7
No, wait a minute.
What is going on?
“Stop it.”
I, who had been squatting on the side of the road, clutched my aching stomach and opened my eyes wide.
Was Uncle finally fed up with me?
-No, it wasn't.
The one who cut me off with a chilling aura was…
Lord Leon, the blue-haired knight standing next to him, Uncle's adjutant.
“His Excellency hasn’t slept a wink for days.”
His stern eyes turned to me.
On the way from the capital to the north by carriage.
I was suffering terribly from motion sickness.
It was the third time I couldn't stand the motion sickness in the unfamiliar carriage and jumped out. I couldn't get back on the carriage.
“Uncle… can’t I ride a horse?”
I was asking if I could ride a horse with Uncle instead of the carriage.
'But Uncle hasn't slept?'
Come to think of it, his eyes were sunken, and his skin was rough… Ah, it's because of me.
I realized it belatedly.
While I was sick, my sleep and wake times were very irregular.
But Uncle was always by my side. Even when he left, it was only for a short time.
'I don't like being attended by others…'
A Duke was volunteering to take care of me. Without even taking care of himself.
“It’s already the third time we’ve stopped the carriage, and at this rate, we won’t make it in time…”
“Leon.”
Uncle growled lowly.
“Where did you learn to not distinguish between what you can and can't say?”
“I apologize, Your Excellency. But.”
“That’s enough, step aside.”
“Ah, wait! Just a moment!”
Unable to bear the increasingly fierce atmosphere, I raised my hand quickly.
“Why.”
“Blue-haired Uncle is right! You need to rest.”
I struggled to get out of Uncle's arms, who had already picked me up.
Huh? Why isn't this working? I used to be able to jump down with just a little movement.
“I don’t need to rest.”
“No. You’re tired!”
“Tired?”
Uncle scoffed.
Yes, I know. I know. Of course, the greatest Sword Master on the continent has inexhaustible stamina and an unbreakable body, and so on!
Anyway, good sleep and proper meals are the basics of a human life!
“Don’t be stubborn and sleep in the carriage. I’ll… Lord Leon!”
“…Me?”
“Yes! I’ll go with you. Take me with you!”
“…Huh?”
For the first time, a look of bewilderment crossed the face of the upright knight.
“Ruby, I’ll just.”
Uncle's arm tightened. I shook my head firmly in refusal.
“Okay, okay, the tired person sleeps inside, and the person who feels stuffy inside moves outside!”
I came to a conclusion that made everyone happy.
“Ah, I feel alive.”
I took a deep breath of fresh air on the horse, with all sides open.
Of course, that happiness was only temporary.
‘Ugh… It’s hard… Uncomfortable.’
I moved my body this way and that in front of the stiff knight, but I couldn't find a comfortable position.
'It was comfortable when I rode a horse with Uncle.'
More than comfortable. I even fell asleep.
But it seemed that I wasn't the only one who was uncomfortable, as Lord Leon also twisted his body this way and that.
“…Is this right?”
A short sigh leaked from above my head.
“You, is there anything uncomfortable?”
Everything from head to toe!
But I smiled and shook my head.
I wasn't shameless enough to complain about this rough ride.
And…
Actually, I wanted to make a good impression on Lord Leon.
'Leviathan's helper.'
I knew better than anyone else that his loyalty was genuine because I had read the original story.
Comrades who had gone through thick and thin together. A loyal subject who would jump into hellfire for his lord.
Perhaps that's why I was okay with Lord Leon being a little cold to me. In fact, we were like comrades protecting Leviathan.
“Why did you decide to follow His Excellency?”
A thick voice followed from behind.
“Um… Uncle was the one who picked me up.”
“If you want to become an adopted child of the Duke’s family and live comfortably, you should wake up from that dream.”
Hey, why are you saying such things to a child?
Well, I'm not exactly a child…
“Jebert is not the paradise you think it is.”
Lord Leon, a man of principle, who was evaluated as being so thorough and cold that he was almost ruthless, was the epitome of a knight.
You could tell just by looking at his perfectly creased uniform.
'He's the complete opposite of Uncle.'
The hero sleeping behind us seemed to have lost a few of his imperial medals, let alone his military uniform.
