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Chapter 4
“Huh? Then what about the reward…?”
“You said you would repay me.”
Ah, thank goodness.
I was calming my startled heart when the maid suddenly held out a sheet of paper and a pen.
“What’s this?”
“You are to write down the reward you want and pass it along.”
Blinking, I held the paper in one hand and the pen in the other.
He’d repay me, but he wouldn’t meet me? What kind of…?
Why? Is he not that grateful?
Maybe, as a young noble, he intended to repay the favor out of courtesy—but only that much.
I began doubting Cain’s personality.
Sure, writing it down is fine, but saying it in person would be better.
That way, if Cain refused, I could at least cling to his pant leg and beg.
After thinking for a moment, I asked,
“What if I insist on meeting him?”
“I can only apologize.”
“But I saved his life.”
“…We are deeply ashamed.”
The maid stubbornly repeated that it was impossible.
She’s just caught in the middle, so arguing with her won’t change anything.
Then…
After pondering for a while, I came up with another approach.
“Then what about meeting the Duke instead?”
“The Duke?”
The maid looked startled.
Apparently, she hadn’t expected me to ask to see the Duke after being rejected by the young master.
It is rather bold.
But I was that desperate.
If Cain won’t work, then I have to speak to Duke Argent directly.
Duke Argent was Cain’s mother.
If I say I’m the one who saved her son’s life, she’ll at least hear me out.
Still, there was one thing worrying me.
“…I’m sorry. The Duke is currently away, so that won’t be possible.”
Avoiding my eyes, the maid answered quietly.
It was exactly what I had feared.
As expected, Duke Argent really isn’t at the estate much during this period.
Well, that was why I’d wanted to ask Cain in the first place.
I knew why the Duke was often absent.
Cain’s father.
Cain’s father had fallen ill and gone to the North to recuperate, so Duke Argent frequently left the estate as well.
“When will she return?”
But that was under normal circumstances.
Cain almost died this time—surely she’d come back for that!
In fact, maybe word had already reached her and she was on her way now.
But the maid lowered her head even further, avoiding my gaze.
“Well… we do not know the exact date.”
Why don’t they know?
I tried asking further, but the maid only told me to hand over the paper once I was finished writing on it. Then she called the physician and hurried away.
I tried asking the doctor instead, but he simply claimed ignorance and didn’t even seem interested in answering.
In the end, after the examination, I was escorted to a guest room with nothing but questions swirling in my head.
“Wow…”
A gasp escaped me, enough to make me forget my worries for a moment.
The room was several times larger than the one I had stayed in at the temple.
The bed is so soft!
It was nothing like the temple bed that creaked every time I lay down and felt like it would collapse.
I bounced around on the bed for a while before suddenly stopping myself.
This isn’t the time to be excited about stuff like this!
No matter the reason, if Duke Argent’s return was uncertain, then I had no choice but to ask Cain.
I looked toward the paper and pen resting on the desk.
Do I really have to write it here?
I didn’t like it.
Mostly because it felt like I’d just be rejected.
If he doesn’t even want to meet me, there’s no guarantee he’ll grant my request either.
I felt like I needed to show him in person just how desperate I was.
Is there some excuse I can use?
Some reason I absolutely had to meet Cain…
Ah!
A brilliant idea suddenly struck me.
Cain should be receiving purification treatment right now, shouldn’t he? He encountered a monster!
Monsters contaminated their surroundings—not just the land or objects, but people too.
That was one of the reasons monsters were so dangerous.
Purification usually takes several days, so even though the incident happened the night before last, he should still be undergoing treatment.
I was fine because of my divine power, but Cain’s body might still be contaminated.
Even though I killed the monster almost immediately, he had still confronted it directly.
Normally, you rest while holding a purification stone, but having an actual person perform purification is way more effective!
No matter how expensive the purification stones used by the ducal family were, they couldn’t surpass the divine power of a saint candidate.
I’ll offer to purify him myself!
That would finish the purification much faster, so Cain would definitely be tempted.
Perfect. I’ll go right now. Even the maid will probably agree to ask him if I use that reason.
Having made my decision, I left the room.
Hmm, where’s the maid?
Since she had rushed off earlier, I had no idea where she was.
I’ll just stop anyone and ask.
I looked around for servants.
Strangely, though, there was no one in sight.
Are there so few servants because of the trip north for recuperation?
A lot of them must have gone along.
Still, this is a ducal estate. Couldn’t they just hire more?
I crossed my arms in thought before giving up.
Whatever. I’m not a noble anyway.
I knew quite a bit about the life of a beggar, but noble life was something I only knew through books and the visitors who came to the temple.
