Chapter 10

"What the hell is going on?"

Altair glared irritably at Blan and Cain’s backs.

"Oh, I'm sure it's here. Right, Cain?"

"Of course, of course. A group of goblins definitely appeared here, Blan."

Watching the two of them act so in sync, Altair let out a hollow laugh, as if he found it ridiculous. It was obvious they were putting on an act.

‘I thought it was strange from the beginning.’

When he heard their report about a group of goblins appearing by the lake, he had doubted his ears. In Eilsford, which had stricter defenses against monsters than any other fief, and right by the lake near the castle, a group of goblins appearing was absurd. But since the two of them insisted so strongly, he decided to follow them, thinking it might be true. However, it turned out to be exactly as he had suspected.

"Alright. Stop your amateur acting and tell me what you're up to."

As Altair sighed and glared coldly, the two of them, who had been enthusiastically acting, exchanged glances and cautiously shut their mouths.

"Why did you lure me here? Who’s going to speak? Blan? Cain?"

Altair’s piercing gaze swept over Blan and Cain. The two of them stood at attention, their eyes darting left and right.

"Oh, you’re not going to answer?"

Altair, standing with his arms crossed and a narrowed gaze, looked at the two of them.

"Is training too easy these days? If you want to increase the intensity, just say so. I’ll personally spar with you two to test your courage."

At the mention of sparring with Altair, Blan and Cain’s faces turned pale. The knights of Eilsford were all highly skilled. Having faced monsters directly, those with mediocre skills couldn’t last long, and over time, only the elite remained. But even among these elites, Altair was in a league of his own. He was a warrior of exceptional strength, often described as being beyond the norm. Therefore, sparring with Altair was always one-sided. What was called training and sparring was often just the knights getting beaten up one-sidedly.

‘That’s absolutely not happening!’

Blan and Cain, thinking the same thing, looked at Altair. Altair, reading their thoughts, nodded with a more relaxed expression.

"Whoever speaks first gets to skip the sparring. Who will it be?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Blan and Cain both raised their hands without hesitation.

"Me! I’ll speak first, my lord!"

"No, I will! It was all Cain’s idea!"

"But Blan was the one who enthusiastically planned it!"

Now, without any prompting from Altair, the two of them began to spill their story. Altair listened to their tale with a relaxed demeanor. He knew that if he just waited, he would uncover their plan. But a voice, almost a scream, from not far away completely changed the situation.

"Lady Nadia!"

It was Anna’s voice calling out to Nadia.

‘Lady Nadia?’

Altair, seized by a strange sense of foreboding, turned his head toward the source of the sound. He was shocked by the scene that came into view. Nadia was floundering in the water. Or rather, her movements were too passive to be called floundering. It was more accurate to say she was sinking.

"What the...?"

Blan and Cain were equally shocked. While they had planned to lure Nadia and Altair to the lake, they had never imagined Nadia would fall into the water. The plan they had decided on at the first strategy meeting was as follows: 1. Convince Nadia to go boating with Anna’s help. 2. When the boat reaches the middle of the lake, Anna pretends to drop the oars. 3. As Nadia becomes anxious, believing she is stranded, Blan and Cain lure Altair to the lake. 4. Seeing Nadia in trouble, Altair comes to her rescue. 5. Nadia develops a liking for Altair, who helped her! Their plan, which they thought was perfect, did not include Nadia falling into the water. But this was not the time to debate the plan. The situation was urgent, and any delay could be disastrous. Realizing this, the two knights ran toward the lake at the same time. But before they could do anything, a strong wind swept past them. Altair had already jumped into the lake. He swam skillfully to the middle of the lake. Fortunately, he managed to pull Nadia out just before she completely sank, but she had already lost consciousness.

"Hey! Wake up!"

Altair pulled Nadia out of the water and laid her on the ground, gently tapping her cheeks. He wanted to hit her harder to wake her up, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it, fearing he might bruise her pale face. At that moment, Cain’s trembling voice reached Altair, who was at a loss.

"My lord!"

"Are you just going to stand there? Get the doctor!"

"B-but, Lady Nadia isn’t breathing."

"What?"

