Although the room was empty, I knew from past experiences.
That beyond that transparent wall, there was someone who made me hurt and someone who made me feel better.
The man with silver hair was the one who made me hurt.
He gave orders to break my body in various ways with a very indifferent voice.
He was the one who inserted a needle that made me feel as if my insides were melting in excruciating pain.
Every time the man with silver hair did something, I always had to endure the pain.
Every time I felt pain, flames would burst from my body without my will,
and every time I felt pain, the flames would burn hotter.
Then the man with silver hair would look pleased.
I hated the pain, and I hated the man who was pleased by making me hurt.
However, there was someone I didn't hate.
A man with hair that wasn't silver and ears that weren't pointed.
I knew that he was the one who made me feel better whenever I was in pain.
That's why I didn't hate him.
The man with silver hair was nowhere to be seen, and only he stood beyond the transparent wall.
Today, he made me feel better again.
So I thought I wanted to do something for him and tried to communicate with him for the first time.
When I pressed myself against the wall and knocked to make a sound, the man looked over.
I stared straight at him, remembering how the man with silver hair used to look pleased when flames burst from my body.
So I made flames burst from my body.
Something I had been able to do for a while.
I hadn't shown it to anyone else yet.
The man was startled and looked at me.
His expression didn't seem particularly pleased, so I extinguished the flames.
[Number 10, what did you just do?]
When the voice echoed in the room, I made the flames burst from my body again and then extinguished them.
[Can you control your ability...? Anyway, did you show it to me on purpose?]
I nodded at his question.
He had a strange look on his face.
[...Why?]
I pointed at the man.
Then I pointed at the spot where I had received the injection today.
It had been incredibly painful, but after he came and left, it didn't hurt anymore.
I couldn't remember clearly because of the strange fumes I had inhaled.
[Because I treated you? So you showed it to me as a thank you?]
I nodded, and the man, for some reason, looked very pained.
After that day, every time he treated me, he would apologize.
*
"Are you okay? If you're not feeling well, don't push yourself and go rest in the infirmary."
I had been spacing out during the meal, and Mei, who was sitting to my right, seemed worried and said this.
Sylvia, who was sitting to my left, also nodded in agreement with Mei.
"That's right. You just got out of the hospital not long ago. You should be more careful with your health. If you feel even a little off, don't push yourself and take a rest."
"......I'm really fine. I've just been having a lot of dreams lately, so I'm a bit dazed."
"That's a relief, but you really need to be careful. If you collapse, it could be a big problem."
Even though I answered, Sylvia and Mei still looked worried.
It's really because of the dreams, so there's no need to worry.
I've been having dreams every night to the point where I wonder if I've ever had so many in a row.
Most of them are nightmares where I get hurt, so sometimes I feel dazed even after waking up due to the aftereffects.
But it's not bad enough to go to the infirmary.
I thought this while looking at the person who really looked like they were struggling.
"Hehe, Miss Scarlett, it's about the prosthetic arm. The sisters and brothers found it interesting, so they all stuck together to help. So, it might be finished earlier than expected. The craftsmen worked through the night, and the progress has been really fast. So, it might be done in 2-3 days?"
Did he work through the night because of that?
He had said he would try to finish it quickly, but I didn't expect him to go this far.
No matter what, there's no need to push himself to the point of hurting his body...
"It's fine even if you take your time. You need to take care of yourself while you work."
"Hehehe, well, I can't really control myself right now."
In response to my words, Jesse let out a laugh that sounded a bit off.
Not understanding what he meant by not being able to control himself, I stayed silent, and Jesse spoke again.
"Hehe, our family has a bit of dwarf blood, which is rare. So sometimes, the instincts of that side come out. Dwarves have a period where they have an intense desire to focus on making something, though it's not well-known. I happened to be in that period, so I ended up staying up all night."
"......Is there such a period? That's interesting."
Sylvia, who had been listening, asked Jesse with curiosity.
In response, Jesse looked at Sylvia with a manic smile and replied.
"Elves and human women also have it once a month, right? When the spirit comes to visit."
I didn't understand what he meant by "when the spirit comes to visit" and was dazed, but then I saw the shocked expressions of Sylvia and Mei and realized.
It must be a euphemism in this world.
The magical dwarf Jesse was grinning widely, as if he didn't care.
"Hehe, maybe this is how they relieve the stress from that period. They usually become a bit more sensitive, but if they have something to make, it helps them focus on that instead. This time, it's a bit more intense, so I stayed up all night. Honestly, my hands are still itchy. I want to go home and work on the prosthetic arm..."
Jesse spoke in a slightly unhinged tone, and Mei and Sylvia looked at him with understanding.
It seemed I was the only one who was taken aback by the situation.
At times like this, I'm reminded that I've changed genders.
I haven't experienced it myself yet...
"Thinking about it makes it hard to hold back. Ah! I want to make the prosthetic arm!"
"......You really don't look well. I'll take you to the infirmary whether you like it or not. Jesse, come with me."
"Whaaat!"
Mei quickly finished her meal and, seeing that Jesse was barely eating, dragged him to the infirmary.
As I watched Jesse being dragged away, making strange noises, Sylvia glanced at me and said,
"......Elves don't have such peculiar quirks. I'm not affected by the spirit's visit because of my spirit magic, so you don't need to worry about me."
...I thought it was a bit strange that she could block the spirit's visit with spirit magic.
*
After finishing my meal, I was on my way to the infirmary to consult with the nurse because I was a bit concerned about something.
"This way is towards the infirmary. Are you not feeling well?"
Yun Siwoo, who had just come in from the front door on the first floor, looked at me with a worried expression.
It seemed he was worried about me for various reasons, probably because of my arm.
"......It's nothing serious. I just have something to talk about."
I stiffened a bit as I answered, still feeling awkward around Yun Siwoo.
"......Hey, if it's a problem, do you want to talk to me about it?"
He had seemed a bit awkward around me too, but maybe something had changed.
Yun Siwoo asked tentatively, with a slightly hopeful look.
"It's fine. It's a problem that you can't solve anyway."
"You never know. Maybe I can help. You said you'd listen to my problems last time, so I can listen to yours too."
He must have said that because of what I said in front of the mart last time.
I knew it was a problem he couldn't help with, so I decided to just brush it off.
"It's because my period hasn't come this month. That's it."
It had been about a month since I became a woman.
I didn't particularly want to experience it, but I was on my way to the infirmary to consult because I thought it might indicate a health issue.
Yun Siwoo, being a man, naturally couldn't help with this.
Because it was a sensitive topic, I left him standing there, stiff as a statue, and went into the infirmary.
When I told the nurse, she said there could be various reasons, but it might be due to the strain on my body.
"It's probably not because of nutritional imbalance."
Looking at the nurse, I wondered if I should start eating something other than the host's food.
After telling Jesse, who was lying in the infirmary, to rest, I came out to see Yun Siwoo still standing there like a statue.
He's a strange one.
*
[Sator Astra here.]
[I'm contacting you to see if I can get a container filled with the demonic aura from the corpse disposal company.]
[Is it for research? Of course, it's for research. What use would I have for such a thing?]
[You're willing to grant it? Thank you. I will always wish for the prosperity of Dolos.]