Chapter 73

Sep 05, 2023

“Since this food was prepared outdoors, it isn’t anything exquisite, Miss,” the knight said. “Even so, you will likely find it fairly palatable.”

“Thank you.” I had sensed it when I first opened the door to see her, but it seemed even more apparent that she was treating me with a certain deference, rather than as a prisoner or hostage. I wondered for a moment if they perhaps didn’t know I was an Agrece, but I knew that was highly unlikely. “What is your name?”

“You can call me Olin.”

It sounded as if she was telling me her surname. But it was understandable considering we were still very much strangers. I reached out to accept the plate of food she had brought for me, but when our fingers lightly grazed by accident, I sensed her briefly wince.

I couldn’t help recalling that it hadn’t just been due to the overly formal attitude she had chosen to take, but she was in fact behaving slightly odd around me all that while. It was less like an aversion and more of a wariness to her physical proximity to me.

“Thank you, I really appreciate this.” Once it occurred to me what the reason might be, I simply thanked her and pretended not to notice anything awkward as I pulled my hand back. Olin stared at me for a moment, then quietly closed the carriage door.

Finally left to myself once again, I let out a quiet sigh. I had indeed understood her wariness. After being unconscious for three days, the poison in my system must have run rampant around me. I imagined that it probably made it next to impossible for normal people to get anywhere near me. It was even more likely that I may have made someone ill while I was unconscious. I was certain that was why Olin had been so careful not to come into contact with my skin.

Thinking back, perhaps that was also why Cassis had remained at my side up until then. After all, he didn’t have any problems dealing with poison. Could it be that he was the one who nursed me back to health those three days since he had spirited me away from the Agrece compound?

I couldn’t help but frown as I thought about how clean and presentable I appeared despite those circumstances. I doubt he would have actually washed me himself, but... No. If anything, he must have used his powers. Honestly, I can’t imagine him risking involvement with anything even remotely controversial.

Yeah, that had to be it. After all, those powers were how he maintained perfect hygiene despite all the time he had been locked up in that dreary Agrece dungeon. If it had truly pressed me, I might have been tempted to confirm my suspicions upon his return, but I might have also been met with an unwelcome answer, so it’s best left forgotten altogether.

I took a spoonful of what Olin had left for me. Just as she had said, it was really quite tasty for camp food, but I almost immediately had to put the plate down after only a few spoonfuls. It wasn’t that I was picky or bothered by the coarseness of the dish. I simply could not muster much of an appetite at the time.

In truth, I felt bad as I called Olin back to take the plate away. After she saw that I had barely touched the food, she offered to bring me something else, but I refused by explaining that my system seemed unprepared to consume solid food after not doing so for three days.

As she silently took her leave, I scanned the landscape through the partially open door. Cassis was still nowhere in sight, but I did see people taking turns to eat while others were busy preparing to make camp. Upon my carriage door opening, I noticed them peeking at me furtively as well, but not a single one of them actually made an attempt to come speak to me. I decided to close the door and open the curtain instead. While looking through the window, I finally saw a familiar figure in the distance beyond everyone who was setting up the camp.

It was Cassis with Isidore at his side. The moment I spotted him coming toward the camp, I flung the carriage door open again and called out to him.

“Cassis!”

He immediately turned in my direction, and a hush suddenly fell over the camp much like it had earlier that day. Cassis walked past the speechless crowd and straight up to me.

“What happened to your dinner?” he asked.

“I had some already.”

Cassis’ eyes turned to Olin who had apparently been assigned to stand next to my carriage. Upon meeting his gaze, she shook her head slightly. He made no comment as he turned his attention back toward me.

“Do you need anything? When I’m not here, just tell Olin what you need, and she’ll get it for you.”

Since I wasn’t in need of anything, I simply shook my head. “I do feel a bit cramped up in that carriage. A bit of air would be much appreciated.”

He paused for a moment, before answering. “But it’s even colder now than it was earlier.”

Right as he said that, I draped his cloak over my shoulders, and then draped the sable blanket over it. It was my wordless way of saying, “I’m ready to face the elements.”

“Um... Miss, I don’t think you should venture out in your current state just yet...” Olin sounded hesitant, but her genuine concern was written clearly on her face.

However, after looking me up and down, Cassis stepped away from the door, then extended his hand toward me. I stepped out of the carriage while holding on to his hand. When he turned back toward the crowd, I noticed everyone hurrying to look away from me. Their fascination was obvious, but I pretended not to notice.

There were a few fires already lit throughout the campgrounds. Cassis walked me over to the largest one, and the people who had been sitting around it quickly shuffled off. Upon their departure, Cassis and I were left alone in front of the roaring flames.

As we sat down, everyone seemed cautious not to gawk in our direction. Their careful and disciplined manners told me that they were indeed well-trained knights, unlike the Agrece soldiers who were more like a group of unruly mercenaries. Once again, I found myself surprised at just how different people could be depending on the clan they belonged to.

“Try some of this.” Cassis handed me a bowl of thick, warm liquid.

I had noticed him whispering something to one of his men before he sat down, so the dish made it apparent that it must have been about me. “I’m not all that hungry.”

“Even if you don’t have an appetite, you should try to eat something. You’ve fasted for three days now.” Unlike Olin, Cassis wouldn’t give up easily. He made me hold the bowl of soup in one hand, then pressed a spoon into my other one. “Surely you aren’t mistaking yourself for a plant that can survive on water alone, right?”

I found myself frowning into the bowl of soup as I beheld my hands that had somehow been taken hostage in exchange for his demand that I eat. It was definitely an unfamiliar experience. In this life, at least, there had hardly ever been anyone who worried about me so earnestly and insistently.

In an attempt to hide my awkwardness, I busied myself with stirring the soup around. Somewhat weary that he might say something about my dawdling, I blurted out something entirely unrelated. “I think my fever went down after that nap like you said it would.”

“Has it? That’s a relief.”

“I think someone woke me up at some point, but I can’t remember taking anything for the fever.”

“Well, yes,” Cassis said. “I gave you some medicine because it was rising.”

He spoke about nursing me so casually. But seeing how nonchalant he was about it, I was prepared to view it as a trivial matter as well. That was until I heard something odd.

“Ehe, hem...” A few of the people who had been sitting around a nearby fire suddenly began to clear their throats as if they were collectively trying to stifle coughs but failing.

Since I heard them almost as soon as our conversation ended, I squinted at Cassis in expectation of an answer. His expression, however, remained as calm as ever.

“Eat. That won’t taste as good once it’s cold.” He then turned his gaze away, and everyone suddenly appeared to be busy with their meals again. Anyone with eyes could tell they were pretending to have not heard or seen anything.

Although I sensed something was amiss, I didn’t feel like dwelling on it at that moment. Once they had finished their meals, the groups slowly began to leave their respective campfires. As they all began to move away, there was practically no one else left near us.

Soon only the sound of crickets and the crackle of the fires were keeping us company. The sun was already setting and bathing the sky in blue, purple, orange and yellow hues as it sank into the far-off horizon.

“Frederica Plains... This is a demon monster habitat, isn’t it?” I asked despite already being fairly certain of the answer.

“The habitat surrounds the Emerald Lake at the far end of the high plains,” Cassis replied. “We’re safe here. We will be passing near it around noon tomorrow. I intend to make a detour around the most infested region though, so you need not be concerned.”

His plan sounded reasonable enough to me, so I didn’t push the topic any further.

Cassis continued to look at me with his eyebrows raised as if to say, “Any more questions?”

After staring into the campfire flames a bit longer, I chanced another question I had been curious about.

“What happened to Lante?”