What was it like to be sick?

  That was a question that felt distant to Roel. It had been a long time since he had last fallen ill.

  There were times that his body would collapse under the side effects of his spells, but those instances involved specific symptoms and required specific cures. This was his first time catching a common cold in a long while, so long that he had failed to notice it when he first woke up.

  Feeling the dull pain afflicting his feverish forehead and his incredibly heavy limbs, Roel let out a silent sigh. All of a sudden, he heard the door open. Knowing that Nora had returned, he hurriedly closed his eyes.

  He could sense her slowly approaching him, so he maintained his sleeping guise. The vision through his eyelids was darkened, but he could vaguely tell that she was now standing before him. He waited for a long while, but the figure looming in front of him didn’t leave.

  Instead, he felt a hand touching his cheeks.

  “I ordered you to sleep, but you need not feign it. My intention is for you to have a good rest, not humor me.”


  “…”


  Roel’s body stiffened up. He hesitated for a moment before slowly opening his eyes. He saw Nora sitting on the chair next to him with a look of certainty on her face, confident of her own judgment.

  “How did you notice? I even adjusted my breathing.”


  “How many times do you think I’ve seen you asleep? We’ve been sleeping together for the past few days. The least I can do is to discern whether you’re truly asleep or not.”


  “… I don’t know whether I’m impressed or not.”


  “Besides, have you forgotten that my mana is still inside your body? You can’t lie to me, so don’t even think of trying that ever again, especially when it comes to your health.”


  “Yes, Your Highness.”


  With a ‘spy’ in his own body, Roel had no choice but to give in. Only then did Nora finally retract her warning gaze and give a satisfied nod. She reached out to touch Roel’s forehead once more and was gladdened to find that his fever was slowly subsiding.

  “I checked the supplies that you and Count Hanks brought, but there wasn’t any medicine that could bring down your fever. I’ve already cast my healing spells, but there’s only so much I can do. You’ll have to rest up and slowly recover on your own,” Nora said apologetically.

  “Don’t worry. I’d feel ashamed of myself if I couldn’t recover from something as minor as this when you’re here taking care of me,” replied Roel.

  It wasn’t too surprising that there wasn’t any fever medicine in their supplies. The inquisitors and heretics who had come to the eastern border with him were Origin Level 5 transcendents at the very minimum. Given their enhanced constitution, it was highly unlikely that any of them would fall ill.

  Due to that, most of the medicine they prepared was for external wounds.

  Ironically, they actually had medicine to raise a person’s body temperature in consideration of Glacier Touch’s side effects.

  “Aren’t you worried that you might catch my cold?”


  Roel looked at the hand that was just on his forehead a moment ago as he asked. The latter looked at him incredulously in response.

  “Are you really asking me that?”


  “… Oh. Right.”


  It was only then that Roel remembered that Nora was both a high transcendent and an inheritor of the Angel Bloodline. Her recent awakening only further enhanced her constitution, making her even more impervious to abnormal conditions.

  So, Roel lay down on his bed and stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to garner drowsiness. Nora stared at Roel’s slightly reddened complexion and suddenly came up with an idea. She pried up a corner of the blanket and snuck her hand in.

  “!”


  This unexpected attack immediately burst Roel’s bubble of drowsiness. He turned to look at Nora with shocked eyes, only to see the latter calmly sneaking a hand into the blanket. The hand deftly slithered its way into his clothes, assaulting his body with its cooling touch.

  “N-Nora?”


  “Just as I thought. You’re sweating profusely. Is that why you can’t sleep?”


  “… Maybe. But it isn’t anything much. I just have to endure it a little and it’ll be over soon.”


  “Endure? Why do you think I’m taking care of you? It’s so that you won’t have to endure any discomfort!” exclaimed Nora.

  With a wave of her hand, she conjured fifteen orbs of light and scattered them all around the room. Each of these orbs emanated warmth into the surroundings, raising the temperature in the room.

  “This is…?”


