Jika Lucia Greyhounder diminta mendeskripsikan perasaannya terhadap Eleanor, dia akan menjawab bahwa tidak ada emosi khusus yang dia rasakan.
Eleanor hanyalah seseorang yang sesekali dia temui. Meski mereka kadang bertemu di acara sosial kalangan bangsawan kelas atas, pada akhirnya, mereka hanyalah kenalan. Tidak lebih, tidak kurang.
Namun, jika mereka bertemu dalam situasi seperti sekarang, ceritanya jadi berbeda.
‘Apa-apaan yang dia lakukan…?’
Tatapan tajam Lucia beralih antara Dowd, yang sedang berguling mengenaskan di lantai, dan Eleanor yang tersedak kaget.
“…Ah, tidak, jadi ini, uh—”
Melihat wanita itu terbata-bata, Lucia menyipitkan matanya lebih dalam. Ini bukan reaksi yang dia harapkan dari seseorang seperti Eleanor. Itu berarti, Eleanor sendiri pun sadar bahwa tindakan yang hendak dia lakukan itu ‘tidak pantas’.
“…Apa yang sedang kau coba lakukan?”
Ketika Lucia bertanya dengan mata menyipit, Eleanor hanya bisa menjawab dengan diam, yang justru mengonfirmasi kecurigaan Lucia.
“…Aku tidak punya ekspektasi khusus padamu, Lady Tristan.” Lucia menghela napas sebelum melanjutkan, “Tapi penampilanmu saat ini sangat tidak elok.”
Sejujurnya, Lucia tidak perlu bersikap sekeras itu. Dia tahu Eleanor sedikit berlebihan, tapi sebagai wanita yang jeli dan paham akan ‘hal-hal semacam itu’, tidak sulit baginya untuk menyadari bahwa Eleanor menyimpan perasaan pada pria itu.
‘…Lagipula…’
Pria itu pernah mengoceh omong kosong tentang hidup bersama keenam Wadah Iblis seolah itu hal sepele. Mengingat sifatnya yang gila dan seperti playboy, Lucia bisa saja menganggap Eleanor sebagai salah satu korbannya.
Namun… pandangan Lucia beralih ke Yuria. Adik perempuannya itu sedang gelisah memegangi sarung pedangnya.
“…”
Biasanya, hal pertama yang akan dilakukan Yuria saat Lucia bersikap galak adalah memintanya agar tidak berkelahi. Tapi reaksinya sekarang… bagaimana ya mengatakannya? Dia tampak seperti seseorang yang sedang melihat kucing liar menyelinap ke meja dapur. Tidak akan aneh jika dia mencabut pedangnya saat itu juga.
Sebenarnya, alasan Lucia melontarkan kata-kata tajam pada Eleanor adalah untuk meredam amukan adiknya. Dia ingin menyelesaikan masalah ini dengan caranya sendiri sebelum situasinya memburuk. Instingnya berteriak nyaring; jika Yuria dan Eleanor dibiarkan berdua di sini, sudah pasti akan terjadi kekacauan.
“…Aku tidak bisa membiarkan tindakan tidak pantas ini. Tolong tinggalkan ruang kesehatan, Lady.”
Namun, begitu kata-kata itu terucap, gerakan Eleanor yang tadi kikuk mendadak kaku.
“…Apa maksud perkataanmu itu, Saintess?”
Begitu mendengar balasan dingin tersebut, Lucia membatin sambil menepuk dahinya. Benar, wanita bangsawan ini tidak akan mau pergi begitu saja.
“Tapi, Lady Tristan, jika rumor tentang kelakuanmu tersebar, itu tidak akan membawa dampak baik.”
Mendengar itu, tatapan Eleanor menggelap. Dia menghela napas lalu merapikan rambutnya.
“Kau mengancamku?”
“…”
Tuduhan Eleanor tepat sasaran. Namun, Lucia berada di pihak yang benar secara moral.
“Dari yang kudengar, pria ini pingsan karena kelelahan. Oleh karena itu, penting baginya untuk beristirahat.”
“…”
“…Dan apa yang baru saja kau lakukan justru hanya akan memperburuk kondisinya.”
