Chapter 26
The Male Lead Went Crazy for the Troublesome Villainess — Episode 26
The expedition departed the next morning.
Lillia's fever hadn't gone down since the night before, so in the end they put her on a supply wagon. They shoved the grain sacks to one side, spread two blankets to barely make a space, and laid her down, but the child lying there looked so small that it weighed on me.
I rode in the wagon with her.
There was no way I could leave Lillia in that state alone in a jolting cargo bed.
Lillia didn't come to and open her eyes until nearly noon. It was around the time when we stopped briefly to fill our stomachs with simple rice balls and jerky.
"Rosana......."
"Oh, you're awake? How do you feel?"
I set down what I was eating and carefully propped up Lillia's upper body. Once I got her to drink a few sips of water, the child murmured in a small voice.
"My head hurts. And I'm cold."
Watching the child sip the water, I finally felt a little relieved.
Lillia wrapped herself in the blanket and fell asleep again. I wondered if we should let her rest a little longer, but the column seemed to be in a hurry. After making sure the child was asleep, I climbed down from the wagon for a moment.
"Why are we in such a hurry? Did monsters show up?"
I stopped Register and asked with a tense expression. He answered with a troubled look.
"The tents are damaged. We're trying to get near a village as quickly as possible."
"And until we arrive?"
Register glanced up at the sky once, then trailed off.
"......We'll have to hope it doesn't rain."
I looked up at the sky too. The clouds that had been hanging low since morning seemed thicker than before.
Nah, no way.
* * *
Apparently, tempting fate by saying 'no way' worked the same in every world. My bad feeling became reality.
The wounded went into the tents that were still intact first, and the small children and Lillia took a spot on one side of a supply wagon to spend the night. The rest of the people crammed themselves into the spare tents as much as possible, and even so, dozens were pushed outside the tents.
"My lady, please go inside."
When someone tried to give up their spot for me, I waved my hands and refused. As it was, the inside of the tent was so packed with people that you couldn't even turn over, and more than anything, if I went in, someone else would have to sleep outside.
Honestly, sleeping in places like this was familiar to me. What hadn't I done while serving in special forces?
The problem was that my current body was different from back then. Still, I'd trained this much, so I must have gotten at least somewhat stronger. I fiddled with my forearm, which had put on a bit more muscle.
Mm, nice! People really do need muscle.
* * *
And when the night grew deep, it finally started to rain.
At first it was only a drizzle. But after midnight the rain grew heavier, and eventually it began pouring.
Once the ground became waterlogged, the rest happened fast.
After about an hour, every step sank to my ankles. The soil had turned to mush, and the mud clung to my shoes and tried to pull them off with every step. Naturally, there was nowhere to lie down.
The blankets had long since soaked through. People wore raincoats made of tarpaulin and sat perched on the baggage with their faces buried in their knees. Some took shelter from the rain under trees. Under the tents the situation was somewhat better, but they looked just as uncomfortable from the rain blowing in.
I checked inside the supply wagon.
"Is rain getting in there?"
The ones riding in the wagon were the most vulnerable: the young children. The children huddled together nodded.
I sat crouched with my back against a wagon wheel too.
My wet clothes clung to my body. Every time the wind blew, the wet fabric seemed to steal away my body heat bit by bit.
In my previous life, I had spent countless nights worse than this in the name of training. But back then I had been twenty, put through six hours of training a day, and had a body tough enough to take it.
"Achoo."
I sneezed quietly and rubbed my nose. My body really is weak, so even this isn't easy.
"My lady."
A voice came from beside me along with the sound of chattering teeth. It was Vanessa, crouched with her back against a wagon wheel just like me.
"Can't sleep?"
"Is there anyone sleeping in this situation?"
"Over there."
Where I pointed with my chin, a knight was snoring with his face buried in a baggage sack. Vanessa laughed as if dumbfounded, but that laughter soon faded.
Vanessa and I talked in low voices as we waited for the rain to stop. Seeing Vanessa's pale face, worry came over me. She's definitely going to catch a cold. One hundred percent.
* * *
Kael couldn't sleep either. Kael studied the night sky. This was no ordinary rain. Mixed into the smell of rain was a fishy, sticky odor.
Kael narrowed his eyes. The scouts returned and reported to him.
"......As you said, we confirmed that the Toad Clan moved through the area nearby."
Kael let out a sigh.
"Which direction did they move? If the rain is falling this heavily, something must have happened."
"It seems to be their spawning season. Animal bones were scattered everywhere. They appear to be following their prey and bringing the rain with them. We confirmed that they moved southeast."
Kael glared at the night sky. The creatures were clearly moving in the same direction as them. They were targeting the village.
Kael gritted his teeth.
"We'll hurry and move as soon as dawn breaks. Those who can prepare should prepare in advance."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Kael had just given the order and was about to catch his breath.
"Ahaha."
A small laugh reached him. It was quiet, as if mindful of the sleeping people, but it was definitely Rosana.
Kael moved toward where Rosana was as if spellbound.
As if this were a pleasant tea break, Rosana sat beside Vanessa, laughing and chatting as though nothing around them could spoil her mood.
"......I really want to drink a cup of warm cocoa."
At Vanessa's grumbling, Rosana shot back.
"I'd want marshmallows floating in mine too. And not one cup for me—two. Ugh... I'll be able to drink some soon."
"How can you be so sure? Last night, when I saw the monsters, I realized I really might die!"
Vanessa said, trembling. For everyone except those with combat experience, yesterday had probably been their first time seeing monsters. That went not only for Vanessa but for Rosana too.
Kael, seized by an emotion he couldn't name, stared at Rosana with bated breath.
Vanessa's face was pale as a sheet.
"Wasn't it truly horrifying? Rosana, I was really scared. We can succeed, right? They say Greystone has so many of those things......."
Rosana smiled softly.
"At least they're enemies with bodies we can actually fight. And there are people who have been fighting them all this time. Vanessa, once you start doubting, that doubt will turn into fear. Don't feed it for no reason."
Kael watched Rosana pinch Vanessa's nose after speaking to her gently.
"If you've got enough energy to worry about pointless things, you must be feeling pretty comfortable lately. Sounds like you need more training. Oh, oh."
Rosana felt Vanessa's arms here and there, then spoke.
"You've put on some muscle after all! Good heavens, even on your calves!"
"Eek!"
Rosana burst out laughing.
"Wow. Your odds of survival just went up by 20 percent, Vanessa!"
As if that wasn't so bad, Vanessa asked with a smiling face.
"What were the odds before?"
"......Zero percent?"
"That's too mean, Rosana......."
Watching the two of them bicker, even Kael found himself laughing. For a moment, the problems facing them seemed almost insignificant. Rosana had a gift for finding something to laugh about even in grim situations.