  Roel looked at Nora in confusion, not comprehending what she was trying to do. However, when a pail of water and a clean towel appeared in her hands, apprehension started to show in his eyes. He had a good idea what she was up to, and it was quickly verified by the latter’s words.

  “Hm, the temperature should be good now… Get up and take off your clothes. I’ll wipe off your sweat for you.”


  “This… doesn’t sound appropriate.”


  Roel’s face stiffened. He subconsciously tightened his grasp on the blanket.

  However, Nora had no intention of backing down on this. She materialized the white shackles once more and gently shook them before directing a domineering smile toward Roel.

  “Do you want to get up yourself, or do you need me to help you? You’re a patient now. Have some self-awareness.”


  “This has nothing to do with my illness.”


  “We don’t have any medicine here, and spells don’t work well on the common cold. The only thing you can do is to rest up. Aren’t you going to have difficulty sleeping due to your sweaty body?”


  “But taking off my clothes is still…”


  His shyness was one thing, but more importantly, he didn’t want Nora to see the glaring wound on his chest. He knew how she would feel about it. Unfortunately, Nora refused to back down on this. She quietly shook the shackles to remind him what the other alternative was.

  Left with no choice, Roel could only obediently take off his shirt.

  On the whole, Roel’s body was well-toned. His physique was well-proportioned, and there were hardly any faults to pick with his arms and abs. He would have been considered fit in his previous world, but by the standards of the Sia Continent he was on the skinnier side.

  Unlike the office dwellers of the modern world, the Sia Continent was fraught with dangers. There were plenty of physical transcendents who developed their bodies to the extreme, standing brawnier than even the most dedicated gym rat.

  Roel’s physique was more inclined toward that of a traditional spellcaster, but this was only when one overlooked the considerable amount of scars that covered his body. There was a particularly huge scar located at his chest, roughly the size of a fist.

  It wasn’t Nora’s first time seeing it, but she still jolted at its glaring appearance. She visibly froze in place. Seeing that, Roel quietly covered the scar with his hand.

  “It isn’t your fault. This injury isn’t even fatal in the first place. I thought it was quite a worthy deal, paying this small price to receive the honor of becoming our princess’ savior.”


  “…”


  Nora nodded silently at Roel’s consolation before she began wiping Roel’s body with the wet towel. His body warmth and heartbeat reassured her, and only then did the lurching feeling she felt in her chest finally alleviate.

  As she moved on to Roel’s side abdomen, the latter suddenly trembled.

  “Wait, don’t touch that place. It’s ticklish…”


  “… Oh?”


  A gleam flashed across Nora’s sapphire eyes, reminiscent of a predator that had grasped the weakness of its prey. A mischievous smile emerged on her face, and she lightly flicked her finger across Roel’s skin.

  “!”


  The tingling sensation from her touch caused Roel’s body to instinctively curl up. He reflexively pulled his arms inward, but as Nora just so happened to be in his arms, it resulted in an unexpected tight embrace.

  It caught Nora completely off guard.

  Despite their frequent hugs, the knowledge that there was only a layer of cloth between her and Roel’s bare body filled her heart with a tingling sensation, almost like the work of karma. It could have been out of embarrassment or excitement, but her face swiftly turned bright red.

  “I’m sorry, it wasn’t on purpose! I’m not good with that spot…”


  Roel frantically tried to explain himself, but his words weren’t reaching Nora at all.

  Nora’s heart was beating so quickly that it threatened to leap out of her chest. She raised her head and stared deeply into Roel’s eyes. Before she knew it, her lips were already quivering with desire. However, her rationality quickly kicked in, reminding her of Roel’s poor condition. Thus, she took a very deep breath to compose herself before continuing her job.

  Everything went smoothly afterward.

  Maybe it was because his body felt much more comfortable after the wipe down, but Roel fell asleep soon after. It was only then that Nora finally breathed a sigh of relief. Her mind naturally wandered over to what had happened earlier, and her face started burning up once more.