Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior

“Ugh…”

“You’re awake?”

It was the morning of the third day of my business trip to the Holy Law Nation. Sion, clutching her head, opened her eyes in bed. I greeted her.

“Director Hope? What…what happened?”

“It’s nothing to worry about, Sion. You just fell asleep in the dining hall yesterday. Do you remember?”

“In the dining hall yesterday…”

Sion lowered her gaze, lost in thought. She was probably trying to recall what happened yesterday.

“I just…fell asleep?”

“Yes.”

Sion looked back up at me, her eyes filled with anxiety.

“Really? Did I…do anything strange again?”

“No, nothing happened. You’re safe.”

“Like…shouting and rampaging? Or grabbing you and hurting you? Or causing trouble for someone else…?”

“Sion!”

I had to stop her before her thoughts spiraled out of control again.

Because Sion’s voice was trembling with panic, I moved in front of her, raised my hands, and firmly gripped her shoulders to steady her. Now was the time to be firm, to show her a dependable presence she could lean on.

“I told you, nothing happened.”

“Director Hope…”

“Relax. Truly, nothing happened. You fell asleep, and Hanamana and I carried you back here. You can ask Hanamana later.”

“…”

Like we were in a staring contest, we gazed into each other’s eyes without blinking. Silence filled the room.

After a while, Sion seemed to calm down, so I slowly stepped back, released my hands from her shoulders, and straightened my posture.

“Sion, everything is alright. Nothing happened this time, but even if something does… I’ll always be here.

Just like I always have been. That’s why I’m here. So relax. It’s not good for you to be so anxious. Okay?”

My slightly stern tone seemed to get through to her, as she nodded in understanding.

Today was the day we returned to the kingdom after finishing our schedule. We would briefly stop by the Center to observe Hanamana’s final patient examinations, and then return to the Magic Tower in the evening.

“Good morning, Sion. And good morning, senior.”

Hanamana greeted us cheerfully as we entered the Examination Room.

She was busily and diligently preparing for her schedule.

“Hanamana, I told you I’d show you Recover, right?”

“Ah! Right! Is it possible now?”

“Today happens to be the day I cast it on Sion. Sion, are you alright with this now?”

“I’m fine.”

Although I was showing it to her at Hanamana’s request, demonstrating Recover wasn’t a complicated or difficult task.

“Then…”

I placed my hand on Sion’s body and cast the magic.

“Recover.”

A light blue glow briefly enveloped Sion before fading away.

This spell restored a tiny, almost imperceptible amount of lost stats. This was the magic called Recover.

“It’s done.”

“This is…”

Hanamana furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes, a serious expression on her face.

Why was she reacting like that? Did she sense something from the spell?

“Did I…see that wrong?”

“What’s wrong? Is something strange?”

Seemingly oblivious to my question, Hanamana continued to circle Sion, scrutinizing her with a serious expression.

“This magic is neither a natural system nor a Divine System. Senior, you saw that light blue glow, right? Is that how it normally is?”

“Yes, it’s always been like this.”

“Light blue. Light blue… But it’s a recovery spell? Is that even possible?”

Of the two magic systems Hanamana mentioned, the nature system magic usually emits a green or light green light, while the divine system magic emits a yellow light.

“I thought it might be similar to ‘Recovery’ because of the similar name, but it’s a completely different magic.”

Recovery was a high-level healing spell that could quickly and instantly heal wounds during battle.

I was a Rehabilitation doctor, not a high-ranking Cleric, so it wasn’t a spell I could use.

“I couldn’t possibly use something that advanced. Besides, that spell works on wounds and injuries, but it doesn’t affect disabilities or aftereffects.”

“Magic that heals disabilities and aftereffects is much more difficult in my opinion. I don’t understand it and haven’t learned it.”

After examining Sion for a long time, Hanamana finally drooped her head with a puzzled expression.

Even for Hanamana, it was probably impossible to grasp the nature of a spell just by seeing it once.

“I’ll look for the Recover spellbook too. Hanamana has an aptitude for all magic, so you’ll be able to learn it quickly if you find it.”

