Chapter 152: Chapter 152 Don’t come to Buttuwatt River in the summer (10)
When the man knew that Wendy was scared of him, the man hurriedly clarified his position.
Then, a door opened from inside. As there was noise outside, his wife looked out, along with a little girl, who was curiously sticking her. The child, who saw Wendy’s face, was surprised and yelled, pointing her finger at her.
“She is the same sister! The sister who gave me black food! ”
She was the man’s daughter Sophie. The girl dashed to Wendy, who couldn’t run away anymore and went along with her. Although she did not let her hair down, Wendy believed that he would not try to hurt her in front of his daughter.
As Sophie introduced Wendy, her mother welcomed her into the house with a pleasant look. As her wounded back was not visible, they just thought Wendy ran into trouble after she fell into the river. The girl’s mother gave her clothes and shoes. They didn’t fit her, but she could move in them without any problem.
“I will dry your clothes. They’re very wet.”
“Oh, no!”
The girl’s mother, who picked up the dress that Wendy took off, belatedly found blood stains on her clothes and the long vertical tear. Startled, she checked Wendy’s condition.
“Look at your wounds! I’ve got some medicine from Linus Medical Center, so let me apply it to them as you need urgent treatment.”
Wendy refused, but the woman did not back down easily.
“It is just a little cut. It looks like that because of bloodstained water.”
“…Don’t you think you should be treated? I heard that you showed compassion to my daughter, Sophie. I can’t pretend I do not care about your wound,” she said, shaking her head.
Wendy had to show her back to her. The woman who urgently pulled out the medicine examined her back carefully.
“… You’re lucky. There are some red marks, but I think they will heal quickly. ”
The woman felt relieved while applying the ointment on Wendy’s back. The Bahazman fruit had already taken effect.
She did not ask Wendy why she had the wounds. When she was done treating them, the woman gave Wendy some reassurances and left. A little later the woman came back and led her to a dining room, where her family members gathered.
“Your body will warm up soon, ” she said, offering a bowl of warm soup.
It was a soup mixed with potatoes. When Wendy saw the food, she suddenly felt hungry.
“Come on, I’m sure you are exhausted as you fell in the water,” the old man said sadly, pushing a bottle of salt in front of her.
“Sis, I think this tastes better than the black food,” Sophie whispered as if she was telling her a secret. Grinning at her unconsciously, Wendy picked up the spoon.
When she inadvertently raised her head after eating a bite of soup, her eyes met with the middle-aged man’s, who was sitting opposite. He hesitated a bit then said, “Well, I was released from Bagium Prison thanks to the emperor’s pardon.”
It seemed that he was included in the pardon list that the new emperor announced on the occasion of his inauguration. She heard from the emperor that his pardon would include those who committed crimes for reasons of livelihood, so his release was understandable in that respect.
“Now my whole family is staying here at my father’s house. I’m thinking of catching fish here and selling it at the market, ” he said.
Wendy didn’t know why he told him about his story, but she ate soup silently without asking. After emptying a bowl, she hurriedly got up and said, “Thank you for your help. I have to go now quickly. I will return your clothes and shoes within a few days. ”
The man hurriedly followed Wendy when she was about to leave.
When she came out of the house, he called her and said, “I don’t know what happened, but I want to help.”
She stopped walking and asked, “…Why? I don’t think you have any reason to help me. ”
“…I heard from Sophie about you. After looking at your face and clothes, I wondered if she might be you. Sophie said the woman who helped her was a blonde with golden hair.
After I saw my daughter’s reaction today, I felt you’re the woman who helped her.”
“Oh, I just gave her a meal. That’s all.”
Wendy turned away from him and prepared to go again.
“The meal completely changed Sophie. After that day, the child recovered like a miracle. She spoke many times about the black food you gave her… And that little red fruit, too. ”
She stopped again at his words, looking at him with a vigilant expression.
“Sophie was sick for many years. Doctors said it was difficult to completely cure my daughter’s illness. So, the best thing to do was to make her comfortable. The reason I tried to steal the Bahazman tree was not simply because I wanted money for her treatment. I thought the tree could cure her,” the man sighed “Whew!” deeply.
“I don’t know what the little red fruit my daughter spoke about was. It’s true that I’ve imagined it on my own, but it’s just my imagination…I don’t have any intention of asking you about it.”
“… ”
“Because you just prepared a meal for Sophie.”
“… ”
“I heard from my wife about the wound on your back. If you are in trouble now, I would like to help you in any way. If you need a place to escape, let me arrange a place for you to stay.”
This man showed kindness to her because of a sense of guilt. She was satisfied with seeing Sophie cured, but it was true that she needed some help at the moment. Thinking for a moment, she alternately looked at him and his courtyard and said, “I need your help on one thing.” She decided to accept his offer to help.
She had to put aside her direct hatred of Duke Engre first. If she were consumed by hatred, she would chase the duke and press her finger down to cause him pain, but it was difficult realistically. Instead, she decided to ruin one of the duke’s plans. She felt that would be her revenge.
She went into the house again with the man and talked for a while. The man, who looked puzzled about her explanation even after asking her several times, was reluctantly persuaded.
He said, “Okay, I will ask people around me for help as much as possible. If my father asks for help, I think many people will come out to help you. ” She nodded at his reassurances.
“Which is the fastest way to go to the Imperial Palace or to Borams from here?”
She wanted to let them know about her survival and ask the knights for help.
She needed their help desperately to successfully carry out what she decided.
“… It is a very long distance from here. So, it would be difficult for you to move without a horse or carriage, ” he said, touching his thick jawline.
“Can I borrow a horse somewhere here?”
“If you go to the Belvo Market, there are a few stables nearby. They sometimes lend a horse there, but I don’t know if they still do these days. I am worried if you go there alone because Belvo is very far from here.”
“… ”
“Rather, it would be faster if you go to Dupern. Do you have any family there?”
The man told her of one of the city centers where the noble mansions were concentrated.
Her ears perked up at his words. She thought it would be better to head to Dupern than to the Imperial Palace or Borams.
If the duke’s troops had stormed the Imperial Palace, Sir Schroder in Borams would have also headed to the palace, too. It wasn’t wise for her to go there and get involved in the bloody battle. It would be like jumping into death. It would be very difficult even to defend herself alone in that bloody battle. Even before she pressed her finger to the ground, she would have been beheaded.
She vividly remembered the battle between the invaders and the imperial knights before the collapse of the palace. There was nothing she could do in the thick of the battle back then.
Using her index finger was only when everyone was helpless after the explosion. However, if the duke led the army directly to the Imperial Palace, she assumed that there would be no such explosion or fire this time.
Above all, she had total trust in Lard. He would stop them. She had to trust him. So, she decided that it was much more wise for her to do what she could do here.
“If I go to Dupern… “