Chương 15: 15: Reconciliation
Caroline woke up feeling miserable, this time from a curse to the heart rather than the body. She's cried for a really long time before falling asleep. Rather than feeling angry, she just felt a deep sadness.
Today, she should have woken up happy. Thio said he loved her and had kissed her. But he'd ruined it by trying to take away the one thing that had kept her going all these years.
She finally sat up, rubbing her eyes, and wondering what to do with herself. There were some serious logistical problems she was facing today. She needed to change, but she had no idea how to do it without standing. Now that she was paying attention, she could tell she was still too weak. Even the bathroom was going to be a struggle.
Hm? Now that she thought about it, did she even have any clothes to change into?
"Good morning Madam Caroline!" Metts greeted, swinging the door open and causing her to jump.
He had another glass of water and a bowl of gruel.
"I've come to help you with breakfast." The teenager said cheerily.
"Is Thio not coming?"
"Did you want him to come?"
"Er."
Metts leaned forward conspiratorially, whispering.
"You and Master are fighting, am I right?"
She looked away guiltily.
"Do you hate Master, Lady Caroline?"
"What? No!" She almost yelled it, before slapping her hand over her mouth embarrassed.
"That's good then. I think Master would die if you hated him."
"…I seriously doubt that."
Metts shook his head. "Ah, you didn't see him this morning, Lady."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"He looked like he was going to start growing mushrooms on his head."
Mushrooms… she couldn't help but snicker a bit at the image.
Metts cleared his throat. "I know this is bold, Lady, but I was wondering what you two argued about exactly?"
It was bold, very bold. It wasn't any of his business as a Butler. But since she had no one else to talk to and was feeling sorry for herself…
"He told me to quit my job." Her eyes hardened even as she said.
"Why?"
"He said I was too reckless and my job would get me killed."
"Ah… you're… an Adventurer right?"
"Yes."
"And that's how you got all those curses?"
"Only because a Requester lied and put my entire party in danger!" Caroline bristled.
"No, no, I didn't mean it like that." Metts said hurriedly. "Do you usually get cursed?"
"Well… Not usually. It's mostly Demons that can use curses and the Army deals with them."
"So it's not usually that dangerous, being an Adventurer?"
"Er."
"Oh? Even without the cursing?"
"We do monster exterminating, so it'd naturally be a little dangerous."
"I see…" He tapped his chin. "Is there no way to reduce the risk when fighting monsters? So it wouldn't be so dangerous?"
She hesitated. "I have been informed that there are some areas I could improve in, with regards to fighting monsters."
"Like what?"
"Well… I was told I shouldn't go out on missions by myself."
"I see."
"And I should really upgrade my armor more frequently."
"Anything else?"
"Erm, I should start buying minor ability boosting potions."
"Is there anything else or is that all?"
"No, well…" Her shoulders slumped. "Actually the Guildmaster and Mariel are constantly telling me to stop being so cheap about everything. Saving money is fine, but I should be purchasing boosters, healing potions, enchanted accessories. Even the food I get for missions should have boosters in it, they keep saying, so…"
Metts eyebrows practically touched his hairline. "Lady Caroline, I was under the impression that Master was a rich man."
"I'd say so." Caroline agreed, glancing around. He lived in something more like a mansion than a house.
"Is he withholding money from you?"
"Not at all. I'd say he's a little too generous."
"I see, I see… so why exactly are you being cheap then?"
"..eh?"
"If he's giving you money, why are you being cheap?"
"That… uh… it's not… my money?"
"But he gave it to you."
"I didn't earn it!"
"…you do realize you're married, right Madam Caroline?"
"That… er… uh…" She slapped her chest. "I've got my pride!"
"So you'll die for your pride?"
"..that might be.. Taking it a bit far.."
"But that's what you're saying, isn't it? You won't spend money given to you on better equipment, so it raises the chance of you being hurt, which makes death more likely. So. You're willing to die for pride."
"Uh… heh. Heh heh heh." She started laughed strangely because she didn't know what else to say. He was wrong but he wasn't wrong either.
"Don't you think, if you could show Master you're taking steps to being safer, that he might be convinced to see your Adventuring as a good thing?"
"M-maybe?"
"Wouldn't it be best to try at least?" Metts made sure to look as earnest and pure as possible before saying, "Master loves you. Don't you love Master Thio? Don't you want to stop fighting? Don't you want to get along again?"
