In the dead of night, while everyone was fast asleep.
I tossed and turned in my bedroom, unable to sleep.
Rescuing the Lord was great, but now what am I supposed to do?
Could I be a burden to the Scarlet family?
What can a knight who can’t wield a sword possibly do?
Even if the wounds I bear are for saving my lord, he was put in danger because of my carelessness—can I really call this a glorious injury?
As I wrestled with these thoughts during the sleepless night—
Screak
I heard the sound of the door opening.
Although the odds were slim, I thought that perhaps the remaining mercenary leader had come for revenge. So, as soon as I heard the noise, I stopped moving and feigned sleep.
Shuffle
I felt someone approach me.
If they were here to harm me, I would need to summon my mana, but as I sensed the presence, it turned out to be Lord Luke.
Wha—why is my lord here?
It’s the middle of the night.
Even as a guard knight, entering the bedroom of a grown woman?
…Now that I think about it, my lord is of a suitable age to be curious about such things.
He has never shown any interest in women before, but it is about time he started.
That said, sneaking into the bedroom of a guard knight is quite bold.
…If it’s Lord Luke, I wouldn’t mind at all, but…
I lack experience and wouldn’t be able to satisfy him…
If he ends up disappointed, then I…
“Hans.”
I flinched.
The moment my lord called my name, I involuntarily twitched.
I’m not sure why, but I didn’t want Lord Luke to know that I was awake.
I just wanted to know what he planned to do while pretending to be asleep.
“I’m sorry, Hans.”
Lord Luke knelt beside my bed and brought his face close to mine, looking at me.
“I thought I could handle the mercenaries. This is reality, not the world I knew.”
Does he mean it’s not the world he read in his books? Indeed, while Lord Luke is intelligent and knowledgeable, his inexperience may lead him to fall into the trap of those mercenaries.
I certainly didn’t expect them to be so untrustworthy and greedy.
Ultimately, it’s not really my lord’s fault; it’s mine for failing to support him properly.
“Because of me… because of me, Hans…”
My lord…
“Hans. Yes, let’s give it a try.”
…Huh? Try what?
“…my ‘Gift’.”
His noble lady!
…No, I mean ‘Gift’?
My lord, you have a ‘Gift’?
“…If I can use this, I might be able to save Hans.”
What kind of ‘Gift’ does my lord have?
“But there’s a condition… Can I even use this?”
Condition?
Now that I think about it, I’ve heard that many ‘Gifts’ come with troublesome conditions. One often must fulfill complex requirements to manifest a ‘Gift’ or sacrifice something as a cost for its use.
My lord’s ‘Gift’, could it be!
“…Yes. If I’ve made up my mind, I have to try. How long will I keep worrying?”
Lord Luke stood up and placed his hand on my forehead.
Warm… his hand.
An incredible light burst forth from his hand.
The light was so bright, it pierced through my closed eyelids.
Then a warm energy flowed from his hand, along my forehead and into my body.
This energy was unlike the mana used by wizards or the divine power used by priests.
The unidentified energy gently enveloped the wounds still lingering in me, the ones even the priests could not heal.
It felt warm and comfortable.
As the warm sensation gradually faded away, the pain that lingered in my body also disappeared.
I instinctively realized that all the scars on my body were gone.
“The pain… the wounds. My lord, what just happened…?”
So astonished was I that I forgot I was pretending to be asleep and shot up.
“H-Hans. You’re awake.”
My lord exclaimed in surprise.
“Hans… you mustn’t tell anyone about this.”
Having said that, my lord collapsed, losing consciousness.
“M-my lord!”
I jumped out of bed and caught my lord as he fell.
My lord… so the ‘Gift’ of my lord comes with a cost, huh?
He even passed out, what on earth did he pay for this?
Due to my lord’s fainting, I couldn’t check him properly, but I felt that I was completely healed.
All those wounds, even the ones that priests couldn’t heal are gone.
And achieving such an incredible feat surely costs a lot for a ‘Gift’.
What could it be? Lifespan, memories, health, soul… or perhaps hair roots?
I’ve heard that some ‘Gifts’ require hair roots as a cost.
Of course, even without hair, my lord would still be beautiful,
But sacrificing such a great cost just for a guard knight like me is too much.
My lord…
Despite the fact that I, a guard knight, caused him a bad experience, you’re doing this for such an incompetent knight…
With a jolt, I got up and laid my lord down on my bed.
“Hannah Scarlet. I swear to dedicate my sword, my body, and all that I am to Lord Luke.”
Even though I was tossing and turning and my bed is a mess from my scent… it’s a crisis since my lord fainted, so it should be fine to lay him down on my bed, right?
Huh? Then my lord’s scent will be on my bed!
…Maybe I should ask the servants to give me that duvet and cover. Ten gold coins should do it, right?
*
Of all times to use my ‘Gift’ for the first time, I ended up fainting in front of Hans.
Normally, my ‘Gift’ doesn’t accompany fainting…
But after pushing my young body through the exploration of nearly ten ruins and escaping from mercenaries trying to kill me, and seeing my devoted guard knight afflicted with a permanent disability because of me, I must have simply lost consciousness from exhausting relief.
Of all places, to show such a scene in front of Hans…
Because of how it looked, Hans ended up with a misunderstanding, believing that the use of my ‘Gift’ required the sacrifice of something significant.
Thanks to asking Hans to keep it a secret, he didn’t tell anyone about my ‘Gift,’ but he keeps pestering me not to use it.
He keeps insisting that there’s a heavy cost involved, but since I can’t reveal the truth about my ‘Gift,’ he doesn’t believe me.
To clarify my ‘Gift,’ I would need to reveal that I’m the author of the book [A Must Read for Those Living in the Continent], but even Hans, who follows me, couldn’t do that.
I doubt he’d even believe it.
Despite all that, thanks to her, I managed to pass this situation without having to come up with some ridiculous excuse to the soldiers or knights, but this just means I have to endure her nagging.
“Anyway, my lord, no matter what happens at the Academy, you absolutely must not use that ‘Gift.’ Do you understand?”
“…I understand.”
“Good, my lord. As long as you’re as intelligent as I know you are, you’ll surely excel at the Academy. Oh, my lord, please hold onto my waist tightly. You might fall off!”
Currently, I was sitting behind Hans, who was riding a horse.
Following her instructions, I wrapped my arms around Hans’s waist from behind.
“…Like this?”
“O-oh, yes, that’s good♡.”
Then an odd sound escaped her. It was somewhat like a woman’s moan of pleasure…
“What was that?”
“Ah, no, I just said you’re doing well. W-we’re going forward now!”
Did I mishear that due to the wind?
*
Screak
“I heard you called for me, my lord.”
“Oh, my dear Lulu. Come here.”
Thud
“Ah, my love Lulu. Did you send Luke off well today?”
“Yes, it was hard to let him go, but I managed in the end.”
“Oh, I understand the heart of a lady well. This is about that past excavation when Luke was in danger, isn’t it?”
“Yes, exactly, my lord.”
“But don’t worry. The guard knight going with Luke, Hannah Scarlet, has worked hard to become an expert at swordsmanship and is close to reaching the top level. She will protect Luke well. And most importantly…”
The duke continued while embracing his wife.
“Lord Deus is watching over him.”
“Lord Deus?”
“Yes, indeed. Lord Deus…”
-Leopar Pulsreino.
“Wha—huh? Lulu?”
-Do I still look like Lulu to you?
“Y-y-you are…!”
-I am Leopar, son of Reynopart. As the true mother of Luke, I declare this.
!!!!
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