I Was the Only One Who Didn't Know
Was it because I’d grown dull, or had Ash simply moved that quietly? I hadn’t noticed him until he was right beside me.
“How are you feeling? Your insides must be a wreck… Shall I bring water? Would you like some?”
“Where… am I?”
I straightened my posture and swept the annoying strands of hair out of my face. An unfamiliar, shabby ceiling greeted me.
“We’re still in Hirilike. Remember the empty houses we passed? This is one of them.”
The voice was unnecessarily kind and polite. It was Ash in full bedside-manner mode.
“Really?”
“Chad cleaned it thoroughly. Gail and Enk shared their sleeping bags…”
No wonder it felt so cushy. My back didn’t ache and I couldn’t even feel the floor. I reached down and groped around—six layers of sleeping bags. They’d piled every single one on me. Which meant the men had slept on the bare ground.
Not bad. Though if they thought this repaid even a fraction of their debt, they were sorely mistaken.
“Thirsty.”
“Here.”
The water appeared the instant I grumbled. It wasn’t cold, but I knew it was the best they could do. I drank without complaint, acknowledging the sincerity behind the gesture.
Even swallowing water made my throat sting.
“How many days has it been?”
“This will be the second night.”
“Hmm… I woke up faster than I expected.”
My voice cracked, so I cleared my throat and assessed my condition. The fever-induced headache refused to leave, my stomach was a disaster, I was starving, and worst of all, the sticky sweat covering my entire body made my skin crawl.
“Jeanie, is there anything else you need?”
“I’m hungry… and I desperately want a bath.”
“I’ll make some soup.”
I watched Ash hurry out the door, then took a proper look at my surroundings. It was a typical poor commoner’s house—cramped, the kind meant for two people at most. They must have chosen the best of the abandoned buildings, yet the roof still had a massive hole in it. I could see the stars clearly.
Still, having any roof at all was better than nothing.
I glanced around, pushed myself upright, and leaned against the wall. While I braided my disgustingly sticky hair, I finally noticed my clothes had been changed. I’d definitely been wearing a sturdy leather jacket and pants… but this wasn’t even mine.
I wasn’t a dog, yet I still buried my nose in the oversized gray shirt and sniffed. It smelled like Ash.
“Jeanie.”
“Yeah?”
Ash had only stepped halfway inside. His face was heavy with worry.
“We have fever medicine, but I’m not sure if it’s safe for internal injuries…”
“It probably isn’t.”
“I… thought so…”
His dejected tone made me chuckle despite the headache.
“The water’s boiling, so please wait a moment. Soup is all I can manage right now. We have jerky and bread, but…”
“I don’t think I can eat any of that. My stomach’s really not cooperating.”
“…Of course. Lox and Chad left this morning to fetch a doctor. They should be back within a week at the latest.”
“What? A week? I feel like I’ll be fine before then.”
Without me, they couldn’t cross the broken canyon. The nearest village would take three days of hard riding. The fact that they’d gone anyway left me momentarily speechless.
Ash approached slowly as I stared at him in genuine disbelief. With gentle hands, he fixed the messy braid I’d been attempting.
“We couldn’t just sit still. You were suffering, and there was… nothing else we could do.”
“Are they idiots?”
“That’s just how they are.”
When Ash smiled like that, I understood why people found it charming. In the meantime, he had finished braiding my hair neatly.
“We didn’t know when you’d wake up. Everyone was desperate to help in any way they could.”
“What about Enk and Gail?”
“They went to find food.”
“…So it’s just the two of us right now?”
A huge wolf burst through the open door like a golden cannonball.
He clearly hadn’t been worried about his bedridden master at all—judging by how excited he looked after playing somewhere.
Master, you're so mean! I really thought you were going to die! You fraud!
I ignored the attention-seeker’s whining and grabbed the hem of Ash’s shirt as he tried to stand. Since I didn’t know how to smile nicely, I replaced it with a sly grin.
“Ash, it really is just the two of us.”
“Yes…? Just the two of us… but… why…?”
“Perfect.”
“Wh-what is?”
“I can boss you around as much as I want!”
“…Haven’t you been doing that already?”
“Of course not! I’ve been holding back so much.”
Ash, who had seemed slightly tense, visibly relaxed. But the next question made him freeze up again.
“By the way, who changed my clothes?”
“They were… torn, and you weren’t breathing properly… I couldn’t just leave you like that. You were soaked in sweat and covered in mud…”
“Don’t tell me…!”
“I closed my eyes…”
“So you still groped around?”
Good grief.
The wider my eyes grew, the more Ash’s face flushed with panic.
Teasing him was fun. He was so genuinely good-natured that he fell for it every time.
“I saved your life and this is how you repay me? How shameless! Where’s your gratitude?”
