CH 52

Restless Holiday

For her first holiday, Sheila was busy working inside Amy’s Pharmacy, which as usual wasn’t running out of customers.

When she was finally able to rest after seeing a customer off at the door, she heard a familiar voice coming from somewhere.

She realized it was Isaac before she could see him and immediately tried to turn back inside the store, but she noticed a strange sense of urgency in his voice.

Sheila stopped and hid herself behind the door, staring at the dark back alley.

The sound of frantic footsteps and clashing metal. ――It was definitely a sword fight.

Suddenly, the fight seemed to stop.

She thought she counted a few strikes. Curious about how it all ended, Sheila boldly stepped outside.

She walked stealthily, her footsteps silent, killing any sign of her presence. As she rounded the corner of a store, she spotted Isaac’s large back.

He, who was usually taking care of Sheila and the others, was also off today.

With only a white shirt and navy-blue pants, at a quick glance, he was dressed in such a way that one wouldn’t think of him as a noble.

However, it wasn’t for that reason that Sheila gasped.

Isaac slowly slid down, leaning his back against the wall. He had injured his right arm.

Seeing his white shirt dyed red, Sheila turned back to the store.

“Amy-san!”

Sheila stammered as she ran into the store and saw that there were still customers.

“Urm… I’m sorry for shouting…”

Sheila ran up to Amy with a forced smile and whispered in his ear.

“Amy-san, there’s a wounded soldier outside. Can I go treat him?”

He quickly nodded back.

“I understand. Leave the shop to me and go. It doesn’t matter how much medicine you use.”

“Thank you.”

Sheila scooped up everything she could think of that she might need—ointments, painkillers, anti-inflammatory medicine, bandages, clean cloths, and water—and hurried out of the store.

When she turned the corner, Isaac was still sitting there.

“Are you all right?!”

He looked up slowly as she ran up to him.

She sat down beside him and checked the affected area. The gaping wound, clearly the work of a blade, was as big as Sheila’s palm. The wound wasn’t deep, so it was only bleeding at this level, but if the position had shifted a little more, it might have damaged a blood vessel.

While arranging the treatment equipment, Sheila confirmed the treatment with Isaac.

“I’m from the pharmacy over there! Please let me treat you!”

“Ah, I’m sorry for my unsightly appearance….”

His usual refreshing smile was weak, and Sheila’s face contorted as she ripped open the clean cloths and washed the wound.

“Can’t you use healing magic?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have the aptitude for healing magic.”

“Why did you get hurt on your long-awaited break…”

When she said this with her eyebrows furrowed, Isaac looked up dubiously.

“You know I’m from the Corps? Not only that, but you also seem to know that I can use magic too…. Have we met somewhere before?”

His sharp observation made her freeze.

Not good. She was in such a hurry that she forgot to pretend that they had never met before.

“No, I’ve only seen you from afar. Isaac-sama is tall and stands out, so you’re famous among young girls.”

It was an excuse that she made up randomly, but it couldn’t be far from the truth. Even Amy was making a fuss about wanting to go out with Isaac.

“This is a medicine to reduce inflammation and a painkiller. I’ve also prepared some water for you, so please drink it.”

Isaac swallowed a groan of pain in his mouth as she finished disinfecting and began applying the ointment. It would sting, but it worked well, so she applied it generously and without mercy.

By the time the bandages were wrapped, Sheila had regained her composure and quietly opened her mouth.

“…. You’re very passionate about your work.”

Since she was a complete stranger to him, it was difficult to ask how he got injured, but she was sure he had a good reason.

Even though it was a holiday, he got injured while on the job. Isaac’s work performance and commitment to the royal capital deserved respect.

He smiled sarcastically.

“It’s the same for you, isn’t it? Is it okay? You’ve been so generous with the medicines that you could’ve sold.”

“If I hesitated to treat the injured, I won’t be able to do this job. Besides, I can’t be stingy with the corps. Thank you so much for always putting your body on the line to protect the city.”

That was her sincere opinion.

