Since everyone was unconscious, I decided to move away from the spectator stands, just in case someone happened to wake up.
It was less about resuscitation and more about a full-blown resurrection.
Using Spirit power to mend a body that had been broken this severely required the exchange of bodily fluids. Normally, Recovery Magic is so complex that a regular person would need a background in human anatomy and dissections just to scrape by, so this method was actually quite mild in comparison.
To an innocent young maiden, it was still a hard pill to swallow, but I forced myself to treat it as an emergency. If I added my years from my previous life, I was pushing forty, even if my physical body was currently in its prime.
"Well, it’s not like I’ve had a chance to enjoy my youth anyway."
I truly hated men. I’d endured that nauseating reverse harem only to achieve my goals, but thanks to this pervy monkey-turned-severed-head, everything was falling apart. It reinforced a feeling I held deep in my soul: I really, really hated men.
There was no time to waste. I needed to find a place away from prying eyes, quickly restore this decapitated guy, throw him at Belial, and save Mariana while ensuring the barrier couldn't be reconstructed.
I continued down the corridor, dragging his body along while cradling a head that was far heavier than it looked. Right outside Brave’s waiting room, I practically tripped over an unexpected obstacle.
"…You are Patricia Kindred."
"Gah…"
It was Alicia Gran Oldwood—the silver-haired girl with a "bombshell" figure that put every other student to shame. As usual, she was irritatingly stacked. I won't specify where, but regardless, I had a history of using every dirty trick in the book to steal her fiancé in the past.
To make matters worse, the head in my arms belonged to her current fiancé. I knew instantly that this would lead to a massive misunderstanding. Given how silent the stadium was, I assumed Belial had knocked everyone out. Why was she standing there looking so composed?
"—Laguna?!"
The moment she saw what I was holding, her expression shattered into pure panic, and she dropped into a combat stance.
"So you're the one behind this!"
Good grief, explaining this was going to be a nightmare. The sheer absurdity of the situation made my head spin. She hadn’t even witnessed that pointless death match between Edward and Brave where nobody gained a thing. I’d always thought so, but this woman had the absolute worst timing in the world.
That was why, in both the game and this reality, she always ended up in a position where her fiancé was stolen before she even realized what was happening.
House Oldwood was essentially a branch of House Continent—a rare lineage that had imported blood from outside the kingdom. They’d only been elevated to the rank of Duke after House Continent was exiled. Because their Sage blood was so diluted, yet still vital for the Guardian Barrier, they were the weakest of the four great houses.
Perhaps that was why. Precisely because their blood was thin, all sorts of misfortunes found their way to them in this convenient world created by the Ancient Sage. The antagonists who got the short end of the stick in that world were always those who weren't of the direct bloodline.
Well, I didn't know the truth for certain. Personally, I believed the inside of the barrier was nothing but a miniature garden.
In this timeline, she hadn’t been possessed by a demon, she bore no grudge against me, and she was living peacefully while accepting the situation; maybe she was just born under a star of bad luck. Either way, she was a troublesome woman to me. For some reason, she was also with Mariana twenty-four-seven; she really was someone I disliked.
"It’s wise of you not to attack me without a word, isn't it?"
I held my ground slightly while meeting her eyes, but unlike in the game world, she didn't let her resentment run wild and attack me recklessly.
"If someone managed to kill Laguna, I wouldn’t stand a chance anyway," she said.
"Good call."
"If this is the result of a battle, then I have to accept it."
Alicia bit her lip, trembling with suppressed frustration, yet she maintained her dignity. Well, I suppose that’s the kind of resolve you develop after being involved with the Brave family. If she had kept a tight rein on him, things wouldn't have become such a nuisance, but it was too late now.
"However, I’m taking his remains," Alicia continued. "I’ll return to the Brave Territory, give him a proper burial, and take over as head of his house. I’ll protect the place he loved."
Her attempt to force herself to be strong was a bit irritating, but she seemed like a completely different person compared to the game. Was that because of Brave? While he seemed to be rushing headlong like an idiot, it looked like they had been getting along quite well behind the scenes. Weren't they having the most successful romance in this crazy world?
Well, I didn't care about other people's love lives. It was a blessing that I didn't have to force her to listen if she was composed enough to hear me out.
"I don't know what you've got in your head, but I didn't kill him. In fact, he’s still alive, and I’m about to put this idiot back together."
"What...?"
"Here, hold this. It’s heavy."
I shoved the idiot's head at the bewildered Alicia and nudged her away from the door.
"Look closely."
"…There's no blood, and his color is good… It's as if he's merely sleeping?"
To be alive in this state—his vitality was so far beyond human, it was unbelievable. The moment Alicia held him, the parts of the body I was dragging twitched slightly. He had been expressionless while I was carrying him, but now his face looked somewhat happy as he slept, which was irritating.
Is being held so close he’s buried in those huge breasts really that great? You pervy monkey.
"Good grief, don't blame me if we don't make it in time, okay?"
Leaving it at that, I entered Brave's exclusive waiting room, accompanied by Alicia who was cradling the head.
"Lend me the head. Also, you can leave now; I'll handle this on my own. Come back in about five minutes. He'll be back to normal by then."
"No. I will watch closely to make sure you don't do anything strange."
Alicia clutched Brave's head to her chest, refusing to budge. I didn't intend to do anything strange, but it was a hassle to have his current fiancée watching me while I had to kiss this guy. Even if it was part of the treatment, people always find a way to grumble about these things later, so I wanted to avoid showing her if possible.
"My Recovery Magic requires an exchange of bodily fluids—saliva, for example. In other words, a kiss."
"A k-kiss...?"
"So, I need the head. Will you hand it over?"
However, even after I said that, Alicia squeezed Brave's head tighter and showed no intention of letting go.
"Wait."
No way. You have to be kidding me.
"You two... even though you're living together, you haven't even shared a kiss yet?"
"…Is, is that a problem?"
Alicia muttered, looking down while her ears turned a deep shade of crimson. She looked surprisingly cute. I'm not usually the type to like the serious, class-representative types, but somehow, I felt a twinge of something like sympathy.
Is this girl actually a virgin? For real? I had decided from the start to crush this woman and had supposedly shut off all emotion toward her, yet my heart stung.
"Then just hurry up and get it over with."
"…Ugh, I was so sure I'd wait until things were peaceful. I never imagined it would happen like this…"
Does a kiss really require that much resolve? These two hadn't made nearly as much progress as I’d assumed. Were they actually this innocent? Apparently, in the middle of this hellish world, these two were the only ones starring in a romantic comedy.
I didn't get it. At any rate, she just needed to hurry up and kiss him.