Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 34

“Listen carefully, Zion. Right now, your body’s condition… it seems like you have Buff Addiction.”

“… Huh?”

The first thing I had to do during today’s examination of Zion was convey this fact.

After checking Zion’s condition yesterday, I conducted another examination, and as expected, symptoms close to Buff Addiction were showing up.

“Buff Addiction, you say?”

Zion’s eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s right. You know your body has been so weak that rehabilitation with buffs was necessary, right?”

“Yes. I know.”

“While it’s inevitable for those who need buffs during rehabilitation, if you become too reliant on them, your body starts to remember that state, leading to various dangerous symptoms.”

Buff Addiction was the first rehabilitation failure case I learned about after coming to this world. It definitely wasn’t something you came across in modern times.

Though I had been cautious, there wasn’t much data available, and it occasionally occurred in patients despite all precautions.

Moreover, in Zion’s case, even though I tried to keep the training intensity low, his body was too weak, making buffs essential. Plus, there was almost no data regarding bodies weakened to the extreme like Zion’s, which was a significant drawback.

The strength of the buffs his body could handle hadn’t matched the calculations derived from prior data.

“It’s all my fault. If Zion’s condition had improved, I could have reduced the dependence on buffs, but I thought just a little more and Zion would be able to walk, that’s why I didn’t do it…”

“No, it’s not your fault, Mr. Hop. You did nothing wrong. I’m always grateful.”

Even after everything that had happened, Zion smiled gently and expressed his gratitude.

I always emphasized how rehabilitation should progress slowly, yet my impatience ended up putting Zion’s body in jeopardy.

But what’s done is done. From now on, along with rehabilitation treatment, I had to manage his Buff Addiction as well.

“So from now on, we’ll conduct training without buffs. The intensity will be quite low, but considering how much better you are compared to the beginning, it should be manageable. Got it?”

“Yes, Mr. Hop.”

Zion nodded, understanding.

But Zion… isn’t there something you want to ask me?

Aren’t you curious about what symptoms might occur, or if there are other precautions to take?

“Mirae, please take Zion back to the ward and explain the adjusted rehabilitation program. And also tell Serin that I’m looking for her.”

“Understood. Let’s go, Hero.”

Zion silently followed Mirae back to the ward.

Now that I think about it, ever since returning from the trip to the Holy Kingdom and meeting Hanamana, Zion has felt different somehow.

He’s still diligently rehabilitating, responding to me with a smile when I call or ask him a question, and he eats delicious food with a sense of wonder, but…

I feel like it’s been ages since he playfully initiated a conversation or tried to extend our dialogue.

Has something changed in his mindset? Is he possibly suffering from depression due to Buff Addiction?

I hope it’s nothing serious, but as his rehabilitation expert, I can’t simply hope for the best.

“Did you call for me?”

With a light knock, Serin entered the clinic room.

I called her because I wanted to check on Zion’s situation as well.

“Serin.”

“Yes, Mr. Hop.”

“Have there been any unusual signs from Zion lately?”

“Unusual signs?”

“I’m wondering if he seems to be in a bad mood when I’m not around, or if he appears anxious and scans the surroundings, or if he trembles, or if he has a vacant expression, or if he has seizures or anything like that.”

“Um… there hasn’t been anything like that.”

So he isn’t showing unusual symptoms.

At times like this, I shouldn’t simply let relief wash over me.

Whenever I suspect something’s happening, I need to be sensitive and quickly identify signs to understand what is going on.

“Well, do you notice anything unusual about Zion that seems different from usual? Anything at all, even a tiny detail.”

“Well…”

Serin raised her glasses with her fingers and placed her hand on her forehead, contemplating for a moment.

But she seemed to come up blank and shook her head before speaking.

“In my observation, nothing seems off. Rather… it feels more like how he was back in the Empire, so it seems more normal now? That might be something different according to your standards, Mr. Hop.”

“More like normal, you say?”

“Yes. When we were in the Empire, Zion wanted quite a bit of distance from me. Right now, that doesn’t seem to be the case… and usually, Zion would just stay quietly seated, doing nothing and spending his time.”

