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Chapter 63
Bread Ten. Uh, Did I Accidentally Save the World? (1)
When she opened her eyes, it was the middle of the night.
She couldn’t tell if only a few minutes had passed or an entire day had gone by; the dim view outside the window gave no clues. Ellie just blinked slowly, taking a deep breath.
The air, swollen with chest pain, slowly escaped between her lips. She felt alive.
“…I really thought I was going to die…”
This time, she truly thought she was going to die. Ellie had thought that the worst death written in the novel was the one Asa suffered—but she was wrong.
Any death, in any form, was terrifying. There was no such thing as a “better” death.
“Are you awake?”
“…Ban?”
“Yes. I’m here. May I turn on the light?”
Ellie nodded, and footsteps were heard. He could have moved silently, but he deliberately made a sound to reassure her.
A moment later, a lamp lit up. It wasn’t a candle, but a soft yellow glow illuminated by magic.
Ellie took the opportunity to sit up. She felt slightly dazed from lying down for so long, but she wasn’t in bad condition.
Ban spoke.
“Try opening and closing your hand.”
“Like this?”
“You’re fine. It seems your nerves weren’t severed.”
“Geez, you don’t have to…”
“If you grab a sword with bare hands, it’s not just the skin that can be cut, Ellie.”
“….”
Had he been watching? How did he know? Ellie looked at Ban with wide eyes. He said:
“I’ve been wielding a sword since I was five. I’ve suffered countless cuts from blades, and I’ve made them myself. I can tell what kind of wound it is just by looking.”
“Wow… that’s amazing.”
Her attempt at a lighthearted joke fell flat against Ban’s serious expression. His face, faintly lit by the soft glow, was terrifyingly rigid.
“You must never do something like this again. If nerves or tendons are severed, even the most skilled healer cannot fix it. If something is cut off, only the highest-ranking priest can repair it.”
High-ranking priests didn’t treat ordinary people unless they were exceptionally important. Nobles and even some royalty rarely had the chance to see them. Ellie, thinking it would just be a superficial cut, nodded.
She had only intended to give up skin or flesh, not risk irreversible injury—all for Irein.
“I thought I had enough flesh, so it would be fine…”
“Do I really need to tell you that a sharp blade can slice not just people but monsters with much tougher skin?”
“I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“…I’m not angry.”
“You’re not? Your eyes were so mad.”
“Actually, I am.”
“See?”
“I’m angry at myself for saying I’d protect you and then being powerless to do anything.”
“Ban, you don’t need to…”
“I’m also angry at you for putting yourself in danger.”
“Yes, that’s right. I did it. So you don’t need to be angry at yourself.”
“Anger isn’t necessary—it’s not like I need a reason to be angry.”
Ban spoke so well—Ellie felt a little unfamiliar with him.
“I’m not blaming you, Ellie.”
“I didn’t feel that way.”
“But… it was right after we parted, Ellie.”
“….”
“You could have called me to go with you. I was not far away. If you had called, I would have run.”
“No, I didn’t separate on purpose. I just… when I came to my senses, I…”
“You didn’t think of it?”
“….”
“That… makes me sad.”
Ellie didn’t know what to do and could only move her lips.
It was the first time Ban had vented his frustrations to her. It might also have been the first time he had spoken honestly without hiding behind a joke. Ellie didn’t know what to say.
“I’m sad, Ellie. Don’t ever do this again.”
“I’m sorry. Next time, I’ll definitely call you. I won’t forget.”
“Yes, please do.”
Ellie wasn’t sure if calling him in dangerous situations was exactly what he wanted, but if Ban wished it, she could comply. She decided she would never recklessly rush into danger again.
A brief, awkward silence followed.
Ban placed the lamp on the bedside table, and almost at the same time, the door opened. It was Edmund. Ellie felt a little disappointed at first, then was surprised at herself.
It wasn’t something to be disappointed about.
“Ellie, you’re awake.”
“Eddie? When did you get here?”
“You’re so calm. Anyone would think nothing happened.”
“….”
Ellie made an embarrassed expression.
“I just got scolded by Ban, too.”
“By Ban?”
Edmund looked at Ban in surprise. Ban finally relaxed his stern expression and smiled lightly.
“I can be strict when I need to be.”
“Of course you can. Now it’s your turn to get scolded. Listen, Ellie, that guy is not normal.”
Ellie widened her eyes.
“You only realized that now…?”
“He acts normal, but he’s the craziest. He said he’d kill that mad dog who hit you and run away!”
“Huh?”
Ellie’s face went pale as she remembered who had hit her. No way—that lunatic really…
“Unfortunately, he failed. If he had been a little faster…”
“No one stopped him? What were you doing, Eddie? And Maurice?”
“Eddie agreed, and Maurice said he would support him.”
“Are they all insane?!”
These damn lunatics.
Edmund, who had intended to scold Ban for Ellie, averted his eyes at the barrage of criticism. Ban continued, unbothered.
“It was all perfectly rational. The point is, as long as he wasn’t caught, it was fine.”
“Just because you say it with a smile doesn’t make this sane. How does anyone come to that conclusion?”
“I was so used to what he does that it made me sick.”
“….”
“Otherwise, I’d end up the same way.”
Although he smiled gently, the depths of his green eyes were ice-cold. He was serious.
Ellie chose her words carefully.
“From now on, I won’t hold a sword with my own hands…”
“What?! Are you crazy, Ellie?!”
“I won’t, Eddie. If something dangerous happens, I’ll call Ban, or if he’s not around, I’ll ask anyone for help. Ban, promise me that too.”
“What exactly should I promise?”
Ban smiled satisfactorily. Ellie thought she could almost extract all of Ban’s possessions in exchange for this promise—it was terrifying how possible it seemed.
“I promise not to throw my life away recklessly.”
“I never intended to throw it away recklessly.”
“You did. You almost threw everything away just to deal with a mad dog.”
“I didn’t plan to die…”
“Just surviving doesn’t mean there’s no problem.”
“Even though I abandoned everything and started a new life?”
“What was there wasn’t originally mine, so I left it behind. I haven’t thrown away anything I built myself. You know how obsessed I am with my shop, right?”
Remember the ice water incident? Ellie added sternly.
“What I have, I didn’t create myself.”
“Not everything comes from the family. You said before that your parents opposed Ban joining the Otter Knights, and even now, they’re against it.”
“….”
“Otter Knight Commander Ban Michel Cronin was made by his own hands. You almost gave it away as payment to deal with trash. What a waste.”
“….”
“Don’t ever do that again.”
“…Yes, Ellie. I promise.”
Ban nodded obediently, and Ellie felt satisfied. Edmund muttered grumpily.
“Causing trouble just because you were gone half a day.”
“Ah, right. What about the aftermath? Can it even be resolved…?”
Since Ban hadn’t killed the mad dog, it was still alive. Considering its violent tendencies, neither Ban, Edmund, nor Maurice—being of lower status—would have been able to stop it.
‘Come to think of it, what about Irein?’
If the Duke of MacClure had seen Irein’s condition, he certainly wouldn’t have remained idle.
Ellie felt strangely out of place, resting safely in her bedroom while everything else was in chaos.
“Explain it to me. What exactly happened?”
Ellie tilted her head.
“We couldn’t do anything. Maurice and…”
“His Highness Demian handled it.”
The two frowned, clearly frustrated.
