32 – Awakening (3)
[Sirien Ilencia]
Bad memories came up.
A memory I don’t want to forget, but I also don’t want to experience again.
The sight of my older brother bleeding. The sound of breathing was shallow and faint, as if it would stop at any moment. Hands that don’t move. A limp body.
It felt like the memories of that day kept being overlaid on Rajen.
A black hand rose from deep in the ground. It was a hand called anxiety. Anxiety grabbed my legs and ankles and tried to drag me into the depths of the abyss.
No. It’s inconvenient, so take your hands off me.
Not yet. I could barely shake off the anxiety in my heart.
“Razen. Come to your senses, Razen.”
“… ….”
Rajen lost her consciousness. Her heart seemed to drop.
But when I listened closely, I found that she was still breathing well. Things were better than when her brother left.
It can still be saved. If I come to my senses, I won’t have to let Rajen go.
Whimpering, Rajen was taken into her cave.
I didn’t want to get caught in the rain while I was outside. There are still many monsters in this forest, so that cave would be much safer.
Rajen was taller than me and her body was also bigger. I couldn’t lift it or carry it on my back with my own strength.
My body was covered in sweat while being dragged to the cave. It wasn’t a very important issue. Because Rajen has become a little safer.
“I’ll clean the wound first. Sorry. “Be patient even if it hurts a little.”
If there was one thing that was really fortunate, it was that I also learned something while taking care of Razen’s wounds.
If a wound occurs, the first thing to do is to wipe the surrounding area with a clean wet towel.
Fortunately, there was a towel that I washed last time. I used the water I would drink. I removed the torn clothes and cleaned the surrounding area.
Rajen moaned every time the towel touched his wound. She said she usually doesn’t feel anything. As expected, you endured it. My heart was burning.
“Bandage…… I don’t have any bandages. What do we do.”
The bandages I brought from the cabin were already used up.
It was recently that I changed the bandage I used once, only changing the area where it touched the wound, and ended up throwing it away.
Then suddenly the image of henna came to mind. She tore off her clothes and wrapped them around her.
Again, it would be best to keep it as clean as possible.
I don’t know what the principle is, but Rajen never let anything dirty around the wound.
She went so far as to say that it would be better to burn it with fire than to use a dirty cloth.
I couldn’t bring myself to set Rajen’s body on fire.
I tore my clothes with the dagger in Rajen’s arms.
I had to cut off quite a bit because I had to remove the uncontaminated areas.
Thanks to this, my clothes became completely tattered. Rajen might make fun of me when he wakes up.
I wanted to hear that practical joke.
“Thank goodness. “It seems like the bleeding is stopping.”
Except for the injury to the shoulder, the rest wasn’t that serious.
When I carefully wrapped it with a freshly made bandage, the bleeding stopped quickly.
The problem was that Razen’s body was getting hot.
Her face was like a ball of fire and she was sweating coldly, as if she had a bad cold.
His expression seemed to become increasingly distressed.
But now there was nothing I could do.
Helplessness. Anxiety. My lips felt dry.
The fact that I was not doing anything right now seemed to be weighing me down.
“Oh, that’s right. Water. Let’s at least bring some water. Hang in there. “I’ll be back soon.”
Maybe it’s because I’m thirsty.
When I had a fever like that, I drank a lot of water.
There is a spring nearby where we drew water, so we can get water from there.
I took everything that could hold water. Everything from blood-soaked clothes, towels, and bloody cutlery.
I don’t even know how I got to the spring. It felt like I went out of my mind and came back out of my mind.
I slowly poured water over Rajen’s mouth.
Little by little. Just little by little.
Fortunately, Rajen gulped and drank the water.
“My article…… It’s my treasure. I will never give it to anyone. “I will never let you die.”
I wiped Rajen’s sweat all day and made him drink water.
I didn’t know which herbs were good, so I only applied those I had seen often.
However, Rajen’s condition did not improve as the day passed.
No, it actually seemed to get worse. She couldn’t sleep at all, but she didn’t even feel like sleeping.
She buried her face in her knees. She felt like crying so she stopped.
She gave Rajen water again.
She gave a little too much this time. Because it looked like she would have to leave her post for a while.
It seemed like there was nothing I could do in this cave anymore.
But it doesn’t mean you can’t do anything.
“Don’t worry, Razen. I’ll do something. Entire. If you take a deep breath and wake up, you will be fine. “I will make it happen.”
Just one.
There was a way to escape this whole crisis.
* * *
When I came out of the cave, it was already dark night.
Razen didn’t move at night as much as possible, but this time it was unavoidable.
Luckily she didn’t have to worry about getting lost.
