Chapter 82

Lionel endured the pain that coursed through his entire body as he slowly raised himself. Sitting up and looking around, he saw blood droplets scattered chaotically across the ground and the leaves of the nearby shrubs.

However, that was not Lionel’s blood.

<I have a request.>

Lionel recalled Jeremy’s words as he clung to him. The third son of the Marquis Elderin, that boy looked up at him from atop his horse and spoke earnestly.

<I wish to learn from you, Duke. Whether it’s shooting or boxing, I want to learn anything. Before I take the entrance exam for the Military Academy this winter.>

<So you’re saying you want to go to the Military Academy? You couldn’t even kill a single deer, and you want to go to war?>

Lionel replied sternly on purpose, but Jeremy stubbornly nodded.

<It’s scary right now… But I believe I can change when I become an adult. If I become a fine adult like you, Duke.>

A fine adult, like me?

Lionel thought it was an utterly absurd expression. Words like ‘fine’ shouldn’t be used so carelessly in such places.

<Duke, please, I beg you!>

Jeremy approached Lionel and suddenly dropped to his knees. Perhaps because Jeremy came so close so quickly, Blackjack—the horse—stepped back, feeling uneasy.

The large black horse’s body suddenly shuddered as it received a shock.

As a distant gunshot echoed in his ears, Lionel felt a warm sensation in his hand and looked down.

Red blood had splattered onto his hand and the white riding pants. Lionel discovered the gunshot wound that had grazed Blackjack’s neck.

Blackjack let out a loud cry and raised his forelegs high.

<Duke!>

Jeremy shouted in surprise, but Lionel did not fall off. He instinctively tightened his waist, barely managing to keep his balance.

However, it was impossible to calm the huge horse that had been shot and was now rampaging.

<Jeremy, don’t come any closer!>

Even as his posture wavered, Lionel kept his composure and rebuked Jeremy, who was trying to approach. Near a horse rearing and kicking, it was just as dangerous for someone beside it as for the rider.

Eventually, as another gunshot rang out from a different direction, the terrified Blackjack began to run wildly.

Lionel clutched the reins tightly, trying in vain to stop the horse. But feeling its life threatened, Blackjack recklessly charged through the forest. The blood spurting from the horse’s wound and the branches scraping fiercely against Lionel’s body left him in an increasingly disheveled state.

Despite barely holding on atop the horse, Lionel calmly assessed the situation. If this continued, the agitated Blackjack would eventually collapse without warning, with Lionel still mounted.

<…Sorry.>

Lionel finally slipped his feet out of the stirrups. He also let go of the reins he had been gripping tightly.

Blackjack was running rough, seemingly about to leap over the large bush ahead. Just before the horse jumped, Lionel quickly hugged his upper body and rolled off the horse.

<Khh…!>

Because the speed was so fast, the impact when hitting the ground was severe. After rolling several times, Lionel crashed hard into a thick tree trunk and lost consciousness.

And when he came to, it was now.

“Ugh.”

Trying to push himself up from the ground, Lionel felt intense pain in his ankle and paused. Perhaps he had hit a rock or something while falling from the horse, for his ankle inside the leather boot was badly swollen.

‘It doesn’t seem broken, but walking right away will be difficult.’

Lionel, relying solely on his aching arms, slowly moved to the base of a large nearby tree. It was the tree he had smashed his head against before losing consciousness.

Lionel touched the back of his head just in case. Fortunately, there was no blood. He sighed in relief and leaned his back against the sturdy tree.

‘My condition… isn’t good.’

If this were a battlefield, his injury would have been a burden to his comrades. His head was dizzy from the concussion, and his whole body felt sore and bruised even while staying still.

And above all, the severely swollen ankle was the most serious issue. The bone wasn’t broken, but without painkillers, he couldn’t walk properly.

After calmly diagnosing his physical state, Lionel looked at the scattered blood of Blackjack nearby. Where had the horse, now without its master, run off to? He hoped the horse was still alive.

But as if to snatch away Lionel’s hope, the sky, which had been clear all along, began to darken. Lionel felt the air on his cheek grow heavy with humidity and couldn’t help but let out a wry laugh.

“You’re really doing this to me, huh?”

Just as he expected, a heavy downpour soon began from the sky.

Luckily, Lionel, having moved under the tree, was barely getting wet. But the darkening forest was filled only with the sound of rain.

With things like this, even if people tried to rescue him, their voices would be drowned out, making it difficult to find him. It was hard to even tell when the sun would set.

If things went poorly, he might have to spend the night right here. Fortunately, it was early summer, so the weather wasn’t cold, and he’d heard there were no bears or wolves in this forest, so survival was not an issue…

‘Clarette will be worried about me.’

Lionel recalled Clarette’s smile as she watched him from the stands. Thinking she must be worried about his absence made him feel very sorry and uneasy.

Even on the battlefield, he had never felt this kind of emotion before.

‘Back then, there was no one I wanted to return to.’

Lionel was amazed at how much he had changed because of Clarette. Normally, he would have thought, ‘Well, I’ll just stay here for a day.’

But now, his heart was first concerned about Clarette waiting for him.

‘It’s raining, so I hope she doesn’t wait for me and just goes back to the ducal residence first.’

Just as Lionel worried about Clarette and quietly closed his eyes, he heard the sound of horse hooves pounding the ground rapidly, cutting through the heavy rain. Lost in thought for a moment, Lionel quietly took the rifle slung over his shoulder in hand.

If it was a rescue party, he’d have to shoot to signal his location, and if it was someone with other intentions, he’d need to be wary. Lionel kept his hand near the trigger, watching the direction the sound was growing louder from.

But what emerged from the bushes in the heavy downpour was a familiar gray horse. Lionel’s eyes widened in surprise as he saw the woman riding Pepper.

Beloved Clarette, soaked to the bone and with a face on the verge of tears, looked at him.

“Clarette? Wait, how did you…?”

“Lionel!”

As Lionel muttered in confusion, Clarette quickly jumped off Pepper’s back and ran to him. Seeing Lionel’s appearance, covered in blood and dirt, she bit her lip hard.

“Are you badly hurt? Can you stand up?”

“I can’t ride a horse, but if someone supports me, I can move.”

“Then I’ll help you. I’m not that strong, but I can at least let you lean on me and walk. For now, just…”

“Clarette.”

Lionel firmly grabbed her shoulder, looking flustered. When Clarette paused and met his eyes, he smiled gently, calming her.

“Don’t rush. Moving right away isn’t a good idea. The rain’s heavy, visibility is poor, and if your body gets wet, your temperature drops and it gets more dangerous. Look, your body is so cold.”

Lionel kindly stroked Clarette’s arm, which was icy from the rain, as he spoke. Hearing his calm voice, Clarette’s anxious heart settled a little.

“Lionel, are you really okay staying here like this? The rain might keep coming.”

But worry still lingered in Clarette’s voice. Lionel brushed aside the wet hair sticking to her cheek and smiled softly.

“I’m not worried at all. After all, a princess on a white horse has come to rescue me.”

“…It’s not a white horse, and I’m not a princess.”

Clarette blushed and protested, but he only chuckled quietly.

Lionel, as if he couldn’t bear how lovely she was, gently caressed her cheek and whispered,

“Clarette, just stay by my side and relax. Let’s wait here for the rain to stop, together.”