The Knight and the Little Brother (7)
The journey back to the outpost was surprisingly uneventful. The monsters and Blood Tribe that could pose a threat had all been swept away by the avalanche.
As we emerged from the tunnel, the battlefield that had been stained with blood and corpses had disappeared as if it had never been, was swept away by the pristine snow. The accumulated snow was high enough to surpass the height of a house. This almost caused a delay in our return, but fortunately, we managed to resolve it with Lumen’s power.
Flying through the sky with the power of lightning was an unexpectedly fun experience.
Being carried by a woman smaller than me was a bit embarrassing, though.
When we successfully returned, more people gathered than I expected. Most of the attention was focused on Lumen, and thanks to that, I was able to receive treatment from the priest comfortably. It was a relief that there were few faces I recognized.
On top of that, I was able to get news about Benten.
When he woke up, he asked Nico to tell me that Latia suddenly transformed and summoned monsters to attack, so I should be careful if I encountered her.
If I had woken up a bit earlier, I would have had time to prepare.
I would have liked to talk to the recovered Benten, but according to Nico, he left a message that he was heading off to hunt a new dragon near Mount Seoraksa and then disappeared.
Well, in life, there are relationships that you meet with and those you part with. I reluctantly told Nico that I understood.
Besides, I have more important things to do. I was supposed to approach them to open the letter, but instead, I feel like my pace is being hindered, so I need to focus on opening the letter right now.
The pink letter.
The letter that Lumen handed to me before she was swept away by the crowd remained unopened.
I thought I had learned how to open it after the incident with Aliana. Nothing ever seems to go right in this world from the start.
No matter how much I ponder over how to open the letter, it remains unopened.
I realized this obvious fact as the evening was drawing to a close.
“So, is that the only reason you called me out?”
Nico, who came at my earnest call, immediately sat me down in a chair. Perhaps because there was no one else in the infirmary, Nico’s voice was louder than one would expect for someone who hadn’t had dinner.
“I skipped dinner to come here. And all you have to say is asking where Lady Lumen is?”
“I just forgot to give her the item that needed to be delivered. The situation was so urgent, you see.”
“…”
Nico lifted her leg and placed it on my knee, putting weight on it. Then she let out a long sigh and clutched her forehead.
“After forcibly separating me, you met with Lady Lumen, right?”
“That’s right.”
“And you were alone with Lady Lumen for at least two hours, no, more than three hours. And you’re telling me you couldn’t deliver that one item?”
“That’s right.”
“Also, if you’re going to separate people, you should at least give a heads-up. What are you trying to do by deceiving me like this? You said you would have died without Lumen. Is there some way you wouldn’t have died?”
“……Yes.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
Come to think of it, the atmosphere was similar when I first met Nico. Back when I stayed at Nicola’s house, she mistook me, who was a bit shabbily dressed at the time, for a petty thief and tied me up to a post for interrogation. It felt like I had actually been taken to a police station. Now that I think about it, that’s also a memory.
“Who are you thinking about right now? Lumen?”
“Yes.”
“…What?”
“Anyway! Where is Lumen? Is she receiving treatment from the priest?”
Her fierce eyes scanned my face. After glaring at me for a moment, she ran her finger down my arm, let out an especially deep sigh, and spoke.
“Sigh, I should have known… Lumen is currently recuperating in a private room. If you keep going up, you’ll find it, so bring some food with you when you go. For some reason, she hasn’t been eating since she returned.”
Even if one recovers quickly, there are bound to be aftereffects. Even now, my shoulder, which no longer bears a scar, is aching. How much more so for Lumen, who had her abdomen pierced.
“That’s serious. I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go find Lumen already. I’m busy too, so I’ll be off.”
Nico flicked the top of my head with the back of her hand and left the room. She’s not angry, is she?
But Lumen not eating anything… Could something have happened?
There’s no use sitting around. I have to go see her to resolve this.
As for food, there’s some jerky that Nico threw down, so I can take that with me.