She wanted to become a knight simply out of her admiration for them, but when she was exposed to the work of the Patrol Corps, she learned how amazing they were. Since the Patrol Corps protected and maintained the peace of the royal capital, the Knights of the Imperial Guard could also concentrate on their work.

Isaac slowly let out a sigh, as if he could tell that Sheila was speaking from the heart.

“…. You’re a strange one, aren’t you? Looking at this bloodthirsty appearance, don’t you think I just got into a fight?”

He looked a lot like Axe, so if Sheila was meeting him for the first time, she would think he was somewhat suspicious. First impressions could be easily misunderstood.

However, she had seen him work up close and knew how dependable he was and how serious he was about his work, so she smiled with conviction.

“I can tell by the way you do your job. You’re loyal to your duties and truly love the city, so I don’t think you would get into needless fights.”

Sheila finished bandaging and stood up.

“For now, I will give you three days’ worth of medicine. Any more than that will be charged, so I’m very sorry. Please continue to support Amy’s Pharmacy.”

The customer service terms she learned from Amy spilled out of her mouth easily. Since she had left him behind to handle the customers, she had to hurry back to the store once the treatment was complete.

Sheila bowed her head and hurried away.

◇　◆　◇

The next day, they were training at the training ground.

After receiving Zola’s instructions and finishing the practice, Sheila wiped off her sweat and turned her gaze to the shade of the trees.

“…. Hey Cody, what do you think of that?”

Cody looked at her awkwardly and lowered his voice.

“I don’t know. I don’t even know if I could come near him.”

Sitting in the shade of a tree, beyond the gaze of other people, Isaac gazed blankly into the sky.

Sheila and Cody looked at each other and approached him carefully.

“Excuse me, Isaac-san. I’ve finished all the training you asked me to do.”

“I see….. It’s quite hot today.”

“…..”

He had been like this all day today, even completely losing in practice. To put it bluntly, he was totally out of it.

Unfortunately, Zola was currently away. Whatever she did next, she needed Isaac’s direction.

“…. Isaac-san, what happened?”

“Hmm, it looks like he’s in love.”

Sheila was taken aback by Cody’s words. What a dreadful thing love was.

“…. Speaking of love, Sheila, I――”

Cody was about to say something, his cheeks tinting mindlessly, when suddenly Isaac stood up. His tall stature distracted her, so Sheila missed her friend’s voice.

In front of the jittery students, Isaac opened his mouth to speak.

“Sheila……. You, do you have an older or younger sister?”

“――Eh?”

She didn’t expect to be asked this question by someone she knew.

It was true that she had an encounter with Isaac yesterday, but she had left immediately after finishing the treatment, so she was completely caught off guard by his question.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve heard this many times, but I only have an older brother.”

“Right…. That’s what you said…..”

‘What on earth was wrong with him?’ The students exchanged puzzled glances.

Isaac’s sky-blue eyes narrowed languidly.

“I had a wonderful encounter yesterday….. But we parted without even hearing each other’s names….. Maybe she was a goddess, yes, a goddess…..”

When the word “goddess” came out so easily from his mouth, she suddenly understood his connection with the hot-blooded Axe.

“Ah, what was she like?”

The men were raising their eyebrows more and more, but Sheila leaned forward instead. She had heard some love stories in the village at one time or another, so she might be able to help in some way.

Isaac cast his gaze skyward to mirror the woman’s figure.

“She was like a violet that blooms in the wild. She was modest and cute, yet strong and tough, and had a charm that made you feel her strength as if she had a life force that could take root anywhere……”

“…..”

The first half was purely complimentary, but the second half was a series of words that didn’t seem like compliments to women.

In Sheila’s mind, modesty and cuteness had slipped away, and a vision had formed in her mind of Axe as a woman. Frankly, it was a strange creature.

“Isaac-san…. You have unusual tastes, don’t you?”

She wanted to praise herself for finally being able to mutter that much.

Sheila hung her head down in helplessness, and at least cheered him on in her heart.