The morning after returning home, Abel went alone to the village chief’s house.
Though he had written a letter, he wanted to explain Rick’s situation in person.
That Rick had become a soldier just before being introduced to the knights, and that even now, though he was asking returning soldiers about him, his whereabouts remained unknown.
The village chief’s house was just a short walk away. He knocked on the door.
Rick’s older brother, who looked very much like him, came out.
“Oh, Sir Walter’s son, Sir Abel. You’ve returned.”
“Um… may I speak with the village chief?”
“If it’s about Rick, don’t worry about it. That fool… went off without knowing his place, and now he’s missing…”
“That’s actually what I came to talk about. The units deployed to the Central Plains are constantly on the move, so it’s hard to get in touch. It seems especially difficult when it comes to lower-ranking soldiers.”
Rick’s older brother shook his head, resigned.
“Father! Sir Abel has come to see you!”
The village chief, around fifty years old, came out from the back. He listened to Abel’s explanation and nodded without saying a word.
In his quiet gaze, there was only a sense of resignation.
It felt almost as if he had already accepted the possibility of his son’s death.
It was not uncommon for the younger sons of farming families to be sent out for work and never return home again.
With no clear knowledge of whether they were alive or dead, it was normal for someone to simply disappear one day from where they were working and never be heard from again.
Abel could say nothing beyond a few brief words.
He couldn’t think of any comforting thing to say.
He decided to head back home just like that…
That afternoon, Walter and Dorothea arrived with Shale.
Something about them felt different from usual.
“Abel. Actually, we have a favor to ask.”
“Yes, Father.”
“It’s about Shale. She really has potential. She can already use beginner-level fire and water magic, she’s intelligent, and most of all, she’s got a remarkable amount of motivation.
With the right environment, she’ll grow even more. That’s why we’ve been discussing having her train seriously as an apothecary in Porto for some time now.”
“I see…”
“There’s only so much we can teach her here. Ayla is quite skilled, both as an apothecary and as a nurse. But in the countryside, information and techniques tend to become outdated.
The cutting edge of medicine is in the Imperial Capital’s Medical Academy, but that place has high barriers. You can’t just walk in and enroll. So, for now, we’re thinking of having her train in Porto for a few years.”
“I understand.”
“We sent a letter to the apothecary employed by the Highwand family, and we’ve received a positive reply. He’s someone I know personally. A strict man, but trustworthy. Abel, I’d like you to take Shale with you on your way back.”
“Oh… I think I might’ve seen him around the castle before. Was he a man in his fifties with some gray in his hair?”
“I only know what he looked like back when I was in the Highwand Knights, but yes, that sounds about right. His name is Eric Dunhill… he’s not just an apothecary; he’s also skilled in diagnostics and stitching. I even studied some diagnostic techniques under him briefly. He’s definitely worthy of being called a mentor.”
Dorothea suddenly chimed in with great enthusiasm.
“If it’s Shale, she’ll definitely become an excellent apothecary. She already works hard as a nurse, too. If Abel becomes a knight and opens a clinic, the two of you would be perfect together. Without a doubt!”
She didn’t seem to be joking.
Dorothea was completely serious.
She was smiling, but her eyes were intense.
The look she gave Abel was filled with determination.
Shale blushed and looked down, embarrassed.
—Whoa, seriously?
Well… if we did get married, that’d make her family with nobility.
I guess from Dorothea’s perspective, that’d be a good thing…
It seemed that one reason they’d urged him to come home was because of Shale.
Abel somehow understood.
Of course, he couldn’t make any promises about marriage, so he could only laugh and dodge the subject.
Putting the whole marriage thing aside, if a promising girl like Shale could get such a valuable opportunity, there would be nothing more wonderful than that.
Abel told his parents that he planned to take it easy for the day and return to the knight order tomorrow.
Shale had already been preparing for the journey for some time, so there were no issues on her end.
It was a life-changing decision for her, yet that was the extent of the conversation.
Walter and Ayla still had work today.
There are no holidays for injuries or illnesses. Everyone was busy working at the clinic.
Once again, Abel was left alone with Ise at the house.
There was nothing in particular to do.
“I’m sorry to leave you feeling bored, Lady Ise.”
“Not at all. Just being in this house feels pleasant. It’s strange.”
“I stayed at your house in Kaizan once, Lady Ise. To be honest, it felt a bit lonely.”
“Did it? …I never thought about it. That house was lonely, was it?”
“If I hadn’t been born into a house like this one, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it either.”
It’s just like how I was in my previous life, Abel added to himself.
Ise turned her red eyes toward him.
“One day, I’ll tell you about my family. My father, grandfather, and mother. But not yet. I don’t want to talk about it with you right now.”
Abel looked at Ise’s expression.
It seemed slightly different from her usual calm and aloof demeanor.
It was a subtle change, but after spending three years together, he could sense it.
…Could someone like Ise have unresolved feelings about her family too?
He couldn’t help but find it mysterious.
Time passed peacefully. After dinner, Ise quickly went to sleep at the clinic.
Just as Abel was thinking of turning in for the night himself, Walter and Ayla beckoned him over.
