Even a Scoundrel Gets Tired

136 – Before He Awoke

With the news that the old man and girl had,

Ultimately, escaped,

The situation was concluded, and

The Charlotte family was thrown into chaos.

Their young lady, whom they served, had

Returned unconscious, carried on the Lord’s back.

And what was more, the children

Following behind were all

Suffering from considerable injuries.

‘The…the Lord?! W-Why is the young lady…?’

‘Calm yourself and immediately request a priest from the Order.’

“Y-yes?! Even if I started right away,

it would surely take several hours!!”

“If they know the Saintess is here, they’ll come on their own. Hurry.”

“…Yes?!”

As the Duke had predicted,

the Order dispatched a priest immediately.

And not just any priest, but one of the few high-ranking ones within the Order.

“Is it true the Saintess is residing here?!”

“…I didn’t ask for

escort troops, though.”

Of course, it wasn’t just

that one man they sent.

I hadn’t imagined they’d

screen and send members of the Holy Order,

but they weren’t causing any trouble.

Rather, they simply offered their gratitude for allowing them to protect the Saintess.

“Now, then, let’s begin the treatment… hmm…”

“What is it?”

“No… It’s nothing. The injuries are more severe than I initially thought.”

“…Is that so?”

“I will have to exert

my full power, it seems.”

And so, another round

of tumultuous healing came to an end.

How much time had passed,

I couldn’t say.

Within the manor now,

a woman lay in a deep slumber.

A woman who might someday become the owner of this manor.

“Ugh…”

“Hm? Are you waking up?!”

“Oww… Where am I?”

“You are inside the manor, my lady.”

Sino Charlotte.

She was now just awaking.

Still clutching her throbbing

head.

“My lady, perhaps you should rest a little longer.”

The hunting dog, who had

been watching over her the whole time,

was also, now, visibly startled.

If things were normal, she

shouldn’t be in any condition to even rise.

Her ribs and both arms,

every last one fractured, and the

patella of her right knee

completely shattered,

a ruptured rib piercing internal organs, inflicting internal injuries,

that was the state of her body

before receiving treatment.

At the very least, it was a wound that would

require lying down for half a day.

No matter how high-ranking a priest

they summoned to heal her,

there was no way there wouldn’t be aftereffects.

Yes, that surely would be typical…

“Hyaa…I’m alive, aren’t I?”

“….”

Aftereffects? Far from it, as if

nothing had happened at all,

she stretched languidly and looked around.

In some ways, this too

was quite an odd situation, but

the hound no longer

questioned it.

To question the actions of

the master wasn’t the dog’s place.

“Yes, the head himself

rescued you, young lady.”

“…Really? I didn’t expect him to come himself.”

Something was off, considering

it came from the mouth of the one who urgently

requested support, but

in truth, she truly

didn’t hold such high expectations.

The moment she saw that old man,

she knew instinctively

that they would surely die.

A bloodlust on a different level

from Allen, who had turned into a Majin.

Like a towering mountain,

It felt like facing a wall,

that dreadful, filthy sensation.

And judging by how it immediately

attacked Jenison…

Even with the rosiest of views,

it didn’t seem favorably

disposed to them.

She was certain they’d all be dead

before reinforcements arrived.

‘But I’m alive…? Why?’

“Milady, are you still unwell?”

“No. It’s nothing,

just wondering why I’m alive.”

“Pardon?”

The hunting dog’s voice,

though only slightly,

trembled nonetheless.

He couldn’t grasp

what his mistress was saying.

Why she was alive.

It almost sounded like she

thought she should have died.

“Honestly, I hate to say this,

but that b*stard seemed stronger

than his father.”

“….”

“What, wasn’t he?”

She finished speaking and flashed

a mischievous grin.

It was a truly beautiful smile,

but to the hunting dog now,

it just made her seem like

a mischievous imp.

A playful brat,

as if daring him to

disagree if he could.

“….”

“Can’t answer, so I guess I’m right.”

“..Please, get some rest.”

Kih-kih-kih─

A soft ripple of laughter.

Leaving behind the echoes of frivolous laughter,

he, who had tended to her tirelessly,

made to leave the chamber.

Come what may,

the young lady seemed to have

awakened unscathed.

There was no longer reason

for him to remain there.

All she needed now

was treatment.

And besides, he had to, more than ever,

carry out the Master’s command.

To find and investigate all information

regarding those monsters, he had been tasked.

After reporting only that

the young lady had awakened, he too

would immediately join the mission.

If not that the young lady had

reached out to pull him back.

“…?”

“Ah, just one more thing. Are

the people who were with me alright?”

The people who were with her…

Presumably, she meant

the two siblings and the

Saintess.

