Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 5

Chapter 15: The Food of God’s

“Thanks for the thought, but I’ll pass.”

‘What a surprise, right?’

I did briefly indulge in the delightful fantasy of the strongest hero’s rehabilitation, but I somewhat expected Hero Zion to refuse rehabilitation.

“Zion…”

The princess merely hung her head without questioning the reason. She, who seemed to know Zion’s condition better than I did, also seemed to foresee the rejection.

At this moment, Zion lacked the will to pursue rehabilitation.

Ordinarily, the ‘will to rehabilitate’ required for rehabilitation patients means the readiness to endure endless pain to return to everyday life, but Zion faced a more fundamental and serious problem.

“Now.”


“Uh?”


“I appreciate your concern, but I wish you’d stop worrying about me now.”


“What… what do you mean?”

While the princess suddenly looked shocked, Zion simply kept his head down, staring blankly at the ground.

“I’m not even going to visit Iris anymore. I won’t stand out anymore…”


“What are you talking about right now?!”

The princess leaped out of her wheelchair and grabbed Zion’s shoulder. But that didn’t last long;

“Ugh…”

She started to tremble and fell back into her wheelchair again.

“Zion! Are you seriously not going to respond?”


“…….”

Zion quietly turned his wheelchair around and moved away.

‘What’s going on? How is he moving? It can’t be magic, can it?’

Even though his hands weren’t in use, the wheelchair was automatically changing direction and rolling away.

“What on earth…”


“Zion Laurel!!!!!!!!!!”

While my confusion about how the wheelchair was moving remained unsolved, it was definitely not the moment to ask about it.

The princess seemed extremely angry and shouted Zion’s full name as if to shake the grave from its roots, but the wheelchair he occupied just glided off gracefully.

As evening approached, the sky was painted with sunset hues, and the people gathered at the grave to soothe their wounds that could not be healed started leaving one by one before the darkness arrived.

“Zion…”

But even as darkness fell, the princess remained frozen in place, lost in thought.

‘Hero Zion Laurel’s rehabilitation, huh…’

An unexpected silence washed over me. I slowly began to piece together what had just occurred in my mind.

Why Zion’s body was broken, the exact state he was in, and why that wheelchair moved on its own—there were countless questions, but none of that was what mattered right now.

What I needed to find was a way to ignite Zion’s will for rehabilitation. I had to find it somehow. Because…

‘I need to see that every day.’

Obviously, I didn’t want to miss this opportunity.

Rehabilitation treatment for Hero Zion. Perhaps the reason I was drawn into this world was to take on this role.

Somehow persuading Zion to undergo rehabilitation, I’d become the person who would witness the most powerful yet beautiful hero struggling to return to normal life every day.

‘So, what should I do now…’

Rehabilitation treatment is inclusive of psychological care. Especially for soldiers returning from war, psychological care is crucial in rehabilitation.

Since Zion had also suffered wounds from war, I needed to figure out her psychology based on that to instill the will to rehabilitate.

‘That said, there are too few clues. We only talked for a brief moment.’

Not only was the conversation brief, but my first impression of Zion was so utterly hollow that I couldn’t fathom what she wanted or desired.

However, fortunately, Zion wasn’t merely a stranger to me.

I knew her better than anyone in this world. From an omniscient reader’s perspective, I had observed everything she experienced during the war. Even though three years had passed since the ending, if I filled that gap with the recent events…

“Does Zion really think there’s no hope for herself? With her being in such a state where she can’t move at all, can even Director Hop Harvey heal her?”

Perhaps shaken by the shock, the princess clenched her fists tightly on her lap and spoke with a quavering voice.

Indeed, as confirmed earlier, Zion’s physical abilities and muscle strength had drastically plummeted to almost zero, making modern rehabilitation medicine and any training utterly impossible.

Yet, in this world, there were skills capable of addressing such issues, so Zion’s rehabilitation was not impossible.

“That can’t be true.”


“Really? To think rehabilitation is still possible for someone in her state, you’re truly Director Hop.”


“That may be, but… the reason Zion is refusing rehabilitation isn’t simply because she thinks there’s no hope.”


“Huh?”

The significant factor in deciding whether or not to engage in rehabilitation wasn’t about possibility.

Of course, for an ordinary person, whether rehabilitation was feasible would usually be an important consideration.

“But, Princess, does Hero Zion Laurel give up willingly when she believes something is impossible?”

For Hero Zion, that was not the case.

“Ah…!”

The princess likely knew it as well. Hero Zion would persist in doing whatever it takes to make it happen, as long as it was something that had to be done.

Thus, her refusal of rehabilitation wasn’t simply because she thought it was impossible.

‘Alright. I’ve decided what to do.’

Thoughts finalized. Now, the only thing left was to act.

“I’ll go and talk to her. She probably hasn’t gone too far yet.”


“Please… I beg you, Director Hop!”


“I’ll do my best.”

Leaving the princess behind, I began jog in the direction Zion had gone.

I hadn’t thought about Zion for a long time, and while I had roughly tracked where she went, I had to catch her without losing track so I could talk.

**

“Zion…!”

Fortunately, I managed to catch up with Zion not far from the national cemetery of the empire.

“…….”

In the darkening street with few people around, Zion quietly turned to me upon hearing her name.

“Zion?”


“Did you just say Zion?”


“Is the hero here?”

People in the middle of the road who heard Zion’s name also showed interest. However,

“…….”

Once they confirmed who Zion was, they dispersed again, feeling as if it was too unbelievable.

Thinking back, the princess had said earlier that “Everyone would be surprised to hear that’s Zion.”

Is it still unknown what condition Hero Zion Laurel is currently in?

“Did Naou send you? To take me away?”


“Partly correct. I do intend to take you, but the princess didn’t send me.”


“Take me away…”

– Whooshhhhh…

‘The wind?’

“I’d like to tell you that if you think you can do anything just because I’m in this state, that’s a misconception. Director Hop Harvey.”

The breeze that swept through the area was not created by intimidation or forceful intent.

It certainly felt like a wind raised by a hero. It seemed as though she was warning me by displaying her abilities.

‘Can she still use her powers?’

Hero Zion Laurel. According to the novel, her power wasn’t the wind she just created… but rather ‘pressure.’

She must control the pressure to create wind from the differences.

Space may seem empty, but it is filled with air. Unless we’re in outer space, the faster we move, the bigger the resistance we encounter.

And this ability to control pressure was precisely why she was called the swiftest swordswoman.

Since Zion could erase the pressure in the path of her sword and body while moving and attacking, there were no limits to her sword speed.

If she could use her powers, I could also solve the mystery of how her wheelchair moved on its own. It was likely a special object with a mechanism that worked by pressure.

“I am a rehabilitation specialist. I’ve come to recommend rehabilitation treatment for you, and I mean you no harm.”

Zion stared blankly at me, her expressionless gaze revealing her crimson eyes remained cold.

“Didn’t you refuse that?”


“No, this isn’t something you can simply refuse.”

Hero Zion Laurel. She possessed an indomitable spirit, but now, she was completely broken. While I couldn’t fathom how she had fallen to such a state, I would bring her to life again.

“What kind of nonsense is that…”


“I’m a time traveler. I know everything that will happen in this world, including the past, present, and future.”


“Excuse me?”

Zion’s eyes widened in disbelief at the unbelievable revelation.

Of course, she wouldn’t believe it; what I said was far from the truth.

“Hero Zion Laurel. You need to undergo treatment, and you must return to your former self.”

I…

“In two years, before the gate opens again.”

I decided to deceive the hero.