“Will just using healing magic… really be enough?”
After locking the door, Flaf left the inn and went to a tavern to buy some food.
“Although healing magic can be used in emergencies to temporarily suppress injuries, it seems like Sir Knight’s wounds are not that simple at all…”
“I really wish he’d just take some medicine.”
But even so, it was nothing more than just “really wishing.”
Flaf understood better than anyone what Miss Mello meant to Arlette.
To Arlette, she was someone even more important than his own life.
Just like the profession he stubbornly upheld—“Heavy Knight.”
Loyalty, fortitude, justice, fearless in the face of death.
All the qualities that symbolized the knightly spirit seemed to fit Arlette perfectly.
“But if he ruins his health because of this… wouldn’t that be even worse?”
“This is troublesome.”
After the goblin crisis was resolved, Dice Town quickly returned to normal.
Apparently, thanks to Arlette’s involvement, the number of casualties in the entire town was kept very low. Only a handful of unlucky people were injured.
Once inside the tavern, Flaf first ordered her favorite lemon cake.
But when it came time to pick out something for Arlette, she ran into trouble.
“What does Sir Knight… like to eat?”
Flaf had no idea.
Back at the base, it was always Arlette who prepared the meals.
Arlette was attentive, remembering everyone’s preferences and dislikes.
For example, since Flaf didn’t like tomatoes, her sandwiches usually had fewer slices of them.
But as for Arlette…
Usually, he ate very, very simple, even downright “rough” food.
Coarse bread, hastily cooked fried eggs, unseasoned slices of beast meat.
The sort of food that Flaf could hardly swallow just by looking at it, Arlette always devoured without a single complaint.
“Maybe Sir Knight really does like plain food. I’ll go with that.”
With that in mind, she ordered an egg pancake to bring back for Arlette.
While waiting, she happened to overhear some other patrons talking in the tavern:
“Hey, did you guys hear? When Dice Town was attacked by goblins just now, some super strong Heavy Knight wiped them all out!”
“No way, seriously? When I saw the goblins, I took off running and didn’t stop till I reached the dungeon entrance.”
“Of course I’m serious! If it weren’t for that Heavy Knight, Dice Town would’ve become a goblin nest by now.”
“By the way! Last night, there was a ridiculously strong Heavy Knight too. Took down the whole Gleiwen adventurer party by himself! Now that’s a real hero.”
……
Flaf’s beautiful long ears twitched, taking in all the conversations around her.
“They’re talking about Sir Knight.”
“Wait, are there actually other Heavy Knights in town? That’s really rare.”
Flaf didn’t know about Arlette’s tavern brawl last night, so she naturally assumed they were talking about another Heavy Knight.
“I should tell Sir Knight when I get back.”
“If he knows there’s someone else here who chose the Heavy Knight path like he did, he’ll definitely be happy.”
Thinking this, Flaf’s footsteps became noticeably lighter.
“Sir Knight! I’m back.”
Arriving at the door to their room at the inn, she knocked softly twice and called out to Arlette, but got no answer.
“Sir Knight? Are you resting properly?”
“I’m coming in, okay?”
After several attempts with no response, Flaf couldn’t help but feel a wave of confusion and unease.
As she pushed the door open with her palm, the wooden door gave a long, drawn-out creak.
Bright light from outside the room gradually filtered through the gap, spilling into the room.
Arlette was still on the bed.
But unlike before, when he was barely managing to talk, his state was now completely different.
At this moment, Arlette lay motionless on the bed.
His brows were tightly furrowed, his face shifting from deathly pale to a flushed red, and everywhere Flaf could see—forehead, cheeks, neck—beads of cold sweat were breaking out.
“Sir Knight!”
Her heart clenched tight, she set the paper bag of food on the table, then hurried over to the bedside.
Flaf nervously reached out her hand and gently pressed it to Arlette’s forehead.
A wave of burning heat immediately greeted her.
“So hot!”
“Sir Knight has a fever!”
