The Sage, Sage Lil (2)
To think the sage would call himself a fool.
Well, it wasn’t exactly wrong.
Suddenly, the first time I met Sage Lil came to mind.
“Save me, assassin. That is, if you truly value saving lives more than taking them.”
His eyes burned with venom, his mouth clamped shut in stubborn defiance, his body trembling bit by bit.
He seemed more furious at the thought of being unable to reveal his achievements than at the possibility he might die any second.
He feared being forgotten more than death itself.
Yet in the end, he chose to be temporarily forgotten rather than die.
All so he could wait for the day when his achievements would finally be known to the world.
“So maybe that’s why I unconsciously ended up relying on that damn bitch. She was the only outsider who still remembered me, after all.”
But that day had never come, and I—who had hidden him away—had died long before it could.
If I hadn’t been reborn in Rachel’s body, he might have remained forgotten in this place forever.
“You won’t be the only one anymore. Now that both I and His Highness the Prince know of your existence.”
My half-hearted attempt at comfort made Sage Lil snort with laughter.
“Ha! Is that how it works now?”
“And once you reach the imperial palace, even more people will remember you.”
“Damn it all. Don’t try to weasel your way out of this. Whether I go to that fucking palace is a completely separate issue.”
He wagged his finger, making it clear he wouldn’t be fooled so easily.
“If the little prince fails the test, there’s no chance in hell I’m setting foot in the palace. Got it?”
“...The test, you mean?”
“Yeah, I told you. He might end up being my last disciple in this lifetime, so I can’t just let any random bastard in.”
The sage bared his teeth in a crooked grin.
“Hey, you.”
Leo, who had appointed himself guide, suddenly threw the question at him.
“You’re not a priest, are you?”
The blunt strike at the truth made Edwin flinch hard.
“How did you know?”
“Old man Sage Lil hates priests more than anything. If you were a real one, there’s no way he’d let you inside. Plus that fake wound dressing.”
Leo pointed at Edwin’s hand coated in plaster.
“It looks decent at first, but anyone who looks close can tell it’s bullshit.”
“R-really?”
“Yeah. So what’s your real story? Why are you here? Wearing clothes that expensive, you some kind of big shot?”
At the sharp questions, Edwin found himself speechless.
He couldn’t reveal he was imperial family, and no convenient lie came to mind.
Even while hesitating, he caught himself worrying that Leo might snap at him for being so frustrating.
“Whatever. Doesn’t matter.”
Leo took one look at Edwin’s obvious panic and simply turned his head away.
“Anyway, wash that crappy disguise off right now. It’ll just get in the way while we work.”
“Ah, okay.”
“And if it’s hard to talk about why you came here, you don’t have to. I’m not that curious.”
Leo jerked his chin toward the axe slung over his own shoulder.
“Let’s just take a quick look around and head back. I still have to finish chopping firewood.”
Having said his piece, Leo strode forward without waiting for a reply.
In a way, it was practically the same as ignoring him.
Yet for some contradictory reason, Edwin felt an inexplicable sense of relief at the attitude.
They had only met today, so why did Leo feel more comfortable than any of the people he had met at the palace?
Edwin stood frozen for a long moment before hurrying after him.
Everyone described it so horribly that I thought it would be hell on earth, but…
Edwin walked the stone path cutting through the plague village, following Leo’s lead.
That was when he realized one crucial thing.
Not everyone suffering from the plague was simply waiting around to die.
“Leo? Nothing to help with today, so just head on back~ Tell old man Sage Lil I said hello!”
“Oh, Leo dear? Is the old man managing all right by himself? Here, I baked this bread this morning—take it to him, would you?”
“It’s big brother Leo! Brother! Let’s have a sword fight! Sword fight!”
The people of Luxen Village fought their illness while living each day more earnestly than anyone else.
Men tilling fields with bandages wrapped around their entire bodies. Women gathered at the washbasin doing laundry. Children waving tree branches in mock battle.
They actually looked happier than Edwin, who lived in the imperial palace. How ironic.
Edwin stared at the scene for a long time before lifting his gaze.
The sky above the plague village was blue, vast, and clear.
It looked almost no different from the one he saw from the imperial palace.
The young prince’s eyes sank deep with thought.
“Ugh.”
Edwin gagged at the unbearable stench.
I take back what I said about it not being any different.