It would be more convenient if I could also find out the conditions for opening the letter. There are still many people left to deliver it to.
The outpost is quite large. The Snowflake Knights alone are said to number around 300, but the base feels even larger than that. It was built to accommodate three knight orders and the imperial army, but now it’s only housing one knight order and a few imperial soldiers, making it feel all the more immense.
Therefore, the journey to find Lumen was not short. The base was built to face the swarming Blood Tribe and monsters throughout Frontis, but it was still too large.
But Lumen’s room was relatively easy to find.
“Here it is.”
I arrived in front of a rather luxurious door. The name ‘Lumen’ was scribbled carelessly on the handle, so it must be her room.
-Knock knock
“I’ve come to talk about the letter. If you have time, please open the door.”
And silence.
[The door is open, so come in.]
The doorknob turned smoothly. As I naturally stepped into the room, the bitter scent of medicinal herbs filled the air. The murky atmosphere, along with the faint smoke, filled my lungs.
“Wow, it smells.”
“It’s a bit strong. I put in a lot of racloos leaves.”
“You put in a lot? More importantly, where are you right now?”
Looking around, all I could see was the neat scenery of the room. She was nowhere to be found, not on the pristine white chairs, nor on the neatly frilled bed.
“To your right.”
I turned. To the right, inside the room where the sound of water came from, Lumen waved at me from inside the bathtub. The massive tub, filling the bathroom, was dotted with various strange foreign substances floating on the water.
Instinctively, my head turned towards the ceiling. Even in a luxurious room, the dingy ceiling created an atmosphere perfect for driving one to madness.
“…Should I come back later?”
“It doesn’t matter. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
What a clear response. I slowly lowered my head to look at Lumen again. Her voluptuous body was veiled in steam and water, creating a mystical aura.
I approached her slowly and grabbed the edge of the tub. The myriad of medicinal herbs swirled in my head, dizzying me.
Overwhelmed by the unbearable smell, I sat down on the floor with my back to Lumen and handed the letter over my shoulder.
“Try opening it. Maybe this time it will open.”
-Crack.
“…As time passes, it will eventually open.”
Another failure. It felt like the whole world was forcibly stopping me.
“Failed again. Can’t it just open easily?”
Lumen slowly rose and approached me. She placed the letter over my head and then slid back into the water.
Splash. The sound of water splashing carried the scent of the herbs. As my face naturally contorted from the smell, Lumen spoke up.
“But why do you want that letter to open? You could just throw it to me and leave.”
“Well, there are many reasons. The biggest one is that I need the letters to open to return to my original world. It’s complicated, so it’s hard to explain in detail. I only know it theoretically.”
She speaks her emotions honestly. That was what Aliana did before she opened the letter.
The Emperor said that the letters sent to him just opened. Mine did too. So I had no choice but to infer the conditions for opening the letters from that single, fragmented example.
“It’s complicated.”
“There’s nothing easy or convenient in this world. We do it because we must. So please, don’t take offense at what I’m about to say next.”
Lumen’s body sank down. Her gaze, rising just above the water’s surface, met mine. I mulled over what I was about to say, amidst the undulating perplexity.
Letters not written to me or the Emperor, but to them. If one of the actions taken by Aliana, the only one who had opened a letter, was a condition for opening it, then I had to try whatever method was available in advance.
Knight, wizard, archer, saintess.
Working with those women, whom even speaking to was uncomfortable, to open the letters was an impossible task.
Anyway, my hypothesis is this.
“Lumen, do you still have feelings for Troka? Is that why you’re not even touching your food now?”
I confront her about the lingering feelings for the hero. To get an answer, I have no choice but to.
“I didn’t hear it properly last time. Why did you cut off his arm? You need to explain it to me. As detailed as possible, without leaving anything out.”
I should brace myself for a jolt of lightning.
Ohh, I thought other people didn’t know he’s a transmigrator. Or maybe only a select few 🤔