“Is the North that dangerous?”
“The Duchy of Jebert was built by subjugating the land of Magical beasts. The Magical beasts are constantly trying to reclaim their habitat and invade.”
“……”
“It means we’re at war all year round.”
I know. While reading the original story, I thought it was a background setting that suited the protagonist of the title <A Sword Planted on Ruins>.
For reference, Dark Creatures are monsters created by dark wizards, and Magical beasts are monsters that occur naturally in the wild.
'Magical beasts, Dark Creatures.'
I suddenly felt bad when I imagined how hard Uncle had worked for the past 10 years.
“Hey, Lord Leon.”
I tried to shake off my thoughts and focus on the conversation again.
I felt a gaze looking down at me from above.
“Do you want me to go back?”
“It’s because it’s a difficult place to live for a small and weak child like you.”
Would I be overestimating him too much if I read a strange kindness in those words?
“I heard that a lot from that crazy Uncle earlier.”
“Don’t be rude to His Excellency…”
“I won’t be a burden. Don’t worry.”
I said, staring straight ahead.
The long cliff seemed endless.
But I knew. Someday this road would end, and so would everything else.
The same goes for humans. Since they have a limited lifespan, death is the only end.
But is it too greedy of me to want to meet a human-like end, even if it's just a little bit…?
Not like a victim of the Second War caused by the resurrected dark wizard.
'I've survived this far.'
Leviathan, Leon, and me too.
“Of course, I won’t cause any harm to the master you are loyal to.”
“You…”
Veins bulged on Lord Leon's hand, which was holding the reins.
It was at that moment.
“Ugh.”
Lord Leon, who had been fine, suddenly groaned, clutching his shoulder.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing….”
His arm is trembling, but he says it's nothing?
'Could it be…'
I raised my hand quickly.
“This won’t do. I’m getting off! Hey! I’m getting off this time!”
“Don’t do anything unnecessary and be quiet…”
Lord Leon stopped me, sweating profusely. Seriously, what has this person been doing until now?
“What’s going on?”
The carriage stopped at the short commotion, and Uncle jumped out.
“Uncle, Lord Leon is sick!”
“What?”
“Shoulder, right!”
Uncle, who naturally picked me up, frowned at Lord Leon.
“Leon, is your injury not fully healed?”
“No. I’m fine.”
A short silence flowed through the calm voice. Soon, Uncle let out a long sigh and stopped the entire procession.
“Set up camp. We’ll rest.”
“Your Excellency! I’m really fine! There’s no time to delay…!”
Lord Leon acted like something terrible had happened.
The way he gritted his teeth looked somehow anxious. Seeing his face, my lips moved without me realizing it.
“Lord Leon, you know.”
“……”
“The war is over.”
Our eyes met. Only then did I hurriedly pick up the words I had uttered.
“So, what I mean is… I don’t think we need to rush while enduring the pain. We’re not going to fight, um…”
“……”
“Because it’s the way home.”
Well, I'm on my way to someone else's home…
At that moment, as if by a lie, the strength in Lord Leon's body was released.
“So that’s what it is.”
Uncle, who had been listening quietly, stroked the top of my head.
“To add to that, Leon, it’s a violation of military regulations for a soldier to hide his physical condition from his superior.”
“Th, that’s…”
Lord Leon, who was fiddling with the reins, bit his lip and lowered his head.
“…I apologize. I was short-sighted.”
He got off the horse willingly.
“Rest.”
Uncle patted his broad back.
While Lord Leon was reflecting, our quick Jebert knight Uncles were setting up camp in no time.
I was sitting quietly on Leviathan's thigh, watching the scene.
“Huh?”
At that moment, something strange caught my eye.
“Ruby, where are you running off to so quickly…”
“Oh!”
I squatted in the corner of the campsite.
It was the first time in a long time that I had seen the grass swaying in the wind.
'It's Avelita Herb!'
Pink flowers shyly peeked out through the jagged leaves. The blue aura surrounding it was the magic emanating from the plant itself.
'This is good for bruises and pain relief.'
I reached out my hand towards the herb. I already knew how to harvest it.
At that moment, my hand was pushed away.
