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Chapter ~ 06
After arriving at this mansion — or rather, our hideout — there hadn’t been any real need for me to use my superhuman strength, so the others probably didn’t have a proper sense of it.
From what I could tell, “healing” was the skill they all needed most desperately.
In contrast, Isis had seen my strength firsthand, and he’d brought me here thinking it would be useful to have someone that powerful on his side.
He didn’t even know I had another skill — “Healing.”
From his perspective, I must’ve been like hitting the jackpot.
He thought he’d picked up gold, but it turned out to be a diamond instead. Something like that.
As everyone stared at me with puzzled expressions, I just shrugged my shoulders.
I could say with confidence that, in emergencies, I was pretty good at thinking on my feet and acting fast.
“From what I’ve seen, Larianna is someone who can definitely take care of herself.”
“……”
Isis said it with such certainty that Luca, who’d been about to argue, shut his mouth again.
Once more, I realized something important—
‘These people really listen to Isis.’
Isis was clearly the leader here.
Just a few words from him completely changed the atmosphere.
Even without further discussion, the outcome of this meeting was already decided.
As I quietly waited for the final verdict, Isis suddenly asked,
“Larianna. What do you want to do?”
“…Huh?”
“Do you wish to stay here at the mansion, or go outside and move with us?”
…Wait. I have a choice?
I blinked slowly, and he continued,
“We’ll prioritize your opinion above all else.”
For a moment, I went blank.
I mean… going outside is terrifying.
The creatures are terrifying.
This place is safe — I like that.
But I do have power.
The power to heal others. The power to protect myself.
Even if it still doesn’t feel entirely real.
Besides…
‘Don’t forget — my goal is to raise Isis’s affection level.’
To raise it, I have to stay close to him.
Get close, help him out, and the points will go up fast!
I sighed and took a deep breath. The answer was already clear — I just didn’t want to admit it.
“I’ll go with you.”
“…!”
[‘Isis Clentain’ affection +3!]
[Current affection: 9 / 100]
“Then that settles it,”
Isis declared, and the discussion concerning me was wrapped up.
Luca still looked a little dissatisfied, but since I was the one who agreed, he didn’t add anything further.
“Then, Larianna should focus on skill training for now.”
“Skill training?”
Super strength, sure — but how do you train healing?
I tilted my head in confusion, and he explained,
“Luca will help with the healing skill, and Jade and I will help with your strength.”
“Okay.”
“For now, let’s focus on getting you fully adjusted here.”
“Got it.”
The meeting continued afterward —
discussing how much food we had left and which empty mansions should be scouted next.
I didn’t know much about any of it, so I just perked up my ears and listened carefully.
Four in the afternoon.
Bright sunlight poured in — far too nice a time of day to be doing absolutely nothing.
‘Isis said I should rest and get used to this place, but…’
It had already been three days since I started wandering around, exploring every corner.
I’d memorized the layout perfectly, and honestly, I was starting to feel guilty just eating and resting.
Everyone else seemed to be working hard.
So, I started cleaning.
There wasn’t any particular reason — I’d just noticed some dust nearby, and cleaning was something anyone could do.
I picked up a rag from the supply room and began wiping the window frames, but that’s when Marsha saw me.
She ran toward me, looking horrified.
“What are you doing!?”
What’s with that reaction?
As I blinked in confusion, she sighed heavily.
“Why are you cleaning? You’re supposed to be resting!”
“…Isn’t cleaning something anyone can do?”
Was this really something to get so worked up about?
Before I could even react, she snatched the rag out of my hands.
“You can do other things. Cleaning and cooking are my jobs — leave them to me.”
“…Okay.”
Dazed, I let her take it and wandered down the hallway, about to head back to my room — when someone tugged at my arm.
“Sis.”
It was Yenia.
“Oh, Yenia. Are you bored? Want to play with me?”
She nodded, then grabbed my hand and started pulling me along.
When Marsha was finally out of sight, Yenia said,
“Sis, leave the cleaning to Aunt Marsha.”
“…But isn’t it hard for her to clean such a big mansion all by herself?”
“Aunt Marsha wants to do it.”
The way Yenia said it, so firmly, gave me a strange feeling — but I just nodded for now.
“Ta-da! This is my room!”
Yenia’s room looked exactly like what you’d expect for a girl her age — soft and pink everywhere.
She grabbed a stuffed toy from the corner and waved it in front of me.
“This one’s my favorite!”
A cute pink rabbit plushie.
“Really? It’s adorable.”
“Right? Its name is Kiki!”
“So, you and Kiki are friends?”
“Yep! Best friends! For four whole years!”
Watching her happily play with her doll, I smiled warmly.
Then I picked up another plush nearby and said carefully,
“Hi Kiki! Want to play with us?”
“Sure! Let’s play, Popo!”
Ah, so this one’s Popo.
We played pretend for about thirty minutes — me with Popo, Yenia with Kiki — when there was a knock on the door.
“Oh, Larianna, you’re playing with her.”
“Mary.”
Mary entered, picked up another doll by the door, and changed her voice.
“Kiki, Yenia. It’s time for dinner.”
“Kiki, it’s dinner! I’ll be right back!”
Yenia placed her doll on the sofa and dashed out of the room.
I was about to follow when Mary stopped me.
“Wait.”
“What is it?”
“Larianna, did anything… strange happen?”
“…No?”
“Really?”
She looked relieved. Why?
“Why do you ask?”
“Hmm… Do you remember Yenia’s skill — telekinesis?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“To be exact, she can control dolls.”
Ah, like a puppeteer.
“But since she’s still a child, sometimes she loses control.”
Mary hesitated for a moment, then picked up the rabbit doll on the sofa.
“This doll.”
“Kiki?”
“…It wasn’t originally pink.”
I looked closer. The coloring was even and neat — I couldn’t tell what it used to be.
“It used to be pale yellow.”
“So they dyed it?”
“Yeah.”
After a pause, she added quietly,
“Because it got stained with blood — and the color wouldn’t wash out.”
“…!!”
I froze, not knowing how to respond.
Yenia’s earlier words echoed in my head:
‘Yep! Best friends! For four whole years!’
Four years ago.
Even back then, when she was even younger, she’d already had that doll with her.
And how long ago did the creature outbreak start…?
“That doll — Yenia’s had it since before, right?”
“Yeah. It was a precious gift from her parents. I only heard about it, but when they first found her, she was clutching that rabbit doll tightly.”
“…I see.”
“While running from the creatures, blood splattered on it. No matter how much they washed it, the stain wouldn’t come out, so Marsha dyed it a similar color.”
Ah…
“That doll is Yenia’s trigger. She once lost control of her power while playing with it.”
Mary gripped my shoulder and said with a serious expression,
“So please — don’t ever say things like, ‘What a pretty color that doll is,’ around her.”
“Got it.”
“That’s all I wanted to say. Yenia’s still young — we just have to look out for her.”
As I left the room, my eyes caught on the pink rabbit again.
For some reason, it didn’t look so cute anymore.
It felt like I’d narrowly avoided another disaster without even realizing it.
My skill training finally began.
Since healing was the more urgently needed ability compared to super strength, I decided to focus more on it.
That’s how I ended up in what looked like an infirmary.
“This is basically a makeshift clinic. We’ve gathered herbs and medicines for treating illnesses.”
Luca explained where each medicine was stored and how to use them.
There were so many that I started taking notes halfway through.
“Now, let’s start with the most basic healing technique.”
“Huh?”
