Chapter 143 Wild Treatment
The sun had completely set, and it was deep into the night. We were keeping a close eye on the girl, Nana, and her mother's condition. Lukas and the others still hadn't returned.
Suddenly, I heard a small sigh from beside me. When I turned to look, my eyes met Arnold's tired face. A few seconds later, our intertwined gazes shifted away.
"Arnold-san, please go to sleep. You were on night watch yesterday, weren't you?"
"......"
Arnold didn't respond. Julius patted his shoulder a few times.
"I'm here, so it's okay."
When Julius looked at him, Arnold looked at me again. He nodded as if to agree, but I thought he was more exhausted than I had imagined, and his energy was depleted sooner than expected.
"I'm sorry. If anything happens, wake me up right away."
"Yes. Goodnight."
Arnold said that and left the room, probably to take a break on the sofa.
I watched his back as he left, and then focused on observing Nana's condition again. For now, the emergency antidote seemed to be working, and she was more calm than when we first examined her. She should be able to hold on until Lukas and the others return.
I let out a sigh of relief and stretched when Julius suddenly asked me a question.
"Hey, Laura-chan, which side are you on?"
"...Which side do you mean?"
"Lukas and Arnold. Should we help or not help them this time?"
It was a troublesome question.
To be honest, I didn't have the courage to make a decision. I could understand both of their feelings, and I wanted to give a neutral――or rather, indecisive――answer to avoid taking a stance.
I glanced at Julius out of the corner of my eye. He was staring at my face, waiting for an answer.
I knew that if I gave a vague answer, he would see right through me, so I steeled myself and gave a honest response.
"...I understand the feeling of wanting to help Lukas. Because he's helped me so many times with his kind heart, I want to respect him and lend a hand."
I, who played "Last Brave" in my past life, had cleared some sub-events too. And now, with someone asking for help right in front of me, I thought I "can't abandon them." So, I think I'm more inclined towards Lukas' opinion.
However, I also understood what Arnold said. His concerns were one of the things I had been afraid of for a long time.
As a Hero, Lukas might be subjected to unreasonable hatred.
"But if he gets hurt because of his kindness, then it's like Arnold-san said..."
I cut off my words there. Then, I slightly shook my head.
I don't know. There might not be a correct answer. All I want is for Lukas to make a choice that doesn't hurt him as much as possible.
"Sorry, I don't know. I'm torn between both sides, and I don't know which side I'm on."
I let out a wry smile. That seemed to ease the tension in the air, and Julius also lowered his eyebrows and smiled.
"Well, it's a tough problem, isn't it? If there's no need to give an answer, then that's probably the best."
I nodded vaguely at Julius' words, and he let out a deep, exaggerated sigh.
As soon as he joined the party, this kind of trouble started, and it must be tough for him too. He's trying to find a balance between helping Lukas and stating his opinion, which is inclined towards Arnold's side.
With a troubled expression, he crossed his arms and seemed to be thinking deeply. Then, Julius opened his mouth slightly.
"Those 2, they don't get along, do they?"
I shrugged at his casually dropped words.
Lukas and Arnold. The 2 of them had been showing their bad compatibility since they were kids. I thought they had been getting along well recently, but now their differences in opinion had become apparent.
"Maybe. I thought they were doing well recently, but..."
I don't think everyone has to get along. There's something called compatibility, and forcing people to get along can just lead to stress and nothing good.
Lukas still seems to be holding back due to his natural personality, and it's as if he's still worried about Arnold. If he could just let go of that hesitation, it might be possible... but it's probably too much to ask of him personally.
"I think Lukas is just too cautious, so if he could just be serious for once, it wouldn't be so difficult. But it's not like I can just tell him that."
"If they bump into each other once, huh... How about we tie their hands behind their back with a rope and see what happens then?"
I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculous suggestion.
If we did that, Arnold would definitely get angry.
"He'll definitely get mad. And with Arnold-san's magic, he'll cut the rope right away."
"That's true. Is there another way...?"
After that, Julius was thinking about the "Lukas and Arnold Reconciliation Strategy" while watching Nana's condition beside me. But before he could come up with a good plan, the doorbell at the entrance rang softly.
"Oh, it's Lukas and the others."
Julius hurried to the entrance.
When I checked the clock, I saw that it had been about 6 hours since Lukas and the others left town. It was earlier than I had expected.
The bedroom door opened, and Lukas, with mud on his cheeks, peeked out.
"I'm back."
"Welcome back, Lukas."
Lukas handed me the medicinal herb with a somewhat uneasy expression, his eyes darting around.
The fact that he had brought back the herb meant that Nana's missing brother, Nike, was also safely rescued.
"Here..."
"Yeah, thanks."
I took the herb from Lukas and, as a gesture of gratitude, wiped his dirty cheek with a handkerchief. Only then did our blue eyes meet.
