WYDM 17

The room she was using now wasn’t the one the previous Count and his wife had used, but her original room from before marriage. The difference from back then was that the cute, somewhat fancy furniture and curtains had been removed and replaced with much plainer things.

Since starting the business, she’d raised necessary funds by selling the Count estate’s luxury items, so it looked very different from before.

The most lavish place was undoubtedly the previous Count couple’s room, which remained completely intact while other areas had undergone gradual changes.

Even her room’s furniture had been extremely expensive, so she’d disposed of it and brought in furniture with a calmer atmosphere instead.

Fortunately, she actually preferred what she’d replaced them with over the things she’d thought were her taste before.

Sehera glanced around such a room before getting up from bed.

She hadn’t had nightmares nor slept in a strange position, yet her body felt stiff. But no matter how she twisted and turned, the stuffy feeling like something was bunched up wouldn’t properly release.

“Haah… I went to bed early yesterday though…”

Recently, harvesting seasonal crops, passing them to shops in the capital, calculating profits properly, and distributing them when they came in—all of it was running smoothly without necessarily requiring her hands.

With occasional interference on money-related matters, the villagers calculated well centered around Traver, and what remained came in and accumulated steadily.

She occasionally used her brain but rarely her body, so there wasn’t much to fear. That’s why facing such an unpleasant morning felt unfamiliar.

“At Croft… it was everyday, come to think of it.”

In the past, she’d felt it constantly. Feeling something pressing down stuffily or weighing on her chest, or tossing and turning unable to sleep properly before falling asleep watching the sun rise. Sleeping and waking like that, her body had almost always been in this state.

But since returning to Planer, Sehera had never once felt that way.

“The war… is it because of that?”

It was true that her mind had grown complicated because of one word that hadn’t left her head for days.

People had no choice but to move with war approaching even near the village they’d thought peaceful.

Feeling somehow gloomy with a stiff body to boot, Sehera got completely out of bed and grabbed a robe to put on for a change of pace.

It was just when twilight was receding, so the sunlight wasn’t intense. Sehera quietly left her room and began hurrying across the corridor. Her slightly heavy footsteps headed downstairs through the central staircase.

The lawn where dew had lightly fallen overnight was fresh and moist. The fresh moisture rising from appropriately wet grass blades seemed to refresh her dully hardened mind.

“It’s already been a week, so why isn’t the ship showing any signs of arriving?”

Though she’d definitely been told it would be difficult within a week, Sehera was voicing her thoughts waiting for the gift.

It was a morning when even wind sounds couldn’t be heard except for very occasional bird calls echoing in the sky. Last night she thought she’d heard wind blowing from the wasteland rushing along the buildings, but morning was quiet like a lie.

She moved her feet steadily, grass blades holding moisture crushed beneath them, then took the next step and moved her back foot, repeatedly spreading the scent of already-trampled grass.

Perhaps thanks to the unexpectedly refreshing morning walk, the stiffness throughout her body felt like it was completely releasing.

“Should I take a full lap around?”

Though no one had told her to, Sehera began walking with slightly larger, more refreshed steps.

Though a year had passed since entering the Count’s estate, she’d rarely walked looking up at the estate like today. Perhaps that’s why this time today felt extremely precious.

Just as her body lightened and her mind was finding leisure, Sehera’s feet suddenly stopped.

The path she always took went only up to exactly three steps before. She couldn’t even remember when she’d last gone around the building’s corner to the back.

When she was very, very young, she’d apparently been quite wild and ran around the entire estate and garden. But since maturing, she’d probably never once gone beyond here.

She’d come out today thinking to take a long walk, so she tried to move her feet without delay.

Rustle—the sound of stepping on grass rang out and Sehera fully stepped into the backyard.

Places the sun hadn’t yet reached had different temperatures. A cool breeze brushed past and Sehera suddenly felt goosebumps rise all over her body.

It wasn’t simply goosebumps from the low temperature. It was a chill where something made even her mood rapidly worsen.

Instead of stepping further, Sehera examined the back of the garden.

The sun hadn’t reached it yet so it was merely cool, not completely wrecked. Surrounded by quite high walls, inside was just a lawn spread out holding plenty of dew like the front…

“Kyaah!”

In that place that should only have green lawn spread out, some pitch-black form was occupying the ground. By size and shape, it was a person.

The reason she screamed was because it was a person, and because of something protruding sharply from the upper part of that person’s back.

It was the end of a blade that had pierced through the body and stuck out, glinting coldly.

Sehera, who’d reflexively tried to run to him, suddenly stopped. Even if she ran to him now, she couldn’t lift and move that sturdy-looking man with her own hands.

