Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior

“Haa, haa…”

“Director Hope?”

I must have gotten too excited, as my breathing had become ragged.

The Princess was looking this way, tilting her head with a puzzled look.

To think I unintentionally showed it, but it would be impossible not to get excited seeing something like that…

“I, I’m fine. I was just a little surprised.”

“Well, I guess anyone would be surprised if they heard that was Sion.”

Fortunately, it seemed the Princess didn’t notice anything particularly strange.

“Nao. Who is this person?”

“Hope Harvey. Director of the Kingdom Rehabilitation Center. Have you heard too?”

“No.”

Sion’s voice, barely audible as a whisper, held no strength or will.

It was a hollow, echoing voice, to the point where I wondered if she was even curious about who I was.

No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it felt like she was carrying language on her breath rather than a voice.

Was what she was uttering now truly words coming from a human mouth?

Words carry meaning, meaning is imbued by will, and will originates from life.

I had vaguely guessed about Sion’s condition, but it was only after hearing her voice that I could finally be completely certain.

It wasn’t just her body that was now unable to move, but her mind was completely broken as well.

Because there was no hope or meaning in life, no will could be felt in the words she spoke.

In my two lives as a rehabilitation specialist, I had never seen anyone whose body and mind were so thoroughly broken.

“He’s a leading figure in the emerging field of Rehabilitation Medicine. He might be able to cure Sion.”

I see. So, the reason I was brought here was also to show Sion to me?

Just like she showed me her condition on the first day, was it to confirm what her state was like?

“…….”

Upon hearing my introduction, Sion slowly raised her head and looked up at me.

I, too, barely managed to calm my trembling heart and met her gaze.

And the moment I faced her empty vermilion eyes,

‘It wasn’t to show Sion to me…. I was brought here to be shown to Sion.’

I couldn’t help but realize that the Princess’s purpose was the opposite of what I had thought.

The Princess’s goal was to introduce me, the leading figure in Rehabilitation Medicine, to the completely broken Sion.

If she did that, Sion might have hope of recovery… So, Sion’s mind is broken after all?

“Nao.”

“Yes?”

Sion, who had been looking at me for a moment, turned her eyes back to the Princess as if she had no interest in me.

“It’s hard for you to stand. I’m fine, so don’t push yourself.”

Huh? Sion’s expression just now…

Until now, her expression had been devoid of feeling, but just now, I felt like I could glimpse her genuine concern.

“Ah~ This? I’ve been working hard on rehabilitation therapy, and I’ve become able to walk a little bit. Want to see?”

The Princess leaned forward slightly, relying on her crutches, and began to take a step.

So, she had come all the way here, standing, just to show me this. But the Princess’s legs right now…

“Princess, you shouldn’t overdo it…”

“It’s okay. This much is…”

As if she was really trying to walk like an ordinary person, the moment she handed her crutches to me and took a step,

“W-whoa!”

“Princess!”

“Nao!”

The Princess, having handed her crutches to me, lost strength in her legs and collapsed forward sharply, and I quickly caught her body.

Given the condition of the Princess’s legs, it was an expected outcome. I had anticipated this, so I was able to prevent the Princess from crashing to the floor.

“Nao-nim!!”

From somewhere, a maid had returned, busily pushing a wheelchair.

“Nao-nim, please sit here. Here…”

As I handed the Princess over to the maid, the maid supported her and helped her into the wheelchair.

“Director Hope. Please, help Sion, Sion, before me. Quickly!”

“Pardon?”

As the Princess urgently requested, I turned to look at where Sion was.

What was there was Sion, having fallen out of her wheelchair and crashing onto the floor, trembling.

“T-this is!”

Had Sion also tried to reach out and help the Princess?

How difficult must it be for her to control her body, to fall like that?

I carefully approached where Sion was lying face down and reached out to help her up again.

“I’ll help you.”

“Don’t touch my body!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“?!”

Just before my hand touched Sion’s shoulder, she screamed so incredibly sharply that I couldn’t help but jump back in surprise.

‘Hero Sion… making a sound like that?’

In the novel, Sion was someone who never got annoyed at others, let alone complained.

But she was screaming like that?

The Princess, who had barely managed to sit back in her wheelchair and regain her composure, was equally flustered and hurriedly approached Sion, extending her hand.