Caroline felt like she was being blinded by some saintly aura. What kind of pressuring tactic was this?! She couldn't resist!
"…oh, fine. It's worth trying."
——
After Metts had finished helping Madam Caroline eat, he marched over to his Master with determination in his heart. He'd had to make breakfast this morning, which meant all he got was gruel. The sadness he was feeling was almost as strong as the hunger pains.
Thio was sitting at his writing desk, a stack of letters in front of him. Metts had managed to convince him to clean up a bit. He was wearing a simple shirt and trousers, his hair tied back rather than braided.
Walking over, Metts started in: "Sir, I've made sure Madam Caroline has eaten something."
Thio glanced up at Metts and nodded. "Thank you."
The young man cleared his throat, continued. "Master… do you really want Madam Caroline to quit being an Adventurer?"
"She's too reckless for it." Thio's eyes hardened.
So the exact same reaction as the Madam, Metts thought.
"What if it she was less reckless?"
"Ha!"
"But what if she was?"
"…it's still too dangerous."
Metts strengthened his resolve.
"Just humor me… what would it take to make it less dangerous?"
Thio's forehead crinkled in thought and steepled his hands, leaning into the point.
"Honestly, she just seems really careless about herself. It's like she's got no fear of dying whatsoever. And the Guild either can't or won't reign her in. Just the thought of her charging headlong into danger, without anyone to restrain her behavior… I feel sick thinking about it. I don't know, maybe if she had someone there who she respected or was more powerful… someone to catch her before she does anything stupid… maybe then I could feel better about it… maybe…"
"Why not let that 'someone' be you?"
Thio blinked.
"I remember you telling me once you had too much free time on your hands. Why not tag along with Madam Caroline on her Requests? It'll give you something to do, keep her safe, AND allow you to spend time with your beloved wife!" He smiled charmingly and winked.
Thio leaned back and then nodded, giving a very rare chuckle.
"That… yes, that would work…" He then patted Metts on the shoulder. "That's a really good idea. I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. If she accepts it, you're getting a bonus."
It was this specific moment in time that solidified Metts habit of meddling between the two of them. Whether they wanted it or not, if there was any kind of disagreement, Metts would be there to try and smooth things over.
——
There was a knock on the bedroom door and polite, "Excuse me" from Thio.
When he entered, there was a moment of awkward silence as they measured each other up.
Thio took the initiative and walked forward, sitting on the end of the bed.
"I'm sorry." He finally said, rubbing the back of his neck. "You were right about me being selfish. I only thought of my own feelings and not about yours."
Caroline leaned back on the headboard, eyes narrowed.
"So you're not going to try and stop me from being an Adventurer?"
He raised his hand. "B-before we even get to that, I'd like to try again."
"Try what?"
He twiddles his fingers nervously, afraid to look her in the face.
"Caroline, I love you."
After getting no response, he took a quick peek at her face. Even with the bandages and bruising, he could see her blushing deeply. Encouraged by this he continued.
"Do you… do you love me too?"
"…you're really unfair Thio…"
"But do you love me?"
Gripping the blankets, Caroline made a face, sighed, and then nodded.
"Is that a yes?"
She glared at him. "Yes it's a ye—gah!"
He'd practically leaped forward to embrace her. Holding her close and nuzzling her neck.
She was still for a moment before raising her arms to embrace him back.
"You're surprisingly pushy with romance."
"You're surprisingly timid."
Separating, they laughed.
Thio tenderly held her hands, one still wrapped in bandages.
"About you being an Adventurer…"
He felt her jolt.
"…would you be willing to compromise?"
"Compromise?"
"After I was transfered to the Research Institute, I found I had a lot of time on my hands. I kept trying to fill it with work, but I guess that annoyed my superiors. They… they forced me to take two months off."
"Woah, you must have been REALLY annoying…"
"Heh. I really must…" He was silent for a moment, running a thumb over her unbandaged knuckles. "Actually, they're going to keep forcing me to take time off even after this, just in smaller chunks. And that doesn't count the weekends and holidays they usually take off too."
"Are you just boasting now? I mean, that sounds like a great job to me! And what's that got to do with Adventuring?"
"I would like you to take me with you on any Requests that involve monster extermination."
"By any… do you mean… all?"
"Yes."
She scratched the side of her face, clearly uncertain.
