Chapter 391: The Bridge Lounge, One Reserved Seat
The aircraft's return to Rhodes Island didn't take long at all. After all, the landship had anchored not far from the Grand Knight Territory this time. Since relations with Kazimierz were still fairly decent, Rhodes Island didn't have to go out of its way to act all secretive and evasive like it did with Ursus.
Frankly speaking, not every nation shared Ursus' notoriously hostile stance toward the Infected. Most countries held a more… ambiguous attitude. So when it came to Rhodes Island—a company specializing in treating Oripathy—they didn't exactly treat them as enemies.
And so, Steven finally set foot on the bridge of Rhodes Island again after quite some time. The moment he stepped off the aircraft, he was greeted by a familiar—and rather peculiar—sight dangling from the ceiling of the bridge.
That snow-white hair, that petite and childlike frame… even if Steven wanted to ignore her, it was an impossible task.
"Heyyy~ Stevie boy, be a dear and plead for me, would ya? I'll treat you to a nice welcome-back party after I'm down from here~"
The instant she spotted him, the girl hanging helplessly in midair started wriggling like some kind of trapped caterpillar, trying desperately to get his attention.
The Minecrafter could only let out a long, weary sigh. He shot her a sidelong glance before turning toward Kal'tsit, who was standing nearby pretending not to have heard a single word.
If he remembered correctly, Warfarin held the position of deputy head in the medical department, didn't she? There was probably only one person on this entire ship with both the authority and the audacity to hang her up like this—and that would be the lynx right in front of him.
But Kal'tsit wasn't the type to act out of sheer spite. If she'd gone this far, she definitely had her reasons.
Noticing Steven's questioning look, Kal'tsit finally turned her head toward him, met his eyes for a moment, then shook her head and looked away.
"Don't concern yourself with her," she said coolly. "She brought this upon herself. If you knew she tried to buy a batch of strong sedatives from Closure just so she could knock you out the moment you returned, I doubt you'd feel even the slightest bit of sympathy."
Her tone was icy, but Steven could almost see the exasperation behind that calm façade.
"I feel like… that alone wouldn't be enough to justify her current predicament, though."
Steven rubbed his chin as he looked up at the poor vampire doctor swinging like a piece of cured meat hung up for the New Year. Somehow, he doubted this was just about the whole "drugging" thing—she must've done something even dumber on top of that.
As for the idea of her trying to drug him? He honestly didn't mind much. Knowing Warfarin, she was probably after a sample of his blood again. The problem was, she seemed to have forgotten one tiny detail—putting a Minecrafter like him to sleep with sedatives was easier said than done.
"You guessed right," a quiet voice chimed in beside him—it was Blaze. "After she got the drug, the first person she tested it on was Dr. Kal'tsit. That's why Kal'tsit's been lying in her office for a while now."
Kal'tsit shot Blaze a withering glare that made the woman instantly shrink back and retreat.
Steven nodded in understanding. "Ah, that makes sense. No wonder. I was starting to think Kal'tsit had suddenly turned soft. Turns out she's a victim too."
He sighed helplessly, waving a hand toward the suspended vampire. "Well, that's your problem now. I can only offer my condolences. Enjoy your view from up there, maybe get a little sun while you're at it."
Honestly, if Warfarin wanted to dig her own grave, he wasn't about to stop her. Of all the people on this ship to mess with, she had to pick Kal'tsit. The lynx wasn't exactly known for her forgiving nature—and unless that little bunny decided to step in, there wasn't a soul on this ship who could talk her down once she decided on a punishment.
"Wait, wait, hold on a second! We're friends, aren't we? You can't just stand there and watch me suffer like this! Have you already forgotten our deep, unbreakable bond?!"
Warfarin started squirming even harder, twisting and thrashing in midair in a desperate attempt to free herself.
Steven couldn't help it—her flailing was so ridiculous it broke through his composure. He let out a quiet laugh before glancing toward Kal'tsit.
"By the way… she's a vampire, right? Is it really fine to have her hanging there under the sunlight?"
He wasn't exactly an expert, but from everything he knew—both from games and myths—vampires were supposed to be, well… allergic to daylight.
Sure, the bridge didn't have direct sunlight streaming in yet, but that didn't mean it would stay that way forever. It'd be pretty bad if the medical department lost its deputy head because she literally got sunburned to ash.
"You just reminded me of something," Kal'tsit said calmly, as if she were genuinely considering his concern. "Blaze, tell Ace and the others to hang her upside down for a while. Maybe if the blood rushes to her head, it'll fix whatever part of her brain has stopped functioning properly."
"…Huh?" Blaze blinked, clearly trying to figure out whether Kal'tsit was serious or not.
Kal'tsit, of course, was.
Steven could only stare at her in disbelief. That definitely wasn't the kind of "solution" he'd been hoping for.
Then Kal'tsit gave him a sidelong look, her tone perfectly flat.
"She's not just any vampire—she's a high-level blood fiend. Sunlight doesn't harm her. She merely dislikes it. In fact…" her lips twitched slightly, "…a little extra exposure might even do her skin some good."
If that was supposed to be an explanation, it was the most unconvincing one Steven had ever heard.
Warfarin's shrill protests echoed through the bridge as Blaze reluctantly went off to fetch the others, but Kal'tsit paid them no mind. With her usual composure restored, she turned and led Steven and the others back into Rhodes Island proper.
Once inside, they first escorted the two Abyssal Hunters to the infirmary for physical checkups. Only after ensuring that was handled did Kal'tsit finally turn back to Steven—and to the white-haired Kuranta girl standing quietly behind him.
"So," Kal'tsit began, her sharp eyes locking onto his, "are the two of you planning to share a dorm room, or should I assign her one of her own?"
"Because regardless of your choice, there are many things I need to discuss with you privately. And I think you already know exactly what those things are."
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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