novelraw Chapter 74 : It Was Fine, So Do It
Chapter 74 : It Was Fine, So Do It
Chapter 74: It Was Fine, So Do It
A blond-haired boy lay collapsed with a sword embedded in his abdomen.
And it was his own sword, at that.
“Roy.”
“…….”
“Robin.”
The boy did not respond.
The Admiral looked around with a devastated expression.
The demon tribe was dead.
While it had been distracted by the fight with the boy, it had failed to avoid the sword that struck down from behind.
The face of the demon tribe, drunk on victory until the very end, was smiling.
“Move aside.”
“Miss Serena? Are you all right?”
Serena staggered forward, leaning on her staff.
Imelda was unconscious, but there was no threat to her life.
She gathered a fist-sized mass of water at the tip of her staff and washed away the bloodstains clinging to Robin’s body.
“Can you save him.”
“…….”
Serena silently continued wiping down Robin’s body.
The more the blood was washed away, the more the naked wound was exposed.
The Admiral realized his question had been foolish.
He was barely clinging to life, but he would not last long.
The potions they had on hand had been used on Collie.
Even so, Collie had not been able to get up right away and had passed out.
They had prevented permanent bodily damage, but the pain that occurred during the healing process was not something an ordinary person could endure.
‘It’s better that he passed out. The soldiers… are dead.’
All three soldiers who had been directly exposed to the demon tribe’s attack had been severed cleanly between upper and lower body.
Their internal organs had spilled out along the tattered cut surfaces.
“Huugh.”
Serena grasped the sword embedded in Robin’s abdomen and gently tugged.
With a sticky sound and the sensation of flesh being sliced, she stopped her hand.
If she made even the slightest mistake, it felt like his organs would spill out and he would die.
Tap. Tap.
At the sound of shuffling footsteps, Serena and the Admiral turned their heads.
An old man. Theodric dragged along scattered bags, trailing them across the ground.
“Old man, where have you been, showing up only now?”
“I was scared, so I hid.”
Serena felt her temper flare, but she exercised patience.
There was something far more urgent right now.
“You can tell what kind of situation this is without me explaining. Is there a way to save him?”
“There is, of course.”
“Then hurry.”
Serena stepped aside so Theodric could sit beside Robin.
The Admiral watched with hopeful eyes.
What Theodric took out was an ordinary waterskin.
When he opened the stopper, a fishy scent of blood spread.
“So you had troll blood. But if you pour in this much, he won’t be able to endure it.”
“No. This kid’s body is special. He ate Vitalitis when he was young, didn’t he.”
“Even so, he’s still human.”
Theodric did not listen at all.
He grabbed the sword that had pierced through Robin’s abdomen and yanked it out in one motion.
“Old man, are you crazy?”
“Kehehehe.”
It happened so fast it could not even be seen.
As the sword came free, blood gushed out in torrents.
Theodric poured troll blood over it.
Chiiiiiiiik.
Bubbles boiled up as new flesh sprouted.
When he emptied an entire waterskin, the bleeding started again.
Pop.
As if he had expected this, Theodric opened a new waterskin.
Once more, bubbles boiled up and the wound began to close.
“Elder, even if the outside heals like this, the internal organs will be damaged.”
“Open the bag.”
The Admiral opened the bag Theodric had brought.
The fishy scent of blood assaulted his nose.
Cups, pots, waterskins. Every container that could hold liquid was filled with blood.
“Pour it into this kid’s mouth.”
“If he overdoses on unrefined troll blood, he’ll die from the toxicity.”
“It’s fine, so do it.”
The Admiral looked at Robin, whose bleeding was stopping, and followed Theodric’s instructions.
He would die if they left him alone anyway.
If that was the case, betting on even a small possibility was the rational choice.
Even Serena, who had been looking at Theodric with displeasure, did not stop him.
After watching the troll blood flow into Robin’s mouth, Serena moved away to tend to Imelda.
“The more I look at him, the more fascinating he is.”
Watching Robin’s body regenerate, Theodric laughed heartily.
He was being carried on someone’s back as he moved.
In his half-dazed state, it felt like a dream.
Robin forced his eyes open and looked around.
“…A castle?”
“You’re awake.”
“Sir Collie?”
Collie, dressed lightly instead of in armor, was carrying Robin on his back.
“Please rest assured. Miss Imelda, Miss Serena, and Elder Theodric are all safe.”
“That’s a relief…….”
Drowsiness washed over him.
‘Miss Imelda?’
Something felt off, but his eyes kept closing.
Before he could even hear the rest of what Collie was saying, he fell fast asleep.
“Ugh… ugh…….”
