79 – 79. A Small Sprout (1)
The carriage was silent.
Nothing could be heard except the sound of hooves. Or maybe, that sound of hooves couldn’t be heard either.
“…”
My gaze naturally drifted towards my hand.
In the small cylinder held in this hand, there was supposed to be medicine for applying to the injured skin.
In other words, it was an ointment.
‘That’s odd.’
Yes. That was definitely strange.
“Oh, please don’t hurt… Please don’t hurt…!”
As Flora approached to see the shallow cut on my hand with a handkerchief, her voice pleading for no pain lingered in my mind.
Her face was deathly pale.
The eyes, filled with fear, couldn’t detach from there.
When trying to ask why,
“Don’t hurt…”
She kept repeating, only saying not to hurt again, tears streaming down her cheeks.
No matter how much I thought about it, it was strange.
It didn’t make sense.
‘So, that’s the ointment she received.’
The one who used to dislike Carcine.
The one who used to torment whenever Carcine was around.
The one who made her unable to eat a proper meal, unable to have anything, just like that third person, Flora.
“Don’t hurt, it’s not good, I don’t like it. So… apply it diligently.”
With a choked voice, she handed it to me.
Her eyes, even at a glance, seemed filled with terror.
There was no setting in the game indicating Flora suffered from any phobia.
Moreover, she wasn’t afraid of anything.
At most, she was just delusional about Carcine taking her family away.
‘What’s going on. I’ve never seen anything like this.’
While adjusting Flora’s intimacy in Chapter 2 and progressing through the episodes, this time, despite the harsh words, a completely different reaction came.
Except for one episode being brought forward, Chapter 2 didn’t seem to be greatly distorted.
“You seem deeply troubled?”
Thinking back to Flora, who left my room without saying a word, Harnier subtly asks me while looking at me.
“I’m in a bind because of you, becoming an irreplaceable fiancée, yet you’re the one lost in worries?”
Is it because of that earlier incident?
Harnier’s gaze sharpens.
Well, she must be feeling uneasy despite suddenly agreeing to the engagement.
“Well, it was an unexpected situation. You didn’t want to stay in that position for long, right?”
“For that, you seem rather cheerful. Unlike when you asked to delay our outing.”
“It’s just a mood.”
“I can’t joke around when I feel mocked. I won’t just let this slide.”
“What do you mean?”
“Whatever it is, just tell me.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Putting the ointment back into my pocket, I replied.
“It’s not about worries; Flora has never behaved like that before.”
“What?”
“As I mentioned before, she isn’t close to anyone, not even with those she considers family. Especially not with Flora. You must know that well because of this incident, right?”
Harnier nodded readily.
“But it’s surprising that she’s doing something she never did before. That’s the answer.”
“What. That. When someone’s head is about to explode from an important matter, you shouldn’t make jokes.”
I thought she was being serious, but then Harnier responded somewhat bluntly.
Actually, I joked a bit, but at the time, there was a slight overreaction.
‘It felt like pouring out what I wanted to say to the third person to Flora.’
I didn’t expect those words I had kept hidden to come out like this.
Flora is just a character in the game.
‘As Harnier said.’
Rather than being entangled in vague memories of reality, isn’t it more important to focus on important matters first?
Although she exhibited strange behavior after receiving this ointment, there was no separate indication on the status screen.
In other words, the development route of the episode I had planned didn’t change significantly.
‘Now, I have to grasp the episode’s branching point from Chapter 2.’
I understand that the choices and the system are trying to control me, but ultimately, the main goal in this game is still the Count’s escape.
So, everything is inadequate.
The strength to protect myself, the capital to solve consciousness, and the ability to resist the choices in this game.
It’s inevitable to survive the noble society and class system.
Until I could establish a foundation to escape from the aristocracy and survive alone, it was essential to systematically trigger the dead triggers based on the episodes.
“Harnier. By any chance, are you teaching on the commercial side─”
-Hihihing!
At that moment, a startled neigh echoed as my foot slipped.
Due to the considerable speed I was traveling at, the carriage shook violently, and it felt like I would fall without holding onto something.
“Oh, this fellow. Calm down!”
And once again here.
As I accelerated and abruptly stopped, the vibrations inside the carriage intensified.
