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Chapter 78
“What?”
“If we search a little more, we might find something.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
I hurriedly shook my head.
“I’m the one who should go out.”
Idorian was badly injured. Just moving his right arm a little was enough to make him grimace in pain. And Lumi had sprained her leg, making it impossible for her to run or exert herself.
Therefore, I had to go.
I wasn’t injured anywhere. Even setting aside the fact that—because I was a zombie—no other zombies would come running to bite me outside, it was only logical that I be the one to leave.
“What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how dangerous it is out there?”
But Iidorian looked at me as if the notion was utterly absurd—like the idea of me going out to gather food had never once crossed his mind. His face twisted, and he shook his head with absolute certainty.
That stubborn expression again.
His lips were set in a firm line, making it clear that his mind was made up and he wouldn’t entertain any objections.
“But everyone is hurt. Your Highness can’t even use one arm properly, and Lumi can barely walk with her sprained leg.”
Explaining something so obvious felt strange. Yet even now, when I laid everything out plainly, Idorian still opened his mouth as if he intended to argue.
I rushed to speak first.
“I know it’s dangerous. But going outside is dangerous for everyone.”
“That’s exactly why I should go.”
“Especially for Your Highness right now—”
I couldn’t finish the sentence.
—it’s far more dangerous for you.
I didn’t get the chance. Idorian continued stubbornly.
“It may be dangerous for everyone, but at the very least, I have the ability to get myself out of dangerous situations.”
“…With that arm?”
The question slipped out before I could stop myself. I simply couldn’t believe he meant what he was saying.
“…With that arm?” Lumi echoed moments later.
She seemed to find it just as absurd as I did, but Idorian shamelessly nodded.
I stared at him silently before reaching out. Not expecting it, Idorian jerked back.
He flinched just from moving too quickly—his face contorted in pain. But even so, he clenched his jaw stubbornly, refusing to let out a groan.
I reached out again. This time, I managed to touch his injured arm.
“Ugh.”
Finally, a painful groan escaped him.
“Your Highness? What’s wrong?”
Wuben, who had just woken up, rushed down the stairs after hearing Idorian’s groan.
“Is your arm hurting?”
The boy peered at Idorian with a face full of worry.
“See? It hurts even when someone touches it lightly.”
“It’s just an act.”
Idorian quickly added.
Who he was trying to convince was unclear—Lumi, me, or perhaps himself.
“……”
We were all left speechless and simply stared at him.
We were no doubt trying, like I was, to decipher what on earth he meant by that.
“An… act?” Wuben broke the silence.
He reached out as if to touch Idorian’s arm again, but Idorian, face flushed, stopped him.
“What I mean is… If a dangerous situation arises, I can endure this much pain. As if… as if I wasn’t injured at all.”
His last words trembled faintly, but his eyes didn’t waver.
Yet I knew it was a lie.
He couldn’t even climb down the tree properly—he’d been forced to land on his knees because he couldn’t use his arm.
He was being unreasonable.
Is his pride hurt because he feels like a burden to us?
After some thought, that was the only conclusion that made sense.
Being taken care of and sitting still must be unbearable for him. I couldn’t relate, but I understood there were people who couldn’t accept their own weakness.
I gently patted his back.
“Everyone already knows how strong you are, Your Highness.”
I chose my words carefully so he wouldn’t feel worse.
“And of course, we know Your Highness could overcome this level of pain with sheer willpower. But…”
Seeing his expression twist with frustration, I paused and patted his back again.
“We’re worried about you. You got hurt yesterday protecting us. So today, it should be my turn.”
Realizing I was coaxing him, his face flushed even darker. He let out a deep sigh as though unable to endure the humiliation and rubbed his face with his left hand.
Looking thoroughly troubled, he finally spoke.
“I’m just… worried about you.”
I didn’t understand what he meant right away, so I hesitated, unsure how to respond.
Before I could say anything, Wuben spoke up—far too eagerly.
“But the Lady saved Your Highness from the bear!”
He sounded excited for some reason.
“She saved Lumi too! She carried him on her back and kicked the zombie so hard it flew away!”
Wuben proudly lifted his chin.
“The Lady is as strong as Your Highness now!”
So that was the emotion on his face—pride. Why he felt proud over my actions, I had no idea.
I quickly reached out to stop him. He didn’t seem to think anything was strange about me carrying Lumi, but Idorian was different.
He absolutely did not need to hear this story.
“And Lumi beat Your Highness at swimming too!”
Just before I caught him, Wuben spoke again.
“That’s all from training. So I’ll be strong soon too!”
He tapped his chest confidently.
“I’m still young, but I worked harder in training than the Lady and Lumi, didn’t I?”
“…Sure. I’m sure you did.”
Idorian replied vaguely, clearly uninterested in the boy’s conclusions.
He patted Wuben’s hair, then looked at Lumi and me again.
“In any case, Idorian, I get how you feel, but think rationally,” Lumi began.
“Both of us are heavily restricted in how we can move. So right now, Penelope is the most suitable person to go out and get food.”
“No. I told you—this much—”
“Stop being stubborn.”
Lumi sighed lightly.
Idorian froze, mouth half open, as if struck speechless by her bluntness.
“Think rationally,” she repeated.
“Both we—and this Empire—need you. What you need to do now is rest and recover as quickly as possible.”
Idorian had no rebuttal.
“You’re not supposed to push your body to its limits just to gather food.”
Still mute.
“You need to be healed if we’re going to reach the entrance of the village.”
His wavering gaze moved from Lumi to me.
“…Fine.”
At last, he nodded, conceding defeat.
“You’re right.”
He ran a hand down his face and sighed once more. When his face reappeared from behind his hand, his expression had calmed—though his eyes still wavered.
“I’ll be back soon,” I said.
“Where are you going?” Wuben asked, clearly lost after joining the conversation late.
“To look for food.”
“By yourself? I’ll go with you!”
“No. I’ll be safe anyway—I’ll cover myself with zombie remains. I’ll be quick. You stay here.”
I gently patted Wuben’s shoulder as he clung to my clothes.
Then, lowering my voice conspiratorially, I whispered:
“Instead, help Lumi and His Highness here. They’re hurt, so they’ll need help moving around. You can do that, right?”
“Yes, I can do that!”
He still looked uneasy about letting me go, but answered bravely.
“Then—”
“Wait.”
Just as I stepped toward the door, Idorian stopped me.
