Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

It was already night.

Fires blazed in the open area in front of the main house of Hongsong Manor, and shadows flickered around them. By the light of the flames, one could see several goats hanging from an oak tree on the edge of the clearing, waiting to be slaughtered.

In a room on the second floor of the main house, Winters sat by the window, fiddling with a steel awl and watching the busy people in the courtyard.

After several knocks, Kalman entered the room.

"Have you brought the smelling salts?" Winters asked indifferently. His gaze lingered on the bonfire, avoiding any eye contact with Kalman.

"I have," Kalman stood awkwardly in front of Winters, swallowing hard. "But I wouldn't recommend waking the injured man. Although the lead bullet has been removed, his condition is still very dangerous. Forcibly waking him from his coma would be... unwise, and might instead exacerbate his injuries."

"That's not your concern; just wake him up. I have my reasons," Winters said, his gaze fixed on the bonfire, still not making any eye contact with Kalman.

Stymied by Winters's response, Kalman muttered as if reassuring himself, "How you handle your people is none of my business, but I have fulfilled my duty as a doctor."

On the small bed in this guest room lay Colonel Kongtai'er, still unconscious.

Kalman approached the bed and took out a small glass bottle. He uncorked it and waved the bottle under the nose of the unconscious colonel.

The foul odor wafted out from the bottle, and Colonel Kongtai'er immediately reacted to the irritating gas. His nostrils flared, his chest heaved, and with a bout of instinctive coughing, Kongtai'er struggled to open his eyes.

Kalman looked towards Winters, and Winters subtlety turned his head toward the door, signaling Kalman to leave.

The room was now left with only Kongtai'er and Winters.

Kongtai'er's consciousness was still unclear as he emerged from his coma, and he made several pained, guttural sounds from his throat.

Winters picked up a cup from the table and slowly helped Kongtai'er drink some water.

Moistened by the clear water, Colonel Kongtai'er's parched lips and throat recovered slightly, and he looked at the person before him, asking with difficulty, "Montanye... Lieutenant?"

"Yes, it's me."

"Where... where am I?"

"Red Sulfur Island." Explore hidden tales at empire

"Have we been... captured?"

"No, neither of us has been captured. This place is still safe for now."

Colonel Kongtai'er's consciousness became clearer, he groaned and reached towards his abdomen.

Winters stopped Kongtai'er, "Don't touch, that's where the wound is. Do you remember? You were shot, and the doctor here removed the bullet; he did a clean job, and the rest is up to you now."

Suffering from acute pain, Kongtai'er couldn't stop shaking.

"The doctor said the coma was a form of self-protection for you. I made him wake you up."

"Why... why?" Kongtai'er managed to utter with great effort.

"Because there are some things I must ask you." Winters's tone was devoid of emotion. "In a few hours, I'll have to leave this place. If I don't get the answers now, I fear there will never be another chance."

"What do you want to ask... ask about?"

Standing by the bed, Winters leaned down close to Kongtai'er's ear. His voice was soft but crystal clear and devoid of any emotion, "Why did you (plural) attempt to assassinate the envoy of the Federated Provinces' Secretary of State Affairs?"

Struck as if by lightning, Kongtai'er's shock even overwhelmed the pain of his wounds. He gasped, his eyes involuntarily bulging.

After a long silence, the colonel closed his eyes and slowly answered, "It wasn't me."

[In continental language, the second person singular and plural are the same word.]

As if he had heard the funniest joke, Winters burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he pounded on his chest and stamped his feet. After he finished laughing, wiping away tears, he said, "We may not live until tomorrow. Is there really a need for such word play? Whether it was you who acted, or your accomplices, what difference does it make?"

"No... I was opposed to the assassination from the start," Kongtai'er insisted, looking at Winters and asking with difficulty, "And you... how did you find out?"

"Me?" Winters sighed, "It would be better to ask why it took me so long to figure it out."

...

Kalman waited anxiously at the stairwell, unsure how much time had passed until he heard the sound of a door closing upstairs, followed by footsteps approaching him.

"The patient is asleep again," Winters said softly as he approached Kalman, taking a small waxed paper packet from his belt and placing it in Kalman's hand. "If he wakes up again, use warm water to dissolve this medicine and let him drink a little at a time."

"What is this?"

"A sleep aid, it helps one enter a deep sleep," Winters explained patiently, adding with a smile, "I might not need it after today, so I might as well leave it all with you."

Kalman opened the waxed paper packet, layer upon layer, and carefully picked up a piece of processed herb to examine closely, "This is quite fresh; I've never heard of a medicine that can induce sleep."

Kalman's eyes were nearly glued to the herb, as if he had discovered a new world.

"These plants aren't from our region; these things are specialties from the new world, from the Empire's colonies," Winters said with a smile, watching Dr. Kalman until he put the herb away, and then sincerely said, "Mr. Kalman, sorry to have troubled you."