A Kid Like You Isn’t My Type!

“Just one thing I want to ask. Can you understand my Tania?”

As gently as I could, and with a smile for good measure, I spoke to the younger sister.

My men had gathered around too, and maybe because they were desperately trying to help in broken Tania with things like, “Not Scary,” and “Not Bear. This Human,” the younger sister timidly lifted her face and nodded.

“What’s your name?”

“Roze. My sister is Mone.”

Wiping the tears running down her cheeks with the back of her hand, the younger sister sniffed and sat back down on the ground.

Tears still filled her large eyes despite her small face as she looked up at me.

“What about your servants?”

When I asked, big tears spilled out again and twisted her face.

But rather than sadness or fear, it looked more like bitter frustration.

“That man… Evans…! I think he was working with the bandits…! Because the carriage suddenly stopped on the mountain road… and I thought it was just so the wagons could pass each other… but then all at once people with weapons attacked us… and all the servants ran away. Evans took the earnings and ran too… and on top of that, Sister…”

After that, the words would not come.

She just kept sobbing helplessly.

My men and I exchanged silent looks.

If you could call it common, then yes, it was a common enough story.

A servant of a merchant house leaks information to bandits, has them attack in some deserted place after a major deal, and the money gets stolen.

Hoofbeats overlapped with the younger sister’s—Roze’s—hiccuping sobs.

“All right, move aside, move aside!”

Raul had brought Shitoen, seated behind his saddle.

Because he approached while holding the horse to a slower pace, I lifted Shitoen down from the saddle myself.

“Where are the injured?”

Shitoen looked up at me with her violet eyes.

Her usual soft, fluffy sort of atmosphere was gone, and instead she carried a kind of tension that made her seem like she might crackle with static electricity if touched suddenly.

“These girls. They seem to be merchants from Tania. The one lying down is the older sister, Mone. The one sitting is the younger sister, Roze. It looks like they were attacked by bandits, but the older sister’s wound is deep, and the bleeding won’t stop.”

When I explained it briefly, Shitoen nodded and approached Roze.

Sitting down beside her in the same way, she smiled gently.

“Hello. You’ve been through something terrible. I’m from Tania too. I have medicine with me… so may I take a look at the wounds?”

Maybe because Shitoen was both a fellow countrywoman and another woman, Roze nodded vigorously again, eyes brimming with tears.

“But please, my sister first…! She got badly hurt in the arm protecting me!”

Tears spilling once more from Roze, Shitoen gave her an encouraging nod and looked over at Mone.

She was lying on her back.

The large wound was on her right arm.

Even now, the cloak laid beneath her was soaking up her blood, the stain spreading wider.

“Mone-san, are you all right? Mone-san?”

Dropping to both knees on the ground, Shitoen lightly patted Mone’s cheek.

But there was no response.

“How long has she been unconscious?”

Without turning around, Shitoen asked me. Even while doing so, she had fingers at Mone’s neck checking her pulse, and was listening over her clothes for the sound of her heart.

“How long…? No, just now. She hasn’t been out that long. Or rather, did she faint because she lost too much blood?”

“Hm…”

Right around when Shitoen gave that low murmur, a voice came from behind us.

“Milady!”

When I turned, it was Eaton, Shitoen’s maid. Apparently she had come without rushing quite as hard as Raul. The moment she accidentally picks up too much speed, her legs go weak.

Once one of the escort knights helped her down from her horse, she came over carrying a large leather bag and approached Shitoen.

“It’s the medical kit.”

“Thank you. Leave it there.”

As she said that, Shitoen was already examining the wound on Mone’s right arm.

I had thought she would begin treating the wound at once, but instead she took hold of the wrist of Mone’s left arm, which had only minor injuries.

Then she lifted it until Mone’s fist was positioned above her forehead.

And let go.

Flop.

Mone’s arm dropped limply onto her chest.

Shitoen repeated it one more time. Again, Mone’s arm fell onto her chest like a limp doll’s.

“…What is she doing?”

Raul asked in a quiet voice, but I had no idea either.

“Mone-san! Mone-san!”

This time Shitoen called her name loudly right beside Mone’s ear, and slapped her cheek harder than before.

“Mm…?”

With a faint groan, Mone’s eyelids trembled and opened.

“Thank goodness, Sister!”

Roze tried to throw herself at her, but Shitoen gently held her back and turned her eyes to me.

“I’m going to treat her now.”

Ah, so she wanted me to pull her away.

“Roze. Come over here.”

