Chapter 40

'Furthermore...'

The language that flowed from the doctor's mouth had already changed from Kalthas to Lupes, a change so natural that Altear didn't even notice it at first.

"...Are you from Lupes?"

In response to Altear's question, the doctor, instead of answering, moved toward Nadia with a mysterious, incomprehensible look in his eyes. Altear, fearing that he might take Nadia as a hostage, hastily grabbed the doctor's wrist, causing the doctor to sigh with a somewhat annoyed expression.

"I am a doctor. I would never use a patient's life for any reason."

Altear, sensing the sincerity in the doctor's eyes, released him while still maintaining a minimal level of caution. The doctor then approached Nadia, took her temperature, and continued his busy examination, speaking matter-of-factly.

"...I don't know why you came here, but the people of Dolsian are all good people. If you try to harm them, I won't stand idly by."

Altear slightly frowned at the doctor's tone, which carried a hint of solemnity, as if he were treating him like a villain.

"How could you not stand idly by?"

Altear stood askew, narrowing his eyes as he asked. The doctor, seemingly caught off guard by Altear's question, hesitated and rolled his eyes.

"That's... I'll do something..."

At this, the tension that had been building in Altear somewhat dissipated. This man was not someone who could threaten others or cause harm. He was a kind person, and Altear, who had dealt with countless enemies since childhood, could immediately tell. But what was the driving force that made this kind man warn him? Altear was curious and quietly observed the doctor.

"How did you learn Lupes? And how did you recognize me?"

"...You really don't remember anything, do you?"

In response to Altear's question, the doctor sighed with a slightly exasperated look.

"I think it was a trivial matter to someone like you. Of course, it would be. But to me... it wasn't."

"Have we met before?"

Altear had many enemies and never hesitated to crush them, which led to even more enemies. Meeting an old enemy by chance was not uncommon, but no matter how he searched his memory, he couldn't recall ever dealing with such a weak enemy.

'A doctor...'

Altear's enemies were mostly arrogant nobles or rough knights. He had never done anything to turn a doctor into an enemy.

'Could it be the family or friend of someone I turned into an enemy?'

This line of thinking had no end.

"Anyway, I have only one thing to say. Don't touch the people of Dolsian. I won't be fooled twice."

"I have no intention of touching them. I only wish for my wife's recovery."

"..."

The doctor looked directly into Altear's eyes, as if trying to confirm his sincerity. At that moment, the door burst open, and Riti, who had gone to fetch bandages, hurriedly entered, carrying a pile of cloth.

"Mr. Leon! Will this be enough?"

"It's sufficient. Thank you, Riti."

Leon, who had been staring fiercely at Altear a moment ago, suddenly softened his gaze and smiled at Riti. His language also naturally switched back to the Kalthas language used by the people of Dolsian. Altear, taken aback by this change, let out a hollow laugh. However, Riti, completely unaware of the tension between the two, smiled innocently.

"It's no trouble! Thanks to you, our village people can live in peace. How often do you find a village with a doctor?"

"Well, you were the ones who took me in first."

"Of course. When someone is dying, you have to help. Anyone would have done the same."

"True... Not everyone in the world is so kind."

As he said this, Leon glanced at Altear. The situation was clear, but Riti, once again, failed to notice the hidden intent and burst into hearty laughter.

"Indeed. We thought you were just a corpse to be buried. Who would have thought that a young man on the brink of death would turn out to be such an excellent doctor?"

Altear quietly listened to Riti, gathering information. Combining a few keywords, it seemed he had been involved in an incident where he nearly died and was saved by the people of Dolsian. However, this alone didn't reveal the source of Leon's hostility toward him.

'At least I know his name now...'

He would have to order Cain to investigate Leon and also inform him of the situation here. Just as Altear was about to leave, Riti suddenly exclaimed:

"Oh! Now that I look, your appearance is a mess!"

Riti had already moved close to Altear and lightly slapped his back. The sound of the slap startled not only Altear but also Leon, who opened his eyes wide.

"When your wife wakes up, she'll faint at the sight of you. Come on! I'll lend you a groom's clothes, and you should clean up first!"

"But I—"

"Oh my! What about this coat? If you don't wash it soon, it'll be ruined!"

Riti grabbed Altear's arm, which he was trying to pull away, and picked up the coat he had used to stop Nadia's bleeding.

