Chapter 94: Chapter 2, Episode 19
Translated by KaiesV
Edited by KaiesV
This could be dead, I thought calmly in desperation as I fell down the cliff. Ciel’s screams were coming from above, but they were only getting further away from me as I fell. No matter how hard I reached for it, there was no way I could reach it, and I closed my eyes, ready to die.
In my mind’s eye, I see Myra-sama, His Majesty, Marie, Ryniel-sama, Mary, and Gaspar. And then there is Liam-kun and Douglas-sama. And of course, my father and brother. I may have left Ciel with a broken heart. I am sorry every time the smiles of my loved ones come and go. Please forgive me for going before you all. I apologized desperately, but the sound of running water reaching my ears brought me back to myself. There was a river flowing under the cliff. This might save me.
I opened my eyes with a snap, not ready to give up, and what came into my full view was a strange man falling with his hand outstretched to me. And he is quite a man.
「…Huh?」
A dumb voice came out, too out of place to produce in a crisis situation.
「Hold your breath…!」
The next moment, I felt a warmth enveloping my body and a huge shock.
After that, what’s what. All I know is cold water and a dress that clings to my body. And the opposite of cold water is warmth.
The warmth pulls me up strongly and forcefully without any resistance from the water. My body was by no means light, and my water-soaked dress must have been heavy, but the next thing I knew I was being lifted onto the shore.
「Gohoh, hah, gohoh-gohoh! …ueeghh, eergghh!!」
My body, which had been holding its breath to the limit, was seeking air, but after drinking some water, I just coughed. Above all that. I was already at the limit of my carriage sickness, and I was already blubbering the contents of my stomach in a big way.
「H–Hey, are you alright?」
This is the first time in 25 years of living that I have vomited in front of a man. I am more embarrassed and unbearable about it than I am about the fact that I am alive. But the vomiting was out of my control.
「Calm down, you’re already fine.」
The warmth rubbing my back is certainly the same as the one that touched me in the water. In other words, he is a lifesaver.
「I–I’m… a–already fine. I’m sorry, to show you, my disgusting, appearance.」
I looked up at the man who was out of breath but managed to massage his back and did a double-take.
「No. I’m not bothered by it.」
「…Okay.」
.
My voice was turned upside down by the man peeking at me like that. No, what can I say, I thought when I was falling, but this is an extraordinary manly man. The water dripping from his hair raises his manliness level, and this is exactly the kind of man who can drip water. Moreover, the mole around his mouth is something indecent. Both Ryniel-sama and Raul are good looking, but what wafts from this man is a man’s sex appeal. Uhhyah.
「You look a little better. Can you move?」
Hiee, a very good voice. Something about it makes my ears itch! By the way, the reason why his complexion looks better is definitely because he was hit by the color. I can’t say it out loud, though!
「Y–Yes. I’m alright.」
「I’m sorry to push you, but we need to get out of here right now.」
The meaning of the man’s words with a stern expression on his face. It means that the bandit troupe that attacked us might still be there.
「…I understand. I’m fine with that.」
This was no time for fooling around. The bandits appeared in a place where they weren’t supposed to be, and it was clear that the life of the Special Goodwill Ambassador was threatened, as they even drove their horses out of control and tried to drive the carriage off a cliff.
I stand up and squeeze my dress lightly with water. The fear of falling off a cliff passes through my mind as I watch the water trickle out, but a small shake of my head helps me regain my composure.
Why I was attacked. Perhaps the man knew something about the situation. But right now, my priority is to get away from this place rather than to find out what he knows.
Kudos to Ciel for choosing travel boots for today’s outfit. If I had worn heels, they would have come off when I fell into the river. And we would have had to go barefoot along the road for who knows how long.
「Now then, let’s move.」
Saying so, I started walking with Munmun-san (pseudonym). The direction was downstream. In other words, we were headed for the mouth of the river. Our goal was to meet up with the group that had strayed from the river.
「It lives up to the rumors…」
I looked at the dialogue I heard overhead, and the man looked down at me with interest. I didn’t hear the latter part, but what kind of rumors are these rumors? Then he abandoned it in mid-sentence, wondering who the source of the rumor might be. Whoever the rumor was, it’s not a big deal now.
「…I was late for the introduction. My name is Marshallie Gracis. I have been appointed as a Special Goodwill Ambassador for the Gran Kingdom. I am very grateful to you for saving my life.」
No kidding, if I had been alone, I would have died. The impact of falling into the river was more tremendous than I had imagined, and more importantly, I had no idea that my dress, which had absorbed water, was so heavy. Even if I could swim, I would have run out of strength in the water with such a dress on, no matter how much algae I scratched.
「Knight of the Kingsguard of Quanda. May I ask your name?」
I asked Munmun-san as we walked, not letting the weight of my dress get to us. From what he was wearing, I knew immediately that he was a member of the Quanda Kingsguard, but other than that, I didn’t know him. If we are going to be working together, I would like to at least know his name. As expected, I can’t just call him by his arbitrary pseudonym,『Glamorous Munmun-san.』
「You don’t know me…?」
Nhn? That’s right.
「I am sorry, sir. I don’t know you.」
That’s why I asked. Why such a quizzical look?
「If you don’t know me, what makes you think I’m from the Kingsguard?」
Gosh, this is yet another even more unexpected response.
「Yes… No, I judged it from your red lotus uniform and the purple strap on your sword…?」
I wonder if he thought very much that I don’t know because I am from Gran Kingdom. But as I said, the uniform of Glamorous Munmun-san is unique to the Quanda Kingsguard.
The royal family of Qaunda always possesses matching red hair and purple eyes.
Red hair alone is not that unusual. Ciel also has red hair, and in fact, the Glamorous Munmun-san who is walking next to me has red hair as well, and it is a magnificent blood-red color. There are also a small number of people with purple eyes, but their existence has been confirmed. However, the only people with both red hair and purple eyes are the royal family of Quanda. That is why red and purple are considered symbols of the royal family of Quanda. Therefore, purple is the supreme color, and only royalty are allowed to wear it. The only non-royalty allowed to wear the cords is the decorated cords given to the Kingsguard, which reports directly to the king. The uniform of the royal guard, which protects the royal family, is red.
「I would be surprised if this was anyone other than a member of the Kingsguard, on the contrary.」
Just wearing that color without permission in Quanda Kingdom will make your head literally fly off your neck.
「…That’s, true.」
That’s right, isn’t it? I didn’t say anything strange, did I?
「Excuse me for this. My name is Keith Miller. I belong to the Kingsguard of Quanda, as you say.」
「No, it’s my pleasure. Well then, Keith-dono. First of all, we have to do something about our outfit. Do you know of a place nearby where we can get ourselves cleaned up?」
I had to meet up with the Gran Kingdom group as soon as possible, but even if I headed out in a mad dash, I would only be wasting my time in such a wet rat. If the bandits were after me, it would be even more conspicuous if I wore a dress to hide myself.
「There should be an old hut used by the nearby villagers just up ahead. Let’s hide there first and get our gear ready.」
Good, good, it seems that Keith-dono has a good grasp of the general geography. I was worried because it looked like a lot of it had been swept away, but it looks like we’re going to be okay.
「Understood. Then let’s hurry to the hut.」
Although there was something strange in the air, he had the gall to jump off the cliff to save the Special Goodwill Ambassador. And I was glad that this man wasn’t only a face, but also capable and dependable in the knowledge that we could figure out where we were in the drift. That’s what I thought.
But it wasn’t long after this that I realized that it was only then.
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