Chapter 116: Take The Day Off

I woke up in the room where I had slept with Sarah—and the following night with Diane. Sunlight filled the room, and the morning breeze gently brushed against my face. The weather was pleasant, a stark contrast to the fury of the battle that still lingered in my heart. The scent of the room suggested it had been recently cleaned, far from the unpleasant odor of the mine.

In front of me, there was no one-eyed demon trying to kill me. Instead, five goddesses were sitting at the edge of my bed.

When I looked around, I found Sarah unconscious. She was kneeling beside the bed, her arms forming a nest over my chest where her head rested.

“Rick, wake up…” she murmured, still asleep.

’Freya said I was unconscious for two days. Sarah must have been really worried about me,’ I thought, feeling slightly guilty seeing her like this.

Not only her. Four more girls were sitting beside her. Alicia, Diane, Erina, and Justine were seated in that order on wooden chairs next to Sarah. There was one for Sarah as well, but it seemed she preferred to sleep on top of me.

“And I’m the idiot. It’s not like I was going to die, you know?” I said to the girl, who remained asleep, too exhausted to hear me grumbling.

I gently brushed her messy hair, tucking part of it behind her ear. When my fingers touched her skin, she gave a small smile, though her eyes remained closed.

“Good to see you’re well, Rick,” a monotone voice caught my attention.

Beside Alicia, the white-haired girl sat with her arms crossed. Despite the upright posture she had slept in, her eyes were now wide open.

“Ah, good morning, Diane,” I said to the young woman. “Did you girls stay here all night?”

“That’s right. Even though your condition wasn’t life-threatening, you didn’t wake up for two whole days. Alicia and the others didn’t want to leave you alone, so they took turns watching over you.”

“I see. Sorry,” I said to Diane, “for making you all worry so much.”

Diane gave a soft smile. Despite her troubled past, she had a beautiful smile.

“There’s no need for you to apologize. It’s only natural for us to worry about your well-being. It just shows how much we value you, Rick.”

“Thank you, Diane,” I said, grateful to the member of the Royal Guard.

Her kind words brought peace to my wavering heart.

“Hmm, hmm.” Sarah began to stir on top of me, but showed no signs of waking up.

“Thank Sarah as well,” Diane said, smiling at the girl who was rubbing her face against my chest as if it were a pillow. “She helped bring your body here. Although all of us spent the nights here, it was Sarah who stayed by your side the entire time.”

“Hmm, Rick,” Sarah murmured as she opened her eyes, me being the first thing she saw upon waking.

“Good morning, Sarah.” I smiled at her, the girl who had cared for me so devotedly.

“Rick…” she said again. Then, as if a jolt of electricity had run through her body, she finally realized I had woken up after two days unconscious.

Her eyes widened, and she suddenly stood up, calling my name with all the air in her lungs.

“Rick!!”

Sarah pulled me into a tight embrace, her head resting on my shoulder as if she hadn’t been asleep for days.

“Sarah…” It’s not like I didn’t enjoy being hugged by her, but her reaction was so intense that it caught me off guard.

“I missed you so much…” Sarah said in a trembling voice, as if she were holding back tears. “Don’t you dare fall into a coma again, you idiot!”

As if that were something I could control. But I understood her—her words were driven by the fear of never seeing me again.

“Alright, I must really be an idiot.”

“Yes, you are! Of course you are! But you saved us from that monster.” Her voice could no longer hide her tears. “The others and I would have been lost without your stupidity.”

It goes without saying that Sarah’s crying woke up all the other girls who had been sleeping in the room.

“My prince! I’m so happy you woke up!” Alicia said in a cheerful tone.

“Good to see you’re recovering, Rick,” Justine said with a small smile.

“Rick, I felt so bad that I couldn’t stand by your side,” Erina said, almost on the verge of tears.

Seeing all of them so happy about my recovery made me try to get up from the bed—but my body failed me. “Ouch, my back!”

“Rick, don’t move. Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. You didn’t suffer a lethal wound, but your injuries still haven’t healed,” Alicia said in a worried tone.

Since Alicia’s abilities were focused on healing, she had effectively become the party’s official medic.

“But I can’t stay in bed forever—our mission… Ouch!” I tried to move again, but my arm throbbed right where Derug had struck me.

“And how exactly are you planning to defeat the dungeon boss like that? Groaning in pain?” Erina said in a sarcastic tone. “Be a good boy and rest.”

“Don’t treat me like a child!” I complained at her remark.

“I’ll stop when you start acting like an adult. An adult knows very well what they can and cannot do. You’re the strongest member of the party—our most valuable one. If you go there and die, then the mission really will be compromised. You understand that, don’t you?”

I hated to admit it, but Erina was right. I hated losing an argument to her. I took a deep breath to calm myself and said, “Alright, alright. I get it. I’ll stay in bed until tomorrow. Not a day more. That should be enough time, right, Alicia?”

“Yes, I believe that if you rest for today and I continue treating you, you’ll be as good as new by tomorrow,” Alicia said with a smile. “It might be hard for you, but take the day off.”

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