I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home

 

 

I Picked Up My Father Who Left Home 02

 

 

 

 

Lia looked at the man, somewhat dazed.

 

I was mesmerized by their unrealistic appearance, out of place in such a seedy alley.

 

The man, who looked to be in his late 20s, was incredibly handsome.

 

His hair and eye color were common enough that I’ve seen him dozens of times on the road, but his appearance was anything but; even his common brown hair and brown eyes were extraordinary.

 

I wondered if this person could exist in the world.

 

The moment she saw the man’s face, her heart dropped with a thud, as if she had been in an accident, and her breath caught in her throat.

 

However, that appreciation didn’t last long.

 

The man was in such bad shape that you could tell something was wrong at a glance.

 

He was losing so much blood that I wondered if he would bleed to death if left alone, and there were large cuts everywhere I looked.

 

Lia hurried over to the man.

 

Up close, the man was in even worse shape.

 

“What are you going to do, lady?”

 

The knight who followed Lia to the man asked with a serious face.

 

“I think we should take him to the mansion for treatment.”

 

“But it might be dangerous to let someone into the mansion who you don’t even know.”

 

If Lia wanted to, he should follow her lead, but not knowing the man’s identity, the knight couldn’t help but worry.

 

I wondered if this was going to put her in an awkward position.

 

“I don’t know who it is, but it’s no ordinary person, at least by the way they’re dressed.”

 

His clothes were as tattered as the wounds on his body, but he could still tell they were made of quality materials.

 

This man was a nobleman, as a commoner would not have been able to obtain such a valuable garment.

 

And not just any aristocrat, but a very high ranking one.

 

If so, I couldn’t let it go unnoticed.

 

Of course, even if that wasn’t the case, Lia was not a cold-hearted person who would turn her back on someone who can easily die.

 

“… If you say so, I will comply.”

 

She had a great sense of people.

 

If she says it’s okay, then it’s really okay.

 

The knight obediently picked up the man on the ground.

 

With that, Lia took the knight and the gravely wounded man to the manor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

Before she knew it, the sun was setting and the bright day was getting darker.

 

Lia’s return is taking longer than expected, and the butler is waiting for her with a worried look on his face.

 

Even if she went out with an escort, but the butler couldn’t let go.

 

She was the only heir to the blood of the previous duke.

 

Because the previous duke as head of the family had died, if anything were to happen to Lia….

 

The butler squeezed his eyes shut as if the very thought of it was horrifying.

 

But thankfully, after a while, Lia returned with the knight.

 

“Ma’am.”

 

The butler greeted her with great relief that she had returned safely.

 

Then he looked at the man on the knight’s back and gave him a puzzled look.

 

Noticing the question on the butler’s face, Lia spoke up.

 

“I found him collapsed in an alley, and I brought him in for treatment because his wounds are so bad he’ll probably die if left alone.”

 

“… First, let’s get the doctor.”

 

“Okay, thanks.”

 

Smiling, Lia replied and led the man to the guest room.

 

Arriving there, the knight gently laid the man down on the bed there.

 

“The doctor will be here soon, but I think I’ll clean up this blood first.”

 

I hastily applied hemostasis, but it wasn’t proper first aid.

 

I am going to have to clean up a lot of blood before th doctor can examine him.

 

“I’ll call the maid.”

 

“Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

 

With Lia’s answer, the butler immediately summoned a maid to clean up the man’s blood.

 

In the meantime, Lia turned away and sat down.

 

In order to clean up the blood, the man’s clothes have to be removed, and it’s a bit much to look at a naked man’s body as it is.

 

The maid had just finished cleaning the man’s body when the councilor arrived.

 

Rather than asking for details about the man’s condition, the doctor immediately examined the man, who looked serious at first glance.

 

“What do you think?”

 

“… It was a stroke of luck that he’s were found. After examining him, it appears that he is an able-bodied, but even they are not immune from injury or death.”

 

If she hadn’t spotted him and walked right past him, the man would most likely have died.

 

The amount of blood he had lost so far was not insignificant, and his injuries were more serious than they appeared.

 

It was only because he was a human with an able-bodied that he didn’t die right away, but instead remained alive until she found him and brought him here.

 

If he had been a normal person, he would have died before he was found by Lia.

 

Lia looked somewhat surprised at the doctor’s words.

 

She had no idea that the man she had picked up was a human with an able-bodied.