"Most Requests aren't urgent, correct? Then wait for me to get off work at least, so I can come and help. If someone's life is endanger, then contact me, and I'll come with you immediately."
"Well… but if someone is in danger, having to wait for you…"
He reached around his neck and pulled out a dull gray necklace. The necklace had several pieces of flat metal attached, and the metal pieces had various gems embedded in them.
"This is military issued. This piece," He held up the metal piece with a clear gem. "Lets me know where a teammate is located, so I can transport to them."
"That's high class."
He laughed. "It's actually got a simple location charm on it, anyone can buy something like this. They're cheap to make, otherwise the government wouldn't issue them out. I just combine them with other spells, like my Transportation one."
"Transportation… Does that spell do what it sounds like it does…?"
"Yes, it lets me move around instantly to any place I've been before. It's how I traveled to Hillsdale."
"Woah…" Her eyes widened in amazement. "Even enchanted transport items don't let you go anywhere like that. That's amazing. I didn't think there was a spell that could do that, I even asked and everyone said there wasn't."
"There is, it's just not well known. Transportation spells are considered a security risk to the Emperor, so they're tightly regulated. If you know Transportation spells, even for enchanting objects, you have to be registered." He tapped his chest. "My name's in a big book somewhere. If I ever went criminal, they'd have me executed immediately just for knowing how to transport instantly."
"Y-yikes."
He shrugged. "At my rank, I know all kinds of things that would get my head cut off if I went bad. This is just one of those things. That's part of being in the military."
"Still though…"
"I wouldn't worry about it. It's not like I'm going to suddenly take part in a life of crime… Anyway." Thio held up another metal piece, this time with a dull red gem in it. "This is an alert charm. Also simple. If a person is in danger, they simply press it and anyone they're synced up with will know. Pair this up with the location spell—"
"Ah, I actually have—or had—one of those alert charms for my Guild party. It got stolen by that damn swindler. With one of those, I could call you any time, any where."
"That's right, and I'd just transport to you."
"Hrmm…" She looked into his eyes, searching.
A compromise, huh? She thought. He was asking her to only take on "dangerous" missions if he was around. It sounded nice in theory, but in reality it meant she'd have to re-arrange her schedule to fit his.
Since she was use to doing things her way, she felt herself rebel at the idea. It would be annoying to have to wait and there might be some Requests she'd have to pass on completely.
Then she laughed at herself. If she loved him, she would take his concerns into account too and not only think about what was easiest for her life. Being rigid and demanding things only go her way, that was what he'd tried to do yesterday. If she denied him now, exactly who would be the unreasonable one? That would just make her a hypocrite, and she hated hypocrites.
"Oh alright. Having a high-spec Mage like you on my team would be good anywa—" She was being embraced enthusiastically again. "Guh— you sure are into hugs."
Thio separated a little, a sly smile tugging his lips. "I'm into more than that."
And he kissed her, a long slow kiss that made her whole body warm up. She would have stayed like that forever if she could.
But when his hands started to get frisky, she had to call it quits. Even if her spirit was willing, her body was weak. She had no stamina at all. She tapped on his back as hard as she could—which wasn't that hard at the moment—and he pulled away.
"Hm?" His face was totally red and eyes glazed over. He was clearly not in his right mind.
Celibacy has been hard on this guy, huh? Caroline thought with amused sympathy. She'd wondered, after that day in the Capital, if he'd ever had a girl on the side. But seeing his reaction just then, she seriously doubted it.
"I thought you said you weren't into mummies?" She couldn't help teasing him.
His eyes suddenly focus, a slight tint of red showing on his face. "Ah, er, that is, I, uh—"
She chuckled and then patted him on the arm, explaining awkwardly, "It's not that I… uh… am opposed… to..to… you know… but… I'm not really… physically… capable of anything."
"Oh." His blank stare changed to horror. "Oh God, I'm sorry! I wasn't— I didn't— right. Right. You're recovering." He straightened himself up, backing away. Schooling his face and clearing his throat, he said, "We never did get the rest of these bandages removed. Let's do that now."
He then escaped—er, went to get the pitcher, bowl and towel. When he came back, she was leaning on the head board with her eyes closed. If she wasn't covered in bandages and bruised, it would have looked very picturesque.
Once again, he began to unwrap her and clean her off.
"Hey Thio, I've got something I need to apologize for."
He glanced up at her, surprised.