‘Sudden stop event… Damn it. Come to think of it, after recovering in Chapter 2, the first time I ride a carriage triggers this event forcibly.’
This event is divided into two types.
When family members are present and when they are not.
I am currently the latter.
-Ding!
▶ Depending on the severity of falling from the shaking carriage, HP will decrease! ◀
▶ Be careful! If you get an abnormal condition, the additional consumption may increase! ◀
Whether HP decreases or not, it’s not just about that, but if it unnecessarily decreases, the recovery time needed will increase, which is not ideal.
Therefore, I tried to maintain my HP reasonably.
But I overlooked an important fact.
I was not the only one on this carriage.
“Eek?!”
“…Harnier!”
Harnier losing balance and falling.
Since the direction of the fall was towards the dangerous side, it was clear that she would get hurt.
Before the thought of needing to hold her could continue, I was already throwing myself.
-Thud.
There was only one dull sound heard from the carriage.
By tightly embracing Harnier to prevent a major accident.
However, depending on the extent of the damage, in the game, if you were significantly injured, you would have to return to the manor to receive treatment.
Therefore, even in such a minor accident, attention needed to be paid.
Given my already weak condition, seeing my HP decrease significantly, I couldn’t rule out the possibility of Harnier being injured.
“Harnier. Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thanks to you…”
Fortunately, it seems there are no major injuries.
My arm is wrapped around her head as well.
“But, uh… Karsein?”
“Yes?”
“You’re… too close. It seems like you could let go now…”
“Oh. I’m sorry.”
I held her tightly, fearing she might get hurt, but I forgot we were in a completely snug state.
As I released the grip around her waist, my vision suddenly went dark.
It’s not my hand, it’s Harnier’s hand.
…Did I mess up again?
“Um…”
“Oh, don’t say anything!”
“Yes? No, did I do something wrong…”
“I said don’t say anything!”
“…So should I just close my eyes?”
“Yes, that’s right! Just do that!”
It seems like this is the correct answer after all.
Since my vision is blocked and unless Harnier moves first, I can’t get up either.
What can I do when she’s on top of me?
I decided to quietly stay put without doing something foolish like getting a spike to the neck.
“Ahem. Y-you can open your eyes now.”
…”
As soon as I heard the voice saying I could open my eyes, I opened them and saw Harnier turning away from me, moving further.
“Uh, w-was that… intentional?”
“Did you throw yourself to prevent me from getting hurt?”
“N-no. No, of course not. You wouldn’t do that. Ugh… why do I have these unnecessary thoughts again?”
What is this all about?
After straightening my disheveled clothes, not long after, a voice was heard outside the carriage.
“S-sorry. Master Carsain, Lady Harnier…! I couldn’t control my words suddenly running wild!”
The duke’s servant had come to apologize.
Simultaneously, he asked whether he should reprimand him, but Harnier just nodded as if everything was fine.
In fact, I felt the same way.
Considering he was probably distracted by the sudden outburst, I didn’t feel like scolding him. What fault could a newly hired servant possibly have?
“Everything’s fine. How about you?”
“Me? I, I’m perfectly fine. We can depart right away!”
“Well, take a short break before you go. There’s no rush, so relax and have a drink or something in the nearby village before heading back.”
“Oh, Master…”
“Go on. It’s better to be at ease than anxious, isn’t it?”
The servant bowed and headed towards the village.
He might have tried to hide it, but I had a feeling he would come back from the village with his injured arm tended to.
-Ding!
▶Due to a choice, a sub-episode is triggered. Unexpected developments are about to unfold!◀
The sudden halt of the carriage was due to a trigger that initiated the event.
In this event, a nobleman often ends up wronging the commoners after causing an accident, which leads to a repeated cycle of anger and a planned retaliation.
Therefore, thinking that managing Carsain’s HP is all that matters would be a mistake.
In handling a sub-episode like this, it’s crucial to minimize friction with them and alter the course of the main episode.
“Carsain?”
“Shh. Keep your voice down.”
I cautiously stepped down from the carriage.
While the servant wasn’t looking, I approached the startled horse and dug into the ground.
“Found it.”
