The Perils of Being Too Kind

From the perspective of Elize, who has become Erick

"What are you doing!?" I exclaimed, voice emerging despite the terror of being attacked by a man.

The assailant had slashed my wrist with an ice pick.

"I'd rather die than kill a woman!" he declared.

I couldn't quite understand what he meant, but he seemed excessively fixated on whether someone's inner gender was male or female.

I thought to myself, gender identity isn't that simple.

But right now, none of that mattered as blood gushed from my wound.

If nothing was done, the man in front of me would die.

From my childhood, before my voice deepened, I had learned a spell on the battlefield to mimic a woman’s voice.

I had worked in rear support roles among women, which included assisting nurses and healthcare workers.

One of the spells I learned there was a hemostatic spell.

I quickly chanted the spell in an alto voice.

The wound was deep, and the bleeding wouldn't stop.

I needed to call an ambulance immediately.

I chanted an emergency spell, reporting the man's critical condition.

I was informed that a doctor was on the way.

I continued to chant the hemostasis spell and, if possible, a disinfection spell.

I also knew spells to activate platelets to assist in clotting.

I cast every emergency spell I thought necessary on the man.

There was a fear that helping him might lead to another attack, but my desire to aid a suffering person overcame that fear.

Soon after, doctors arrived in a magical carriage and placed the man on a stretcher.

I joined them in the carriage, watching over his fate.

The man, whose name turned out to be Wagner, survived thanks to my immediate first aid.

He was apparently an old friend from childhood, Elize.

Misfortune had struck his family after the death of his parents, leading him to be absorbed by a dark organization.

Poverty had tormented him.

This reality saddened me.

I realized how small I was, only able to save one life.

Ultimately, I spent the entire holiday nursing him back to health, never once stopping by Elize's family home.

Wagner recovered enough to speak but wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Why did you save me? Being too kind can be your undoing."

"I wanted to believe in the goodness of people," I replied. "I may be betrayed, but I want to live by helping others."

"You've really grown up into a complete woman. I guess I lose…"

I hadn't intended it to be a competition, but it seemed I had won.

"If you're ever in trouble, tell me. I'll help you."

Help, huh?

I wanted to ask who had ordered him to attack me, but it seemed he either didn't want to answer or genuinely didn't know.