Lucia mengamati reaksi Eleanor dengan cermat. Mengingat perilaku Dowd selama ini, besar kemungkinan wanita di depannya ini terkait dengan ‘Iblis’. Jika Eleanor membuat gerakan tiba-tiba, Lucia harus segera mengambil tindakan balasan.
“Kami akan memastikan dia mendapatkan lingkungan yang dia butuhkan untuk pulih, jadi jangan khawatir soal itu dan—”
Saat Lucia hendak melanjutkan, dia mendadak menjerit kaget.
“A-A-Apa yang kau pikir sedang kau lakukan?!”
Suara Lucia pecah karena terkejut. Eleanor baru saja mengangkat Dowd ke dalam pelukannya—posisi yang lazim disebut princess carry. Karena bagian depan kemejanya berantakan dan celananya sedikit tersingkap, banyak bagian kulit Dowd yang terekspos. Tubuhnya praktis setengah telanjang.
“…”
Begitu melihat itu, Lucia merasakan hawa panas menjalar ke kepalanya dan tanpa sadar menelan ludah dengan susah payah. Belakangan ini, berkat dedikasinya berlatih, bahu pria itu menjadi lebih bidang dan otot perutnya mulai terbentuk… dan saat tatapannya beralih ke bagian bawah tubuh Dowd…
‘…Apa-apaan yang sedang kupikirkan saat ini?!’
Lucia menampar pipinya sendiri. Meskipun dia sudah agak menjauh dari Tanah Suci, dia tetaplah representasi para pengikut dan pemercaya di seluruh benua. Pantang menyerah pada hawa nafsu adalah dasar!
“…Woah.”
Mendengar adiknya terkesiap, Lucia berbalik dengan ngeri.
“Tubuhnya… itu… aku ingin menyentuhnya sekali—”
“YURIA?!”
Lucia menjerit lagi. Yuria yang tersadar segera membela diri, “B-bukan, itu, uh, m-maksudku, T-Tuan D-Dowd, t-terlihat sangat k-keren! Dia terlihat keren! Hanya itu yang ingin kukatakan!!”
“…”
Lucia dan Eleanor menyipitkan mata. Mengatakan itu satu hal, tapi mengatakannya sambil meneteskan air liur lalu mengelapnya? Tidak ada orang waras yang akan percaya.
“…T-Tetap saja…!” Lucia memprotes dengan jari menunjuk ke atas, wajahnya merah padam. “A-Apa yang kau pikir sedang kau lakukan?! Beraninya kau memanfaatkan pasien untuk membodohi kami—!”
“Aku hanya mengangkatnya dari lantai. Dia bisa masuk angin jika terus terbaring di sana.”
“…”
“…”
Dia benar. Eleanor hanya melakukan satu tindakan, tapi kedua bersaudara itu telanjur berprasangka bahwa dia menggunakan tubuh Dowd sebagai serangan mental. Saat menyadari hal itu, mereka serentak menutup mulut dengan wajah yang memerah padam.
Eleanor mengamati mereka dengan tajam. Dia sadar kedua wanita ini punya hubungan dengan Dowd. Karena mereka datang segera setelah mendengar pria itu pingsan, Eleanor merasa ini adalah masalah yang butuh ‘verifikasi’ lebih lanjut.
Namun…
“…Sepertinya…”
Keduanya menunjukkan tanda-tanda tidak tahu malu. Sampai-sampai, jika Eleanor meninggalkan Dowd di sini, entah apa yang akan terjadi padanya.
“Kalian berdua ternyata tidak lebih punya hati nurani daripada yang kalian klaim.”
“…”
Mereka tidak bisa membantah. Yuria dan Lucia kesulitan mengeluarkan kata-kata.
“…T-Tetap saja, kami m-masih l-lebih baik daripada Lady Tristan yang t-tertangkap basah, b-bukan?”
“Mungkin saja begitu.” Eleanor mengangguk. “Lantas kenapa?”
“…Permisi?”
“Ya, tindakanku mungkin memalukan. Cukup untuk membuatku merasa bersalah.” Eleanor melanjutkan tanpa berkedip. “Tapi lantas kenapa? Apa yang bisa kau lakukan?”
