Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior

“What I truly desire… isn’t that.”

Sion’s unexpected reply caught me completely off guard. My surprise was so evident that my eyes widened involuntarily.

Since we were facing each other, Sion must have noticed my reaction. She lowered her head and turned slightly to the side, avoiding my gaze.

“I don’t want to return to a normal life. Honestly… I don’t care what happens to someone like me.”

“Sion…”

“Why? Is that unexpected?”

“…”

“Even if I’m broken, shattered, destroyed… even if I die, I want this world to have a peaceful, normal life. That’s why I live, that’s what I truly desire.”

Faced with Sion’s resolve, a resolve that even encompassed her own death, I was speechless.

Her true desire wasn’t for herself, but for the world’s safety.

It was heroic, in a way…

‘Heroic? Is thinking like that… heroic?’

Such thoughts aren’t normal. And she’s completely sincere?

If that’s the case, being a hero might mean being broken from birth…

************************

‘I, I am…’

I am a hero. Born during the cycle of the Demon King’s descent, a chosen one with special powers.

Guided by the Holy Sword and the Divine Message, I dispel the darkness.

There is no normal life for me in this world.

Everything I do is to save and protect.

Director Hope always says I’m the most important, but that’s also because I’m a hero.

Until now, I’ve lived without a shred of doubt about these facts.

My life has been dark, but without fear.

Difficult, but without collapsing from exhaustion.

Lost, but without hesitation.

Challenged countless times, but never broken.

I believed I was born with a strong heart, befitting the destiny of a hero.

But why,

Why am I now…

So trembling and afraid?

Why is it so painful to push away Director Hope, who offers me a normal life?

I’m afraid to reject his kindness.

I’m scared to see that shocked expression on his face because of me.

Director Hope is all I have left. What if he starts to hate me?

Everything is so terrifying, it feels like I’m going crazy.

The impending threat, being hated by Director Hope, and… the fact that I’m becoming less and less myself.

I’m so afraid of losing the last piece of my heart that I’ve held onto as a hero…

*************************

“Thank you for your hard work these past three days, Senior.”

With that, the short yet long three-day business trip to the Holy Law Nation came to an end.

Hanamana came to see Sion and me off as we boarded the carriage heading back to the Magic Tower.

“You worked hard too, Hanamana. Ah, was it only two days for you?”

“Uu, I’m sorry… Hanamana isn’t very capable, making Senior do Hanamana’s work…”

“You didn’t make me do it, I volunteered. Besides, you’ve worked hard so far, and you’ll have plenty more to do in the future.”

“Ugh.”

Being the Director of a Rehabilitation Center in this world is one of the most honorable and busiest jobs.

Maybe I should have taught Hanamana how to establish a sleep routine instead of other things?

“Stay strong, Hanamana. I’m always rooting for you.”

“Sion…”

Hanamana slowly approached and hugged Sion, who was sitting in her wheelchair.

Soon, it was time for the carriage to depart. I called Hanamana over to separate them, then lifted Sion into the carriage.

Inside, we remained silent.

Looking out the window at the passing scenery of the Holy Law Nation, I organized my thoughts with the breeze.

While my offer to give Sion a normal life had come up in the flow of conversation, I couldn’t shake the feeling that leaving it at a rejection felt incomplete.

Perhaps I had placed too great a burden on Sion.

If the fabricated existence of the Demon King was preventing Sion from wanting a normal life…

“Sion.”

“Yes?”

“When we get back, let’s ask Serin where we should go for dinner this weekend.”

If Sion’s rehabilitation couldn’t lead to a normal life, at least the journey there could resemble one.

I couldn’t lessen Sion’s burden, nor could I share it. All I could do was create moments where she could forget it, even if it was a woefully inadequate atonement for my actions.

“…”

Thankfully, Sion turned and looked at me. Her dark hair, slightly disheveled from being away from Serin for a few days, fluttered in the breeze coming through the open carriage window.

Her hair shimmered with a subtle, almost black, violet hue, like the color of the universe.

Sion lifted her hand and swept her hair back from her forehead, tucking it behind her ear so it wouldn’t obscure her face. Then, looking at me, she offered a faint smile.

“Okay. I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

Silence fell upon the carriage once more. We didn’t speak.

I don’t usually like heavy atmospheres.

But I had nothing more to say to Sion, so I simply waited for time to pass, until it was time to say goodbye.

***************

Two weeks had passed since the Holy Law Nation trip.

It was the start of Sion’s seventh week of rehabilitation.