When I called to her, she reluctantly moved to stand between Raul and me.

“Mone-san, it’s nice to meet you. I am also from Tania. I know a little medicine… so may I touch the wound?”

“Um… my sister first. That girl has wounds on her arm and back too.”

Mone spoke urgently. Shitoen gave her a reassuring nod and touched Mone’s left hand.

“We’ll look at them one by one. Your injury is more serious. I’m sorry, but may I cut your clothing?”

“Yes.”

Once she had permission, Shitoen took scissors from the leather bag Eaton had brought and, with practiced hands, cut away the sleeve from shoulder to cuff.

“Whoa…”

Raul knit his brows.

The exposed wound was a nasty one.

From the shoulder down to somewhere below the elbow, a deep vertical gash ran through her arm. Bright red blood was still pouring from it in heavy pulses, and the flesh around the wound was swollen.

“I’d like to wash it clean so I can see the condition of the wound properly, but we don’t have enough water…”

“Should I go draw some water from somewhere?”

She looked hesitant, so I offered, but Shitoen turned and shook her head.

“I want to use boiled water.”

“People disinfect with alcohol all the time, don’t they? We have wine.”

Raul said that, but again Shitoen shook her head.

“The alcohol content is different… Is today’s lodging place still far from here?”

Shitoen asked, and Raul immediately dragged over one of the knights from the Kingdom of Luminous.

“Once we clear the pass, about an hour, I’d say.”

The Luminous knight answered while wiping sweat from his brow. Raul had apparently already explained the situation to him in brief.

“Besides, the bandits have fled… We were also just preparing to depart now, so we can notify the local watch.”

“Then let us treat it properly at the lodging place.”

That was Shitoen’s decision.

Leaning closer to Mone, she smiled softly.

“I’ll stop the bleeding and apply pressure to the wound. Once we reach tonight’s lodging place, we can decide whether it needs stitches.”

“All right.”

After confirming Mone’s nod, Shitoen took a white cloth from the leather bag and tied it around her upper right arm.

That was a little unexpected. I had assumed she would tie the wound itself.

“Tightening a major blood vessel makes it easier to stop bleeding from the wound.”

Shitoen was explaining it to Mone. I see. Like blocking the main stream to stop water flowing into a branch.

After that, while checking the wound, she began wrapping it with bandages. Just from looking at how tightly she was wrapping it, I could tell it had to hurt. In fact, Mone groaned from time to time.

“There, finished. I’m sorry, but could someone carry her to the carriage?”

Raul and the Luminous knight both stepped forward, but Mone refused firmly.

“No, thank you. I can walk on my own. More importantly, Lady Shitoen, my sister’s wounds…”

Mone resolutely pushed herself upright.

“In that case, Eaton, help her to the carriage.”

At Shitoen’s words, Eaton quickly stepped forward and supported her. I was relieved that Mone did not refuse that. She really did seem wary of men. With Eaton’s arm around her waist, she rose to her feet.

She was a little unsteady, but she did indeed look capable of walking.

Only after confirming that did Shitoen come over to us.

“I’m sorry. Let me take a quick look.”

With Roze still wearing Raul’s jacket, Shitoen checked her injuries. When she went to look at the wound on her back, I figured the jacket would just get in the way, so I started to take it off for her, but Shitoen gently stopped me with, “Leave it as it is.” Then she checked the wound by slipping her hands inside the jacket.

I was thinking it had to be hard to see like that, when—

I noticed a damp, accusing stare and turned my head.

It was Roze.

“Pervert.”

“Wha—”

The moment our eyes met, she threw that at me, and I was stunned.

“A kid like you isn’t my type!”

“But you were trying to look at my back!”

“It was Shitoen who was trying to look at your back! I was only trying to make it easier for Shitoen to see—”

“And while you were at it, you were going to peek at my back too.”

“As if I would! Raul! Say something to her!”

Raul gave a wry smile, crossed his arms, and shot me a glance.

“I covered her up because her clothes were torn… and then you tried to strip that off, so really…”

“Right!?”

“Don’t ‘Right!?’ me!”

While the three of us were noisily squabbling, I heard Shitoen’s amused voice.

“Roze-san’s injuries are nothing to worry about. Let’s head to the lodging place and clean them there.”

Once her jacket was straightened back into place, Roze immediately darted behind Shitoen to hide.

Hold it right there‼ Why do I have to be treated like a threat by a brat like you?!

“Come on, come on, we’re heading out.”

Urged along by Raul, I headed for my beloved horse, still thoroughly unconvinced.