I Opened an Illegal Animal Hospital in Another World - Chapter 140

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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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140

Chapter 28. We’ve Reopened! (3)

No one came over. Instead, screams that could rival a haunted house erupted.

“Aaahhh!”

“Aaaahhhhh!”

When I joined in screaming, Leon turned to look at me in surprise.

“Why? Why? Did you bump into something?”

“…I’m the one who opened the door, so where would I bump into…”

“If it’s you, Shana, it’s possible.”

“Don’t say it like you’re encouraging me when you’re actually insulting me.”

While talking, Leon closed the door behind me. Though it was amusing how he acted as if blocking our escape route, his action was wise. A child who had tried to transform into a small cat and slip through the gaps was now stuck flat against the wall.

“Gh, gh, ghost…!”

“No, when dead people move around, they’re called zombies!”

“Aren’t undead monsters? Is Shana cursed?”

“That can’t be… There should be a funeral going on!”

The children huddled together and whispered. With me right in front of them, calling me a ghost, zombie, monster…

Ted, the oldest among them, twitched his nose and sniffed before saying.

“But it smells like Shana.”

“Don’t be fooled, Ted!”

“It’s all to bewitch us…!”

“But Leon is with her too!”

Leon quietly muttered “with her…” I stayed still, wanting to try bewitching them once, and suspicious gazes poured down on me. How fun.

But I couldn’t keep watching forever. The fact that the children were still here meant Ron hadn’t completely relocated yet. I smiled kindly, but for some reason, the children became terrified.

It was such a novel reaction I’d never experienced before that I almost laughed.

“It’s been a while. Where are Renate and Ron?”

“A, are you really Shana?”

“Yes. Look at Leon!”

“Lies! Evelyn isn’t here!”

Ah. It seemed Leon wasn’t sufficient as my ID.

“Evelyn will come soon too!”

“Gasp, really…?”

When I said Evelyn would come soon after they mentioned she wasn’t here, they got scared. Like young children afraid of goblins, they looked around as if Evelyn might appear through the walls.

“They said Shana died…”

“Did Ron lie?”

“No! Renate said so too!”

“No! Renate just stayed quiet! Only Ron explained!”

“No! If Ron was wrong, Renate would have hit him!”

At least I understood Ron and Renate’s relationship well.

“Joy, where is Renate?”

“You’re really Shana, right…?”

“Yes, I am!”

Joy, the youngest, seemed to choke up as tears welled in her eyes and she rushed to hug me.

“I believed Shana couldn’t have died! Really!”

“Thank you.”

“Ron will come soon. He said he’d take the youngest children first. He said we need to get out of the capital first.”

“What about Renate?”

“Renate too…”

Joy was a squirrel beastfolk. Her large ears perked up and her bright eyes looked over my shoulder. He’s here. Leon cleared the way in front of the door. Then the door burst open and Ron’s booming shout erupted.

“*Damn, what fucking bastard is it this time! Let me see…”

“Hi, Ron!”

“Gasp…”

Ron froze like a stone statue.

Seeing his pale complexion, it seemed he thought he was seeing a ghost just like the children did. His face changed color dozens of times while he opened and closed his large mouth.

So that’s really possible, and since his face is big, the color changes are clearly visible too…, I watched while having slightly rude thoughts.

“Y, y-you you you’re…”

His tongue seemed frozen too.

Ron, who had been looking back and forth between me, Leon, and Joy in my arms, suddenly looked behind him in surprise.

“N, no! Don’t come, Renate!”

“Move. Why are you…”

Renate appeared behind Ron.

The handsome man with white hair and purple eyes spotted me immediately. I tried to greet him cheerfully like I did with Ron, but seeing Renate, no playful words came out.

Not in front of that face frozen with shock, longing, and guilt.

My heart aches with pangs of conscience…

“…It seems like illusion magic, Renate. It, it might be a monster like a ghost or zombie…”

Ron was at exactly the same mental level as the children. Renate looked at Ron with disbelief for a moment, but he also seemed unable to believe that I had returned alive.

Instead, Renate spoke to Leon, who was standing beside me.

“What did you bring with you, Leon. Has the duchess already gone mad and created a homunculus?”

“…That sounds so plausible I can’t even laugh…”

Leon answered with a laugh of disbelief.

No way. Mother wouldn’t do something so foolish. Using someone as a substitute wouldn’t make anyone happy.

‘Though I’m hardly one to talk, considering I tried to see even an illusion of Mina.’

That concludes my self-introduction.

When Leon’s reaction was lukewarm, Renate’s eyes instantly turned fierce.

“What are you here for. Now that Shana has… disappeared, there should be no relationship between Wentworth and us.”

“Well, about that…”

Leon deliberately dragged out his words. Renate frowned, thinking he was teasing him. Meanwhile, I was getting choked up and sniffling for no reason because Renate couldn’t bring himself to say I was dead.