"I'll wash it for you, so don't worry too much!"

"But I—"

"Come on, my house is this way! Follow me!"

'Follow me? You're already dragging me.'

Overwhelmed by her forceful manner, Altear lost his words and was led away by Riti. It was a truly unique experience. No one had ever treated him so forcefully. Those who knew he was the lord of Eilsford naturally wouldn't, and even those who didn't know his status often cowered at his intimidating presence. Riti, however, showed no such signs.

"How different from what I expected..."

Altear's bewildered back was observed by Leon, who scratched his head, equally stunned.

***

I slowly lifted my heavy eyelids to the sound of a peaceful, everyday noise. The sound of footsteps, the wind rustling the windows, and the distant calls of birds... As I blinked, trying to distinguish the sounds, I felt the footsteps getting closer.

'Who is it?'

The steps were too rough to be Marie's and too heavy to be Anna's.

'Ugh!'

Alerted by the unfamiliar sound, I tried to sit up, but my body wouldn't respond as I wished. Struggling to get up, I saw a person who I assumed was the source of the footsteps suddenly appear in my field of vision.

"Oh, stay in bed! You've been unconscious for a week, so it will be hard to move right away."

'A week?'

I had a sense that I was badly injured, but I didn't realize I had been unconscious for a week.

'This doesn't seem to be Eilsford Castle...'

The language being spoken wasn't Lupes, so I was certain.

'It must be Kalthas.'

The nobles in the capital didn't learn Kalthas well, but I had spent my time in my room acquiring various knowledge, including Kalthas. I wasn't fluent, but I could manage simple conversations. Realizing I was in enemy territory, a strange tension gripped me.

'How did I end up in enemy territory?'

I couldn't thoroughly check my surroundings due to my weakness, but the air felt completely different from Eilsford. The woman who appeared before me had a warm appearance, but as a stranger, she made me tense. Sensing my confusion and unease, the woman smiled and explained the situation.

"I'm Riti, and this is my house. My husband and children are out plowing the fields, so it's just the two of us. Oh, and your husband went out to help them."

'My husband... That means... Altear...?'

Altear went out to plow the fields? The tension I had felt moments ago vanished. It was a hard-to-believe story, and as I blinked, Riti, who had introduced herself, smiled and covered me with the blanket that had slipped during my struggle to get up.

"At first, you appeared covered in blood, which was quite a shock, but over time, your husband has been very affectionate. He has been taking care of you with utmost devotion every day."

'My husband... affectionate?'

Could 'affectionate' be used to describe Altear? I was even more confused.

'Maybe Mrs. Riti is mistaking someone else for my husband?'

Perhaps Cain brought me here and took care of me, leading her to mistake him for my husband.

'That seems more likely.'

Cain was someone who could be described as 'affectionate.'

'And the last person who held me was Cain.'

With this conclusion, a natural question followed.

'Then where is Altear?'

But before I could find the answer myself, Riti continued.

"You were badly injured, and both your husband and the doctor were very worried. If you remain unconscious for too long, you might develop complications. Is there anything that's bothering you?"

Her worried gaze made me quickly shake my head. I couldn't shake it vigorously due to my weakness, but it seemed to convey my message clearly.

"That's a relief. The doctor asked me to inform him when you regain consciousness, so I'll go get him now. Rest a little more."

"...Yes."

I managed to answer, but my voice was hoarse. The pain in my throat made me frown reflexively, and Riti's expression turned sympathetic. Worried that she might worry more, I forced myself to sit up against the bed.

"I'm fine. Really."

Though my language was clumsy, Riti seemed to understand that I was uncomfortable.

"Of course, your throat must hurt. You haven't spoken for a week, so it must be dry. I prepared water on the side table, just in case you wake up and need it."

Turning my head, I saw a teapot and a cup on the small side table next to the bed. But what caught my eye first was a piece of paper slightly pressed under the cup. Noticing my gaze, Riti chuckled and cleared her throat.

"I found this when I was about to wash your husband's coat. It was in his pocket... Fortunately, I checked the pockets before putting it in the water, or the content would have been lost."

"Content...?"

Tilting my head in confusion, I asked. Riti, startled, waved her hands in defense.

"I can't read! But from the way it was rewritten several times, it seems like a letter written with great thought... It must be a letter to you! That's a woman's intuition!"

Riti's eyes sparkled with baseless confidence.