Seijo no Hazu ga, Douyara Nottoraremashita – Chapter 21

Normally, he would take the potions and leave, but the handsome young man ignored my words, walked up to me then said, “Ah, the pain relief potion from last time worked really well. Thanks. Your potions are amazing. He seems to be sleeping a lot better thanks to you, but…”

Then, unlike usual, he went out of his way to make his voice quiet as if he was telling me a secret even though there was no one else in the room, “I hope you can heal him soon.”

He smirked.

I stared back in surprise and he had a big smile on his face.

What? Does he suspect something? Or is it a bluff?

Seeing me like this, he continued, “Why are you so stubbornly hiding your skills? Your skills aren’t this shabby, are they? Is there a reason? I thought you would tell me the reason if we got to know each other, but you don’t want to get along with me, but even so, my friend’s time is running out. I can’t be patient any longer.”

He had a serious expression on his face which was completely different from his usual cheerful self. 

“Why hide it? I can help you if you have your reasons. Won’t you tell me?”

It has been quite some time since he showed up with an extremely sickly man. 

There are hardly any rich patients who get admitted to the deluxe suite, which costs a lot of money, in a town near the border like this, so their group quickly became the talk in this clinic. 

A rich man and patient who hide their circumstances and identity. 

Rich people usually have servants with them, but they had none, and they were dressed plainly. It was as if they were incognito. 

There is nothing more suspicious than this. 

It’s nonsense for me to tell such a suspicious person about my situation. I refuse!

That’s what I thought. 

It seems like his daily visit to the potion making room has softened me. 

Well, I don’t mind being fawned over by a cool guy. 

Also, just because he’s flirtatious doesn’t make him a bad person. I haven’t heard any rumours of him acting violently or speaking rudely, rather, he had a reputation for being polite. 

I’ve noticed that we’re becoming more of an acquaintance than strangers to the point that I say hi to him when I pass him in the corridor.

Yup. I’ve grown attached to him. 

So, I carelessly thought that I could tell him a little. 

Well, was I‘possessed by the devil’? 

Probably. 

Yeah, probably, but I think I must have been tired and nervous from hiding it all the time. I can’t stay calm while always being on the lookout for pursuers from the castle, even if I look so on the outside. 

So, for a moment, I wanted to tell this handsome young man to get it off my mind… unintentionally… just because…

I don’t care how his personality is, but he looks innocent. It’s honestly pleasing to talk to a handsome person. 

Of course, I won’t tell him the important things. 

“Why do you think I can heal that patient?”

I have to ask this first. But Lek widened his eyes when he heard this and said in surprise, “I’m not blind? A person, who has the ability to make a potion like this, should be able to examine and treat a patient directly. Of course, there may be some people who only have the ability to make potions, but you’re always energetic. You at least know that people feel tired when they use a lot of their skills. But you’re always full of life when I come here, and you’re always lively when you shoo me out. You’re obviously making potions with your reserve power.”

“……”

Hmm, he found out. 

He’s a great observer. 

“You averting your gaze is proof. But why are you hiding this? If you demonstrated that ability, then you’d have money, good treatment and status.”

He usually says, “Won’t you take a break with me? Wah, no~? You can take a little break, can’t you~? Are you really saying no~?” but was questioning me with such serious eyes and it threw me off. 

I didn’t realise that he saw me that way even though he’s so frivolous. 

What should I do? I feel like he won’t drop this if I don’t say anything now. This reminded me that it was alright for me to lie while mixing a little bit of truth into it. 

After pondering for a while, I decided to take the gamble. 

Oh well. 

“… I’m seeking asylum. So, I don’t want to be mistaken as the Saint in this kingdom and have them come up with an excuse as for why I can’t stay here anymore.”

I’ll tell it like that.

“Asylum?” Lek seemed really surprised to hear that. 

“Yes. I want to go to the neighbouring kingdom. But I don’t have any means to travel there right now, so I’m staying here. So, I can’t heal a lot of people directly and be called a saint. I don’t want to be noticed. I want to sneak off to the neighbouring kingdom.”

“Why do you want to go to the neighbouring kingdom?”

“I can’t tell you.”

“Are you fine with leaving this kingdom? I thought they were looking for the Saint before.”

“There’s already a Saint.”

“I certainly heard that they had found her,” he said as he stared at me seriously.

I added, “If you’re willing to help me find asylum, then I wouldn’t mind helping you in secret. But I don’t want you to make a fuss about me being a saint in this kingdom. So please don’t say a word of it to anyone.”

My purpose is to get close to the neighbouring kingdom’s strategist, ‘Farglow’s Shield’. 

Of course, I believed that I would be called if his illness got worse. 

But I don’t know the cause of his death. 

If the strategist suddenly died in an accident, then I’m afraid that I won’t make it out of this kingdom in time. 

This is my biggest worry. 

Even if it isn’t revealed to us, these two men were allowed to stay in the deluxe room, so, at the very least, someone in this clinic knew who they were. At least they’re not bandits or kidnappers. 

And if they are from the castle, then information would have already been passed on anyway and there will soon be an investigation. Or this is the investigation. If so, then I’ll have to flee straight away if I detect even the slightest suspicious movement or scent of the castle from him.

But anyway, the man in front of me is wealthy. He has enough money to stay in the deluxe room for a long time. 

Maybe, he can even buy me a route to the neighbouring kingdom.