Defected Dark Healer’s Rise to Wealth
Emeralda, a key figure in the Demon Kingdom and the Demon Lord’s secretary, seems to be feeling depressed.
That’s quite a serious issue.
“Depressed… Well, considering the current state of the Demon Kingdom and the burden on its officials, it wouldn’t be surprising if she developed such symptoms.”
From what I heard before, there was even a period when she worked for almost an entire month without sleep. If you consider that by human standards, it wouldn’t be strange if she had suffered not just from sleep deprivation but from a complete mental breakdown.
…Well, many demons tend to be a physically dominant species. It’s inevitable that the more intellectual demons end up shouldering a disproportionate burden.
“So, Kiwi…”
Emeralda fidgets, shifting restlessly.
Her face flushes slightly as she hesitantly says:
“I-I heard that… for depression, ‘having someone pat your head’ is an effective remedy.”
She entwines her fingers shyly as she speaks.
“So, well… if that could help with my symptoms… I was thinking that, um, if you wouldn’t mind, maybe you could pat my head again…?”
Patting someone’s head can cure depression…?
Oh? That’s an interesting idea.
“—That’s just a common folk remedy. It won’t be effective.”
“Eh?!”
Emeralda’s eyes go wide in shock.
She was expecting this to be a valid treatment, so hearing that it was pointless must have come as a blow.
However, as a Dark Healer, someone who is responsible for treating patients, I can’t simply administer unproven folk remedies without medical basis.
“Most likely, what’s happening is that receiving sympathy and comfort from others is temporarily easing the mental burden. In other words, it’s just a form of escapism or a placebo effect created by trust in the folk remedy.”
“Huh? Uh… I, um…”
“Unfortunately, depression cannot be fundamentally cured unless the root cause is addressed. In your case, Emeralda, the cause is overwork.”
I swiftly jot down my assessment.
I had prepared a standard opinion form for cases like this, and as a Dark Healer, I fill it out with my professional observations.
“Ideally, I would prescribe antidepressants, but unfortunately, those aren’t available in the Demon Kingdom. So, the best course of action would be to appeal to your direct superior—the Demon Lord—to improve your working conditions.”
“W-Wait, what?!”
“I’ve compiled my diagnosis and proposed countermeasures in this document. I’ll send it to the Demon Lord and, if necessary, discuss it with him on the spot. If you have any remaining paid leave, now would be a good time to take it and rest—”
“W-Wait a moment, please?!”
In a panic, Emeralda interrupts me.
“I-It’s not something that needs to be dealt with so seriously, okay? I just thought I might be feeling a bit down, that’s all.”
“No. You mustn’t take depression lightly. Mental illnesses can progress rapidly. Since you’ve recognized the early symptoms, we must act quickly.”
“T-That’s not it… That’s not what I meant…!”
Her deep blue eyes begin to waver, and her flushed face looks conflicted.
…She’s torn between her loyalty to the Demon Lord and her own well-being.
It seems like the issue runs deeper than I thought.
But is she really that reluctant to bring this up with Demon Lord Lumak?
I always thought Lumak was a friendly and easygoing king. Could it be that, behind closed doors, he’s actually strict and overbearing toward Emeralda?
I haven’t spent enough time with the Demon Lord to fully grasp his personality, so it’s hard to say for sure.
…Hmm. What should I do?
“Hey, hey, Kiwi-sensei! What does ‘depressed’ mean?”
As I ponder the situation, Amilta looks up at me with curious eyes.
“Is it a type of fish? Like an eel?”
“No, it’s not a sea creature.”
“I figured. I was just asking for fun! Then what is it?”
“Depression means… feeling constantly down and low in spirits.”
“Hmm? Then they should just play!”
Clapping her hands together, Amilta suddenly crouches down before springing up in a jump.
“Do you know this? It’s called ‘Pan-Pyoing’!”
“Pan-Pyoing? Never heard of it. Is it a game?”
“Yep! And it has rules!”
According to Amilta’s explanation, the game works like this…
<Panpyoi>
Rules:
- Everyone starts clapping their hands at the same time.
