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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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Again, the carriage went towards the kingdom.
This time, it headed straight for the royal palace. Not much had changed from before. Except that a generous amount of gold ingots was loaded before my eyes, and my swollen ankle was wrapped in bandages. On the bandage Neiva wrapped, her cold magic was cast, so it was cooling down my swollen ankle refreshingly. The hot pain subsided with that gentle cold magic. She seemed like a good person. That thought came to mind.
Time passed, and night came. Even when it became night, the knights walked incessantly. Accordingly, the carriage I was riding also shook incessantly.
To this extent, they might have gone through camping for about a day, but they kept walking without resting. Nevertheless, they showed no sign of fatigue at all. It was to a degree that commanded respect.
The knights following behind me. Seeing their flickering torches, my tension gradually loosened. The inside of the shaking carriage was becoming a cozy space. My tired body and mind melted into that space. I became drowsy. And then, I fell asleep.
A dream. Dreams followed sleep. I had a dream, it seemed. No, actually, people dreamed every day, but only a few dreams remained in memory. Well, I didn’t know. Anyway, I had a dream.
As dreams always were, disorienting images and crazy developments continued and connected very naturally.
If I only looked at that, it was a dream that wasn’t particularly special. It was just a dream that had no order, no content, and only a strange afterglow remained. However, was it perhaps because it was the first dream I had in this other world?
Somehow, I felt like I had to remember it. I felt like something terrible would happen if I forgot that dream.
In that dream, I ran like crazy. Whether it was a mountain or a forest, a place where grass and small trees grew wildly, I ran desperately through it. I didn’t know if I was being chased by something, or if I was desperately searching for something. Anyway, I ran endlessly, and finally reached something and knelt down with a thud. Rather than a reverent heart, I think I just knelt because I was too tired. Anyway, I knelt before something.
[…]
Soon, it said something to me. I didn’t remember the content well, but I remembered one thing vividly. After the words ended, I shed tears, and it also shed tears. Those tears were vividly remembered. Although the last part of a dream usually remained well in memory, somehow those tears remained so much.
“Delrin?”
“…ssi!” My other world name was heard.
“Delrin! You have to get up now. Delrin!”
“Yes. I understand. I’m up…”
Right. Even after getting up, the dream was remembered. The vague fragments of the dream that always disappeared immediately still remained in my head even after waking up.
Why that dream remained so vividly in memory, I didn’t have the leisure to properly think about it with my just-awakened head, but as my brain gradually woke up, I was able to properly perceive the true meaning of that dream.
‘I have to go there.’
The place in the dream. Going there was the only way to escape this other world, and it was the last goal given to me. To find that place I didn’t even know where it was, I had to leave.
“Delrin…?”
The path where tears had trickled down felt hot.
“I’ll go out soon. It’s alright.”
“No. Since you won’t be able to walk properly with those legs, ride on my back.” Neiva, who came to wake me up, offered her back.
“No. It’s really alright. You also have to meet Her Majesty the Queen, and have other duties to attend to, don’t you?”
“Yes? I already finished everything and came back.”
“Yes?”
“Ah… That is to say, while you were sleeping, I already finished all my work and came back. You slept for quite a long time. Anyway, ride on my back!”
What? Was it something like that?
Indeed, her attire was completely different from before. She, having cast off all her armor, was wearing clothes of a strange material that clung tightly to her body. Unlike her position as knight captain, that back which looked quite smooth and soft was utterly embarrassing to ride on. Was she not aware that the outline of her upper body was clearly visible?
Her body gave a completely different impression than when she was wearing armor.
“Hurry and ride on my back, I said. You don’t have to worry. Since it’s hard for you to walk, I have to carry you on my back instead.”
“Ah, uh… Yes. I ask for your favor.”
Although I wondered if she couldn’t just give me crutches, since it was something I couldn’t resolutely refuse from Neiva who was bestowing goodwill, I carefully got onto her back.
“Alright, let’s go. As for you guys, return now. You worked hard.”
After carrying me on her back, Neiva sent back the knights around the carriage. They soon bent at the waist, gave a polite bow, and left. Perhaps Neiva had ordered them to stay and guard me. She was taking considerable care. I was thankful.
“You got on well, right? I’ll go now.”
Her soft body, her beautiful silver hair tied back, and her scent that gently tickled my nose… Her hair that touched my back and the apricot-colored skin placed right before my eyes…
‘Wait a moment…!’ A signal came.
“Neiva! I can’t just ride on your back! Just a moment!”
