Chapter 40

"Want to eat?"

Shiraha held out the fruit, and I shook my head.

Then, Shiraha lifted the towel from the bucket.

"Want to wipe?"

Since I wasn’t sweating, I shook my head again.

This time, Shiraha patted the pillow and tilted her head.

"Want to sleep? Sing?"

"Mom! Shiraha is being noisy!"

"Since she’s taking care of you, don’t complain!"

Rio, who had overexerted his body in the battle against the evil beasts, had become a bedridden patient.

The doctor said he needed two weeks of rest and not to strain his throat by shouting.

Just as Rio was about to complain again, Shiraha restrained him and covered his mouth with her hand.

"Shouting is not allowed."

"Ugh, ugh."

Shiraha, who had only sustained minor injuries from a grazing stone, was taking care of Rio. Due to her lack of experience, she was both rough and overprotective.

Rio pushed away the looming Shiraha, sat up, and glared at her.

"I need to rest! Don’t make me use my strength!"

"Shouting is not allowed."

"You, who are you to—"

Exhausted from constantly correcting her, Rio sighed.

"By the way, why am I the one with the most serious injuries?"

Kairi, who had activated body enhancement to its limit like Rio and even received a direct hit from the muddy current magic, somehow only had some bruises.

It seemed that the body enhancement made his body more resilient, and the muddy current magic had disappeared halfway due to Shiraha’s defensive magic.

Rio, who had not only cut through the muddy current magic but also engaged in swordplay against the evil beasts, ended up with more serious injuries.

Kairi was currently guiding Ougan and the others to the hidden village in the mountains.

To settle things before the surviving monkeys could escape, they were planning to attack the hidden village with all available forces.

This was the final stage of the turmoil, and Rio was somewhat dissatisfied that he couldn’t participate.

Shiraha, who read Rio’s expression, stared at him intently.

"I won’t let you escape."

"I’m not that stupid to go to the battlefield with these injuries."

While saying this, Rio looked out the window at the mountains. He murmured, thinking about the scene of the struggle between monkeys and humans, a scene of the survival of the fittest.

"I wonder where the iron sword the evil beast had came from?"

The monkeys’ equipment consisted of stone swords and spears. They couldn’t possibly have the ability to smelt iron.

The iron sword must be a human’s possession.

"An adventurer?"

Shiraha suggested the most plausible possibility.

"Maybe. Well, there’s no point in worrying about it now. I can’t practice for a while, so what should I do from tomorrow?"

"Help with embroidery."

"That sounds safe. By the way, does Shiraha even have a sword? It seems like magic alone is enough."

In the battle against the monkeys, Shiraha had used not only defensive magic but also a rain-summoning spell. That non-lethal spell seemed to be a way to inform Ougan of the attack range.

If he had taken one step wrong, Rio would have been caught in it, but Shiraha had calculated that if the monkeys focused on her, Rio would protect her.

Since she could use magic so accurately, Rio thought it would be better for her to focus on magic rather than sword practice.

However, Shiraha looked dissatisfied.

"I want to be with Rio."

"Again with that. Well, okay. If we can reforge that monkey’s sword, it will be cheaper."

Thinking about how long it would take, he decided to consult his father, Bald. Just then, his mother burst into the room, her face pale.

"R-Rio! Get ready immediately! Lord Rasmoa wants to see you. Hurry!"

Rio couldn’t believe his ears.

While he was surprised that Rasmoa, who had gone to check the status of the nearby village, had returned, he was even more surprised that he wanted to see him immediately upon arrival.

Surprised as he was, it was the next lord who wanted to meet him, so he couldn’t refuse.

"Rio, I’ll help you change."

"Ah, thanks. Hey, are you going to change my underwear too? Don’t spread it out!"

Just as Rio snatched back the underwear Shiraha had spread out, his mother let out a small scream. Looking down the corridor, he saw a neatly dressed young man standing there, out of place in the border house.

The young man, who was smiling wryly at Rio holding the underwear, was Rasmoa Rosiz, the next lord of the Rosiz viscount’s territory.

"I heard you were injured, but you seem quite lively."

"Lord Rasmoa!?"

Trying to get out of bed without being rude, Rio was stopped by Rasmoa’s hand.

"Stay as you are. You were told to rest, right? It wouldn’t do to worsen your condition by visiting a patient."

Smiling affably, Rasmoa sat down in the chair next to Rio’s bed. The knights guarding him moved silently to the window and the entrance. Their trained movements were as impressive as ever.

