Chapter 16 Healing

I was framed!

…well, no… not really, but I'm innocent!

I find myself stuck in my room. Why, you may ask?

Because Hitogami, that's why! If something goes wrong in this world, Hitogami did it! That's my motto!

But… no. Jokes aside(mostly), I'm here because shortly after my… 'tactical retreat,' from Sylphy's house, I made it home, but… well… mistakes were made.

Anyways, shortly after my retreat a peeved Paul would walk in through that house door.

///

"Rudy, what is this I hear about you and the Laws girl?!" He exclaimed.

"Dear?!" Zenith is shocked by her husband's sudden zeal.

"I heard from Laws that Rudy was caught groping Law's daughter,"

"Rudy, is that true?"

"Oy, that's not… entirely… ok, maybe…" I threw a palm out, as I contemplated my next answer.

Not that I needed to.

Well maybe a little.

"Define groping?"

"You know what groping is!"

"And I don't think what I did constitutes groping! It was a medical procedure, completely natural,"

"Alright… let me ask you this, were your hands on her butt or not?"

"...my hands were… placed on gluteus maximus…"

"That's groping!"

"Is not?"

Is so.

Shut up Conscious!

"That's it, go to your room, you're grounded!"

"What?! Why, I'm innocent!"

"Like, hell you are! I didn't raise any deviants. You're not allowed out of the premises for a week, and you're apologizing to Sylphy immediately after."

"This is absurd, like you're not groping mom's butt every chance you get, and who are you calling a deviant, you deviant!"

That's slander! Let ye who is without sin, cast the first stone, you sinner!

Slap. He struck me.

"Paul?!" someone yelled out.

You…

A sliver of anger flowed through me.

I took a look at Paul, and noticed he was as shocked at his actions as I was. Deciding I had enough of this, I made my way to my room.

"Tch."

We can both cool off with some silence.

Besides, I can always leave out the window whenever I want anyway.

///

And that's how I got stuck in my house.

Honestly, that father of mine… if it wasn't for the fact that I'm used to taking a beating during sparring, I would have been really pist-off.

Seriously, what was with that shocked look? Think carefully about your actions if you're going to regret them that much.

Still though, perhaps this is a godsend, I thought as I sat on a chair as I was looking at the fresh sight before me.

By that I mean ogling Lilia's behind.

Being confined to the premises, I have very little to do in the form of entertainment, or training, well… all but one. By that I mean enjoying the view.

Right now I'm currently enjoying Lilia's figure, or at least as much as I can make out.

Honestly, I hate that black dress. It's practical, and as such covers up her assets perfectly. Very good for cleaning, horrible for ogling.

Except, when she's bending over… then the cloth presses nicely against her rear.

Although, that's less about the cloth, and more about her natural figure.

When Sylphy's bloody unconscious body laid before me, I had to prioritize her life over anything else. Granted I could have ignored her, and left her to her fate. She was a stranger to me at the time after all, one could make an argument to leave a stranger to their fate.

You Monsters!

But I am not made of sterner stuff. Leaving her to her fate, meant death. There's no way I could have pursued Lilia, while knowing that and doing nothing.

After all, if she can't use magic, she can't fly. Can't fly, can't fight, and more than likely, in the future, when the teleportation incident would occur, would have teleported several hundred feet in the air.

Without a parachute.

Emphasis on would have. I am confident that such fate has been avoided. She's gotten so good at intermediate magic, she can do it silently. For hours, to the point of muscle fatigue. Honestly, I might have made a monster.

I'm so proud.

Still, though this grounding has been a blessing in disguise. These days I have been struggling figuring out a way to bridge the gap that I find myself in, a gap that Lilia herself wants, and now we're both stuck in the same place.

Lilia is more than happy with the current status quo. She's practically pushing me on to Sylphy.

Not an exaggeration. She literally pushed me out the door once, into Sylphy when she visited the one time. It's hard to get close to someone that keeps you at arms length.

I take a peek at Lilia's assets.

She is currently bent over wiping the kitchen counter. "A week of this huh… well, there's worst ways to spend your time,"

Now I just got to figure out how to reconnect with her.

All that said, our relationship isn't bad. In fact it's great, being kept an arm's length is different than not wanting him around at all.

At least that's what I tell myself.

But there's a line. I can clearly feel the line between employer and employee. Well… employee's son.

Sometime after that twilight by the pondside, a clear line was made.

