Chapter 70
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Chapter 70
"Family? Are you talking about Edwin?"
"Yes. We promised to be brothers, didn't we?"
Lucian nodded and opened his mouth toward Edwin in a rather dignified tone.
"Brother Edwin! I told you to be careful—if you run around like that, you'll fall!"
Lucian's reproachful tone toward Edwin resembled mine quite closely.
"Sorry. I forgot."
Edwin stuck out his tongue and laughed with a goofy grin.
"Lucian, you should focus on yourself."
Amelia followed after Edwin with her remark.
Despite the sarcasm in her words, worry filled the child's face.
"You need to be careful out there."
"Okay! I'll come back with huge muscles!"
"Who told you to get huge muscles? Just don't cry when you see monsters."
"Understood...."
Lucian's shoulders, which had been brimming with confidence, sagged noticeably.
"Sister, please be careful too. I'll take good care of Edwin while you're gone!"
"Your words put my mind at ease."
I lifted the corners of my mouth as I watched Amelia speak so earnestly.
"Don't worry too much. Eat well, sleep well, and we'll be back soon with Uncle."
"Yes. Make sure you come back holding Uncle's hand, okay?"
"Huh?"
Why would I hold Claude's hand?
'She probably just meant for us to return safely together.'
I wanted to ask, but Amelia had already turned her body toward Claude.
"Uncle, since you've done this many times before, I won't worry too much, right?"
"That's right."
"Still, don't make me wait too long. I hate waiting now."
"Understood. I can't promise anything else, but I promise you that."
Claude bent his knees to match Amelia's eye level and extended his pinky finger. The child hooked her finger around his.
"I'll return safely."
"Okay."
The two of them locked eyes, and their lips curved upward simultaneously.
Soon after releasing their fingers, Claude shouted toward his team members.
"Everyone, take your positions!"
At his command, the team members quickly mounted their horses. Lucian and I also climbed into the carriage with the mages.
"Lucian, are you ready?"
"Yes!"
As Lucian nodded, the sound of a horn trumpet rang out.
The monster subjugation had begun.
* * *
"Lucian, are you alright inside?"
"Not really...."
Lucian's face was deathly pale. The nausea that had subsided was flaring up again.
"Ugh, I feel like I'm dying."
"Me too...."
The mages across from us were equally ashen-faced.
So fragile as glass beads, they said. It seemed mages were particularly susceptible to motion sickness.
With that in mind, I leaned my head out the Window.
"Duke, or rather, Commander. I think it would be best if we rested for a while. Everyone's condition is quite dire."
"Then let us make camp here for the day."
At Claude's gesture, the carriage that had been moving swiftly came to a halt. Soon, soldiers disembarked and began setting up a temporary Military Camp.
"Lucian, come down and get some fresh air. You'll feel better then."
"Mmm...."
I scooped up Lucian, who was drooping like blanched spinach.
"Let's go, Lucian."
Just as I opened the carriage door for Lucian.
"Urgh!"
The moment the door swung open, the female mage bolted out. The pale-faced male mage staggered after her, unsteady on his feet.
"Blegh."
Once the female mage found a secluded spot, she immediately began retching.
I set Lucian down on the ground and gently patted the mage's back.
"Are you alright?"
"Ugh.... Thank you, blech."
"Don't mention it. Just finish what you're doing at your own pace."
"Much obliged, ugh."
The woman nodded and returned her focus to emptying her stomach. The male mage crouched beside her, retching helplessly.
"This won't do."
I took Lucian straight to the Physician, from whom I obtained one children's motion sickness tablet and two adult tablets.
"Lucian, take this with water."
"It probably tastes awful."
"Who takes medicine for its taste?"
I gently pinched Lucian's nose and released it, then headed toward the two mages.
After emptying their stomachs, they seemed drained of all energy, sprawled out on the ground.
I offered them the medicine and water.
"It's motion sickness medicine. Please take it."
"Thank you...."
They accepted the tablets and water from me, swallowing the medicine in one gulp. A spring breeze drifted past at just that moment, cooling the perspiration on their foreheads.
"I'm finally starting to feel human again."
"That's a relief."