Shrugging, I walked down the corridor.
By the way, my body feels so light.
I’d already felt better after waking up, but now I felt completely fine.
The physician had mentioned using some expensive tonic or medicine earlier—it was probably because of that.
Maybe that was why his claim that I’d been unconscious for two days felt unbelievable.
It just feels like I woke up from a good nap.
Since I had collapsed at night and awakened during the day, it felt even more surreal.
…Ah, I need to hurry!
I had been absentmindedly staring at the blue sky outside the window before quickly picking up my pace again.
“Hm? That’s…”
But I was forced to stop once more.
Beyond the window, I spotted a familiar figure.
Someone repeatedly swinging a sword as if practicing swordsmanship.
…Why is Cain over there?
He was supposed to be resting.
What was he doing?!
Why isn’t he getting purified instead of training?!
Even after rubbing my eyes and looking again, Cain continued swinging his sword.
Judging from the sweat dripping down his forehead, this wasn’t just light stretching.
Does he seriously love sword training that much?!
The Argent family was famous for swordsmanship, but as someone completely unrelated to swords, I couldn’t understand it at all.
I was staring in shock, mouth hanging open, when—
Cain suddenly stopped and turned toward me.
“!”
Our eyes met.
How did he know I was looking at him?
Maybe swordsmen really were different.
Hiding my flustered feelings, I calmly bowed my head in greeting.
“Hello, young mas— huh?”
At that moment, I saw dirt beneath my feet.
Why is there dirt in the hallway… huh? Huh?! Why am I here?!
Startled, I looked around.
Just moments ago, I’d been in the corridor, but somehow I was now standing in the training grounds.
Judging by the dirt on my shoes, I must’ve come here myself…
Apparently, seeing Cain training instead of receiving purification had shocked me so much that I’d unconsciously run over.
That “indoctrination-style education” really is terrifying.
At the temple, they had drilled into me over and over how important purification was.
Swallowing a sigh, I steadied myself.
Intentional or not, I had managed to meet Cain.
If an opportunity appears, you take it!
I quickly opened my mouth.
“You must’ve been training. I thought you’d be in your room because of the purification.”
“…”
Cain said nothing.
He merely stared at me expressionlessly.
Is he annoyed because I interrupted him?
Watching his reaction carefully, I fidgeted with the hem of my skirt.
“Uh, um…”
A suffocating silence stretched between us, and just as I finally started to force out another word—
“…Are you feeling alright?”
Cain muttered quietly.
I immediately bowed.
“Yes, thanks to you. Thank you for taking care of me.”
Thank goodness. He started the conversation first!
I had to keep it going while I still could.
As I straightened up, Cain sheathed his sword, seemingly willing to continue talking.
“So, about the reward… Young Master?”
But instead of approaching me, Cain simply turned and walked out of the training grounds.
Didn’t he hear me?
I hurried after him.
His pace immediately quickened.
Huh? Is he avoiding me?
I sniffed myself suspiciously.
I don’t smell anything.
Since they’d apparently washed me and changed my clothes while I was unconscious, I only smelled faintly of soap.
Then why…?
While I was lost in thought, Cain had already gotten far ahead.
“Where are you going?! I still have something to say!”
I rushed after him.
But the faster I went, the faster he became.
Why is he running like that?!
Before long, we somehow ended up in a full-blown chase.
And naturally, I was the one losing.
Ugh, no! I can’t catch him!
How was I supposed to keep up with the genius swordsman protagonist?!
At this rate, I was going to collapse again before I even managed to speak with him.
Clinging to the wall, I gasped for breath.
“…”
At that moment, Cain suddenly stopped running and glanced back at me.
Huh? Why did he stop?
Still panting, I quickly took a step forward. This was the perfect chance to close the distance.
Swish.
But the instant I moved, Cain turned away again.
Apparently, he still had no intention of talking to me.
In the end, all I could do was helplessly watch him walk farther away.
Then—
Thud!
“…!”
“Argh!”
A knight rounding the corner crashed directly into Cain.
The impact was strong enough to knock them both over.
“Are you alright?!”
Forgetting my exhaustion, I hurried toward Cain in panic.
“Ow, ow… what the— huh? Y-Young Master?!”
The knight, rubbing his back, went pale the moment he recognized Cain.
“AAAAH! I-I touched him!”
Then, after letting out a shrill scream, the knight scrambled to his feet and fled without even looking back.
What is wrong with him?! That’s so rude! Why would he—
I glared after the knight, then suddenly froze.
Wait a second… don’t tell me…
Meanwhile, Cain sprang back to his feet and disappeared down the corridor at astonishing speed.
