Of course, the original story had mentioned that the rebels funded themselves through business ventures. After Jin’s death, Rodant had rebuilt the Liberators and operated a trading company to gather funds. But to think they had already been doing it while Jin was still alive…
In an instant, I understood exactly why the loss of a single leader could bring down an organization of this colossal scale. Honestly—this was a grotesquely unbalanced group that revolved entirely around one person, wasn’t it? Jin was the core holding everything together.
“Ah, Louie—one more thing I’m curious about. How on earth did you make the gun Richard uses?”
No matter how many times I thought about it, the firearm Richard carried was leaps and bounds ahead of anything this world’s technology should have produced. The curiosity was unbearable.
Louie scratched her cheek, looking a little sheepish.
“Ah, that… we basically reverse-engineered weapons the dwarves used. The leader translated some of the records they left behind. It’s a completely dead script now, so even he couldn’t translate it perfectly, but…”
I was still nodding blankly at her explanation when—
“Teacher Obert! Teacher Obert!”
A commotion erupted from outside the bathroom. Startled, I hurried out.
“Jin—he—! Come quickly, please!”
Richard grabbed my wrist and pulled me along without another word.
What in the world was happening? What was wrong with Jin? I rushed after Richard, heart pounding.
His strides were so long and urgent that by the time we reached Jin’s room I was gasping for breath. That alone told me how frantic Richard must have been. Face tense, I stepped inside.
Cough, cough—!
The violent, wet coughing filled the room. What I saw made my blood run cold. Jin lay on the bed, choking on his own coughs, barely able to breathe. And… bright red blood stained the sheets and the corners of his mouth.
Aaaah! They laid a patient who’s actively hemorrhaging flat on his back?! What if his airway gets blocked?!
I rushed forward and immediately rolled him onto his side. After that, I froze—I didn’t know what else to do.
Should I rub his back? My trembling hands gently stroked down his spine. He was so thin I could feel every single vertebra under my palm.
After what felt like forever, the coughing eased slightly. The flow of blood seemed to slow. Richard, who had been hovering anxiously at the bedside, finally let out a shaky breath of relief.
“From now on, if he starts coughing badly or coughing up blood, never lay him flat right away. The blood could block his airway and—make things very dangerous.”
I had almost said “kill him” but caught myself when I saw Richard’s eyes waver. The poor man looked like his heart had just dropped into his stomach.
“…Why are you making such a fuss? There was no need to call the doctor.”
Jin’s voice scraped out like rusted metal, faint and dying.
Fuss? Sir, you could actually die like this.
‘Ah… his throat must be raw and swollen after that.’
I suddenly remembered how often medical dramas showed patients suffering terrible sore throats after episodes of violent coughing and hemoptysis. Maybe warm water would help.
Come to think of it—something felt off. For someone in Jin’s position, shouldn’t there be at least a few attendants nearby? He was a critically ill patient who could barely move on his own.
Yet since I’d arrived, I hadn’t seen a single servant in the room. With no other choice, I turned to Richard.
“Richard, could you bring a glass of warm water? And… why isn’t there anyone attending him? From now on, make sure someone is always here. It’s dangerous for him to be left alone.”
Richard glanced at me, gave a quiet nod, and left the room without a word. Jin watched me steadily the entire time.
“I don’t keep servants. All humans are equal—why should I act superior and make others serve me?”
His cracked voice struggled to form the words.
I couldn’t help but stare at him in genuine surprise. Maybe even… a little moved.
This era treated people so differently depending on status. There were slaves who weren’t even considered human, and then there were people like Emperor Solter III who wielded absolute power from the pinnacle of society.
Even in my original world, though everyone was supposedly equal on the surface, it was perfectly normal for those with money and power to command others.
Yet here was this man—called the King of the Underground City—saying he didn’t want to order anyone around because all people were the same.
Just who was he? His tone was gruff and blunt, but the things he said were so… beautiful. I quickly schooled my expression. Ahem. The person in front of me is a patient. Not a man—a patient. Patient…
“You are a patient. This is essential nursing care. If you hate the idea of people serving you so much, then hurry up and get better. Get strong enough to do everything yourself.”
By then Richard had returned with the water. He handed the glass to Jin and nodded in agreement with my words.
“Teacher Obert is right, Jin. I’ve told you over and over—it’s dangerous to be alone. I’ll assign a few of the younger ones who haven’t been given missions yet.”
Jin took the glass from Richard and drank, his expression clearly displeased. He stayed silent for a long moment, lost in thought, before finally speaking.
“…Fine. I’ll do as the doctor says.”
At least his voice sounded a little more human now. I let out a long breath. Coming here and immediately facing an emergency like this—I was deeply worried about both Jin’s future and my own.
★
The morning of my second day in the underground city.
I woke up feeling refreshed. After spending a week crammed in that narrow prison cell with Rodant, the soft bed had felt like heaven.
And after not being able to properly wash for over a week in that foul-smelling prison, finally scrubbing myself clean with warm water had let me sleep like the dead.
Feeling bright and rested, I sat at the desk and began organizing my plans. While I still didn’t know Jin’s exact diagnosis, my suspicion of a respiratory illness seemed correct.
There were other causes of coughing and hemoptysis, of course—but blood from the esophagus or digestive tract usually came with vomiting and was dark, almost black, not the bright red I had seen. Jin’s blood had been vivid and accompanied by coughing—definitely originating in the respiratory system.
‘Respiratory disease, huh…’
In that case, even this pleasantly dry air could be lethal to him. We needed a humidifier. If there wasn’t one, at least hang wet towels around his room.
One huge blessing was how well-ventilated this place was. The low, constant hum of the massive fans was a little noisy, but not enough to be truly bothersome.
Honestly, a bit of noise was better. If the air had been stagnant and poorly circulated, it would have been disastrous for Jin’s lungs.
I was jotting down everything I needed when a soft knock came at the door. Who could it be this early? I cracked the door open.
“Teacher Obert!”
Rodant’s beaming smile caught me off guard. Even when he had been covered in grime he had been cute—but now, freshly washed and dressed in clean clothes, he was almost blindingly adorable.
That aristocratic platinum blond hair! Truly the male protagonist—his aura was on another level. I could already see how stunning he would be once he grew up.
“Rodant, did you sleep well?”