I extended my hand in turn to the mages lying on the ground, and they grasped it to pull themselves up.
"I should have introduced myself properly from the start, but I was too preoccupied with motion sickness to even mention my name."
A man scratched the bridge of his nose with an embarrassed expression and extended his right hand toward me.
"My apologies for the late introduction. I'm Ahin."
"I'm Melissa."
The woman also offered me her hand.
I shook hands with both of them in turn.
"It's wonderful to meet you. I'm Lucella Rilprey. This is my nephew, Lucian Bellomen. Lucian, say hello."
At my call, Lucian, who had been crouching on the ground observing ants, rose to his feet.
"I'm Lucian Bellomen. I'm seven years old."
Lucian proudly spread seven fingers. The mages' faces brightened at the sight.
"So this little friend is the one we need to lift into the sky."
"I'm not little, mister!"
"I'm not a mister, either."
"You look like a mister to anyone!"
"You look like a little one to anyone, Lucian."
Crackle. An invisible spark flew between the two of them.
"Ahin, is that really what you want to say to a child?"
Melissa smacked Ahin's back with a sharp sound.
"If you have time for that, go help with the camp preparations. We feel bad about being the only ones resting."
Melissa led Ahin toward the soldiers who were setting up tents. I followed behind them with Lucian.
"We'll help too."
"There's no need to overexert yourselves. Please rest over there."
"We can't do that."
Melissa rolled up her sleeves.
However, in the end, their assistance proved entirely useless.
"So staying still was the real help...."
Ahin muttered while staring at the wrinkled, haphazardly spread tent. It swayed with even the slightest breeze before eventually collapsing to the ground.
"We'll set it up again. Please go and sit down."
"Yes...."
"We're sorry...."
Melissa and Ahin trudged dejectedly into the already-completed Military Camp.
'They don't seem like bad people, at least.'
They were willing to attempt even tasks they weren't good at.
Of course, I myself wasn't particularly skilled with my hands either. All I managed to do was lay blankets and unfold sleeping bags inside the Military Camp.
Meanwhile, the soldiers quickly completed the makeshift Military Camp. It was a reasonably decent shelter that even blocked the night wind.
"Now that setup is finished, let's prepare dinner."
"We'll help with this one too!"
Before Claude could even finish speaking, Ahin and Melissa shot their hands up eagerly.
"Should we go into the Forest and catch some rabbits first?"
"I'm confident I can gather firewood."
Both their eyes blazed with enthusiasm.
"That won't be necessary. I'll make a simple stew with the meat and vegetables I brought."
"Then we'll chop the vegetables!"
The two of them rushed toward the supplies before Claude could even grant permission.
However, despite their boundless eagerness, the results were disastrous.
"Is this the right way to cut it...?"
Everything that passed through Melissa's hands emerged in bizarre shapes or crumbled to pieces.
"Aaah! Blood!"
Ahin had sliced his own finger instead of the vegetables.
"Go get that treated first."
Unable to bear the sight any longer, Raven sent both of them to the Physician.
"Yes...."
The shoulders of the two departing figures sagged in dejection as they left the fire.
"Aunt, are mages really incapable of doing anything besides magic?"
"...Let's stay quiet."
Meanwhile, the soldiers swiftly prepared the meal.
Soon, steaming bowls of stew were distributed one to each person.
"Let's eat."
We crouched before the fire and blew on our stew before eating.
This actually felt like camping—it was rather enjoyable.
"Ugh. This tastes awful."
Lucian frowned after taking a spoonful of stew.
"There's no flavor in this stew at all."
None of us were professional cooks, and we had to prepare food for many people in a short time, so it couldn't be helped.
"Bear with it a little longer. You promised me, remember? That you wouldn't complain."
"Hmph."
Lucian pouted his lips but lifted his spoon again. Still, he'd grown a bit—his willingness to keep his promise was admirable.
"I brought some spices with me. Would you like me to sprinkle some on if it tastes bland?"
Ahin asked as he withdrew a small bottle from inside his sleeve.
"Yes!"
Lucian promptly held out his bowl to Ahin.
Ahin sprinkled white spice over it a couple of times before returning the bowl to Lucian.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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