“…”
“Apa kau bisa melakukan hal lain selain memintaku pergi dari sini?”
“…”
“Aku tidak akan pergi. Aku tidak akan pernah menyerahkan Dowd padamu.”
Lucia menatap Eleanor dengan ekspresi tercengang.
‘Apa?’
‘Apa dia selalu seperti ini?’
‘Mungkin dia hanya tidak tahu malu kalau soal pria ini saja?’
“…Tidak apa-apa, Kak.”
“Eh?”
“Biar aku yang urus..”
Tidak, tunggu. Dia bilang begitu… tapi dia sama sekali tidak terlihat baik-baik saja. Yuria memegang gagang pedangnya dengan tatapan mengancam yang tidak seperti biasanya. Eleanor, melihat hal itu, juga diam-diam meraba pedangnya.
“T-Tunggu! Lagipula, saling mengacungkan senjata itu…!”
Di tengah situasi yang mencekam itu, Lucia mencoba menengahi. Namun, seseorang justru menerobos masuk ke ruang kesehatan dan memperparah keadaan.
“MASTERRRRRR-! AKU MENDENGAR KAU SAKITTTTTT-!”
Seseorang yang diselimuti ‘aura ungu’ mendobrak pintu. Siapa pun yang mendengar suaranya akan menyimpulkan satu hal; dia sangat berisik.
“…”
‘Siapa orang ini?’ pikir semua orang.
Lalu…
“…Master?” gumam Eleanor mengancam.
“…Aku Seras Evatrice. Aku baru mendaftar di Sekolah Teologi.”
“…Namaku Lucia Greyhounder. Ini adikku, Yuria. Kami tamu yang tinggal di Elfante.”
Perkenalan canggung pun terjadi. Keheningan yang menyusul setelahnya bisa membuatku sakit maag. Aku sudah merasa mual karena stres, tapi melihat situasi yang semakin kacau ini, menutup mata dan pura-pura bermimpi pun tidak akan membantu.
“Jadi.” Eleanor akhirnya menghela napas. Tatapan gilanya tertuju pada Seras. “Apa maksudmu dengan Master?”
“…Ah, soal itu.” Seras menjawab dengan bingung. “…Akhir-akhir ini, entah kenapa, setiap melihat pria itu, aku tidak sadar mengatakannya begitu saja.”
“…”
“…Kepalaku menolak, tapi instingku memaksaku—”
Aku tahu jawabannya. Iblis Ungu itu sesekali memanipulasi kepribadiannya. Aku sudah memintanya untuk tidak menekan kepribadian Seras, jadi dia mengirim sinyal langsung ke otaknya bahwa ‘dia harus melakukannya’. Tapi saat mendengar aku pingsan, dia mengabaikan itu semua, mengambil alih tubuh Seras, dan berlari ke sini. Di antara semua Iblis, dia yang paling koersif terhadap Wadah-nya. Benar-benar absurd.
“…Akan kucarikan psikiater yang bagus untukmu,” gumam Eleanor dengan tatapan seolah berkata, ‘Dia sekarang berurusan dengan semua wanita gila.’
“Kita sedang mendiskusikan hal penting tentang pria ini. Karena kau tidak terlibat sedalam itu, bisa kau tinggalkan ruangan ini?”
Meski begitu, Seras membalas dengan sikap ketus. “Tidak, kau tahu… aku tidak terlalu peduli pada pria itu, tapi kalau aku tidak menjaganya, rasanya akan ada masalah besar.”
“…”
“Lagipula, bukankah kalian sedang memutuskan siapa yang merawatnya? Kenapa tidak sekalian masukkan aku?”
Begitu dia bicara, suasana di ruang kesehatan menjadi semakin bermusuhan. Eleanor memancarkan aura membunuh.
[Ini sudah jadi seni, Sial.]
“…”
[Tiga Wadah Iblis berkumpul untuk berdebat bagaimana membagi dan melahapmu. Kau hebat sekali.]
‘…Apa maksudmu membagi dan melahap?’
‘Jangan bicara seolah itu bukan masalahmu. Kalau aku mati, kau juga mati, tahu?’
[Masalahnya, kau tidak akan mati karena hal ini.]
