TRPSG 5

chapter 5

[Healing in progress.]

The hourglass turned once again, and the loading bar began to fill up one notch at a time.

Damn, it’s slow. Maybe because it’s far from the wound.

Still, at least it was just the back of his hand.

If I had to kiss his lips or somewhere else and endure this kind of drawn-out torture, I wouldn’t be able to rest in peace even after dying.

I might be saving someone’s life, but I didn’t want to die in embarrassment.

“Ugh…!”

I heard Kalion let out a faint groan.

But he didn’t pull his hand away.

He’s much stronger than me—if he wanted to, he could’ve easily taken it back.

It felt like all the strength was draining out of my body.

‘Is this… dying?’

At least it didn’t hurt.

If dying is like falling asleep, then maybe that’s not the worst way to go…

[Healing complete.]

Success reward: Increased HP recovery speed proportional to the number of allies

Huh? I’m not dying?

I was still puzzled by the system message floating in my mind when I heard Kalion call out to me, sounding slightly troubled.

“…Master.”

I lifted my head, pulling my lips away from the back of his hand.

The wound on Kalion’s chest had healed.

Completely clean—without even a scar.

‘Wow. That actually worked.’

Kissing the back of his hand was embarrassing enough, and with how ridiculously slow the loading was, I thought I might die of shame—but seeing it heal this perfectly, and not dying on top of that, made it worth the humiliation.

“Kalion! Your wound is completely—!”

I tried to tell him, full of relief and joy, but I couldn’t finish.

As I tried to straighten up, my body gave out, and I collapsed right into his arms.

Good thing his wound had already healed—otherwise, I might’ve hurt him again.

“Master!”

A sudden wave of dizziness hit me, and I frowned.

Fortunately, the “increased recovery speed” didn’t seem like a lie. The ringing in my ears and the pounding headache quickly subsided.

“Ugh, Kalion. Sorry…”

I managed to lift my head as my vision cleared, but I couldn’t finish my apology.

Kalion’s face—and even his ears—had turned bright red.

Even his neck.

‘W-why is he so embarrassed? I just kissed the back of his hand. It’s not like I did anything inappropriate.’

Seeing him so flustered made me nervous too.

I quickly checked where my hands were.

He looked like he’d just been assaulted or something, so I wondered if I’d grabbed his thigh—but thankfully, both my hands were resting on his chest.

…His chest is broader than it looks.

“M-Master…”

Kalion called out to me in a faint, trembling voice.

This huge man—at least two heads taller than me—was looking at me with soft, doe-like eyes. How did that even suit him? My heart swelled.

“Master… why would you do something like that…?”

“Huh? Oh—no, I didn’t mean anything weird by it! I just wanted to heal your wound!”

I quickly pushed myself up and stepped out of his arms.

Yes, I had braced myself against his chest when I fell, but I swear on my conscience I didn’t grope him. And the only place I touched during healing was the back of his hand.

This much should be excusable even between strangers, right?

I healed his wound, after all!

“To heal you, I need physical contact. So…”

Maybe I should’ve told him beforehand. But in that situation, it would’ve been awkward—and I wasn’t even sure it would work. If it failed midway, that would’ve been a disaster.

“Kalion, your wound is really healed, right?”

“…Yes.”

He replied quietly, turning his head away. Through his thin strands of hair, I could see the tips of his ears still red.

Whether he was just especially shy or unusually sensitive, I couldn’t tell—but a holy-looking handsome man being this bashful was a sight to behold.

From the side, his nose was perfectly sculpted. And those long lashes, trembling slightly…

A small breath slipped from his slightly parted lips before he bit down on them, as if holding it back. That expression was just…

‘Why am I getting breathless when I didn’t even do anything?’

For some reason, I felt my own face heating up too, so I turned my head away and fanned myself with my hand.

“…”

“…”

An awkward silence settled between us.

Anyone seeing this might think we had just shared a real kiss.

All I did was press my lips to the back of his hand, so why did it feel so ticklish?

‘But… even if we had kissed, I don’t think I would’ve pushed him away.’

