Chapter 252: A Moment of Rest

The moment I woke up, Till’s face came into view.

“Ah, Lord Van. Good morning,” Till said, approaching me happily as she realized I was awake.

“Good morning, Till. What’s the situation? Has much time passed?”

The fatigue was intense, and I turned onto my side, resting my head, as I asked Till what was on my mind. Till nodded in response.

“Well, you went to sleep before sunset, and it is now around noon the following day. The situation is…”

As Till looked up, a voice came from the opposite side of the bed.

“The situation is a stalemate. We lack the resources to launch an offensive, and the enemy is cautious, so they haven’t attacked. The scouts report that the enemy forces are still present, so it seems they haven’t given up.”

It was Khamsin’s voice. Hearing his report, I rolled over in bed to face him. Khamsin was standing rigidly straight.

“I see. In that case, there’s a possibility they are resupplying from the Kingdom of Yelenetta. Or perhaps they intend to hire mercenaries… Either way, it doesn’t look like they will attack immediately.”

When I sighed after saying that, Khamsin looked at my face worriedly.

“…Are you alright?”

Khamsin asked anxiously, and I nodded with a wry smile.

“I think I might be catching a cold? I feel pretty exhausted. However, I can’t just sit here. I need to get the walls into perfect condition.”

When I tried to sit up, a hand was placed on my shoulder from behind. Is Till trying to put me back to bed? When I looked back, I saw Arte sitting on the edge of the bed I was using, gazing at me. She had been sitting near my feet, apparently.

Arte’s eyebrows were furrowed with concern, and she firmly pushed down on my shoulder.

“Please, rest a little longer… Lord Van, your complexion is much worse than you realize, and I truly don’t think you are alright…”

Arte forcefully pushed me back down onto the bed. When she said that with a tearful expression, I couldn’t possibly argue.

“…Is it alright? I certainly feel awful, so I’d be grateful if I could rest…”

As I murmured my concern, the voice of an adult male came from the direction of the doorway.

“Please rest assured. I have been guarding you constantly since last night. I will protect Lord Van’s life, even at the cost of my own.”

“Huh? Law?”

I looked up toward the door and saw Law standing there, looking intense and serious. He looked like a professional soldier—well, he is a knight, so that’s normal—but I felt a strong sense of strangeness in Law’s highly strained atmosphere. Law, while not as reserved as Arb, usually had the relaxed, fluffy feeling of a neighborhood big brother.

As I pondered this, Khamsin leaned close and whispered.

“He was lectured by Lord Stradale for over an hour yesterday.”

“…That explains it.”

Satisfied with the explanation, I lay back in bed. Indeed, besides assassination, the Kingdom of Yelenetta and the Shelvia Confederation shouldn’t be able to do anything else. I thought they might try to plant bombs in the wall, but unless they dig underground, they would be immediately hit by the ballistae if they approached.

I should gratefully accept this offer and rest.

Having decided that, I completely let down my guard and decided to indulge Till.

“Till. I’d like some warm tea and sweets.”

“Yes, I’ll prepare them right away!”

Till smiled and nodded, then left the room with light steps. Watching her go, I looked at Arte.

“Arte, thank you for your hard work with the Puppet Magic. We managed to defend because of you. Thank you.”

“N-no… I didn’t do much…”

When I thanked her, Arte smiled shyly. I smiled back and looked at Khamsin. Khamsin, perhaps spurred on by Stradale’s acknowledgment, had a confident, good expression.

“…Khamsin. Was that trick you used yesterday to steal the enemy’s sword that ‘Theft Magic’?”

When I asked that, Khamsin trembled slightly, and his expression hardened. Arte also looked at Khamsin in surprise at my words. I knew Khamsin had an aptitude for Theft Magic when I bought him as a slave. That’s why I suspected it.

I waited silently for his answer. After a moment’s hesitation, Khamsin opened his mouth.

“…Yes, it was. I have actually been practicing the magic alone since the day I first saw Lady Arte’s magic. I thought perhaps I could also be useful to Lord Van with magic… But the only thing I could do with Theft Magic was steal objects from a distance of one to two meters. And it seems the magic doesn’t work if the target is looking directly at me…”

Khamsin spoke in a slightly small voice. I nodded, predicting the rest of his words.

“You thought it was useless magic?” I asked.

Khamsin’s shoulders drooped, looking crestfallen, and he nodded. Seeing his demeanor, Arte furrowed her brow sadly. She might have been seeing a reflection of her past self. Arte had also struggled with her own magical aptitude in the past. But while she was on the brink of despair, she managed to accept her fate once she realized the possibilities of her magic.

If only Khamsin could do the same…

Thinking that, I smiled at Khamsin.

“That’s not true, Khamsin. Thanks to you, my life was saved. You rescued me, Khamsin. Thank you.”

When I said that, Khamsin pressed his lips into a straight line and looked up. Large tears spilled from his eyes. As Khamsin cried silently, Arte, too, began to tear up.

I hope Khamsin can learn to be proud of his magical aptitude, even just a little.

Thinking that, I looked at Law again.

“…How is my father’s—no, Marquis Fertio’s condition?”

I was curious, but I had hesitated to ask. I finally put the question to Law. Law furrowed his brow and tucked his chin down solemnly.

“…Marquis Fertio has yet to regain consciousness. It seems he is taking fluids by slowly moistening his mouth, but his injuries are quite severe…”

I nodded lightly at Law, who reported the news with obvious difficulty.

“…Thank you. Law, you had a hard day yesterday too. Please rotate the guards so everyone can rest.”

Saying just that, I closed my eyes. There were many things I should be worried about, but right now, I needed to recover my own strength. The defensive battle was far from over.