NPC - 5

Chapter 5

There weren't many viable methods.

'First, shoving the bottle deep into his mouth so he has no choice but to swallow.'

It might be agonizing if the liquid went down the wrong pipe, but he would be able to drink it regardless. The only problem was that it was a rather violent approach.

'And the other method is...'

It was an option I didn't really want to do, nor did I have the confidence to pull it off. You know what I mean, right? Like in those dramas where the protagonist can't swallow their medicine, so someone feeds it to them mouth-to-mouth... 

'That kind of thing.'

I stopped my train of thought.

The second method would ensure he took the medicine without spilling it like he just did. It could also help him swallow slowly, making it seem much better than the first option.

'Hmm, but...'

I looked down at Derek. He was a patient. If I just thought of it as being similar to CPR, there wouldn't be any problem. I was just feeding him a potion, after all.

"..."

'A-actually, no. I really can't do it.'

I barely caught my head, which had been unconsciously drifting closer to his, and shook it vigorously from side to side. It wasn't anything weird, it was just medical treatment. There was no problem at all.

'But that's just how I see it.'

That was strictly my point of view. It might be fine with me, but there was no telling how the other party would react. Especially since the majority of those high-and-mighty nobles were the type to feel utterly disgusted if they so much as brushed fingertips with a commoner. And a commoner feeding him a potion mouth-to-mouth?

My head could be sent flying right then and there.

And unfortunately, Derek wasn't exactly known for having a stellar personality, either. Far from rewarding me or asking if I had saved his life, he might just draw his sword immediately upon waking up. If I made one wrong move, I could lose my own life as the price for saving his.

'Ugh...'

As my thoughts reached that point, goosebumps suddenly erupted all over my skin. That's right. This world was different from my past life. Proudly declaring that I saved someone could actually put me in danger. It was all too common here for goodwill to not be repaid with goodwill.

"Then I guess there's really only one way."

"Ugh."

I grabbed the back of Derek's neck and lifted him a bit higher. As a result, his head tilted back, and his mouth parted slightly.

'This might be a bit painful.'

Holding the potion bottle, I silently apologized to his face. Of course, it would be difficult. The agonizing pain of your chest aching and coughing endlessly when water goes down the wrong pipe. I was sorry, but right now, I might have to inflict that pain upon him.

"Well then...!"

The choice I made was, naturally, the first method. Because my life is precious.

'Derek, I'm sorry!'

Casually calling out his name in my mind despite our total lack of familiarity, I forcefully brought the bottle down.

Clack!

"Huh?!"

But the bottle never wedged itself into Derek's mouth. Losing its target, the bottle spilled its contents, and the pristine white sheets were stained a vibrant green. Passing thoughts about how wasteful that was, and how I was supposed to wash out the stain, circled in a corner of my mind. But those thoughts merely floated around; I couldn't organize them.

"Uh... Excuse me."

The reason was simple. A large hand had snatched my wrist out of the air.

"Who the hell are you..."

A low, resonant voice tickled my ears. It was the first time hearing Derek's voice since encountering him like this; it seeped into my ears and dropped straight into my heart. Isn't it cheating to have such a great voice on top of a face like that?

Squeeze.

"Ugh!"

While I was distracted by those crazy thoughts, the hand gripping my wrist tightened even more. I felt a crushing grip strength that seemed like it could snap my bones.

...Don't tell me he actually intends to break it?

First things first, I needed to let him know I wasn't highly suspicious. Maintaining my composure as much as possible, I managed my expression and opened my mouth.

"D-do you not remember me? I was trying to feed you an antidote... no, I was helping you drink it comfortably."

I pulled from the countless part-time job experiences I had accumulated across my past and present lives to form a smile. It felt like the corners of my lips were going to spasm, but I managed to pull it off anyway.

A friendly, kind smile that went a step above a simple customer-service grin.

"..."

But Derek's brow only furrowed deeper.

"If you're awake, I suppose you could just drink it yourself."

"Don't... need it."

"No, really! This is a very precious potion, you know? It's the result of blood, sweat, and tears negotiating with a pharmacist who refused to sell it..."

"...Don't... need it."

"..."

Even though it was blatantly obvious he was finding it increasingly difficult to speak, Derek remained stubbornly defiant.

'How old is this guy?'

Look at him whining about not wanting to take his medicine. Even a toddler wouldn't give me this much trouble.

"Grr... ugh."

"..."

And yet, beads of cold sweat formed on his forehead, and agonizing groans leaked out even as he bit his lip.

'It would be great if he stopped being so stubborn and just drank it quietly.'

Is he refusing out of pride, or is he suspicious of me? Either way, I was bound to get exhausted if this tug-of-war continued.

"Ugh..."

But if the other party didn't trust me, there was nothing I could do. At this point, should I just leave him be and not care what happens? It wasn't like I was absolutely obligated to save him anyway.

He wouldn't die here. The fact that he appeared as the protagonist's rival midway through the game was proof of that. Even if I didn't save him, someone else...

"Gah!"

The moment I debated whether backing off was the right thing to do, Derek's hand clamped around my wrist even tighter. Seeing his bloodless, pale hand, it didn't seem like an action merely intended to stop my movements.

"...!"

"Ugh."

That wasn't all. His hand was becoming deeply stained with bizarre, dark blotches. I could only see his hand and wrist right now, but his arm was likely in the same state. It was the same hue that had stained his face. It was undeniably the poison.