Fearing it would lead to a very bad result, I was startled and struggled to get down. When I actually rode on her back, the stimulation was too strong! Like this, it was…!
“It’s alright. Let’s go.”
However, she didn’t even pretend to hear and just pushed forward!
“Ju, Just a moment! Just crutches or something…!”
“Riding on my back will be more comfortable than walking with crutches! Please just trust me.”
“No, it’s not that…!”
What would happen if it stood up rigidly while I was riding on your back!
“Th, Uh, Uhm!”
“Enough, let’s go!”
She gently grabbed my thigh and just like that, she raised her body. In the instant her softly swelling chest made me utterly confused about where to put my arms, she, as if nothing was wrong, just started walking with large strides.
“First, let’s go to the treatment center. There’s a cathedral up there, and they will surely treat you right away.”
“Right. I understand, I understand that…!”
“You don’t have to worry. I’ll pay the cost. Uh… Instead, later, maybe one meal…”
“That wasn’t it, I said…!”
It’s not that food is important! My lower part…!
“Yes? Your lower part?”
This shit… I’ll just endure.
She’s helping like this, what can I do? If only I maintain my composure well…!
“Ah…?”
Neiva let out a sigh while walking.
An uncontrollable physiological phenomenon was pressing down firmly on the area near her waist. This female knight carrying me on her back seemed to have only just now realized a man’s physiological reaction.
“Guh, Ahem! Ahem!”
She soon pretended that nothing was wrong and continued walking. As she did that, would she know my feelings, wanting to hide in a mouse hole?
“It… It will arrive soon. Yes. Yes…”
“Yes…”
An unbearable awkward atmosphere flowed. Before I knew it, her face turned bright red like a radish, reaching the point where I wondered if it wouldn’t burst.
‘Fuck…’ Wasn’t the phrase ‘I feel like killing myself’ something one would use at times like this?
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We, having arrived at the cathedral serving Phenola, God of Light and Mercy, with our faces burning hot, were immediately moved to a small bed under the guidance of the sisters and ended up receiving an examination while lying on it.
“This is…”
However, the sister who was examining my leg scanned me with worried eyes, then soon began to explain the situation to Neiva and me with a dark expression.
“We cannot treat this with our power. It is a state that cannot be resolved with a simple healing prayer.”
“Yes? What do you mean by that?”
Neiva, startled, abruptly got up from the small chair. Since I was as startled as she was, I immediately asked the sister the meaning of her words.
“Wh-What is it? Is it a serious condition?”
“I don’t know what kind of wicked person you suffered from, but the pain in this ankle is not merely a broken bone, but something caused by… a curse, evil, or terrible poison engraved on the entire ankle.”
“No, even if that’s the case, can’t you treat it with the sisters’ holy magic? You are the kingdom’s best sisters…!”
“I am sorry. This is something we cannot treat either… The swelling will soon subside, and the bones will also reattach, but perhaps pain will come in periodically. It seems it will be difficult to walk properly. Pain will accumulate if weight is placed on the ankle.”
What? It would be difficult to walk properly?
“Wh… What the hell…?”
“First, we will immediately treat the swelling and bone damage for you. Beyond that…”
“How can Delrin recover properly?”
“Besides finding the person who did this and resolving it… it seems there will probably be no other way.”
“Hmm…”
Neiva’s pretty face became greatly distorted due to negative emotions, including anger. While I was grateful that she was angry for me, her expression and the atmosphere were quite murderous, so the sister and I, on the contrary, ended up observing her mood. She was chewing her lip tightly, to the extent that blood leaked out.
“Ye, Neiva… I’m alright, so please calm down first.”
Although I tried to soothe her with words, mere [words] were too meager and weak to quell Neiva’s hatred towards Pilmark.
Neiva, like that, did not take her eyes off that swollen ankle for a single moment while I was receiving treatment. Finally, after the treatment ended and my leg became straight as if it were normal in appearance, she immediately carried me on her back again and headed somewhere.
“Neiva! Where are you suddenly going!”
“I am going to our home.”
“Yes? What do you mean by that…?”
“Since the sin of not properly protecting you is great, I will attend to you at my home until you can walk again.”
“No, why is this your fault! And why am I staying at your home!”
“Hmm…”
She stopped walking.
“Please stay at my home until you have fully recovered. If I send you away like this, a knight’s pride will hit rock bottom, and there would be no meaning in a sword that couldn’t properly protect an innocent person, would there?”
Although I tried to say something…
“Neiva. Why…”
Her face visible over her shoulder contained too many emotions, so I couldn’t utter any other words and just remained on her back, heading towards her home.
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