So he just stays still…

“Since coming to the Kingdom, he has been active in rehabilitation, but other than that, he mostly just sits quietly. When I tell him I need to do something, he just lets that happen. Nothing particularly unusual.”

Zion just stays still when he’s not with me.

Well, thinking back on it, maybe the two weeks after that trip weren’t so different either.

If rehabilitation exercises were the only reason he was doing things, there shouldn’t be much difference between how he acts in front of me and how he acts in front of Serin.

In that case, I could stop asking questions about Zion’s condition here.

“Is your answer sufficient?”

“Yes. Thank you, Serin. And I have one more favor to ask.”

“Please go ahead.”

Now it was time to get to the main point. I needed her help to grasp Zion’s condition.

“I’d like you to observe what Zion looks like before going to sleep.”

“Before sleeping?”

“Yes. Since Zion is currently in a state of Buff Addiction, I can’t be sure how he feels when left alone in a dark place. It could be a dangerous situation, so I need to confirm it.”

This is a rehabilitation center, so it’s not uncommon for patients to lose control due to emotions at night. Therefore, there was always someone on duty.

Interns and residents trained in skills to calm or restrain patients, such as Sleep, Purification, and Serenity, were always on standby.

I hadn’t received any unusual reports about Zion from the staff, but still, one could never be too careful. Silent symptoms are often the most dangerous.

I couldn’t tell the staff to keep an eye on Zion all the time, nor did I want to, so I wanted to entrust this task to the most reliable person, Serin.

“Mr. Hop, I’m sorry, but… that might be a bit difficult.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Unexpectedly, Serin’s answer was a refusal.

“I would like to help with your request as much as possible because I think it’s important, but it’s a difficult task for me.”

“Why’s that?”

“When I took care of Zion in the Empire, he specifically and emphatically told me to stay in the annex when he fell asleep… or rather, it was practically a threat. He strictly requested that I keep my distance while he was sleeping or just before falling asleep.”

Threat? What kind of nuance did he use that made Serin feel it was a threat?

Did Zion say it like that? While I know Serin wouldn’t lie, it still seemed unbelievable.

Now that I think of it, Zion did once ask when going to bed, “You won’t come and do something terrible while I’m asleep, will you?” but I thought he was joking and brushed it off.

“Alright. Then, I guess it can’t be helped.”

“I’m sorry I can’t be of assistance.”

Serin’s unexpected refusal was something I hadn’t anticipated at all, but with her saying that, I couldn’t force her into the job.

“It’s fine. And just in case, please don’t tell Zion that I asked for this.”

“Of course, you don’t need to worry about that.”

Serin bowed and left.

“Not being able to be around him while he sleeps or is going to sleep…”

It seems Zion doesn’t want me to see some part of him.

What on earth could be the reason? And it had been that way even before our recent events, all the way back to when he was in the Empire…

Though I wouldn’t be able to check in on Zion through Serin now, I couldn’t continue rehabilitation treatment with so many uncertainties.

I needed to find out if Zion was experiencing any depression due to Buff Addiction, if he was going through drastic emotional changes, and why he prohibits entrance to his room before sleeping.

I had to confirm all of these points.

If Serin can’t do it, my only remaining option is to check directly.

And as Serin mentioned, if I approach Zion and say, “I’ll stay with you while you sleep to check on your condition,” it’s pretty obvious he would turn me down.

“Hero, I just brought him back.”

Then, the remaining approach is…

“Mirae.”

“Yes, Mr. Hop.”

“Who’s on duty today? I’m talking about the doctor, not a maid.”

“Just a moment. Uh… It’s Robert the intern.”

“Get Robert right away and let him know I’m taking over the duty tonight.”

“Excuse me?”

Mirae’s eyes widened in surprise.

Since the person on duty works overnight and doesn’t come in the next day, I had never pulled an overnight shift until now.

“Damn, I need to reshape my sleep routine.”

But there was no other choice.

I absolutely had to confirm what Zion was doing before he went to sleep.