"You know… You know when I visited the Capital a while back?"
He nodded slowly.
"I actually saw you the first day I was there."
"You did?"
"I did.. It's just.. You were with… that Princess… and smiling."
"Ah, I remember that. So exhausting." Thio's forehead crinkled. "I don't understand. If you saw me, why didn't say anything? I was on the job but I would have said hello at least."
She wiggled in guilt.
"That's why I'm apologizing: I got really super jealous."
"Of what?"
"Of the Princess!"
"Why?! She's a horrible brat!"
"I only learned that afterward! I was jealous because that brat got to see you smile! Got you all to herself!"
Thio stopped removing bandages and looked at Caroline dumbfounded.
"You were jealous because of that?"
Caroline was pretty sure you could have fried an egg on her face at that point.
"Yes."
"Pfft." He covered his mouth and his body started to shake.
"It's not funny!"
"I'm sorry but…" He gave a mischievous grin. "…you never struck me as the possessive type."
"I'm not! I mean, that's not the point! I'm trying to apologize! I was really mean to you afterward and—"
He couldn't stop himself and laughed out loud.
Caroline's eyes rounded. She'd never heard him laugh up close. It amplified his good looks.
"What?" He stopped when he saw her face go blank.
"You… you laughed."
"Should I not have?"
She grabbed his arm, eyes sparkling.
"No, I mean, you're really handsome when you laugh."
"Huh? Am I?"
"Why are you so uncertain about it? Isn't it obvious?"
"Not— not really?"
"Arg, it's a serious problem! You can't laugh around women like that! They'll definitely go after you! This is why that Princess was such a threat!"
"…I thought you said you weren't possessive…"
"What am I gonna do?" She was ignoring him completely. "Women probably chase you around already! Am I gonna have to fight someone over you? Ah… I'm no good at cat-fighting! I might break their bones! I don't want to get sued! No wait, I'm too weak now so I'll just lose! No…!"
"Hahaha!" Thio started laughing again, tears forming at the edges of his eyes.
"It's not funny, this is a problem!"
"It is funny. I've never been chased by any women."
"Oh come on, not even one?" That was shocking news to her.
"Not even one. You're the only person, much less a woman, who's said I'm handsome."
"Wha—at? Seriously? But why?"
"You're asking me? Don't you just have really strange taste in men?"
"…I mean, I don't think I do." She mumbled, confused.
To be fair, she'd been entirely apathetic to men as romantic partners since coming here. They were all sturdy, homely guys that did nothing for her.
Hm? No, that's not quite right.
Objectively, even she could tell that there were some good looking guys in Hillsdale. She just… wasn't interested in them. They ended up blending in with everyone else due to her disinterest. But she hadn't always been like that, had she? Hadn't she liked guys before coming here? Huh? Who had she liked?
A young man's face floated into her mind. It was the same one who taught her how to punch. The one she saw laughing. This time he was holding her hand and bringing her in close. Didn't she know him? Wasn't he important? Wait, wait, wasn't she forgetting something REALLY critical here?
A sudden, intense sense of lose and loneliness flooded her mind. It was so powerful it made her feel sick.
"Caroline?"
"Huh?"
Thio was looking at her with concern.
"Are you alright? You look like you're in pain."
"W-what? Do I?" She stared down to see her own hand clutching her chest. When had that happened? Her eyebrows pinched together perplexed. What had she been thinking about just then?
Whatever it had been, she couldn't remember. Even the feeling of it had vanished.
Oh well, she thought. If I forgot it, it can't have been that important.
"Sorry, my mind wandered there for a minute." She gave herself a small shake. "What was I—? Oh, right! I'm trying to apologize! I'm really sorry for that whole thing. I treated you horribly. It wasn't right. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"
"Of course I do."
"Thank you… I've been feeling guilty about that for a long time." She smiled, the kind of smile that comes from freeing yourself from a heavy burden.
While she talked, Thio watched closely. The distressed, frightened look she'd had just a moment ago was no where to be seen. It was almost as though it hadn't happened. But it had, and he was quite right to be bothered by it.
He was reminded of the sealing curse. What was that curse doing, exactly? Was she even aware it was doing anything? Other than the obvious information sealing, he didn't know. A knot of worry formed in the pit of his stomach. He'd searched for four years and found nothing. As Sentra had suggested, it was time to seek divine guidance.
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