Chapter 235

After finishing the battle with Marf, Carsein collapsed.

Not long after, they rushed into the room upon noticing something amiss from the imperial side.

“Oh no, we’re too late…!”

The Second Prince Florence quickly turned his horse at the strange feeling and arrived.

Events were unfolding not just inside the room but outside as well; the tip of the sword was covered in the beast’s blood and remains.

He immediately ordered someone to call the physician and instructed soldiers to bring the siblings of the House of Bargrand.

Click.

The door to the sickroom opened and the Imperial Physician walked out.

“How is he?”

Claire, who couldn’t leave the front of the sickroom due to anxiety, asked this.

Even though the physician had arrived, the unease wouldn’t go away.

That fight was overwhelmingly disadvantageous for Carsein.

While Claire assisted by providing cover during attacks, once it came down to a one-on-one situation, it became difficult to guarantee victory.

So this victory must have been a high-risk gamble.

Indeed, after that battle, Carsein’s mana was completely exhausted.

However, the Imperial Physician’s expression was bright.

“Though you’ve exhausted your mana dangerously, you’ll recover quickly with proper rest.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Your body is so well-trained that there’s no need to worry.”

Although it was urgent enough to require surgery, he wasn’t the frail Carsein of the past.

His body, honed through continuous training, was not weak. No matter what medicine was administered, it didn’t clash, and his sturdy constitution meant there were no major side effects to consider.

Carsein’s tenacious vitality accelerated his recovery process, and even during the final stages of treatment, no complications arose.

Anyone else might have perished at any point in the process.

“Haa. I see.”

Only now did Claire let out a sigh of relief after the surgery went smoothly.

The Imperial Physician said if anything happened, to call him, but laughed off the concern, saying there was no need given Carsein’s robust condition.

…

Permission granted, Claire stepped into the room and saw Carsein lying on the bed.

He was told that the results of the surgery and his health condition were fine. The physician even praised his well-maintained physique, so there should be no issues.

Still, Claire felt uneasy, a mix of complexity and frustration.

Memories of her past kept surfacing.

Claire watched over the sleeping Carsein for quite some time.

Tap tap.

The sound of the door knocking broke Claire’s reverie. It sounded somewhat urgent.

“Excuse me, I heard Carsein was seriously injured… Can I come in?”

This voice.

She recognized it instantly.

‘A fiancée.’

At present, she was the only guardian.

While she needed to be cautious around outsiders, this person was an exception.

Claire got up and opened the door herself.

The door opened to reveal a violet-haired woman with a worried expression.

Seeing this, Claire felt a little relieved.

“Come in.”

“Ah, thank you.”

She vowed never again to act like she did in the past when thinking of her past self.

Now, she resolved to truly care for her younger brother as a sister.

First, she would start by taking care of him as his guardian.

But Claire felt she lacked the right to do so.

Instead of protecting her brother, she had only caused him trouble and harm, so she decided she needed to be the real guardian who could take care of him.

***

After the symposium, major events unfolded.

Following Carsein’s presentation, the connection between Shatren Territory and the Waglew Faction was proven. Intentional interference with Shatren and sabotage to damage Carsein’s reputation were uncovered.

Furthermore, evidence of fertilizer, a decisive factor threatening humanity, led the royal family to launch a search.

However, Arshien and Florence suddenly changed their course.

Deploying troops to search for the fertilizer as Carsein suggested was not wrong. But if they made a last stand, it could become problematic.

Oddly, leaving the troops out seemed strange.

They suspected the Waglew Faction might try to stall by pretending to surrender, but it felt unsettling.

If they had a plan to escape the conference hall, it would be left empty.

Moreover, reports indicated suspicious activities by Count Retelvik and the Waglew Faction. If they weren’t surrendering but planning something, it would be different.

Their suspicions proved accurate.

The two returned to the conference hall, and they witnessed plant-like beasts causing chaos everywhere.

Following Florence’s instructions, they tracked the Waglew nobles and easily caught the escaped prisoners, finally achieving success.

This was Harrier’s explanation.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t capture them alive, thanks to one person.”