My childhood friend smiled softly and said "thanks."
"Hey, Lukas! We're taking the kid to the inn See you later!"
"Ah, yeah! I'll be here for a bit!"
When I tilted my head at Lukas's response to Vake's voice, he glanced at the herb in my hand. Ah, I see. He wants to make sure the medicine is delivered to Nana.
I quickly got to work on the synthesis. Thanks to the large quantity I had gathered, I had enough for the synthesis.
I made an antidote and administered it to Nana. Then, she started taking calm, peaceful breaths.
"How is it?"
"Her breathing has deepened. Just a little more, and the fever will subside... zzz"
I felt relieved, and suddenly, drowsiness washed over me.
Lukas supported me when my legs started to wobble.
"You should get some rest too, Laura. I'll keep an eye on things for a bit."
"Yeah, thanks. You should get some rest too, Lukas..."
Lukas nodded. I felt sorry for him, as he must have been the most exhausted, but honestly, I wasn't used to staying up late, and I was at my limit.
I somehow managed to keep my heavy eyelids open and left the bedroom. Then, I spotted the large sofa in the living room.
Arnold was taking small breaths, sleeping in the corner of the sofa. I sat down a short distance away, trying not to disturb him, and closed my eyes. I didn't have the energy to go back to the inn.
As soon as I closed my eyes, I was consumed by sleep.
* * *
"――You're really hard to understand, with your kindness!"
I heard someone's voice near my ear, and my consciousness floated up.
"I don't have the hobby of spoiling crybabies."
Another voice came from the other side.
――Are 2 people arguing, with me in the middle?
My still-half-asleep brain took a few seconds to realize that. My eyes still didn't open.
"I've thought that from the start, and I've said it before, but you're overdoing it! Don't you think it's cool to say fewer words? It's just hard to understand, that's all!"
"You're not expressive like me, and you don't have the hobby of chatting excessively. Just convey the necessary minimum, and that's fine."
I felt warmth on both shoulders. And then――I felt a sense of discomfort on both wrists.
What is this? Something hard and thin, like a rope, binding my wrists?
My right hand touched someone else's hand with a "thud."
"That's why it didn't get through, and things turned out like this! Besides, you and I are only 2 years apart I don't expect you to protect me!"
"I don't expect you to protect me either."
"Are you still going to say that?!"
A loud voice from the right suddenly echoed, and I finally regained consciousness.
It's Lukas. And the other one is Arnold. Lukas and Arnold are arguing over me, who's still sleeping.
In the midst of the silence that followed, I slowly opened my eyes. And I understood the situation.
My right wrist was tied to Lukas' wrist, and my left wrist was tied to Arnold's wrist with a rope.
――This is Julius's doing! I thought he was just joking when he said "Let's tie Lukas' and Arnold's wrists together with a rope," but he actually did it And he even involved me!
"...It's not that I want to fight. I'm grateful, and I respect you. That's why... I want you to rely on me more. Trust me. We're not that weak either. We've made up our minds to take on various burdens!"
I couldn't do anything but pretend to sleep in response to Lukas' desperate words.
I shouldn't interrupt their conversation now. Lukas and Arnold are trying to build a new relationship based on this incident.
I held my breath and watched their conversation.
"...I think I'm relying on you enough."
"Then show it. Even if we're friends, I won't know unless you say it."
"...I'll do my best."
"That's not good enough. You need to promise me."
Lukas' straightforward words pushed Arnold, who seemed a bit frustrated. Maybe this is a good development.
I think the 2 of them were exchanging opinions even before I woke up. Whatever they were talking about, it's probably better if it remains a secret between the 2 of them.
Ha, Arnold let out a sigh.
"You're surprisingly stubborn, aren't you?"
"That's what I should be saying. I've never met anyone as stubborn as you!"
Lukas retorted, not backing down.
"You're so childish."
"This is unbelievable!"
"You should get away from your childhood friend already."
"Siscon!"
――I was going to pretend to sleep, but I couldn't help but laugh at Lukas and Arnold's childish bickering, and their straightforward, almost brutal honesty.
I managed to stifle my laughter, but I couldn't help but smile slightly.
"Ampère, stop pretending to sleep."
I was caught by the sharp-eyed Arnold.
Since I was caught, I couldn't pretend to sleep anymore, so I slowly opened my eyes. And before I got scolded for eavesdropping, I opened my mouth.
"If you're going to fight by my ear, I'll wake up for sure."
I stopped pretending to sleep and looked at my own wrist, only to find it tightly bound to Lukas and Arnold's with a rope. The knot looked complicated, but it didn't seem like it could be easily undone.
As I gazed at our intertwined wrists, a gentle voice came from the right.
"Sorry, Laura."
