Chapter 9 – Part 7

“Where have I seen him?”

Although an uncomfortable feeling stirred within her, it wasn’t exactly unpleasant. It was more like running into a business acquaintance in an unexpected place…

“Oh! That unlucky bastard from Katlan!”

Olivia finally clapped her hands as she remembered who the man was. How could she not have recognized him immediately? He was notoriously unlucky.

“It’s Cotton, right? The commander from Katlan we met after the bomb theft incident in the tent.”

“Yeah.”

Marsden gave the man another nudge with his boot, which prompted Olivia to smack him on the back.

“But why is he here like this?”

“Not sure, but considering a prominent Katlan knight is this badly injured, he might actually be an important piece in the puzzle.”

“Do you have a reason to be so sure? Wouldn’t it be better to leave him at a clinic or something? I feel sorry for him, but…”

After all, they had saved a high-ranking official from what could be an enemy country, and the thought made Olivia uneasy. Marsden gave her a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry. If things go as I expect, saving him might actually work to our advantage.”

“How?”

Olivia gently lifted Cotton’s hand to examine the wound. It was a miracle that he was still alive.

“The odd thing is Katlan’s behavior after the attack. Normally, if they attack without declaring war, it’s either to issue a clear warning or to exploit a weakness and seize control. But since then, Katlan hasn’t made any significant statements.”

Olivia knew this, too, so she understood. She signaled for Marsden to continue.

“It’s too ambiguous to be just a show of force. If the two nations had equal or similar power, it might make sense, but Katlan’s actions seem like a risky strategy. Yet, they’ve remained silent under the Empire’s pressure, which suggests there might be something else going on.”

“Could it be… internal conflict?”

Olivia clapped her hands as she spoke, and Marsden nodded in agreement.

“If it’s something Katlan itself didn’t anticipate, it makes sense. They’d need time to figure out what’s going on internally.”

“So you think Cotton might be connected to that internal conflict?”

“It’s just a possibility. But the reason I’m so sure is…”

Marsden bent down and forcibly removed Cotton’s hand from the wound. Blood oozed out.

“This isn’t a wound from a stabbing or a gunshot. It’s not from a bomb either. But I’ve seen this kind of injury before. What do you think it is?”

“Oh, don’t tell me…”

Olivia’s face scrunched up as she responded, tired of hearing about the same thing.

“Is it… magic again?”

“This guy is the proof.”

Marsden almost seemed to be enjoying this. Olivia shook her head.

“Okay, fine. But how are we going to treat him? We can’t just let him die. Honestly… it doesn’t sit well with me morally either.”

It was not something one would expect from a border master, but that was how she felt. Even though they had met under bad circumstances, it was uncomfortable to see someone dying right before her eyes.

“Let’s find some medicine. If we pose as Katlan soldiers, they shouldn’t suspect anything.”

Marsden comforted Olivia, tearing a piece of cloth from his robe to stop Cotton’s bleeding. He was surprisingly skilled at wrapping the bandage, probably thanks to his training as a knight.

“Alright, shall we go?”

Marsden spoke with such energy that Olivia felt a bit more motivated too.

* * *

The villagers sold them various herbs, disinfectants, and bandages without any fuss. Contrary to Olivia’s expectations that they would be questioned for being strangers, the villagers seemed preoccupied with something else.

Even when Olivia casually asked if there was anything to worry about, they kept their mouths shut and tossed her the change.

“Something’s strange, Marsden.”

“I feel the same. They seemed tense, as if something dangerous was about to happen.”

Unless you were a knight or soldier like Marsden or Olivia, there was no reason for ordinary villagers and merchants to do so.

“Let’s look around a bit in the evening. You never know. We might overhear something useful.”

When Marsden arrived at the house, he spread a robe on the floor and laid out the medicines on it. Olivia, who was about to place hers on the ground without much thought, was secretly impressed by Marsden’s meticulousness.

“I’ll stitch up the wound. Hold him down tight so he can’t move.”

Following his words, Olivia firmly gripped Cotton’s wrist. Marsden disinfected the wound and threaded a needle. Then he brought the needle close to the wound.

“…?”

But unusually, he hesitated before the wound. When Olivia looked at him curiously, Marsden hesitated and spoke.

“Buddy, I need to ask you for permission.”

“What is it?”

“Can I use magic? Specifically, healing magic. I can’t guarantee it’ll work, but I can try if you’re okay with it.”

Ah. Olivia then remembered that Cotton’s wound had been caused by magic. Marsden continued his explanation.