‘…But could one really call them alright?’

“..Why no answer again?”

Ah, dear.

The response came too late.

He could feel the young lady’s unease reaching him.

‘…Haha, so the young lady also

had friends like that.’

“..Why don’t you say anything? Don’t tell me…”

“Ah, your companions

are all alive.”

“Com…panions? No…first, does that mean they’re alright?”

Alright, hmm.

Why was it,

that unlike a moment ago, words caught in his throat, refusing to come out?

“The Saintess is resting under the care of the Order.

“They sent someone directly to fetch him.”

“Hmm, and?”

“The other two… the mansion

was completely half-destroyed, so…”

“…?”

“Fortunately, the Lord of the House

allowed them to stay at the mansion.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Were you worried?”

“No, not really. Why would I be worried?”

Though she said this,

within her, she harbored a

considerable amount of worry.

It was simply that this

sensation was so unfamiliar to her

that she didn’t realize the emotion was worry.

She merely thought this feeling was

due to the debt she would extract from him.

Still, since he’d saved her life,

she figured she could have quite some fun,

thinking that way.

“Well, so… everything’s alright, then?”

“….”

“..Hello?”

“Everyone else has

regained consciousness, but…”

“..But?”

“The Young Master of the Reinhardt House has not yet recovered.”

“….”

“Miss?”

“..Hah, for now… where is he?”

*

At the same time, in another room

within Charlotte’s mansion.

Even though the dark hues of night had

certainly arrived,

the room’s interior

still radiated a bright light.

All for the treatment of a single person.

‘The initial emergency measures have been completed, but…’

“Only…? Did something go wrong?”

“Ah…no, it’s not that.

It’s just that the patient’s condition is quite severe.”

“….”

“First, if you burn this incense

near the patient, their condition will

improve somewhat.”

“Hmm… I understand. Are you leaving now?”

“No. How could I leave

with the patient still here?”

“Then?”

“Because I don’t know what could happen to the patient while I’m briefly away.”

“…I see.”

“Think of this as

a precaution.”

“Hmm, I understand. Is there anything else you need?”

“Ah… perhaps it would be helpful

to have one more person to assist me.”

“Understood, I will send someone shortly.”

Incense brimming with holy power

completely dominated the room,

yet no smoke was emitted.

Holy power replaced it

entirely.

“Hmm…almost all of her wounds

are healing now…”

“Wheeze…wheeze…”

“No matter how late it gets,

the woman should awaken by tomorrow…”

To the point that all of the

surrounding people’s worries became meaningless,

Aria was now breathing

steadily with soft wheezes.

John, a high priest

suddenly dispatched here.

In his eyes, she no longer needed further treatment.

The rest was now something

her own self-healing ability

had to resolve on its own.

To be frank, healing him to that point

meant he was practically already

cured.

“….”

“The problem, you see, is *this* here.”

“..Kuh..Kuh-heuk..!!”

“Aish, more blood.

Help me clean this up, would you?”

“Yes, Father.”

However, Jenison, lying

serenely beside her,

was in a state entirely the opposite.

Himself possessing a

not inconsiderable amount

of divine power, even within the Order.

And despite pouring almost

all of his own divine power into him,

his wounds healed with strange slowness.

As though something were

obstructing the

healing.

Just in case, he brought a

high-grade potion from a

nearby shop and administered it,

but even *that* had no effect.

When, with the timing just right,

even severed limbs could be reattached—

that was the power of this high-grade potion.

‘Well… of course, they *are* difficult to make.’

“Kuh-luck… Kuh-luck…!”

“Aish… what’s wrong now…”

For him, prioritizing the

patient’s safety and well-being above all else,

he could find no other

solution in this situation,

and ultimately, the method he chose

was simply to remain by his side

until he awoke, treating him

each time he coughed up blood.

Never before had his divine power

failed to work,

Of course it existed, but,

like Jennison now,

a recovery so exceedingly slow,

it was a first for him as well.

Perhaps this was the best judgment to be made.

‘…Even so, it is merely best,

though it feels not quite the ideal.’

“Keu-heok…cough…”

“Aigooh…again…”

“Oppa…?”

It was then.

Something that could not possibly be happened.

When, at the quickest, she should have needed

to wait for at least a dozen hours,

she, now beside her,

began to shed tears as she looked upon

her brother.

“Y-You have awakened?

This, tell me, how many fingers do you see?”

“Oppa…again…I’m being helpful…”

“Firstly, let us check for any irregularities with your body…”

“I’m sorry…I…”

“…I’m going mad.”

He who had lived as a high priest, dedicating his life to the gods,

now, for the first time, found himself face to face

with a woman shedding only tears,

saying nothing at all.