TLDH~49

Chapter 49

“No.”

That damn bastard.

A stubborn, pig-headed bastard who just won’t listen, no matter what.

Why is he acting like this? Seriously.

I need to have a word with him when I see him later.

Ugh.

What if his wound gets worse?

He really ground his hand into a pulp!

‘Really.’

I frowned and shook my head from side to side.

I let out a sigh, and when I finally lifted my head, Paul was staring right at me.

“Ah, shoot.”

Paul had something to say.

Feeling a bit embarrassed for repeatedly cutting him off, I firmly closed my mouth and looked up.

“Um…”
“Yes!”

I blinked at him, determined not to interrupt him this time.

“May I speak now?”
“Speak.”

I nodded my head generously, as if granting a favor. He gave a small smile, cleared his throat, and began to speak.

“A child from Tounia wishes to see you, young lady.”
“……Huh?”

“To be precise, he said he wants to meet the girl who bought him,” Paul said, staring intently at me, deliberately emphasizing the word ‘girl’.

I smacked my lips, realizing he had probably heard bits and pieces of the story.

‘How come there are no secrets? No secrets at all.’

If this keeps up, there was no point in going through all the trouble of sneaking out.

At this rate, the whole of Aether will know.

But since I didn’t know how much he actually knew, I couldn’t just confess everything, so I kept my lips firmly sealed for now.

“Hmm?”

But Paul, watching me avert my gaze while pretending not to know, cleared his throat with a “Hmm.”

“I told him that the person Bennett sent to his house wasn’t a girl, but he wouldn’t listen.”
“…….”

“So I asked Bennett, and he told me it was the young lady who bought him.”

To be precise, it was an item in which Bennett held 100% shares.

But anyway, it was true that I was the one who made the winning bid.

“Ah. That child.”

I smiled belatedly at Paul, who was explaining how he found out, and nodded my head.

I know, I know.
“But why?”
“Pardon?”
“Why does he want to meet me?”

At my question, rephrasing his, he shook his head.

“I don’t know. He wouldn’t say even when I asked.”
“Hmm.”

Is it to thank me for saving him?

But I hadn’t done anything for him that warranted thanks.

The future of Jayden that I knew was something he hadn’t experienced himself, so he wouldn’t have known that place was hell.

So there’s nothing to be thankful for.

Having sorted out my thoughts like that, I became even more clueless as to why he wanted to see me.

And if he mistakenly sees me as his master, that would be a problem in its own way.

‘Should I have just left him in front of Rian’s house?’

It wouldn’t have been a problem for them to meet a little earlier since they were supposed to meet anyway.

But then, that household had no money, so wouldn’t they be unable to properly treat him? Anyway, in the novel, Rian was only able to help Jayden because Rian’s mother wasn’t there.

If Rian’s mother is alive, it would be difficult.

Did I save him for nothing?

My head ached with anxiety that I had unnecessarily messed up the narrative.

‘Sigh. My head hurts.’

Trying to act while keeping the story progression in mind, all while being a regressor who roughly knows the future, certainly made things complicated.

If I had just regressed without this added knowledge, I wouldn’t have had this many constraints.

Because the future is something I can change as I please.

Of course, since the amount of future I know has decreased that much, it is a loss for me, but perhaps because I’m not a particularly clever regressor, it seemed more comfortable this way.

‘Phew.’

“Young lady?”
“But I can’t go out. Tell him if he wants to see me, he has to wait half a year.”
“…….”

Paul nodded, seemingly accepting my words.

“Tell him to stay healthy and well. Tell him not to get sick.”
“Understood.”

Paul nodded his head.

And-

“By the way, Paul.”
“Yes, please go on.”

Perhaps sensing my hesitation, he turned to look at me, leaning slightly to meet my gaze.

In his brown eyes that put people at ease—

“If, by any chance, a black-haired child with injured hands and lots of bruises all over his body comes and asks you to treat his mother, please go to his house just once, without taking any money. And help her pass on comfortably to the afterlife.”

I didn’t know how he would take such a request and had been hesitant to ask, but the end of summer was approaching.

‘Rian’s mother’s death anniversary is around this time.’

That period when late summer turns to autumn.

