After Steven actually installed a smart toilet in Skadi's dorm, she looked at him with an entirely different expression—one filled with disbelief.
"You… you're really not an Ægir?"
She scrutinized Steven from head to toe with doubtful eyes.
To be honest, if he had claimed to be from Ægir, it wouldn't have seemed out of place at all.
Otherwise, back in Iberia, people wouldn't have mistaken him for one.
Ironically, it was precisely because he had no obvious animal traits that he was more prone to being misidentified.
"I'm not, but I am quite curious about this Ægir you speak of. If I ever get the chance, I'd really love to visit that country."
Steven shook his head.
He was an earthling, through and through—completely unrelated to this world.
However, as soon as the name Ægir was mentioned, no one noticed the subtle shift in Gladiia's expression.
Her gaze wavered for a split second, but it was quickly concealed beneath her deep-seated reliance on Steven as her father.
"Maybe… but at least for now, I have no idea how to return there. Perhaps the Second Company Captain knows, but in her current state…"
Skadi's initially cheerful expression darkened again upon hearing Steven's words.
She sighed helplessly and turned to look at Gladiia, who stood beside Steven.
"It's okay, you can't force these things," Steven reassured her with a smile. "At the very least, you're all still together as companions. That in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, is it?"
Steven had already examined Gladiia and Specter's physical conditions earlier.
The latter still had a severe level of Originium infection, but it hadn't reached a life-threatening stage. As for Gladiia, her body was in perfect health.
There was only one possible conclusion—both of them were deliberately refusing to recall their past memories.
Just how painful must their memories be for their subconscious minds to completely reject them?
"I suppose that's one way to think about it."
Skadi sighed again, but at least now she had someone to share her concerns with.
Steven might not have been Gladiia's real father, but Skadi could tell that his care for her was completely genuine.
He probably hoped she would regain her memories too, right?
Just as she was having these thoughts, Specter, who had been unconscious after Steven's knockout strike, finally opened her eyes.
She rubbed her neck as she slowly sat up from the bed.
Even though Steven had controlled his strength, her neck was still sore.
After all, considering her physical endurance, there was no way she could've been knocked out with just a light tap.
"Ah~ What a delightful pain… only through suffering can I truly feel alive."
Muttering in an almost deranged and melodramatic tone, Specter gave Steven his first true glimpse into what an unstable mind sounded like.
Honestly, Steven had always been aware that people often questioned his own sanity, but compared to someone like this, he suddenly felt quite normal.
At the very least, he would never say something so bizarre out loud in front of everyone.
"Oh… it's you, isn't it? What a fateful encounter this is… Was it you who bestowed this pain upon me?"
Specter looked up at Steven, her red eyes gleaming with a mixture of obsession and anticipation.
"Please… do it again. Let me return to the endless darkness once more."
Specter quickly took notice of Steven standing nearby. Covering the side of her face with one hand, she made a slightly unhinged request.
"She's… asking me to beat her up again?"
Steven scratched his head.
His Language Localization Mod was powerful, but riddles and vague phrases were still a pain to decipher.
After running through every possible interpretation, this was the only logical conclusion he arrived at.
"She always speaks nonsense like this, even when she's 'normal.'"
Hearing Specter's words, Skadi could only sigh in exhaustion, rubbing her forehead as she stopped Steven—who was already rolling up his sleeves and getting ready.
"Is that so…"
Steven sighed in disappointment, reluctantly pulling back his eager fists.
His gaze swept over Specter once more, taking in her appearance.
Like the other two Ægir hunters, she had white hair and red eyes.
However, her attire—a nun-like outfit—made it less likely for others to mistake her identity at a glance.
It was only now that Steven realized—among the three hunters, she was the smallest and frailest-looking one.
Yet, her crazed eyes, laced with a strange sorrow, made her seem like the most tragic of the three.
According to what Kal'tsit had once told him, Specter was captured by the so-called "Church of the Deep" and subjected to inhumane experiments. She was tortured until her mind finally shattered, leaving her in this state.
