章 9: The Work of Saving Lives (2)
"Could you give me a candle?"
I had always admired missionaries.
I learned various things to spread faith in remote and harsh areas.
First aid and basic medical knowledge were very useful skills for me.
"Let me check something for a moment."
There was a saying among doctors in the highly developed medical field of the 21st century.
There are parts of the human body that cannot be trained, and one of them is the pupil, right?
Swish-
I received a candle and shone it on Psyche's hazy blue eyes. As the flame touched her pupils, which had been shaking without focus, they quickly contracted.
It meant she was conscious enough for her cranial nerves to react.
But unlike her body, which couldn't lie, Psyche only made pitiful sounds like "Ah… Ah…" as if she were unconscious.
Why was she pretending to be sick like this?
The Psyche I had known was healthier than anyone else, let alone sick.
It was the same now.
Although Psyche's body was messy enough to make one frown, it was very healthy when observed carefully.
She was a bit thin, and her hair was dry, but it was within the normal range.
"Um… Monk Hyde. I brought the olive oil and willow ash you requested."
At that moment, the old servant approached me.
To think he brought the ingredients I asked for in less than 10 minutes.
Indeed, the rumor that the Count family spared no expense to cure their daughter's illness seemed to be true.
However, the servants and maids didn't know what the ingredients I asked for were for, so they looked at me with suspicion.
"Can you make medicine with this?"
Make medicine?
No, as far as I knew, you couldn't make medicine with those ingredients.
But you could make a rather luxurious item.
"I can't cure the illness, but I can prevent it."
Swish, swish-
I mixed the olive oil and willow ash well in the prepared bowl. Then I plucked a flower from a nearby vase, added it to the mixture, and stirred vigorously.
It would have been better if I had more time…
"Sisters, would you mind applying this to a towel and wiping Lady Psyche's face? I could do it myself, but…"
The maids looked at each other.
To ease their tension as they looked at the strange and suspicious liquid, I applied the liquid to my own face and hands.
"This is a soap made with lye. It would be better to let it harden and dry in the shade, but we don't have time right now."
It was a simple lye soap, but it would be much more effective than the oils and rose water that medieval people used as soap substitutes.
Honestly, I wanted to wash my hands too.
"Soap!"
"It was soap!"
Only then did the maids brighten up and carefully wipe Psyche's face and limbs with a soap-soaked towel, as if she were a precious treasure.
"Oh."
I was amazed by her face, finally revealed cleanly.
A beauty with red hair and blue eyes.
But a patient who couldn't even speak, looking pitiful and heartbreaking.
Was this how the prince felt when he saw the mermaid who became human on the beach and fell in love with her at first sight?
Although I wasn't a knight or a prince on a white horse, I vowed once again.
I would definitely rescue Psyche from her illness!
Of course, my diagnosis was that Psyche was malingering.
This is where the problem arises.
The Psyche I knew was a more honest and devout woman than anyone else. Why was such a woman pretending to be sick?
I prided myself on being an expert in deception. After all, I had also pretended to be "Lust" to survive.
Psyche must also have a reason for pretending to be sick.
What was it?
What could have made a Count's daughter, who lacked nothing, pretend to be sick for two years?
If I couldn't figure out what it was─.
─If I couldn't solve that problem, Psyche would definitely not come out of this state of malingering.
"When did Lady Psyche's illness start?"
I asked.
Perhaps their trust in me as a human being had increased a bit after I made soap on the spot and washed her face, one of the maids quickly answered,
"Well… when she turned fifteen… two years ago! It was right before her coming-of-age ceremony. She suddenly collapsed, and after that… she couldn't walk at all…"
The maids and servants again looked gloomy and sniffled. The information I gathered was that Psyche was currently 17 years old, and that she 'couldn't walk'.
Considering that the age of majority in this world was 16, it was quite significant.
A noble lady's coming-of-age ceremony.
And I remembered the voice of the minstrel who had approached me and chattered in the Count's shed.
━Isn't Lady Psyche of marriageable age? Although her appearance has been greatly affected by her illness, she was once known as one of the three beauties of the kingdom…
━There was even talk of a marriage proposal with the second son of Archbishop Archibald…
As I pieced together my memories, the puzzle pieces that I thought wouldn't fit together began to fall into place. I had a feeling I knew why Psyche was pretending to be sick.
"This is not good…"
If my guess and prediction were correct, Psyche's malingering would definitely not be cured.
But that was a problem.
I had made a bet with the arrogant priest Manaan. If I didn't win the bet, my tongue would be torn out.
Of course, there was no way I would lose.
Because I knew Psyche well in a certain way.
