The Scent of Blood
“Did I… do something wrong?”
“The poison that struck Eins squad member today was a deadly toxin called Barga. Fortunately the wound was small and emergency treatment was administered quickly, but honestly, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had died on the spot. It was severe enough to require a top-grade antidote.”
“Ah.”
That’s a relief.
It seemed my secret hadn’t been exposed to Valeska Heinchel.
And I could guess what she was trying to say.
“A top-grade antidote, you say.”
Top-grade antidotes were expensive.
Far too extravagant to use on a mere low-ranking field agent.
“I’m sorry, but could you deduct the cost of the antidote from my salary each month so I can repay—”
“I won’t.”
Dr. Heinchel suddenly snapped in irritation, spun on her heel, and stormed out of the hospital room.
I even heard her shout, “The nerve, talking about the antidote’s price!”
Wasn’t she the one demanding money?
I tilted my head in confusion when Decon Gold let out a small chuckle.
“Dr. Heinchel probably just wanted to tell you to be more careful from now on. Despite how she acts, she has a very caring personality and worries about a lot of things.”
“Worries… about me?”
Valeska Heinchel wasn’t one of the Seven Stars, but she was clearly part of Knox’s leadership.
Yet a high-ranking executive was worried about a disposable foot soldier?
That was no different from lamenting the loss of a bar of laundry soap.
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment, and Decon Gold only piled on.
“It’s not just Dr. Heinchel. I was worried about you too, Runelk. I was afraid something might happen to you.”
He even gently patted my shoulder.
“You are my benefactor, Runelk. If the Green Merchants’ leader had actually succeeded in harming His Grace…”
The handsome blond man furrowed his brow slightly, as if the mere thought was horrifying.
“The Gold family never forgets a favor. Thank you, Runelk.”
Decon Gold, the Knox merchant leader infamous for wringing every last coin from his trading partners.
The same ruthless man who had set fire to a farm owner’s wheat fields after being deceived on pricing, burning the entire vast plain to ash without a drop of blood or tear… wasn’t he?
I was at a loss for words, staring at this good-looking man smiling sweetly with his slightly drooping eyes sparkling, wondering if he was really the Decon Gold I knew.
Knock, knock.
The visitor was Dupont Clancher.
The man, tall enough to fill the entire doorframe, looked noticeably more exhausted than before.
“…You’re awake.”
“You’ve arrived, Sir Dupont.”
Decon Gold rose from his seat and gave a perfectly polite bow.
Even among the Seven Stars of Knox, there was a clear hierarchy.
Decon Gold currently ranked fifth.
In front of Dupont Clancher, Killian Knox’s right-hand man and the first among the Stars, he stood at rigid attention.
Dupont gave a slight nod to acknowledge the greeting, then turned his gaze toward me.
“Good evening, sir.”
“Yes. You’re Runelk Eins of the field squad, correct?”
Within his deeply shadowed, fatigue-laden eyes, a sharp gaze swept over me.
Of course I looked suspicious.
A low-ranking member who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere had stopped an assassin targeting a duke.
If something like this had happened in the Wickers, they would have hung the assassin and me side by side for interrogation.
“You’re the squad member who received His Grace’s bathwater.”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
What a monstrous memory.
He had only brushed past for a moment, yet he remembered that detail.
Did he use expensive medicine to keep me alive for questioning?
I was thinking that Knox truly could not be underestimated when—
“Well done.”
Dupont Clancher spoke while pressing hard on his temples, brow furrowed.
“His Grace has sent word praising Squad Member Eins for his courage and sacrifice.”
Courage? Sacrifice?
As I blinked at words that had nothing to do with me, Decon Gold seemed to interpret my reaction differently.
“There’s no need to feel embarrassed, Runelk. Not just anyone can throw their body in front of their lord. You deserve the praise.”
Because my body had become frail after changing gender, it looked like I had recklessly charged in after seeing danger rather than actually subduing the assassin.
I had intervened out of urgency, but since I had to continue pretending to be a mere low-ranking member, this was actually better for me.
That aside, they still hadn’t told me the most important thing.
“Um, but what about His Grace…”
“His Grace is extremely busy,” Dupont Clancher cut in sharply.
“While your actions today were quite commendable, it is not something that warrants His Grace coming in person.”
“No, I was just trying to ask if His Grace is safe…”
What’s with him? Why is he so prickly?
Dupont Clancher seemed to realize his mistake and paused before rubbing his haggard face.
This is exactly why people need to sleep.
“I see. That’s what you meant. His Grace is safe.”
As he said that, he quietly glanced at Decon Gold. The moment he received that look, Decon Gold’s complexion turned deathly pale.