 

That too, for a moment.

 

“Will he be able to survive now?”

 

“Yes, he can survive, but….”

 

The doctor frowned slightly, as if something was bothering him.

 

“What’s the problem?”

 

“I don’t know exactly, but I think he’s been drugged.”

 

“Drug?”

 

“Yes, I don’t know what it is, but it’s hindering his recovery, and not only that, but it’s causing his energy to not flow properly and he’s running wild.”

 

“Does that mean…?”

 

“Of course, that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to open his eyes or heal his wounds, it’s just… I think he’ll be limited in how he use his powers.”

 

In that sense, it was both fortunate and unfortunate.

 

He was lucky to have been spared, but he would never be able to use his powers. It was another death for him.

 

In particular, he had been forced to use his powers by medication.

 

That alone would have been too much for the man’s body.

 

It was a constant struggle to contain his rampaging energy.

 

“I’ve never heard of such a drug.”

 

A drug that prevents a human with an able-bodied from using their powers.

 

Such a drug, in the Empire?

 

I can’t believe it, but I also can’t believe the intentions of someone who would use such a drug on a man.

 

Every adept in the empire had one duty.

 

It was about slaying demons within the empire.

 

Ordinary knights were no match for demons, so the task of exterminating them was left entirely to those with the ability to do so.

 

And you’re giving someone with such important duties a drug that renders them incapacitated?

 

If it became known, he would be guilty of treason and punished severely.

 

To harm a human with an able-bodied was to dangerous the safety of the empire.

 

“I’ve never heard of such a drug either, but it’s true.”

 

He was a duke’s doctor, as skilled as any imperial doctor.

 

The chances of him misdiagnosing were close to zero.

 

She double-checked, just in case, but the results were the same.

 

“So, do you have an antidote or something…”

 

“Unfortunately, it’s not within my capabilities.”

 

We didn’t know what the ingredients were, and it was going to be very tricky and difficult to make because it wasn’t a common medicine.

 

To create an antidote, you need to know what’s in the medicine, and it’s impossible to guess from a blank slate.

 

“Yeah, that’s a big deal.”

 

Lia frowned in confusion.

 

The fact that he was lying in an alleyway with such serious injuries made me think that there might be some complications, but this was completely unexpected.

 

She was worried that she was getting herself into an unnecessarily complicated situation.

 

Of course, the man wasn’t going to write about being drugged.

 

Notably, Lia is the heir to the Duke of Sithran, who was responsible for the human rights and protection of the able-bodied, and for mediating between them and the nonable-bodied.

 

And she was a very young kid, only twelve years old.

 

‘What am I going to do with this.’

 

She’s already struggling with guardianship after her grandfather’s death, and sh can’t believe how complicated it is.

 

‘But I can’t help it’.

 

All citizens had a fundamental duty to protect and help the gifted.

 

It was the least the Emperor could do for a man of his caliber who was struggling to keep his people safe.

 

So if the man in front of her was a people with abilities, Lia was naturally obligated to heal and protect him.

 

If she hadn’t seen him, she wouldn’t have known, but she had brought him to the mansion with my own hands, so she couldn’t escape that obligation.

 

The only thing is… This is what happens when a man has to go through this….

 

‘For now, we’ll just have to wait and see if the man wakes up.’

 

Without knowing the man’s exact identity, though he was presumed to be a nobleman, it was nearly impossible to figure out who had done this to him.

 

Of course, she didn’t need to know that.

 

If the man was a nobleman, he would be able to take care of himself without having to go out of her way to help him.

 

And she wasn’t obligated to help him with that.

 

It’s just… This unexpected situation was very disconcerting and embarrassing.

 

‘I hope you don’t get yourself into any trouble.’

 

Now she can’t even pretend she don’t know the man.

 

“I can’t help you with the medicine, so I’ll just ask you to treat the wound first.”

 

“Yes, I see.”

 

Although the injuries were serious, they were well within the capabilities of a trauma surgeon, so he obeyed her orders.

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

That night.

 

Lia is sitting up late, unable to sleep, in her bed, feeling like she has to do something, so she heads to her office.

 

It wasn’t like she had much to do in the office anyway, but it was free to be still.

 

So, as Lia was spending some time alone in her office, she heard a small knock on the door.

 

Soon the door opened and in walked Sebain, the old butler.