I Opened an Illegal Animal Hospital in Another World - Chapter 125

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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125

Chapter 25. How to Distinguish Between Dreams and Reality (3)

“Would she be happy if you died? That girl, I mean.”

“…What?”

Expressionless Evelyn was truly frightening. Normally I would have been scared, but now I’m strong too. I trusted my shell and boldly retorted.

“Then just die.”

“I’ll kill you.”

It wasn’t a threat but a notification. Where did the middle process go?

“Earlier you said you’d die. First saying you’ll die, then saying you’ll kill – how busy.”

Evelyn was the type to show through actions rather than words. Without even responding, she immediately rushed to strangle my neck. I miraculously managed to block it, but quite pathetically fell over and hit the back of my head on the ground. There was a thud.

Evelyn didn’t even give me time to swallow my groan and immediately raised her nails to strike down, but I reflexively twisted my body to dodge – if I had just stayed there in a daze, my head would have been split open.

“Evelyn, don’t make a fuss. Think about how to escape from here instead.”

“It won’t take long.”

Yeah, meaning it won’t take long to kill me….

Renate seemed to become aware of my existence only then. It was an indifferent gaze as if he’d discovered a neighborhood dog passing by, and since I’d never received such treatment from him before, it was actually refreshing.

“What’s this now?”

It’s a person. The person you saved.

“Well, seeing as she’s been captured here, isn’t she the kid Shana saved?”

“This bitch doesn’t know Lady Shana.”

Evelyn answered instead. Ugh, how vicious.

“I know her but don’t know her well.”

I thought I knew well, but now I’m not sure. The me that you all know.

“Leave her alone. Don’t waste your energy and focus on escaping from here. Damn it, why would you let her hold you back?”

Everything’s about to go to hell because I was taken hostage, so how does that become holding you back?

I was going to apologize when I saw Renate. That I was sorry for saying harsh things, that I know Renate likes and cares for me, that I felt like I had to let go back then….

“Honestly, isn’t that girl abnormal?”

“….”

Lili looked at me with surprised eyes, and cold gazes pierced down at me sharply. I wasn’t scared at all. I felt like I needed to say what I had to say to relieve this frustration a little.

“Whether she saved you or helped you, it’s natural to resent her when you’re all about to die because of her. I don’t want to die here, and demanding repayment of past kindness with your life plus interest is like being a ridiculous loan shark, isn’t it?”

“…What do you know to speak so carelessly?”

“It’s obvious just by looking. That woman who seems to have a lot of money inherited from her parents gave what she had to help you all, and you grovel saying thank you, ugh!”

I almost got punched but Ron stopped it. Ron, thank you… I won’t tease you about being a kidnapper anymore….

“Ron, let go!”

“Hey, you said it yourself! Let’s focus on finding a way to escape! Don’t waste energy unnecessarily!”

Renate definitely just cursed with words I can’t repeat. Renate was held back by Ron, gasping for breath, then glared at me fiercely.

“If you don’t know anything, shut up. You don’t know what that kid did for us.”

“Ah, I don’t know! How would I know!”

I just played hospital diligently.

“For us who aren’t affected by healing magic or divine power, the fact that kid exists is a miracle in itself. That no power works on us means the world has no intention of healing us. Do you know the feeling of only being able to watch dying comrades? Do you know the despair of not even having a way to try to save them…. Because the power granted to humans and animals alike rejects us.”

“….”

“That kid is proof that the world hasn’t abandoned us, and hope that lets us at least try to save lives.”

Even with such grand meaning attached, I couldn’t empathize at all.

I liked Renate, wanted to do anything for him, and was grateful. I liked him from the moment he embraced and saved me despite being injured.

“Personally, I didn’t like how excessively hard-working she was. That kid couldn’t enjoy what she should rightfully enjoy because she was working for us.”

“…What do you want me to do about it?”

Ah. Did I say that out loud?

“I told you to shut up if you don’t know how precious that kid is to us.”

“I don’t know. …I don’t understand at all.”

“Then shut up.”

To me, Renate was a quiet but kind adult who used to be mischievous but had strangely become strict. He often argued with Ron but stuck close to him, and sometimes whispered with my parents while working or going out drinking.

Someone who occasionally gave me snacks or small gifts like pins or ribbons, saying I’d worked hard.

I just wanted to do as much as I could for him since he was such a precious part of what made me who I am… Even if you’re grateful with such grand meaning attached, I don’t know how to respond.

Evelyn was the same. When young, she was my puppy who slept with her nose buried in my stomach, my closest friend who was always with me everywhere.

I thought to them too, I was just a cheerful and easygoing friend. Sometimes reckless but not to an unbearable degree.

I hoped they would tell me it was just that simple.

-To you, it was all superficial and shallow meaning. Unlike them.

The timing was fucking terrible.