There was clearly something going on.
“I’m truly relieved to hear he’s unharmed.”
But it wasn’t any of my business.
As long as Killian Knox was still breathing, that was enough.
“Runelk truly respects His Grace from the bottom of his heart!”
Decon Gold exclaimed with sparkling eyes.
“Of course His Grace is stronger than anyone, but wanting to protect one’s lord more than anyone else is the heart of a loyal subordinate!”
It sounded like Decon Gold was the one who genuinely respected and admired Killian Knox.
“That’s right. His Grace is an important person.”
At the very least, he was an indispensable existence for my peaceful life in hiding.
When I nodded vaguely, thinking it didn’t really matter, Decon Gold’s smile bloomed even brighter.
He seemed to think he had found a kindred spirit.
“A special bonus will be paid out shortly.”
“A special bonus?”
A smile bloomed across my face too.
I had only seen Killian Knox as a stingy bastard, but it turned out he knew proper etiquette!
“I only did what was naturally expected. Thank you!”
I absolutely did not refuse.
What if they actually took it back?
Instead, I grinned widely without hiding my delight. Dupont Clancher’s expression turned strange.
“…He really is just a kid.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind. Get some rest.”
With those words, Dupont left the hospital room.
“If you’re curious about the bonus amount, shall I look into it for you in advance?”
“You don’t have to go that far, but… how much do you think it will be?”
“Hmm, usually…”
I let Decon Gold’s voice drift past as I stared at the spot where Dupont had been standing.
In the place he had briefly occupied, a faint scent of blood lingered.
“Runelk, what did I tell you earlier?”
“You said if I get a stomachache or feel strange while sleeping, I must pull the cord to ring the bell.”
That won’t happen.
It was true that a deadly poison like Barga could cause various aftereffects.
But that only applied to ordinary people who had never been exposed to toxins before.
I had resistance to most poisons, and I had even taken a top-grade antidote. There was no way problems would arise later.
“You remember well. Never foolishly endure it. Understood?”
“Yes, Doctor.”
When I nodded obediently, Valeska Heinchel let out a small sigh.
“Squad Member Runelk Eins, how old did you say you were this year?”
“Eighteen.”
“A legal adult, then.”
The laws of the Bernheim Empire considered someone an adult after their eighteenth birthday.
So Runelk Eins was indeed an adult.
Even so, Dr. Heinchel muttered sullenly.
“To think they’re dragging in children who are practically newborns…”
At this rate, I would be stuck listening to the doctor’s complaints in the darkened hospital room all night. I smiled and tried to soothe her.
“I’m really fine, so please go home, Doctor. It’s already late.”
“Alright. See you tomorrow.”
Heinchel waved her hand and disappeared.
Click.
The moment the door closed, I flopped onto the bed. It was impossibly soft and cozy.
“Knox even has nice hospital beds.”
The beds at the Wickers infirmary, where I had stayed multiple times, had been painfully hard.
‘You did very well.’
I inwardly praised my past self for choosing Knox as the place to hide after killing Benedict Wickers.
From what I had experienced firsthand over the past year, Knox was far more livable than I had expected.
The organization was well-structured, and because it was much larger than the Wickers, there were appropriately loose areas as well.
The field squad I belonged to was one of them.
‘Above all, they’re quite generous to their members.’
I smiled as I gently ran my fingers over the soft bedding.
It was annoying that the hospital blanket was of higher quality than the one in my own quarters, but at least I could sleep more comfortably tonight.
I would live comfortably like this for a few more years before slipping away.
By then, that bastard Edward’s thirst for revenge should have cooled somewhat.
They couldn’t keep Wickers personnel stationed around ports and train stations forever.
So when the time was right, I could change my identity once more and cross over to the Western Continent.
I had a relative who went to the Western Continent long ago… what was that person’s name again?
My endlessly wandering thoughts finally dragged sleep along with them.
Every time my heavy eyelids blinked, the dim ceiling appeared and disappeared.
‘What was that smell of blood?’
Suddenly, the faint scent of blood I had caught from Dupont Clancher during the day came to mind.
It didn’t seem like he himself was injured. It was as if the smell had unknowingly soaked into his clothes and hair.
Could Killian Knox have been hurt?
I had been too busy giving emergency treatment and hadn’t been able to check on Killian Knox’s condition.
‘…He must still be alive.’
After all, it was Dupont Clancher himself who had said so.
With that final thought, I fell into a deep sleep.
Whether because of the hectic day or the excellent hospital bedding, I seemed to have had a pleasant dream.
At least until I heard the stealthy footsteps approaching, carefully muffled.