Chapter 18

When I woke up, I was on a bed. But it wasn't my bed. ...Where am I?

Looking up, I saw a soft white ceiling.

I turned my head slightly and saw a wall with soft white, slightly faded red, and a calm gold vertical stripe pattern.

Hmm. I've never seen such stylish wallpaper before. Really, where am I?

When I tried to get up, my body felt too heavy to move. I tried a little, but my body was surprisingly heavy.

The bed I was sinking into was very soft. ...Extremely soft. The feeling of my body sinking in was intense. The blanket covering me was also very soft. Usually, I sleep with just one blanket, so this was a bit... I don't know, unsettling.

As I was fidgeting, unable to move, there was a sudden click.

"...Huh? Togo, did you wake up!?"

The person there was... Redgard.

"Are you okay? Does anything hurt? Can you move? Do you recognize me? Do you know where you are?"

Redgard came up to me and asked a lot of questions at once. Yeah, I can't answer all of that at once.

...Besides, there's something that concerns me more.

"Those injuries..."

Redgard had a bandage on half his face, around his left eye, and his one hand was wrapped in bandages and suspended in a sling.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing serious. What about you?"

"Yeah... My body feels heavy, but I think I'm okay. Where is this?"

"This is my guest room. You were brought here."

...I see. This is Redgard's house, then. Indeed, the air in the room and the scent that lingers here give that impression.

"What happened after that? Those injuries? And the dragon?"

"Take it easy. ...Here, drink this."

I was supported by Redgard to sit up. It was a bit difficult to sit, but I managed. He put a soft cushion behind my back so I could lean against it, and I ended up sitting half-buried in the cushion.

He handed me a cup of something to drink, which I held with both hands and drank. It was fruit juice, sweet and delicious. It was a refreshing taste.

"Is it good?"

"Yeah."

"I see. That's good. You know, you don't show much on your face..."

...Is that so? I always thought I was the type who shows a lot.

"Anyway, when you say 'after that,' I guess you mean after the Red Dragon appeared, right?"

"Yeah."

The Red Dragon, I think, refers to the crimson dragon I drew in blood. It wasn't a dream, right?

"Right, you were the one who brought it out. It appeared suddenly, and everyone, including me and the people in the black market, was shocked."

"Yeah. I drew it."

I was also surprised. I didn't really think it would come out... or did I? I'm not sure. I don't know.

"...The Red Dragon overturned everything."

Redgard said this and sat down on a chair he brought next to the bed.

"I won't go into the details, but to sum it up, everything turned out okay. As you can see, I managed to escape with you and put the black market people in their place. We even managed to clean up the evil that had spread throughout the Redgard territory. I... well, I did take a bit of a beating, but I'm alive."

Redgard said this with a laugh, but his condition was far from something to laugh about.

"Um... your eye?"

"Yeah. Just one."

"And your hand?"

"A few fingers and some bones. But I'm alive, and you're safe, so that's all that matters."

...Just looking at him makes me feel pain. I don't want him to put on such a smile just because I'm safe. I can't bring myself to make such a face.

"Hey, Togo. Don't make that face. For me, it's a bigger problem if someone other than me is hurt because of me."

"...I feel the same way."

When I said this with a hint of protest, Redgard smiled in a way that seemed pleased.

...And then.

"Besides... I think it was worth it, losing one eye, some injuries, a few fingers, and some bones. Look."

Redgard climbed onto my bed and opened the window. Then, he whistled, and... the sound of flapping wings came from outside the window.

The sound of large sheets flapping echoed, and then... a crimson dragon peeked through the window.

"Look, Togo! ...This is my summoned creature, the Red Dragon!"

"Did it become a summoned creature?"

"Yeah! Surprised, right!? Surprised, right!? I was surprised too, really!"

...Yeah. I'm surprised.

The dragon I drew came out of the picture, helped Redgard, and now it's his summoned creature.

In other words, Redgard's dream came true.

"That's... good. Congratulations. It was a dream, right?"

"Yeah! It came true! I never thought it would, but it did! It's like a dream, really! ...Isn't it?"

Redgard reached out his hand through the window, and the crimson dragon stretched its neck and rubbed its cheek against the extended hand. Despite its large and somewhat intimidating appearance, the way it closed its eyes and rubbed against him was kind of cute.

...Huh? Wait.

Um... something feels off.

The crimson dragon stuck its head through the window and is being petted obediently, but... wasn't it bigger than this?

"Did the dragon get smaller...?"

"Huh? Is that so?"

Yeah. It definitely shrunk. It broke through the ceiling, after all. I thought it was as big as a multi-story building, not just the size of a car. Now, it's about the size of a large bird that might come to a spring for a bath.