We talk about each other's day, about me, Zenith, Paul. About the present… but never her past.

I sense a divide.

I know a bit about her, because of my past life, as well as some small bits of information I was able to leak out of her over the years. But that's just it, 'a bit,' and I have to leak it out of her.

What is her favorite color? Hobby? Parent's names? I don't know, and if I let her have her way, it will stay that way.

At first I didn't even realize that there was such a divide, relationships being something I was never an expert in, we talked, and everything would be pleasant. I would try to get her to open up to me… and the topic would be disregarded. I didn't notice.

Cases like these came again, and again, before I wised up, by then I had already started Sylphy's lessons. And Lilia now had another strategy to keep me away. It was an effective one.

Consider my feelings…

But here I am, back at the starting line.

"...Rudeus likes butts doesn't he?" A voice broke me from my brooding.

Yes! I mean, whaaaa… no you're imagining things.

I looked at the source of the question, but it's only the two of us in the room. Lilia was looking at me from the corner of her eye, her body bent over, and her hand over the counter, but no longer polishing.

"...sorry, got lost in thought,"

"Rudy gets lost in thought quite often when I'm bending over…"

There's plenty to get lost in.

"I honestly was lost in thought!"

Truth!

She gives me a small frown.

"...after I was done checking you out," I confess.

…also the truth. Can't lie to save my life, so not even going to try.

Besides, if a girl knows you're checking her out, she knows you're checking her out. Might as well embrace it. That and the fact that I'm six gives me some leeway, which I will take monstrously advantage of Thank-you-very-much!

"...I can't tell if Rudy is Bold, or stupid?" she palmed her face as she straightened herself. "Is Rudy just going to follow me all day?"

"Not like I have much better to do. Grounded, remember? I'm not even allowed to train outside," I shrugged my shoulders. "I could help out?" seeing her rinse a towel, I offered.

"It's not proper for the young master to be doing such menial tasks,"

"I'm being punished. I think this is an exception,"

She frowns, before composing herself "...is that so?" Leaving her cleaning gear she walks up the stairs.

Well… it was worth a shot. I wonder what I'll do now?

As I was thinking that, I heard footsteps coming down the stairs. A moment later, Lilia stood before me, before she threw an apron upon my lap.

"Well then Master Rudeus, I do hope you were focusing on more than just my rear, and remember how to clean,"

Well, this is unexpected, but don't think a little spring cleaning is going to drive me away.

///

"Spinning patterns master Rudeus, It's more effective,"

"I don't remember you being this bossy last time,"

"Last time you were but a child, now you are… less of a child,"

I am finishing lessons on how to clean.

Well, I did literally ask for this, but still…

Unfortunately it wasn't as steamy as I would have liked it. There was no 'accidentally,' spilled water, no 'Kya,' I touched a certain area or any other hijinks.

Where are my echi god falls dammit? My 'Kya,' moments. Is becoming an echi protagonist too much to ask? How's this for a title; I got reincarnated in another world, but I can only raise flags with Lolis?!

FBI, I'm innocent!

Where's the maid flag… sad…

"Well, at least I got the job done,"

"I suppose, although, I can't believe Master Rudy would spend his time cleaning," we make our way to the kitchen cupboard.

"What can I say, I like the company," I rinse the towel I was using.

She shakes her head in disbelief. "And I'm sure Rudy did it from the bottom of his heart,"

"Of course I- wait a minute! I can ask for a reward?!" I discarded the towel swiftly and got closer to her.

"...within reason…" She bends down, placing the cleaning equipment under the kitchen cupboard as she says this.

"I see, in that case," I lean next to the sink as she pulls her head out of there, and we look into each other's eyes.

"I want to talk about you,"

"What would master Rudeus want to know?"

"Everything, including your past" I told her.

I have every intention of finally crossing that divide, and getting to know her.

"Sigh, Rudy, I don't think-"

"Please!" My voice came out louder than intended.

Please give me a chance.

"My healing techniques, and my mana control, are on a whole other level since we stopped our sessions. If we continue, I'm confident I can heal you,"

In more ways than one.

I'm not just making up excuses, I can help her, and if we can talk a bit while doing it, the better.

"Just give me a chance, Lilia," I pressed.

Lilia is still on her knees bent down by the cupboard, as such, we are looking each other straight in the eye, at equal level. They say eyes are windows to the soul. What do you see?

"...alright," she whispered. "But it can't interfere with my duties,"

I remember.

