Chapter 9: Chapter 9

“…I have to deliver the flowers.”

“You, even in this situation!”

“…I shouldn’t do this, but…please help me. I can’t walk anymore…”

The harsh breathing didn’t let my words to come out properly, but Lennox seemed to understand it.

He frowned angrily, then stared at me with a look of concern.

“Help, I’ll help you, so don’t lose your consciousness… No, rather be asleep, because if you are asleep, it won’t hurt…”

His gaze was directed not toward my face but towards my feet. Lennox hugged me, held me firmly in his arms, and began to move quickly with an effort.

It’s the first time someone held me tight like this, apart from my mom.

I know he’s the first stranger I met today, but won’t his body get tired?

Strangely, his arms were very comfortable. Feeling my tension being relieved, I slowly began to close my eyes again to forget the pain. Through my closed eyes, I could see the purple butterfly slowly disappearing.

Thank you.

“… Good-bye, Butterfly.”

And then I completely lost my consciousness.

***

My body was burning. It was hot, like a fireball, as if I were having a cold or flu. Besides, my breath was rough, and the cough continued to erupt.

Even breathing is painful and, I don’t even know how many times I’ve uttered nonsense in my head because of the pain that keeps coming from the wound.

It was only after a few days of turmoil with a fever that I felt the hazy mist had already been removed from my head. I opened my eyes holding on to the consciousness that barely came back.

“Aa- Aah.”

A rough voice came out harshly with a sore throat. As I called a few more times, a glass of water suddenly appeared next to me. Without hesitation, I took the glass and drank the water. The warm water ran down my throat, and finally, I was able to wake up a bit. When I looked around, I saw a place that I had never seen before.

Then a small laugh came out of the side. As I turned my head back towards the sound, there was a boy who looked a few years younger than Lennox.

Under the light pink hair, the red eyes in the round glasses had a feeling of favor. The boy’s eyes curved when my eyes met his.

‘…Red eyes.’

It is the same color as Chloe. Now that I see it, I think they look quite similar…

“Are you feeling better now?”

“… Who are you?”

“Ah, shall we introduce ourselves first?”

I couldn’t relax my guard and asked in a harsh voice, but the boy only grinned. The boy pointed his finger at him and slowly began to introduce himself as if he were talking to a child.

“My name is Ricarda Benedito, the person who’s been taking care of you all this time.”

“Are you a doctor?”

“Not a doctor, but someone who can imitate it?”

What’s that?

If you’re a doctor, you’re a doctor.

When my eyes filled with disbelief, Ricarda began to panic and feel embarrassed.

“I, I’m a wizard! Usually, doctors are the job chosen by healing wizards, but I do that because healing is not my main major.”

“Wizard…”

“Yes, yes.”

As Ricarda’s explanation continued, I slowly lowered my head and saw a bandage wrapped around my arms.

Wondering, I pulled down my blanket and found my injured right foot firmly fixed from the knee to the bottom of it.

It looked like a cast I had seen in my previous life, so I looked at it for a long time, and soon I heard a sigh of relief from the side.

“I’m glad you are better after several days of sickness due to high fever. I don’t think the temperature is going to go up any further now…”

“What happened to my leg?”

“Huh?”

Ricarda paused at my words and tried to change the subject with an awkward smile. I asked again, seeing his apparent reaction.

“Can’t I use my legs anymore?”

“What do you mean! That’s not true!”

“What happened then? Has it been maimed?”

When there was a sound of pain in my voice, Ricarda asked me with a solemn expression.

“If your legs were maimed… what would you think?”

“… I should think it was a cheap price compared to my life.”

Unfortunately.

At the added words, Ricarda looked at me, speechless. With his shocked expression, I tilted my head thinking I’d done something wrong.

Ricarda, agape with astonishment, stood up from his seat.

“No! Absolutely not!”

“?”

Ricarda’s red eyes were flushed, and he said with a stiff expression.

“I’ll cure you somehow! Even though it’s so serious that you can’t even talk about it! I’ll make you all better!”

Ricarda tried to change the subject about my condition until the end. Perhaps the injury was more severe than I thought.

My legs could really be maimed. No, but seeing that I’ve come this far…

Like I said before if I compare the price of my leg for my life, isn’t it cheap to use my legs at a small price?

As if he didn’t see me on deep thought, Ricarda continuously told me that I had been sick for the last three days.

The wound might cause scars, but I still couldn’t trust his words about him taking responsibility for it and healing it.

After speaking for a long time without feeling my gaze at him, he finished what he had to say and sat down again in the chair.

Then he held my hand firmly and said, “Yes, yes. From now on, I’m your brother, so I’ll fix it for you! So, just trust me.”

