EWGBD 10

Chapter 10

“How’s the carriage? Comfortable? Will it be okay? If not, I can sort it out in my name—you know, that thing you always talk about.”

“Ah. The sweet taste of power? It should be fine. I think it’ll be okay. I took my medicine, and thinking about it… assuming there’s no big problem with traveling, the safest way would be for me to slip away on the way back from Chental and go to the new place I found without the brothers noticing. As for school… if they say I had to leave early for some reason, what can they do? Besides, if you intervene now, nothing will work out either.”

I carefully studied Raiden’s expression. He looked like his usual self, wearing a gentle smile, but worry seeped into his eyes. Was Raiden really the father of the child? Or was he just a good friend thinking of a close friend? If it’s the latter, he’s an absolute pushover. If it’s the former, I felt like I could slap him right then and there—and then ask why he didn’t just tell the truth immediately.

Looking through my diary, if anything happened, it would have been about three months ago. The day I passed out after staying up three nights in a row. My life is usually very regular and healthy, so the only day my schedule was disrupted was that one.

Back then, Raiden had a company dinner, but even amidst that, he worried about me and took me home. I went home, showered, and collapsed into bed, only waking up two days later. Raiden wasn’t there, but around lunchtime, he came with food, worried about me.

Recalling more of that day, other than my eyes feeling a bit sore from sleeping too long and my body feeling heavy, nothing seemed unusual. And that’s the problem. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but even though I haven’t seen him in person, I know Raiden’s son is strong and well-built. If it had been the first time I played with Raiden’s burly son, I would have definitely noticed, even two days later.

This meant that after the child was born, I would have to determine a candidate by appearance and perform a genetic test…

“What are you thinking about so seriously?”

Raiden’s question brought me back. I leaned back into the seat and whispered quietly:

“Who’s the father of the child?”

It seemed like it was almost time to leave. Raiden’s shadow loomed over me for a moment and then vanished as the dragons took flight. Unlike others, Raiden didn’t look up at the sky; he spoke quietly:

“If you’re sure I’m the only possible father and there’s no other possibility, just believe that. I’ll be the father. I’m also certain there was no opportunity for you to be with anyone else besides me.”

“That’s quite a serious statement.”

“I was thinking the same.”

“Ah, I hate vague things like that.”

I like clear, straightforward answers. Direct and unambiguous. Raiden laughed foolishly at me. When the carriage began to show signs of moving, he went to his horse.

Soon, the journey to Chental began. To practice for the tournament, dragons with students from the Dragon Knight Department flew swiftly overhead. The horses were carefully chosen to be accustomed to dragons, so they didn’t panic. Apart from the occasional loud instructions from the dragon handlers, the ride was quiet. In other words, it was incredibly boring. Of course, since I absolutely couldn’t risk my body, I was secretly glad it was uneventful.

While Professor Len studied across from me, I quietly opened my own book and planned ahead. I needed a safe city where a woman alone with a child could stay, but within easy reach of Raiden, with a house I could afford until I got a job again, easy access to a nanny to help with the child, a midwife, and… so many considerations.

I also had to plan how to act if all this were discovered when I returned home. Ah, why is my life so exhausting? After planning carefully for a while, I concluded: there’s no clear solution.

While I was deliberating between Tess and Ardan, the carriage stopped. The sun was starting to set, casting long shadows. With such a large group, we had to minimize travel distance to reach Chental on time, so the first night would have to be spent outdoors. Bathing would come later—no choice. I folded my hastily-written plan sheet and hid it in my bag, and put away the medical books I’d been using as a desk. Professor Len seemed to have been napping, startled awake by the dragons’ cries outside.

I tried to take in the refreshing scent of the forest after leaving the stuffy carriage, but a harsh stench of dragon excrement hit me. It was to prevent forest monsters from attacking, but it was overwhelming. Covering my mouth and nose with my face paling, I clung to the carriage, looking ridiculous enough to make the mercenaries laugh. Raiden, returning from scouting around the base camp, ran over and patted my back.

“Want to go out for a bit and get some fresh air?”

“No. I think it’s better to get used to it quickly.”

The dragons, having just finished a fight, were already devouring one sheep each. The handlers warned them that if they put the sheep in their cheek pouches, there’d be no treats. The dragons ignored them, chewing on the sheep’s hind legs.

