17 – A Dangerous Journey (2)
The blue light of dawn faded away in the forest.
It was the time when the sleepy sun raised its head in full. As if feeling shy of the ruined face from sleep, the dawn wore a mischievous mask.
Today, the wind was rougher than usual. The sturdy trees shook and whispered cruel jokes among themselves.
The inaudible laughter seemed to echo in their ears. The forest stretched out its enormous jaws towards us.
As if it would swallow us up at any moment.
“It seems like we’re still being followed.”
“It’s okay. They’re still far away. We should be more careful about our steps. Here, give me your hand. I’ll help you.”
“Thank you.”
It was not even an hour since we entered the forest.
Something began to follow us from a distance.
We didn’t feel any hostility immediately.
There was enough distance for us to respond if they suddenly rushed at us, and they didn’t show any aggressive attitude.
We even pretended not to notice and gave them an opportunity, but they kept their distance thoroughly.
It seemed they wanted to observe us rather than attack us.
“Ah!”
“Be careful. Are you not hurt?”
“Thanks to you.”
Syrien stumbled as she walked.
Thanks to the constant observation, she was able to catch her in time.
We had been walking along an unused road for quite some time. It was a fortunate thing that happened not long after we began our journey.
We didn’t know exactly where this road was leading to, but it seemed like it wasn’t too off from our destination. Once we met people, we decided to follow them and see if our situation would improve.
If there was a problem, it would be the number of unorganized stones and trees. Still, it was better than walking through the middle of the forest.
“I thought it was a quiet forest, but I guess not.”
“Yeah, it’s livelier than it looks.”
“Ah, there’s a fox too. I want to touch it.”
Syrien looked around curiously.
We didn’t know when we were in the hut. This forest had more creatures living in it than we thought.
There were plenty of birds and rodents, and occasionally we saw foxes and snakes.
Fortunately, we haven’t seen any creatures that are a threat to humans yet.
We’ll find out how many of them there are come nightfall.
An unexpected realization was that Syrien’s senses were far more acute than I thought.
“Can you see all of that?”
“Should I say I see it? I see some, and hear some. But you found things better than me, right?”
“I have had training since I was young. That’s already impressive.”
“Really? It feels good to be praised like that.”
Syrien giggled. The compliment wasn’t empty words.
My body received the blessing of mana. On top of that, I had the knights’ training so I was good at observing my surroundings.
Compared to that, Syrien was just an ordinary girl of this age.
She was born with all those keen senses.
“Are you not tired?”
“I’m fine. I can endure it. We have to go a little further, right?”
“Yeah, let’s move a little more and then take a break.”
Syrien smiled brightly.
Only a little more to move and then we could rest, since she said she could endure it.
How much time could be left before Count Roksen sends the pursuit squad?
The time it would take for him to realize he had failed, the time it took for a new pursuit squad to be organized and arrive at the cabin, and finally, the time it would take to track us down from the cabin.
Even taking all those factors into account, our situation was far from relaxed.
The pursuit team would undoubtedly be moving on horseback.
In a week at most, they would surely be close.
And a battle with the pursuit team would mean death.
We hated Count Roksen to death, but we didn’t think he was incompetent.
The fact that we were still alive was clearly due to luck. It would have been a mere task of killing four infants. He must have sent those who were easy to finish off.
Even those who arrived were not easily dealt with. If Terion hadn’t burned his life to help us in the end, I wouldn’t have been safe either.
‘It would be nice if we could erase our tracks…….’
That would be too much to ask.
No matter how careful we were, we couldn’t move through the forest while paying attention to every broken branch and footprint on the ground.
We were unable to handle such a task, which even skilled Rangers found difficult. Instead, it was better to move a little faster.
This forest would not last forever.
Once we made it to any village, the situation would improve somewhat.
“I’ve never walked this long in my life.”
“Isn’t it too hard?”
“I can still bear it. I can walk more.”
We continued to walk.
The high-growing evergreens retreated endlessly to the back. Occasionally, birds flew past, and beasts lurked nearby before fleeing.
Sometimes when pretty flowers were spotted, Sirien would pick a sprig and laugh. She said it was a flower she had never seen before.