Rasmoa leaned forward toward Rio.

"So, is it true that you cut through magic?"

"Basically, it’s true. As a result, I ended up like this."

"Is your voice hoarse because of that?"

"It’s a bit hoarse. I overused my throat, so it’s probably affecting me."

In response to Rio’s answer, Rasmoa touched Rio’s throat and looked into his mouth with interest. He seemed to have some medical knowledge, as he was as efficient as the village doctor.

"Someone skilled at external magic release should be able to master it. Such a simple method... No, perhaps no one tried it because those with the aptitude tend to have weak body enhancement and don’t bother with martial arts."

Seeming to have come to a conclusion, Rasmoa turned to Rio’s mother, who was standing awkwardly.

"I want to take Rio into my service. Are there any other male children in this household?"

"Wh-what!?"

Rio’s mother, who hadn’t expected to be addressed, panicked.

Just as she was panicking, an old man peered in from outside the window. Rasmoa frowned upon seeing him.

"Ougan, this is not the time for jokes."

"I apologize. I heard an interesting story and wanted to interject."

Leaning his elbow on the window frame, Ougan looked at Shiraha.

"I proposed to take that girl as my disciple, but she refused, saying she didn’t want to be separated from Rio. If Rio is taken into the Rosiz household, Shiraha won’t complain. Right?"

When asked, Shiraha nodded slightly.

"Wherever Rio goes, I’ll go too."

"That’s the situation. However, taking two working children from a farming family is a bit much, so I’m at a loss. What should we do?"

"Ougan wants to take her as a disciple, so she must be quite talented. Both siblings are excellent. We can provide financial assistance, but managing the fields can’t be done with money alone. We need to think about it."

"Yes, we should discuss it with both parents. By the way, I have something else to talk about. Is it alright?"

Rio, who had been worried that the matter would be decided over his head, seemed to be put on hold.

Outside the window, Ougan beckoned someone. It was Kairi.

"Kairi, I’ll leave the talking to you."

"Yes, I understand."

After glaring at Rio, who had burst out laughing at Kairi’s unfamiliar polite tone, Kairi held out a black orb in his left hand. A single scratch ran across its glossy surface.

Rio, unfamiliar with it, tilted his head. Rasmoa, who also didn’t know, looked at Kairi for an explanation.

"What is that?"

"It was placed as if it were being worshipped at the site of the monkeys’ hidden village."

"An object of worship for the monkeys? They have a culture, even if it’s primitive."

"The issue is not that... Shiraha, could you bring the iron sword used by the evil beast?"

Shiraha glanced at Rio. Rio gestured to her not to worry and sent her off.

Kairi shook his empty right sleeve.

"Actually, this is the second time I’ve seen this gem. The first time was at the hidden village of an unknown beast where I lost my right arm, and I was the one who inflicted the scratch."

"...Show me that gem."

Rasmoa, narrowing his eyes, took the gem and began to examine it thoroughly.

Ougan, peering in from the window, interjected.

"It seems the gem’s function is stopped, but there are complex magic arrays inside. The monkeys don’t have the intelligence or technology to create it. It would be wise to investigate the source of the iron sword the evil beast had as well."

"Are you suggesting that this incident was deliberately caused by human hands?"

In response to Rasmoa’s question, Ougan avoided a definitive answer.

"I can’t say for sure whether it was intentional. We don’t know the effect of the magic array inscribed on the gem, and it’s still a mystery whether it’s the same gem Kairi saw. However, the possibility of an unknown group lurking nearby has not been eliminated."

"Kairi, what happened to the gem you saw first?"

"I submitted it to the local guild for research."

"---The iron sword, I’ve brought it."

One of the knights took the unsheathed iron sword from Shiraha. As a guard, he couldn’t allow Shiraha to enter the room with a drawn weapon.

Rasmoa stood up.

"Ougan, remain in the village and continue the investigation. I’ll send additional personnel within three days. I’ll return to the capital to investigate the source of the iron sword and track the gem. Report to my father as well in future communications."

"Understood."

Nodding in response to Ougan’s bow, Rasmoa lightly patted Rio’s shoulder.

"First, get better. Then, as a reward, I’ll show you something interesting."

"Something interesting?"

"The divine sword Nura, passed down in my family. It’s quite fascinating."

With a mischievous smile, like an older brother, Rasmoa left the room.