PIASPM Chapter 2
Thanos had returned with two strange men in tow.
All three of them were all dripping wet from the rain. As they stood at the doorway, Thanos barked out an order at Kai, “There’s a brown horse stationed outside. It’s also drenched by the rain so dry it well and put it inside the stable.”
At Thanos’ instructions, Kai quickly ran outside without even wearing his raincoat properly. The young man moved silently in the rain as Millen continued to watch the events unfolding from a safe distance. Suddenly she felt a shadow coming up from behind her, the shadow was followed by a large gasp.
“Oh my, what’s going on?”
Ahin voiced her surprise as she quickly stood at the place where Kai had just been. The younger girl gave one last look at the faces of their new guests before she turned to look at Thanos with furrowed brows.
“Is that person unconscious, or is he dead?”
Ahin whispered the last question nervously.
Despite being a few feet away from the group, Millen could clearly see that the figure, who was hanging like a limp seaweed between Thanos and the other tall man, was gravely injured. The three of them were indeed soaking wet, but the puddle under their feet was not just water, it also had a tinge of red.
The man was clearly bleeding. From where she stood, Millen could even see the blood-stained cloth that was wrapped around his thigh.
As the two men went deeper inside the inn’s entrance, Millen found herself unconsciously going towards them to help. However, before she could take the first step, she felt a force tugging at her arm and holding her in place. She turned to look at her back and Linda’s worried eyes met hers, “What happened?”
Linda, who had trailed behind Ahin, managed to grab Millen’s arm just as she tried to approach Thanos. She knew that it was dangerous for her mistress to get recognized so she quietly handed Millen a hat to hide her hair.
Millen hurriedly put on her hat while expressing her thanks to her nanny. She had almost forgotten about her hair in the middle of all the chaos. She swept up her abundant hair and hid it into the hat. Suddenly, her lavender colored hair that spilled out from the hat and brushed against her back had turned brown.
When that was done, Millen and Linda finally stepped out and approached Thanos and the two other guys who were also headed towards their direction.
“Thanos, what’s going on?” Millen asked.
“Where did you get him from?” Linda added.
The older woman had asked the question with exaggerated expressions and gestures so that the other man’s attention would not dwell on Millen. The unexpected visitor might find her mistress strange, after all she was wearing a hat indoors. Millen could even feel Linda gently pushing her aside so she was standing away from the stranger and closer to Thanos.
“I saw them wandering in the forest.”
Thanos replied as he glanced at the guests next to him. The pair seemed to have been dragged into their territory. They certainly did not look like they were casual visitors who intended to come there after all. Not only were they caught in the middle of the storm, but their bodies were also covered in mud. It was as if they battled the forest before reaching the inn. It was obvious to Thanos that they were forced to get deeper into Espin forest in their struggle for survival and may have only coincidentally found their inn.
“I already administered emergency aid to this one, but he’s not in good condition.” Thanos informed Millen as he gave a sideway glance at the still limp body he was still supporting. As the group continued to walk deeper into the inn, the strange and large man suddenly spoke.
“Excuse me,”
Millen glanced at the man, who was as tall as Thanos. She noted that he also had a large build. In addition to his bear-like figure, Millen also noticed that he had well-trimmed short hair as well as sharp eyes. His face also seemed quite distinct and angular, he looked quite formidable and if they were in the battlefield, Millen would be quite intimidated by him because he seemed to be very strong.
“…I heard this place is an inn. If there’s any room left, can we stay here for a day or two?”
The man looked quite serious and rugged, but his tone was polite and it somehow made Millen less apprehensive around him. She gave him a nod, “Of course, you can stay. How serious is his situation? Can we check?”
Thanos and the man stopped on their tracks and Linda bent down and peered closely at the injured man’s legs.
Although it was a good bandage made of nice fabric, it was clearly a used material and was torn apart and tied to the wound as an emergency measure. Millen knew that if the man didn’t receive treatment soon, an infection would spread from the untreated cloth and his condition would worsen. Perhaps, an infection had already begun. Judging by the current disheveled state of their new guests, Millen was certain they’ve been swimming in filth for a while now.
