Chapter 62 – Part 1

I was silent for a moment, then I spoke again.

“I am not a beautiful and radiant person at all…”

“…Are you kidding? Don’t you ever look in the mirror?”

Charlotte asked, frowning in a really incomprehensible look.

I fidgeted with my hands in embarrassment, wondering what to say.

Then, I suddenly spoke.

“…I think you are a great person. A person with a strong heart and strong will like you will be able to live well anywhere.”

Charlotte hesitated for a moment, perhaps she understood my intention in bringing it up. Biting her lip, Charlotte looked like she was about to cry. I just laughed with an apologetic heart.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you a little longer.”

“…….”

“If only I was healthy…”

“Please don’t say that, Miss.”

Charlotte started trembling. Soon enough, tears welled up in her eyes.

“No one knows what the future will hold. You know. Maybe you’ll find something like a mysterious elixir in the East… They say there really is such a thing in the eastern continent.”

“…….”

I looked at Charlotte with a bitter smile. Even if such a mysterious medicine actually existed in the East, it would not be easy to obtain. Besides that, there were many absurd stories about the East. That there are people who live for over a hundred years, that some use mystical powers and fly around riding swords… It was all just nonsense.

So even if there were talks of some magnificent medicine, it would undoubtedly be half exaggerated and only half true. Rather than dramatically improving my health, I think taking such a medicine would only make me a little bit better. Perhaps in reality, it really would be like that.

But I didn’t want to shatter Charlotte’s hopes, so I just said this.

“Alright, let’s go to the East and find out if there really is such a medicine. Thank you, Charlotte.”

Then, with a teary face, Charlotte hugged me tightly. Because of that, I tightly wrapped my hands around the stone that almost fell to the floor. …It was warm. The warmth of the stone, and Charlotte’s body temperature.

“…….”

…Somehow, I felt like crying too. Without Charlotte, what kind of life would I be living now? I don’t even want to imagine it. I received a lot of help from Charlotte, and she was a big part of my life.

When I first met Charlotte at Everett Castle, I never thought our bond would grow so deeply.

…Our relationship was truly mysterious. And I was grateful. I felt my eyes heating up. I held back tears and opened my mouth.

“Charlotte, because of you…”

…When I was about to say that I was really fortunate, something that I don’t even know how many times I’ve already said it.

Rattle!

Screeeech!

The carriage rocked violently and came to a sudden stop with the sound of the wheels screeching on the ground.

Charlotte held me so tight as I almost banged my head against the wall.

Charlotte and I looked at each other stunned. I didn’t even have time to think about what had happened. People shouted and the sound of blades clashing came one after another.

“…Bandits…”

It was obvious that bandits had appeared.

Fwiick!

THUD!!

“Kyaaah!”

At that time, a spear flew in from somewhere and pierced the wall of the carriage and was lodged in the front seat… If I had been sitting there… Just imagining it was terrifying.

“Miss, let’s go outside!”

The carriage was no longer safe. Because the possibility of the spear coming again is high. Charlotte and I hurried out. The problem was that it was dangerous outside too. Arrows were flying everywhere, and mercenaries and bandits were fighting each other.

“Miss, this way!”

Charlotte quickly led me behind a rock. There was thick grass nearby, so if we hid well, we wouldn’t be seen… It would be useless if someone had already seen us.

However, there was no other choice than to hide there, so I decided to stay as quiet as possible.

Fortunately, the bandits seemed preoccupied with fighting the mercenaries. The mercenaries were not at all inferior to the bandits in terms of skills, but the problem was their numbers. The bandits came at a great number.

‘I never thought there would be so many bandits…’

Roughly counting, there were fifty, no maybe sixty? While there were only seventeen mercenaries. Even so, the bandits were being held back well. However, the situation became precarious as one or two people began to suffer injuries.

‘We can’t. At this rate…’

It was then.

“There! There are women hiding there!”

——