“This magic also purifies, so it’ll help him recover much faster. But if you’re uncomfortable, I won’t do it.”

Olivia hesitated for a moment, but the hesitation didn’t last long.

“Do it.”

If things continued as they were, Cotton might die. And then, even the slim chance they had would disappear.

As soon as Olivia gave her permission, Marsden visibly focused his mind. He closed his eyes and muttered a small incantation, then suddenly opened his eyes wide. Soon, a white smoke-like substance began to flow out. A cool breeze brushed against her fingertips.

‘It feels like the wind on the plains.’

It was a far more pleasant sensation than any magic she had ever experienced. It felt like her heart was being cleared out.

“Ah…”

Color gradually returned to Cotton’s face. His breathing became more even. Seeing him breathe as if determined to survive made her feel a bit sorry for him.

If he were just an honest knight, he shouldn’t have to suffer such injustice.

“Thank you. Because of your permission, he won’t die.”

“…Are you okay?”

Having seen only the side effects of magic, she was worried about his condition. Marsden smiled softly.

“It’s difficult, but it doesn’t demand a price. It’s just regular magic.”

Just regular magic. It was unfortunate that people had distorted its true nature.

When Marsden finished stitching the wound, Olivia helped him bandage it. Now, Cotton’s complexion is much better than before.

“Let’s wait for him to wake up. I don’t think it’ll take long.”

“If he was attacked by magic… he probably doesn’t like magic users, does he?”

It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious, just in case.

“Probably not. It might be a stretch, but… this could be related to the Katlan attack.”

It seemed unlikely, but it couldn’t be ruled out.

After all, improbable things had been happening continuously.

* * *

Cotton wondered if this was what it felt like to have your flesh burned alive. He had thought he’d experienced all kinds of injuries as a knight, but compared to this, they were nothing. They say burning is one of the most intense pains a human can feel, and it was true.

‘I can understand why that guy went to such lengths.’

Cotton had a younger brother. After their parents died when they were young, Cotton raised him strictly in order to survive. One day, when his brother burned his hand and started crying, Cotton scolded him harshly.

“Stop crying right now! If you burn the food, you’ll be responsible!”

His brother was only six years old. It was winter, so Cotton opened the door and threw a snowball at him. At the time, he thought it was the right thing to do, but as time passed, that memory lingered.

‘Now that you’re grown… even if I’m not there…’

If he could appear in his brother’s dreams before dying, he’d want to at least say that he was sorry. He’d want to tell him that he was afraid of losing him if he became weak and ask if he could forgive him now.

“…Huh.”

Someone nearby was grumbling, but Cotton couldn’t hear it clearly.

He wasn’t intentionally ignoring it, but when something blunt poked his side, his consciousness slowly floated to the surface.

‘Ah… just a little more…’

He felt like he could see his brother if he sank back into the depths of sleep. But.

“Hey, you’ve slept long enough. We’d like to get some sleep too, so how about waking up now?”

“My Buddy here wants to get some sleep. Aren’t you going to wake up?”

Cotton’s eyelids twitched at the irritating conversation. Even that seemed to take too long, and soon a loud, booming voice rang out.

“Sir Cotton, wake up! If you don’t, we’ll reopen your wound. Move!”

Cotton trembled and slowly opened his heavy eyelids. Two familiar faces came into view.

“Oh, does this actually work?”

“As expected of Buddy. Waking him up without causing a bloodbath. I couldn’t have done it.”

He was still groggy, but strangely enough, he felt irritated. Cotton slowly propped himself up and looked down at his abdomen.

He couldn’t help but be impressed. Such clean stitching was something even a trained soldier would find difficult. Plus, he had been attacked with magic by an enemy. No ordinary person could have managed it.

“Give your thanks to Marchioness Charbert. If you don’t, I’ll reopen the wound.”

Cotton slowly raised his head and looked at the two people sitting on the floor. He recognized their faces.

“Marchioness Charbert…”

“It’s been a while, Sir Cotton. How are you feeling?”

Olivia, whom Cotton hadn’t seen in a long time, was still as confident and bold as ever. Cotton’s throat bobbed as he swallowed.

“Sir Cotton?”

“Marchioness Charbert.”

Suddenly, Cotton kneeled and bowed his head to the floor. Olivia jumped up in shock.

“What are you doing?”

“Please help me.”

Olivia, who had been flustered, hesitated and exchanged a glance with Marsden. Cotton continued to speak, undeterred.

“It was I, Cotton, who attacked the Roskal Demilitarized Zone. Katlan… has fallen.”

* * *