comparable.

“Strawberry…”

Zion’s expression suddenly stiffened at the sight of the strawberry.

“Zion?”

“Ah, no. I just really don’t want to see anything red right now.”

Red? Oh no. Is there some trauma tied to that?

I quickly rifled through the original story in my mind, but there wasn’t anything I could pinpoint.

Could it have happened after the conclusion? I glanced subtly at Serin for hints, but…

“……”

Serin just shook her head as if she didn’t know either.

She seemed to have picked up on what I wanted to ask from just that glance. She is indeed impressive.

Since this seems like a dangerous situation…

“Hop Teacher? What are you doing right now?”

“Uh?”

I had shoved all six strawberries into my mouth at once.

Luckily, since this wasn’t a Tanghulu, it didn’t stick to my teeth dangerously, though the texture felt slightly sticky.

‘This is super sweet…’

And with each bite, the juice squirted out, and despite the stickiness, the refreshing sensation felt harmonious, making me understand why so many people liked this.

– *Gulp*

It took a bit, but I managed to finish all the strawberries, and with my mouth cleared, I was ready to chat again.

“You said you didn’t want to see them.”

“Yeah, but did you really have to eat them all at once?”

“I had nothing to cover them with.”

“But you just said you didn’t want to see them, so forcing them down means I can’t speak freely…”

I did this to keep Zion from feeling threatened, and yet he looks so glum now.

He might feel upset for not being able to express gratitude, but what I was truly thinking was the exact opposite.

And that is… relief.

If Zion thinks I overreacted, it means he didn’t realize that in that very situation, he could have had a seizure tied to his trauma.

If my concern was unwarranted, that alone brought me a sense of relief.

“I’ve said it several times, but you don’t have to apologize to me. You can rely on me as much as you want, you know?”

“So from now on, if I see something I don’t want to, you’ll eat it to get rid of it for me?”

“Only if it’s something edible.”

“Tch. I can’t catch a break.”

What does he find so precious?

As a simple joke passed back and forth, the atmosphere returned to normal, with Zion smiling as he ate his kiwi and jelly, and I too could relish the taste of the sweet treats that I hadn’t had in a while along with this relaxed time.

Before I knew it, lunchtime had rolled around, with the sun high in the sky. The weather clearly showed that summer was arriving, and the heat was intense.

“Speaking of which, it sure seems like you enjoy saving things.”

“Right? Is something off about that?”

“I was just worried it might turn into a flag.”

Zion’s habit of saving food items from the village or the shop to enjoy later was a curious quirk, especially considering she was a hero.

“A flag…?”

“It’s like a jinx that if someone makes a promise or a commitment before heading out to fight, they won’t return. Have you heard of it?”

“Oh, is that what it is? That sounds like something you’d find in a novel.”

Hearing someone who seemed to be the protagonist of a story talk about a plot element felt strangely amusing.

Zion seemed set to delve into some serious conversation as she swallowed the food left in her mouth, took a deep breath, and continued.

“Do you know the saying, what comes to mind at the moment of death: unfulfilled dreams or unfinished meals?”

“Oh, I know that one.”

It’s a famous phrase. So it exists in this world too.

“For me, I’d say it’s the meal.”

Zion chuckled while glancing at the jelly left on her plate with a bittersweet smile.

“I doubt the creator of that phrase meant it that way, though.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. But… I prefer to leave things on hold. I like to have more regrets in this world.”

Did I just say something unnecessary?

I was worried that recalling memories of battle might push Zion back into a dangerous state, so I kept a close eye on her, but luckily, she only wore a slightly gloomy expression and didn’t seem off otherwise.

“Having my dream crushed means the world’s end. Not fulfilling a dream doesn’t pertain to me. It’s not the time to be saying something so naive as dying without achieving anything. If the moment of my death comes, what I must do is come back to life.”

Zion, who had been speaking somewhat deflated, suddenly picked up a jelly on her fork, shook it around while staring intently, and then looked up again.

“Leaving things on hold, saving them, having regrets can help in circumstances like that. For the world, for my mission, for my companions… Whatever it is, that mindset must give me strength. Even if it’s just this jelly that I didn’t get to taste back then, I must live on for that.”

– *Swoosh!*

Just after she mentioned that jelly, Zion went ahead and ate it right away.

“Now that jelly has become something you’ve tasted.”

“There’s still plenty left~ There are so many kinds here, I could probably eat them for a lifetime.”

Zion looked up earnestly and beamed at the shelves of desserts she had yet to try.

“And there are so many people too.”

Zion scanned the surroundings again.

Everyone sitting at the tables and standing under the sunlight of the park was wallowing in the sweetness of this dessert shop, an essential highlight of the Kingdom Capital trip.

“I absolutely have to protect it all. I must finish my treatment and get back up to everyone once again…”

Hero Zion was reaffirming her resolve as she observed the Kingdom’s people going about their daily lives.

She seemed to wear a soft smile while taking in the sense of accomplishment and pride from having once managed to protect something, but then—

“……”

Suddenly, her expression stiffened, and her eyes widened.

“Zion?”

I carefully called out to her since I sensed something off from Zion’s reaction, but it seemed she couldn’t hear me as she remained frozen, staring in one direction.

“Witch…”

“Pardon? What did you just say…”

“The witch is here… We must kill her now…”

“Zion!”

I quickly turned to look in the same direction Zion was staring.

In that spot was an adventurer, seemingly a mage, draped in robes that obscured their entire figure, making it hard to even see their face, sitting at a table.

“Excalibur… The Holy Sword is gone…”

Zion trembled in her seated position, feeling around every place she could reach on the table and her wheelchair.

This was clearly a dangerous sign.

“What should I do? Why isn’t it here? Did someone steal it? How could the Holy Sword be stolen? Ah… What am I even doing? How could I…!”

She’s looking for the Holy Sword she left in the ward, meaning her judgment is clearly not in a stable state.

Is it another seizure caused by paranoia this time?

“Z, Z, Zion!”

“I’ll handle this, Serin. Please back off for now.”

I calmed the flustered Serin down and quietly moved to sit beside Zion to assess her condition.

Seeing Serin’s reaction, it seemed that while she had shown a perfect performance until now, she hadn’t dealt well with the seizures over the past three years.

Then again, expecting a medieval caregiver to know how to manage psychiatric issues is probably too much.

If Zion starts screaming and rampaging in such a crowded place, it could turn into an irreversible disaster.

Damn it. I have to find a way to handle this…