“Speak. Where is Senior Sena right now?”
Sylvia’s sharp sword was pointed at Garumel’s throat. Garumel was lying in the mud, looking up at the sky.
As if the trial of that day was just a joke, Sylvia’s sword overwhelmed Garumel. All he could do was laugh.
He knew what it meant to be the king of the well, but he didn’t expect such a difference. Is this the Teutonic Knights’ sword, said to be the strongest in the empire?
“I think there’s some misunderstanding. That little saint came here of his own accord.”
“I didn’t ask about that.”
“…Just go inside. He’s in there.”
“You should have said that from the beginning.”
Sylvia turned her back. Garumel spoke.
“How was my sword?”
“Check that in the third test.”
Sylvia opened the door. As soon as she entered, she wrinkled her nose at the stench.
But more importantly, she was looking for a white furball.
‘He’s really dead.’
She didn’t expect anyone to leave her behind.
And to hide in a place like this. That’s why it took so long.
If she hadn’t encountered mercenaries looking for rare herbs, she would have taken even longer.
Even then, it was a struggle to get any information out of them.
Sylvia moved forward step by step. Patients immediately caught her eye. A young child looked at her with bewildered eyes.
Sylvia noticed why Sena had come here. Probably just his usual meddling. She just sighed.
He should take care of himself for once.
“…”
Sylvia stopped in front of a rusty cabinet.
She slowly turned her head with cold eyes.
White fur sticking out of the cabinet.
If it wasn’t a cat, it was something only Sena would have.
“What are you doing there?”
Without hesitation, she opened the cabinet. Sena inside looked at Sylvia with surprise.
Awkwardly scratching his head, he said,
“I-I got caught.”
“…”
Did he really think he wouldn’t get caught?
But more importantly.
Sena was always pure white.
But now he was spotted.
There were black stains on his clothes and hair.
Sylvia was really angry.
She grabbed Sena’s cheeks and stretched them out.
**
“M-my cheeks…”
Sena, whose cheeks were being stretched, muttered.
Having your cheeks stretched by a junior was the greatest humiliation in life, but he couldn’t say anything.
He felt sorry for leaving her behind.
‘So Sylvia was going to take me…!’
Regretting past mistakes was meaningless. After tormenting Sena’s cheeks for a while, Sylvia finally let go.
“Senior. What did I say?”
“…Please tell me in advance.”
“But what’s this?”
“I didn’t know either. I didn’t go out to treat anyone.”
“You’re always good at something. Sitting and writing letters! Why aren’t you doing that this time? Luna was in the capital.”
“Luna? Oh, I didn’t know. Then can you tell Luna? Uh, I need some herbs right now.”
Sylvia glared at Sena with cold eyes.
Sena shuddered. Sylvia was indeed a frightening junior.
“Sorry.”
Sylvia sighed. She’d scold him later. For now, she had to get Sena out of this dirty place.
“Anyway, let’s go back quickly. Her Majesty is waiting.”
Trying to hold his hand and pull him out, Sena resisted with reluctance.
Of course, Sena’s resistance was at a level better than having no strength at all.
Facing the strength of Sylvia, the knight, he couldn’t resist, but Sylvia, who considered Sena fragile, didn’t exert more force than necessary.
She just gave him a stern look.
“Surely you’re not thinking of just treating the patients and then leave.”
I’ll just finish this and go…! I can’t just leave sick people.”
-‘If he insists, knock him out and bring him back.’
Had Her Majesty anticipated this? Sylvia recalled what Astria had said earlier.
In fact, Sylvia secretly acknowledged that it was easier that way. Sena was quicker to forgive than to persuade.
Even if he occasionally got sulky and threw tantrums, Sena was never one to hold grudges. It might take some time, but he would eventually forgive.
But.
“Brother, do you have to go…?”
A young girl grabbed the hem of Sena’s robe and looked up at him with sad eyes.
Sena squatted down, patting the girl’s head.
“I want to stay longer, but this sister keeps insisting. Can you ask, Perna? She doesn’t listen to me.”
Perna approached Sylvia with a pitiful look.
“Sister, Sister… Can’t Brother Sena stay a little longer? Please?”
“Please.”
Sena joined in too. He gathered his hands and looked up at Sylvia with sparkling eyes.
