The Quack Lady - Chapter 50

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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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Episode 50

 

“Sigh. I guess I’ll have to go catch them.”

 

Dusky darkness was beginning to settle.

 

They hadn’t been asleep for long, so they couldn’t have gone far.

 

I got up looking like a zombie and brushed off my clothes.

 

I was wondering whether I was a doctor or a hunter catching beagles when—

 

“That won’t be necessary.”

 

Eruten gestured with his chin toward the door behind me.

 

When I turned around, the door opened with a creaking sound.

 

Then two small heads peeked out timidly through the crack in the door.

 

“Older sister…?”

 

“Sister…”

 

The kids knew they had done something wrong, drooping their big eyes as they revealed themselves.

 

But then.

 

“Where on earth did you go… Good heavens, what is all this!”

 

The moment I saw the children’s appearance, my mouth fell open.

 

From leaves stuck all over them to their sweat-covered faces.

 

Even their palms were red as if they’d been beaten.

 

“I clearly told you not to go out. What if your lungs have problems again from doing this?”

 

“But…”

 

The kids hesitated for a moment, then pulled something out from behind their backs and held it out to me.

 

“Sister, this is a gift.”

 

A palm-sized glass bottle and a tattered leather pouch suddenly appeared before my eyes.

 

A gift?

 

Soon the child pointed with a small finger as if telling me to look inside.

 

“Oh my…!”

 

Inside the pouch the child offered were countless fireflies.

 

Beautiful, sparkling fireflies as if announcing the birth of a new universe.

 

“Actually, we found out last night that you were leaving. So we wanted to give you a gift.”

 

“Right. Because it’s really dark inside the cave.”

 

The kids looked at each other and giggled as if nothing had happened.

 

It was a very mature smile, as if they were trying hard to swallow their sadness.

 

“You two…”

 

I choked up at this unexpected gift. When I couldn’t say anything, the children rushed into my arms.

 

“So you absolutely can’t get lost and have to go safely, okay sister?”

 

“Right. We’ll always be cheering for you, older sister.”

 

The children snuggled into my arms.

 

I really didn’t have the confidence to leave these small children behind.

 

“You know what. If it’s okay, would you two also come with me…”

 

“Yawn, I’m sleepy. Right, brother?”

 

“Oh! Let’s go to bed now!”

 

Huh?

 

The children turned around and went inside, opening the door.

 

“What are you doing, sister? Aren’t you coming in?”

 

The children looked after me affectionately with their usual impolite way of speaking.

 

‘Well, I guess there’s no choice.’

 

When I thought about it, I had my own problems to worry about.

 

It was regrettable, but for the children’s sake, this was probably the right thing to do.

 

“I really can’t stop them.”

 

Eruten shook his head and followed the children.

 

I also thought he was right and closed the door in a good mood.

 

The last night was falling.

 

* * *

 

The next day.

 

The cave the child had guided us to was truly a place filled with an eerie feeling.

 

The children were admirable, seeing us off with smiling faces without even saying they wanted to follow.

 

“At the end of this path is Hilhaimten where the marquis’s mansion is.”

 

“How do you know where the marquis’s mansion is?”

 

“Ah… I’ve been near that area before!”

 

There were some rather puzzling conversations, but that was all.

 

I decided to trust the words of the kid who climbed the rocky mountain like a flying squirrel.

 

Well, there wasn’t any other method available at the moment anyway.

 

So after receiving such an unregretful farewell and using the fireflies as our guide…

 

‘This is much harder than I thought!’

 

Unlike the tall Eruten, even though I could walk upright in the cave, I almost tripped several times over the jagged rocks jutting out everywhere.

 

To make matters worse, the knights seemed to be struggling to manage their own bodies, apparently experiencing such narrow caves for the first time.

 

Except for one person—Eruten.

 

“Want to hold hands?”

 

“I’d be grateful if you would.”

 

I grabbed his hand eagerly. Whenever I seemed about to fall while walking, his long, steady hand supported me.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Eruten kept asking if I was okay each time.

 

‘This kid will grow up to be a really good adult.’

 

Not only his appearance, but his character had grown up to be really kind.

 

I couldn’t understand why the mercenary group this kind of kid belonged to had such a cruel reputation.

 

“What are you looking at like that?”

 

“Just. I was thinking you’ve grown up really well.”

 

“What?”