“Thank you, senior. I’m really curious about what it contains.”

Soon, the rehabilitation center opened, and Hanamana began seeing patients.

Today was a day off from Sion’s rehabilitation training. Sion and I decided to observe Hanamana’s consultations in her Examination Room.

“Director Hanamana, I heard you weren’t at the Center yesterday?”

“Eh?! Has word already spread?”

“You should really rest more. It worries us when we see you working so hard, Director Hanamana.”

“Thank you for your concern, but I rested well yesterday, so I’m fine now~”

Hanamana spoke to the patients warmly, almost as if she were playing with them.

It was like…a kindergarten teacher? Like she was playing with children?

Hanamana had a very small and youthful appearance, but she was an elf over 200 years old, so perhaps that was a valid comparison.

“So, do the exercises at home as written here, and come to the exercise room once a week to have the Cleric adjust your rehabilitation menu. We’ll check your condition again in four weeks.”

Even with the influx of patients, Hanamana carefully examined each one, providing accurate diagnoses and prescriptions.

“Seeing her like this, Hanamana really is a proper doctor.”

Sion, watching Hanamana’s work, complimented her, but her smile seemed somewhat bittersweet.

“I thought I was the only one who couldn’t do anything alone. Nao and Hanamana have both returned to where they belong and are doing what they need to do, but I’m the only one…”

“Sion…”

I considered reaching out to hold her hand or touch her arm, but decided against it. Sion wasn’t trembling now.

“Director Hope.”

“I’m here.”

“I’m so glad you’re here. I can’t do anything by myself.”

Should I tell her that wasn’t true?

Should I tell her that she was actually amazing and could do well on her own?

Of course, the Sion I’d seen had overcome so much, and it was true that she was an amazing person, but it didn’t feel like the right time to say that.

Telling her she would be okay alone might sound like I was planning to leave her alone somewhere.

Of course, that would never happen, but a patient with an unstable mental state might interpret it that way. I had to consider Sion’s perspective and be careful to avoid triggering her anxiety.

“Before you appeared, every day was hell. I was so scared, lonely, and anxious. I didn’t even know why I was alive… But it’s different now. It’s still hell, and I’m still scared and anxious, but at least I’m not lonely. Because I have you, and I have something to do, a reason to live.”

Sion was still looking at Hanamana, not at me.

No, it seemed she wasn’t looking at Hanamana at all. She was just looking straight ahead.

What was Sion thinking about, and where was she looking? Was it something somewhere out there, beyond this world?

“…Sion.”

“Yes, Director Hope.”

“If you had to describe the work of a Rehabilitation doctor in one sentence, what would you say?”

“Huh?”

I turned to look at Sion after asking the question, and she looked back at me.

She seemed to be struggling to find an answer, tilting her head with a puzzled expression.

“It’s about helping people return to their everyday lives.”

“Helping people…return to their everyday lives…”

“Helping people who have lost physical function, lost their hearts, and lost hope in life return to their original path. That’s the work of a Rehabilitation doctor. So, Sion, someday, I will…”

Yes, someday. Someday, Sion would return to her everyday life.

I would complete Sion’s rehabilitation within the two years before the Demon King’s predicted return.

And even after Sion returned to her former self, the Demon King wouldn’t appear.

Then what would happen?

Would Sion…despise me?

Would she resent me, feeling deceived?

Would she try to kill me, like she did when we first met, claiming that my lies had crossed the line?

I didn’t know what lay beyond the completion of Sion’s rehabilitation…

“Someday, I will definitely help you return to your everyday life.”

For now, I could make this promise.

As Sion’s Rehabilitation doctor, I was helping her rehabilitation, witnessing her vulnerability up close.

But just as her beautiful and strong past was now a thing of the past, the broken Sion I cherished now also had to be consigned to the past.

I cherished her because it was finite.

“Director Hope.”

And Sion’s response to my promise…

“It’s true that I envy Nao and Hanamana, who can live their own lives and are living them…”

…was completely unexpected.

“But what I want now…isn’t that.”