Chapter 2

Annette felt utterly useless.

One hand was trapped in the man’s grip, half of her body was practically draped over his, and with her free hand she was desperately pressing down on his wound.

This is ridiculous…

She calculated the time.

It’ll take at least thirty minutes for the children and Sister Regina to get here.

And if they left him like this…

He might die.

Her eyes darted around frantically.

What can I use…?

Ah—the scarf.

Unable to free her right wrist, she reached up with her left hand and fumbled with the knot securing the scarf around her shoulders.

Undoing a knot with only one hand proved much harder than she expected.

“Annette, we never know when we’ll meet the prince destined for us. You should always look your best.”

Karen had giggled as she carefully tied the ribbon for her.

After much struggling, the knot finally came undone.

Keeping the scarf draped over one shoulder, Annette carefully examined the man’s body.

Where exactly is he bleeding from?

She cautiously felt along his neck, chest, and side through the military uniform.

“Ah… Here!”

Blood was seeping from somewhere between his left abdomen and flank.

She carefully lifted his uniform.

The wound itself was difficult to see. Thick, half-dried clots mixed with fresh blood that continued to pour from the injury.

The moon had disappeared behind the clouds, and with her right arm trapped, finding the exact wound was even harder.

I’ll stop the bleeding first.

She folded the scarf over several times with one hand.

Then she pressed it firmly against the wound.

She strained with all her strength, pushing down on it for what felt like forever.

The man never moved.

“Please hang in there… Help will be here soon.”

The world around them was silent.

Only the flowing waters of the Newmir River seemed unusually loud.

Maybe… he’s already dead.

It had been a long time since she’d heard even the faint groans or shallow breaths he’d been making.

No…

His grip on her wrist hadn’t weakened in the slightest.

He had to still be alive.

…Or maybe he’s already dead, and rigor mortis has set in.

His hand is so cold…

Fear and pity intertwined within her as she half-supported the man…

…while at the same time, half of her own body rested against him.

***

Just as she began thinking that far too much time had passed, she heard the distant clatter of stones and dirt being kicked up.

Focusing on the sound, she narrowed her eyes.

Karl was pulling a handcart.

Karen ran beside him.

And Sister Regina was with them.

“Annette! Annette!”

Karen screamed tearfully as she ran toward them.

From a distance, it must have looked as though Annette had collapsed together with the man.

“Karen… it’s okay. I’m fine.”

Still half trapped in the stranger’s embrace, Annette called back.

By then, Sister Regina and Karl had arrived.

“Annette, are you all right? Karl explained what happened on the way.”

“Yes, Sister. I’m fine.”

She looked down at the unconscious man.

“But… I’m not sure if he is.”

Her voice trembled.

Perhaps it was simply the relief of seeing Sister Regina.

The tension she’d been holding onto all night suddenly disappeared, and her chin began trembling uncontrollably.

Karl carefully pried the man’s hand away from Annette’s wrist.

Surprisingly, the grip that had refused to loosen finally relaxed without resistance.

Is he really… dead?

Together, Sister Regina, Karl, Karen, and Annette lifted the unconscious soldier onto the handcart.

His limp body made moving him far more difficult than expected.

After discussing it, they decided to take him to Annette’s house, the closest place available.

Karl objected immediately.

“It isn’t safe! We absolutely can’t bring him there!”

But after seeing how critical the man’s condition was, they settled the matter by majority vote.

***

“It seems you won’t be joining God just yet.”

Having finished stitching the wound in the man’s side, Sister Regina straightened her back.

The gentle smile accompanying her joke told Annette everything she needed to know.

The man would live.

Annette, who had spent the entire operation assisting Sister Regina with small tasks, finally allowed herself to relax.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed into the nearby chair in relief.

It was already three in the morning.

“I gave him a painkiller. He won’t wake up for quite a while.”

Sister Regina packed away her medical bag as she spoke.

For now, they had decided not to notify the police.

In his current condition, the man posed little threat.

Once he woke up, they would hear his story first.

Only then would they decide whether to report him.

Sister Regina had to return to the orphanage, where the children were waiting for her.

Karl also prepared to head home after escorting her back.

“I’ll come back.”

He declared it so firmly that it sounded like an oath.

Annette shook her head.

Karl needed rest too.

Only after she made him promise to return the following evening did he reluctantly leave.

He kept glancing back over his shoulder as he walked away.

Annette simply smiled and waved.

Karen, however, refused to leave no matter how much they tried to persuade her.

As a result, the lovable troublemaker had eventually fallen fast asleep on the living room sofa.

The small bedside lamp illuminated the man’s pale face.

The past several hours felt like nothing more than a dream.

Her body was exhausted.

Strangely enough…

Sleep refused to come.

How did this man end up like this?

There hasn’t been any news of fighting along the border…

So how did a soldier from the Bleyte Empire end up all the way in Iblen?

As countless questions filled her mind, she found herself staring at his face.

Then his eyes came back to her.

Gray eyes.

Even while standing at death’s door…

There had been something heartbreakingly resolute about them.

They had seemed to command her—

Help me.

Save me.

Perhaps…

That was why she’d felt compelled to save this enormous stranger who had appeared bleeding before her.

Those eyes simply didn’t belong to someone ready to die.

***

The faint chirping of birds reached his ears.

Warm sunlight filtered through his closed eyelids.

Is this heaven?

Just moments ago, he had been wandering a moonlit roadside.

How could he suddenly be bathed in sunlight?

“Hah…”

He drew a deep breath.

A sharp pain exploded through his side.

As he slowly exhaled, the ache spread throughout his entire body.

If it hurts this much… this definitely isn’t heaven.

Besides…

A man like me doesn’t belong in heaven.

If I died… Hell would be the only place waiting for me.

Lost in thought, Eliotts slowly opened his eyes.

Tiny floral patterns filled his vision.

He frowned.

Old flower-patterned wallpaper covered both the ceiling and the walls.

Definitely too shabby to be heaven.

Against one wall stood a small, worn brown wardrobe.

Turning his head slightly, he spotted a modest writing desk.

Several books were neatly stacked upon it.

A small glass jar held pens and pencils.

As his eyes wandered across the unfamiliar room, they suddenly stopped.

Next to the desk sat a round wooden stool.

Among all the unfamiliar objects, something finally caught his eye.

His shoulder harness lay neatly folded there.

Resting on top of its holster…

…was his revolver.

“You damn idiot…”

The curse escaped him like a breath.

A soldier who lets his gun leave his body…

There wasn’t an excuse in the world for that.

Even death wouldn’t justify such carelessness.

He didn’t know where he was.

But one thing was certain.

He had to secure that gun.

He tried to sit up.

Or rather…

He tried.

The tiny wooden bed creaked loudly, but his body refused to obey.

His frustration only deepened.

As he struggled against limbs that no longer listened, something else caught his attention.

A pale pink blanket.

Wonderful.

What’s next? Lace pajamas?

…Wait.

His eyes widened.

He hurriedly felt around his body to check.

Thankfully…

Or perhaps unfortunately…

He wasn’t wearing anything at all.

A sigh of relief escaped him before he laughed bitterly at himself.

Then another realization struck him.

…Why am I naked?

He tried to throw the blanket aside.

His arms had no strength.

Instead, the sudden movement sent another wave of agony through his side.

He slowly reached toward the pain.

Bandages wrapped around his shoulder, crossed his chest, and circled his abdomen.

What happened…?

He forced himself to concentrate.

His thoughts refused to come together.

But lying here making excuses wasn’t an option.

He had to understand his situation.