- At any chosen moment, each participant can squat instead of clapping.
- If two or more people squat at the same time, they lose and must do a single jump.
- If no one squats at the same time, the last person to squat loses and must do three jumps.
“See? Doesn’t it sound fun?”
“Oh… so there’s a game like this?”
“I saw children playing it in a picture book, and they looked like they were having so much fun. I think if we play this, we definitely won’t feel down anymore! So, how about you, Kiwi-sensei, Emeralda, and even the receptionist Usary try playing it together?”
“”Eh???”
Emeralda and I exchanged bewildered glances.
…Playing a children’s game in the clinic? And just among the adults, without Amilta?
“L-Lady Amilta? I appreciate the invitation, but this kind of game isn’t really something adults do…”
“But I don’t have any friends to play with. And right now, I can’t move much because of my cold. So, just once, I want to see someone playing it first…”
“Ah…”
Emeralda fell silent, looking a little guilty.
I see…
I had assumed Amilta, being so cheerful, had plenty of friends. But maybe, as the Demon King’s daughter, she didn’t get many chances to make friends freely outside.
…Hmm. In that case…
At that moment, my gaze met Emeralda’s firmly.
“Lady Emeralda. Shall we try it? This ‘Panpyoi’ game?”
“Y-Yes! And next time, when Lady Amilta recovers from her cold and is feeling better, we can all play together!”
Hearing our words, Amilta’s face brightened instantly.
“Yay! I finally get to see real Panpyoi!”
With a delighted cheer, she raised her arms in excitement.
But Amilta…
This is actually a pretty clever move, isn’t it?
In reality, while I could say I was doing this for Amilta’s sake, I also had my own reason.
──For mild depression, light exercise can sometimes be effective.
However, the effectiveness of exercise varies from person to person. I needed to see how much of an impact it would have on Emeralda.
And I had a good reason for not telling her in advance.
…Emeralda is the type to be strongly influenced by the placebo effect.
She already showed a tendency to trust folk remedies earlier. If I told her beforehand that this was a form of treatment, her belief alone might create a psychological effect.
So, I had to test it discreetly.
“Heh heh heh… Well then, let’s do it! Panpyoi it is!”
──Wheezing… wheezing… wheezing…!!!
The sudden exercise had triggered hyperventilation.
That was the real enemy I faced now.
“U-Um… Kiwi-sensei? Are you okay?”
“Wheezing… wheezing… wheezing…!!”
Usary, Emeralda, and even Amilta were peering at me with extreme concern.
Of course, I was not okay.
For someone out of shape, the physical demand of Panpyoi was way too intense.
Now that I think about it… wasn’t this game basically just an unpredictable series of jumping squats? No wonder it was exhausting.
“Kiwi-sensei, your legs are shaking.”
…This, Amilta, is what we call muscle spasms.
I probably wouldn’t be able to stand properly for the next three days.
“F-For now, Kiwi, please lie down. Here, use my lap as a pillow.”
“Wheezing…!”
Emeralda offered her lap for support, and I lay down, staring up at the ceiling.
“I’m sure you know what to do, but try to breathe slowly in and out, Kiwi-sensei.”
“Wheeeez… wheeeez…!”
With my head resting on Emeralda’s lap, I let her gently stroke my hair as Usary supervised my recovery.
…What the hell was I even doing?
A dark healer, being taken care of by the receptionist and a patient in his own clinic…?
After about thirty minutes of rest, my symptoms finally improved.
As for Emeralda, her depressive symptoms seemed to have lightened thanks to the mild exercise. She did, however, make one request:
“Please, whatever you do, don’t tell the Demon King about this.”
Meanwhile, Amilta gave me a sharp parting remark:
“Kiwi-sensei, you really need to build up your stamina, okay?”
With that, she left, hugging her stuffed animal, Myol.
…Was she actually trying to make me exercise?
No, that’s impossible.
Watching the occasionally mature Amilta and the ever-dedicated Emeralda leave, I made a firm decision:
Tonight, I was going to sleep early and let my body recover.
