I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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184th Chapter. Side Story 5

“Umm…”

I let out a groan with a cracked voice as I slowly opened my eyes. The unfamiliar ceiling made me blink in confusion, and then I recalled the last situation and let out a sigh.

‘I got bitten by Qubera and fainted right after…’

My face still throbbed, but astonishingly, my body felt remarkably well.

‘Ariadne must be worried. I need to get back quickly.’

With my heart racing, I propped myself up from the bed. Then, I was startled by the two eyes that were staring back at me.

“Zigmund Hyde?”

Only a sliver of moonlight poured in through the cracks of the dark room, illuminating the space. Zigmund’s face, shrouded in shadow, was illuminated by the moonlight, and his mysterious purple eyes shimmered brightly in the darkness.

“Where’s my master? Are you all alone?”

Scratching my head, I asked casually. Given that it was dark, at least a day must have passed since I got bitten by Qubera. A fleeting thought crossed my mind about whether he had stayed by my side the whole day, but I quickly dismissed it with a chuckle.

The idea that Zigmund would tend to my illness seemed unimaginable.

“He went to find herbs that improve immunity.”

“Uh, for me? I’m fine…”

“You are!”

He cut me off sharply. I looked at Zigmund with wide-open eyes.

If winter were to be personified, I thought it would be named Zigmund. Everything about him, from his scent to his demeanor, resembled winter. He was calm as softly falling snowflakes, and as cold as a bitter chill that permeates to the bone.

I had lost count of how many times his frozen poker face had made me feel annoyed.

This was the first time Zigmund raised his voice in front of me.

“Do you have any thoughts at all? Why did you jump into that situation? Did you think your resistance was higher than mine? You, weakling? I didn’t need your help! Hah, did you think I’d appreciate it?”

“Oh…”

As I quietly listened to Zigmund’s barrage of words, I grabbed the chair beside the bed. A soft smile blossomed on my lips.

“I see your personality is just wanting to push a person recently out of bed back down with high blood pressure. So now that I’ve recovered, do you think it’ll be easier to beat me? No, you devil.”

I didn’t expect him to be grateful for being bitten in my place, but this was too much.

With the intention of delivering a chair shot, I raised the chair overhead, but Zigmund buried his face in one hand. The back of his head, bent low, struck me as somewhat pitiful.

“You… shouldn’t have saved me.”

His voice was dry and crackled like land parched from a long drought. But for some reason, I felt there was moisture in that voice.

As I stared at him, I slowly set down the chair. He already seemed to be in enough pain.

“I was someone who shouldn’t have survived. I was meant to die there. You must surely regret saving me… Guh!”

Whack!

With a clear sound, Zigmund groaned. His head snapped to an angle of 90 degrees. Even I flinched, wondering if I had actually broken his neck.

‘Did I use too much power?’

I brushed off the hand that had hit his face. I felt a twinge of guilt, but I didn’t regret it. No matter how much we fought, I had never actually hit his face until that moment.

“Hey.”

Even when I called him in a low voice, Zigmund didn’t lift his head. Through the gaps in the hand covering his nose, I glimpsed red, suggesting he had a nosebleed. It probably hurt a lot, but I had no intention of saying I was sorry.

“If you keep talking like that in front of the master, next time the thing embedded in your face won’t be a fist but a sword.”

I didn’t know exactly what had happened between Zigmund and Karasho, but I had a rough idea. Karasho was the one who had saved Zigmund when he was nearly dead in the snowy plains.

I respected Karasho and believed in her choices. Even to myself, it could be called blind faith.

Zigmund might be a kid I didn’t like, but if she saved him, there must have been a reason. I couldn’t stand the thought that Karasho’s choice was wrong.

“You… know nothing.”

“Yeah. Because you don’t tell me anything.”

While leaning back deeply in the bed and supporting my head with my clasped hands, I spoke casually.

Zigmund tightly shut his mouth. I was used to him keeping his lips sealed. He had never spoken about himself to me.

“But I do know one thing. You still want to live.”

Zigmund suddenly lifted his face. His features were stained with blood. I thought I would feel relieved seeing such a sight, but strangely, my heart felt uneasy.

“…What.”

“A person waiting for their death doesn’t live like that. You look tired, but it doesn’t seem like you want to die.”

The black circle embedded in the center of the violet one trembled. I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

“Reluctantly, I must admit I hoped for you to live too.”

If I hadn’t stepped in, Qubera would have bitten into Zigmund’s neck. In that moment, I thought it better to lose my arm than to see him die.

That was also a belief I had learned from Karasho, but it was equally my own will.

“So thank me, you idiot.”

Honestly, after confessing, I felt a bit embarrassed and stretched out my mirthful banter. Just when I was about to get off my seat, Zigmund finally spoke up.

“I never disliked you.”

“…What?”

I paused and turned back to him in surprise.