“Capture failed because they were alive means…”

“Yes. Count Retelvik committed suicide at the end. I don’t know what he did to the other nobles, but they all died at the same time.”

Death at the same time.

So, they had something after all.

‘As if they were silenced.’

It would be best to investigate this…

“You want to investigate this, right?”

Hmm… She figured it out almost immediately.

Still, it’s worth checking once.

I scratched my head and asked.

“…Is it not allowed?”

“Of course. Go ahead and investigate.”

Uh-huh. It sounds like it’s definitely not allowed.

When she smiles while saying “check,” it feels even more ominous.

“Princess Arshien and Prince Florence have ordered a thorough investigation, so you shouldn’t think about resisting.”

Ideally, seeing it firsthand would be better. Sigh.

‘Well… This will have to do.’

—

After the battle with Marf, I collapsed.

I hadn’t known what happened since then, how the symposium went, or the outcome of the episode.

When I woke up, Harrier was there, and I asked her.

Anyway, that covers what happened from the battle with Marf until I was moved to the infirmary.

Plus,

■Reward

[Received Shatren Territory as a reward for clearing Chapter 2.]

The status window displayed this message, so there was no need to worry about a bad ending.

For now, it seemed best to recover a bit more.

“Phew.”

“What are you doing now?”

“I’m getting a bit restless being in the infirmary. I need to move around a bit.”

More accurately, it’s about regaining my senses.

Even just in Chapter 2, enemy encounters were frequent.

Traps and events in the territory often led to battles.

In Chapter 3, the emphasis on combat would increase even more.

‘Why? It’s obvious. Battles are inevitable.’

At the time, I didn’t realize I could choose options to grant authority to Carsein.

Three options were presented at this stage.

Authority to use the training hall.

Authority to govern Shatren Territory.

And another authority option remained.

I chose the training hall because the other two options were unavailable, but entering Chapter 3, I realized these were plot points.

‘Um. So I can’t help but loosen up my body now.’

Stat management.

Gathering combat experience.

And mana training—there’s nothing to skip.

I had to prepare myself in every way possible.

…

But why does my fiancée’s expression look so scary?

“Carsein?”

I asked, scared by her staccato-like calls.

“Why, why are you like this…?”

“Carsein, until now, you’ve been lying in bed in the infirmary because you were badly injured, right?”

“…Yes.”

“So, should you rest or not?”

She clearly advised resting, but this time, I had something to say.

“My recovery is complete. Look, I’m perfectly fine. A few hours of sleep and I’d be good as new.”

After sleeping deeply, I felt much lighter. Why should I stay idle? My shoulder injury? It healed quickly with an elixir. Clearly, my body was fine.

But…

My fiancée said with a meaningful tone,

“So, you’ve been sleeping for a while now. How long do you think you slept?”

“Um…”

Something doesn’t feel right.

“A day?”

Shake shake.

As if asking to reconsider.

“Then… two days?”

She shook her head.

She warned me to think harder.

I swallowed hard and asked,

“Three days?”

No broken objects.

But I heard a sharp sound somewhere.

Glancing at Harrier, I understood why.

Ah, that sharp sound was because I dared to upset my fiancée.

-Snap!

“Gyaaah!”

“Three days? Three days! You were asleep for five days!!”

Backspins have intensified.

The continuous backspins hit my back in rhythm with Harrier’s voice.

“Gyaaah, wait, Harrier. I’m a patient…”

“So what? How many hours would it take to recover? Make sense, dammit!”

With nagging, the continuous backspins gave me a good reason to return to the bed.

“The culprit is Harrier…”

“What are you talking about!”

-Slap!

…

After a round of being hit, I snapped back to reality.

Five days.

It made sense to be unconscious for such a long time.

Who would go straight to training after waking up from a five-day sleep?

…

That was me.

-Swipe.

Feeling awkward, I turned my head and Harrier gently hugged my face.

“Don’t worry people.”

“…”

“If you get hurt like this, wouldn’t it turn your stomach?”

Unlike before,

She pleaded with a serious tone.

I could answer, but…

For some reason, I couldn’t say anything at this moment.

“Someone will keep watching over you, so don’t think about anything else. Just rest. Got it?”

…I still can’t get used to this.

Such kindness.