SWNOVELXO Chapter 108
“Yes, assassins used to attack day and night. Though seven years have passed, it feels like it happened just recently. After the emperor passed away and I headed to the Grand Duchy, I had to fight off assassins and spies daily. There was even an incident where an assassin disguised as a healer nearly killed one of our members.”
“Oh my, even a healer… That must have been serious.”
“Because of that incident, I put out a notice to recruit a trustworthy healer, and that’s how we found Robin. I recognized him immediately because we had met during my time in the capital. Although he had no practical experience as a healer, being a fugitive with a verified identity made him safer than anyone else.”
“That makes sense. Robin is a good person, so you could trust him.”
“Yes. Not long ago, he was just starting out as an inexperienced but dedicated healer, and now he’s become so proficient.”
As they neared the square, they noticed the large number of patients. These were all people who had lived ordinary lives until they were trapped here.
“There are too many patients and not enough hands to help. Having only one healer is a problem too,” Luize said, looking anxiously at Edward. She wanted to help them but didn’t want to neglect Edward’s safety.
“Since our lodging is nearby, I will return there and wait for you under Hendrik’s and the other members’ protection. You can help as much as you want.”
“Thank you. See you later then,” Luize said with a bright smile, hurrying towards Robin.
Edward watched her retreating figure with a smile. In her childhood, she had shown him such a sight to save him.
“…If someone else were in the same situation as me, would you save them too?”
“Of course.”
“Taking risks for others isn’t easy. You might put yourself in danger, Lu, and not everyone appreciates being saved.”
“Do you need a reason to save people? I just want everyone to be happy. And…”
Her purple eyes, resembling the dawn sky, turned to him.
“It’s not dangerous for me. I’m strong.”
She had been strong when they first met, and she was still strong now. She was still beautiful.
Edward had once surrounded himself with women with bright hair, thinking he had developed a taste for their looks because he couldn’t find her. But now he understood why he quickly lost interest in their appearances. It wasn’t just Luize’s silver hair or her other features that had captivated him back then.
“Miss Luize, you remain as strong as ever.”
Her fierce battle to save others was dazzlingly beautiful. He loved how strong she was.
* * *
Urgent treatments were finally completed by sunset. Robin, exhausted, couldn’t even return to the inn and fell asleep leaning against a corner of the tent, saying, “I can’t move a step. I’ll rest for 10 minutes.”
Luize, after tidying up, stepped out of the tent and stretched, watching the sunset. Her muscles ached from the long day of busy movement. As she was about to stretch, she noticed something small and black.
“
Squeak.
”
“…
Huh
?”
The small, black, fist-sized creature was unmistakably a squirrel she had seen before. But Luize couldn’t understand why it was here.
“It looks just like Quirrel, no matter how you look at it.”
Its fluffy tail made it look more like a squirrel than a sewer rat, and its jet-black fur was characteristic of animals from the Perils Forest, unlike the gray fur of sewer rats.
“
Squeak.
”
The black squirrel approached Luize and tapped her shoe with its paw, just like the friendly squirrels she had known in Perils.
The black squirrel then ran to the alley, stood at the entrance, and looked back at her. When she didn’t move, it sighed and returned to tap her shoe again before heading back to the alley entrance, its black eyes gleaming as if urging her to follow.
“Are you telling me to follow you? But you’re Quirrel, right? If you can sigh, you must be Quirrel. Why are you here?”
Luize, bewildered, followed the squirrel through the winding alleys until they emerged onto a main road. She looked up unconsciously, finding herself facing the largest building in the village. It was the lord’s castle.
“
Squeak!
”
“The lord’s castle? Why here…?”
The squirrel squeezed through a gap under the large gate and disappeared inside.
“
Squeeeak
.”
She heard Quirrel’s squeak from behind the gate. “Quirrel, I can’t go inside.”
“
Squeak. Squeeak.”
“I can’t understand you.”
“
Sigh.
”
“You just sighed again, didn’t you?”
“
Squeak
?”
“That sounds like you’re pretending not to have sighed. What are you doing here?”
“
Squeak, squeak
.”
The squirrel kept chattering in words she couldn’t understand. As it peeked through the gap at her, a commotion arose inside.
“Have you found it?”
“Not yet!”
The squirrel poked its head out again, trying to get back outside, but it seemed stuck. It reached out its small paw towards Luize for help. Just as she was about to grab its paw…
Whoosh.
The squirrel was suddenly pulled inside as if someone had grabbed it from the other side.
“
Squeak, squeak. Squeeeeeeak
!”
She heard a frustrated squeak followed by a deep voice.
“Here it is. Wicked creature.”
“
Squeak
-!”
After Quirrel’s last scream, the man’s footsteps faded away.
“…Quirrel.”
Luize recognized the voice. It was Matthias di Edvin, the captain of the Second Holy Knight Order.
* * *
For the past few days, Edward had been overly accommodating to Luize. If she had said, “It’s already raining frogs from the sky,” he would have calmly agreed, “Yes, it’s already that season.” When they were alone, he became especially lenient.
“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you want a kiss?”
“You’ll get scolded.”
“Since I’ve never been scolded by Miss Luize before, it might be quite nice. Please go easy on me since it’s my first time.”
“You’ve become foolish…” Luize sighed deeply, and then her expression hardened, thinking about the squirrel she had seen the previous day.
“Is something wrong?” Edward, noticing her serious expression, asked, his playful demeanor gone.
She hesitated, unsure how to explain the situation to him. How could anyone believe a story about accidentally encountering a familiar squirrel from the Perils Forest that led her to the lord’s castle, only to it be captured by the captain of the Second Holy Knight Order? How many people in the world would believe it if she said, ‘Someone kidnapped a squirrel, and I’m worried because the fate of that squirrel is unclear.’ Even Hendrik, who laughed heartily and enjoyed any story, would find this hard to believe.
“…You won’t believe me. It feels like a dream.”
“I’m ready to believe anything Miss Luize says.”
“Promise you’ll believe me, no matter how absurd it sounds?”
“I promise.”
“
Um
… I just saw a monster ant the size of a person outside.”
“I’ll take care of it immediately. Where is it?” Edward stood up, determined.
Luize laughed and pulled him back. “That was a joke. Alright. I’ll take your readiness to believe seriously and tell you.”
He smiled back and sat down to listen attentively as she recounted the story of meeting the squirrel in the Perils Forest, their reunion the previous day, and its abduction. He didn’t question her story once.
“… That’s what happened.”
“I see. What do you want to do, Miss Luize?”
“Honestly, I want to know if Quirrel is alive. If possible, I want to save it. I’m also curious why it led me there… But I’m hesitant to sneak into the castle, fearing it might cause trouble for the knights.”
After thinking deeply for a moment, Edward opened his mouth. “I have a good idea.”