“Leon.”

“Oh, scary.”

“Don’t even think about joking around.”

“Ah, I know. As if I’d dare get beaten up. Come on, Shana. Tell him yourself.”

Renate glared at Leon as if he was about to kill him.

“What kind of bastard would pull such a vicious prank.”

“Renate.”

“…”

Renate’s fierce gaze now turned toward me. I must have unconsciously shrunk my shoulders, because Joy, who was in my arms, glared at Renate.

“Renate! Why are you being so scary!”

She wrapped her arms around my head protectively, which blocked my vision. And made it a bit hard to breathe.

“J-Joy. I appreciate it, but I’m fine.”

“But! Renate is being too mean! I almost wet myself! So scary!”

“Renate has never been scary. It’s okay, I need to talk, so let me go. And if you wet yourself now, I’ll be in trouble…”

Only then did Joy release her arms from around my face.

“If you get scared, hide behind me, okay?”

“Okay, okay.”

Such a cute kid. This is why I melt. I set Joy down on the ground and looked at Renate. Ron said while trembling.

“Shana, if you lost your life because of us and hold a grudge…!”

“I told you I’m not a ghost, and I’m not a demon either.”

Now Ron was starting to look a bit cute too. I lightly tapped Ron’s forearm. Ron was startled.

“You’re warm! C-could it really be true…”

I walked past Ron and stood in front of Renate. Renate was looking at me without saying anything, still seeming to doubt whether I was real.

“I didn’t die.”

“…I saw your corpse.”

“It was fake. Made by the Demon Clan.”

“…”

“Can’t believe it?”

I thought I’d need to show him the healing clay to make him believe, so I raised my hand. I was going to gather healing clay in my palm to touch him and check if he was injured, but before I could touch him, my wrist was grabbed.

“Don’t.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t waste your life uselessly! Treating these idiots, what little life you have left…”

“I won’t use my life anymore.”

“What the hell are you trying to accomplish by doing such things?!”

“Oh, so now you believe me?”

Renate frowned as if extremely frustrated. He’ll get wrinkles on that handsome face.

“Whether you’re real or fake, since you bothered to appear before me, I suppose I should listen to your complaints.”

“But I am real…”

“Shana.”

Renate spoke in a serious tone. I felt like a student being scolded by a teacher. I unconsciously stiffened and answered “Yes,” which made him let out a short sigh.

“If we had known your power was based on your lifespan, none of us would have asked for your help. Even if we died, we wouldn’t want to live by feeding on your life, especially not yours.”

“That’s exactly why I wanted to help…”

“I said we didn’t want it!”

He’s getting angry again. Renate was apparently more hot-tempered than I thought.

“Damn it, how could you hide something like that? How could you just leave like that! Knowing full well we’d be watching, how could you throw away your life treating that bastard!”

I thought he had a cold and calm personality.

“I really wasn’t planning to die.”

“The result is what matters.”

“Since I didn’t die, the result is good too!”

“…”

The people around me are really good at cursing with their eyes.

“My life was the price, but I really didn’t use much of it! I had it all calculated out!”

“Whether it’s a little or a lot. You don’t know how precious and heartbreaking those few minutes, those few seconds before death are.”

“….”

“Shana. Promise me. That you’ll never use this power again.”

Renate looked like he wouldn’t let go of my wrist until I gave him a definitive answer.

Since I didn’t want to make that promise, I changed the subject.

“I thought you’d be more surprised that I came back alive.”

“I was surprised.”

What a blatant lie without even trying to make it sound convincing.

When I looked at him with a sulky expression, Renate sighed as if he had no choice, then pulled my head into an embrace just like Joy had done. Unlike with Joy, I could still breathe.

Renate very carefully stroked my hair and pressed the back of my head firmly with his large palm. I obediently let myself be held as he guided me, wrapping my arms around his neck.

However, Renate didn’t just settle for a hug.

“Shana, promise me.”

“I won’t use my lifespan.”

“….”

“I’ll draw from the Demon Clan’s lifespan instead. That works, right?”

“What?”

The miraculous survival story briefing, round two, began.

Renate was an excellent listener and questioner. Only after interrogating me thoroughly from start to finish did he promise to completely halt the Beastfolk relocation plan from Rierem District.

Renate had really been planning to leave the capital with all the Beastfolk under Ron’s protection. When I asked why he didn’t attend the funeral.

“I couldn’t figure out what face I should make for that kind of final farewell.”

“….”

“…Maybe I just didn’t want to accept that you were dead.”

Renate’s eyes widened.

“If you pull something like that again, know that you’ll die by my hands.”

“Either way, I end up dead…?”

“Damn it, stop talking about dying.”

“Says the one who just threatened to kill me.”

“…Seeing how you won’t back down from a single word, you really are Shana…”

I got verified through something strange.

And so I got my hospital’s potential patients back.

Please don’t leave, dear customers.

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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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