Chapter 169

EP.169 A Legion Bound by Blood?

Returning to the office apartment after a while, I checked if the manipulated tracking device was working properly and then tossed it beside the bed.

Then, I let out a lazy sigh.

“Huu…”

Above me, Yuria was dripping aromatic oil on my back and spreading it wide for a massage.

Despite it being her first time, she had an unexpected talent for it.

Her smooth arms gently rubbed my lower back, and she used her fingers to apply just the right pressure, subtly stimulating my erogenous zones by brushing near my chest.

The feeling of her thighs slightly squeezing my waist was also nice.

“Mr. Jihyuk… do you like it?”

Yuria’s question from above.

Without turning my head, I replied.

“It’s good. Keep going.”

“I’m tired though…”

“Tired? It hasn’t even been 30 minutes.”

“I’m tired…”

Her whiny tone mixed with a pout made me chuckle, and I stayed still, feeling mischievous.

Then, Yuria’s acupressure intensified.

“Haa… Hah…”

She also made a show of being tired with her mouth, lifting her hips and then sitting down on my back with considerable force.

She couldn’t outright complain, but she wanted to express her dissatisfaction… so she resorted to this coquettish tantrum.

I burst out laughing and tapped Yuria’s thigh.

A signal to get off. She happily clung to my side.

Lying down properly, I stretched my arm behind her neck to give her a pillow.

“What about Sehwa?”

“She went to school.”

I looked at Yuria.

Sehwa is attending college to stave off boredom, but Yuria isn’t.

After her fall, she has nothing to do.

Except for occasional human hunts, she has nowhere to go but home or the secret base.

“Don’t you get bored?”

“I’m… okay. But it would be really nice if you showed your face more often.”

“I’ve been neglecting you lately.”

“No… I’m really okay.”

“What do you do when Sehwa comes back?”

“Just go out for drinks or shop around. I also collect human souls to grow stronger. Oh, last time we made a video together, and it got a good response.”

A video? And it got a good response?

Did they make a Twinkle account and film themselves doing a lesbian kiss or something?

“What kind of video?”

“Wait a sec…”

Yuria, having wiped her hands clean, picked up her mobile phone and opened the world’s largest video site app.

Then, she showed me a video.

In the video, Sehwa and Yuria stood side by side, wearing short hot pants and crop tops, shaking their hips and dancing.

They changed poses to the rhythm of electric music, a trendy meme these days.

The view count was 30 million. An enormous number for something uploaded without any prior fame.

After watching the video, I chuckled.

Cute. They must have been really bored.

I handed the phone back to Yuria.

“Pretty.”

At those words, Yuria’s face brightened considerably.

She giggled and changed the subject.

“Ah, and the bow is finished, so I tried it… I really like it. But it’s a shame that arrows don’t form when I hide my demonic energy. For now, I have the nanotube arrows from the Beast Slayer days, so I’m not worried.”

“You could go to the Demon Realm and try shooting it there? You could also meet Meril.”

Yuria’s round eyes widened even more.

“R-Really? I can do that?”

“You can. But you can’t bring her back. Meril can’t hide her demonic energy, so if Adeline finds out, it could be a big problem.”

“Just meeting and getting along is enough. Thank you so much…”

“You must want to run there right now, but hold off for this week.”

“Why this week…?”

“Depending on the Doctor’s condition, I’m thinking of calling you and Sehwa to the lab.”

Yuria tilted her head.

I smiled meaningfully and bent the arm I was using as a pillow to playfully pinch Yuria’s soft cheek.

**

Lunchtime, I met the Doctor at the appointed time and subtly lied to her.

I told her I had a business trip abroad.

“A business trip…?”

“Yeah. I’ll probably have to be gone for about three days. It came up suddenly. It’s a big opportunity to grow the company.”

“….”

The Doctor clearly showed her displeasure.

Crossing her arms, she silently stared at me before making an absurd suggestion.

“Can I come with you?”

“What…? You want to come on a business trip?”

“I’ll behave. I just don’t want to be apart from you.”

“I promise I’ll come back as soon as possible.”

“I think I’m hearing voices…”

“Voices?”

Schizophrenia symptoms must be kicking in.

There were signs before, but today it seems she really felt it.

“Someone talked to me in the car today.”

“Who?”

“Uh, Edward…”

“Your husband?”

“Ex-husband…”

Huh… ‘Ex’-husband, huh.

Seems like she’s ready to completely let go.

“Was it bad?”

“It happened before too… back then it was just short voices that disappeared quickly…? But today was different. It felt like a conversation. No, it was a conversation.”

“Really…?”

“Luckily, it didn’t last long, but I felt like I wasn’t myself anymore…”

If she’s hearing voices and having conversations, the symptoms are serious.

Good for me, but I need to reassure her first.

“Let’s go home first.”

“Home…? Don’t you have work left?”

“You’re having a hard time. Let’s go home and have a home-cooked meal.”

“I, I’m fine… I’m just so sorry…”

Sorry my foot, I can see how happy you look.

“Let’s go to the hospital and then home. Okay?”

“Th-The hospital…?”

“Voices are symptoms of schizophrenia. This needs to be treated. It’s a serious condition.”

“….”

The Doctor looked terrified.

I comforted her as gently as I could.

“Let’s go to the psychiatrist and get checked. If the doctor says it’s positive, I’ll postpone the trip no matter what and stay with you.”