“The wound caused by his fall is deep. Is there anyone here who can heal wounds?” The stranger asked them with a hopeful voice. After Millen and Linda were done inspecting the condition of the still sleeping form of their wounded visitor, they gave the worried man a reassuring smile. However, before Millen could tell them her assessment of his condition, Thanos spoke up, “Don’t worry. I’ll prepare for his treatment on my own. Let’s go up first.”
Thanos quickly swiveled and headed towards the grand stairwell of their inn and did not give the other man an opportunity to ask some more. They were busy dragging the passed out body as gently as they could. The other men threw Millen and Linda a quick ‘thank you’ before following Thanos’ lead.
Millen and Linda watched as the man followed Thanos quietly to the second floor. However, it seemed like it was going to be a long climb if they continued to hold him up. Since time was of the essence, the stranger bent down to carry the injured man solely on his back while Thanos led them to an empty room on the third floor.
Millen observed that the man on the strangers’ back also had an imposing stature. Though his dark cloak was covering him, his muscular form still peaked through his wet clothes.
Brushing these thoughts aside, Millen quickly turned on her heels to get to work. As she entered the kitchens, she could hear Linda ordering Ahin to look for dry towels and spare fabrics, they were going to use those to dress the wounds of their new guest. Her nanny was also busy pulling out metal pots from the cupboard.
“Ahin, fill this big kettle with water and put it on fire.”
The younger girl quickly did as she was told, it was clear to Millen that Linda and Ahin had the kitchen covered. Millen then decided to rush up the stairs and start making medicine.
Judging from the wounds of the injured man, Millen was confident that they had enough herbs to be able to treat him. She ran all the way up to the second floor and headed to a living quarters which everyone, except Thanos and her. She needed to get to that room to gain access to her hidden laboratory. It was there where she often studied magic.
When Millen reached the room, she pushed a bookshelf aside using both of her hands. Finally, her hidden workplace was revealed. Important medicines and special books littered the area, and aside from Millen, only Linda and Thanos knew of its existence.
Squeak! The floorboards creaked as Millen stepped inside.
“It’s time to test my abilities.” Millen told herself as she strode into that place. Millen may not be that knowledgeable at spells, but she was at least confident in her abilities to make medicine. She was, in fact, pretty good at it.
When Millen arrived in her secret hiding place, she quickly gathered the ingredients she would need. As she laid some of them on her work table, she muttered to herself, “I think I’m going to need the new herbs.”
Finally making up her mind, Millen opened a cupboard and unveiled shelves full of all kinds of herbs and drugs, there were various medicines made for all kinds of treatment. In addition to the herbs, its insides were also full of exotic plants. The sight of her collection brought into mind Millen’s constant reminder to herself each time she created a new medicinal herb and stocked them up.
‘If you sell all of these, you can make a huge amount of money for yourself, but if you do, it will be revealed that you use magic, so don’t do it.’
Due to Millen’s desire to keep her anonymity, she settled to just make enough medicine for the ordinary use of the occupants and guests of the inn. Also she was mindful to keep making medicine in case of emergency. Thankfully, she prepared for such a scenario, if she didn’t, then they would have had a hard time tending to their injured guest.
There was a large wooden chest, inside of the cupboard and at the bottom of the chest was a secret compartment which Millen pushed open. Among its contents were three small bottles, Millen took them out. She also grabbed a large vial which contained some sort of ointment in it, and then closed the lid back up.
The ointment was a strong and effective drug which Millen was certain will help them overcome any medical crisis safely. She decided to first treat the injured man with these medicines, and then observe his condition. After which, she will decide how she will treat him based on his response to these medications.
Millen started to pile up the bottles and vial in a small basket. After this, she stepped out of her laboratory and quickly headed for the third floor where she knew their new guest could be found. But just as she landed on the upper level, Linda spotted her. The older woman hurriedly ran towards her direction and took the basket from Millen’s hands.
Linda gave Millen a reproachful look, ” My Lady, please go back down to the dining hall. Thanos will take care of the treatment of the patient on his own. I’ll hand this over quickly, so in the meantime, go down and wait for us. You understand what I mean, right?”
‘It means I shouldn’t be close to the guests.’
Millen thought to herself as she nodded calmly at Linda before obediently going back to the dining hall.