"Hmm... If it shrunk, maybe it's because of a lack of magic power. You know, as the summoner, I probably don't have enough magic power."

Ah, that makes sense.

...Redgard looks a bit apologetic, but I think the dragon is cuter at this size.

"I need to find a good magic stone to use as a medium soon..."

While saying this, Redgard petted the dragon's neck. The dragon made a "kyu" sound and seemed happy again.

"So, I'm fine. All that's left is for you to wake up, and everything will be good."

Redgard said this and patted my shoulder. It didn't hurt like when he patted my back before; he seemed to be considerate.

"How long have I been sleeping?"

"Ten days."

...Ah. Yeah. I see. No wonder my body feels strange. If I had been sleeping for ten days, it would be like this. Yeah.

"...I'm glad you woke up. Really."

I probably caused a lot of worry. I'm really sorry, and I'm also sorry for leaving all the cleanup to him during those ten days.

"Well, you don't need to worry about anything. If you're going back to the forest, you can stay here until you recover. You're my savior, after all."

But Redgard said this with a smile and gently patted my head.

...If he calls me his savior, then he must also be my savior.

He always protected me. Without me, he might have done better on his own. Still, he doesn't say a single word of complaint about me.

That... isn't fair. It's too much, too considerate.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"It's open."

Before I could respond, Redgard answered, and the door opened... and two people came in.

"Oh... You must be Togo. I'm glad you woke up."

The first person was a young man who looked a bit older than Redgard.

He had hair closer to gold and rosy eyes. He had a softer demeanor and gave off a mature adult vibe.

"Did I surprise you? I'm sorry."

The second person was a middle-aged man with hair close to brown and dark red eyes. His sturdy build and solid presence made him seem reliable.

These two must be Redgard's older brother and father.

"I'm Van Millio Redgard, the lord of the Redgard territory and the father of Fay Blade Redgard, whom you saved this time."

"Ah, nice to meet you, I'm Togo."

I wanted to stand at attention in front of the two adults, but unfortunately, my body wouldn't move. So, I sat on the bed, buried in the cushions, and managed to bow my head a little. ...Is this impolite? I'm worried.

"I'm Rosse Rufus Redgard, Fay's older brother. I'm sorry for the trouble my brother caused. You got caught up in it too..."

And Redgard's older brother said this with an apologetic look.

"No, I caused the trouble."

I hurriedly corrected him. I didn't want him to get this wrong.

"Redgard helped me. So..."

"Maybe so. Indeed, my brother did help you. He's that kind of person."

But in the middle of my correction, his older brother said this... and then, with a smile similar to Redgard's, he smiled at me.

"But I've heard that my brother's survival is thanks to you. You were saved by my brother, and my brother was indeed saved by you. Thank you very much."

"Until you recover... or even after that, please stay as long as you like. Thank you very much. We appreciate your courage."

And Redgard's father said this, gripped my hand on the bed, and smiled at me.

...It was strange. Why were they smiling at me?

"...Um, aren't you angry?"

"Huh?"

"If I hadn't been there, Redgard might not have been injured."

Various things were stuck in my chest, and I couldn't express myself well. But I... thought I would be scolded, or even disliked. Or maybe I wanted to be scolded.

When someone gets injured, the person who was with them at the time is blamed. Whether the injured person cares or not, that's how it is.

I thought it was natural... but...

"Hmm... Even if you hadn't been there, Fay would probably have died."

Saying this, Redgard's father looked troubled.

"Because you were there, he only suffered this much. It's better to have a life. A few injuries can be considered honorable wounds. We might be able to get good medicine through connections. It might even be possible to restore the fingers, even if the eye is difficult."

"Really?"

Medicine. So there is such a thing. I think it makes sense in this world, which is indeed a different world...

I can have a little hope. They probably have hope too.

"But if a life is lost, it's not that simple. ...So, it's not your fault. It's thanks to you. I don't know how to be angry... I can only be grateful, not angry."

...But, being told this, I'm at a loss.

Somehow... it feels strange. The words I expected and the words I heard were completely different... Yeah, I'm probably confused.

"I'm glad you're safe. Thank you for waking up."

And when he said this... I don't know what to do.

...Being treated so well, receiving such warm words, and not being blamed by anyone is making me very uncomfortable.

What should I do?

Then, Redgard's father and older brother firmly shook my hand and quietly left the room. They decided not to make me, a convalescent, too nervous. These people are so considerate.

"...Well, that's it. I'll say it again. Thank you very much. You saved me."

And the remaining Redgard said this and then tried to leave the room.

"Hey, wait a minute. I..."

"Hmm?"

I caught the hem of Redgard's clothes as he was about to leave and asked.

"...When my body can move properly... can I... draw your portrait