So Sehera, who’d momentarily stopped, immediately began running past that form. Because near the back door in the very center of the estate was a separate house where the shy carpenter lived.

Thud thud thud—running across the wet grass, Sehera didn’t even think about the time and banged on the door.

“Rabo!! Rabo! Wake up! Help me!”

If she normally called him like this, he would have avoided Sehera for days.

Though he couldn’t converse well with people or meet them easily, Sehera always waited for him, spoke to him quietly bit by bit when giving instructions, and always presented answer choices.

Rather than thinking the heart barely opened that way might close again, she could only think of that man collapsed at the edge of the lawn.

Separate from his shyness, since he had work to do, he was an extremely strong man. And because Rabo was the only man in the estate, she had no choice.

Bang bang bang—knocking and listening, knocking again while calling his name then listening—had she repeated it three times?

Sounds of rustling movement began coming from inside.

And that movement seemed quite flustered about the situation, as even while approaching the entrance, thud here, thud there—sounds of bumping into things everywhere could be heard.

Rabo’s door, which was hard to open, opened and Rabo appeared with thoroughly disheveled shaggy hair wearing a robe, head deeply bowed.

“M-Miss. What brings you…”

“Whew, I’m really sorry so early in the morning, Rabo. There’s something extremely urgent and I thought I had to wake you, so I shouted. Were you very startled?”

Urgent business was urgent business, but seeing him appear all shrunken, she thought she couldn’t just drag him along and gently checked his condition.

Though his shoulders were thoroughly hunched, he wasn’t trembling or glancing inside trying to escape. He’d definitely improved compared to when she’d first met him.

Ah, this wasn’t the time to be impressed. Sehera nodded and grabbed his wrist.

“There, at the far edge of the back garden, someone’s collapsed. Looks like a sturdy man. But he seems badly injured too. I can’t move that person, so I’ll need Rabo to help.”

The more she spoke, the more Rabo’s face scrunched up. No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like a dangerous situation, yet she wanted to move the person.

“M-Miss. If it’s someone like that, you shouldn’t bring them into the house but drive them away…”

“Drive away a dangerous person from here? Where would a dangerous person go if not here? Not knowing which house outside they might enter and threaten, you’d just drive them out?”

Sehera added one more thing while leading the sturdy Rabo along.

Hearing Sehera’s words, Rabo nodded. Nevertheless, after pondering a bit more, he ultimately walked on his own legs and began walking alongside Sehera.

Though he couldn’t even raise his gaze that had plummeted to the ground, that gaze which always hindered communication with people was very useful today.

“Eek! A, a person’s hand!”

It seemed Rabo’s gaze looking only at the ground had caught sight of a hand limply dropped on the lawn.

But Rabo, who’d briefly screamed in surprise, calmed down faster than expected. His scream instantly subsided and after settling his breathing, he began examining the collapsed man rather too calmly.

“Fortunately not someone from another country. He’s a knight of the Croft Empire.”

Just when she’d thought the word “war” was finally disappearing from her mind, Sehera frowned because of the suddenly resurfacing term.

Just how many more deaths must be spread before war could truly end, when they’d already killed so many people and brought down so many nobles?

“Alright… Rabo, it’ll be difficult but could you move this knight inside the estate?”

“Yes.”

Rabo didn’t hesitate. Regarding work he wanted to do, he showed drive that even she couldn’t stop.

She didn’t know what decision he’d made, but at least it didn’t differ much from what Sehera wanted to do, so he lifted him up and slung him over his shoulder.

“Ah!”

Then Rabo, who’d been lifting the body, flinched slightly and groaned. Hearing him make sounds like this for the first time, Sehera thought “oh no.”

She hadn’t mentioned the blade that had pierced through from his chest area.

“Are you okay, Rabo? Did the blade hurt you too?”

She quickly went to Rabo’s shoulder where he’d hoisted the man, but fortunately blood wasn’t flowing from his shoulder.

“You, you shouldn’t… relax. This man’s been pierced through, but there’s no blood. If blood doesn’t come out more… he’ll die.”

Sehera’s face turned deathly pale. He was right. Despite such a large wound, despite dark red blood pooled on the ground, blood wasn’t flowing down Rabo’s shoulder.

“A, a doctor… I’ll go call a doctor. Take him to my parents’ room.”

Sehera changed her original plan to wake Sana and have her call the doctor. This wasn’t the time to wake her when a person’s life was hanging by a thread.

She headed back toward the back door where Rabo’s house was. Because just short of that house was the stable.