She lost her words. Red bloodstains leading from the reception room to her feet. Traces that would only co from soone dragging a deep wound while walking.
No wonder Cider was shocked. Even Esperanza herself was speechless.
"Um, it doesn't hurt that much though."
"You expect
to believe that?"
But it was true. A hunter's body is insensitive to pain. It couldn't be helped. If you felt all pain at reality level, who would play gas? Especially combat gas where flesh tears and bones break regularly. Just because soone likes fighting doesn't an they enjoy pain.
In terms of settings, it had sothing to do with mana utilization, but she couldn't rember exactly. Anyway, with pain sensors seemingly half-turned off, even when blood flows freely, it only stings and doesn't hurt as much as it looks. Actually, she had almost forgotten about it since earlier.
"When did you get hurt that blood is still flowing like that?"
"Probably got hurt near the end of the battle."
Though she pouted, she answered properly. Cider glared at Esperanza as if dumbfounded.
"I really said it doesn't hurt. It's so kind of action related to mana, though I don't know the details."
Cider retorted coldly.
"That's just your claim. I can't dissect you to find out."
"That's what I'm saying..."
You should know this too. At her small muttering, Cider's eyes flashed again.
"Do you have a first aid kit?"
"Probably? Just bandages though."
"That potion thing from earlier?"
"I have so, but there aren't many, so it seems wasteful to use on sothing like this."
If she had known she'd fall into thirteen years ago, she would have packed her inventory full. Or not accessed the ga at all.
"I appreciate the concern, but it really doesn't hurt much. I think I can just stop the bleeding roughly when I get ho."
"Don't be ridiculous. You want to ride in my carriage while dripping blood?"
Being scolded this much made her feel a bit sorry. When they first t, she seed to hear such words as naturally as breathing, but recently, perhaps because they'd beco friends, he'd been quite affectionate. Esperanza replied in a sulky tone.
"But there's nothing we can do about it here."
"Stand still for a mont. Sit down if it hurts."
Cider went back and forth down the corridor for a while, then found an empty room not far away. Then he brought the standing Esperanza inside.
It seed like an unused place, but the room itself was clean, as if it had been regularly cleaned. Cider deliberately opened the window for ventilation, locked the door, and even set up a simple device using wire and his walking stick. She didn't know what it was though.
"Double lock."
"Ah, yes."
Cider, who had thrown an answer in a stiff tone even though she hadn't asked, as if he sohow knew, looked around. There wasn't really anywhere suitable to sit.
"Sit there."
"That's a side table."
And quite high at that.
"There's nowhere else to sit, so what can we do? If you had said sothing earlier, I would have let you sit on a soft sofa."
"Can't you stop scolding ?"
Cider let out a deep sigh. He felt like he was dealing with a mischievous niece.
"So, Esperanza. Where are you hurt?"
Esperanza hesitated for a mont.
"You're going to do it?"
"Who else is there? I'll say it again, if you had said sothing earlier..."
"We could call soone even now."
"Ah, you want to call the duke's servants just to wrap a bandage? I don't know why you can't trust , but I can wrap bandages with my eyes closed."
"Try actually closing your eyes."
"I won't close them. I won't even blink once, so don't worry."
Right, it's just wrapping a bandage. Esperanza bit her lips. There was a reason she had been giving hints and refusing. The person who usually noticed things she didn't say quickly was strangely stubborn this ti. It couldn't be helped.
Leaning against the side table with just her bottom resting on it, Esperanza bent her body deeply and slowly lifted her skirt hem.
Wide gray pupils shook and then hurriedly stayed at her ankle.
"Esperanza? What are you doing right now..."
The sentence trailed off. Under the skirt with defense-increasing options, there were no thick petticoats or silk stockings. While the skirt dark enough to hide even bloodstains went up her ankle, brushed her calf, passed her knee, and reached her thigh, Cider couldn't even breathe.
Esperanza glanced up at the frozen man and gathered her skirt to one side. Bare legs that a lady should never show to anyone other than her husband, not even family, were exposed up to half her thigh.
And vivid bloodstains embroidering the straight legs. Eyes that had been following the movent of the skirt hem as if enchanted beca distorted.
About half a span above her knee was a red wound. It wasn't a large wound but was quite deep. If it had been just a stab wound, the bleeding would have stopped and it would have started healing by now, but since it was a wound made with mana, blood was still seeping out. Cider bent down.
"You said it didn't hurt while having a wound like this."
"It really is okay though."
"Where are the bandages?"
He no longer showed the sa shock as before. The man who had unhesitatingly knelt on the carpet took off Esperanza's shoes and placed her foot on his thigh. It was firm and, for so reason, a little hot. Her toes curled up.
"Stay still."
The coldly sarcastic tone softened a little. Whenever his fingertips occasionally brushed the bare skin of her thigh, Esperanza repeatedly startled, but Cider didn't even blink. As if it was truly just treating a wound. That's all it really was though.