"I know. By the way, you're finished with your duties right now… right?"

"...yes,"

I reach out for her hand. "Let's go upstairs. No one will interrupt us for a few more hours, and we can get some privacy up there," holding her hand, I led her away.

She complied.

The hurdles I go for you, but still…

I turn my head to look at her. She's a bit in a daze, but then our eyes meet…

And she turns her head to the side hiding a small blush. Still, not letting go of my hand. You might have not noticed it yet, but I'm confident I've already got a place in your heart, now I just gotta make you realize it.

…that or I really am delusional.

Well, soon we'll find the answer. I can't heal her forever after all.

Operation Lilia is a go!

///

Lilia [POV]

"Sooo," Rudy starts as we make our way into my bedroom. "How about something simple like, where were you born?"

"I was born south of the kingdom of Asura,"

"...and?" he questioned.

"And?" I asked for clarification. He asked a question, and I gave an answer. That is all.

"I mean, that's a very vague answer, was your place to the north, was it warm, full of trees, desserts, rivers? Did it smell of flowers? Do you miss it? Surely you have other thoughts attached to the place you came from?"

"Nothing, worth saying," unfolding my apron, I placed it by my bedside. There's no need to dirty my bed with dust. I decide to make my bed ready to lay on, for Rudy's healing techniques.

"Sigh, of course. You know, I don't even Know Lilia's last name," I heard his voice behind me.

"..." I stilled at that statement for a moment.

"Don't tell me,"

I turned to face him, seeing a frown appearing on his face.

"Not worth talking about," his annoyed voice came out.

I nod my head. Not worth remembering. I haven't used my last name in years, back during a time when I could have declared it with a bit of pride. A simpler time. A happier time.

Now though. Now it feels like that name belongs to a complete stranger.

"You said you'd give me a chance,"

I know what I said, but my past is off limits. The person you are interested in hearing about, is someone that doesn't exist. Ask me my favorite color or something about today, and I don't mind answering.

But ask me something about 'her,' and I must decline.

"My favorite color is purple… preferably light, Lilac to be precise," I took off my footwear, and made my way on top of my bed. That is as much as a concession I'll make for the moment.

His eyes narrowed at my concession.

"I really don't think there is anything interesting about me to talk about," I confessed.

"Maybe, but, I'd like to find that out myself, and," he leaned in, "if there really is nothing interesting about Lilia worth talking about, then I'll lose interest, and we can move on to how we were. That is what you want, right?"

"I…"

I don't know.

Rudy, following my example, takes off his footwear as well, and makes himself comfortable at the base of my bed.

I don't know how I let myself get put in these situations, but here I am; in my bed with the young master.

It's been like this since the night in the pond, he pushes, I pull away. He pulls back. I thought he'd grown tired of it, but he came back with a vengeance. Lord knows I've tried to dissuade him from chasing after me. An unrequited love is a painful experience

…or so I've read.

Truthfully, I am not experienced in matters of the heart to be able to speak of them. If it's matters of lust and pleasure I can speak of them clearly, but when it comes to one's heart, that is difficult. Young Rudy has been pursuing me for two years now, I had thought the matter was done and over with, after my subtle rejections and his pursuing of the Laws' girl.

It seems I was wrong.

When Rudy had pursued the young elven girl, and consequently, stopped our healing sessions, I thought that was the end of it, and we would return to how we were.

Then I remembered; we've only ever been one way.

And so, I got lonely.

Perhaps that's why I let him do as he pleases?

"..."

"..."

"Lilia, may I?" After a moment of silent contemplation on both accounts, he asked to begin.

"Yes…" as we've always done, or used to, I let myself relax, and let him lay his hands on me.

…massages… I mean massages…

"Lilia, my control really has improved by leaps and bounds, but I'm going to need to do things a little differently this time," he pulled out a knife. "It's a little… radical, but trust me, I do have the best intentions, sigh, I'm going to need to make a cut on your skin, it will probably hurt a little." He looked at me pleadingly. "Please trust me on this, I'll make sure to heal you properly after."

My heart stilled for a moment. Then I remembered, it's Rudy holding the knife.

"It's fine," I told him. "Rudy may act as he wishes," In response a small blush appears on his visage. It's good to know that I can still make him embarrassed.

Being at the forefront of his attacks all the time, make this petty teasing quite fun.

He holds a hand over his face. "You're affecting my concentration…" he mumbled, before refocusing himself.

Yes, I am.