◆Lung of the Swamp Fiend Tellumos
[ Detects rapid approaching objects emitting ultrasound audible only to animals. ]
[ Even if Tellumos’s main body dies, this effect persists with the lungs remaining, and after emitting ultrasound once, it takes time to recover to emit sound again. ]
…
…
Just like in the game.
I decided to take this with me first.
***
After the escort knight and the servant treated the arm, the carriage ran back towards the party leader.
Having arrived at a suitable time without being too busy since departure, I entered the entrance with Harnier, pretending to be lovers.
Unlike Claire’s coming-of-age ceremony, the guards let us in promptly this time. It’s probably because of Harnier’s beauty, even if those who don’t know my face could guess roughly.
The party hall was abuzz with chatter.
However, how should I put it…
It doesn’t quite seem like a party.
Here and there. Even the people far off.
If you look closely, they’re mostly in pairs.
Right. This place is like…
“A gathering place for couples rather than a party.”
Even if it’s a gathering of nobles, seeing every man and woman paired up leaves no room for other thoughts.
“Oh my, Harnier has arrived.”
“But who’s that man next to her? He’s not a servant this time, and he’s a man.”
“A man… Could it be, her fiancé?”
Eyes from all around started to gather on me.
It was a gut feeling, but those were the eyes of hyenas eyeing their prey.
Several couples approached me as an example and began to ask.
“Hello, nice to meet you. I am Master Carsein. It seems the rumors about you being Harnier’s fiancé are not wrong, right? Thank you for accompanying her here.”
“We were curious too. You two were known for having secret rendezvous that even the public wasn’t aware of.”
“Since you came here together, fulfilling the promise, you must be able to handle even slightly impertinent questions, right?”
It felt like being surrounded by hyenas indeed.
My guess was correct.
I thought it was a noble gathering, but it seems I was brought to a den of hyenas instead.
My gaze naturally shifted to the woman I was escorting.
“It seems like we’re not here to help each other, but more like we have to stage a drama together.”
At the party, showing that we are a couple in the eyes of the nobles is enough; just being together is sufficient.
However, didn’t she mention it herself?
That she went a bit too far to avoid suspicion.
So she had to attend a party forcibly.
The fact that she was caught up to this extent by the people here meant that she probably went to great lengths.
She seemed to have some idea of what I was thinking as she blinked her eyes continuously, then abruptly averted her gaze as if she was sweating coldly.
“Alright. Let’s hear what kind of mess Harnier has gotten herself into.”
If it’s something salvageable, it’s better to say it in moderation…
“Master, it’s said that you begged and pleaded with Harnier for her consent to this engagement. Is it true?”
Seriously?
Is the first question at this level?
“I heard that you whisper sweet nothings in her ear every time.”
“I heard that on some days, you handle her delicately like fragile glass, and on other days, you melt like butter in love for her.”
“During the secret rendezvous period, it intensified because you couldn’t meet, right? I heard that you came looking for her secretly in front of her house, saying you missed her so much; it was almost like Romeo and Juliet.”
The following questions are equally outrageous.
This is mind-boggling.
“Have you turned someone with no dating experience into a lover of the century?”
This was an exaggeration taken to the extreme.
There was no way to refuse those questions from the start. I had to accept them, as I was in a position to bend over backwards to meet her.
“Well. It seems you’ve gotten into quite a predicament.”
And then pulling away as if to say you’ll leave her be?
No way. Since things have come to this, you must also play your part properly.
“…!”
“Oh my.”
I firmly pulled Harnier to me as before.
“Any man would do the same. Who would dare to wait while having the Empire’s finest beauty by their side?”
Did the eyes of suspicion soften slightly?
No.
There were curious eyes full of questions.
It won’t end with just this one word.
…Let’s see. Harney.
Once this is resolved, I should be properly compensated.
‘This escalated to a point where… I couldn’t help it. I tried to restrain myself as much as possible, knowing that I would also suffer damage.’
Let’s give them a taste of their own medicine.
This is the ultimate reality morning drama chicken skin line that the third person saw.
“Oh, Harney. What if people find out like this?”
“W-What…?”
“You should have said that separating us is like facing a gigantic enemy called the world. If only you could peek into my heart and say you want to see me every day.”
At that moment, it was evident that Harney’s skin tingled.