The boy with dyed blond hair let out a groan, as if trapped in a nightmare.
“Gasp!”
Robin shot upright, gasping for breath.
After calming his breathing and looking around, he saw a spacious and tidy room.
‘Count Wilcock’s main castle, I suppose.’
He had survived a battle he thought would surely kill him.
Though the environment was unfamiliar, he finished assessing the situation.
A note lay on the stool by the bedside.
[When you wake up, ring the bell.]
When he shook the call bell, the door flew open.
A maid pushed in a trolley, placed a plate on the table, and lifted the lid.
It was a steaming stew.
“Lord Admiral sent word. You must have accumulated fatigue, so please fill your stomach and get plenty of rest.”
“Thank you. If possible, may I know where the people who came with me are?”
“Lord Theodric is having a discussion with the lord of the house. Lady Serena is touring the castle, and Lady Imelda is recovering.”
“Uh… Imelda?”
“Yes. A priest was summoned to heal her, so there is no need to worry.”
After finishing her words, the maid left the room.
‘Looks like everything about us being wanted is already known.’
As Robin put a spoonful of stew into his mouth, he looked toward the desk by the window.
Two swords and his travel bag were all there, untouched.
Even though his identity had been revealed, they had neither restrained him nor taken his equipment.
‘Did the Admiral explain things well.’
The reason he had come to the north was to escape the Empire’s pursuit and clear the charge of rebellion.
He had not expected it to be resolved this quickly, but for Robin, it was good news.
The soft, lightly seasoned stew warmed Robin’s body.
He looked back to the moment before he collapsed, but the only thing that remained in his memory was spitting out blood as the last act.
After that, he only vaguely recalled struggling to kill the demon tribe.
After scraping up the stew to the very last spoonful, he took a deep breath in and out.
“Whoooo… haaah…….”
After repeating several deep breaths, Robin noticed that his body had changed.
The amount of oxygen he needed to breathe had increased compared to before.
‘What happened to me.’
Robin guessed that they must have treated him with troll blood.
There had been no potions left.
The problem was the side effects that could appear if one overdosed on unrefined raw blood.
Usually, the body reacted violently against monster blood, causing rejection symptoms.
He got out of bed and stood in front of a full-length mirror, taking off his top.
A clean, unblemished body was revealed.
‘What is this. It’s no different from being healed with a potion?’
He looked himself over front and back, but there were no scars left behind.
On impulse, he even took off his pants to check, but his lower body was perfectly fine as well.
While he was admiring how flawlessly his body had been healed, the door opened.
It was Serena.
“W-what are you doing.”
“…….”
Caught off guard by facing her in his underwear, Robin hurriedly pulled his pants back up.
Serena, unconcerned, sat on the edge of the bed and spoke.
“There’s no need to make such a fuss, I’ve already seen your body.”
As Robin flusteredly moved his lips, Serena explained what had happened in the meantime.
They had brutally poured troll blood into Robin when he was on the brink of death.
The amount had been enormous, likely close to half the volume of a human’s blood.
Collie had carried Robin, and the Admiral had carried Imelda, all the way to Count Wilcock’s main castle.
Three days had passed since their arrival, and this place was safe.
“What about the warrants on me and Miss Imelda? Did the Count pull some strings?”
“That’s on hold. Still, he’ll probably take your side. You saved a war weapon and even the Admiral, didn’t you?”
He felt both relieved and apologetic.
When the demon tribe attacked, Robin had chosen to protect Imelda.
Three soldiers had died.
No one could blame him, but it weighed on his heart.
All three men had families.
As he silently paid tribute to the dead, Serena spoke up.
“When we ran into the troll in the forest. Imelda almost died. I feel sorry about that.”
“Why bring that up all of a sudden.”
“Still. Even if I went back to that moment, I would make the same choice.”
Serena said this while looking straight at Robin.
There was no falsehood to be found in her eyes.
‘She’s surprisingly perceptive.’
“Did it show that much, that I was bothered by it?”
“A little. I wasn’t going to blame you, it’s a natural reaction for a person. The reason I’m saying this is…….”
“I understand.”
Robin cut her off and tossed out a brief reply.
Just like before, it was an emotional issue; rationally speaking, he could not resent Serena.
At that moment, Serena had made the most reasonable decision.
“It must have been uncomfortable, so thank you for saying it first. And I’m sorry too. Just thinking that the young lady might have died shattered my composure. It won’t happen again.”
“Then that’s enough.”
After laying bare their true feelings, an awkward silence settled in.
Serena’s blue eyes fixed on Robin.
Unable to endure the awkwardness, Robin opened his mouth.
“By the way, are you okay, Serena? It looked like you were pushing yourself when you fought the demon tribe.”