Ahin seemed to have sensed her mistress’ presence as the younger girl quickly glanced at the doorway when Millen entered the dining hall. Since everyone left before holding a fork, Ahin was busy preparing dinner again. She placed the meat stew over fire, while the bread and the rest of the food remained sitting at the center of the table.
Even though it was inconsequential that the bread and salad had gotten cold, the meat stew was a different matter, it tasted bad when chilled. Therefore, Ahin was reheating it and was currently stirring it to a boil with a wooden ladle.
Millen sat on the chair as she waited patiently for the rest of their company to make it back.
“I made a new rose tea. Do you want it, my Lady?” Ahin asked Millen and the latter nodded.
Ahin then put aside her ladle and turned to the pot lying on top of the stove. She then poured some tea water into a pretty porcelain teacup and went to serve her mistress the hot drink.
As Millen sat and drank her tea, she could not help but let her thoughts wander back to the injured man that probably still laid motionless on one of the inn’s beds.
‘I don’t think he’s an ordinary person. I couldn’t see his face clearly, but I did see some of his features over Linda’s head earlier. Though I couldn’t decipher his appearance clearly, the hunting clothes he wore are pretty telling of his status. He seems to be a noble man judging from the brooch that he was wearing, it really seemed like it was made of some expensive material. No ordinary man, not even a skilled hunter would hunt with such luxurious accessories on them. Unless they did not mind losing it. The robust man who came with the injured man was more likely the latter’s close acquaintance or he might even be his bodyguard. Judging by his attitude, I could see that there was a bit of reverence and even careful humbleness to the way he carried him after all.’
Millen was deep in her own reverie as she tried to recall what else she saw.
‘Did he carry a sword?’
The situation wasn’t ideal, and it didn’t really allow Millen an opportunity to leisurely observe the two gentlemen and search for a sword. Even though the pair were wearing hunting clothes, she couldn’t even tell if they carried swords, arrows or any weapon with them.
However, the atmosphere surrounding their new guest was very similar to Thanos. Millen deduced that it was most likely that the pair came from the Hogwisa Temple.
‘At the very least, our new guest seems to come from a rich family, or he may even be a wealthy merchant.’ Millen told herself as she drank more of the tea.
Millen couldn’t stop thinking about the injured man, especially because his wounds looked rather serious. It was clear that he suffered a hard fall, and if they aren’t careful his wound may even prove to be fatal. Considering the fact that he fainted and was covered in wounds, Millen wondered if his health would worsen. If the injured man hadn’t met Thanos, he’d end up suffering a greater deal than his present condition.
To be honest, being in Espin Forest during a great storm was a heavy ordeal in itself. Nevertheless, it is still not as serious as getting injured in the middle of a storm.
Millen casted her eyes at the large stairwell that led to the upper levels of the inn and let out a sigh, ‘I’m sure that he’s an incredibly lucky person.’
He was fortunate to stumble upon a place that had an excellent supply of medicine and herbs. Millen had no doubt that if he and his companion had gotten more lost in the forest he would have died by morning. Indeed, he was a very lucky person to have been found by them.
Although, maybe, he wasn’t just lucky, maybe he was even blessed. In spite of the heavy onslaught of wind and rain, they did manage to arrive at the Cat Inn. The Cat Inn’s guests were usually brought in by the cats after all. Still, much like how they were currently in the middle of the storm, the situation of the injured man also remained uncertain. Despite their aid, he was still not in the safe.
“I think that gentleman got hurt a lot.”
Millen did not realize she had spoken out loud, it was only when Ahin spoke beside her that it dawned on her that the younger girl had heard her thoughts.
“My Lady, did you see the face of the injured guest? Isn’t he so handsome?”
Ahin asked excitedly with a sparkle in her eyes. Seeing her speak so highly of their guest made Millen also curious, “Does he really look as good as you say?”
“He was wearing a hood, so I only saw his nose, mouth, and jawline, but he looked like the most handsome man I’ve ever seen in my life.” Ahin narrated but Millen just gave her a look of disbelief. It seemed silly to think that a man was handsome based on so little information.
“How do you know that just by looking at his nose and mouth?”
“Oh, don’t you know my lady? A really handsome man is handsome even if you just see some of his features. What I saw was enough to tell me that he has an otherworldly face! Trust me.”
