Thanks to using the teleport gate, we arrived in Eslina in no time.

“Wow- There’s this much snow here.”

Even though it’s the southern region, the northern part is still northern, and the snow was piled up softly, dyeing the entire city in a pure white color.

Unlike me with my eyes wide open, Sion had a calm expression.

“In this place, after mid-January, the snow piles up as high as my height. We need to prepare from now on to safely get through the winter.”

“I see. It’ll be tight even if we start preparing from tomorrow.”

Haha. When on earth do I get to rest?

I already felt tired at the thought of starting preparations tomorrow to survive the harsh winter.

Anyway, since we had to take a carriage again from the gate to the mansion, we sent back the Count’s carriage and called for a new one.

I didn’t want to keep anything from the Count’s household for even a moment.

Begone, bad luck.

“Please take us to the white brick mansion on the outskirts hill.”

“Oh, you must be the new people at that mansion. Understood.”

“You have a lot of luggage. Haha.”

Fortunately, both the coachman and the mercenaries helping with the luggage were friendly.

So we loaded the carriage with lots of luggage and set off for the mansion.

The scenery I had seen once before was visible through the window. Although it was the same scenery as before, today’s journey felt particularly new.

Leaning against the window, I quietly opened my mouth.

“It’s finally sinking in.”

“What is?”

“That I’ve left the Count’s house. It feels strange.”

The events of the past few months suddenly felt distant, making me feel odd.

“I feel the same.”

“I bet. It’s a new beginning for you too.”

I turned my gaze from the window and smiled at Sion.

“Sion, I’m counting on you from now on. Until the day you’re freed from slavery, this is your home too.”

“Home, is it?”

“Yes. Our home.”

Just as Sion was about to say something with a peculiar expression.

Clunk-

“Huh?”

The carriage suddenly stopped as if it had hit something.

“What’s wrong?”

I asked the coachman outside about the situation.

“Well, someone’s been run over.”

“What?”

Alarmed by his words, I opened the door and got out of the carriage.

Squish-

“…Ah.”

And then came a single groan.

“Kyaa! What on earth is this?”

“Lady Lora!”

I had stepped on something, and it was a person sprawled under the carriage.

This was the price of my hasty exit.

“Oh no… They’re not dead, are they?”

I quickly got off the person and gently poked them.

Twitch-

“…Ugh…”

Then, with a painful groan, I saw the person’s carelessly stretched out hand slightly unfurl.

“Ah, they’re alive. Thank goodness.”

I almost became a murderer right after leaving the Count’s house.

I stroked my chest in relief.

Following behind, Sion calmly got out of the carriage and examined the person.

“This person seems to have been in poor condition for quite some time already. It might be best to just pass by. We can’t identify who they are.”

And he came to the clear conclusion to abandon them.

Sometimes I’m shocked by the moral standards of people here, and today was one of those days.

“Even if they were originally in bad shape as you say, they were still run over by the carriage. Plus, I stepped on them, so we should take them with us.”

No matter how dangerous strangers might be, how could we ignore this situation?

A person has collapsed.

“But…”

“You were a knight, and you’re going to ignore an injured person?”

At my rebuke, Sion closed his mouth with a look of realization, and I turned to the coachman.

“Did this person get hit by the carriage?”

“Well, it’s hard to say they were hit. This person was walking towards the carriage, so I shouted at them to move, but they just collapsed. Fortunately, I quickly turned the horse’s head, and they passed through the gap under the carriage, and it was you, miss, who stepped on them…”

See? It’s my fault.

“What should we do?”

“……”

“Should we get him out from under there first?”

The mercenary suggested in the silence.

Sion and he pulled the man out from under the wheels and laid him down inside the carriage.

He had an ordinary appearance with brown hair and upturned eyes, but his face was pale blue.

His breathing was also rough. As I lowered my gaze, I saw his clothes. They were made of luxurious silk with a checkered pattern.

“Is he a nobleman?”

At that moment, the mercenary who had come closer to examine the man together shouted.

“Oh? This person has a sword wound on his clothes.”

“Huh?”

“I guess it wasn’t visible because the clothes are dark.”

Sion lifted up his upper garment.

There was a long cut from the man’s waist to the middle of his stomach, as if he had been grazed by a sword.

Blood was slowly seeping from the wound.

“I guess it wasn’t because I stepped on him.”

“The wound isn’t that deep. It seems he’s been poisoned.”

“If it’s poison, we need a potion. Hey, do you have a potion?”

“Pardon?”

“I’ll pay you. Give me one.”

I forcibly took a potion from the mercenary. Then I opened the man’s mouth and poured it in.

Cough-

He coughed as if he had choked on the potion, but I didn’t stop pouring.

“If you want to live, just swallow it.”

After emptying one bottle, his blue complexion slowly started to return to normal.

His breathing also became more comfortable. However, the wound on his stomach hadn’t fully healed yet, and blood was still seeping out. I guess one bottle isn’t enough.

“Let’s go to the mansion for now. And we’ll need to call a doctor.”

“Yes.”

In this place, there’s no concept of hospitals, and when you’re sick, you have to call a doctor to your home.

Since we didn’t know where the collapsed man’s home was, we had no choice but to take him to our house.

“What a mess, right as we arrive.”

I sighed deeply and straightened up.