With a clenched fist, he struck the heart monitor.
"F*ck… He tricked me." A sharp pain shot through his hand as blood trickled with each pulse, sending waves of pain up his arm.
Yet he remained still, unbothered by the pain or even the shards of glass embedded in his fist.
"Sir, what have you done...?" The nurse rushed to him, frantically tending to his wounds.
Richard paying no heed to her.
His brows furrowed, jaw clenched as he thought of the genie. "I even freed him, that ungrateful swine," he muttered, tightening his already bleeding fist, making the nurse's job more difficult.
She wanted to scold him but, noticing his dark expression, hesitated and averted her gaze as she continued cleaning his wound.
"Sigh... Getting angry won't settle anything." He forced himself to relax.
He wasn't one to lose composure—even in insurmountable situations—and this was no different.
What had happened had happened.
He had only reacted as he gave it his all to prevent any trickery - even freeing the genie when he could have gotten another wish.
All for naught.
"Despite all my caution, I still got tricked... Is my life always one where I'm used and tricked?" He exhaled heavily, finally acknowledging the nurse at his side. " What a beauty "
She was slightly shaken as she dressed his wound, having finished cleaning it.
"Hi there, Kiku," he called to her, his voice suddenly smooth as silk.
"Are you calling me?" The nurse turned, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yes, Kiku," Richard replied, his gaze softening, more seductive.
"I'm not Kiku," she said, but her eyes flickered, unconsciously drawn to his gemlike emerald eyes.
"Oh, really? But your golden hair reminds me of the Golden Chrysanthemum. Not to mention the noble air around you." He reached out as if to touch her hair, pausing just short—waiting for permission.
Caught off guard by the compliment, she leaned slightly closer without realizing it. "Me? Noble?" A blush crept up her cheeks as she twirled a strand of blonde hair, giggling sheepishly.
"Yeah. Why don't you sit down and tell me more about yourself? I could be wrong." He patted the space beside him on the bed.
The nurse hesitated, searching his face for any ill intent—but his warm gaze disarmed her.
She gave in, sitting next to him.
Before she knew it, they were chatting like old friends, with Richard guiding the conversation effortlessly, saying little but listening intently.
"Master Richard, are you ready—?" Kaida's voice cut through the moment as she entered.
The nurse jolted upright, looking as guilty as if she'd been caught stealing.
"No. Wait outside," Richard snapped, his displeasure sharp.
Kaida understood immediately. "I'll be outside," she said, stepping back out and leaving them alone.
"Don't be like that. Sit back down," Richard coaxed, but the nurse shook her head.
"That red-haired spoiled my game," he grunted internally, yet his expression remained warm.
"Sigh... Can you at least help me dress? My hand is..." He glanced meaningfully at his bandaged hand.
"Okay," she relented, helping him remove his hospital gown.
Feeling a bit of resistance, she looked down to see Richard's 'wingman' at attention, twitching with each heartbeat.
"Pay him no heed," he smiled, taking the clothes from the bed with his left hand.
The nurse couldn't even hear him, her gaze locked on the pulsating shaft.
She was a nurse, and this wasn't an unusual sight, yet she couldn't avert her gaze. "What... How... It's..." She couldn't make coherent words, entranced by Richard's wingman.
"He just couldn't resist the sight of you, Kiku. I'd be impotent if he didn't react," Richard smiled as he awkwardly wore his underwear, skillfully tucking in his wingman.
Finally, the nurse averted her gaze, her cheeks flushed beet red, unable to look at Richard. "Did he notice me staring?" Her eyes darted around to avoid eye contact with Richard.
"I'm sorry for showing such a sight," Richard said apologetically.
"No, don't worry, it was nothing... You shouldn't apologize," she quickly replied. "Let me help you with the rest." She clumsily helped him dress, her gaze occasionally shifting to Richard's wingman.
A smirk played on Richard's lips.
"I guess I'll see you again. Here's my..." Richard paused, realizing this was not his world, and thus he did not have his business card.
"It seems I don't have my card here. I'll come by later then..." He scratched his head awkwardly.
"I'd like that..." The nurse unconsciously blurted out, pleasing Richard.
"Okay, then I'll see you again." He opened the door, leaving the nurse alone in the room as it closed behind him.
The nurse's gaze never left the door.
"Mr. Auric spoke to me, and we might even—" Her voice hitched, her face turning beet red as a lustful gleam filled her eyes at the memory of Richard's wingman.
______
"So the doctor says I've lost my memory," Richard summarized Kaida's report, his legs crossed as he sat comfortably in his limousine, Kaida seated at his right.
"Yes, Master. The poison seems to have interfered with your memory," Kaida explained, borrowing the doctors' words.
"Poison? That means someone was out to get me," Richard asked, his gaze narrowed in suspicion.
"No!! That's not it, no one would dare..." Kaida quickly corrected.
"Huh?"
"You truly have lost your memory..." Kaida muttered under her breath as mana poisoning was common knowledge among the unawakened.
"Yes, I have, Miss Dzo. Can you explain to me what's this mana poison?" Richard snapped, his displeasure evident.
He had decided to accept the state of amnesia they thought he was suffering from—this was an easy way to gain information without seeming strange.
"Sorry, Master, and please as said earlier I am just a personal assistant of yours, there is no need to be formal." She corrected Richard, the latter nodding in acknowledgement.
"Ok, you were not poisoned by someone, it's just that the artefacts in your room seemed to have poisoned you over time..." Hesitating, she spoke, her eyes darting around, averting Richard's gaze.
"I told you to get rid of them yet you didn't listen," she added quickly, defending herself even though no one blamed her.
"So like cancer," Richard concluded.
"Don't worry about it, I believe you..." Richard comforted, getting the gist of the situation.
The old Richard was a typical rich kid who didn't listen to anyone but his own ego.
Sensing the awkwardness in the room, he shifted his gaze, turning to the tinted windows of the limousine, the new world outside.
The scenery, despite supposedly being 1997, was just as modern as 2025—except with the occasional flying creatures and people dressed as if they were cosplaying.
Swords at their hips, shields on their backs, they chatted away as they moved to their various destinations.
Just like the healer, some were dressed like nuns—though their "cosplay" looked cheaper.
Others dressed as wizards, blending their own hybrid of modern and magic.
"I'm really in another world..." He muttered his jaw clenched, eyes narrowing to deadly slits.
"Well, at least I'm not poor. It seems he granted that wish," he sighed, shifting his gaze to admire the limousine's interior.
"Master, are you alright?..." Kaida's voice cut through his stupor, bringing him back to reality.
"Yeah, just admiring this new world," he turned back to her.
"Can you tell me about myself... who am I? As you've said yourself, I've lost my memory. I don't even know who you are..." Richard inquired.
"He really doesn't remember? Yet his philanderer instincts kick in the moment he wakes," Kaida thought to herself, remembering what happened in the hospital room.
"What's wrong?" Richard inquired, as Kaida had taken too long to answer.
"Oh, nothing, Master. I'll tell you a little about yourself and some basic knowledge of this world..."
.
.
.
︻╦デ╤━╼╾━╤デ╦︻
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