Resetting Lady - Chapter 14
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“As you can see, my blood isn’t blue enough to be called nobility. I’m grateful… for your rescue. However, given what you witnessed of my situation… *hic*, *sob*, uh… I’m not in good condition… *hic*…”
Raymond’s hand pressed against her side to stop the bleeding. He reached out to pat Karen’s back, calming her hiccupping breaths. He disliked crying women, but as a soldier, it was natural to care for the wounded. Press and soothe. Then he was startled to realize that what he was comforting wasn’t one of his subordinate soldiers but a young woman, yet he couldn’t pull his hand away.
“Soon one of my men will bring hemostatic medicine. Lady Hyer’s carriage has also been contacted.”
“…So you know who I am.”
“I had intended to make an unofficial visit. But it can’t be helped. I am Raymond Sayertes. I hold the position of commander of the Raven Knights, and my visit here is out of personal curiosity.”
Nobility is truly bothersome. Just crying that she’s dying from pain, asking if she’s okay and calling a doctor – it should end there, but even in this situation they’re asking about each other’s positions, names, and purposes for visiting. Karen felt like giving up everything from irritation, pain, and tedium.
“Lady Hyer, did you enjoy your outing today?”
“I got stabbed with a knife, you know?”
“…I apologize. That’s not what I meant. My way with words is poor, so proper consolation is difficult.”
Knight Raymond only becomes foolish in front of Karen Hyer. That’s natural. Karen sighed. Similar lines are boring. She knows he’s trying to comfort and soothe her, but she feels like grabbing and pulling at that blonde hair before her eyes.
“You’ll probably say it was reckless to go out and won’t venture on any adventures for about 10 years, staying nicely tucked away inside.”
At the terrible words, Karen had no choice but to object.
“Still, I’m glad I came out.”
“I see. What was most enjoyable?”
“I saw an elephant.”
“I see.”
“…It was amazing and wonderful.”
“That’s fortunate.”
She saw an animal she’d never seen before right in front of her eyes. For such an experience, she could die several times over. Life has so few interesting things.
“Your people are very worried. Let’s go back.”
“…Yes, that’s right. Sharing laughter is a virtue, but sharing worry goes against propriety.”
Raymond pressed one hand against her side while lifting her legs with his other arm. From within the rough cloth dress, abundant and expensive laces fell in beautiful shapes. Raymond lifted Karen, wrapped in such designed beauty, and headed toward the carriage. Like a groom holding his beloved bride and promising a new future, he guided Karen.
“…Ha.”
Though he had never once reached the future with her in 100 years, the appearance was convincing. There was no meaning in trusting him, yet there were times when she kept wanting to lean on him.
Their eyes met.
Under the moonlight, his blonde hair shone like melted pure gold, and those two pupils also held a strange gleam. His gait was elegant and didn’t waver even while holding Karen. It was as light as if he were holding a single water bottle. Karen looked at him with his mysterious expression, then closed her eyes as if fainting.
He falls for her in this moment.
And Karen only hoped that her cherished lace wouldn’t tear.
* * *
“Good grief, so in the end I have to deal with that whining fiancée again?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
Raymond answered with an unreadable expression.
Xenon couldn’t understand why he had come here when he hadn’t particularly wanted to come in the first place and didn’t think highly of Verdick Evans’ actions.
Born a noble regardless of his family’s decline, Raymond never revealed his weak side to his subordinates. That aspect had been somewhat disappointing for a while.
Soon he began to doubt whether this young knight even had such weaknesses, and rather than harboring emotions like jealousy, he decided to regard him as a miraculous product sent by God. Setting aside such personal opinions, Raymond was quite decent – no, an exceptionally excellent superior.
Raymond was highly capable. He was also generous in giving and fair. Though he didn’t practice the chivalry that nobles desired, he was a knight who showed the ideals that commoners wanted.
He was a sniper.
Xenon thought that despite being Raymond’s squire, few squires were as distant from knighthood as himself. Raymond even disliked having Xenon bring him water from nearby. Raymond always personally supplied water and nutrition to exhausted knights during retreats and carried out missions alone.
Being a sniper wasn’t really work befitting a noble. Hiding and targeting others to kill was dishonorable not only to enemies but also to nobles of his own country.
Dirty work. Nobles’ warfare meant competing strategies and slaughtering countless soldiers and wealth with every single word. Raymond’s war was simply lying prone alone. When he crawled toward enemy lines on the second day of battle and pierced the throat of Count Gisteen’s eldest son, everyone criticized him.
That man was a celebrity. A famous composer who, though not for a wife, had gone to war for his lady. And the next day, when he pierced the head of the enraged count, everyone fell silent. A month later, when he single-handedly killed 300 enemy soldiers, they cheered.
He killed six barons and count-level knights. The nickname mixed with sneering that he must have made a contract with the devil became a call mixed with legend and admiration.
