"My back hurts so much. As I collapsed on the table, Andrea rushed over to me in surprise.
"What are you doing?"
His voice was sharper and fierce than ever before.
"You're asking to expel the soul. This staff contains spiritual power. If you beat with it with this, the soul will naturally leave."
"What if the body gets hurt?"
Andrea pointed at me.
"It leaves no scars on the body."
It was a cruel statement, that it brought back the tears that came out due to pain. Del Narcissus's body has to be fine, and whether my soul was damaged or not didn't matter? My insides boiled with frustration.
"I only know this method. If you don't like it, find another shaman."
The man spoke again, raising the staff high.
"Ahh!"
Why are there such crazy people!
I quickly moved away from the table, bouncing to the corner of the tent. Every bone in my back hurt. The idea of beating and exorcising the soul as if killing it was nothing different from a fraudulent shaman. I glared at Andrea with resentful eyes.
"Is this why you brought me here?"
Andrea smiled with a mix of embarrassment and apology.
"I'm sorry, I didn't exactly know what kind of ritual it was, just heard about it. Let's leave for now"
I waited and then came out of the tent. Andrea came out after about a minute. He rubbed his hands behind his back and said, emitting a faint smell of blood.
"I'm really sorry. Does it hurt a lot? Should we go see a doctor? If you want, you can go to the temple and receive healing with divine power."
"It's okay. Let's just go."
I started walking without turning back. I could feel Andrea struggling to follow behind, but I deliberately walked straight ahead, only looking forward. With each step, my arms moved naturally, causing my back to tense."
"I'm really sorry, that person is famous among the shamans for handling souls, but... it seems like it was a scam. I should have looked into it more carefully, Mr. Fake just wait a moment. Your back hurts, right?"
Andrea gently grabbed my arm.
"Ugh...."
I moaned unconsciously, biting my lips, and Andrea quickly let go. Would hearing such a sound increase favorability or trigger arousal? I checked his head with a wary eye, but there was no change in his favorability. It seemed that he wasn't moved because I wasn't the real Del Narcissus. Well, at least that worked out
Thinking so, I took a few steps back from Andrea. He smiled as if understanding.
"I won't touch you. Let me at least treat you okay? It must hurt"
"If it was my soul that was hurt and not my body, you would have just left it alone."
"Oh... you were offended by what I said earlier."
He nodded, apologizing.
"What's important to me is Del Narcissus's body, not your soul. In fact, I want to return your soul as soon as possible. That's why I acted recklessly. I'll never do that again. I'll be careful not to harm your soul either...."
Andrea slowly approached me. His expression seemed somehow desperate and earnest. The calm face he had before suddenly lost its composure.
"Can't we get treatment first? So that the injury doesn't get worse."
He was genuinely concerned about this body, perhaps afraid of lingering effects or irreversible damage. At that moment, memories of my past thoughts resurfaced.
The easiest way to win someone's heart is to dig into their weaknesses. I looked up at a handsome man who seemed like he might kneel before me if I just spoke to him.
His weakness was Del Narcissus, or more precisely, the body I was currently possessing. Until the soul swap is complete, Andrea will do his best to protect me from harm. Then... Do I really need to be afraid of this person?
I slowly extended one arm towards him. "Support me. I want to see a doctor."
For a moment, Andrea's eyes wavered. He seemed conflicted about whether to grab my arm or not, but eventually, he slightly bent his elbow. When I clasped my arm around him, his eyelids trembled noticeably.
[Andrea Sloane's favorability increases by +1!]
The just increased favorability seemed inevitable. After all, he had just engaged in physical contact with someone he had secretly admired for a long time.
"Let's go."
I casually said, but inside, I was smiling with satisfaction.
You bastard, you've been threatening me this whole time. Now, you're not scary at all anymore.
***
The town's doctor lived in a modest and beautiful two-story mansion. The garden was filled with roses, and there was a carefully maintained pond. The doctor couple supposedly traveled to the homes of patients, and their residence was known for treating the village's illnesses.
"So, we usually don't bring patients to our house. We go to the patient's house ourselves."
The man who introduced himself as Dr. Moet gently wiped my back with a warm towel and explained. His wife had gone out to take care of a patient, leaving him alone at home.
"We brought Mr. James in because it seemed urgent... but if my wife finds out, she'll scold me for breaking the rules."
"We'll handle any consequences."
This time, Andrea, now called Mr. James, spoke calmly by my side.
"It's not because of the favor. From now on, you can just call me to 'One Cup of Sugar' if you want. Mr. James, you are staying there, right?"
"Yes, that's right. Thank you for remembering me."
"This town is small. Occasionally, when there's a fight at the tavern, we had to make house calls."
Dr. Moet removed the towel that had been generously placed on my back. My back felt empty and refreshed.
"Oh, it's fortunate that your bones aren't hurt. I really gave it my all. I wonder which troublemaker did this..."
Dr. Moet's hand gently touched a spot on my back. Despite knowing that he was touching carefully, I couldn't help but make a sound of pain.
"Ugh..."
"I'm sorry. Does it hurt? You probably can't see but the area on your back is bruised. There's a large bruise."
I turned my head slightly to check Andrea's face. He was staring at my back intensely. His eyebrows were narrowed, showing both anger and pain.
"Ughhh..."
I deliberately groaned louder. Andrea furrowed his brow even more.
"I'll apply some ointment."
Cool ointment was spread on my back. Having experienced healing with divine power from a priest and receiving healing magic from a grand Archmage before, I already knew the sensation of pain disappearing and wounds healing instantly. However, despite the application of this ointment, the pain persisted even after it had been applied.
"Do you really not want to go to the temple?" Andrea asked with concern.
"It's good if you can go to the temple," Dr. Moet said in surprise. In this world, divine power was reserved for nobility and aristocrats. Due to its extremely high prices, commoners could only seek help from medicine. Nobles would occasionally call a doctor for minor illnesses or injuries to build immunity, but generally, this type of injury was treated at the temple. It would be more convenient to go to the temple. However...
"I don't have the money. I'm broke."
I grumbled as I got up from the guest bed.
"I'm here, so..."
"I don't want to spend your money, Mr. James."
I cut in decisively. Going to the temple was not an option for me. The moment I was exposed to divine power, my character information, showcasing the "miracle" would be revealed.
"Ugh..."
As soon as I took a step, my body wobbled severely. Andrea rushed from behind and caught me.
"Are you okay?"
"It's hard for me to walk. Can you... carry me?"
I asked sadly, expecting to be rejected. It was a pitiful and feeble voice, thinking that I would naturally be turned down. Andrea looked at my face and hesitantly extended his hand.
"......Hmm, okay. Lean on me."
Andrea crouched in front of me, offering his back. I gently rested my body on his broad and firm back. Soon, Andrea slid his arms under my thighs and stood up.
"You're so light, Mr. Fake."
He said playfully, but I could sense that he was hurting again. He lifted me up very carefully, as if afraid that dandelion seeds might fly away after saying those words.
This person truly liked Del Narcissus. That thought naturally came to me.
When playing the game, I used to think of Andrea's character as 'Shallow.' I wondered if there was any emotions that were missing just by looking at his face. However, the reasoning was different, and feelings of liking someone are conveyed like this.
It's just good for manipulation, isn't it?
I deliberately lowered the harsh thoughts and buried my face in Andrea's shoulder.