The thought came to me for no particular reason.

If this place I ended up in really is a game—and the genre is adult—no, a romance game—then this would be about the time for some kind of progression event with Kalion.

The fact that the healing skill guide showed up there was proof enough.

In games like this, once you’re given a trigger, physical closeness can escalate pretty quickly.

‘Maybe I should’ve just gone for it.’

Even kissing the back of the hand of a man I’d known for only a few days was nerve-wracking—but now that I’d done it, I felt a bit regretful.

Without realizing it, I smacked my lips lightly. Kalion flinched and quickly bowed his head toward me in apology.

“My greetings are late. I apologize.”

“Huh?”

“Thank you for healing me, Master.”

“Oh, no—it’s nothing compared to you saving me…”

“Even so.”

Kalion took a slow breath, as if calming himself, before speaking in a steadier voice.

“Please refrain from doing something like that in the future.”

Why?

Was he uncomfortable?

It didn’t seem like he was upset about me kissing his hand without asking…

Tilting my head, I waited for an explanation. He gestured to his now-healed chest and spoke calmly.

“Healers with abilities of this level are extremely rare. If someone else were to discover that you possess such power, it could put you in danger.”

“Ah.”

That makes sense. Healers are valuable in any party.

Considering how a fairly deep wound healed completely in an instant, my ability must be pretty impressive.

“When you reach the village, even if you decide to settle there, it would be best to hide the fact that you can heal through simple contact.”

Since it consumes my life force, I probably can’t use it endlessly.

Even just now, I felt dizzy enough to collapse.

And without allies nearby, I wouldn’t get the recovery speed buff, which means it could take a long time to recover from being incapacitated.

It’s definitely useful—but without the means to protect myself, the [Heal] ability becomes more dangerous the more I use it.

“Okay. I’ll keep it a secret.”

As I nodded in agreement, Kalion visibly relaxed.

‘He looks so much younger when he smiles like that.’

Come to think of it, I never asked his age.

When I first saw him from afar, he looked big and strong—like a man in his late twenties. But up close, he looked much younger.

Maybe it was his fair skin, but even the soft fuzz on his face made him seem like he could just be twenty.

Considering how Westerners tend to age faster after adolescence… well, still, he can’t be a teenager, right?

“Kalion, how old are you? I’m twenty-six.”

By international age, of course.

It’s not exactly the West, but it feels Western enough, so I went with that. I’m still in my mid-twenties.

If your age ends in six, that still counts as mid, right? Long live international age counting.

“My age… I haven’t counted it in a long time, so I don’t remember.”

Haven’t counted? That sounds like it’s been quite a while.

‘Could he be… not human?’

Like a spirit that lives for hundreds of years? Or some kind of demigod?

Looking at his face, it wouldn’t even be that hard to believe.

“But, Master. Why are you curious about my age?”

“Huh? Oh, well…”

I just wanted to lighten the mood and make conversation. Did it sound like an interrogation?

“You seemed like you’ve been hunting monsters alone for a long time. I just thought… you must’ve been lonely.”

“…”

I meant to wrap up the conversation casually, but Kalion’s expression shifted oddly.

His eyes turned slightly red—but not from embarrassment this time.

It looked more like… he was overwhelmed. Touched, even.

“Kalion?”

When I called his name, he flinched slightly, as if snapping back to his senses, and quickly composed himself.

“You should get some rest.”

“Shouldn’t you rest too, Kalion?”

“I’m fine, thanks to your healing. We’ll need to walk the mountain path again tomorrow, so it would be best if you sleep.”

Unlike him, I have terrible stamina. If I don’t rest, my physical abilities drop fast.

I’m already basically a useless burden—can’t afford to get even worse.

‘I should just sleep quietly.’

Kalion pulled a small blanket from his inventory—well, not exactly, but that’s what I’ll call it—and draped it over my lap.

Just how much stuff fits in that tiny bag?

At this point, it’s honestly impressive.

“Please rest, Master.”

“Okay. You should rest too, Kalion.”

After exchanging polite goodnights, I closed my eyes—and sleep quickly overtook me.