At some point, Sirien began to breathe heavily.
We had already been moving for quite a while. It seemed impossible to go any further.
“Ha… ha…”
“Are you very tired? Let’s rest here for a moment.”
“Yeah, let’s. I’m a little worn out.”
“You look pale. Do you have any pain anywhere? You need to be honest with me.”
“Uhm, it’s just that my feet hurt a bit.”
Her feet hurt?
In that moment, my back shuddered.
“Take a look at this.”
“Ouch, it hurts when you touch it.”
I sat Sirienn down on a suitable rock and took off her shoes and woolen socks.
As expected, her delicate feet were covered in blisters. Even the slightest touch made her wince in pain.
How on earth did she endure this condition? Had she not felt it while walking?
My heart ached, thinking of her foolishly bearing the pain.
“I told you to speak up if it was hard. If your feet got this bad, you should’ve told me earlier. Let’s put some medicinal herbs on them while we rest.”
“Is it that bad? I didn’t know either.”
“You may not feel pain now, but if you leave it like this, it’ll get worse. Stretch both your feet out.”
As expected, both of her feet were swollen red.
A sigh escaped my lips involuntarily. Would she be able to walk properly tomorrow?
No, this was my fault.
If I had paid more attention, I could have noticed it.
It was a narrow-minded excuse to say that I didn’t know she could endure this much pain.
Sirienn surprisingly had a mature side to her, and she would never complain in a situation like this. She must have tried to bear it until it was absolutely unbearable.
It was all because of my carelessness.
“It’s going to sting a little.”
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“I don’t know, but you have to bear it even if it does.”
“Ah!”
I wet a rag and wiped her feet. Judging by how her toes wiggled, it must have been quite painful.
Sirienn sobbed every time her soft soles touched the cloth.
Her breathing was thin and unsteady until I ground the medicinal herbs and wrapped them in a bandage.
“I’ll also massage your legs this time. Get into a comfortable position and lie down.”
“Lie down? Here?”
“It’s better than lying on the ground.”
“That’s true, but… alright. Should I lie down like this?”
“Right, stay like that.”
I lifted Sirienn’s legs onto my thighs. Instead of supporting her head, I gave her legs a knee pillow, so to speak.
In that position, I pressed and massaged her calf muscles to loosen the knots.
The moment I pressed on her calf, Syrien jumped as if shocked.
“Eek!”
“Does it hurt a lot?”
“Yes, it hurts… But not enough to cry.”
Seeming endurable, I continued to massage her calf.
Syrien’s legs were thinner and more flexible than most girls’. Each time I applied pressure, the tender texture of her skin felt good in my hands.
I quite enjoyed the feeling. It may get me into trouble to say this, but I also found some amusement in her squirming.
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It was as if I was developing a bad habit.
Today’s plans must have been harsh for a sheltered lady like her.
I was sure that if I didn’t soothe her muscles like this, she would be in pain for a few days.
A small hand clutched at my clothing.
“Lazen. Be a bit gentler.”
“Does it still hurt?”
“No. It seems tolerable. It doesn’t hurt much anymore.”
Syrien quickly turned her head.
Appearing to hide her embarrassment, but the flaming cheeks were impossible to ignore.
Well, I understood.
Her calf was a part where other people’s hand wouldn’t usually touch.
Especially for a cherished lady like Syrien. Especially not by the hands of a man like me.
Visiting a lady late at night, carelessly touching a lady’s body.
Wasn’t this what all the women of the noble family sternly forbade? Even the grand duke of Ellencia cared about manners.
The view of the Grand Duke’s wife on men and women was quite conservative, and the maids of the Grand Duke’s house were sincere in protecting Syrien.
“Eek. Ah huck! There, it’s a strange feeling.”
“Does it feel better?”
“Better? Eek! You know that kind of feeling.”
Syrien’s toes curled up tightly.
Did she realize her face turned bright red? Syrien soon covered her face with her hands.
Her ears, which she couldn’t cover in time, turned up.
“Lazen.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t look at me like that…”
“Ah, sorry.”