"So, he ended up like this?"
Nobunaga's thick black hair had grown back, and it was even glossier than before.
He gently adjusted his thin-rimmed glasses with one finger, then looked down at the man lying on the bed.
General Mike's face was as pale as a corpse. The Dark Crown still circled above his head, clinging to him like a nightmare that wouldn't go away.
His eyes were half-open, their light gone as he stared blankly at the smooth ceiling of the "Four-Dimensional Apartment."
Several doctors and nurses in white coats stood beside the bed. Some watched the changing readings on electronic monitors, while others injected General Mike with liquid from a syringe.
Gelman stood nearby, watching coldly. He had just spent some time explaining what had happened before and after they rescued General Mike.
The listeners were the members of the squad he had brought along this time—Nobunaga, Pam, Melody, and an entire medical team.
Of course, most of the medical team were focused on their work, doing everything they could to help General Mike recover.
But even as the treatment continued, the pallor of General Mike's face refused to fade.
"I'll help him," Melody said in a voice as gentle as a big sister next door. "You brought me along because you expected something like this, didn't you?"
Gelman nodded.
When he chose the squad members this time, their abilities hadn't been his top priority. Their functions had.
Nobunaga's "Four-Dimensional Apartment" and Pam's "Lonely Deep Sea Fish" were good examples. The former could provide shelter for the medical staff and survivors, while the latter was essential for quickly locating General Mike.
Melody's role, naturally, was to soothe survivors who might have been terrified out of their wits by the Magic Beasts and driven to mental collapse.
Still,