"Trace on," He chanted his made up chant.

I wonder why he does that?

"Lilia, I'm going to make this as painless as possible, so I'm going to numb the skin, and muscle as much as possible before I cut your skin. It's going to be slightly uncomfortable."

"I understand,"

Like so many months ago, he touches my skin, and that familiar tingly feeling as his mana invades my body returns. Only for that feeling to change from hot to cold. My leg starts going numb, and cold, reminiscent of that of a cold winter.

Prickly.

After a while when my leg is numb to the bone, he exhales, and then he picks up the knife he laid at the side. He then makes a cut on my skin, and traces it down slowly over the area he has affected with the cold.

To think I would ever let a man lay a blade on me. It hurts, but only a little. As promised, it doesn't hurt as much as it should.

My heart beats a bit louder. I without a doubt trust Rudeus, but being so vulnerable in front of a man is still difficult.

Man?

"Lilia, I'm about to begin,"

Eh?

"I thought you already started?" I look at the wound.

"Like I said, this time it's going to be 'very,' different," he closes his eyes, calms his breathing. "Trace on," he places his hands on the wound he made, and repeats his chant once more. His mana invades my body again.

I don't see why he had to make a cut. It is almost a shame that I will have to call this another failure once more. It's getting warmer, but that is all. Besides the cut everything seems the same.

Rudeus, 'healing touch,' is quite good at muscle fatigue, and has helped me recover quite a bit of energy when he does it, but he has never 'cured me,' as he wanted. I didn't really have much hope of him ever succeeding, but I couldn't deny his effort, especially when I know how hard he works.

"Hmm," It's getting hotter.

Master Rudeu's massages always had the side-effect of warming up the area a bit, but I'm feeling hotter than usual. It seems he has improved his technique, as this is… a little… different.

"Nnh,"

It.. it's hot…

Is this how that elven girl felt?

"Ha… ha…" The warmth continues through my body… It feels dangerous. Dangerously familiar…

"R-Rudy-" I tried to ask him to stop. I need a moment to calm myself.

"Found you," he smiles with closed eyes. "Lilia, It might be painful, but please endure, the hard part is about to begin."

What do you mean the hard part is about to begin?!

"W-what do-" I'm interrupted once more, with an increase of heat and pain.

"Nnn! Ah, Ah… nnh… Nn!" I-I'm trying… trying… very hard, not to let out my voice. I have reached out my hand to my lips in an unconscious effort to muffle my moans.

It… It hurts, but it also doesn't… It's hot… but… not just that… it's…

I'm losing my mind.

"AAAHN!" I involuntarily find my body reacting as I arch my head backwards.

"Yes! Got it," he declared, before finally stopping.

"Ha… ha…"

That was… what was that?

"Are you alright Lilia?"

"...yes…"I got myself under control. "I am fine Rudy," it doesn't seem he noticed what he did to me, and it's best kept that way. Now that the 'massage,' is over, and the slight exhaustion is settling, I can say I don't feel that different from before, if only a little tired.

It's a shame, but as expected, I'll have to break Rudeus's aspirations gently once more. "So, another failure Rudy. Don't take heed of this, I'm sure-"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that,"

"What?"

He reveals the knife which he made the incision with. It's covered in a black sticky looking material. It slides off slowly, as Rudeus lets it pour into a small vial he pulled out.

"What is that?"

"This is… well, to be completely honest, I'm not really sure. Dead tissue, magically affected bone marrow. Your guess is as good as mine. But what I do know is that this," he showed the vial, "is what's been affecting your recovery. I don't know the exact mechanics of this… 'toxin,' on the human body, but the fact that I couldn't even 'feel,' it was odd." He enters the same pose he gets when teaching Law's daughter. "So it made me wonder, just what kind of thing is in your body, soo… rather than looking for it, I decided to look at everything first, see?"

"I'm not sure, I'm understanding master Rudy…"

"Right… sorry, I'm just a bit excited," he coughed into his fist. "In essence you had some blockage, and I removed it."

"...explain master Rudeus,"

"Sorry," he scratches his cheek. "When I cast my healing touch, it's a little more personal than your standard healing spell. I look, or rather feel, throughout your body as I heal it. Kind of like a spider-web… sorry if the comparison is unflattering."

"A little, but better, please continue."