“…”
Senang kau percaya padaku, tapi tidak bisakah kau memberi saran untuk keluar dari situasi ini?
[Yah… aku punya satu saran.]
‘Apa?’
[Kalau aku jadi kau, aku sudah bangkit dan pergi jauh-jauh sebelum hal ini terjadi.]
‘Apa?’
‘Bangkit saat Eleanor hendak memangsaku?’
[Tidak, tapi tetap saja.]
Caliban tertawa kecil. [Biasanya, dalam situasi seperti ini, sudah jelas siapa pengambil keputusan utamanya, bukan?]
Tepat saat Caliban bicara, Eleanor menyisir rambutnya dan berkata, “Kalau begitu, begini saja.”
Sebuah kalimat yang terasa seperti neraka jatuh menimpaku.
“Saat Dowd sadar, mari kita tanya pria ini. Tentang siapa yang paling pantas menjadi perawatnya.”
“…”
[HOOOOOOOOOLYYYYYYYY!]
Diamlah.
Saat Caliban bersorak, aku menyipitkan mata melihat jendela sistem yang muncul di hadapanku.
[ ‘Sub Quest: Perawat Cinta’ telah dimulai! ]
[ Kamu dapat meningkatkan Tingkat Kepuasan orang yang kamu pilih secara signifikan. Keputusan ini tidak bisa dibatalkan, jadi pilihlah dengan hati-hati! ]
“…”
Ini Sub Quest? Kenapa rasanya hidupku yang dipertaruhkan di sini?
If Lucia Greyhounder were to describe her feelings about Eleanor, she’d say that she didn’t have any particular emotions toward her.
She was just someone she’d occasionally encounter. Though they’d meet sometimes in social gatherings among the upper echelons of nobles, ultimately, they were merely acquaintances, nothing more, nothing less.
However, if they were to encounter each other like this, then the story would change.
‘What on earth is she doing…?’
She alternated her sharp glare between Dowd, who was miserably rolling on the floor, and Eleanor herself, who was letting out startled coughs.
“…Ah, no, so this, uh-”
Seeing the other woman stuttered, struggling to speak, her eyes narrowed even further.
This wasn’t the kind of reaction she expected from someone like her.
Which meant…
Even to Eleanor herself believed what she was about to do was an ‘improper’ action.
“…What were you trying to do?”
When Lucia asked that question with narrowed eyes, the other woman could only answer in silence, confirming her suspicions.
“…I didn’t have any particular expectations for you, Lady Tristan.”
Lucia sighed before continuing.
“But your current appearance is extremely unsightly.”
Honestly, Lucia didn’t need to treat her this harshly.
Of course, Lucia knew what Eleanor was doing was a little too much, but being the observant woman she was, and how knowledgeable she was toward ‘those kinds of things,’ it wasn’t hard for her to realize that the latter harbored certain feelings for that man.
‘…In the first place…’
That man had previously spouted some insane claims about living with all 6 Devil’s Vessels as if it were a walk in the park.
Considering his crazy, playboy-like nature, she could pass Eleanor as one of his victims.
However…
Lucia’s gaze subtly shifted to Yuria.
Her younger sister was fidgeting with her scabbard in her hands.
“…”
Considering her usual demeanor, the first thing she would do when Lucia talked like this was to anxiously tell her not to fight.
But her current reaction was… How to put it…?
She wore the look of someone who was seeing a stray cat sneaking onto the kitchen table.
It wouldn’t be strange if she were to draw her sword at any moment.
In truth…
The reason why Lucia had hurled such sharp words to Eleanor was to deal with her younger sister’s outburst.
She wanted to conclude the issue on her own terms before it escalated any further.
Because her intuition was practically screaming with alarms.
If Yuria and this woman were left alone in this place, there was no doubt that some kind of trouble would explode.
“…I cannot overlook such inappropriate actions. Please leave the infirmary, Lady.”
However, as soon as she said those words…
Eleanor’s movement, which had been clouded by her flustered state, abruptly froze.
“…What do you mean by those words, Saintess?”
As soon as she heard the chilly reply, Lucia internally slapped her forehead.
Right. There was no way that this young lady was going to step away easily.