It might be a difficult road, but at least I knew the direction clearly.
A scent that started coming from the forest at some point. Although I couldn’t smell Rajen, all I had to do was follow the scent that I could clearly smell.
To get to where Hyangnae goes, we had to go back the way we came.
Even though the forests all looked the same, there were rare places that were memorable.
That is where Razen fought the giant.
There were clear traces of the fall of a large giant. For some reason, there was no body left.
When I thought Rajen died there, it felt like the whole world was lost.
I hated feeling that way again than dying.
From Noble mtl dot com
As I continued to walk, the unique smell of incense became stronger.
My only worries were about rough roads and encountering monsters, but surprisingly, neither of those were major problems.
Perhaps because I couldn’t see clearly due to the pitch-black darkness, my senses of hearing and smell seemed to be more sensitive than usual.
That didn’t mean it was smooth sailing.
– Ugh! Cook. Crunch… ….
“These damn beasts are coming out endlessly. Ugh, sh*t. “What a hardship this has been for several days.”
“Well, didn’t the kids fall behind a long time ago? “I heard that the traces disappeared some time ago.”
“I’m not a kid. The captain says he keeps going, so I’m going. “If this continues, I end up not getting any money and falling behind.”
“Ugh. Let’s stop. “If you get caught chatting like this, listen to me again.”
There were unknown people in the forest.
The correct answer was not to blindly approach a person just because you saw one.
Judging from the conversation I overheard, it seemed like they were the tracking party sent by Count Roxen.
‘I knew it would be pretty close, but… ….’
Anyway, I never thought we would get this far.
Although he moved quite hard to prepare for his pursuers, the knife was already all the way to his throat.
‘If these people go near the cave, Rajen will be in danger.’
You have to hurry.
I waited until the men from earlier returned and then hurried on.
Because my clothes were torn in various places, branches such as wild grass stabbed my skin.
Thin wounds appeared on my arms and legs. There must have been thorns, and the upper part of my thigh was torn off. It stung and hurt.
If Rajen was nearby, I would whine at least once and want to be comforted.
This is okay.
Right now, Rajen is hurt much more than me.
Her scent became stronger as I walked.
It was that time.
Rustle. There was a sound of something moving a little far behind.
In the meantime, she has experienced many wild animals and monsters. I felt a sense of discomfort from the sound.
It wasn’t a sound that came from trying to move naturally. I didn’t mean to make a sound, but I felt like I made a mistake.
The slight ringing sound disappeared very quickly.
‘I got caught…… !’
I became anxious. I ran without looking back.
I quickly ran out of breath while running up the steep slope. Omg. Omg. The wet stones made her legs slip and she almost fell.
No. She took a few more steps and she fell and really hurt her knee. She remembered her knees being as red as they were when she fell in the castle.
I wanted to sit down. I was scared of the men who didn’t know how close they were.
It would have been less scary if they had come shouting something like ‘Catch me!’, But it was more scary because only very quiet footsteps followed.
It felt like an invisible shadow was chasing me.
“Ha, ha! Ugh…… ! Ha.”
I kept running.
I slipped on the floor, fell, cut my palm on a thorn from a plant stem while trying to avoid falling, and wiped away the tears that were about to fall.
I ran so hard that I wondered if I had ever run like this in my life.
I was out of breath and it was painful. I felt like my chest and throat were going to explode. I wanted to rest just a little, just a little.
But no. Come to your senses, Sirien Ilencia.
Rajen is dangerous. Razen has endured this kind of pain until now.
Just don’t drag it on like this.
Was it worth running while out of breath?
Something scarlet was visible above the dark forest.
‘There is something. ‘It’s a light!’
If we go up to the top of that hill, wouldn’t there be a man who killed the giant?
Because that man smelled the same way.
I studied theology at the castle.
The moment I first saw the man in black, and I couldn’t remember it until now…… I knew of a denomination that would have been established in a place like this.
It’s a very old name, and when I learned it, I didn’t recognize it because I heard it had long ago died out.
Why did that man save Rajen’s life even though he was reluctant?
What was that sign that had been following us and observing us from the beginning of the forest?
Crucially, what was that incense smell that I kept smelling?
The scent.
Isn’t it a smell that overtly suggests death and rest?
‘Hybras Church…… ‘You just have to go a little further.’
Goosebumps appeared on my back. I heard footsteps right behind me.
It seemed like the pursuers were just a stone’s throw away. But at the same time, I also heard the sound I wanted to hear.
“I would have said there is no mercy twice. “Didn’t you hear this from your colleague?”
“Ha, ha. Sigh… ….”
“I will give you just one chance. “Explain why I shouldn’t throw you to those rude guests.”