1.
That day, I woke up unusually early. Even though my eyelids felt heavy from lingering fatigue, I wondered why I had woken—then I heard it: the sharp sound of wind brushing past the window. As the noise conjured an image of a snow-white landscape and I felt the cold air wrapping around my skin, a sudden confusion crept in.
Where am I?
The question surfaced, and I instinctively rolled my eyes.
An old ceiling etched with wood grain came into view. Recognizing it as the shabby house I had been staying in for the past few months, the confusion finally settled.
This wasn’t the count’s castle. Just that fact alone eased the familiar sense of despair a little.
Still, perhaps because of the noisy wind, sleep wouldn’t come again.
As soon as I got to work, I began gathering firewood for the fireplace. Just as the basket was nearly full, the window of the room at the end of the second floor opened, and Yumir—the innkeeper—leaned out.
“El. Come upstairs for a moment.”
Her face looked more worn out than usual, as if she hadn’t rested well overnight either. Well, the dawn wind had been rather loud. I nodded inwardly and answered aloud.
“Okay.”
I clapped my hands together to shake off the dust from my gloves and went inside. When I climbed the stairs to the lodging floor, Yumir was waiting in the hallway with the door to the end room open.
“You called me?”
Without answering, Yumir exhaled cigarette smoke and jerked her chin toward the room. She looked troubled. Did a branch fly in and break the window or something?
Instead of asking, I peeked inside. The room was a mess—and in the middle of it lay a blood-covered man.
“A corpse?”
“If it were, I’d have thrown it out already. He’s alive. For now.”
Ah. I let out a flat sound of understanding and looked at her. So what was I supposed to do about that?
Reading the question on my face, Yumir sighed.
“Clean up the room first, and take care of him when you can during work.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to call a doctor?”
“He doesn’t want one.”
Apparently, before losing consciousness, he insisted there was no need for a doctor and told her not to make a fuss. Suspicious, to say the least.
“Then is there really a need to take care of him?”
I didn’t want to meddle with a critically injured person before a doctor even saw him and make things worse. If he died, it would only weigh on my mind.
Despite my reluctance, Yumir persisted.
“He’s still breathing. And he paid for the room.”
If she cared that much, she could do it herself. But as an employee, there was no way I could say that to my employer. Besides, there weren’t many job options at this time of year—and more importantly, I still hadn’t received any further instructions from him, so I had no choice but to stay in this town for now.
“Alright. But if he dies, it’s not my responsibility.”
“Fine.”
Yumir pressed at her eyes and replied in a half-cracked voice. She’d watched over the guest herself at dawn because there was no one else, but since he was so sensitive, she couldn’t even treat him. That made her even more anxious, not knowing when he might die.
“Why don’t you go rest a bit?”
Fatigue from worry and lack of sleep showed clearly on her face. At this time of year, there were barely any guests anyway—maybe one or two travelers at most. And today, the only guest was practically half a corpse, so there was no need to prepare breakfast. The tavern wouldn’t see locals until afternoon at the earliest.
…Thinking it over, it was honestly surprising the place hadn’t gone under.
“There shouldn’t be any problem if I handle things alone.”
Getting fired wasn’t an option. Money wasn’t the issue, but appearing like I could live comfortably without a job would raise suspicion—and in a small town, that kind of attention was even more noticeable.
“Are you sure? I asked you to look after the patient too.”
“If it gets too much, I’ll let you know.”
Yumir hesitated, but in the end, exhaustion won. She asked me to take care of things and left.
Looking at the mess inside the room, I let out a sigh. Pushing aside the sense of overwhelm, I grabbed a rag and a bucket and stepped inside.
It seemed the man had crashed into things while trying to get to the bed—shelves and drawers were overturned, items scattered everywhere. Yumir must have tried to help him, but considering how he refused a doctor, he probably rejected her help too.
I picked up the broken items into a basket and returned the intact ones to their places, glancing at the bloodied man now and then. Up close, he looked even worse. I couldn’t help worrying he might stop breathing any second.
Not wanting to stir up dust, I used a damp cloth instead of a broom to gather the debris.
After tidying up, I stared at the half-dead man on the bed, unsure what to do next.
What if he dies if I touch him?
I carefully lifted one leg that had slipped off the bed. The moment I looked toward his face—
Our eyes met.
“Gah—!”
I gasped, clutching my chest. The man was staring at me silently.
“Are you conscious?”
He didn’t answer. Judging by his half-lidded eyes, he seemed barely awake. Maybe he’d just reacted instinctively when I touched his leg.
Leaving him for now, I stepped out of the room.
When I returned with lukewarm water and some medicine, his eyes were closed again. I gently shook his shoulder, but he didn’t wake this time.
If he couldn’t even maintain that minimal awareness anymore, that was bad—it meant his condition was worsening.
I decided he needed treatment after all and carefully removed his clothes.
The moment I touched his wounds, I realized—
Magic?
The external injuries were severe, but something else was truly draining his life.
I didn’t understand its structure, but I could feel it. Given the nature of my power, I could at least judge its danger.
After a brief hesitation, I wrapped divine power around my fingertips and stripped away the unknown magic.
I had to do it, I told myself—but the truth was, using divine power on a person could cause trouble later if discovered.
Still, it was already done.
From now on, I’d just deny everything.
I know nothing. I just applied medicine and bandaged him.
Convincing myself of that, I decided to forget what I had just done. Of course, it was nothing more than a futile attempt to avoid future regret.
After roughly treating his wounds, I spooned water into his dry lips. He swallowed reflexively, so at least he wasn’t about to die.
I pulled the blanket up to his neck, patted his chest lightly, and left the room.
That was enough—my duty as a human being was done. Whether he lived or died was up to fate now.
Work started late, but without lodging guests, it wasn’t busy. The few locals who came by in the afternoon were familiar with Yumir and weren’t demanding, so I could handle everything alone.
Yumir showed up again around dusk. Embarrassed, she admitted she’d slept longer than usual since her rhythm had been disrupted. I told her it was good she’d gotten some rest.
Before leaving, I went upstairs to check on the guest.
I quietly opened the door—darkness filled the room.
Stepping inside, I lit the lamp and turned toward the bed.
Our eyes met again.
“Gah—!”
This time, I nearly jumped for real.
If you’re awake, at least make some noise!
Pressing both hands to my pounding chest, I steadied my breathing.
“Seriously… When did you wake up? I thought you’d be out all day. You recover quickly.”
“……”
“Oh, I work here. Just checking on you.”
I reassured him I wasn’t suspicious and slowly approached the bed.
The man lay still, his gaze following my every movement.