Setting up a temporary tent for the night was quick. Mercenaries were fast, and the students from Amort had undergone mandatory field training in Tess, learning to camp outdoors. Thanks to that, we slowly began talking while helping Nifhtalen prepare for the night. With almost two months ahead together until the tournament ended, getting friendly was welcome.

Raiden, nominally responsible for luxury protection, busied himself with preparing for the night. I expected as much, and while watching him discuss seriously with Sir Roche, I headed toward the dragons that were growling again.

“Professor.”

“Ah, Shore student, right?”

“I’m honored you remember me.”

“Has sitting on the carriage for so long made your back stiff?”

Knowing the Chental list was posted on the main building wall, he must have known I was here and wondered why I hadn’t visited. Damian Shore shook his head and smiled, then silently showed me his right wrist, swollen red. I quickly pulled him over to my carriage.

“You couldn’t have trained inside the carriage. What happened? Don’t overdo it before the tournament.”

“Nothing serious. I was bored and played a game—a little punishment with wrist strikes.”

My expression must have hardened without realizing it; Damian briefly looked embarrassed before quickly explaining:

“Technically, it wasn’t a game—it was reflex training. The punishment was just a bit of boredom relief.”

“I heard you’re the best in Amort. If that’s what Shore student does, do other students not have arms now?”

Damian Shore laughed heartily as I applied ointment.

“Oh, I went easy on them, Professor. But I think another problem’s coming up.”

I shot him a look saying if he made another weird comment, I’d stitch his lips shut with my new suturing kit.

“I’m really troubled. Every time I see someone, my heart races. It’s frustrating and overwhelming. What disease could this be, Professor?”

I narrowed my eyes, examined Damian’s, and spoke:

“If it’s not a myocardial infarction, it’s a curse. If the latter, it’s really serious. Not something I can handle.”

Damian blinked, not understanding, then suddenly laughed loudly. A curse! He clutched his knees laughing, and I scolded him for using his injured hand like that.

“Oh, sorry, Professor. I was confident.”

“Playing tricks?”

“Hahaha, if that’s how it seemed, yes. That’s right.”

I looked at Damian Shore, who seemed to finally slow down with his antics. If he had really been concerned about me and kept coming for trivial reasons, I would have been sorry—but I was half sure I had nothing to apologize for.

“I’m attracted to you, Professor. You’re beautiful, but more than that… actually…”

He scratched his cheek and asked, “Professor, what perfume do you use?”

Caught off guard, my heart skipped a beat. Perfume? He meant my mana scent, right? The unusable mana was basically a weakness of mine. It had been a persistent nuisance for a long time. I regained composure and asked:

“Why do you ask?”

“The scent is amazing. I feel like I could get addicted. Actually, I came to see you because I couldn’t stand the dragon waste smell.”

No wonder people had subtly gathered around me when I got off the carriage—it wasn’t just my imagination.

“Is it a gift for someone? Sorry, but this is my signature perfume. It’s for me.”

Years ago, there had been a fad among nobles for signature perfumes, “only for one person,” and I had used that as a convenient excuse ever since.

“Really? That’s too bad. I like it so much I was curious. I wasn’t planning to give it as a gift—just use it like an aroma candle before bed.”

Damian laughed and said, “Then I suppose there’s nothing to do.” He left the carriage, saying he had to go. I exhaled deeply, gazed out the window, and almost screamed.

“Who’s there?”

“You startled me!”

Raiden looked at the door Damian Shore had closed with a curious expression.

“I helped treat the swollen wrist.”

“Really? A student skilled enough to be selected for Chental, and what happened? But that face… the blue hair isn’t common.”

“That’s sky blue.”

“Isn’t that the same thing? Honestly, I still can’t tell coral from pink lipstick either.”

Luckily, I diverted the topic well. Surprised by the comment on my scent, I didn’t want to discuss it further. Raiden leaned against the window frame and went over tomorrow’s schedule. We’d cross the forest again, stop briefly at Becket for provisions, then continue west. If the schedule remained unchanged, there would be three more nights of camping, which worried Raiden. I began to worry too.

“What should I do?”

“Why? Feeling unwell?”

“My stomach, especially. I want venison.”

Fifteen minutes later, Raiden had caught a deer. Long live transcendents. May he live forever.