The Overheard Confession
“Yes, after taking it, please let me know if you feel any lumps or hardness anywhere. Internal injuries come in many varieties, so I need to understand exactly where and how you’re uncomfortable, and how deep the injury goes, before I can prepare the right medicine.”
Though skeptical, I drank it anyway since she was the expert.
It was definitely much more palatable than the stuff Ash usually made. If his tasted like the raw scream of nature, hers was refined, clean, and mild—smooth going down and far less foul. At least I didn’t feel like retching while drinking it.
I’d apparently reached the point where I could critique the flavor of internal-injury medicine. Not exactly a skill I wanted to expand.
“Tastes decent.”
“Right? Some people say it’s too much for them.”
“I’ve had worse.”
“You really don’t exaggerate, do you, Miss Jeanie? I was a little worried because you looked so reluctant… The reaction should appear within fifteen minutes, so don’t be startled. Just tell me whatever you feel, as comfortably as you can.”
Akia, who spoke softly and smiled at everything, wasn’t difficult to deal with. She was genuinely kind and overflowing with warmth; finding a reason to dislike her would have been harder than liking her.
“I’m glad I get to travel with good people. When I saw Mr. Chad scouring the whole town for a doctor for his companion, I thought this man was someone I could trust. I felt certain it would be safe to journey with you.”
“Traveling alone to the capital as a woman isn’t easy. Even if you hire mercenaries, there are plenty of rough types out there… You made the right choice.”
“Exactly. Ah, my master is in Helicke. She runs a hospital and asked me to come help because they’re short on doctors. With so many people gathering to see the Tumdra, work has increased quite a bit.”
Work for a doctor meant patients.
The capital already sounded like it was drowning in incidents and accidents. Where people gathered, fights were inevitable, and fights meant someone would die or get hurt. Since the crowd had come to watch a legendary duel, they’d probably enjoy duels themselves. Blood was likely flying in every direction. I could already picture how chaotic the capital had become.
“Sounds exhausting. Isn’t this festival season in Helicke anyway?”
“It is. It’s one of the largest festivals on the continent. Aside from Elan’s founding anniversary, it’s the biggest and draws the most people. This year the Tumdra has the whole country in an uproar.”
“Joking aside, people are saying it feels like the entire continent has gathered on this island nation.”
When I chuckled, Akia looked delighted, as if my simply responding to her was a joy.
“Yes! It really does feel that way with how many people have arrived… I’ve never seen anything like it. Since many locals make their living from tourism, it’s a welcome situation. Everyone says you have to row while the tide is in, so they all rushed up to the capital early. The smaller villages are practically empty now.”
“Really?”
“I should have left sooner too, but there was a patient I couldn’t leave behind, so my departure was delayed.”
“Hm? Then why not just take a warp?”
“Well… it’s very expensive. And a little… frightening. The idea that my body could be somewhere else in an instant doesn’t feel real.”
“Magic is like that.”
It was a privilege reserved for nobles and the wealthy, and to ordinary people it felt unfamiliar and therefore terrifying.
“I grew up in an orphanage run by the temple, so maybe that’s why magic feels even scarier to me. I was taught that powers other than holy power aren’t gifts from the gods and can corrupt humans. That people who become intoxicated by such power walk a wicked path.”
Priests and mages held quite opposing worldviews. Priests saw every miracle as the grace of a great god, while mages performed miracles themselves and therefore considered themselves the greatest. Priests tended to view magic as profane and looked down on it, believing that only power granted by the gods was sacred. Naturally, the proud mages didn’t appreciate that treatment. Their relationship was poor, to put it mildly—constantly trying to one-up each other.
“I read the scriptures every day and learned how to use medicinal herbs… Whenever I mention it, people always ask why I didn’t become a priest instead. They say it would have been better that way.”
“Ha? Is becoming a priest that easy? From what I hear, those positions are mostly taken by noble bastards or a handful of talented people who claimed spots early. There aren’t even that many openings.”
“You know it well. Yes, and I wanted to live as an ordinary person rather than walk the path of a priest. I wanted to fall in love someday… like my parents did. They were very close.”
Growing up in an orphanage meant she’d lost her parents, so there was no need to ask further. I fiddled with the curtain by the window.
“Would you tell me your story too, Miss Jeanie?”
“Me?”
“Yes!”
This doctor seemed eager to get close to me… but I wasn’t that easy. Liking someone and being close to them were two different things.
“I don’t have anything to say. I don’t really like talking about myself. If you just want someone to listen while we travel, I can do that.”
My closest friend Mia had been exactly this type. She’d chatter away without prompting, and just by listening I could roughly grasp everything happening at the academy. Now that I thought about it, Iruse was the same. Huh? Rai too. I sure had a lot of chatterboxes around me.
“You’re very kind.”
“Huh…?”
“Preferring to listen to others rather than talk about yourself… that’s what it means, right?”
“……No? My friends are just such chatterboxes that I’m used to it. They talk one-sidedly. I don’t say anything.”
“Oh my, you must be very loved. It means you’re someone people can truly rely on. Someone they can tell their stories to without feeling empty afterward. Sharing your story with just anyone isn’t enjoyable, after all.”
What a strange girl! She was so relentlessly positive that I couldn’t adjust. We still had at least a week of carriage travel ahead, and I was already worried about how awkward this was going to be.
“It’s not like that, so could you stop taking an interest in me?”
I openly turned my gaze to my book. Judging by her behavior, she’d keep talking anyway, so I’d just half-listen and pretend not to.
“Still, I was lucky for someone who grew up in an orphanage. Being able to become a doctor is thanks to meeting a wonderful master. Even though I’m a girl, she didn’t mind and took me as her disciple.”