Under the combined gaze of the two, Sylvia stepped back a few steps with a helpless expression. This was too much, their teamwork was too strong.
In the end, Sylvia couldn’t hold out for long.
“…Fine, but not for too long.”
Sena grinned and looked at Perna. Perna smiled back.
“Success!”
Sena and Perna high-fived.
**
They had asked Garumel for herbs to use for treatment. Hours had passed, and Sylvia wondered why they hadn’t returned yet. The culprit turned out to be Sylvia.
“No wonder it took so long! You were the culprit, weren’t you?”
“I really thought Senior was kidnapped.”
Sylvia looked at the distant mountains.
The two mercenaries who had been scolded by the suspicious lady had a pitiful look on their faces.
Sena put his hands on his hips and glared at Sylvia. He remembered how she stretched his cheeks earlier.
“If you had just been honest from the beginning, you wouldn’t have gotten us into this mess.”
“But you’re the one who didn’t properly communicate.”
“I didn’t know you were a knight of this healer. If you had revealed your identity from the beginning, I would have guided you.”
Sylvia glared at the mercenary whose eye was turning purple.
The mercenary trembled. Someone tapped Sylvia’s side.
Sena was looking at Sylvia, his cheeks puffed.
“…”
The most troublesome thing in the world was when Sena got upset.
When Sena got upset, he either went on a hunger strike or locked himself in his room to write angry letters to Cruyff.
… Either way is threatening.
“I’m sorry for hitting you.”
Sylvia quickly made a judgment. Quick judgment was Sylvia’s strength.
Sena looked satisfied and patted Sylvia.
“…Is giving wounds and then healing them your specialty?”
Garumel approached with his hands in his pockets. He too had a disheveled appearance. He had suffered some verbal abuse.
Sena sat down in front of the package brought by the mercenaries. He selected herbs for healing wounds, crushed them in a mortar, and applied them using a wooden spatula.
“It’s a bit warm.”
Then, he approached the mercenaries with the bowl and applied it to their wounds. To those with swollen eyes, it infused a sense of sanctity.
The swelling quickly subsided. For those with other injuries, he applied additional herbs before bandaging them.
“Thank you for your help.”
“Uh, yeah.”
The mercenaries were bewildered. They had received some scolding from Sylvia, but Sena’s treatment was a reminder that some wounds heal with a little ointment. They hadn’t even considered the idea of treatment.
“Think of it as a lifelong family heirloom. That bandage.”
Sylvia warned sternly.
“Whose do you think made these wounds?”
Sena said brightly, handing the bundle to Sylvia.
Because of the large bundle, Sylvia’s face couldn’t be seen. Flustered, Sylvia asked.
“Senior, what are you doing…?”
“Bring it over here.”
Sena chuckled and said. Sylvia, who was engulfed by the bundle, looked adorable. How could such a small kid be so strong? It had been a mystery since their Academy days.
“…Why do I end up in these situations?”
Sylvia grumbled once, but followed Sena.
In the center, there was a stove with a large pot hanging on it. There was water inside. Since it was difficult to obtain clean water, Sena had been boiling water as a makeshift solution.
“Put it down there.”
As Sylvia put down the bundle, Sena grabbed a handful of herbs and put them into the pot.
“Are you making food?”
“We’ll be consuming it, but it’s not exactly food. You could call it medicine.”
The name of these herbs was Thyme.
It was a type of herb and one of the representative herbs helpful in treating the Black Death.
In the treatment of the Black Death, the use of antibiotics was essential. Naturally, those antibiotics couldn’t be found in medieval times.
Thyme contained antibiotic properties.
Of course, the direct therapeutic effect wasn’t significant, but among what could be found in medieval times, it was the best.
“Indeed, herbs are a godsend.”
It was fortunate that they could use herbs as a makeshift solution. Herbs were so beneficial to the body.
“…It’s an herb. Would brewing it into tea also help with illnesses?”
“Yeah, to a certain extent. But the important thing is the steam.”
The warm and refreshing air, characteristic of herbs, filled the space. Sena felt better.
“This itself is medicine. It should be quite helpful.”
Drinking the steam of Thyme was a simple yet effective way to help many patients.
Even the simple methods could be quite effective.
‘Now, what we can do here is done.’
