The moment the razor-sharp blade headed towards him, Walter twisted his lips into a smile.
“Persistent despite repeated failures.”
He swung his sword, which was imbued with magical power, at the assassin.
『 The sword is a bit short to reach me… Ugh!』
The assassin, who had underestimated the length of Walter’s sword, was thrown to the ground.
Gasping and spitting blood, he realized that it was useless to thoroughly analyze Walter’s movements.
Until a few days ago, he hadn’t used sword-swinging attacks. How had he become so natural at it in just a few days…
Cassius looked at Walter and smiled, closing the assassin’s trembling eyes.
『 Even I, on his same side, find it frightening. I wonder how it looks to our enemies.』
Walter, seemingly indifferent to his thoughts, tightened his grip on his sword as the enemies approached.
──────────✿◦•
As most of the militiamen headed towards the central square, Edith, leading her unusually heavy body, returned to her room.
Vivian, who had been working on something in her room, got up from her seat upon seeing Edith’s pale complexion.
“Are you alright? Would you like me to leave so you can take a nap for a while?”
“I’m fine. It’s something I asked for, so I can’t ask you to leave. It’s gotten a bit chilly, and I think I might be coming down with a slight cold.”
Edith was currently asking Vivian to look for an inn or hotel where she could stay for about two weeks.
She couldn’t just stay here after knowing Walter would leave as soon as Helen’s succession was over.
『 After that, I’ll wrap things up in the territory…』
Edith placed a hand on her still-flat stomach.
Originally, she had plans to go to the capital and start attending the academy, even if it was a bit tight financially, she had saved up a considerable amount of money in her account.
She thought she could somehow manage the situation even if she was a little short on money once she settled in the capital.
However, the current situation was a bit more complicated due to the child in her womb.
She had only two choices in mind. It would be challenging, but either terminate the pregnancy due to the difficulty it would bring or go through with it and raise the child.
The only certainty was that if she decided to have the baby, there was no choice but to protect the child.
Even after confirming the pregnancy, there was a lot of uncertainty about whether to go to the academy, since she had not yet made a final decision.
『 I should first find a place to stay and calmly reconsider. I should also visit my old house.』
Edith unconsciously made a gloomy face.
Upon noticing, Vivian, thinking it was her fault, clapped her hands together.
“It’s really okay. Don’t worry.”
Vivian wasn’t just saying empty words. In fact, she was only pretending to do the task Edith had asked for, and it wasn’t challenging at all for her.
It was because of that day when Edith was escaping from Fortrion Manor, and Cassius, while helping her with the lady’s belongings, made an intriguing proposal.
⋙“Vivian, did you see Walter taking the lady out of the manor earlier? Walter broke her imprisonment spell.”⋘
Vivian knew about Sophia’s imprisonment spell from Edith, but something else surprised her.
⋙“Is that possible without being a mage?”⋘
⋙“I was surprised too… I knew he was exceptional, but as it turns out, he has magic flowing through his body. Even the commander who served in the Royal Knights for decades said he had never seen such magic in anyone else.”⋘
In the Empire, those who could use magic were extremely rare.
The fact that Walter, who had been imprisoned in Fortrion Manor by the Viscount all this time, actually possessed great magical power meant only one thing.
『 I may not know for sure, but he must have inherited the blood of a noble lineage, and being trapped here means that there must be an important secret surrounding his birth.』
As she thought about this, Cassius handed her two gold coins.
⋙“I plan to follow that guy to the capital. So, we’ll need someone to look after the lady.”⋘
⋙“… Why do you assume that M’lady will go with you?”⋘
⋙“The academy that the lady always wanted to attend is in the capital, and Walter received an enormous sum of money as compensation from Lady Helen.”⋘
According to Cassius’ secret, the compensation Walter received was enough to buy three luxury manors in the center of the capital, with some funds left over.
『 If Walter is with her, she will undoubtedly be safe.』
These days, more people than ever think of Nicholas Fortrion’s wives with disdain, but Vivian couldn’t let Edith, her mother’s benefactor, stay in a dangerous place.
In addition, Vivian, who had heard how much Edith wanted to go to the capital, willingly accepted the two gold coins.
So, Vivian had no choice but to pretend to listen to Edith’s request to find a good place to stay.
Walter wanted Edith to stay in the Militia building and then go straight to the capital with him.
『 I’m sorry, M’lady!』
“They say all the rooms are taken because everyone came to the central part of the territory to see the new Lord. I’ll look into it as soon as a vacancy opens up. How about going for a walk to refresh yourself?”
Vivian opened the travel bag that Edith had ambitiously prepared.
Edith had always thought that she should be compensated for her hard work with money, so small and expensive accessories were the main items rather than clothes.
“If only we had a winter coat, it would be better, but since it’s warm during the daytime, wearing this cloak should be sufficient.”
“Well, I cherish this cloak, so wearing it on a cloudy day like today is a bit…”
Edith smiled softly and declined.
She couldn’t just wear it because the spell to lift Walter’s imprisonment spell was sewn into the lining of that cloak.
『 I don’t know if this spell can be used in the future.』
Repeatedly emphasizing to Vivian that this cloak should remain a top priority brought a sense of fulfillment.
Although Edith couldn’t wear the cloak in question, she didn’t want to ignore Vivian’s effort to lift her spirits, so she chose the precious necklace that Walter had found for her some time ago.
