HIFH | Chapter 59

Episode 59

Ah.

I feel like dying.

I tried to murmur, but no sound came out. My eyelids, unbearably heavy, refused to open.

‘What’s going on?’

I tried to move my fingers, putting in some effort. However, I couldn’t exert any strength throughout my body.

It felt as if my mind was awake, but my body was still asleep.

‘I’ve experienced this before.’

There were times during missions when I got injured and found myself in similar situations, so I wasn’t too worried.

So, I let go of the tension in my body and focused on calming my breathing.

‘I thought I was going to die.’

When I threw the bomb into the lake and jumped in, I honestly thought I might not survive.

But luckily, I did.

Yes.

The people survived, and I survived too.

As soon as I remembered that, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

‘Of course, thinking about the attack itself still makes me angry.’

Could it have been Catacle’s doing?

No.

It was Catacle’s doing.

In the past, Baylor had once shown me Catacle’s weapon storage.

‘The bombs I saw back then were similar to the ones used this time.’

Not only that, but Pinky had provided information about the attack, and the VIP seats had been occupied by nobles from the Emperor’s faction. Considering all this, there was only one conclusion.

Catacle had orchestrated the attack.

I didn’t even need to wonder why.

I already knew the reason.

‘They’re planning to see this through to the end.’

Baylor intended to slaughter all the Emperor’s faction nobles, overthrow the imperial family with no one left to oppose him, and then proudly claim the throne for himself.

‘Since when has he been so obsessed with power?’

What is power, really? What makes it so valuable that people are willing to spill blood just to obtain it?

I couldn’t understand it at all.

‘I have to stop this.’

If things were left as they were, many people would get hurt. No—more than that, they would die.

Innocent people. People who had done nothing wrong.

‘No.’

Back when I was a child in the slums, I had no parents.

One day, I simply woke up and realized I was just another street kid.

I didn’t know who had given birth to me, nor did I know why I was there.

The only consolation was that there were many others like me on the streets.

Children without parents, just like me.

Thanks to them, I managed to survive somehow, struggling through each day.

But none of them made it.

They died from hunger, from being drenched in too much rain, from stealing bread, from getting hit by a carriage while walking down the road…

They left this world like that.

Had they committed any crime?

No.

They had only tried to survive. Yet, they still died.

I hated that fact so much.

Maybe that’s why…

I fear death.

Even though I always tell myself that my own death could come at any moment, accepting the death of others is far more difficult.

Which is why…

‘I can’t let Baylor do as he pleases.’

I took another deep breath and forced strength into my body. No matter what, I had to get up.

‘Move.’

I mumbled as I tried to wiggle my fingertips.

‘Move, damn it.’

I focused all my energy on moving my hand.

At last, my fingers twitched, curling slightly.

“Hoo…”

As my body moved, my eyes opened, and my voice returned.

“Ugh, that was exhausting.”

It took too much effort to sit up, so I turned onto my side instead. I’d get up for real once I felt a little better.

“More importantly, why is no one in my room?”

At the very least, shouldn’t there be someone taking care of the patient?

Lu, for example. Or Lu. Or Lu…

‘Tch.’

He said we were close now, yet He’s not even here to take care of me.

Hmph.

Just wait.

I’ll return the favor someday…

“Sharan?”

At that moment, the door swung open, and Lu appeared.

He nearly dropped the towel and other things He was holding but barely managed to catch them before rushing over to me.

“You… You’re awake?”

“Uh, yeah…?”

It was obvious that I had regained consciousness, so I found her question odd.

As I tilted my head in confusion, Lu tossed everything onto the table and hugged me tightly.

“Sharan!”

He usually called me Charles, but now He was calling me Sharan. He must have been really shaken.

“Charles.”

“…Huh?”

“Are you getting my names mixed up now? It’s Charles.”

Every time Lu called me Sharan, guilt pricked at my chest.

Because I wasn’t Sharan.

Because I was deceiving her…

“…Fine. Charles.”

As if the name didn’t matter, Lu hugged me even tighter.

“Hey, hey, wait a second. I think my back is bruised. That hurts.”

“Oh, sorry.”

He awkwardly loosened his grip and carefully examined my face.

“Are you in a lot of pain?”

“What, my back that you just squeezed?”

“Well, that too, but I meant in general.”

I rolled my eyes.

“No, nothing hurts too badly.”

“Haa…”

Lu sighed deeply, resting her forehead against my arm.

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she quickly lifted her head.

“I’ll call the physician.”

“No, no. I think I’ll fall asleep again soon.”

I barely managed to grab Lu’s arm before he could dash out.

“First, tell me how long I’ve been unconscious. Has it been a day or two?”

“…”

Lu didn’t answer right away.

Instead, she looked down at me with a somewhat uneasy expression.

Why is she reacting like that?

‘Come to think of it…’

Now that I was paying attention, Lu didn’t look too great himself.

His usually neat hair was disheveled, and his shirt was buttoned incorrectly, making it lopsided. Even his pants had wrinkles.

Lu, of all people, who was always impeccably tidy?

I blinked in shock.

“A day or two?”

Finally, Lu responded.

“…It’s been fifteen days.”

What?

“For fifteen days, Charles, you didn’t wake up.”

“…Oh, my god.”

I muttered in disbelief.

“That explains it. My body felt stiff and unresponsive. Of course, it would after lying down for so long.”

“I don’t appreciate how casually you’re talking about it.”

Tsk. Lu clicked his tongue and immediately began massaging my arm.

“I’ll ask the physician for medicine that improves circulation. That should help you recover faster.”

“Oh, uh, thanks. But you don’t have to massage me.”

“I want to.”

He replied bluntly and continued kneading my arm. The sensation tickled slightly, making me feel weird.

“Charles.”

Then, Lu spoke again.

“I’m really glad you woke up.”

His gazed at me with an expression I couldn’t quite place—somewhere between immense relief and profound sorrow.

It made me uncomfortable, so I looked away.

“Why do you look like that? Someone might think you cried every day because you missed me.”

“I did.”

…Huh?

“I missed you so much that every single day was painful and miserable.”

Why does he say things like that so seriously?

I smacked my lips awkwardly.

“Enough nonsense. Tell me what happened after I collapsed.”

“I don’t see why you think that was nonsense.”

Lu stopped massaging my arm and instead intertwined our fingers, bringing our joined hands to his cheek.

His warmth touched the back of my hand.

“I truly missed you, Charles. And I was truly heartbroken.”

“…”

Uh…

I blinked repeatedly.

I had no idea how to respond to that.

Of course, I understood that he was worried about me, but… wasn’t this a little beyond what friends would say?

‘Or do I just not know because I’ve never had friends?’

As I hesitated, at a loss for words, Lu let out a soft chuckle.

“Charles.”