Sticky dicine spread widely over the bare skin. When she shivered from the cold, Cider asked while keeping his gaze fixed on the wound.
"How did you get hurt like this? You were fine at Mabelwood."
"That was just a hydra! This ti it was a manticore and the dungeon grade was higher too."
"So did this happen every ti when the dungeon grade was high?"
That wasn't the case.
"The, the pants I wore on the first day have high defense. The skirt's performance is a bit lacking."
But in this world without hunters, it was difficult to go around wearing pants.
"Then just wear pants."
He used to say she'd get arrested. His head was lowered so his expression wasn't visible. Instead, the hand pulling the bandage beca a little stronger. Esperanza giggled above his head.
"What if I get arrested?"
"Who would arrest you?"
"The police?"
Large hands wrapped around her leg and firmly secured the bandage. Along with a low laugh, breath brushed against her knee. Surprised, Esperanza stiffened.
"Although titles have been useless burdens for over a hundred years..."
Cider, who had removed his hands, still knelt on one knee and raised his head. Their eyes t.
"Still, it's enough to speak up when a police officer tries to drag away a lady."
Actually, there were many things she could argue back. Like getting dragged away together, or what if she got dragged away when he wasn't there. Words she could add with a laugh.
But she couldn't say anything. Unlike his playful words, the vivid... in his warm gaze...
Her face flushed hot.
She just knew. Like one drop overflowing from a full cup. Her heart lurched. The fabric in her fingertips wrinkled.
'Why? Since when?'
However, being able to read unspoken words from just a gaze was the sa for the other person. Dismay flashed across Cider's face.
Unable to find words to say, their gazes only crossed awkwardly. Dungeons, Cyrus, the royal family. All the serious problems that had occupied her mind lted away in an instant. All that remained was the gaze Cider had accidentally revealed for a mont. But there was nothing she could do except press her lips tightly and count the sound of seconds.
Eventually, Cider breathed out cold air between his lips.
"I didn't ask anything."
He added while standing up.
"So there's no answer to hear either."
That gaze was just his soliloquy. If she had just accidentally overheard it, she should pretend not to know, pretend nothing happened.
Could she do that?
"Can you stand up?"
Esperanza nodded absently. There was no way he could have forgotten that she had been walking around fine even before the bandage was wrapped. Cider was also only fine on the surface. The sound of his walking stick occasionally ca off-beat. The two hurriedly escaped from Pinent House.
"Are you leaving now? I was going to prepare dinner."
Mrs. Kirkfield, who they t at the entrance, made a shocked sound.
"Today doesn't seem like a good day for dinner. I hope all the injured people can recover safely."
She spat out two completely unconnected sentences like a machine gun solely for the purpose of escaping the palace. They called a carriage that had been loitering nearby, and during the ride ho, the atmosphere between them was terribly awkward.
She secretly glanced at Cider while pretending not to look. He too was keeping his gaze fixed only on the window, but there was no way he couldn't notice when their eyes t and parted. His lips were stiff. Just because they decided to pretend it didn't happen doesn't an it didn't happen.
The excited mood she usually felt after battles, the shocking royal secrets she learned today, all of it was swept away by rough waves. She didn't know what to do.
Things like the quest becoming difficult if her relationship with Cider beca awkward, or the fact that she was staying at his mansion, didn't really concern her. Such things could be resolved sohow. What concerned her was sothing else.
Would they beco awkward like this and end up distant?
She had experienced such relationships a few tis. Relationships that couldn't be recovered or severed, awkwardly held onto until they beca neither this nor that. She knew well that nothing remained afterward. Back then it didn't matter. But...
'I don't want to end it like that.'
That was her honest feeling. But wouldn't treating him with such half-hearted feelings be impolite?
What was he thinking right now? Was he hurt? She hoped not. If that were the case, she'd rather... The circling thoughts never finished and faded away.
Before she knew it, the carriage had arrived at the mansion. Eyes that couldn't et properly and kept slipping held the sa smile as usual.
"Let's pretend not to know."
As she jumped down from the carriage, a refreshing breeze tickled her cheek. Esperanza hesitated and asked.
"...Is that still okay?"
Wouldn't that be too cowardly?
"If you were going to hug and kiss , I wouldn't refuse."
Her face grew hot. Are you crazy!
"I won't!"
"See?"
He shrugged and went ahead into the mansion. Was this really okay? Was this awkward state better than a clear rejection?
Esperanza was soone who would return. Wasn't she throwing herself into dungeons, the royal family, the Golden Claw, and all these complicated incidents for that purpose? Cider couldn't have forgotten that fact.
But if he knew that, then why?
'What exactly do you want to do with ?'
She thought while looking at his silent back, but couldn't get any answer.
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