Lisa and Mikhail, members of the imperial family, and their friends from the academy had taken the lead in resolving the Wave.
Not long after the legion commander was subjugated, the news spread rapidly through the imperial capital.
Thanks to that, on our way back to our lodgings, we were welcomed by people who had heard the news and come out to the streets.
They offered us food and souvenirs as gifts, speaking words of gratitude in the language of the empire.
Among them, Lisa and Mikhail in particular received grand praise.
The cries calling out their names did not cease for the entire day.
‘They were imperial family members who spared no effort and did their utmost to handle the situation, so it’s no wonder the people’s hearts followed them.’
Because her place in the line of succession was low, Lisa had not been very well known among the imperial citizens, and she seemed deeply moved.
She could not hide her tears of joy until we entered the lodgings.
According to what I heard from Yeon Haneul, even after going into the girls’ room, she cried for quite a while.
And then, while enjoying a bath, she happily hummed to herself….
―I merely did what was natural as a member of the imperial family…. This is quite bewildering.
Mikhail was not much different.
He acted composed, but we could plainly tell that he was overwhelmed with emotion.
‘When we passed through the crowds forming lines, his eyes even welled up, and he secretly wiped them. By the time we got close to the lodgings, the rims of his eyes were red, too.’
Moreover, those of us guys sharing the same room with him saw, to an utterly tiresome degree, Mikhail monopolizing the remote control and watching imperial news.
It wasn’t as if we had no interest in the news mentioning us either, but we were no match for him.
Truly.
―Mikhail, aren’t you going to drink? Eunbi says we should go to a tavern near the hotel.
―I’m fine. Don’t drink too much, and make sure you return before it gets late. Don’t let Lisa drink too much either. I’ll have a simple drink in the room while assessing the damage situation in the imperial capital.
―…Ah, okay. Enjoy the news.
Mikhail did not answer.
He left us shaking our heads.
Meanwhile, when we went to a tavern to drink, we were surrounded there by people who recognized us.
They said they would buy us drinks, and in exchange, they asked us to tell them tales of our exploits.
―That sounds great! No reason we can’t do that! Everyone, come here and listen closely!
―Wait a moment, Haerang. How are you planning to tell them? You don’t even know the empire’s language well.
―Do I need to know the empire’s language? Lisa-Lisa can translate for me! Well, I know it, though!
―My mouth was itching anyway!
―If it’s storytelling, we can’t be left out either! But before that…!
―Master! Please bring us the most expensive liquor in this place!
We did not refuse free drinks.
Readily accepting their offer, we clinked glasses with strangers and chatted away.
Mingling with the locals at a travel destination, laughing and talking and having fun together—it was an experience worth remembering.
And the next day.
“Ugh… Why does my body feel like this…?”
We came down with severe body aches.
* * *
In the game, Reset the Gauge had a restriction that it could only be used once per day.
However, it seemed that in this world, that was not the only restriction.
‘Well, there’s no way there wouldn’t be any backlash from using magic of that scale…. A cooldown is only natural. Was it not depicted in the game because there were limits to expressing it through the system? …Damn it. It hurts like hell.’
My whole body throbbed as if being pricked by needles.
It wouldn’t move the way I wanted either.
And perhaps because I had a fever, I felt cold.
When morning came and we woke up, we had to suffer the same symptoms, with only slight differences between us.
“Ugh…. They say the principle behind recovery magic lies in drawing upon future healing ability. From that perspective, maybe we drew on and used too much healing ability in a short period, and that ended up putting a strain on our bodies? Because we recovered cleanly and completely, without even a scratch left….”
Having given up on looking for his glasses, the Doctor lay sprawled on the bed and rambled on with an explanation.
It was a fairly plausible explanation.
Listening only roughly and agreeing, I slowly raised myself up.
‘Ah, I’m going to curse.’
My shoulders were stiff, and my body felt heavy.
The body aches were so severe that taking steps as I imagined was not easy.
My legs trembled like those of a newborn deer.