“Your presence felt awkward. It felt uncomfortable to have one more burden for my master to worry about. But I never disliked you, not once.”

Those were words I never imagined hearing from him. Just as I was engulfed in strange emotions, Zigmund got up from his seat.

“I won’t forget.”

His voice was faint, but I clearly heard it. Zigmund left the room quickly before I could even respond.

I stared blankly at the spot where his impeccably shaped back had disappeared and smiled brightly.

“He never does say thank you, does he?”

It had always been like that. Zigmund never expressed his thanks.

It had already been a year since I started traveling together with Karasho and Zigmund. I made my way to the mercenary guild as usual, with my left hand in my cloak pocket, only to spot a familiar face in the crowd.

“Hehe.”

Feeling mischievous, I silenced my footsteps and tiptoed closer. Just as I was about to surprise him from behind, a low voice resounded.

“Do you think it will work if you try to sneak up on me?”

He turned without even looking back, recognizing me. I let out a frustrated groan and dropped my hands.

“Kimse, huh. How did you know it was me?”

I moved alongside him, and he naturally slowed his pace to match mine. This was a sign that we had both grown used to one another.

“You just can feel it.”

His deep violet eyes locked onto mine. Even with a white mask on, his overwhelming beauty was impossible to ignore. The deeper and darker shade in his eyes spoke of the passage of time.

‘Come to think of it, his speech has improved quite a bit.’

Zigmund’s tone remained irritating, but compared to the unbearable mouthful of hell he used to have, there was definitely growth. I fondly recalled last year and shivered. Though we still fought often, the frequency had definitely decreased compared to before.

“Kid. You’ve grown a lot.”

“What suddenly got into you?”

“I was just reminded of how it was when we first met.”

Looking at Zigmund, who was skeptical, I leisurely propped my head with my clasped hands.

“We fought simply by looking at each other. Back then, I thought you were the worst person in the world.”

Zigmund let out a short, mocking laugh. Realizing I had been childish back then, I could only smile faintly.

“So what do you think now?”

“Hmm?”

I blinked in surprise. Zigmund had gained the ability to express himself more than before, but he had rarely asked questions like this. I thought it was a bit odd as I slowly opened my lips.

“Well, now that…”

“Ah! Please, let me live!”

At the scream cutting through the street, both of us went stiff. We swiftly turned our heads towards the source.

“Ha… did that brat block the carriage?”

“Yes. He suddenly jumped in front of the carriage… and there was no choice but to make an emergency stop.”

The coachman, who seemed to be in his thirties, was hanging onto a child who looked to be around ten, and a nobleman, who visibly was displeased, was brushing off coffee stains from his clothes. It appeared that the child had spilled coffee in the carriage due to the sudden stop, causing an accident.

“I’m truly sorry! I had an urgent matter to attend to…”

“You little brat! Do you know what kind of clothes these are? This fine piece is made of Ambrosio silk, something you’ll never see in your life!”

The nobleman shouted angrily. The child, hearing the loud voice, trembled and shut his eyes tightly. The closed eyes soon shimmered with transparent tears.

“What should we do, my lord?”

The coachman, firmly gripping the child’s clothing as he struggled, asked nervously. The nobleman took the riding whip that the coachman had been holding.

“I’ll take care of this myself.”

The child’s face turned pale. The tiny face was filled with tears.

“Please save me! I’ll repay you however I can! Help me, please!”

The child cried out, but among the gathered crowd, no one stepped forward. They just murmured amongst themselves, being bystanders.

The people passing through the streets at this time were mostly commoners, and in a society with a sharp class distinction, raising a rebellion against a noble was madness.

Madness should indeed be done by insane people.

Swoosh!

The dagger, drawn from my waist, swiftly cut through the crowd and tore the child’s clothing, embedding itself in the wall. The horrified coachman quickly released his grip. The child, released from the coachman’s hand, widened his eyes in shock and looked around frantically until his gaze met mine.

‘Don’t, go, don’t.’

I distinctly mouthed the words. The child’s eyes watery once more, he bowed his head and seized the opportunity to flee quickly.

“Who are you?!”

The nobleman turned around, looking terrified as he shouted. Now, it seemed all his anger had shifted towards the person who had thrown the dagger, not the fleeing child.

‘There are so many people; he probably won’t realize I’m the culprit… but I can’t let someone innocent get hurt because of me.’

I took a short, deep breath. I knew well enough about that type of nobility. They thrived under their superior status, using it to oppress others, those despicable humans who relieve their frustrations by tormenting others. If I stepped out, it would just be a matter of receiving a few blows.

As I was about to raise my hand and step forward, someone else raised theirs faster than I could.

“It’s me.”

I widened my eyes and turned to the side. I couldn’t comprehend what was happening.

The one stepping forward in my place was none other than Zigmund, wearing a calm expression.