At that moment, with Rian facing his mother’s imminent death, the only thing he could do would be to remember my words and seek out Paul.

“Please, Paul.”

* * *

“Uh, Mom?”

Rian bit his lip at the sight of Angela, her whole body shaking as she let out a painful, coughing breath.

She was twisting her body, coughing so hard she could barely breathe, and blood had been seeping from the corners of her lips for days now. The hand she used to cover her mouth was, needless to say, covered in blood.

No matter what medicine they used, there was no sign of improvement at all.

He clenched his small hands tightly, wiping his tear-filled eyes with the back of his hand. The scabbed wound on the back of his hand, where new skin was just starting to form, scratched against his tender skin.

He had long since removed the sloppily wrapped bandage, but perhaps thanks to the herbal powder that child had sprinkled, the wound was healing faster than the others.

‘You’re hurt right now. That’s why I’m lending it to you.’
‘You can pay me back when we meet later.’

Nonsense.

Thinking he might say something different later, he hadn’t used the money and had placed the two silver coins on the dresser. They glittered, reflecting the faint candlelight.

But with this much money.

Rian bit his lip.

‘Go to the Medi Clinic in the Benia area. There’s a doctor there named Paul. If you go to him, he’ll give you medicine and treat your wounds too.’

Even if other doctors wouldn’t come, wouldn’t he be able to call that doctor the child had mentioned? Grabbing the silver coins, he thought,

‘It’s not too late, is it?’

Feeling inexplicably urgent, Rian hurriedly grabbed the doorknob and turned it in the pitch-black darkness outside the window—

“Rian.”

His mother’s voice, calling him weakly, flowed out faintly.
“Mom?”

Hearing his mother’s call for the first time in days, he turned his steps back from leaving and hurriedly approached her bedside.

His mother, Angela, her complexion pale, smiled faintly and reached a hand out towards him.

Her trembling fingertips swept over and caressed his soft cheek.

As if a blind person was trying to memorize a face by touch, her hand slowly swept over his face. Rian bit his lip.

“Mom.”
“My Rian. The most precious child in the world. You shouldn’t be living like this. I’m sorry for being selfish.”

Rian shook his head at his mother’s faltering words.

“Not that again. I hate it. Stop it.”
“Rian.”

Rian shook his head and buried his face in her hand.

Even though he tried not to cry, the fading scent of his mother overwhelmed him with sorrow, and his shoulders shook. No matter how hard he tried to hold back the sobs, they wouldn’t stop.

“Mom, I’ll go get the doctor. So please hold on just a little bit.”
“Rian, can you do just one thing for me?”

Angela, weakly grabbing Rian’s hand as he tried to leave, pointed to a letter placed by the bed.

“Please give this letter to the postman.”
“No. You’re trying to send me away again, aren’t you?”

Rian shook his head and quickly stood up.

“If the doctor comes, you can live. Taking medicine will make it better. Mom, I’ll be right back.”

Swallowing his tears, he hurried outside and ran through the streets.

The Medi Clinic in Benia.

That was the name of the clinic located at the far left end of the commercial district.

It was a place famous even in the slums for giving out free medicine and treatment when the doctor was in. The only problem was that he wasn’t often at the clinic.

But that was for free cases, wasn’t it?

With this money, he should be able to call the doctor.

Breathing heavily, he rubbed his blurring eyes with the back of his hand.

If only Mom could live.

‘I’ll even become that noble’s servant.’

That’s how he would repay the debt.

Although he was reluctant to spend the money, he shook his head as he saw the sign of the Medi Clinic before his eyes.

For now, just Mom…

‘Perhaps you’ll be able to repay me far more than what I gave you. I believe you.’

Closing his eyes tightly, he pushed the door open.

Ding-a-ling-!

“Is there a doctor named Paul here?”

At Rian’s abrupt question, someone from inside walked out, wiping their wet hands.

“I’m Paul, but…”

Rian looked at the man examining him with his monoclad eye, and then at the man of a minority ethnicity sitting against the wall. Rian gulped down dry saliva.

Then, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his arm, he went up to Paul and held out his hand.

Rian, all the assets I have.

Two silver coins.

Paul stared at the two silver coins placed on the small palm, then lifted his head.

“Why are you giving this to me……”
“Please save my mom.”