“……”
“You might not know this, but almost all the children who get adopted are boys. They can be used as labor for the household. But girls… most of them are taken under the pretense of employment… You probably don’t know, but there are very few places you can trust.”
I’d intended to let it go in one ear and out the other, but Akia’s voice was somehow clearer than the water-stained, illegible text in my book. Eventually I gave up, closed the book, set it down, and rested my chin on my hand, staring at her with displeasure. Let’s see how far she’d go.
“Hehe, fortunately, I quite like talking about myself.”
“……Is that so?”
“And I really want to become close with you, Miss Jeanie. Who knows? By the time we reach Helicke, we might already be best friends.”
“You’ll probably marry Ash first.”
It was basically impossible, but Akia’s face lit up and she even clapped her hands.
“I’ve been wanting to ask about that too! What exactly is your relationship with Miss Jeanie and the captain?”
“Ash? Ash and me?”
“Yes!”
“What do you mean? We’re just friends.”
“Oh? I was certain you were lovers or engaged. Mr. Chad kept saying how worried the captain was about you the whole way here. He said he went to fetch a doctor because he was afraid the two of you would end up bedridden…”
“Ah, I heard. Something about him refusing to eat or drink?”
It was fine. Someone like Ash, a swordsman, had such strong stamina that he wouldn’t die from fasting for three days. I remained indifferent, but Akia looked genuinely excited, as if it were something extraordinary.
“Then you’re not ordinary friends, are you? Mr. Chad said the captain was so depressed that when he casually asked if he should go find a doctor, the captain’s eyes finally lit up. He thought, ‘This guy’s seriously ill,’ and rushed off. It’s obvious! The captain… he likes you, Miss Jeanie…”
Look at that sly glint in the innocent girl’s eyes. Akia definitely enjoyed love stories.
“I know. He likes me.”
“Oh my, oh my!”
“But we’re still just friends.”
“What? That can’t be! If that’s all there is between you, there must be something else!”
“Well, we kiss sometimes, so maybe we can call it a little special instead of ‘just’?”
Knock, knock.
“Sometimes… you what…? You said that so naturally just now.”
“Just?”
“No.”
“Kiss.”
“……Gasp.”
“Kissing feels pretty good, actually. Plus, Ash puts his whole heart into everything, so he’s really cute. It’s fun to watch him…”
Knock……
Bang bang!
“Jeanie!”
“Ah! What is it?”
Why was he making such a racket? I yanked the curtain aside to find Ash pounding on the window like he meant to break it. He was on horseback, riding close to the carriage and shoving his face right up to the glass.
“What’s with the dangerous stunt?”
“I… I heard everything!”
His desperately muttered face looked strangely red. I calmly assessed the situation. Enk and Gail were in the driver’s seat of our carriage, while Chad and Ash each rode a horse, guarding the front and rear. If Ash, who’d been up front, had heard, then the rest of the party had probably heard most of it too.
Well… this was awkward.
The situation was very awkward.
I blinked exactly three times. Then I shouted.
Counterattack! First strike wins!
“Don’t eavesdrop! That’s so rude!”
“It’s not eavesdropping if it just reaches my ears!”
Swordsmen were always like this. People with superior physical abilities were annoying sometimes. Because of them, I always had to walk at least five minutes to the bathroom to keep it as far away as possible.
“Ugh! Don’t you people have any privacy? Do you have to keep your ears open all the time? Why don’t you all wear earplugs while you’re at it!”
“Then we couldn’t prepare for an ambush! We have to stay alert to our surroundings at all times…”
“Can’t you just be a little dull for once?”
“……That’s not possible.”
Of course it wasn’t. I knew that, but I’d said it anyway. It was embarrassing, and I didn’t want to show it, so there was nothing else to do but act like it didn’t bother me.
“So what if they know?”
“Everyone… found out.”
“I don’t mind?”
That, at least, was sincere. I still had my chin resting on my hand, elbow against the window frame. Watching Ash’s face outside the glass flush repeatedly with embarrassment and mortification, I tapped the glass lightly and gave him a lazy smile.
“Why? Are you embarrassed that you kissed me?”
“Of course not. That’s not it, Jeanie!”
“Then it’s fine. No problem.”
“Jea……”
“Keep watch.”
Not wanting to be scolded, I quickly closed the curtain.
The one fortunate thing was that Lox wasn’t here. If he had been, one of us would probably have died today. Of course, the odds of it being me were lower than cracking Rai with an egg.
I only noticed Akia sitting frozen with her mouth open after I’d picked up my book again.
“Don’t mind it. Ash just worries a lot by nature.”
“……I see.”
The moment the curtain closed and separated inside from outside, chaos erupted beyond it. All sorts of voices came through. Ash seemed to be receiving a mix of congratulations and serious concern—concern for his life, specifically.
“Aaaagh! You bastard! When did you—! How could you do that! You’ve got no shame!”
“I didn’t think you were like that! You’re so sly! A complete backstab! The quiet cat climbs the roof first, huh? Do you want to die? One wrong move and you’re dead, you hear me!”
“Well, congratulations, I guess? Is that how this works? It feels completely one-sided. You’re okay with that, right? You’re fine?”
“At least there’s progress… Ah! I get it! You sent Lox away on purpose for this!”
“No! That’s a misunderstanding!”
“Well, after nearly dying, I guess you’d do anything. But the other person is… you’re sure it’s okay?”
I can hear you all, you idiots! Respect other people’s tastes! Anyone listening would think we were going to war. What if it wasn’t okay? I wanted to butt in and argue, but I didn’t want to be thrown into that mess, so for once I sat quietly. I’d pretend not to notice that Ash had become the prey. Since I was partly responsible, I could give him a kiss later as thanks.