If I relaxed even a little, I felt as though I would be unable to bear my own weight and collapse to the floor.
Kang Hanbyeol asked me.
“Gyeonu, where are you going? The bathroom?”
“I’m going to the girls’ room. They’re probably suffering from body aches right now too, so I’ll check on how they’re doing. Since today’s schedule seems impossible, I think I should also tell them it’d be better to cancel it.”
“If that’s the reason, couldn’t you just call them on your phone? You don’t have to go there when you’re sick….”
“I need to see Haneul with my own eyes.”
“Ah…. Yeah, have a safe trip. I’m going to sleep a bit more, and if I feel better, I’ll go get something to eat.”
Kang Hanbyeol, who seemed to have been exchanging messages with Shin Seora, lay down on the bed.
Leaving him and the other guys pulling their blankets over themselves behind, I struggled toward the girls’ room.
I knocked on the door.
Were they all still asleep, or were they awake but unable to make much noise because of their body aches?
I couldn’t tell which it was, but no sound came from inside.
With no other choice, I decided to call.
The call connected right away.
[Gyeonu….]
“Haneul, I’m outside the door right now. Can you open it for me?”
[Yeah, I know…. Eunsol just opened the door with a spirit, so just come in.]
Yeon Haneul’s voice had no strength.
As expected, she and the other girls seemed to be suffering from body aches too.
Guessing their circumstances, I ended the call and opened the door.
When I took off my shoes and went inside, I found the room in complete disarray.
There, each occupying a bed, the girls were waiting for me.
In pajamas, lying down.
‘It’s similar to our room.’
Without makeup, the girls’ impressions looked softer than usual.
Perhaps because of that, as they groaned from the body aches, they looked even more frail.
At least Nam Yuri seemed healthy.
After saying to me, “Gyeonu-Gyeonu, you’re here?” she walked on her own feet to get some water.
Soon, I passed by her and approached Yeon Haneul.
I sat down on the edge of the bed.
“You came?”
“Yeah, I came. How’s your body?”
“It… aches a lot. What about you? Are you okay? Wasn’t it hard coming here?”
“It was bearable, since I was thinking about seeing you.”
“Chee.”
With her head buried in the pillow, Yeon Haneul looked up at me and smiled faintly.
I brushed her hair aside and focused my attention on her.
At that moment, Go Eunbi, who was using the bed beside us, voiced her complaint.
“Gyeonu, aren’t you going to ask us? We’re in a lot of pain right now too, you know? Arin was sniffling and crying earlier.”
“Wh-when did I! It was just rhinitis, so I was sniffling, okay? Well… it’s not like I’m not in pain at all, though.”
“Ugh…. We need to eat breakfast….”
“Yeah, yeah. Are you guys okay?”
Go Eunbi, Min Arin, and Cha Eunsol were wriggling on their beds like caterpillars.
After looking over the three of them, I finally checked on Lisa.
She looked on the verge of tears.
“It hurts so much…. Unless there’s a very good reason, I don’t think we should use that magic….”
“I think so too. Let’s refrain from using it as much as possible. Unless we really need to. By the way, what should we do about today’s schedule? Since everyone’s not feeling well, I think it’d be better to rest at the hotel today….”
“Yes, with bodies like this, it would be impossible. There are many places I wanted to show you, but unfortunately, it can’t be helped.”
“We can come traveling again next time. It’s not like this is the end, right?”
“…Yes. You’re right. Then let’s go next time to the places we couldn’t visit this time.”
Lisa’s complexion brightened.
Having comforted her while considering her feelings, I spoke to Go Eunbi, who was drinking water Nam Yuri had brought her.
“Eunbi, you heard that, right? We’re spending the day as a hotel vacation, so you figure out the plan for what we’re going to do. You’re good at this kind of thing.”
“Huh? Me? This is kind of sudden…. Aren’t you dumping too much on me? Still, well, fine! Okay, I am good at making plans like this. But even if you don’t like the plan, you can’t blame me!”