Covering his nose and mouth with one hand, the young prince looked over at Leo on the other side.
Unlike himself, who recoiled from the mere smell of filth, Leo calmly wiped away the pus leaking from the bodies of the severely ill patients.
Today’s task was managing the hygiene of the severe cases.
They cleaned the houses, and for patients who couldn’t move easily, they washed their bodies and changed their clothes.
For Edwin, who had only ever been the one receiving care and never giving it, this was an incredibly difficult assignment.
The bodies of Scale Disease patients—where even a light touch made blood and pus drip freely—were more than the young prince could handle.
Leo sighed every time he saw Edwin retching at the sight of the patients’ boils and pus.
“Just stick to cleaning. You seem to have a knack for it.”
In the end, Edwin was put in charge of cleaning and awkwardly scrubbed the floors with a brush.
Imitating the palace maids made it look somewhat decent, at least.
While fighting back nausea and scrubbing, Edwin kept stealing glances at Leo, who silently tended to the patients.
Isn’t he scared at all?
Was he not afraid of catching the disease?
Did the sight of blood, pus, and filth not strike him as dirty?
How could he tend to the sick so matter-of-factly?
Leo seemed even more impressive now.
Unlike himself, he looked like the kind of person everyone wanted around.
Pathetic. I can’t even do this right.
Edwin let out a small sigh and went back to scrubbing.
Why is there nothing I’m good at? All I’ve ever learned is how to read and write, and that’s useless here.
At the same time, a strange question rose in his mind.
Then what makes me any different from the people here?
The young prince’s eyes widened at the thought that suddenly flashed through his head.
Unaware of the deeper meaning his own question carried.
“Hey, you okay?”
“Mm… yeah.”
Leo glanced back at the boy trailing behind him.
Edwin’s appearance was a complete mess compared to earlier.
The black dye in his hair had melted from sweat and streaked down his face, and his silk clothes were stained with dirt and filth.
But the young prince’s expression looked more serious than when they had first met.
Leo gave him a quick look, then continued walking in silence.
Hmm. Got some spine for a spoiled noble brat.
Cleaning up pus and excrement from plague patients was hard work that even the priests who volunteered regularly tried to avoid.
Yet the kid had carried out every order without a single complaint until the end.
Though he does have a weak stomach and zero talent for the actual work.
He hadn’t been impressed at first by the boy in expensive silk, but now he thought the kid was actually pretty useful.
At this point, he was starting to get genuinely curious about the boy’s real identity.
“Hey.”
“Um.”
Both of them spoke at the same time and awkwardly looked away.
“You first.”
When Leo scratched his head and yielded, Edwin lowered his head.
“...Um, I’m sorry.”
“What? Why are you sorry?”
Leo looked genuinely confused by the sudden apology.
“Well…”
Edwin hesitated, then quickly spilled the words in a small voice.
“It seems like I wasn’t much help today. I couldn’t do anything right and only caused trouble.”
“Trouble?”
For a kid, he used some pretty sophisticated words.
Leo let out a chuckle.
“Yeah, I guess you did. Must’ve lived pretty comfortably until now, huh? Can’t even do the things the little kids around here can handle.”
Even though life as a prince hadn’t exactly been comfortable, Edwin couldn’t find any words to respond.
“I tell you to fetch water and you almost fall in the well. I tell you to cut grass and you nearly slice your own hand. I tell you to hang laundry and you ruin half of it.”
“...Sorry.”
Edwin hung his head, looking utterly dejected.
Leo stared at him for a moment, then turned away.
“Still, you were helpful in your own way.”
“Huh?”
“You cleaned up pretty well. A person only needs to do one thing properly.”
Leo placed a hand on the young prince’s head and ruffled his hair lightly.
“So there’s no need to apologize. You helped enough.”
Edwin’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Whenever I go around with old man Sage Lil, cleaning always ends up on me. He takes all the credit, though.”
“Ah…”
“Come on. We need to get back down to the village before sunset, so let’s hurry.”
“Okay!”
Leo, smiling for the first time, immediately turned and started walking.
Edwin hurried after him, then spoke again as if something had just occurred to him.
“Um, by the way.”
“What?”
“What were you going to say to me earlier?”
“Ah, it was nothing important.”
Leo tried to brush it off, but the persistent gaze from beside him made him open his mouth again.
“I was just getting a little curious about your real identity. But whatever. Doesn’t matter.”