“I’ll help. Director, please step back for a moment.”

Here, I had no choice but to step back as the Princess ordered.

“Sion. Are you okay?”

“Nao…”

“Come on, get up quickly.”

Sion closed her eyes tightly and lowered her head, barely lifting her trembling arm, which didn’t seem to move well, and managed to grab the hand of Nao, who was sitting in the wheelchair.

“Ughhhhh…”

Sion, holding onto the Princess’s hand and clinging to her, closed her eyes and mouth tightly and let out a groan as if grinding her teeth, barely managing to pull herself up and into the Princess’s embrace.

“Haa, haa…”

“Sion…”

The Princess, holding the gasping Sion in her arms, closed her eyes for a moment with a sad expression, then lifted Sion and placed her in the wheelchair.

Right before my eyes, the two people sitting face to face in wheelchairs, heads bowed, were the Hero and Magician of the hero party who had saved the world.

And to see them, with their bodies ravaged by the aftereffects of war, standing before their comrade’s grave, realizing their own helplessness!

Right now, I was experiencing an intense pleasure that I would probably never taste again in my life.

‘Ah, what will they say next?! What words will they use to soothe each other’s wounds? Or will the silence continue like this? Could it be… will they cry? If I could just see either of them shed a single tear… Ahhh!!’

It was agonizing to have to scream internally so as not to let this feeling show, and I felt so dazed that I was worried about how I would live the rest of my life after knowing this feeling, but for now, I was enjoying this feeling to the fullest.

If I didn’t firmly engrave this scene in my mind, it would be a great loss.

“Hope… You said you were a Doctor, right?”

“Ah, yes.”

Sion called out to me, pulling me out of the ecstatic state I had fallen into, lost in all sorts of delusions in my head, and I barely managed to come to my senses.

She barely caught her breath and returned to her original empty, expressionless face, looking up at me.

“Earlier… I’m sorry for getting angry. I just… unintentionally…”

After all that, she was apologizing.

“It’s alright. I’m used to it.”

“Is… that so?”

“It’s my job to treat people whose bodies are broken. It’s strange for the mind to be fine when the body is broken.”

“…….”

Actually, reacting so sharply wasn’t common even in the rehabilitation center, so it wasn’t something I was used to either.

It was just a lie to reassure the patient.

Because knowing that not only you but other people are also hurting and struggling is comforting.

But how on earth did Hero Sion end up with a body like that?

As for the Magician Princess Nao, according to the novel, she injured her legs from the Demon King’s attack in the final battle.

But in Sion’s case, although she too suffered great damage in the final battle, there was no mention of any aftereffects like that.

There were definitely scenes of her reporting the news of victory after the war or attending Airi’s funeral, so why…

“Um, Sion. It’s been a while, how about we have dinner together?”

“…….”

The Princess’s sudden and refreshing proposal.

Sion lowered her head silently, then looked up at me again.

“This person too?”

“Yes. Actually, the reason I brought Director Hope was because I wanted Sion to receive rehabilitation treatment too.”

From the moment I first checked Sion’s condition, I had expected that things might flow this way,

As expected, the Princess seemed to have brought me here with the intention of suggesting rehabilitation treatment to Sion.

“Sion… talk to the Director and let’s find a way to get better together. I have to stay in the Empire, but Sion, if need be, you can go to Norden, right?

The Kingdom’s Rehabilitation Center has numerous successful rehabilitation cases, and above all, it’s a place where Director Hope here takes care of people, so I’m sure you can recover. Yes?

What do you think?”

Rehabilitation for Hero Sion, huh? If she comes to the Kingdom’s Rehabilitation Center as the Princess suggested…

‘Does that mean I can see this scene every day?’

To be able to see the broken Hero Sion Lorel and her rehabilitation training every single day!

The strongest and fastest swordsman Sion, who used to cleave space and break the sound barrier, trembling as she practiced using chopsticks or walking, or desperately clinging to rehabilitation equipment, panting every day…

“Nao.”

Sion slowly opened her mouth. If she just accepted, those dreamlike days…

“Thank you, but I’ll decline.”

‘Ah.’

It seemed things weren’t going to unfold so easily.