Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 47

“Is there some meaning behind the 50-day gift?”

“50 days?”

Fifty days? What on earth does that mean?

Naomi’s head was starting to throb more and more.

“Did you give a gift for the 50-day mark?”

“No, I received one.”

“You received one?”

“From Hop Harvey.”

“……”

Oh, now it makes sense…!

Of course, even though Zion is hurt right now, he’s basically a hero, so he wouldn’t just fall flat on his face like that!

To think he’d receive a gift for a 50-day anniversary, flirting with Zion…!

I must have really misjudged the person.

It’s like giving fish to a cat!

“What did you get?”

“A cushion that looks like a doll.”

“A cushion?”

“Yeah. It’s shaped like a ladybug. Cute and fluffy. I was told to hug it while sleeping.”

A ladybug-shaped cushion…

It sounds a bit weird at first, but honestly, it seems like a small, cute, and special item.

Is Director Hop actually good at charming women?

*Sigh…*

Before long, Zion and Naomi arrived at the royal palace.

After having a simple lunch that I told them to prepare in advance, they were scheduled to move to the Hero Party Memorial Hall, as per Zion’s request.

Even though I was quite flustered to learn suddenly about Zion’s condition, I was calmly gathering my thoughts while eating.

It’s hard to know exactly what Hop Harvey thinks about Zion…

But if Director Hop has feelings for him, it might actually be a good thing.

The thing Naomi was most worried about when she first saw Zion’s reaction was that his feelings for Hop would be turned down.

If Zion, who is experiencing so much physical and emotional pain, has feelings for someone, that would be about the only support left in his heart, and losing it would be the worst of the worst.

Zion absolutely must not have the situation where his feelings get rejected!

Before meeting Hop, Zion had rejected rehabilitation and was trying to vanish in front of me. If he were to experience something like that after the war, when he seemed to have lost the meaning of life…

That’s just a terrible thought, and I shook my head at the notion.

What I must do right now.

It’s not about bitterly chewing on my anger towards Hop, who laid eyes on Zion.

It’s to ensure that Zion doesn’t get rejected by Hop.

Blocking Zion from carelessly approaching Hop for 100 days might not be a bad idea, or simply supporting him with heartfelt advice would also work. The main thing is to avoid seeing Hop’s disappointed face from absurd gifts.

If necessary, even while Zion is here, I’ll send a messenger to the Magic Tower to coax or threaten Hop, but I have to protect Zion.

That’s where Naomi’s thoughts went.

She climbed back onto the wagon with Zion, calming her heart.

For now, she decided to play it straight.

“But Zion, is it okay if the 100-day anniversary gift is a broken piece of equipment? I could easily get you something precious and valuable…”

“Well, I don’t think Hop is lacking in money either. I like my old stuff. And I think Hop might have a hobby of collecting antiques.”

“A hobby of collecting antiques?”

“Yeah. I heard he collects broken weapons.”

“What does that even mean…”

Naomi’s image of Hop was getting murkier by the moment.

She didn’t even know what he had done to Zion, but collecting broken weapons?

Could it really be that? Is it true that all geniuses are eccentric?

Naomi is also a top-tier mage in this world. An actual hero who belongs to the Hero Party that defeated the Demon King.

There’s no way the strongest mage isn’t a genius.

But even she felt an insurmountable wall when she received the rehabilitation medicine manuals and curriculum that Hop shared. Those were modern knowledge, after all.

With that vague image of a genius and the information received from Zion, Naomi’s mind began to shape Hop Harvey’s presence into some kind of psychopathic genius with a mystique.

Anyway, snap out of it, Naomi.

One way or another, you need to protect innocent Zion from getting hurt!

“Speaking of which, I think I’ve heard that when giving gifts, it’s better to avoid items related to the other person’s hobbies or things they are familiar with. It’s hard to choose a gift that would satisfy someone in a field where they have more expertise…”

“Is that so?”

Naomi thought that at the very least, she had to prevent Zion from picking out a weird gift.

But her hopes were dashed…

“But… is there something among ‘the broken weapons used by adventurers’ that’s more valuable than the one I had?”

She didn’t have a counterargument!

At this rate, Zion was seriously going to pull out broken equipment as a gift to celebrate 100 days.

Naomi was slowly warming up to the idea of threatening Hop, but that would only be a last resort.

She maintained her composure and entered the Hero Party Memorial Hall with Zion.

“Everything here is displayed and meant to be showcased, but if you need anything, just take it. Feel free to choose.”

“Okay, thanks.”

Zion and Naomi slowly wandered through the exhibition hall created to commemorate themselves.