"Anyways, every time I cast my magic on you, I have a vague look inside your body, just a vague outline, nothing concrete, but it's enough. Except for your leg, your leg was always… odd. Every time I would put my mana into it, I would get nothing at all. It's only much later that I noticed it was pushing me away. At first I thought it was your Toki doing it, the body's natural rejection of foreign mana, but if it were, I wouldn't be able to see anything," he points at my leg. "It was always that leg specifically, that was a blind slate to me. So I thought," he held his chin up high.

"What if I take a look everywhere else, and then 'feel' my mana into those blind spots, and wala" he presented the flask. "I found it,"

"It being?"

"No idea!"

This boy…

"My best guess it's a mage killing poison, or at least the remains of it," he places the flask back down, a murky black substance within it.

To think my body had such a thing for years.

"As I invade my magic into you over the years, I slightly got better at inspecting your body, but yet certain parts were… blurry, but now that my control is saint level, combined with this," he signals to the cut he made on my skin, "more direct approach." Placing his hand on top of it, he starts tracing it with his thumb, surrounding it in that green glow, as he heals the wound shut.

"I can now literally feel my mana pushing against that something I couldn't see before. I'm no longer just a man looking blindly in the dark. Well… technically yes, but you get what I mean…" he rubs the back of his head. "After that, everything was simply a matter of delicately pushing it out," he smiles.

"So… I am cured?"

I took a look at the vial with the murky toxin inside. It's almost unreal.

"Unfortunately no,"

Because it was.

He gets up placing the vial by the bedside. "This thing, whatever this was, is EXTREMELY resistant to mana, and combined with the fact that it had seeped into part of your bones, makes it very difficult to push out. Safely that is. I have to ride a very thin line of forcefully pushing it out, while not damaging any nerves or tendons, on my way out. Not to mention I have to let your body heal naturally, in between healing, I say two to three days, else I would have taken out the toxin, but left nothing in its place." He casts a healing spell once more on my leg.

"The problem with your body wasn't so much that you were injured, but that that toxin was blocking mana into your leg. Our bodies are naturally absorbing mana from the environment all the time, even if you're not a mage, but your leg wasn't. So all the stress you feel on your leg is because your leg isn't getting any mana, or toki, and hence weaker than the rest of your body. Like a cart with a wheel not fit for its size,"

"Master Rudeus, as thankful as I am… please refrain from talking about a woman's body in such a manner,"

"Sorry…" he coughs into his hand once more. " But yeah, I'll have to repeat this a few more times, with a few breaks in between sessions, so I can safely remove it completely without damaging your body,"

"...really?" I questioned. It's all still pretty hard to believe. After that lesson about my own body, it doesn't sound like it will be particularly easy.

"Really," he answered. "This is our first 'major,' healing seccion, so rest for a bit before you get up… and don't be afraid to ask for some healing, if you need it,"

"Yes…" A little bewildered, that is all I could do.

Rudy is like a storm, sometimes, all you can do is go with his flow. Just that rather than a disaster he brought about... a miracle?

I don't know.

I just… Rudy…

"Why? Why do you go far for me? I am just a maid. I can't repay you back, all your effort… it's a waste master Rudeus."

I am undeserving of his kindness. I am undeserving of this treatment. I am undeserving of your effort. To be pampered by the young master is unbecoming of a maid. To take so much of the young master's attention is unfitting of a maid. To be cured by the young master-how selfish!

To be this cared for…

"It's not wasted, as for why…" he stood up. "I think you know why,"

…yeah, I do… it scares me. When I pushed him away, he was still thinking of me. Rudy… you're…

He walks to the exit..

"Garidia…" quietly, in the silence of my room I say.

"Hmm?" he halts at the door.

"Garidia, that's my last name. Full name; Lilia Garidia,"

This is payment. For healing me, I can entertain him a little, and answer a few questions. It's the least I could do.

"I have to lay down and rest a bit if Rudy's assessment is correct, so if Rudy is interested… I wouldn't mind talking for a bit."

He looks shocked for a moment, before smiling, "what a coincidence, I have plenty of free time on my hands," he closes the door, and returns by my bedside, giving me that boyish smile.

I'm the one that pushed him away, but in the confines of my own head I have to admit; I missed him.

"...well, then how about we start at the beginning?"

The beginning…

"You'll grow tired…" My inner conflicts are leaking to the surface.

"We'll see," he smiled.

"I was born to two parents, Augusta and Flute Garidia…" I started talking about my life, and kept going, answering any question he would ask.

…

…Is this what I wanted? I don't know, but I don't mind finding out.