“Then… okay…”

**

After a long examination, the doctor diagnosed the Doctor with schizophrenia.

No hallucinations, but auditory hallucinations and delusions are severe, potentially leading to serious symptoms.

She would need regular outpatient treatment.

I hugged the sobbing Doctor, got her prescription, and paid the hospital bill.

After picking up the medication at the pharmacy, I soothed her and got her into the car.

As soon as she got into the passenger seat, she bit her lip and looked at me.

Trying to hold it in, but looking like she could burst into tears any moment.

She spoke in a pitiful tone.

“What do I do…? It’s really schizophrenia… They said there’s a risk of other personality disorders too… What if something bad happens…?”

I silently hugged the Doctor tightly.

Her trembling stopped a bit as she calmed down in my embrace.

After releasing the hug, I gave her a kind smile.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“How can I not worry…? I…”

“Didn’t you hear the doctor? It’s a disease caused by excessive dopamine secretion.”

“What does that…”

“What did you do when I was addicted to drugs?”

At my hint, the Doctor’s expression brightened.

“Th-The medical device… I went in there and normalized my dopamine.”

“Right? Let’s stop by the lab now and get treated.”

“Okay…”

“According to the prescription, it’s a dopamine blocker. From now on, don’t take it, and if something feels off, go straight into the device and check. The medical device can handle dopamine. Got it?”

“Got it…”

“My heart feels heavy. It feels like I caused this to you.”

“D-Don’t say that… The doctor said it. Being alone for a long time and then starting an intense relationship can also raise dopamine levels. The influence of my ex-husband must have been too strong… It’s all his fault.”

It’s no exaggeration to say that because of me, the Doctor now has schizophrenia as well as Cluster C personality disorders.

Obsessive-compulsive, dependent, and avoidant personality disorders.

There’s also the risk of depression.

The process of directing the cause towards Edward Parsons has already progressed as much as it could.

Pointing to him as the cause of her schizophrenia is evidence of that. Very good.

I gently massaged the back of the Doctor’s neck.

As I softly stroked her chin and neck, she closed her eyes with a faint smile, like a dog being petted by its owner.

After a while, I spoke.

“Did you order the ring?”

“Yeah… They said it’ll take two days.”

“Good. Shall we go to the lab now?”

She looked at me.

“You won’t leave because you feel sorry for me, right? It’s absolutely not your fault.”

Leave?

After dropping Adeline, I plan to make you a retainer too, so don’t worry.

“I’ll be with you forever.”

At those words, the Doctor’s eyes moistened.

Overcome with emotion, she confessed to me.

“I only believe in you… I love you…”

‘You’?

A plain term, but given the situation, it sounded incredibly alluring.

From now on, the Doctor will try to align everything with me, starting with her values.

She might even try to destroy her husband’s statue herself.

I slightly pursed my lips.

Then, the Doctor slowly approached me, kissed me, and wiped my lips with her hand.

“Lipstick got on you…”

“Too bad. I was going to eat it.”

At my playful words, the Doctor burst out laughing.

I smiled back at her and drove to the lab.

After putting the Doctor into the medical device to normalize the excessive dopamine and low serotonin levels in her brain, I rushed to support her as she complained of dizziness upon exiting the device.

I sat her down in the lounge and crouched to ask.

“How are you?”

The Doctor, pressing her forehead, replied.

“Dizzy… but I feel much better.”

“That’s good. I’ll cancel the trip.”

“Is that okay…?”

“You’re having a hard time now. It can’t be helped.”

The Doctor lowered her head with a troubled expression.

After pondering something, she looked at me with a determined gaze.

“You can go and come back.”

“Why?”

“The treatment’s done… and it’s not like you’ll be gone for long. I’ll focus on work while you’re away. I think I can start building the framework for the Device.”

I took the Doctor’s hands resting on her knees and interlocked our fingers.

Then, I looked at her with a face full of affection.

“I’ll send a proxy. For now, I’ll stay with you.”

“…Really?”

“Really. Would I leave you when you’re sick?”

“I’d be happy just hearing from you…”

“Enough. Let’s just stay together. We’ll do the treatment together.”

“Thank you…”

“But overcoming mental illness depends most on your will. You know that, right?”

A belief that started to waver from a solid state.

Align it with me.

Accept and obey whatever I do.

If you accept your changing personality as your true self, it’ll be easier.

“Okay…”

“Shall we go home? Let’s rest today and tomorrow, monitor your condition, and then start working on the Device.”

“Okay. Ah, before that… wait a sec…”

The Doctor got up and checked her condition.

Confirming that the dizziness was gone, she quickly ran to the medical device and pulled something out.

It was the test results from earlier.

After carefully examining them, she looked gloomy.

“What’s wrong?”

“The birth control pills I was taking lost their effect thanks to the medical device, but my fertile period won’t be until next week… And even if it’s ovulation day, there’s no guarantee of pregnancy…”

Since I said I wouldn’t go on the trip and supported her, it seems she’s more eager to have a child.

Love has fully blossomed.

Don’t worry, I’ll make you have many children.

How about getting pregnant with five Evil Valkyries and giving birth to the Demon King’s child, then creating a demon legion?

A legion bound by blood… Not bad. Let’s go with that.

I smiled warmly and said to the Doctor.

“Don’t think negatively. We can work on it together. I believe in you.”

At my gentle words, the Doctor’s face turned bright red.

She replied in a whispery voice.

“I believe in you too…”

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

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