“But, Lady Tristan, if rumors about you doing this were to spread, it will not lead to anything good.”
Upon hearing that…
Eleanor’s pupils darkened as she sighed and brushed her hair.
“Are you threatening me?”
“…”
Eleanor’s accusation was correct.
However, Lucia currently had the moral high ground.
“From what I heard, this man had collapsed due to overwork. Therefore, it’s important that he gets some rest.”
“…”
“…And what you just did would only make his situation worse.”
Lucia carefully observed her reaction as she continued speaking.
Considering Dowd’s usual conduct, it was more than likely that the woman in front of her was related to a ‘Devil’.
If, on the off chance, Eleanor made any sudden moves, he would have to immediately make countermeasures.
“We will ensure that he gets the environment he needs for recovery, so do not worry about that and—”
As Lucia was about to continue speaking, she suddenly screamed in shock.
“W-W-W-What do you think you are doing?!”
While she spat out such a sentence, her voice cracked unintentionally, Eleanor, who had grabbed Dowd in her arms, gently lifted him up.
It was what people commonly referred to as a princess carry.
Due to the disheveled front of his shirt and partially removed pants, his attire exposed much more skin than usual.
His face was turned away, making it impossible to see from this angle, but his body was practically half-naked, so scantily clad that it could be considered bare.
“…”
And then…
As soon as she saw that…
Lucia felt a terrible rush of heat to her head and, without realizing it herself, swallowed dryly.
Recently, thanks to his dedication to exercising, the man’s shoulders had broadened and a passable set of abs had begun to show…and when her gaze shifted to the lower half of his body…
‘…What on earth am I thinking right now?!’
With that thought, Lucia smacked her own cheeks.
Although she had moved away from the Holy Land to some extent, she still represented the followers and believers of the entire continent. Abstinence was fundamental!
She couldn’t indulge in the vulgar act of leering over a man’s body, examining it piece by pie—
“…Woah.”
When she heard her sister’s gasp beside her, Lucia turned around in horror.
“His body…it’s…I want to touch it once—”
“YURIA?!”
Hearing her sister’s words, Lucia once again let out a scream. Meanwhile, Yuria came back to her sense and replied,
“N-No, it’s just, uh, t-that, M-Mr. D-Dowd, l-looks so c-cool! He looks cool! That’s all I wanted to say!!”
“…”
Both Lucia and Eleanor narrowed their eyes.
Saying those words was one thing, but…
Saying it while drooling and wiping it off? No one in their right minds would believe her.
“…A-Anyway…!”
Lucia protested with a finger pointed upright and her face blazing red.
“W-What do you think you are doing?! How dare you use a patient to blind us-!”
“All I did was pick him up from the floor. He’d catch a cold if he kept lying there.”
“…”
“…”
She made a good point.
Eleanor only did that one action, but both sisters deluded themselves into thinking that she used his body as some sort of mental attack towards them.
When the sisters realized this fact, they simultaneously clamped their mouths shut as their faces turned bright red. Meanwhile, Eleanor observed them closely with narrowed eyes.
She was aware that these two women had some ongoing contact with Dowd.
Up until now, she had just vaguely known about this fact, as she didn’t know any details about their relationship.
However, since they had visited him immediately after hearing he had collapsed, she thought that perhaps, this was an issue that required a further ‘verification’.
But…
“…It seems…”
Both were currently showing signs of misbehavior.
To the point that, if she were to just leave Dowd here, who knew what would happen to him.
“Both of you are less conscientious than you claim to be.”
“…”
They couldn’t even rebuke her words.
With such thoughts, Yuria and Lucia struggled to say a word.
“…S-Still, we are m-much b-better than Lady Tristan, who was c-caught red-handed, a-aren’t we?”
“That may be the case.”
Hearing that, Eleanor nodded.
“So what?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Yes, my actions might be disgraceful. Enough for me to feel guilty about it.”
Following that…
She continued on without blinking an eye.
“But so what? What can you do about it?”
“…”
“Can you do anything else other than ask me to leave this place?”
“…”
“I will not leave. I will never entrust Dowd to you.”
Lucia looked at Eleanor with a dumbfounded expression.
‘What?’