"I will cure the Lady's illness in 10 minutes. But I have a condition. Please bring me a strong rope. And could you please drive a very thick and large stake into the wall of this room?"
"Rope and stake…? What does that have to do with saving lives…"
The old servant who had brought the olive oil and willow ash seemed suspicious of the items I requested this time as well.
It was a reasonable question.
Because the rope and stake I needed weren't for saving lives.
"Please drive the stake high up on the wall. Make it sturdy."
The servants drilled a hole in the wall and drove in the stake. It was a very sturdy stake. Thinking that the preparations were complete, I said to the servants and maids,
"Now, please leave the room. I'm going to exorcise the demon that's possessing Lady Psyche. No matter what sounds you hear, don't come in until I tell you to."
"Ah, you want to be alone with the Lady? Absolutely not! That's absolutely unacceptable!"
The old servant shouted angrily, his face red.
I would have done the same.
Leaving a stranger of unknown origin alone in a room with Psyche, the apple of the Count's eye? I would never have allowed it.
But I had to convince them.
"Don't you want to cure Lady Psyche? Do you want her to live her whole life as a cripple and live in filth!? Get out of the room!"
"Th-that…"
"Let him do it!"
At that moment, a voice like thunder echoing in a deep cave came from somewhere.
Turning my head, I saw a man with magnificent red hair, wearing a cloak and sword, approaching us.
He had a dignified, lion-like physique and was as tall as me.
The servants and maids bowed their heads to this imposing middle-aged man.
"C-Count…!"
"The Count himself…"
The Count.
Was he Psyche's father, Count Doban, the protector of this Agarphe territory? Before I could even form any other impressions of this man, he said,
"I'll give you 10 minutes. If you can't cure my daughter's illness in 10 minutes, I'll cut off your head."
"If my head is still attached by then. And I swear on my conscience and faith that I will not lay a hand on Lady Psyche."
Creak, thud-
I drove all the servants and maids out of the room.
And I looked at Psyche.
Even in this situation, Psyche was diligently playing the role of a sick person.
I spoke to her very softly and carefully,
"Lady Psyche, I know you're lying. You've never been afflicted by illness or curse. You're healthier than anyone else. If you're sick, it's a sickness of the heart."
"…"
"Do you know what the greatest sin in the world is? Lying? Cursing? Killing and robbing your brother? Committing adultery?"
Swish-
I stepped on a chair and hung the rope on the high stake. Then I made a loop with the rope.
"What about blasphemy or devil worship? Are those truly unforgivable sins? No, they are not. I'm sure you know that too, Lady Psyche."
I put my head through the loop.
My heart pounded like it was about to burst, and my hands and feet were burning.
I was in a precarious situation.
I took a deep breath and said,
"The greatest sin a human can commit is suicide. All sins can be repented of, but suicide sends the soul straight to the deepest depths of hell, with no time for repentance."
Thud-. Crash-
I kicked the chair away.
The leg that had been supporting my body suddenly floated in the air, and I felt my neck being strangled by something.
Squeeze-. Crack-
"Ugh, ack, ghh…!"
It literally felt like death was reaching out and strangling me.
My eyes felt like they were about to burst from the pressure, and I couldn't even speak.
It was excruciatingly painful.
What was even more painful was the fact that if I died like this, my soul would be thrown straight to the bottom of hell, just like I had said!
It was a terrifying thought, but─fortunately, it didn't happen.
Because something lifted me up.
"…What are you doing!?"
It was Lady Psyche, who was known to be a cripple and unconscious. She was holding onto my legs, lifting me into the air, with a very flustered and serious expression.
"Someone help! Quick! Someone help me! Hurry! He's dying!!!"
As the world around me faded, I heard Psyche shouting towards the outside.
Soon, I heard the sound of people banging on the locked door, and the sound of the lock breaking.
"Oh, Lady! Are you alright? You! What have you done to the Lady!"
"Get out of the way! I'll save the Lady! Barbarian swindler! What have you done to the Lady!"
"Sir Loras!"
Crack-! Crack-! Bang-
Finally, the sturdy lock on the door broke, and servants and maids poured into the room like a swarm of bees.
"Lady! Are you alright! Hyde! You bastard!"
"Loras! Quickly lift him up! Hurry!"
They were shocked to see Psyche and me, but soon they worked together to lift me up and rescue me from the clutches of hell.
"Gasp… Gasp…"
Only then could I catch my breath and smile at everyone.
"Now, did you see that? The Lady, who was a cripple, stood up perfectly and even called for help. Cough… Please tell the Count. It didn't even take 10 minutes, so I kept my promise."
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