Evelise froze. A striking blush spread across her cheeks, and she was momentarily speechless. Oshan, still standing guard in Sid's streamer jacket, stared intently at her Lady, clearly noticing her unusually flustered reaction.

"Silence!"

Evelise snapped, forcing her emotional control back into place. She pointed a demanding finger at Oshan.

"Oshan! Lift him. Now!"

Oshan moved instantly, like a soldier programmed for absolute obedience.

"On your command, my lady."

The giant woman walked over to Sid, gently but firmly scooped him up off his feet with effortless ease, cradling him in her large arms like a child. Sid's masculinity completely folded as the SSR Tank lifted him.

"Holy crap!"

Sid muttered, hanging limp in Oshan's hold.

"You really are something Evelise. It's like you have my power— that I can command my revived zombie girl in absolute obedience. That's... frightening."

Evelise ignored his commentary, marching toward the grand chamber door.

"Bring him to my chamber."

She commanded Oshan. Sid's eyes went wide.

"To your chamber!? Wh—what are you two planning to do to me?!"

He yelped, struggling weakly as Oshan effortlessly carrying him.

"Ahhhh! Somebody help me!"

And so, the strange trio moved toward the very doorway the massive knight guard had protected with her undead life— Sid cradled in the strong arms of the beautiful, powerful Oshan, and Evelise leading the way, clutching her heavy bag of clinking secrets.

Oshan moved with the gentle care of a trained professional, completely contrasting her monstrous strength. She carefully lowered Sid onto the massive four poster bed dominating the center of the chamber.

Sid gasped as he landed, not from pain, but from the unexpected spring and comfort of the mattress. He bounced slightly, raising an eyebrow.

"Woah. Did I just find the only item in this entire mansion not covered in 5 years of dust?"

Evelise, who was already bent over her bulky shoulder bag, rummaging through its clinking contents, nodded.

"I know, right? I was surprised too."

Sid tested the bounce again, his hands smoothing over the spotless white sheets and pillowcases. Everything in this room— from the linens to the carpet was startlingly new looking, completely untouched by the decay of the rest of the mansion.

"Seriously, how is this possible? Is this bed enchanted? Did the system replace the whole room just for the Mansion raid Loot?"

Evelise ignored the rhetorical questions.

"Oshan,"

She commanded, her voice softening slightly as she knelt beside the bed.

"carefully release the brace."

Oshan nodded and immediately moved to Sid's leg. With delicate, massive fingers, she unlatched the support brace and then carefully lifted the bottom of his cargo pants, exposing his knee. Oshan gasped, her composure momentarily slipping.

Sid's entire right knee was a shocking, angry violet, swollen and clearly bearing the trauma of repeated shield slams.

"It's... so severe…"

Oshan whispered, worry etched on her innocent face. Sid tried to joke his way out of the gravity of the injury.

"Nah, that's just the natural color. I just fought a giant armored girl who had a big shield— that's why my knee is looking like a zombie too."

Evelise, finished rummaging, pulled out a small, heavy ceramic jar filled with a thick, herbal smelling liquid. Her expression was now entirely serious, her lips drawn into a thin line.

"Stop that, Sid,"

she ordered quietly. She lifted the jar.

"Without me your knee would be one hundred percent done. You wouldn't be able to use it again."

Sid's forced humor instantly vanished. He looked at the awful color of his knee, then at the severity in Evelise's eyes, and felt a rush of genuine fear and remorse.

"Okay. I'm sorry…"

He mumbled, dropping his gaze.

"I shouldn't have been so reckless. I'm sorry I went against your order."

Evelise sighed softly. She uncapped the jar and gently began to apply the thick, cool liquid, slowly massaging it into Sid's swollen, discolored knee. Almost instantly, the violet began to recede, replaced by a healthy, though still slightly inflamed, flesh tone. The pain in his leg dulled to a bearable throb.

"I should be the one apologizing."

Evelise murmured, her hands working gently.

"I'm sorry I had to drug you just to slip away. I didn't want you to push yourself— not for me, not again. I wanted to help you now, because of your knee."

She paused, lifting her hands away as the injury settled.

"I actually planned to go home right before you woke up... but..."

Her gaze drifted, not back to Sid, but to the massive, blue haired Oshan standing silently nearby. The truth was complex, layered with duty, fear, and a choice she thought she had to make alone.

"I didn't think I'd find anyone else here."

She sat back, the herbal liquid still wet on her hands, and the memories flooded her. She closed her eyes, the sound of the clinking bottles in her bag underscoring her narration.

"When I first came back here… I thought I could do it alone."

Evelise began, her voice steady but faint.

"The mansion was crawling with zombies, but I still wanted to retrieve what I'd left behind. The knowledge, the herbs, the things that could help us survive. I thought I could just sneak in, grab everything, and get out before nightfall. I even planned to heal you before you woke up."

Her eyes drifted toward the ceiling, recalling the moment.

"I moved quietly through the courtyard. The vines had swallowed most of the walls, but the stairs to the second floor were still there. I climbed them slowly, holding my breath each time a floorboard creaked."

She smiled faintly, though there was no joy in it.

"I remember thinking how absurd it was that after all these years, I still remembered where every trap creaked and which step to skip. Guess my sneaking skills actually came in handy for once. When I reached the second floor, I saw it— my chamber door, still marked with the same old nameplate… Lady Evelise. And beside it stood a tall knight statue I'd almost forgotten. I barely glanced at it then. It was just another piece of the mansion's old glory."

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