“Eunbi-kkabi! Me too! Me too! I’ll help make the plan too!”
Go Eunbi was good at livening up the mood.
We decided to leave today’s schedule to her.
Nam Yuri’s intervention was a source of anxiety, but even so, we should be able to trust them with it.
‘If it doesn’t meet expectations… then it can’t be helped.’
With this, my business was done.
I decided to leave the room.
At that moment, Yeon Haneul called out to me.
“You’re going?”
“Yeah, I should. I’m going to go back to the room and sleep a little more. Haneul, you should get some more sleep too.”
“Yeah, I was going to, but… isn’t it hard to move? If it’s hard, just sleep here before you go. My bed is wide.”
“….”
Yeon Haneul patted her bed.
At her sweet suggestion, I could only blink.
I seriously thought it over.
Of course, I would welcome it, but the problem was….
“Wouldn’t the others be uncomfortable?”
Then the girls, who had been quietly holding their breath, suddenly spoke up.
“You’re only going to sleep for a bit anyway, right? We’re here too, so there’s no way you two would do anything weird…. I don’t mind! Still, Gyeonu, you really lucked out, huh? Sleeping in the same room as us!”
“I’m in favor too! I think it’d be nice to sleep in the same room as Gyeonu-Gyeonu!”
“I have no intention of opposing it either. Your body must hurt too, so go ahead.”
“Do whatever you want. Mnya…. Just don’t be noisy.”
“If it’s hard, sleep here or don’t. I’ll spe-cial-ly allow it. …But her bed looks narrow. Someone else’s bed would be more….”
“Arin? Aren’t you sleeping? You’ve been whining that you’re in pain since earlier, but I guess you have the strength to talk?”
…Contrary to my expectations.
All the girls expressed their approval.
Taking a quick look at their expressions, they did not seem to have reluctantly agreed after being swept along by the atmosphere.
“Thanks. Then I’ll sleep here before I go.”
For me, it was a situation I could not have wished for more.
In case they changed their minds, I quickly placed my hand on Yeon Haneul’s bed.
Lying on her side, she moved back and made room for me.
I lay down facing her.
“Now let’s sleep. Even if we miss breakfast, we should eat lunch later.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. Everyone, sleep well.”
As Yeon Haneul smiled, the other girls responded.
Not long after that, the sound of gentle breathing could be heard around us.
“….”
It seemed everyone except Yeon Haneul and me had fallen asleep.
So, beneath the blanket, I quietly wrapped my arm around her waist.
She did not reject my touch.
Then, when I pulled her toward me, she slipped into my arms.
“We can’t. The others are here.”
“Yeah.”
Yeon Haneul whispered.
As she did, she reached out and gently stroked my back.
Our eyes met, and we kissed lightly.
‘I want to do more, but let’s hold back.’
It was a shame, but I had to maintain my reason.
For no reason, I smacked my lips.
Then Yeon Haneul, who had put a little distance between us, curved her lips into a smile.
Like me, she smacked her lips, and as if to show off, she briefly stuck out her tongue and licked her lips.
‘She’s teasing me.’
I put on a sullen expression.
At that moment, Yeon Haneul mouthed silently.
My eyes read her lips.
‘Dream of me.’
The corners of my mouth rose on their own.
I nodded.
Then, carefully holding her so that we were not pressed too closely together, I closed my eyes.
Afterward, when we woke up late, we all went to eat lunch together, and under Go Eunbi’s lead, we spent an enjoyable time at the hotel.
Chatting and playing in the sauna, splashing around in the indoor pool, trying screen golf, making bets at the arcade, bowling….
Though the Grace Empire was closed-off, it surprisingly lacked nothing.
“His Majesty has invited the 23rd Imperial Princess and the 5th Imperial Prince, the heroes who saved the imperial capital, as well as all of you, to the imperial palace. We would be grateful if you would accept the invitation.”
“….”
It was the next morning that someone from the imperial palace came to visit.
I Became the Childhood Friend of the Mid-Boss