The Demonic Marksman.
The nickname he earned in his first war.
He had good eyes. Though his personality, patience, and stamina were all excellent, his eyesight was miraculous even from Xenon’s perspective as a former hunter. Raymond’s vision was like that of a hawk in the sky.
He didn’t even use a scope, saying light reflection might give him away. When people poured out saying there was trouble at the circus, he immediately rushed in to resolve the situation. A model of nobility indeed – inwardly, Xenon felt proud as one who served him.
“*Sob*… Miss, please open your eyes.”
So Xenon was flustered to see the Hyer family’s thoughtless girl in quite a terrible state. He surely would have seen this, yet she was in such condition.
“Waaah… I did wrong.”
“…Donna, let’s be quiet.”
The girl collapsed in the rattling carriage was incredibly beautiful. Raymond was applying pressure to her side with a face Xenon had never seen before. On one side, a male servant was anxiously clasping his hands in prayer, while the maid held the Hyer young lady’s hand with a tear-stained face, speaking to her.
Since a precious family’s daughter had ended up in that state, they were probably worried about the consequences that would fall on them. Xenon clicked his tongue, pitying those who would be scolded because of the thoughtless girl. They seemed quite restless, appearing to have a close relationship, but since hierarchical relationships were complex, Xenon wasn’t interested in their attitudes. What he was interested in and needed to care about was Raymond, his knight, like them.
“…Um, Sir Knight. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t go to Lady Isella?”
“Yes, I did.”
“…”
He couldn’t ask further why he had come then. Maybe he really just wanted to come and see. Or perhaps he came to ease his fiancée’s anxious heart. If not that, he might be interested in the country where war was happening beyond the White Mountains.
Or perhaps to accommodate Verdick’s demands, who had been a reliable source of funding, or if not that, he might have come to see the face of Catherine’s daughter, who was famous for her beauty. She looked younger than expected, but she was indeed Catherine’s daughter.
She even seemed more beautiful. If that were the case, he would rather feel favorable toward this more human side of his superior. Attraction to beautiful members of the opposite sex is natural.
The inside of the carriage with a patient was uncomfortable. Xenon had things he wanted to ask Raymond but couldn’t bring them up. It was partly because there were many others present, but even if they were alone, he wouldn’t be able to ask.
“*Sigh*…”
“Miss, are you alright?”
“No.”
“Uh… *sob*…”
“…Because of the corset, it couldn’t go in deep, so it should be fine.”
“…”
“How about loosening it for now?”
“…Oh my, how improper.”
“Ah, Miss!”
“I’m joking. But we’re almost there, so let’s go inside and finish treating… *sob*.”
The servant’s face turned pale.
“Didn’t you say it would be alright?”
“It’s not life-threatening. But even a paper cut stings.”
Watching Raymond trying to calm Bowen, Karen felt nauseous.
“Wow, as expected of a knight. To you, being stabbed this much is nothing… ha, haa.”
“…I’m not being sarcastic. I was just saying that regardless of severity, the pain would be intense.”
“I wasn’t particularly being sarcastic either… yes, please forgive my confusion from the pain…”
“Just stay still.”
Xenon couldn’t bring himself to join that light conversational flow. A squire’s duty is not to doubt. But his judgment and understanding as a hunter were unavoidable. Even when he brought up his fiancée just in case, his master showed no reaction.
Applying pressure to the girl’s wound, offering appropriate comfort, and the girl, despite being stabbed by ruffians, comforting her servants while offering thanks and jokes to the knight. The beauty and fluid attitudes of both made it look like watching a play, strangely peaceful despite the urgent situation.
It was like the ladies and knights from childhood stories. Even the maid beside them watched with admiring eyes, making it seem like a well-orchestrated romance.
But Raymond had surely been watching from when the girl secretly ran out. When word came that they needed to find the girl, he immediately climbed a tall building to survey the direction and confirm her location. From a distance where Xenon could see, the Hyer young lady was surrounded by two men.
Good grief, that’s going to be trouble. As Xenon cursed and prepared to run down, he noticed from his master’s attitude that he didn’t need to hurry down. It didn’t look like he planned to let them live. He drew his gun and held his breath. Two gunshots rang out.
Even Sir Raymond inevitably values a noble family’s daughter’s chastity over the lives of back-alley ruffians. Watching him resolve with death what could have ended if he had just stopped it left a bitter taste. That aspect is noble-like. Many would think he’s a true knight. Those who dare do such things deserve to die.
When Xenon followed his master who had run ahead first with a slightly sinking feeling, the situation had already been resolved as expected. After shooting, Raymond didn’t send Xenon but personally approached and brought her himself.
“…Phew, well. This is my situation. Don’t hold grudges, you guys… huh?”
As he grumbled about having no choice while trying to clean up the bodies, he was shocked when he saw the condition of the girl Raymond was bringing.
His master had deliberately let that girl get hurt.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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