“Could you put this on for me?”
“I’m not sure what kind of gem it is, but it’s pretty. The blue color goes well with your eyes.”
Vivian placed a necklace with a small blue gem around Edith’s neck.
Just having a keepsake filled with memories brought a sense of calm to Edith’s heart.
However, just as she was thinking about going for a walk, a desperate voice came from downstairs.
“Doctor! Please come and take a look at this injured person!”
“Is there anyone?”
Edith and Vivian immediately went downstairs.
There, they saw uninjured members carrying those who had been injured.
“What happened?”
She asked, but an injured militiaman replied harshly.
“After Helen’s speech, there was an armed conflict. It’s those damn assassins again. Now is not the time for Lady’s games, so get out of the way and don’t interfere.”
Edith looked at the arm of the man speaking.
It seemed like a bone was broken, and he was in great pain.
Looking at the ones who came in afterward, none of them had life-threatening injuries, but if treatment was delayed, there was a risk of infection.
“I have no intention of playing, and I won’t be a hindrance.”
Edith spoke with confidence and helped the apothecary, the only medical personnel in the building.
T/N: The apothecary is a person who prepares and sells medicines and is often responsible for dispensing and compounding medications, basically a pharmacist.
Then, with skilled hands, she disinfected the wounds of the injured and removed deeply embedded fragments with a pair of forceps.
She was surprisingly calm in the face of injuries that could be terrifying and disgusting.
“After receiving first aid, please step aside. It seems like more than one person was injured.”
As she poured disinfectant on severe abrasions and spoke in a composed voice to others, her presence was imposing enough to make grown men flinch.
The militiaman, who had initially scolded her to get out of the way, ended up receiving a dose of disinfectant, and was now almost in a state of remorse, with tears welling up in his eyes.
Even the apothecary, who prided himself on being quite fast, had doubts as he watched her perform precise emergency treatments at lightning speed.
“Um, have you worked in this field before?”
“I previously worked as an assistant at a clinic for about 7 years.”
“Working as an assistant at a clinic must have been incredibly labor-intensive. You endured it for 7 years…?”
The apothecary, upon learning about her unexpected career, could easily understand the reason for her skillful hands.
The clinics in Fortrion, always struggling with a lack of budget and support, often relied heavily on assistants.
Thanks to Edith and the apothecary efficiently dividing the work, emergency treatments for the injured were quickly carried out.
However, as time passed, a shadow of anxiety appeared on her face.
With so many people returning, the fact that Walter and Cassius had yet to make an appearance was a cause for concern.
Even after the injured had received emergency treatment and returned to their respective rooms, even after the sun had set and the moon had risen, Edith could not rest and anxiously waited for Walter.
She couldn’t understand why her heart felt so uneasy, thinking he might be injured.
“Ugh…!”
She dozed off for a while while anxiously waiting for his return, but when she heard a man moaning in pain, she woke up abruptly.
『 Walter?』
The door opened, and a man stumbled in. He had blond hair and wasn’t wearing the Militia Force uniform.
“Ah…”
Only then did Edith raise her head and look to see who had thrown the man.
Although she couldn’t see his face due to the moonlight coming in from behind, she could recognize that the man who exuded a sense of grandeur was Walter.
“Uh, M’lady. I’m here too.”
Edith belatedly noticed Cassius standing beside him and felt embarrassed.
“I was worried because you both came late.”
“I thought we could catch at least one of them. It’s good to know who these guys are, isn’t it?”
Edith watched the movements of Walter and Cassius as they walked in.
Although their clothes were stained with blood and their hair was disheveled, there were no unnatural movements.
“I’m glad there are no injuries.”
“Thank you for your concern. Well then, I’ll spend some private time with this guy.”
After a warm farewell, Cassius forcibly raised the blond man who had been captured alive to stand up and dragged him somewhere.
Thanks to this, Walter, who was alone with her in the hall, was able to monopolize Edith’s worried gaze to his heart’s content.
He felt quite satisfied knowing that she had stayed up late, unable to sleep, with a restless expression on her face because she was concerned for him.
Suddenly, he felt a bit reluctant to send her away as he looked at her expression.
“I’m hurt, Edith.”
Walter knew that Edith was very tender when it came to those who were in pain.
If he complained of pain, she would stick by his side, constantly checking his complexion.
However, Edith, who noticed the playfulness in his voice, responded calmly.
“If you’re really hurt, I’ll take a look, but jokes won’t be tolerated.”
However, contrary to her words, Walter didn’t miss the trembling in her eyes.
Despite her doubts, her expression revealed concern.
“If you’re tired, go and rest, Edith. It’s nothing serious, just a slight sprain.”
He spoke like a hunter luring his target by gently waving a small bait and trudging to his room.
As he reacted nonchalantly, Edith, on the contrary, followed him and became more determined.
“Where did you get the sprain? I’ll check to see if you’re alright.”
After showing her concern for a moment, Edith came to her senses and realized that she had entered Walter’s room.
“Then, I can’t help it since you’re so worried about me.”
He said that and then began to unbutton his shirt, one button at a time.
Edith, embarrassed, averted her gaze.
“What are you doing, Walter?”
“You said you wanted to check me. It seems like there’s a slight sprain around the chest area.”
At that moment, numerous question marks popped into Edith’s mind.
“The chest… can be sprained?”
❀.°• ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ ─ •°.❀