“I recovered to some extent while you were collapsed.”
“Then I guess your injuries weren’t that serious.”
“That’s right. Because you and Imelda blocked it. If not, my body would have been torn to shreds.”
The girl’s expression was calm as she casually uttered such a gruesome statement.
“Even though I used Ether to its limit like last time, the recovery time got shorter.”
“So you got stronger?”
“That’s right. Though I don’t handle spirits just to become stronger.”
“Congratulations.”
“They say people grow in crisis. I didn’t believe it before, but I think I understand it now.”
Knock knock.
The knocking sound cut off their conversation.
Robin cleared his throat and spoke.
“Yes. Please come in.”
The person who entered when the door opened was the Admiral.
Unlike the practical outfit he wore while traveling, he was dressed in typical noble attire.
Seeing Robin and Serena sitting on the bed and talking, he let out a dry cough.
“Ahem… am I interrupting?”
“Interrupting? I was just wondering if you were safe as well, Admiral.”
“As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. Strength has returned to my legs too.”
“That’s a relief.”
Serena merely nodded slightly and did not add anything else.
The Admiral did not approach further and continued speaking.
“Robin, Miss Imelda’s contributions during this journey were significant. My father wishes to meet you personally.”
“Since our names are already known, can we take that as a positive sign?”
“Yes. This mission was extremely important. He will grant what you desire.”
“Thank you. I suppose it’s thanks to you speaking well for us, Admiral?”
“Haha. I merely conveyed the facts. You must have only just awakened, so for now, please focus on recovery. Once Miss Imelda awakens, I will arrange a meal with my father.”
Fortunately, it did not come to the worst-case scenario of Count Wilcock turning his back on them.
Still, there was something Robin absolutely had to confirm with the Admiral.
“The war weapon you took out when fighting the demon tribe. It was just an ordinary stone—what was that about?”
“What you thought was correct, Robin. It was intentional.”
“Why on earth. If you had used it earlier, there wouldn’t have been any damage.”
“There is a place where that power is absolutely necessary. I could not use it recklessly just to save myself. I expected that merely raising the demon tribe’s guard would increase our chances of victory.”
“If we had all died back then, it would have fallen into the demon tribe’s hands.”
“If we had truly been pushed that far, I would have used the weapon.”
‘Hoo… I’ve got nothing to say to that.’
Robin asked his questions without holding anything back.
The fallen soldiers had been given proper funerals, and compensation had been delivered to their bereaved families.
The Admiral had not forgotten the efforts of his subordinates.
It was bitter, but that was the best that could be done.
In addition, they were given permission to freely use the internal facilities and told to let them know if they needed anything at all.
Once the questions were over, the Admiral left after telling them to rest comfortably.
“Are you going to stay here, Serena?”
“Yeah.”
“I was thinking of going to see Miss Imelda.”
“Let’s do that.”
Serena answered as if it did not matter to her either way.
“Ahem… I’m going to change clothes, so could you step out for a moment?”
In the room where Robin was staying, clean clothes for going out had been prepared.
He did not know who had washed him and changed his clothes while he was unconscious.
The loose shirt and pants were like high-quality pajamas.
Since he preferred clothes that allowed for easy movement, he planned to change before going out.
“You can just change. Why should I leave?”
“Well… are you really fine with that, Serena?”
“Yeah. I’m the one who washed your body and changed your clothes.”
“Y-you…?”
“I’m kidding.”
‘…That doesn’t sound like a joke.’
“We’ve already seen everything there is to see between us, so is there any reason to act like this now?”
“What do you mean, seen everything there is to see. Who says that?”
“Oh. I guess not, from your perspective? There’s nothing I can’t show.”
When Serena stood up from the bed and started taking off her clothes, Robin jumped in shock.
They had been together for a long time and grown closer through various conversations, but he had forgotten one thing.
Put kindly, she did not care about other people’s gazes, but on the flip side, she was somewhat under-socialized.
‘I forgot she has a bit of a perverted side.’
Robin grabbed Serena’s hand and ushered her out of the room.
“It’ll only take a moment. There’s no rush.”
Shouting urgently, Robin hurried back into the room.
Watching him, Serena let out a small chuckle.
The girl thought to herself.
‘He’s fun to tease.’
After locking the door, it took less than a minute for Robin to change before he came back out.
“Pretty fast, right?”
“Yeah.”
“While we’re at it, I’ll say this clearly—don’t go around getting naked in front of other people.”
Serena listened to Robin’s lecture on the common sense any human ought to have.
It took effort to hold back the laughter that threatened to spill out.
As the boy and girl walked down the corridor, the distance between them grew closer than before.