I felt something sink heavily in my chest. Don't tell me this is why his arm gets cut off? Because the poison penetrates too deeply?

"..."

Derek's appearance when he showed up later in the game flickered before my eyes. If I gave up now, this guy would turn into that. This was definitely the golden window to treat him.

His personality would get even worse than it is now. And his ending wouldn't be good, either.

"..."

Not that it's my responsibility, though.

'Right. It's not my responsibility.'

...If it comes to this, it's time for the second method.

'First, I need to divert his attention.'

I simply let go of the potion bottle I was holding. The bottle dropped straight down.

Thud!

While a startled Derek instinctively caught the falling bottle, I quickly snatched the other potion off the table with my free hand.

"?!"

Derek's eyes were following the potion spilling from the bottle he had just caught. If his usual intelligence was a 100, the poison had clearly shaved off 70 points.

'Perfect! In this opening...!'

Holding my wrist with one hand and the bottle with the other, Derek looked up at me with a dazed expression. It made me a little angry that even a dazed face like that looked picturesque. Anyway, now all I had to do was hold the potion in my mouth and force-feed it to him as planned.

And just as I was about to execute that plan...

"Urgh...!"

"!!"

Derek thrashed violently. Without even realizing that he could stop me much more effectively if he just threw away the bottle in his hand, he was incredibly good at pushing me away.

...It's not like I'm feeding him poison! It's a simple, no, a very expensive and high-quality antidote. Plus, it's exactly what he desperately needs right now.

'Hah, so that's how you want to play... is it?'

Derek's stubborn resistance completely shattered my patience and changed my plan.

"Hey."

Derek, with a faint light returning to his unfocused eyes, looked up at me. And I saw a clear opening. I didn't miss the chance.

"Just drink! The damn thing!"

And hurry up and get better!

"Mmph?!"

So in the end, reverting to my original goal, I executed the first plan. What I shoved firmly into his mouth was the potion bottle. Thanks to me pressing it down firmly with my hand to ensure it went straight down his throat, Derek's complexion gradually turned blue.

"Gah-hk?!"

Unlike my initial worries, despite the somewhat aggressive method, the potion glugged smoothly down his throat.

'I should have just done this from the start!'

Seeing him swallow the potion so quickly made me feel a bit proud. I guess expensive things really do show their worth.

"...Ugh."

Having somehow swallowed all the liquid, Derek's eyelids slowly fluttered down. His eyes soon slid shut, and he slumped limply to the side.

"Haa, haa..."

Panting heavily, I looked down at him. Using so much physical strength for the first time in a while left my body drenched in exhaustion. Unlike me, Derek was sleeping peacefully.

The agonized expression he wore when I first saw him no longer existed on his face. The vice-like grip that felt like it would break my wrist also loosened, his hand falling limply onto the bed.

"Phew."

I smirked. There had been quite a scuffle, but the victor of this battle was me. Only then did I have the leisure to admire Derek's face once more. The mottled traces of poison were still spread across his skin, but his form, breathing comfortably, was practically radiant.

I also knew that beautiful blue eyes lay sleeping behind those firmly closed eyelids.

"Ah."

Suddenly, I realized that I had climbed onto the bed at some point and was straddling him, looking down. It probably happened during our struggle.

'I don't even remember...'

I couldn't recall exactly when I had gotten up here.

"L-let's get down first."

Besides, my upper body was bent deeply over his to look at his face. It was a highly compromising position if anyone saw us. I climbed down, being as careful as possible not to shake the bed.

'As expected, expensive beds really hit differently.'

I only realized it now, but this bed was incredibly soft. I especially loved how the movement didn't transfer much even when moving around on the side. It was worth the money spent. I never thought I'd come to appreciate it at a time like this, in a situation like this.

Creak~

"!!"

"Umm."

And right around the moment both my feet touched the floor, the door opened. Clutching my wildly beating heart, I slowly turned my head like a broken machine.

"Y-yes...?"

I ended up stuttering like someone caught red-handed. I hadn't done anything wrong, but what if that knight had caught us in that position just a moment ago?

"..."

Just imagining the consequences sent a cold sweat running down my back.

'I m-might have died.'

"I thought I heard a noise."

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, the knight spoke cautiously. He was shrunk into himself, as if simply opening the door was a grave sin.

I pulled my lips into the widest smile I could manage and replied.

"Oh, that? I'm sorry. He was thrashing around quite a bit... But he safely drank the potion, so he should be fine now."

Of course, I didn't forget to beam brightly at the end.

"...!"

But his reaction was completely different. The knight's expression shifted drastically as he scrambled over to the bed, examining Derek's condition with terrifying intensity.

He probably wasn't reacting to the part about him taking the potion.

'W-was saying he "thrashed around" the problem?'

That was the only part of my statement that could be problematic. Pinning down someone who was thrashing to forcefully feed them liquid. Just laying out the words made it sound like a pretty terrible situation.

'Actually, it kind of was terrible.'

Gulp.

I hadn't committed any crime, yet my lips ran dry and I swallowed hard. The knight's sharp gaze scoured every inch, terrified that something might have gone wrong with his master.

Strangely, the image of myself straddling Derek and looking down at him kept flashing through my mind. Is this what guilt feels like?

'B-but I didn't do anything wrong, did I?!'

Yet, I had no memory of doing anything malicious.