In other words, she was pitiful.
Really, really pitiful.
"You think if I extract all the Originium from her body, she'd get better?"
Steven met Specter's manic yet lost gaze before turning to ask Skadi.
If nothing else, Skadi seemed to care deeply for her comrades. If he did this for Specter, maybe it'd count as repaying a favor.
"I don't know. You should ask Doctor Kal'tsit or the others about that. But… if what you do is for Shark's sake, I'll be sure to thank you."
Skadi's reply was simple and blank, showcasing her lack of medical knowledge. All she knew was that she'd be grateful if Steven helped.
"Alright, then it's settled. Consider it repayment for taking care of Gladiia."
Steven nodded, making up his mind. Plus, it'd be a good opportunity to study this so-called Originium-Crystal.
After coaxing the ever-clingy Gladiia and entrusting her back to Skadi—who was starting to resemble an exhausted babysitter—Steven finally left the infirmary.
Since he had already made his decision, consulting Warfarin and the others would be the logical next step. After all, Specter was their patient—if he just operated on her without permission, that'd be pretty disrespectful.
But before that… a quick trip back to his dorm sounded like a good idea.
He had been running around all day—a short rest was long overdue.
Yawning with half-lidded eyes, Steven lazily headed back to his quarters, his legs moving almost on autopilot.
After spending so much time on Rhodes Island, he had already memorized most of the routes by heart.
Returning to the room that Kal'tsit had arranged for him last time, Steven stretched lazily as he pushed open the door—only to be greeted by the sight of a white-haired girl sitting at the edge of his bed, clearly surprised by his sudden arrival.
To be precise, she was a rather adorable white cat-fox wearing headphones.
Somewhat puzzled, he took a step back and glanced at the room number just to be sure. Once he confirmed that this was indeed the same room assigned to him before, he turned back to meet the girl's equally uncertain gaze.
"Kal'tsit… didn't change my room, did she?"
Steven wasn't exactly a stranger to this girl. In fact, in a way, he was her lifesaver.
But the fact that she was sitting in his room like this was a bit unexpected.
He'd heard stories about foxes taking human form to repay their benefactors—was he finally experiencing this kind of good fortune firsthand?
A slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he walked into the room.
Retrieving a folding chair from his backpack, he sat down and casually observed the girl, who was now looking visibly uneasy.
He hadn't taken a good look at her before, but now that he did… she truly lived up to the reputation of foxes.
Even though she looked quite young, and her naturally cold expression made her seem a bit distant, it was impossible to deny that she was a stunning beauty.
Her black-and-red windbreaker should have been tightly wrapped around her body, but instead, she had carelessly draped it over her shoulders, revealing her smooth, delicate collarbones.
And as for the black stockings that clung to her long, slender legs… they exuded a certain allure that made it hard not to want to reach out and feel them.
As realization dawned upon her regarding who he was, she hastily removed her headphones, stood up from his bed, and awkwardly gave him a small nod.
"Are you… Dr. Steve?"
Her voice held a hint of excitement, but more than that, it carried an indescribable sense of gratitude. The coldness in her eyes had noticeably softened.
"Ah, well… unless there's someone else on this island with the same name, I'd say you've got the right guy, Miss Fox-who-barges-into-other-people's-rooms."
Steven flashed her a friendly smile.
He already had a good idea why she was here, but the suddenness of the situation had still caught him off guard.
She might look cool and distant, but she was actually quite straightforward when it came to taking action, huh?
Resting his chin against his palm, he patiently waited for her explanation.
"I, um… I'm sorry for intruding," she started, her tone slightly flustered. "I was just… really excited when I heard you were back. Dr. Warfarin told me that my treatment fees were already covered by Dr. Kal'tsit, but I still felt that—no matter what—I should come and thank you in person."
After delivering her rushed and somewhat breathless explanation, the girl—Frostleaf—let out a small sigh of relief, patting her chest as if to regain her composure.
"Is that so?"
Steven chuckled softly.
So she really did come all this way just to repay a favor?
<+>
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