This was a very bad sign.
Arlette already had old wounds that hadn’t healed inside his body.
During today’s battle, he’d forced himself to fight through those old injuries and even added new wounds on top.
Now, before any of his injuries had a chance to heal, he had developed a fever!
What kind of situation was this!
“Sir Knight, are you okay? Are you still awake?”
Flaf anxiously asked, but still got no reply.
“It’s all my fault… If Sir Knight hadn’t insisted on coming with me, none of this would have happened…”
“It’s all because of me.”
“If only I hadn’t made Sir Knight come along!”
“If only I hadn’t thought about doing something as foolish as fighting side by side, and just dragged Sir Knight away with me!”
“What on earth was I thinking!!”
For a moment, guilt, pain, and regret all mixed together, spreading and swelling in her mind.
Flaf’s hands trembled slightly.
She had always felt an overwhelming sense of guilt toward Arlette.
Even though he had never blamed her, that feeling had taken firm root deep inside her.
And now, that guilt kept expanding in her heart, nearly bursting her fragile chest.
“No, now’s not the time for regrets.”
“I… I’ll take responsibility.”
“I have to take good care of Sir Knight…”
“I’ll do my best.”
With that resolve, she dashed out of the room and thundered down the stairs. After borrowing towels and hot water, she rushed back up again.
“Sir Knight came straight to bed after the fight. If I don’t clean him up, he’ll get even sicker.”
Thinking this, Flaf gently lifted the corner of Arlette’s blanket and carefully unfastened his clothes.
Just as she’d expected, Arlette’s body was flushed red all over, radiating intense heat.
Flaf gently dipped a towel in the hot water, then began wiping Arlette down.
The room had a special heating device, so even if she lifted part of the blanket, she didn’t have to worry about Arlette catching cold again and getting worse.
As she worked, she deliberately avoided the frightening wounds and bruises, carefully cleaning Arlette’s torso and limbs from top to bottom.
“Phew, all done!”
Once she’d finished cleaning, she tucked Arlette in snugly, then placed a cold, damp towel on his forehead to help lower the fever.
“Speaking of which… Sir Knight’s physique isn’t as burly as I thought…”
Originally, Flaf had imagined he was the type who looked slim in armor but was muscular underneath.
But in reality, he looked more like a young boy.
With that face, he gave off a subtle sense of contrast.
Staring at Arlette’s half-exposed body, Flaf couldn’t help swallowing.
She knew perfectly well that Arlette was suffering right now, and that she should be taking good care of him.
But upon seeing this scene, Flaf couldn’t stop her heart from racing, a restless, fiery desire slowly stirring inside her.
“Sir Knight…”
For a moment, her mind started to wander, giving in to fantasy.
“If only the master Sir Knight served wasn’t the captain, but me…”
“I’d absolutely want to sleep with him every night—it would feel so safe!”
“And it’d be best if he didn’t wear any clothes, hehe…”
“No, no, no!”
She had barely let her mind wander for three seconds before she snapped herself out of it, shaking her head vigorously.
“Right now, I have to take care of Sir Knight properly. I can’t let myself think these messy thoughts!”
Reaffirming this, Flaf blushed as she helped Arlette into clean clothes and tucked him in.
But just as she was about to leave the bedside, she couldn’t resist glancing at Arlette’s face one more time.
“Sir Knight really is so young.”
“If he stood next to me without his armor, people might think he’s my younger brother.”
Thinking this, Flaf couldn’t help but let a smile tug at the corner of her lips.
But alongside her happiness, there was still an unexplained worry and unease in her heart.
“This time we ran into trouble and couldn’t make it back to base on time.”
“And there’s no way to notify Miss Captain.”
“With her temper, she’ll probably be angry.”
Just as she thought.
At that moment, at the base.
Staring at the sun slowly sinking toward the horizon, Mello’s blood-red eyes were full of displeasure.
“They’re still not back after all this time…”
“What on earth are those two up to?”