Ahin was only two years younger than Millen, but the younger girl spoke with so much confidence that it made Millen think that she does not have enough experience with men, even when she was already twenty years old. On the contrary, it seemed that Ahin was more knowledgeable about men than her.
Unlike Millen, who lived in seclusion at the inn, Ahin often went out to the capital, the city of Vegas at least once or twice a month. Therefore, it may be true that Ahin knew better about men and their appearances than Millen.
“Just wait and see my lady, I think I’m right about him being a handsome man.”
Millen shook her head slightly at Ahin’s words, “I don’t want to wait and see”.
Millen wasn’t really interested in handsome men, unlike Ahin.
Rather, she was just concerned about his health and the state of his injuries; her curiosity does not go beyond that. Besides, what would she do with the knowledge of seeing a handsome man? Millen did not even think it was necessary for her to see his face.
“Oh my, please do look at his face this time, because it’s simply extraordinary!”
Millen let out a small chuckle as she thought that maybe it was that time again when Ahin became fascinated by men. The younger girl was always enthusiastic and would chat happily whenever the topic was about men.
Just as Millen took another sip from her tea, she felt a feather-like touch rounding up her ankle. She peered down the table and saw Alex.
Alex was the leader of the cats who lived at their inn.
‘Meow…’ Alex greeted her as it settled beside her feet. Millen thought that Alex came at the right time.
Millen noticed that Alex was staring at her face intently. She knew that it had something to say to her so she nodded at it so it may start speaking.
‘My lady, none of us guided the guests here. So you shouldn’t approach them until after I check if the guests are safe. Wait for my return and remember, don’t go near them.”
Alex finished his statement with a low cry and with calm eyes. Millen replied with a solemn look on her face.
“I’ll do that, but I’d like to ask if you could also take a closer look at the extent of the unconscious man’s injuries and let me know about his current condition.”
‘All right, my Lady.’
“Thank you.”
Alex then turned to call for another cat; Peggy.
‘Peggy will stay by your side.’
Alex was always cautious. Millen knew that about the captain of the cats, therefore, she gave it a small and reassuring smile before replying, “Alex you’re unnecessarily worrying, but I’ll do that.”
At the end of their exchange, Peggy, who just arrived under the order of captain Alex, approached Millen’s feet and started circling her ankles.
“Peggy, thank you for staying with me.”
Millen greeted Peggy with a smile and then the latter sat next to her feet. Alex then shot straight up the stairs. He sprinted across the room in a speed that resembled that of a flying arrow. Alex was a large cat, but despite its size, it moved as light as a feather.
“Oh, that cat was Alex?”
Ahin, who stayed quiet as Millen was talking to Alex, spoke up the minute Alex disappeared.
“How come I could never tell who Alex is, even though I must have seen it a hundred times or more. No matter how many times I look at them, they all look the same to me.”
Millen lightly wet her lips with her tongue as the younger girl continued talking.
“If the color of the cats’ eyes are different, I’ll recognize them based on that. However, if they have no distinguishable features other than their black or white fur, I end up confused every time I see them. How come you can easily tell the differences between the cats?”
Ahin was amazed at the lady who was able to distinguish all the cats living at their inn. She was like a cat herself, after all, cats can also easily recognize each other despite looking so similar. Perhaps cats had the same unique eyes like the ones Millen had.
Ahin then thought that perhaps since Alex was a large cat, maybe Millen recognized him because he was fatter compared to the others?
“I know them because I can communicate with them.” Millen answered simply as she caressed the teacup in her hands. She was almost finished with her hot drink but the others still haven’t returned to the dining hall.
“I knew you would say that my lady. However, I too try to communicate with them, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to do it like you do.”
Millen let out a sigh as Ahin complained to her about her lack of skill.
“You know that communicating with cats is not possible with just effort.”
“That’s right. My lady, do you remember how surprised I was to know of your gift? At first, I already thought that your hair might be a little weird, but then you also talk to cats…”
When Ahin noticed that her mistress just continued to stare at her now empty teacup, the former quickly added,
“… I’m just saying that I’ve never seen someone like you. Your behavior is different from that of ordinary ladies.”
-To be continued
Translator: Byoun
Editor: NineKnights