“I’m sorry…”
“This won’t do! Take responsibility!”
It was a joke.
“…Really? Would that be all right?”
This time I was the one caught off guard.
This idiot wasn’t supposed to light up like that! Ash’s expression had never been brighter.
“What are you doing!”
“Pardon?”
“You’re supposed to react like Chad! Call me crazy! What are you supposed to do if you answer seriously? Are you insane?”
If I’m not crazy, then you are! My raw throat made my shout hoarse. Ash wilted again, and I was forced to acknowledge an inconvenient truth.
Does this guy… like me?
My stomach was still unsettled, so I only managed two bowls of soup. When I was sick, I lost my appetite and couldn’t think straight. At times like this, I needed to clear my head.
“Ash.”
“Yes, Jeanie.”
“I want to wash. Take me to the lake.”
The lake was a bit far to walk, and I didn’t have the strength to ride alone right now.
Ash, who had been organizing luggage outside, immediately stopped what he was doing and brought the horse. The fact that he obeyed without a single complaint made me suspicious all over again.
I’d thought he was just a well-mannered guy, but was he especially obedient only toward me?
Yet wasn’t he the type who was kind to everyone?
My questions only deepened by the time we reached the lakeside.
“Keep watch for me…”
“Understood.”
He really does listen well. Ash nodded and even drew his sword.
Weren’t you the type who almost never drew your sword…?
Even when people openly picked fights with him, he never touched it. Only when bandits shoved an axe in his face would he reluctantly pull it out.
What a strange man. I scratched my chin while watching Ash stand rigidly on guard, scanning the surroundings. Then I scratched my forearms, shoulders, waist, and the back of my neck.
Damn it! If you’re going to change someone’s clothes, at least wipe them down with a wet cloth first!
I’m an extremely clean person!
Being left covered in mud for two whole days had me feeling so gross I thought I might die.
Unable to stand the itching any longer, I stripped everything off.
I’d think later. First, I needed to wash and feel refreshed. Then my brain would start working properly again.
I glanced at Ash, who was deliberately looking the other way, and waded into the water.
To my feverish body, the lake felt icy and wonderfully refreshing.
“Haa…”
I went in deep, submerged myself completely, then came back up. Rai stuck to my side like a shadow the entire time.
His wolf form only reached my waist, so when he went underwater his whole body disappeared from view. But since Rai didn’t need to breathe, there was no problem.
“Rai.”
Bubble bubble?
“Stop messing around.”
What’s so serious all of a sudden?
“I’m pretty sharp, aren’t I?”
Worried my voice might carry to Ash, I kept only my eyes above water and attempted a secret conversation.
Whispering with Rai inside my head was as easy as breathing while lying down.
Ah… well, you’re free to misunderstand…
Anyway. Doesn’t it seem like Ash likes me?
That’s something you’d notice even without being perceptive.
…So you think so too?
I’ve been telling you. You’re so suspicious.
It wasn’t the first time someone had liked me. There was Bright, and a few others whose names I couldn’t even remember.
They’d all said I wasn’t worth dying over, though.
Of course, I’m amazing, strong, beautiful, elegant, incredibly capable, and the benefactor who saved his life multiple times.
With a filthy personality that kills anyone she considers an enemy without hesitation…
So the fact that he likes someone like me means his taste is rather refined, doesn’t it?
Everyone except Master knew Ash liked you. It wasn’t even a secret. Anyone could tell just by looking. Even while you were unconscious, that guy was so heartbroken he didn’t drink a single drop of water.
“He did?”
He hadn’t shown any sign of it when I woke up.
I slowly walked out of the water.
Yes! He was so depressed it was hard to watch… so I went out to play.
“You little—”
Don’t misunderstand. I didn’t want to go play. But there’s a huge mine over there? Want to go see it together?
“Your master is sick.”
Once on shore, I habitually dunked my shirt and underclothes in the water a few times to rinse them lightly.
If I could summon Undine, I’d wash them properly before removing the moisture…
“Oh, right.”
Right now I was as weak as Lox. With severe internal injuries, it would be several more days before I could call Undine. At least Rai was here, so safety wasn’t an issue.
I struggled into the wet shirt.
Soaking it had been a mistake—the fabric clung to every part of my body.
I trudged back to Ash.
“Ash! Let’s go back now.”
“Yes, let’s head ba—”
“What?”
“Uh, ugh…?”
Ah. The wet shirt must look indecent. It was probably too stimulating for our innocent Ash.
…Master, it’s about time you started seeing him as a man.
Rai said that, but it wasn’t something I could control.
No matter how much bigger or stronger he had become, the Ash inside my mind was still stuck on the beautiful boy I had first seen.
The fact that he liked me was kind of cute and endearing… but that was it.
Poor Ash…