-No, they’re about to wake you up over there. We need to time this right.

‘What are you really… Never mind. Did you take Maria somewhere safe?’

-Of course. Trust is everything in contracts. I laid her down safely in a secure civilian bedroom. Please use my services again anytime!

The person furthest from trustworthiness sure talks big. As I inwardly sneered, Seth suddenly spoke in a gentle, coaxing voice.

-Shana, did I do something unnecessary?

“…”

-This would have happened eventually, right? Nathan doesn’t have much time left anyway, so even if I hadn’t intervened, it wouldn’t have been long. If everyone kept covering their eyes, you would have lost everything without knowing anything. At least all the beastfolk gathered here would have been dead by then.

How very grateful. I’m dying of gratitude.

If he can’t understand sarcasm, that’s the level of his intelligence.

‘What do you want from doing this? You’re the strangest one.’

If you don’t like it, just say you don’t like it. I couldn’t understand the contradiction of speaking to me in an affectionate voice full of goodwill while pushing me down a path that shortens my lifespan.

After teaching me how to use this power efficiently, lately he’s been acting as if he wants me to burn through my entire lifespan as quickly as possible.

Does he think he’s some kind of sweet killer or something?

Isn’t this real gaslighting? If he says “I did it all for you” here, it would be like delivering the final blow.

But I wasn’t in the mood to listen to that bullshit. Seth’s schemes weren’t even worth worrying about anymore. Whatever he wants, I’ll do what I want to do.

Just then, Nathan was approaching me on the screen. Guessing that Seth would soon send me back there, I ignored Renate and Evelyn who were already treating me like I didn’t exist, and approached Lili.

“It seems like you and I are the only sane ones here.”

“…Don’t talk to me.”

Lili was just like when we first met. Her sunken under-eyes and bloodshot eyes were pitiful.

“I, I’m different from you. I also, I…”

Lili hugged Jake and buried her forehead against his shoulder.

“I also, like, like… I like him…”

“…I know. You were just scared of Jake dying.”

“Ugh, uuugh…”

Because Lili is timid.

Lili, who started crying until her cheeks were soaked, didn’t seem to notice that Jake’s complexion had become peaceful.

I was about to offer more comfort but backed away seeing Lili completely withdrawn. Even if I’m leaving, I should provide service until the very end.

I stood up and looked around. Renate and Evelyn already didn’t care about me at all, and I met eyes with Ron who was glancing at me warily. I smiled bitterly.

Since there are many injured kids, I should put in a generous amount of clay. Just in case Matthias doesn’t keep his promise, I planted insurance blocks one by one.

“Take good care of Renate and Evelyn, Ron.”

“Wait, don’t tell me…!”

“If you let them die, I won’t let it slide.”

Ron screamed and pointed at me, and Renate and Evelyn belatedly tried to grab me, but it was already too late. Lili called out my name with a tear-stained face.

Shana, she said. I regretted not being able to answer her.

-Shana, just so you know, your remaining lifespan is…

“Shut up.”

I don’t want to know.

***

Ah, my pathetically weak body.

I slowly opened my eyes. My eyelids felt heavy as if they weighed a thousand pounds. My head was heavy, and especially the back of my head ached with a pulling sensation.

‘It’s like when I worked four nights straight and slept all day.’

It was a dirty, sharp memory that wouldn’t be forgotten even if I were reborn.

I slowly rolled my eyes to the side. There was Nathan’s group looking at me with interest.

Nathan was sitting at the head of the bed, looking at me very affectionately and smiling. Trying to be fatal…

“Did you sleep well?”

He’s quite skilled at saying things that aren’t words as if they were words. As if you’d sleep well, you perverted murderer. I opened my lips, but unfortunately my voice wouldn’t come out well because my throat was locked up.

Because of this man, I’m now.

‘Having seen all that filthy sight…’

Maria was tortured for a whole year, and Cordelia died. I can never see that cute rabbit again.

Evelyn said she’d rather die, Renate said it wouldn’t matter if he died, I heard the kids I’d cherished say they could gladly die, Lili cried in fear… Raven got caught up and imprisoned.

All because of this bastard!

I wanted to at least spit at him, but my mouth was bone dry, making it difficult.

If I were to summarize what I want to say in short and strong terms.

If it were you, would you say you slept well when the first face you see upon opening your eyes is some stranger’s face trying to look deadly? It’s only because I know the full situation, but if I didn’t know and the first thing I saw upon waking was my fiancé’s older brother’s face, wouldn’t I be startled?

And there’s Matthias who looks like a cold-blooded killer, Brandon who looks like a smiling killer, Chloe with her haggard and fierce expression from being worn down by labor, and even Seth who keeps smiling like a cheerful clown – all surrounding me in a circle. What am I supposed to say here, humanly speaking.

“…get that ugly face away….”

Ptui.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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