81. The Saint and the Shoveling Knight (2)
81. The Saint and the Shoveling Knight (2)
"Can't you move faster?"
"A wheelchair isn't meant for running."
Making one capable of running in emergencies wasn't a bad idea, but if things got that far, the wheelchair would probably be useless anyway. It'd be better to just magic up a wheelchair with legs and have that run instead.
...Now that I thought about it, that was kind of grotesque. A wheelchair moving around on legs instead of wheels would look like something straight out of a horror game.
"This is too slow..."
"...I'll speed up a little."
"Okay!"
I lengthened my stride. The wheelchair’s wheels grew louder, grating on my ears as the iron axle connecting them scraped against its fittings.
It would be better to reduce the noise. Loud equipment easily inconvenienced others and would interfere with covert movement in an emergency. Then again, perhaps attempting covert movement in a wheelchair was the real problem.
"Yohan? Why aren't you moving?"
"I was thinking about how to improve the wheelchair for a second."
"Can't you think while we go?"
Had I been standing there that long? I looked down at Millia's crown and started walking again. We'd made it about a third of the way around Dawn Hall, which meant we still had twice that distance to go. I moved briskly, scanning our surroundings.
"Hmm~ hmm-hmm~ hm-hm-hmm~"
"Having fun?"
"Yeah! This makes me feel like a princess!"
"...It's for patients, though."
Maybe because this world didn't have wheelchairs, Millia's answer was a bit novel. Come to think of it, it did kind of feel like a rickshaw for one. Actually, the very first wheelchairs were close to rickshaws in form—
Clunk.
"Eek!"
"Millia! Are you okay?!"
I rushed to Millia after the wheelchair caught on a stone and her fooling around sent her tumbling out. Her neck was bent at an angle that would have been terrifying in a nightmare.
Of course, she wasn't hurt anywhere.
"Yohan! Pick me up!"
"All right, just wait..."
That was when it happened. A scream tore through my eardrums and I whipped my head around to look at the source of the sound.
"...Uh..."
"...So, are we busted?"
Millia quickly straightened her neck while I shielded her with my body. We looked at each other and exchanged troubled glances.
"Wha, what do we do?"
"We insist it was a trick of the light—oh, she collapsed."
Was I supposed to be happy about this or not? I let out a sigh as I looked at the purple-haired figure lying unconscious in the distance.
------------------
"Millia!"
"Mmph? You called mef?"
"Swallow the cookie before you talk. And what's the idea of eating all the cookies meant for the guest?"
I rapped Millia on the crown and looked at Elisa, who had sat up on the bed. Elisa flinched when she saw me, but she didn't have another fit. That alone was huge progress, especially for me, since I needed to become friends with her.
...But how the hell was I supposed to do that?
Honestly, I had no idea how to become friends with a girl.
"Uh, um... why... am I here..."
"You suddenly collapsed, so I brought you here. Do you have some kind of chronic condition?"
"N-no, nothing... like that... bu-but, I'm certain... Millia..."
"Mmph? Me? What about me?"
Elisa's head turned toward Millia of its own accord. Elisa's expression was pure bewilderment. I knelt down in front of her before she could have another seizure, bringing my eyes level with hers. Her tear-brimmed eyes darted back and forth between me and Millia in a daze.
I spoke as gently as I could to reassure her.
"You can take your time."
"I-I'm ce-certain I saw... Millia collapsed with her neck bent..."
"You must have imagined it. Millia did collapse today, but her neck was never broken."
"I'm perfectly fine!"
Millia spread her arms wide to demonstrate that she was perfectly fine. Perhaps it worked, because Elisa’s expression returned to normal. She still looked ready to cry at the slightest touch, so I could not tell whether that counted as good news...
"I-I th-think I must have... seen it wrong..."
Thank goodness she bought it. If she'd kept doubting us, things could have gotten awkward. I sighed inwardly without changing my expression, then immediately changed the subject before Elisa could question it further.
"Elisa, so what brings you to Dawn Hall?"
"Uh, well..."
Elisa explained her reason for coming in a roundabout way. Piecing together her words, which stuttered and stalled like a broken machine, it seemed she'd come to check on Karina's condition.