They informed about quarantine measures.
They cleaned the space where the patients were as much as possible.
Using bandages imbued with sanctity on necrotic skin.
Sena used the most effective herbs he knew within common knowledge.
This was all they could do right now. Now, all that was left was to spread awareness about the Black Death and make efforts at the national level.
‘I also need to conduct research. The most urgent thing is to determine to what extent sanctity can counteract the plague bacteria.’
Sena nodded to himself. Sylvia had come at just the right time.
Now, it was more important to return to Astria and inform them of the existence of the Black Death than to stay here.
“Sylvia, let’s go back now.”
“You said it first. You’re quite commendable.”
Sylvia said, seeming puzzled. Sena smiled and moved forward.
“I’ll visit the palace for a moment.”
“…You’re making terrifying statements so casually.”
“Please rest assured that you will have nothing to worry about. I’ll protect the slums.”
“Well, I’m not particularly worried. If it’s the palace, it should be fine. The only thing I’m wary of is the Church.”
“You’ve done well. Of course, you’ll have to do more.”
“Is it not a bit demanding to ask a knight apprentice about to take the test?”
Garumel chuckled and extended his hand.
“Go on. No need for… well, anything.”
Sena trembled under Sylvia’s fierce cat-like eyes.
Sena slightly bowed his head and headed towards the exit. As he stepped outside, he heard Perna running after him.
“Are you leaving?”
Perna had already filled her eyes with tears. Sena, taken aback, hurriedly nodded.
“No, no. I’ll be back soon.”
“Really…?”
Perna seemed to like Sena a lot. Sylvia could understand that feeling. Somehow, Senior always seemed to be popular with the younger ones.
“Wait just a moment, please!”
“Hmm?”
Perna dashed off somewhere again, but kept glancing back to see if Sena was leaving or not.
“I’ll wait, so don’t worry!”
Relieved, Perna ran off again.
“What is she up to?”
“Well, it’s hard to know what’s going on in the mind of a child.”
Perna returned shortly, holding something behind her back.
‘Is she planning to give me a gift?’
It was incredibly cute. Sena’s eyes sparkled.
“Just sit down for a moment, please!”
“Sure thing.”
Sena adjusted himself to Perna’s eye level.
Perna pulled out what she had been hiding behind her back and placed it on Sena’s head.
Sylvia’s pupils subtly shook as she watched.
She spoke softly.
“Magic Crystal.”
‘Magic Crystal?’
Sena reached up and looked at the head ornament.
“This is…”
It was a snowflake-shaped crystal. Very beautiful.
“This was given to Perna by Justitia! Mom said it was because Perna is a good girl!”
Of course, that wasn’t entirely true. Justitia wasn’t that kind.
This was a Magic Crystal.
If she was born with excessive magical power, it will eventually overflow.
It eventually took this form and fell. These were called Magic Crystals.
‘I knew she had talent, but I didn’t expect this. I knew it takes someone of Sylvia’s caliber to produce it.’
“Are you giving this to me…?”
“Yes! You healed Mom for me!!”
Sena was deeply moved. He carefully placed the ornament back on his head and gently stroked Perna’s hair.
“Thank you for giving me something so precious.”
‘I’d like to give you something too.’
Unfortunately, he didn’t have anything right now. He cannot give her the wooden sword he received from Astria.
After a moment of contemplation, Sena realized he had one thing he could give to Perna. He reached into his pocket.
“I’ll give you this too.”
It was a four-leaf clover.
“What is this?”
“It’s a clover. It symbolizes luck because it has four leaves.”
Perna’s eyes sparkled with the clover reflected in her innocent eyes.
“What happens if there are three of them?”
“If there are three, it means happiness.”
“Wow…”
Sena handed the four-leaf clover to the impressed Perna.
“I’ll give you the luck I found.”
“Thank you!”
Perna happily accepted the four-leaf clover. She carefully inspected it inside the glass bottle before smiling brightly.
Fortunately, she seemed to like it.
But suddenly, a thought crossed Sena’s mind.
“Let’s take one off.”
“Happiness is something you find yourself.”
Perna plucked one petal off herself. Sena smiled as he watched her. Sylvia couldn’t help but feel like she would never forget this scene for the rest of her life.
A shooting star streaked across the sky between them.