I hastily shook my head, and my childhood friend's brow furrowed in concern. Then, I quickly changed the subject.
"Don't mind it, Lukas. But why are we in this situation?"
In response to my question, a sigh came from the left. When I looked, Arnold was brushing up his bangs with his free hand, looking annoyed.
"I don't know. I woke up like this."
"They deliberately tied our wrists together. It's probably Marta's doing."
――Or maybe it was Julius's doing. Moreover, I might have some responsibility for saying things like "Let's have a serious fight" to Lukas and Arnold.
I'll clear Marta's suspicion later, but for now, I'll imagine the flow of events after I fell asleep.
First, Arnold was sleeping on the sofa, and after giving the antidote to the girl, I was so sleepy that I fell asleep on the sofa too. Then, Lukas probably fell asleep on the sofa as well. Or maybe he fell asleep on the bed in the bedroom while keeping watch over Nana and the others, and Julius brought him here.
In any case, it's almost certain that someone else bound in this position while we were all asleep.
(Was I caught up in something like this...?)
I guess he thought that Lukas and Arnold would be able to force their way out by burning the rope, so they put me in between them to prevent them from doing so. Both Lukas and Arnold have kind expressions, but they wouldn't recklessly burn the ropes tied to an ordinary person's wrists.
I'm still amazed by Julius's recklessness, but thanks to him, the 2 of them were able to have a heart-to-heart talk. That kind of recklessness is an impossible feat for me.
"...Did you two talk about everything?"
"He said a lot of bad things about me."
"That's my line!"
Arnold declares in a flat tone, while Lukas raises his voice in protest. Yeah, it's a pretty good atmosphere. They're like a mismatched duo or a duo of opposites.
I think the 2 of them have been slowly closing the distance between them. However, to change Lukas's cautious attitude and Arnold's stubbornness, maybe this kind of rough treatment was necessary.
――Ah, I'm genuinely glad about that.
"Hehehe."
"Why do you look so happy?"
I tilt my head, unable to give a clear answer to Arnold's question.
As for the issue of the 2 of them clashing over whether to only save people they met on their journey――it's still unresolved, and there's no correct answer. However, it's not the kind of problem that needs a clear answer. That's why I'm looking forward to the future where the 2 of them can share their differing opinions, despite the hardships and unreasonable hatred that may come their way.
Lukas will become Arnold's strength, and Arnold will become Lukas's strength.
They're the same gender, same age, and have been given various powers and talents. There must be things that only the 2 of them can understand.
"No, sorry. By the way, what do we do about this?"
I try to change the subject, looking at the ropes binding our wrists.
"We could burn it with magic, but you'd get burned. Lukas, do you have a sword?"
"I do, but I don't think I can cut it. It's too big. If it were just us, it wouldn't be a problem, but if Laura gets hurt, it'd be a disaster. If we could borrow Marta's dagger, that'd be great..."
――So, in other words, we can't do anything about these ropes right now, and that might be exactly what Julius is counting on.
After a few seconds of silence, Lukas asked with a chuckle.
"Want to borrow a dagger from Marta and head to the inn with the 3 of us?"
"In this state? Please spare me..."
Arnold let out a deep sigh, his body slumping onto the sofa. He didn't look well, his face pale from exhaustion.
I glanced at Lukas. Even his eyes, usually bright, had dark circles underneath.
We couldn't do anything about these ropes, and the 2 of them were tired. And to be honest, I was still sleepy too. So, the answer I arrived at was――
"How about we take a nap for a bit? You two must be tired, right?"
I said it in a lighthearted tone, prepared for Arnold to refuse, but...
"...whatever, I don't care."
To my surprise, he accepted my proposal.
Lukas, too, smiled calmly and said, "Yeah, that's a good idea." Then, he lay down on the sofa, closing his eyes.
I followed their lead, leaning against the back of the sofa. As soon as I closed my eyes, my body relaxed, and sleepiness washed over me.
"Sorry we're late, thanks for synthesizing the antidote, Laura."
"No problem. Lukas, you too, worked hard."
I responded to Lukas's words, but my tongue felt heavy.
My wrists were tightly bound, so my right shoulder was stuck to Lukas, and my left shoulder was stuck to Arnold. The warmth of their bodies through our clothes was comforting, making me even sleepier.
"Thanks, Arnold."
"Thank Ampère instead."
"I already thanked Laura earlier. I'm talking to you now, Arnold."
"――...sorry, Lukas."
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. And thanks again."
In the fading consciousness, I heard their gentle conversation.
After we woke up, if Marta was still sleeping at the inn, it might be okay to head to the inn with our wrists tied together with a rope. It would definitely be fun. Arnold would probably complain, but I think he'd eventually give in.
I thought I'd propose it when I woke up――with that in mind, I fell asleep.
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