...But why had Elisa come instead of Professor Lennon?
When I asked her, Elisa hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Th-the Professor... has co-come down with a cold and said I could... handle a simple checkup on my own..."
A cold, huh.
Then again, his laboratory hadn't looked particularly healthy. It was cluttered with objects containing all kinds of curses.
"Got it. We'll go to Karina as soon as you're feeling well enough."
"I-I think I can go right away..."
If she said she was fine, then so be it. I handed a handkerchief to Millia, whose mouth was covered in cookie crumbs, and rose from the floor.
"Let's go!"
In a strange formation, with me and Millia exiting the room first and Elisa trailing behind, we headed for Karina's room. Normally we'd have walked side by side, but given Elisa's personality, that would've shattered her fragile mentality under our painfully pink loner energy, so it was unavoidable.
"Yohan, after we drop off Elisa, are you gonna push me in the wheelchair again?"
"No. I already found a few things that need fixing, so I have to take care of those first."
The wheelchair—or rather, the wheelchair I'd henceforth call the Patrasche prototype—had shown a fair number of flaws after just half a lap.
For one thing, Patrasche shook quite a lot whenever it was in motion, and the scraping noise when the wheels rolled was loud. It also had no safety features to speak of, so if it caught on a stone like just now, the person sitting in it could go flying forward... any other issues?
Well, that last one was a bit ambiguous.
I had pushed the wheelchair at jogging speed. Still, it needed reinforcement... Would a seat belt work?
"...That might be a problem in its own way."
"Huh?"
"Nothing. Just talking to myself."
I brushed the matter aside and reached the room where Karina was resting. Reni leaned against the wall beside the door, yawning. When she noticed us, she gave an awkward smile.
"Hey. What brings you here? And behind you... Elisa?"
"She says she's here to check on Karina's condition."
"And the Professor?"
"Apparently, he's come down with a cold."
"Ah, really? Go on in."
Reni kindly grabbed the doorknob and opened the door. I was about to enter the room, but Reni's pointed glare made me stop and lean against the wall by the door instead.
"Yohan, aren't you coming in?"
"I'll keep watch out here."
Since Karina might have to take off or lift up her clothes during the checkup, I couldn't exactly go in. I remained alone in the hallway, leaning against the wall like Reni had been.
...I was bored.
I turned my head this way and that, taking in the hallway. As a residence used by Saintesses for generations, Dawn Hall was far from ostentatious. Not that the furniture or objects on display were cheap, mind you. They were crafted with a quality that even I, having made all kinds of things myself, couldn't help but admire.
Dawn Hall overflowed with items that would have been called luxury goods anywhere else. With Insight one level higher, I could see the value hidden within their antique elegance more clearly.
Just how much money had they spent? Sure, I could see a few things that were a bit worn, but even so, hadn't this cost far more than a noble's mansion that was all flash on the outside? I was dying to tear a few of them apart and check their structure and materials.
I'd spent ten years building all sorts of furniture and buildings myself, but I could never match the skill of a master artisan who'd devoted decades to a single craft. Just absorbing their techniques was a pretty enticing prospect.
...If any discarded furniture turned up later, I'd have to grab it and take it apart.
I was smacking my lips over the furniture when I heard the door open. Reni, now visible, looked at me and said,
"Karina says she has something she wants to say, so come inside for a minute."
I followed Reni into the room.
As always, Karina's room had a cozy atmosphere. Was it the scent of some unnamed flower? Or was it because the room's owner was Karina herself? There were only two distinctive features in an otherwise unremarkable room, so it had to be one of those.
"Karina. How are you feeling?"
"They say there aren't any particular issues. The curse is dormant as well..."
Karina smiled softly as she stroked the head of Millia, who was resting her head on Karina's lap. The way she quietly accepted the touch was exactly like a puppy. Elisa was watching Millia with an oddly envious look in her eyes.
...What kind of situation was this?
"Nothing serious. That's a relief. Karina, I heard you called for me..."
"I heard you're making something interesting. Would it be all right... if I watched you make it?"
A pair of eyes, one pink and one gold, met my own. They were beautiful. Beautiful eyes, like stars had been set into them. I stared intently into those eyes for a moment, then nodded.
"Shall we go right now?"