The Grellverelka Empire, a superpower at the pinnacle of the Northern Continent. This nation, ruled by Demon King Gustav and inhabited by a diverse array of demons, surprisingly boasts advanced medical technology. To explain this would be impossible without mentioning the achievements of Vegalzelld, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Demon, but that would lead to a rather lengthy tale, so we will omit it for now. In any case, his nation’s medicine is highly developed. Thus, it was chosen as the destination for Rukil, who was in a state where healing her wounds through magic was difficult, and her recovery continues at this very place—
“And so, at that time, I said this to them. Don’t resort to cheap tricks. Gambling is only exciting when left entirely to fate, right! That’s what I said. I can still remember the opponent’s face from that moment. They had taken both the shock of being caught cheating and my passion with a right straight. So, it was only natural, really. I have to say, my words at that time were incredibly convincing. Oh, well, it wasn’t exactly acting, but after I actually said it, I thought to myself, ‘Wow, wasn’t I cool just now!?’ It was so convincing that I felt I should have recorded it on video. That’s my only regret. And perhaps inspired by me, the god on the other side also promised they would never cheat again. Ah, it’s tough being an influential god!”
“—”
“But the goddess of gambling is truly fickle, and in the subsequent matches, I lost every single one! The way I lost so spectacularly back then. Even though I taught them such brilliant words of wisdom, my opponent showed no mercy at all. They stripped me down to my last coin, and in the end, I didn’t even have underwear left… Even now, when I think about it, they must have been cheating! There’s no other explanation for losing like that!”
Patrick Pluto, the apostate of the Ten Authorities, continued his rambling. Taking advantage of Rukil’s lack of response, he spun words freely, as he pleased. Although he was supposed to have visited this sickroom under the guise of a get-well visit, he peeled apple skins and endlessly indulged in reminiscence by himself.
“…Could you please refrain from implanting such useless talk into my brain?”
Rukil, who had been lying silently without uttering a word, finally spoke for the first time that day. She also visibly displayed an angry mark on her forehead, sending a clear message to Patrick, along with a sharp glare, that he should leave quickly.
“Oh, you’re awake, Rukil! Your eyes were open, but you weren’t saying a peep, so I thought you were skillfully pretending to be asleep!”
“There are many things I’d like to point out at this moment, but if we’re going by that logic, why were you talking to me while I was asleep?”
“Well, I thought I’d tell you some of my treasured stories as a lullaby. You must have been able to sleep with a cheerful heart, right?”
“…Yes, incredibly so. I’m filled with an unpleasant feeling, more than I ever imagined.”
At that moment, the sharpness in Rukil’s gaze intensified.
“Heh, the fact that you can retort so sharply is proof that you’ve recovered quite a bit. That’s good, that’s good. I was worried about how you’d turn out for a while there. When you first arrived at this facility, you were in a state where you couldn’t even utter a single word. As I’ve said many times, you were too reckless, weren’t you?”
“While that is sound advice, I honestly don’t want to hear it from someone who gambles until they’re completely naked.”
“Yes, yes, that’s the spirit. You’re starting to sound like yourself again. Oh, want to eat an apple? I tried cutting it into the shape of a leaf.”
With that, Patrick offered an apple cut into a strangely elaborate shape.
“…You’re quite skilled at cutting. Normally, I’d expect a rabbit shape at most in such situations.”
“Oh, it’s an easier cut than it looks. Oh, perhaps you preferred the rabbit shape? Are you secretly fond of cute things, Rukil?”
“I’ll burn the apple along with myself if you don’t eat it.”
After such an exchange, Rukil accepted the apple and slowly took a bite. It seemed that neither Patrick nor the apple would be turned into baked goods.
“…Thank you for the meal. By the way, where are Maria and the others?”
“They’re wandering the world as usual— I’d like to say that, but today is the day for that important meeting. Since you can’t attend, those two are going in your stead.”
“I see… It’s a great shame that I can’t be there myself, but given my condition, there’s nothing I can do. I’ll entrust it to Maria-chan.”
“Whoa, that’s a surprisingly straightforward reaction. Aren’t you worried? Maria-chan is going in your place, you know? They say she’s demure and all in this world, but I bet she’s caused a huge stir. I bet it’s a fun development. I’d bet my life on it.”
“You really do love gambling… However, my gamble has already been made. My dark clouds and Melfina’s dark clouds, and the wonderful future I’m struggling within them, have already been entrusted to Maria. I don’t care what she causes. I will connect all the disturbances she creates to the future I desire.”
“Hoo, you’re bold. Well then, first things first, you need to get your health sorted. That doctor, Vegalzelld, said it would take about six months for a full recovery, including rehabilitation, right? And sadly, it seems your one arm won’t be coming back.”
Patrick’s gaze shifted to Rukil’s missing arm. After Maria was summoned, Rukil’s transplanted arm had shriveled up like a mummy. After being transported to this medical facility, it was deemed beyond recovery and amputated from the root— leading to her current state of being one-armed. While it could be considered fortunate that she didn’t lose her life as a price for encountering an otherworldly god, considering her future activities, it was a rather painful cost for Rukil.
“If the research facility in White Wing Land were still intact, I might have been able to create a compatible arm for myself again, but from what I’ve heard, that seems unlikely.”
“Ah, that’s because someone—or rather, someone else—made a grand spectacle of destroying a floating continent. Some fragments of the shattered continent are still floating in the sea, but I doubt the underground facilities survived. Wouldn’t it be faster to look for a prosthetic arm? I heard that the female hero who defeated Rem was wearing one.”
“Ah, Traage’s prosthetic arm. That’s not a bad idea coming from you. However, doing so would lead to complications later on…”
“Eh, what complications?”
“Well, if I were to request a prosthetic arm of that caliber, the Princess-King of that nation would inevitably get involved, and I’d prefer to avoid that if at all possible.”
“Um…? First of all, who is this Princess-King that you’re trying to avoid getting involved with?”
“…”
Rukil said no more, but her expression was one of extreme inconvenience.
“Excuse me~♫ World-famous diva-type vampire princess, Maria-chan, has come to visit~♫”
Amidst the awkward atmosphere, the sickroom door opened to a cheerful voice. Simultaneously, a rather fragrant aroma began to waft in.
“Maria-chan!? Huh, didn’t you go to the Eastern Continent today—? And what’s this wonderful smell?”
“What is it? It’s the scent of souvenirs from the Eastern Continent. I wanted to bring alcohol too, but the giant at the reception desk got angry and confiscated it. Oops. But I managed to hold onto the yakitori, so eat it deliciously~♫ Here!”
“Oh, thank you so much… Whoa, it’s still warm?”
“I hurried back with a *bashun* to keep it delicious! Oh, but more importantly, a major announcement, a major announcement!”
“Maria-san, this is a sickroom, so could you possibly lower your tone a bit… So, what was discussed over there?”
“Yes, Kelvin and Melfina are getting married, and they want us to attend!”
“…Huh?”
At that moment, the room turned as cold as ice.
