When I opened my eyes, it was night. The room was shrouded in a cool and tranquil darkness, but judging by the lively noise coming from outside, it didn't seem to be very late. As I tried to sit up from the bed, the sole of my foot throbbed with a sharp pain. Looking down, I noticed a tightly-wrapped bandage on the injured foot. Despite being wrapped quite thickly, a considerable amount of blood seeped through the bandage.
System window, show yourself.
I silently summoned the system window. I needed to check again what the notification about the failure of the hidden ending, not the hidden quest, that I saw before losing consciousness meant. Strangely, the system window didn't appear, and instead, I heard someone knocking on the door.
"Are you awake?"
A soft male voice echoed pleasantly. It certainly wasn't Khan's voice.
"...Yes."
Thinking that it might be a doctor, I managed to squeeze out an answer. With a word about coming in, the door opened. And I caught sight of the face of the person entering the room, nearly falling off the bed.
Revealed in the darkness was the second male protagonist of the game.
[Alan Bate / Priest / Servant of Temperance / Favorability 0 ]
Wearing a clean bandage in one hand and a white priest robe, Alan approached quietly.
"Let me turn on some lights"
He said so and lit the lamp placed beside the bed, then pulled a chair over and sat down. His face under the light was exactly like the in-game character. Glossy black hair that seemed to be cut from shining obsidian, smooth and large pupils in gentle, well-defined features. Even the round glasses covering his clean and clear blue eyes were identical to the caddy in the game.
"Is there something on my face?"
Alan gave a charming smile and gently patted my cheek. I quickly lowered my head.
"No, it's okay. You're, um, handsome."
"Haha, thank you."
Alan laughed happily and then looked into my eyes, asking, "You injured your foot?"
"Uh... yes."
"The Duke requested healing with divine power."
Khan called for Alan to heal me? That was... beyond surprising; it was a bit strange.
In the game, Del Narcissus meets Alan Bate either when his body is completely ruined after spending the first night with Khan, or when he is banished to the garbage village. There were no other routes besides these two.
Whether Alan knew I was surprised or not, he calmly placed the bandage on the bed and asked, "May I examine your foot?"
"Uh... yes, of course."
I gestured towards my foot sticking out from the blanket. Alan carefully removed the bandage from my foot, moving cautiously as if afraid of touching the wound.
Soon, the wound on the sole of my foot was exposed. A bunch of healing herbs was piled on the wound, and the bluish-green mixture of blood and herbs looked more gruesome than expected. Blood was still oozing from the wound, and the surrounding skin looked pale.
As I winced, Alan habitually tapped my leg reassuringly.
"It's okay. Fortunately, it's not a complete amputation or necrosis."
Why would you say something so terrifying?
Whether I looked at Alan with a disgusted expression or not, he was fixated only on the wound.
"Now, I'll use divine power. Don't be startled."
As if trying to reassure me, Alan smiled slightly and placed his hand on the wound on my foot. Closing his eyes as if concentrating, he began murmuring something. It seemed to be a prayer seeking the presence of the Eura goddess.
Soon, a white light emitted from his fingertips.
"Wow..."
I couldn't help but exclaim. Yes, in this world, there existed divine power and magic. When playing the game, no matter how fantastical things were implemented on the monitor, it lacked the same excitement. But seeing it with my own eyes was a different dimension.
What was even more astonishing was that the pain I felt from my foot vanished as soon as he removed his hand. "Wow, it doesn't hurt at all!" Externally, there was no visible improvement; the only noticeable difference was that the bleeding had stopped. However, the pain had disappeared as if washed away. Only then did the realization hit me that this place was indeed not the real world.
I looked at Alan with sparkling eyes. He turned his head and smiled at me, like seeing a child.
"With divine power, we can eliminate pain and accelerate the healing process of wounds. Is this your first experience with a divine official's healing?"
"Yes. It's amazing."
Alan closed his eyes, smiled, and took a new bandage that had been placed on the bed to start wrapping it around my foot.
