Chapter 27
The Male Lead Went Crazy for the Troublesome Villainess — Episode 27
When morning came, the campsite was a wreck.
The rain had stopped before dawn, but the ground had turned into a swamp. The wagon wheels had sunk deep into the muck, and it had taken several strong men hauling together to pull them free. In the process, nearly half the baggage had gotten soaked. Two sacks of flour were completely ruined.
That wasn't all. One of the men who had been hauling the baggage was practically dragging one leg as he walked. Looking closely, he couldn't even plant his foot properly.
"Are you hurt somewhere?"
"My foot's just a bit sore. It's nothing."
It didn't look like nothing.
I went straight to find the healer. The healer accompanying the expedition was an older man, and he happened to be coming out of the infirmary tent.
"Could you take a look at that man's foot over there?"
"His foot, you say?"
"Yes."
Actually, I had seen cases like this before. I remembered my comrades having a pretty rough time of it.
The healer tilted his head, then checked the man's foot. After being soaked all night, the sole was pale and waterlogged, and the skin between his toes had peeled and was oozing.
"......This is."
"It's from being soaked for so long. If he keeps walking like this, the skin will peel off, and then it'll fester."
The healer glanced at me.
"How do you know that, my lady?"
I laughed awkwardly. In my previous life, I had experienced it myself, but the current Rosana hadn't. I shrugged and said,
"I've seen something similar before."
He thought for a moment, then examined the man's foot again.
"The skin damage is quite severe. A few days of rest, keeping his feet dry, and applying medicine should help."
"Will he be the only one?"
He wouldn't be the only one. The healer needed to realize that.
The healer looked at me.
"How many people were out in the rain all night?"
Fortunately, the healer seemed to have grasped the situation before I had to spell it out. He straightened up and looked around the unit.
"......I should check the others' feet as well."
* * *
The results were worse than expected.
Just from the healer's quick sweep, more than twenty people had damaged feet. Most of those who had endured the night outside were showing symptoms to one degree or another.
The soldiers were mostly fine, but the condition was serious among the others, many of whom had never walked long distances before. They didn't even know why their feet were blistering.
The healer reported to Kael right away, and soon after, I was summoned too.
Kael asked with a cool expression. The worse the crisis, the colder he seemed to become.
"Their condition?"
"Those with severe cases would do best not to walk for a while. If the wounds are washed, medicated, and thoroughly dried, they should improve, but......."
The healer trailed off. His expression was as overcast as a sky full of dark clouds.
"The problem is that the number of people showing the same symptoms keeps growing. So many were out in the rain all night that even those who look fine now are hard to feel reassured about."
Kael's expression hardened. Solve one problem, and another appeared.
"The ones who came along on this expedition unwillingly seem to be suffering especially badly."
"You mean the young ladies?"
"No. Those ladies......."
The healer glanced at me.
"Lady Rosana seems to have been taking good care of them."
Of course I had. I'd warned them in advance: don't just put lotion on your face. Wash and dry your feet too, and use lotion there as well. Take care of yourself as thoroughly as you can.
'You want me to wash my own feet?'
'Well, should I wash them for you?'
'Y-you, my lady, washing my feet? No, that's not what I meant.......'
'Shall I ask a passerby to do it?'
Convincing the pouting young ladies had been a bit of an ordeal, though.
I felt Kael's gaze on me. Why is he looking? Do I have something on my face? I fiddled with my face, then gave him a bright smile.
Kael slowly turned his gaze away.
"Then you're saying today's march will be difficult?"
"In my opinion, at least for those in severe condition......."
"No."
I cut in before I knew it. Every gaze snapped to me at once. Ugh. You didn't blow up a dam just to stop a trickle.
"Letting only a few people rest won't do any good."
Memories from my previous life surfaced. The longer the march went on, the sooner feet broke down. At first it was just a little stinging and uncomfortable. Ignore it and keep walking, and the skin peeled off. When it got bad, even putting on combat boots became difficult.
More than anything, with this sort of thing, treating people only after they were already in pain wasn't enough.
"Everyone who was out in the rain all night needs their feet checked. Even the people who still seem fine. Feet and shoes need to be washed clean and dried completely, and anyone with wounds needs treatment. I'd appreciate it if you'd take into account that many people here still aren't used to this march."
The healer nodded.
"If circumstances allow, my lady is right."
Kael fell into thought for a moment.
"How much time do you need?"
"How about delaying our departure this morning? After everyone is checked, we can put the worst cases on the baggage wagons instead of making them walk."
I thought for a moment, then added.
Kael looked at the healer.
"Can it be done?"
"Yes. That much is manageable. I'll assign people as well and keep a separate watch on those in severe condition."
Having made his decision, Kael gave the order at once.
"Millus. Delay this morning's departure by two hours. Have everyone's feet checked, and make sure wet feet and shoes are dried. Put the worst cases on the baggage wagons."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Once the order was given, fires sprang up throughout the camp.
I still vividly remembered hobbling around in my previous life with feet so badly waterlogged I could not even put on my combat boots. Back then, my senior had drilled one thing into me until I was sick of hearing it: your health is your own responsibility.
'Forget the idea that someone will help you! This is the military.'
At the time, I'd thought that was really cold. It didn't take long to realize it was the truth.
* * *
It was while preparations for departure were in full swing.
A commotion broke out over by the baggage wagons. I ran over to see what was going on, and found Lillia, who had been lying down, sitting up at some point.
"Lillia?"
The child didn't look at me. She was staring blankly at some point in the air, only her lips moving. I quickly understood why people were stirring. Lillia murmured in a small voice.
"Water...... water is coming."
A chill ran down my spine. I went to Lillia's side and sat down carefully, drew the child's gaze to me, then asked in a quiet voice.
"Lillia, what water is coming?"
"The valley is flooding. It's all flooding. Ah! The water keeps rising."
Hearing the commotion, people had gathered one by one and were holding their breath. A cleric hastily dropped to their knees. Beyond the cleric, I caught sight of Kael's rigid face.
"Croak. Croak. Something is crying really loudly. I don't know what it is. Ugh, it's so gross."
Lillia kept muttering.
"Eyes...... there are so many eyes."
With those words, the strength went out of Lillia's body. I hurriedly caught her, but she had already lost consciousness. Her forehead was burning hot again.
All around was quiet. The sound of someone swallowing rang out especially loudly. Kael was talking with Millus, his face grave.
Had there been something like this in the original? Before reaching Greystone, I thought the only monsters they had encountered were the Spider Clan.
Something was changing, and I had no idea what was causing it. I gritted my teeth.