What are you talking about?

I don’t have a brother.

“I don’t have a brother like you.”

Unconsciously sharp words came out. In my response, Ricarda hesitated and then stealthily got up from his seat.

“I should have brought my mother first, but I forgot. Can you wait for a minute?”

“…yes.”

Seeing that I have been treated safely here, it seems that Lennox brought me well.

‘I guess he delivered the flowers well for me.’

I didn’t give it to her directly, but since it was a condition to get the flowers, I won’t be blamed for it right?

‘I hope it’s alright…’

Ricarda left the room after telling me to wait a little longer. After he left, looking at the quiet room, I heaved a sigh that I had endured. I was scared that I would die there, but fortunately, I came back alive with help.

Chloe, the head of the merchant’s group, had a strong personality than I expected, but still, I had a good feeling about it.

A hunch that things will work out.

***

[Knock, Knock]

A moment later, the door opened with a knock and a rattling sound.

“You look like you’re in good condition. Three days ago, you were in a condition that I couldn’t even afford to see.”

Tsk. The tiny sound of tongue clicking seem to contain annoyance, but when Lennox’s gaze turned to Chloe, she approached me, without knowing it.

“I told you to bring the flowers, not to come in that condition. Thanks to someone, I felt embarrassed after a long time.”

“…embarrassed?”

“No matter how much I am, wouldn’t it be strange, not to be surprised when a child is going to die?”

“Mother, why do you make your words so mean?”

Lennox beside her spoke briefly, and Chloe kept her mouth shut.

‘Isn’t she a person who doesn’t care about that?’

I’m sure she was a very cold-blooded, scary, revenge-burning woman in the novel.

When I looked up at her as if I didn’t understand her, my eyes met hers. Chloe’s red-eye had me in it. She didn’t seem to have the slightest intention of avoiding eye contact.

Why do I feel that the gaze directed towards me is not unpleasant at all, should I be glad?

“I must apologize to you first.”

“Apology?”

I tilted my head at the sudden apology.

She sighed in relief and then sat next to me.

“To be honest, I thought you’d give up after you left the gate by saying you were scared. The forest was dark… and you weren’t even in good shape.”

“…..”

“But then you wandered around the forest and found these flowers.”

Lennox came close with a glass jar.

A glass jar, which looked like a water bottle, contained flowers and liquid hanging from it.

“It’s Stacia, the name of the flower you found. A fairly rare flower that is used as a medicinal herb for relieving pain.”

T/N: lmao, I searched this flower name because I wanted to know but didn’t find it. Pretty sure it doesn’t exist ;(

Chloe frowned and sighed again.

“It grows up in a crevice and is hard to cultivate because of weather effects. That’s what you found.”

“Is it expensive? Enough to be worth a present for you?”

“Yeah, that was enough, 100 gold would be ridiculous.”

A voice strangely mixed with laughter. Hearing that voice, hope, which had sunk so deep, began to rise gradually.

“You made impossible possible. You won.”

A smile that was gently formed around her mouth and a pleasant look.

I nodded my head with a smile on my lips. Chloe’s answer, informing me that I passed the difficult exam gave me unspeakable joy.

“Yes. I’ve received the papers and flowers, so apart from the apologies, I’ll have to hear exactly what the deal you want is, right?”

“I don’t want much; Just give me the position as a successor of this merchant’s group.”

Chloe paused at my words and blinked her eyes. Obviously, she did not think that I would ask that.

“Isn’t there a lot of seats for the successor position?”

“You can just give me a qualification. I don’t have to be a real successor.”

Even if it’s not as the merchant’s group head, as a successor, wouldn’t it be the right position to change this story?

First of all, no matter when the male protagonist appears, it’ll be fine if I don’t give that spot to him.

Everyone was quiet, knowing that there was no playfulness in my eyes.

Chloe put her hand on my head and stared down at me and asked, “Why are you doing this? If it’s just to make a living, it would be easier to live with the support of the merchant’s group.”

“Because I want to twist the story.”

“Story?”

In the unexpected word that came out of nowhere, Chloe glanced a doubtful look. I continued to speak clearly without avoiding her eyes.

“The wicked woman is dead, and now everyone hopes for her daughter to die. That’s the set story.”

I endured the sorrow that was coming up and continued with my words.

“I don’t want to go along with that story stupidly. I want to live.”

I’m going to change the ending of the story. To make me happy, not them.

“I want to make my own story, live longer and happier than them. Even by twisting the set story.”

It would be hard for them to understand, but I only brought the genuine truth as much as possible for her to back me up.

“It’s okay to be this mean.”