“What is it?”
“Well, it’s about Lady Ise… we were just a little surprised, that’s all.”
“Yes?”
“I mean, the two of us have traveled through the non-human lands, so we’ve seen plenty of mixed couples between non-humans and humans. Especially among the elves… they’re cute, so it’s no surprise that even humans might fall for them. The women of the elves, you know, they usually stay kind of petite and keep that girlish figure even into adulthood, and well… it’s actually quite—”
Ayla shot Walter a sharp glare.
It was a rather terrifying look.
Walter hastily cut himself off.
—Elf women have… loli body types?
“Huh? What are you even talking about?”
“Well, it’s just that… you seem to have feelings for Lady Ise, Abel. And, you know, the relationship between a squire and their master can sometimes end up resembling something like a pseudo-romantic one. But there are also people who think you should cool your head a little.”
“Uh… I’m not really sure I follow, but I think this is a misunderstanding. I don’t see Lady Ise that way….as a woman, I mean. I don’t intend to like her in that sense.”
Ayla and Walter exchanged glances.
They both tilted their heads.
“Well, it kind of looked that way to us.”
“It really did.”
“…I don’t think that’s the case.”
Abel felt conflicted inside.
Ise’s spirit of never hating anyone, never holding a grudge, never flinching from anything.
She seemed utterly flawless, unshakable, and indestructible.
He felt a kind of purity in her.
But sometimes he found himself questioning. Was he just seeing an illusion?
Was he simply placing her on a pedestal, out of admiration and affection?
Either way, it didn’t feel like simple romantic interest… probably.
Besides, at the root of it all, he couldn’t help but wonder whether he was even capable of truly loving a woman.
—A man like me… someone who deep down feels fear toward love…
How could I possibly love someone?
Walter spoke in a casual tone.
“Well, better to get along than not. Some of us end up falling out with our lords and running off in the end, like I did. Master-servant relationships are tricky. They’re hard to define. There are even knights and squires who can’t stand each other most of the time but still fight together against the enemy.”
Ayla spoke with a serious look in her eyes.
“Shale’s a good choice. That girl’s honest, and she’s going to grow up prettier than Dorothea.”
Abel sensed the alliance between Dorothea and Ayla.
A strong one, no doubt.
Dorothea was hardworking, and she got along well with Ayla too.
—Yeah… I probably don’t stand a chance against this alliance…
Abel froze, his expression stuck in a forced smile.
His mother continued speaking.
“While you’re traveling or once you’re over there, there’ll be plenty of opportunities. No….rather, you should be actively creating those opportunities. On your days off, it’s best to head somewhere secluded, like a quiet forest. And if you lay a hand on her, then you take responsibility, got it? That’s what it means to be a man!”
Abel’s eyes widened as he replayed Ayla’s words in his mind.
A man… and responsibility…
Put together, those words felt unbearably heavy.
Walter had the exact same expression as Abel.
“…Yes, Mother…”
Abel could only manage a lifeless reply.
And so, the night of his return home came to a close.
***
The next morning.
Shale appeared in a plain travel outfit. It was a simple linen top and bottom, with a cloak over it.
There was no need to dress up, especially when traveling on unpaved dirt roads where you’d get covered in dust and mud. This was just right.
There was one issue: she had to ride on the same horse as Abel.
He thought he’d let her practice a bit first, but it turned out Shale had absolutely no experience with horseback riding. She couldn’t even manage to mount the saddle properly.
The rider places one foot in the stirrup and swings themselves up in one motion, but if you don’t communicate with the horse while doing this, it can get annoyed.
Gale was a very smart horse, but if it had been a more temperamental one, it might have tried to throw her off just from sensing her inexperience.
From the horse’s perspective, it’s understandable…
After all, it doesn’t owe humans anything in the first place. Having to carry one around is bad enough, but if that rider’s heavy and clumsy too, well… who wouldn’t be irritated?
Abel supported Shale by the hips and pushed her up onto the saddle.
A girl’s body is soft.
You really notice that when you’re gripping her hips like that.
Shale let out little squeaks like “Ah!” and “Kyah!”
Of course, it’s not like he was doing it with any indecent intent…
The soft sensation made him smile without thinking. As if his fingertips could sink endlessly into it.
That was what Abel was thinking, but then he sensed a strange presence behind him.
Startled, he turned around in a panic only to find that Dorothea and Ayla were suddenly there.
Both of them were smiling, but their eyes were burning with a fierce intensity, like they were burning holes into him.
The kind of look that says: We’re watching you.
— Terrifying!
“The horse’s back is higher than I expected! I think I might be scared!”
No, I’m the one who’s scared… Abel thought, truly from the bottom of his heart.
After a bit of practice, both Gale and Shale started to get used to it.
Finally, it was time to depart.
Abel stood face to face with his parents.
“Well then, I’m off.”
“Come back again in about a year. And if you ever get sick of it, you can quit and come home. Life can be reshaped as many times as you need.”
Ayla kept it short: “I’ll be waiting.”
The man at Abel’s core had no idea what to say in a moment like this.
Nothing came to mind.
So he simply nodded in silence and urged the horse forward.