‘Is she always like this?’
‘Maybe she’s only this shameless when it comes to matters involving this man?’
‘It seemed closer to the latter, but…’
“…It’s okay, Big Sis.”
“Eh?”
“I’ll handle it..”
No, wait.
She said such words…
But she didn’t look okay at all.
Yuria was holding the hilt of her sword with a menacing look that was unlike her usual self.
And Eleanor, confirming such an appearance, subtly reached for her sword as well.
“W-Wait! Even so, drawing weapons on each other is…!”
In that tense situation, on the verge of explosion, Lucia tried to intervene between the two.
But at that moment, a person who would further escalate the situation barged into the infirmary.
“MASTERRRRRR-! I HEARD YOU WERE SICKKKKKK-!”
A person enveloped in a ‘purple aura’ burst through the door.
Anyone who heard the voice would come to one conclusion; It was rambunctiously noisy.
“…”
“…”
“…”
‘What?’
‘Who in the world is this person?’
Such thoughts crossed the minds of every single person in the room.
Then…
“…Master?”
Eleanor’s menacing murmur spread throughout the infirmary.
“…I am Seras Evatrice. I just enrolled in the Theology School.”
“…My name is Lucia Greyhounder. This is my younger sister, Yuria. We are guests staying in Elfante.”
Such awkward greetings were being exchanged inside the infirmary.
At any rate, since they were meeting for the first time anyway, they figured that they should at least know who was who.
“…”
“…”
“…”
However…
This ensuing silence could literally give me an ulcer.
Thanks to the stress since before this, I had been feeling a dull pain in my stomach, but now that the situation had escalated to such an extent, even closing my eyes while pretending it was a dream wouldn’t help me at all.
“So.”
And finally, after the prolonged silence, Eleanor let out a sigh and opened up the conversation.
Her slightly maddened gaze was fixed on Seras.
Compared to when she was screaming and emitting a purple aura, now, she was slumped in a chair, rubbing her temples with a tired look.
“What did you mean by Master?”
“…Ah, about that.”
Seras replied with a look that seemed to say even she herself was confused.
“…Lately, I don’t know why, but whenever I see that man, I end up saying that unconsciously.”
“…”
“No, I really don’t know why. It’s like I can’t help it. As if I must do it. My head says no, but my instincts tell me to—”
“…”
Even though she herself kept saying she didn’t know why…
I did know the answer.
Because the Purple Devil was manipulating her personality from time to time.
Knowing her personality, there was no doubt that was the case.
I told her to refrain from directly suppressing Seras’s personality, so instead, she sent a signal directly to her brain that ‘she has to do it’.
But, when she heard that I had collapsed earlier, she completely ignored that, seized Seras’ body and ran all the way here.
Among all the Devils, putting aside the Red Devil, she was the most coercive when dealing with her Vessels. How absolutely absurd.
“…I’ll introduce you to a good psychiatrist. That should solve it.”
Eleanor rubbed her forehead with a look that seemed to say, ‘He’s getting involved with all sorts of crazy bitches now’.
“We are in the middle of an important discussion related to this man. Since you aren’t even involved with him that deeply, can you please leave this room?”
However, despite hearing that…
Seras, too, responded with a gruff attitude.
“No, you see, it’s just…”
Seras scratched her head, visibly expressing that she, too, was annoyed about why she was acting like this.
“I don’t particularly want to care for that man either, but if I don’t, it feels like I’ll be in big trouble.”
“…”
“Anyway, aren’t you guys deciding on who’d nurse him? Why don’t you include me in that too?”
As soon as she dropped her words…
The already awkward atmosphere in the infirmary turned several times more hostile.
Eleanor was practically emanating something akin to killing intent.
[At this point, it’s practically an art. Damn.]
“…”
[Three Devil’s Vessels are gathered to debate on how to divide and devour you. Ain’t that something? You’re incredible.]
‘…The fuck do you mean divide and devour?’
‘Don’t talk as if it’s someone else’s problem.’
‘If I die, you die too, you know?’
[The thing is, you won’t die from this.]
“…”
It was great and all that you trust me that much, but…
Wouldn’t it be better to give some advice on how to get out of this situation?
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