Altair, who had responded irritably, was shocked when he checked Nadia. Her face was pale, and he hadn’t noticed her chest wasn’t rising and falling. She wasn’t breathing. His blood ran cold. Instinctively, he began the most reliable first aid for someone who had drowned. He opened Nadia’s mouth and blew air into her lungs with all his heart. He also didn’t forget to apply pressure to her chest in a regular rhythm.

After repeating this several times:

"Phew!"

Water spewed out of Nadia’s mouth, and she began to breathe again. Her face, which had been excessively pale, seemed to regain some color.

"She’s... back..."

Cain, who had been tense, collapsed on the spot, his legs giving out. Blan, on the other hand, managed to regain his composure.

"The doctor... I’ll bring the doctor!"

"Hurry!"

Altair, urging Blan, picked up Nadia. Despite her breathing, she was still limp, and his heart pounded with anxiety. Her body temperature was too low where they touched. He remembered feeling this way when he lost his parents in a fire as a child.

‘...Don’t be ridiculous. This is different from back then.’

First, he needed to raise her body temperature. With a clear plan in mind, Altair’s feet began to move quickly. * * *

‘Ugh... it’s hot...’

As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt a stifling heat. Before I lost consciousness, I was shivering from the cold, but now I was sweating profusely. It was strange that my body was still trembling despite the heat. I instinctively tried to kick off the blanket covering me. Or rather, I tried to.

"No. The doctor said you need to stay warm."

If it weren’t for the firm hand holding the blanket and the resolute voice, I would have done it.

‘Who is that?’

The voice was familiar, but my head was foggy from the fever and couldn’t process it properly.

‘It’s hot...’

Why can’t I kick off the blanket? Is this some new form of torture? It was really uncomfortable. As if sensing my grumbling, or just by coincidence, the firm voice continued.

"You might feel hot, but your body temperature is actually low. It’s an illusion. So, stay still."

But it’s so hot! I can’t believe it’s an illusion. Even if it is, I’m about to die from the heat. I wanted to protest, but only a groan escaped my lips.

"This is bad. You need to be conscious to take the medicine to raise your body temperature..."

A troubled murmur, followed by a cool sensation on my forehead. The coolness was a relief in the stifling heat, and I pressed my face into it desperately. The coolness flinched and moved away slightly. Missing the coolness, I groaned involuntarily. At the same time, a groan-like sound came from above me.

"Ah... I’m going to lose it."

After that, there was silence for a while. I continued to groan, and my body kept trembling.

"Listen. I can’t wait any longer. The doctor said if you don’t regain consciousness within an hour, to force the medicine on you. So, don’t misunderstand. Got it?"

A surprisingly clear voice continued through my hazy consciousness.

"...Even if you’re unconscious, why am I talking to myself? You won’t remember this when you wake up."

With a meaningless grumble, a cold sensation touched my lips. It was unfamiliar but not unpleasant. However, as if mocking my thoughts, a strange liquid soon flowed down my throat. I wanted to spit it out, but it was hard to resist the force pushing it in. I didn’t know what the liquid was, but as soon as I swallowed it, my body went limp, the trembling subsided, and my consciousness began to fade again. As my consciousness dimmed, the cold sensation on my lips also faded. * * *

Altair, confirming that Nadia’s breathing had stabilized, left the bedroom. The bitter taste of the medicine still lingered in his mouth. In the hallway, Blan and Cain were kneeling with their hands raised, a punishment usually reserved for children, which was a significant humiliation for adult knights. He would have felt better if Altair had just beaten them up in the guise of training. However, Altair didn’t allow them to relieve their burden in this way. He knew they hadn’t acted out of malice, and they hadn’t expected this to happen.

‘How foolish must I have been for them to go to such lengths.’

He punished them, but he felt like he should be the one standing in punishment.

"My lord!"

As Altair looked at Blan and Cain with a complex expression, Pavel approached with an urgent voice from the end of the hallway.

"A somewhat troublesome guest has arrived."

His voice was low, as if considering Nadia, who was suffering in the bedroom.

"Guest? Who would come to our fief?"

"There is one person who should come. Baron Bahail has arrived."

Bahail. The name made Altair, as well as the two knights who were standing in punishment with gloomy faces, react sharply.

"Hmph. Since the assassin didn’t return with news, he must have come to check the situation himself."

Altair, sneering at the thought of Bahail’s annoying face, glanced at the bedroom for a moment before nodding to Pavel.

"Let’s go. I want to see what nonsense he’s going to spout."