The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Troublesome Villainess - Chapter 27

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Male Lead Has Gone Mad Over the Villainess Chapter 27
When dawn broke, the Campsite looked devastated.
The rain had stopped before dawn, but the earth had become a complete swamp. The cart wheels had sunk deep into the mud, and it took several men straining together to pull them free—and in the process, nearly half the supplies were soaked through. Two sacks of flour were ruined entirely.
That wasn’t all. One of the men carrying supplies was dragging one leg as he walked. Looking closer, he could barely put any weight on it.
“Are you hurt somewhere?”
“My foot’s just sore. It’s nothing serious.”
It didn’t look like nothing.
I went straight to find the Healer. The Healer accompanying the Expedition was an older man, and he happened to be just coming out of the injured tent.
“Could you take a look at that man’s foot?”
“His foot, you say?”
“Yes.”
In fact, I’d seen cases like this before. I remembered my former companions suffering quite badly from it.
The Healer tilted his head thoughtfully, then examined the man’s foot. After being soaked all night, the sole had swollen pale and puffy, and the skin between the toes was raw and weeping.
“……This is……”
“From being waterlogged so long, I imagine. If he keeps walking like this, the skin will peel away, and then it’ll get infected.”
The Healer glanced at me.
“How is it that you know such things, young lady?”
I laughed awkwardly. In my past life, I’d lived through it firsthand, but the current Rosana hadn’t. I shrugged and said:
“I’ve seen something similar before.”
He considered for a moment, then examined the man’s foot again.
“The maceration is indeed severe. With a few days of rest, letting the foot dry, and applying medicine, it should improve.”
“Will only this man suffer it?”
Probably not. Someone needed to understand that.
The Healer looked at me.
“How many people were out in the rain all night?”
Fortunately, the Healer seemed to grasp the situation before I had to spell it out. He rose to his feet and surveyed the camp.
“……I should examine the feet of the others as well.”
* * *
The results were worse than expected.
From just a cursory inspection, the Healer found more than twenty people with damaged feet. Most of those who’d endured the night outside were showing symptoms of varying severity.
The soldiers had fared well enough, but the others—those for whom long walking was entirely new—were in serious condition. They didn’t even understand why their feet were blistering.
The Healer reported to Kael immediately, and soon I was summoned as well.
Kael asked in a cool tone. He seemed to grow colder as the crisis deepened.
“What’s the situation?”
“For the severe cases, it’s best they avoid walking for some time. Once the wounds are cleaned, medicine applied, and the feet thoroughly dried, they should recover, but……”
The Healer trailed off. His expression had grown as clouded as a storm.
“The trouble is, those showing similar symptoms keep increasing. So many were caught in the rain all night that even those who appear fine now cannot be considered safe.”
Kael’s expression hardened. Solve one problem, and another emerges.
“It seems particularly severe among those who came along this Expedition unwillingly.”
“You mean the young ladies?”
“No. They……”
The Healer glanced sidelong at me.
“seem to have been well cared for by you, young lady Rosana.”
Right, I’d given them all instructions beforehand. Not just washing their faces—wash and dry your feet too, apply lotion. Tend to yourselves as carefully as you can manage.
‘You want us to wash our own feet?’
‘Should I wash them for you then?’
‘You—you’d wash our feet for us, young lady? No, I didn’t mean……’
‘Shall I ask a passing servant?’
Convincing the young ladies to cooperate had been somewhat exhausting, it’s true.
I felt Kael’s gaze on me. Why was he looking? Did I have something on my face? I touched my cheek and gave him a bright smile.
Kael slowly turned his gaze away.
“Does that mean we cannot march today?”
“In my assessment, at least those most severely affected……”
“That won’t do.”
I spoke up without thinking. All eyes fixed on me at once. Well, you couldn’t dam up the ocean just to stop a small stream.
“It won’t help to let just a few rest.”
Memories from my past life surfaced. The longer a march lasted, the sooner the feet gave out. At first it was just a little soreness, minor discomfort. If you ignored it and kept walking, the skin peeled away, and if it worsened, even military boots became impossible to wear.
Above all, this kind of thing couldn’t be solved by simply treating people after they fell ill.
“Everyone caught in the rain all night needs their feet examined—including those who seem fine now. Feet and boots must be thoroughly washed and completely dried, and anyone with wounds must receive treatment. Many in this Expedition are still unaccustomed to such hardship, and I think it would be wise to take that into account.”
The Healer nodded.
“Actually, if it were possible, what you suggest would be the right course, ma’am.”
Kael fell silent for a moment, lost in thought.
“How much time would we need?”
“What if we simply delayed our departure this morning? After examining everyone, those in severe condition shouldn’t walk—we could have them ride in the supply carts instead. I think that would work best.”
I paused to consider, then added my thoughts.
Kael turned to look at the Healer.
“Can you manage it?”
“Yes. I can attempt that much. I’ll assign people to look after those most severely afflicted separately.”
Having made his decision, Kael issued orders at once.
“Millers. Delay our departure this morning by one hour. Check everyone’s feet, and have any wet feet and boots dried. Those in serious condition will ride in the carts.”
“Yes, sir.”
Orders given, fires began to bloom throughout the Campsite.
In my past life, my feet had macerated so badly I couldn’t even wear military boots and had limped around for weeks. I still vividly remembered what my superior had beaten into my head until my ears burned. Your health is your own responsibility, he’d said.
‘Don’t even think someone will help you! This is the military.’
Back then I’d thought he was heartless, but it didn’t take long to learn he was telling the truth.
* * *
We were in the thick of departure preparations.
A commotion erupted near the supply carts. Curious, I rushed over and found Lillia, who had been lying down, somehow sitting up now.
“Lillia?”
The girl didn’t look at me. She stared blankly into empty space, her lips quivering faintly. I understood at once why people had grown uneasy. Lillia began to murmur in a small voice.
“Water… water is coming.”
A chill ran down my spine. I moved to Lillia’s side and sat down carefully, drawing the child’s gaze toward me before speaking softly.
“Lillia, what do you mean water is coming?”
“The Valley is drowning. It’s all flooding. Oh! The water keeps rising and rising.”
People who’d heard the commotion gathered in ones and twos, holding their breath. A priest knelt down in a fluster. Beyond him, I caught sight of Kael’s hardened face.
“Croak. Croak. Something enormous is crying. I don’t know what it is. Oh, it’s so disgusting.”
Lillia continued to mutter.
“Eyes… there are so many eyes.”
With those words, Lillia’s body went limp. I caught the child urgently, but she had already lost consciousness. Her forehead was burning hot again, like a coal.
Everything around us fell silent. Someone’s swallow sounded unnaturally loud. Kael wore a grave expression as he spoke with Millers.
Had the original story contained something like this? Before we reached Greystone, I thought we’d only encountered spider-kin among the monsters.
Something was changing, but I couldn’t tell what was driving that change. I clenched my teeth.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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