Vol 4 Chapter 50: Hospital Room

“Alright, Ricardo-sama, open wide.”

“Sally, it’s okay. You can eat by yourself.”

“No! Ricardo-sama has suffered serious injuries! Open wide—Is it tasty?”

“…Yeah. Thank you, Sally.”

“Huh? Wh-what happened? Sally is Ricardo-sama’s fiancée, so it’s only natural to do this! When I received your letter, Sally… Sally…!”

“I’m sorry. I really meant not to tell you, but I wanted to see you. My adorable, adorable fiancée, Sally Sykes, Countess.”

“R–Ricardo-sama…”

 Ahem!

 “!?”

Just before the faces of Ricardo—lying on a luxurious bed in the special ward of the Eastern Capital’s largest national hospital—and that of the Countess of Sykes could merge, Lidia deliberately cleared her throat.

…How mean. But you’re not the only one.

“Teacher, why did you suddenly stop!”
“No, it’s not time for you yet.”

Ricardo, smiling wryly, noticed me and raised a hand, so I returned the greeting. His hand was wrapped in bandages. …What is this faint yet strange magical energy?

A girl, who must have noticed us belatedly, slowly turned around—

“~~~~~~~~!!!!”

She emitted a silent scream; in an instant, her face turned bright red, and she dashed out of the room like a startled rabbit.

…How pitiful.

“Now, Tina and the others, you may come in. The ones from earlier, right? Well then… who might that be? ‘That person is…’ Liene, let’s keep quiet about it here.”

“Hey, Lidia, Allen. And did Liene and the others come too?”

“So obvious. You told them to come, didn’t you? How pathetic—what a mess you are.”

“Hahaha, I’m embarrassed.”

“Ricardo, that was a bit too much earlier… please comfort her later.”

“Of course. It’s truly adorable when she scolds me with all that passion—even while angry.”

“…My foolish brother.”

“…Brother Ricardo-sama.”

Lidia and Liene looked at Ricardo with genuine disdain.

The vice-commander of the Royal Guard surely wouldn’t have missed our presence… though he is loved, no doubt.

This display of affection seems all too familiar. I really hope Liene grows up to be straightforward.

“…What?”

“Nothing. Ricardo, be brief—what happened?”

“Well, we’ve been chasing Gerald for the past month or so. The charge is treason—a covert operation. To think that someone from the royal family would scheme such things… it’s not something to be made public.”

“I’m even more confused now. My foolish brother, you are, after all, the eldest son of the Linstar family. You’re stronger than that idiot. Even if he draws that secret royal magic sword, I don’t think he stands a chance.”

“I agree. Allen.”

Ricardo’s earnest gaze said something to me—I understood.

Turning to Tina and the others who had been listening, I spoke gently, “Everyone, sorry, but could you step out for a moment?”

“…Allen, brother, does that include me?”

“Yeah. It’ll be fine; it’s just a brief conversation.”

“…Understood.”

I’m sorry. Apparently, he doesn’t want you to see this.

Lidia—right. After all, she loves Ricardo so much—“You’re thinking weird things, aren’t you?”—she’s not exactly straightforward.

Seeing that Tina and the others had left, I activated a spell for privacy and silence.

“Splendid. I can always replace the vice-commander of the Royal Guard.”

“You must be joking. So, what’s the matter?”

“Ah, right. I’m sorry, but could you remove these bandages for me? My hands are both occupied, so it’s difficult to do it myself.”

His hands were wrapped in bandages.

Since his dominant hand was the right, I took his left arm and slowly unwrapped it; a burnt meat smell soon filled the room. These bandages were imbued with a fireproof barrier.

As I unwrapped them until about halfway up his arm, the abnormality became unmistakable.

His hand was charred—and though it burned slowly, it continued to burn steadily.

“…Look at this state. Pathetic. The next Duke of Linstar, who is supposed to wield ‘flame,’ has suffered severe burns. It’s no laughing matter. And you understand, right?”

“Ricardo, what does this mean? This flame… no, it isn’t really flame. It’s like a ‘curse!’ At this rate, both of your arms will…”

“After cornering Gerald, we stormed an old mansion in the Eastern Capital to capture him. The operation appeared to be going well—until the panicked guy pulled out some bizarre old tome. From that moment on, chaos ensued. I managed to subdue his flames by myself, but… he’s no longer Gerald! He’s too dangerous. Allen, Lidia, I know it’s out of line to ask this of you, but there’s no time to summon a seasoned magician from the capital!”

“…My foolish brother, the commander of the Royal Guard is still pursuing him, isn’t he?”

“Ah, yes. That guy—I believe we’ve already pinpointed his whereabouts.”

“O-okay, I understand.”

After hearing that, Lidia turned on her heel and left the room.

…Really, she’s not straightforward at all.

Before rewrapping Ricardo’s bandages, I cast a spell on both his arms.

“What did you do? I feel much better now.”

“It’s a fireproof magic I’ve been researching personally. I believe it can slow the progression somewhat. Rest assured—we’ve overcome countless problems before, and we’ll manage this one too. Besides, Lidia is motivated.”

“Lidia, huh? I bet she’s disappointed to see you in such a pitiful state…”

Truly, you two are siblings. You get timid in the strangest ways.

Before I could help but chuckle softly, a loud knock came at the door. Alright, alright, as you wish, milady.

Worried that speaking aloud might alert Lidia waiting outside, I mouthed silently to Ricardo:

“(Don’t worry. Lidia truly loves you, too.)”