"The doctor suggested changing the bandage. If you're uncomfortable, I can call for him."
"No, it's okay. Alan... um, priest, please do it."
I almost called him by his name. Although Alan was inherently a kind and warm character, it was clear that if I, a newcomer, called him by his name too familiarly, he would become wary. With my favorability level with Alan currently at 0, I couldn't afford to drop even 1 point; otherwise, it might lead to my demise.
Fortunately, Alan didn't notice anything unusual and continued to focus on wrapping my bandage. Perhaps due to his extensive experience in treating and healing wounds, his touch was skillful and swift. In no time, my foot was neatly covered with a clean bandage.
"Thank you."
"Oh, no problem. May the blessings of Eura be with you."
Alan greeted me and left the room. He had a very neat and refreshing appearance.
"What's going on...?"
It was clear that Alan was the second male protagonist.
Alan Bate, a priest of the Eura religion, was a renowned figure known for possessing tremendous divine power and gaining attention as Eura's chosen. Regardless of status or rank, he went wherever people needed him, dedicating himself to charity and service as his mission. He might have come down to the Northern region briefly for relief efforts.
In the game, he pitied the messed-up Del Narcissus, courtesy of Khan, and generously gave him a room in the temple he stayed in. Despite Del's complaining and haughty attitude, glimpses of his tender side were revealed. Alan sensed unknown emotions in Del's occasional vulnerability.
However, as a devoted servant of the gods, Alan lived a life of religious asceticism. Amidst the emotions and desires he felt for the first time in his life, he struggled. Of course, being an adult-oriented romantic game, Alan, too, eventually kneels before Del, offering everything, including his faith, love, guilt, and despair.
Anyway, the original story unfolded this way, but with the first encounter being so different, it's unclear what would happen in the future.
"I wonder if the plot changes, will the male lead also be skipped?"
Alan was somewhat likable, but I was relieved if there were fewer candidates for the male lead to conquer. I spun my healed foot round and round, then fell back to sleep.
***
The next morning, I realized that the game wouldn't let me off so easily.
"You can stay here until the wound on your foot completely heals."
Khan, who came to my room, said so while glancing at my foot.
"We brought the priest, so after receiving divine power for a day or two, you should be completely healed. Then..."
Khan stared at me straight in the eyes.
"You'll go to the garbage village."
"What?"
Didn't he say he would keep me by his side until I was hit by the sword? Why did he change his mind? Could it be that he changed his mind because he failed to see the hidden ending?
Seeing my surprised expression, Khan spoke coldly.
"I don't want to keep a guy with a bad criminal record like you around. And..."
Khan trailed off. He hesitated to say the next words, closed his mouth altogether, and then turned away, leaving the room.
After Khan left, Alan soon entered. He had a nonchalant expression, as if he had overheard our conversation outside.
"So, you're the prisoner. I didn't hear anything yesterday, so I didn't know."
"Oh... yes."
I was afraid he might refuse healing because I was a prisoner. Although I knew that Alan's character wasn't like that, a sudden thought crossed my mind. However, Alan just smiled casually and approached my injured foot.
"Shall we take a look at the wound again?"
Yes, Alan was this kind of person. To him, everyone, including himself, was a child of the Eura Goddess. He considered everyone as his brothers and sisters.
"Thank you."
I said, and Alan reached out toward my foot with a gentle smile.
"I'll use divine power."
Bright light erupted from his hand once again. I felt a clear and pure energy being injected into my foot. It was time to close my eyes and comfortably accept the divine power.
"Brother...?"
Alan's voice sounded a bit strange. As soon as I opened my eyes, his face appeared. He had a mixed expression of surprise, horror, and admiration.
"What... is that?"
His gaze was directed above my head. I leaned my head back to look at what Alan was seeing. Soon, I found out what had caught Alan's attention.
[Del Narcissus / Youngest son of the Count family/ Daffodil of the Empire / Progress: 5]
I know right. Seriously... What is this?