Chapter 21

It might have been a military-grade supply, but the healing potion's effectiveness was undeniable.

Even though the doctor had diagnosed an injury that would take four weeks to heal, after taking the medicine, the pain gradually subsided, and by the time the sun rose the next morning, most of the pain had disappeared.

My broken left arm still needed a cast, but it had recovered to the point where being discharged wouldn't be a problem.

After confirming that I was walking around perfectly fine, the doctor processed my discharge as if kicking me out.

From what I heard, due to the ongoing war, the constant influx of wounded soldiers meant there was a shortage of hospital rooms.

I squinted and basked my whole body in the pouring morning sunlight.

“It’s so peaceful here.”

“I know, right.”

The world spread out before my eyes was peaceful.

A city of enormous scale.

I couldn't find any fear of war in the expressions of the people enjoying their daily lives there.

I didn't know if it was because they trusted the kingdom's army that much, or if the propaganda had worked well, but on the surface, it was peace itself.

The memories and experiences of teetering on the brink of life and death twice in a few days felt like a lie.

“By the way, Adam. What happened to Unit 707?”

“Ah… for now, Unit 707 has been disbanded. To be precise, it's scheduled to be disbanded.”

“Well… I guess so.”

With their commander, Viscount Lemming, having died for a dishonorable reason, if they had any sense, they wouldn't try to keep that unit around.

Adam's explanation was that Unit 707 would be dissolved within three days, and we would be assigned to a new unit.

I could only hope we'd get lucky with a commander superior to Viscount Lemming.

And one more thing.

There was some welcome news.

We were given a short, three-day leave until we were assigned to our new unit.

Leave.

It was definitely a word that made my heart flutter just by hearing it.

However, there was a problem.

If this were the real world, I would have been rolling around in bed under the covers, playing games, or watching videos online.

I had no idea how to enjoy a leave in this world.

“Adam.”

“Yeah?”

“Where are you going and what are you doing during your leave?”

“What do you mean? First, I have to go see my parents. After that….”

Adam trailed off.

For some reason, he had a troubled expression on his face.

“What about you, Ryan?”

“Me…. I don't know.”

I knew nothing about Ryan.

The only thing I knew was that he had lost his hunter father while fleeing an attack from the White Hero in his hometown.

Other than that, I knew nothing about his family relationships.

It was clear that prying into it would just be a hassle, so I directed my curiosity toward Lirisa.

Seeing as she had been fixing her hair and clothes for a while, it was obvious she had someone to meet.

“What, Lirisa! Who are you planning to meet? Oho? You even put on makeup? You can't fool my eyes! What, are you going to meet your boyfriend?”

Adam teased Lirisa with a sly smile.

Lirisa, who glanced at Adam with a look that said he was pathetic, swept her fallen hair behind her ear and pressed down her wide-brimmed hat.

“A man? Don’t be silly. I'm going to meet my younger brother.”

“Come to think of it, you said your brother is also serving in the army.”

“He’s a refugee from Ludible, just like me. And he's an adult. I've already gotten permission for a visit. He said to come around three in the afternoon, so….”

Lirisa's gaze turned to a distant clock tower.

Since we had been kicked out of the hospital early in the morning, there was plenty of time until the visiting hours.

Lirisa took something out of her bag and handed it to me.

"Ryan. You don't have anything to do during your leave anyway, right?”

“That's true.”

“Then come with me somewhere.”

What she handed over was a crumpled letter envelope.

I knew what this letter was, with the writing of this world, which I couldn't read, scrawled in messy handwriting.

Thanks to the thoughtful Lirisa, I was able to not forget the most important thing.

“The destination is Sainan Village. We can get there in about two hours by carriage, so let's make it a quick trip. Adam, what will you do?”

“Uh…. um…. sorry.”

Edam bowed his head and apologized, looking ashamed.

“I don't think I can see my parents if I don't leave now. I'm really sorry, but would it be okay if I sit this one out?”

“Of course. It's not mandatory. Seeing your living parents is more important than delivering this.”

Lirisa seemed unfazed, but Adam appeared to be bothered by the fact that he couldn't join us.

After repeating his apologies several times, Adam reluctantly set off on his way only after we practically pushed him out.

“Shall we get going then?”

Not knowing the way, I followed behind Lirisa.

Lirisa was a bit more energetic than I remembered.

She would be captivated by a mannequin wearing pretty clothes while walking down the street, and she would salivate at the appetizing smells wafting from restaurants.

No matter how you looked at her, she was an ordinary woman in her 20s who didn't belong on a battlefield.

For some reason, I felt sorry for her.

Even though I was in the same boat as her, how presumptuous of me.

“We're here. This is the station.”

I thought a station would be something grand, like an express bus terminal, but it was just a row of several carriages under a dilapidated old roof.

Lirisa approached a coachman who was cleaning a two-person carriage and began to negotiate. Soon, she gestured for me to come closer with a beaming smile.

As I got closer, she abruptly held out her small, white-gloved hand.

“What.”

“Not ‘what’. You have to pay the carriage fare. Fortunately, the coachman gave us a discount because we’re soldiers. Just five copper coins will do.”

“…Ah.”

I turned my pockets inside out.

As expected, only dust fell from my empty pockets.

Lirisa put a hand to her forehead and let out a deep sigh.

"Ryan…. I'm putting this on your tab. Pay me back when you get your salary.”

“…Sorry.”

The shoulders of a man with no money drooped completely.