In front of Shale’s house, her father Angus saw his daughter off with his eyes slightly watery.
She was his only child. His precious daughter.
Even so, choosing not to coddle her and instead deciding to let her go out into the world must have taken a great deal of resolve as a parent.
They moved forward at a slow pace on Gale.
Ise quietly kept in step with them.
And since Nana was a smart horse too, she didn’t wander far from Gale.
Shale had never left the Tenana village before, so she was visibly intimidated by the rough atmosphere of the waystation towns they passed through.
It was understandable.
Groups of men with faces full of old scars, indistinguishable from mercenaries or hired thugs, came and went.
They were clearly cut from a different cloth than woodcutters or farmers.
There was something about them. Something fierce and wild. A ferocity that suggested they’d commit murder or arson without the slightest hesitation.
Of course Shale would be frightened.
The Highwand Territory bordered the central plains and the surrounding regions, so the signs of war could be felt through the flow of people passing through.
Shale, who would never have sensed such a thing in the rural village of Tenana, was clearly shocked to encounter the atmosphere of war firsthand.
Since they were traveling slowly on horseback, what would normally take three days if rushed ended up taking four. They finally arrived in Porto.
Shale was overwhelmed by how crowded Porto was.
The clothes worn by people on the streets were unlike anything you’d see in Tenana.
Some of the women walking by were dressed quite lightly, suggesting certain kinds of professions.
Abel could guess what kind of work they did, but for someone like Shale, who had never seen or even heard of anything like that, it was a shock. She stared, wide-eyed and unsettled.
The buildings too were mostly two-story stone constructions, making the atmosphere completely different from Tenana.
“Abel, I don’t know if I can make it in a place like this…”
Her gentle emerald-green eyes trembled with uncertainty.
“You’ll get used to it soon. I was the same way…”
Abel made his way to the apothecary’s house, where Walter had sent him.
The city of Porto had an address system, at least in theory.
But it wasn’t very precise. It was more like “Mr. So-and-so’s house on this street”.
That said, because it was an apothecary’s home, they found the place quickly.
Apothecaries typically displayed a mortar-and-pestle emblem somewhere noticeable, since they used those tools in their work.
Unlike licensed magical healing clinics, becoming an apothecary didn’t require a certification system.
So technically anyone could claim the title. But there was a guild, and if you weren’t approved by it, you’d face a lot of difficulties.
The guild system was typically closed off and driven by self-interest, making it hard for outsiders to understand how it all worked.
Abel stepped through the apothecary’s door before Shale, who was still looking uneasy.
Since it was a first-rate apothecary that even served noble households, the interior gave off a refined atmosphere. Desks and chairs were arranged for taking patient consultations.
About a dozen customers were quietly waiting their turn.
Abel spoke to the receptionist about Shale.
While he was at it, he took the chance to observe the inside of the store.
The place was spotless, the floors were clean, and the staff didn’t look gloomy.
A workplace where people are constantly running around might seem energetic and efficient at first glance… but that assumption would be completely wrong.
If staff are running around, it means the situation is so dire that they’re barely keeping up…and that’s never a good sign.
When people are rushed or under pressure, they make mistakes.
They end up making mistakes they never would under a normal workload.
So if a workplace is unusually noisy, or the staff look tense and on edge, that’s a red flag. A potential “black” company warning.
Abel looked closely, thinking that if this place was like that, he’d have to help Shale.
If anything, it gave off more of a “white” atmosphere…
After waiting for a while, an older man with white hair appeared. It was someone Abel recognized.
Eric Dunhill was a small man, but he gave off a vibrant energy and a sense of inner strength.
“Um, my name is Shale Mill. I was referred by Junior Knight Walter Ray.”
“I’m Eric Dunhill. I read the letter. You want to live and work here, right? We have a room available. By the way, we’re short-staffed. Really short-staffed! The reason is the war. We have to send medicine to the soldiers on the front lines. But production isn’t even close to meeting the demand. You’re good to start working today right now, yes?”
“Y-Yes!”
“Then I’ll have my wife show you around. Off you go.”
She dropped off her belongings, and it was straight to work.
Shale looked at Abel, her face filled with anxiety.
He could clearly feel the unspoken “What’s going to happen to me now…”
“I’ll come visit from time to time. It’ll be tough….it’s training, after all. But if you learn the skills, it’ll be good for you. If anything comes up, tell the gatekeeper at the outer castle gate to pass on a message. I’m out on missions a lot, but I’ll come as soon as I can.”
“Mhmm.”
“Take care of yourself, alright?”
“Hey, you. You’re Walter’s son, right? A pharmacist who’s in bad health will be laughed at. Leave the girl to me. I’ll make her top-class.”
Eric Dunhill’s words were full of confidence.
Abel felt relieved. She would be in good hands.
“I heard my father learned diagnostic techniques from you.”
“That’s right! He was a sharp man! Want me to train you too?”
Dunhill let out a booming laugh.
Shale couldn’t help but smile too.
Abel left the shop, silently wishing for Shale’s growth.
If it was Shale, he was sure….she would take this new world, one step at a time, and make it her own.
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