The brave Simmel wants to resign

"What third incident?"

The young nurse who was organizing the IV drip slips next to her looked up.

"Transferred to another hospital." The middle-aged nurse put her glasses back on and lowered her voice. "Transferred from a major city hospital, supposedly for 'recuperation,' but look at the result—"

She pointed to the medical record on the table with her finger.

"—Blisters and pustules, the cause of which cannot be found. Although viruses and bacteria are detected, the source of infection is completely unknown, and even if it is cured in a short time, it will inexplicably be reinfected."

"Even though the source of infection can't be detected, people still get sick. It's like a supernatural event. The city recommends 'palliative care,' which basically means sending them here to die. After all, the big hospitals in the city have quotas, and they can't let people die randomly."

The young nurse leaned over.

"'curse'?"

"Shh—" The middle-aged nurse glared at her. "Didn't the hospital director recently hire a spiritual medium? He's been doing this for almost a week now."

"A spiritual medium..." The young nurse's expression was somewhat subtle. "The hospital director believes in this? Aren't we a public hospital?"

"Shh," the middle-aged nurse said, "Alright, let's do the rounds. The old lady in 301 is doing alright today, but the one in 302..."

She paused.

"...You're coming with me."

The young nurse's expression stiffened for a moment, but she still nodded.

..............

........

I pushed open the glass door of the nurses' station and walked into that stark white corridor.

The sound of footsteps was half-swallowed by the buzzing of the fluorescent lights.

Ward 302 is at the end of the corridor.

The door was half-open.

The middle-aged nurse knocked on the door and pushed it open before anyone could answer.

"Hello, here's your temperature and blood pressure today—we'll go—"

The ward was very small.

A bed, a bedside table, and a chair.

The curtains were drawn, leaving only a crack through which the afternoon sunlight squeezed in, drawing a thin white line on the floor.

A gaunt woman was curled up on the bed.

The thin blanket covering him barely showed any movement, and the veins on his hands draped outside the blanket were bulging.

Her face was turned towards the wall, revealing only half of her profile.

She visibly trembled when she heard the door open.

"Um... hello, we're here to confirm the situation."

The nurse began asking questions about various aspects of the situation, which was a routine procedure.

For example, digestion, mobility, mental state...

But before the middle-aged nurse could finish speaking, the woman seemed to be frightened. She curled up and refused to look at the nurse at all. She even grabbed the hem of the person next to her and hid herself as if trying to escape.

The man in the light blue nursing uniform comforted the patient, while the middle-aged nurse awkwardly looked him up and down.

Her short, light blue hair was refreshing and clean.

A straight nose, gentle eyebrows and eyes, and a faint smile at the corners of his mouth make people feel at ease just by looking at him.

Such good-looking young people usually wouldn't choose to become caregivers.

Caregivers work in harsh conditions, have high work intensity, and receive low pay. To put it bluntly, unless young people have a strong passion for this field, they would rather work on a construction site than choose to become caregivers.

However, the young man in front of me seems to be the type who 'has ideals'.

He didn't do anything special, just whispered a few words of comfort, and the emaciated woman seemed to calm down.

"I'm sorry, the patient's mental state is not very good right now."

"...No, it's okay."

This young man is really amazing.

Although the woman's illness has been confirmed to be non-contagious, she has largely lost her ability to move and communicate normally, and the pustules on her body also emit a foul odor.

The nurse watched helplessly as this once pretty young woman gradually transformed into her current state upon admission. While feeling sorry for her, she also felt genuine admiration for the caregiver's natural and thoughtful care for the patient.

Some private care is still the responsibility of female nurses, but male nurses do just as much of the dirty and tiring work.

Very few people have joined recently; including this new colleague, there are only two male nursing assistants.

It's amazing how well they take care of the patients.

------

"Xia You, how's the situation on your end?"

【Well enough.】

After the two nurses left, Simmel soothed the patient to sleep, leaned against the window, and pressed one hand to the side of her ear.

Xia Youjie's voice came from inside.

The virus is spreading faster than I expected. There's not much time left; let's act quickly.

"Ah."

After Simmel arrived at the college, he spent less than a week gaining the approval of two top-ranking officers, Xia Youjie and Wutiao Wu.

After that, he spent less than a month repeatedly completing the missions and gained the recognition of the upper echelons of the sorcery world.

Simmel was very strong.

After rumors about him spread, the difficulty of the mission increased dramatically.

This case is not the same minor incident that Simmel and Nanami encountered when they partnered up.

[Special Mission]

Mission objective: Investigate the cursed spirit behind the unexplained infection at the suburban hospital, eliminate the source, and curb the spread of the cursed power.

About three weeks ago, patients in the neighborhood began to develop blisters and pustules all over their bodies. The symptoms were persistent, medication was ineffective, the source of infection was unknown, and the disease was spreading very rapidly.

Initially, the hospital treated it as an infectious disease, until reports from critically ill patients showed that some of them saw similar spirits.

—It is normal for humans to become able to see cursed spirits before they die due to external environmental stimuli.

In other words, this may not be an illness, but a curse.

However, a cursed spirit capable of infecting hundreds of people simultaneously and continuously spreading its curse effects is likely already classified as a special-grade curse.

In order to deal with the opponent, the higher-ups of the sorcery sent Xia Youjie.

Simmel is basically here to provide support.

As a result, the two investigated together but found no useful clues.

So, Simmel also started working as a caregiver inside a week ago.

With the help of sorcerers specializing in 'cognitive suggestion' techniques within the advanced sorcery department, the plan proceeded smoothly.

After a week of investigation, he finally found some clues. The cursed spirit seemed to be a murderer who had returned to the crime scene, and it would only appear at a certain fixed time in this hospital.

"Then, let's make our move tonight."

Hundreds of meters out from the window where Simmel was, this suburban hospital was nestled against the mountains. In a corner of the distant forest, Xia Youjie, sitting alone on a tree trunk, was already watching this side with binoculars in hand.

"If it's a top-tier cursed spirit, prioritize protecting civilian lives. On top of that, give me as many opportunities as possible to subdue it... Of course, before that, use your abilities first..."

【drop】

[Environmental Noise Reduction]

"...What is that sound?"

Sorry, I think I pressed and held for a while, and for some reason the notification sound popped up.

Simmel's voice came through the headphones.

Why didn't Xia You come and be a nurse with us?

"Of course, it's because I don't want to wear a nurse's uniform."

【Huh? I think it would be perfect.】

Xia Youjie didn't answer and hung up immediately.

After hanging up the phone, he couldn't stop sighing.

For the past month, the college students have been so busy they barely have time to move.

Setting off on missions, traveling for work, and then having to take care of the children upon returning—it feels even busier than the previous month.

The sweltering heat of summer was coming to an end, but Xia Youjie's mood improved somewhat.

Just as the moth said,

.........

...

It was also at this time, on my way back to the nurses' station.

"Thanks for your hard work."

"Yes, you too."

The two nurses nodded to the approaching caregiver and passed by.

After the younger nurse watched the other person walk away, she quickly leaned close to the head nurse and whispered, "Was that boy also a new caregiver? He's very handsome, but..."

"Ah."

The head nurse hesitated for a moment, "You shouldn't easily discuss this in front of others, it's said to be an injury from when you were a child."

"That scar on his head."