After parting ways with Hanamana, my work as a Rehabilitation doctor and Sion’s rehabilitation continued as usual. We went out together on weekends, and daily life proceeded as it always had.

“Hnnnngh…”

Sion gripped the parallel bars tightly, straining to support herself.

Should I increase the Buff a little more?

No, Sion already had a higher Buff than she should. It was strange that she was struggling so much…

“Sion, can’t you hold on?”

“I, I can somehow…!”

“It’s good to be dedicated to your training, but it’s better not to overdo it. Mirei, help Sion sit down.”

“Yes, Director.”

Mirei supported Sion from behind and helped her back into her wheelchair.

Meanwhile, I reviewed Sion’s chart, checking her training progress and Buff sensitivity over the past two weeks.

“This is…”

I’d thought her recovery was progressing quite smoothly, as she had almost reached the point of walking during her fifth week. However, in the two weeks since the business trip, she had gained almost no muscle strength.

“Sigh, Mirei, record a sensitivity of 3.1.”

“Understood. But Director, that number…”

“I know. It’s barely changed.”

Sion’s disability was extreme muscle loss.

Rehabilitation for muscle loss, unlike injuries or other causes, usually accelerates as strength improves. It was unusual for the numbers to plateau like this.

“If we were following the rehabilitation program, the menu should have changed by now, but it seems we can’t today either. So, we’ll do the same as last time… No, wait…”

“Director Hope, is something seriously wrong with my body?”

Sion looked up at me with a worried expression as I contemplated how to modify the rehabilitation program.

“It’s nothing serious. The human body is unpredictable. Your condition hasn’t worsened; we just need a little time to assess things. As I always say, rehabilitation is a slow process.”

While this unexpected situation was disconcerting, it wasn’t a major problem, as I had said.

I needed to remain calm and collected, maintaining a composed demeanor as I assessed the situation.

If the doctor treating a patient became anxious, the patient would inevitably be affected as well.

“I understand. I believe you’ll fix me, Director Hope, so it’ll be okay.”

Sion nodded, accepting my words. I nodded back, conveying a sense of reassurance, and decided to re-evaluate Sion’s rehabilitation plan.

Come to think of it, Sion had regained considerable strength and was almost able to walk with the Buff.

My goal had been to build up her strength quickly so she could stand, as this would expand the range of training exercises available. Perhaps that had been a bit hasty.

I needed to try a different approach, focusing on consistent strength training even if Sion couldn’t walk yet. I decided to revert to the previous training menu, but with significantly reduced or no Buff, to see how her body responded…

‘First, I need to remove the Buff.’

Since Sion was safely seated and I wasn’t planning any walking or standing exercises, I deactivated the Buff.

While Sion’s rehabilitation exercises were scheduled for today, I decided to stop here.

“Sion, I need to revise your rehabilitation program, so let’s take a break today and resume tomorrow. We can maintain the training cycle, so it should be fine.”

“Okay. A day of rest, then.”

Despite her enthusiasm for rehabilitation, Sion readily complied with my instructions.

She must understand how rehabilitation works now, after all my insistence on taking it slow.

“Then, could you please remove the Buff? I can’t go back like this.”

“…What?”

“The Strength Buff. You said it’s best not to use it outside of training.”

But I had definitely removed it earlier.

Sion currently had no active Buff. I had deactivated it, and my system showed no active Buffs on her.

“Sion, you’re saying the Buff is still active? Does it feel like your strength is increased?”

“Yes? It is. Because…”

Sion maneuvered her wheelchair back towards the parallel bars, gripped them, and with trembling limbs,

“Like… this…!”

She pulled herself up, standing on her own.

“I can stand. Just like before.”

Th-this…! This was a very bad sign. I hadn’t expected this to happen.

“Sion, come down and sit.”

I quickly rushed to Sion’s side and supported her as she lowered herself back into the wheelchair.

“Director? Your expression is serious.”

Sion tilted her head, looking at me with a puzzled expression.

Damn, so that’s what happened.

Sion’s body was experiencing a false positive, believing the Buff was still active.

This was the reason her strength wasn’t increasing.

While it was better than facing a completely unknown symptom, it was still the worst-case scenario I had hoped to avoid.

When receiving the Buff, her body would sometimes enter a temporary heightened state, causing her muscles to misfire, regardless of her conscious control.

This was one of the most severe cases of rehabilitation failure I had encountered since arriving in this world.

Sion’s body was exhibiting the early symptoms of… Buff addiction.