 

“You know, when I first saw you before, you looked incredibly anxious?”

 

When things were awkward, old stories were the way to go. At my words, he smiled along with me.

 

“I was like that.”

 

Actually, when I found Eruten in the herb garden, he was dying.

 

Thinking about it now, I wondered how he had survived.

 

My medical skills were quite insignificant back then.

 

So all I could do was desperately hope he wouldn’t die with my shallow medical knowledge and care for him with all my heart.

 

“I took such desperate care of you, and now you come back injured all the time doing mercenary work.”

 

When I went on like nagging, Eruten chuckled.

 

“Why? I liked it when you treated me.”

 

“It’s hard on the person doing the treating. Coming back injured every day.”

 

“Then should I stop doing mercenary work?”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m getting sick of cutting people down anyway.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yeah. Then you can hire me as your bodyguard.”

 

He naturally made a request to me. Look at this?

 

“Why would I need a bodyguard?”

 

“You handle a lot of dangerous things.”

 

“Dangerous things?”

 

When I tilted my head, Eruten turned his head and gestured toward my bag.

 

Inside were my surgical instruments.

 

“Eruten! This is my treasure…!”

 

“This is one of my treasures too, you know?”

 

He smiled as he drew the sword at his side, as if he had expected this.

 

At his smile that seemed to say ‘go ahead and try to argue more,’ I could only keep my mouth shut tight.

 

Honestly, it was dangerous, after all.

 

“Besides, the Temple might be watching you too.”

 

Huh? What does that mean?

 

When I widened my eyes, Eruten spoke calmly.

 

“I investigated the Count’s Manor a bit while you were treating him, and it’s strange.”

 

“What is?”

 

“When I followed the trail of someone who had been watching the Marquis, it led to the Temple.”

 

After that, he said incomprehensible things.

 

It was all rather unbelievable stories about how the relationship between the Temple and the Count wasn’t good, and that I was at the center of it.

 

“If the Count has completely turned his back on the Temple because of your medical skills, you might be in danger.”

 

“…That’s.”

 

It was something I had never imagined. When I couldn’t continue speaking from shock, Eruten said gently.

 

“Don’t worry. I’m stronger than those guys.”

 

His confident yet childlike words strangely made my tension completely disappear.

 

“What if you’re not stronger?”

 

“Then I’ll just train until I become stronger.”

 

You can’t win against kids with words.

 

I thought as I followed behind him.

 

The Temple is keeping a close eye on me just because of something like that?

 

‘Come on, no way. What’s so important about that?’

 

The Order must have countless things to worry about.

 

The Marquis’s treatment would just be dismissed as one of many cases that succeeded through good luck.

 

Most importantly, the Count and his wife had even promised not to mention Demian’s healer for my sake.

 

It was just then, as I was trying to shake off my unnecessary worries.

 

“Mia! Watch out!”

 

“…?”

 

My body, having missed a step, floated up into the air.

 

* * *

 

“The promised time has passed…”

 

Brien murmured as she looked out the window where the sun was setting.

 

Selian wrapped one arm around her daughter and spoke to Rudel in a stern tone.

 

“What on earth is going on? Why hasn’t the doctor who was supposed to come shown up yet!”

 

“I’m sorry, Duchess. The thing is…”

 

When Rudel didn’t know what to do, Demian approached her.

 

“Grandmother. Please don’t be too angry.”

 

“I’m not angry at the Marquis.”

 

Selian gently stroked the Marquis’s head.

 

“Rudel, is there no word from the knights? They haven’t met with some misfortune, have they?”

 

At Brien’s worried words, Rudel bowed her head even lower.

 

“…I assigned knights to them, but we can’t reach them.”

 

At Rudel’s words, the atmosphere in the hall turned cold.

 

“It seems they don’t consider their promise to the Marquis’s Family very important.”

 

The Duchess spoke with a face full of displeasure.

 

When even Brien took her hand, Selian forced a smile.

 

“Mother, something might have happened. Please don’t worry too much.”

 

“My dear. I don’t know what could be more important to them than the Marquis’s Mansion. What on earth could be more important than you, who is about to give birth.”

 

Selian slowly stroked Brien’s hair.

 

It was the gentle touch of a mother who cherished her child.

 

Soon changing her expression, she gave a cold command.

 

“Deuiten. From this moment, have the gates of the Marquis’s Mansion closed.”

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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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