The Hero Party Memorial Hall displayed the weapons used by the Hero Party, and alongside the exhibits, there were maps, locations where they were used, and the stories or legends associated with them.

“Oh, this is here.”

Among them, one protective gear caught Zion’s eye.

It was a shoulder guard with a giant hole that looked like it could fit a fist, severely dented.

“This was used during the Siloia breakthrough.”

“A damage done by the spear of the named Death Knight Jaryu who was guarding the gate. There was a hole as big as this back then…”

The exhibited shoulder guard had large holes pierced by spears both front and back.

That means Zion’s shoulder that was between them…

“Back then, it…”

“Zion?”

Suddenly, Zion started trembling, gripping his shoulders with both hands.

And as Zion’s head slowly dropped down, the trembling of his body intensified.

“It hurt here. A lot. Hanamana treated it immediately, but that made it worse… Suddenly, my flesh was growing and healing over the wound, and it was so scary…”

“Zion! Are you okay?”

This place is the Hero Party Memorial Hall, but the actual hero, Zion, had never been here before. He had hardly tried to check it out.

Because this place was a repository of every physical wound he had suffered.

It was nothing less than a display of his pain.

“Ah, ah… It hurts! It hurts too much!!”

Zion screamed, as if he was experiencing that pain all over again, even shedding tears.

Naomi was momentarily startled, but because she already knew that Zion sometimes went into this state, she managed to keep her wits about her.

‘What should I do in situations like this? I studied rehabilitation medicine, but that was just for my rehabilitation, I have no idea how to help someone else!’

But it’s clear that just staying calm wouldn’t help her respond to this situation.

Naomi wasn’t a rehabilitation or training expert, nor a nursing maid.

All she could do for Zion right now was…

“No, Zion. It’s not hurting. So please calm down…”

She could only beg Zion to settle down.

Zion’s body, which Naomi held onto, felt incredibly hot and was shaking violently, scaring her.

“It hurts, it hurts… But my arms are moving. How are they moving? They can’t stop. If I stop, then Naomi, Hanamana, Iris…!”

“I’m here. I’m Naomi. You don’t have to move; you’re safe here. You can stop now. The war is over, Zion. So please, don’t cry. Zion, please…”

As Naomi watched Zion, who was trapped by memories of the past and suffering, tears began to well up in her own eyes.

When someone has a seizure, it is not good for the person accompanying them to get swept up in their emotions instead of keeping the situation in check.

Their emotions amplify each other. Especially negative ones.

Naomi, who didn’t know any of that, was simply drawn deeper into Zion’s pain and sadness.

But by sheer accident, and truly by good fortune, she managed to utter just one keyword that would anchor Zion’s spirit.

“Are you… there?”

Hearing “I’m here,” Zion stopped crying and looked up at Naomi.

He then briefly cast his gaze down before starting to look around restlessly, as if searching for something.

“Are you there? Hop Harvey… where are you?”

Thanks to Zion’s sudden quiet, Naomi regained her composure and began to assess the situation.

Hop Harvey? Is Zion looking for Director Hop right now?

Naomi is the mage of the Hero Party. While pouring firepower from the rear, she assesses the situation and directs the battle like a maestro.

Without her quick thinking, the Hero Party would have been wiped out several times over. And her ability now shone brightly in this situation.

“Illusion.”

She summoned an illusion, creating the image of Hop Harvey.

Although this was deceiving Zion, if it calmed him down…

“Ah, Hop! Where have you gone now…!”

As soon as Zion saw Hop’s illusion, he instantly reacted and slowly reached out toward it.

“No, don’t!”

That isn’t real. I can’t let Zion’s hand touch nothingness.

Immediately, Naomi stepped into the illusion and overlapped her body with it.

And she moved both her body and the illusion to take Zion’s hand, embracing him as he came forward.

“Teacher… Hop…”

Zion, thinking she was in Hop’s arms, finally felt at ease and nestled deeply into Naomi’s embrace.

Zion smiled, closed her eyes, and tears began to flow from her closed eyes. And Zion’s tears were the last. Naomi looked down at Zion in her arms in surprise, finally able to breathe a sigh of relief.

‘Got it. Right now, since Zion isn’t in her right mind, she won’t be able to distinguish that level of deception. Thank goodness! Really, thank goodness!’

And Naomi felt the presence of the person she was disguising herself as, Hop Harvey.

Zion’s most precious companion was supposed to have always been Naomi…

‘Zion. What on earth does Director Hop mean to you?’

Right now, Naomi was confronted with the enormous void in Zion that she herself could never fill.