I felt like I had committed a crime.

It was regrettable and sad that whether in the real world or a game world, you couldn't hold your shoulders high without money.

The carriage carrying us left the city and drove on an unpaved road.

“Ugh.”

“Ack!”

Screams like frogs being crushed by carriage wheels burst periodically from our mouths.

I didn't know if it was because it was cheap, or if carriages were just meant to be this kind of vehicle.

The first carriage ride of my life was the worst.

I was shaken from side to side, and my butt ached.

I hated the heavy silence and wanted to start a conversation, but I felt like I would bite my tongue if I did, so we clenched our teeth and could only let out pained groans.

After two hours that felt like torture, we finally arrived at our destination.

Unlike the large city we departed from, a vast pasture spread out next to a small village made up of about 10 households.

From a distance, I thought they were dairy cows, but up close, I saw unidentifiable livestock grazing leisurely.

I could feel the people, who were busy with their own work, casting furtive glances our way, as if unfamiliar with visitors from outside.

“Uh…. um…. Let's see….”

Lirisa frowned, looking back and forth between the outside of the letter and a shabby hut located in a corner of the village.

Then, she said with conviction.

“Found it. This is the house.”

“This is….”

I was at a loss for words.

I couldn't think of anything to say.

My mind felt completely empty.

Lirisa nudged my side.

“…Hey, you….”

“I’m sorry. Please! I’ve never done anything like this before!”

“You think I have?”

“The carriage fare! I'll consider it my treat! Of course, I'll pay for the return trip too. So please…!”

Threatening me with money, how cheap.

But what could I do?

If you don't have money, you have to pay with your body.

Since I couldn't just stand here forever, I steeled myself and went forward.

I was prepared to offer a cheek to be slapped if necessary.

Hoping she wouldn't touch my arm that hadn't fully healed yet, I knocked on the door.

“Yes.”

A woman's voice, seemingly a bit weak.

As if that were a signal, my body stiffened.

The moment I heard her voice, my mind suddenly went blank, and the words I had prepared vanished as if erased by an eraser.

I had definitely steeled my resolve before knocking.

It all crumbled away like a sandcastle before a wave.

What should I say?

Theo is dead. The cause of death… was a lizard bite, and he was unlucky enough to be poisoned?

That's too dishonorable.

To frame it as an honorable death while trying to save his comrades… Is this really for Theo's sake?

While I was deliberating, the door opened.

The woman, who had her brown hair tied back carelessly with a string, looked incredibly frail, perhaps due to her small frame and gaunt appearance.

“Oh my….”

The woman, who had placed a hand on her cheek and was looking us over, had her gaze land on my attire.

The Alliance military uniform, black-based and utterly plain with almost no unnecessary decorations.

The woman's eyes trembled as she took it in.

Her trembling eyes took in my face and Lirisa's.

Slowly, in order, one by one, as if counting people.

And then she closed her eyes.

When she opened them again.

Surprisingly, she was wearing a faint smile.

“Theo…. Are you my husband’s comrades?”

“Yes. We are.”

“Seeing as you've all come to find me like this, it seems my husband has gone on ahead.”

“……”

“He boasted so confidently that I should wait just three years. Three years, my foot. I never dreamed he wouldn't even last a year.”

She appeared calm and composed, at least on the outside, acting as if nothing was wrong.

For a moment, I wondered if her marital relationship with Theo had been poor… but even so, I couldn't believe she could be so calm about her husband's death.

If that wasn't it, then perhaps….

“Did my husband leave anything behind?”

“It's right here.”

I handed her the will Theo had left me.

It was a matter of eternal regret that I couldn't retrieve his personal belongings due to the skirmish with Viscount Lemming.

The woman read the will in silence.

And then she let out a chuckle.

“My, how absurd…. Ah! Thank you, both of you. If I could, I would invite you inside and offer you a meal, but my circumstances don't allow it.”

“…Not at all.”

Unless one was completely oblivious, there was no way not to know what she wanted.

She was earnestly, and with the utmost politeness, asking us to leave.

We bowed our heads, and she too bowed her head.

After a polite farewell, we left.

“Phew.”

Once we were some distance away, Lirisa let out the breath she had been holding.

“I thought I was going to die from suffocation. I didn't know delivering a will to the bereaved family would be such a heavy task…. I wanted to offer some words of comfort, you know? But my mouth just wouldn't open.”

Lirisa must have been incredibly nervous, as the hair she had painstakingly arranged that morning was drenched in sweat and stuck to her face.

My own state wasn't much different from Lirisa's.

“Still, it’s a relief that she’s a strong person. I was worried about what to do if she started wailing on the spot.”

“Hmm….”

“…Ryan? What's with that reaction?”

“No, it's just.”

I looked back.

Far away.

I could see Theo's house.

The woman, who had collapsed in front of the wide-open door, was holding the will Theo had left behind in her arms, her head bowed and her shoulders shaking.

Lirisa, who had witnessed the same scene as me, was rendered speechless.

Who was it that said that?

There's more to a person than what you see on the surface.

That saying was exactly right.

The carriage on the way back was filled with a heavy silence.

It was a different kind of silence from before.

After a long time, just as the destination city came into view outside the window, Lirisa finally opened her mouth.

"Ryan.”

“……”

“I never want to go through an experience like this again.”

“…Same here.”

“So let's survive until the very end.”

That must have been Lirisa's own form of resolve.

I, too, earnestly hoped it would turn out that way.

I will survive.

I must.