Chapter 27

Half was for the Emperor’s safety, and the other half was to relieve his curiosity and unpleasant feelings.

“I didn’t know I would be caught…”

Vellian sighed as he walked slowly along Astelle’s side.

Astelle smiled calmly as she faced such a Vellian.

“I wanted to help Sir Vellian not be in trouble, and later I also wanted to get help from Sir Vellian.”

In short, it meant that I would use it later if necessary things happen.

“I think it would be better to just talk to His Majesty.”

“Then can I tell him now?”

“… No! I can help you, Lady.”

Vellian looked really frustrated. He sighed and turned his body.

“Come this way.”

The two went together to the back door of the castle.

When I went to the back of the castle along the winding little road, a forest surrounded by a barny stone wall came out.

This forest was said to be a hunting ground owned by the inn Manager.

“There is a field in which herbs are grown if we go deeper.”

The two passed the entrance to the forest and stepped inside.

From the entrance of the forest, medicinal herbs were seen every step of the way.

All kinds of medicinal herbs were filled among the big trees.

Along the small forest path, colorful flowers and versatile leaves of grass grow densely.

Seeing that herbs are grown in Manager’s forest, the old pharmacist seems to have been hired by the Manager.

There are also herbs that cannot be grown in ordinary fields.

It would be better to cultivate it after setting a separate area in the forest.

“The pharmacist said that the ones that are not here are kept separately. Write down the name of the herb you need and I’ll bring it to you.”

“I think this is enough.”

Even if I looked at it, it seemed that there were all the herbs I needed.

Astelle took a basket and went across the herbs.

“There are nine medicinal herbs that I am looking for, and the easiest one to find is a small white flower that blooms on a short stem the size of two fingers. There are small stripes on the end of the petals and the ends are split. The next easiest thing to find is…”

As I walked down the street, I slowly explained the characteristics of the herb to Vellian who follows me.

I didn’t think he could find it if I told him the difficult herbs, so I told him only what was easy as possible, but Vellian asked back in a shocked voice.

“Do I have to find it too?”

Astelle stopped and turned to him.

“Then are you going to be just watching?”

“……”

At Astelle’s question, Vellian stopped with a stupid expression.

His gaze turned to the grass that sprouted on the dirt floor.

His clean face was wrinkled.

It looks like he really hates touching the grass in the soil.

Who would like to touch the dirt?

Still, it would be a gentleman’s virtue to come out to help a lady in this situation.

Vellian muttered pathetically looking at Astelle.

“I… I have never touched such a grass… no, medicinal herbs.”

When they were young, the masters of large noble families used to play grass in the garden.

Although this Count is not from a prestigious family, he seems to have grown up very precious.

‘It seemed like that.’

Among the relatives, there was a relative younger brother who was the only child of a prestigious family and grew up with the love of adults in the family.

He couldn’t even wear clothes alone unless someone helped him.

It was cute that he was still alive.

Anyway, I thought such a reaction would come out.

So I deliberately pointed out Vellian as a guide.

If it were Lyndon or any other knight, Astelle had not needed to find medicinal herbs herself.

While Astelle is looking for herbs to make a cure for fever, she has to find herbs that can be used in eye drops.

Astelle replied vaguely.

“Then it’s good to have this opportunity to experience it because it will be an unusual experience.”

“……”

“Here is the Gurren grass. It is easy to collect because you just need to take it out of the roots. Try it out.”

Vellian stood up with an ‘unfair’ expression, then sighed and approached it.

“Yes, I see. If this makes Lady Astelle feel relieved, then…”

It seems that Astelle has a grudge and harassing him.

‘I’m not trying to bother you on purpose.’

To avoid vain suspicion, it was necessary to divert Vellian’s gaze.

Astelle looked at Vellian, pretending to go the other way.

Vellian barely pulled out the herbs with one hand, but when the moist soil got on her fingertips, he was shocked and wiped it off with a handkerchief.

He didn’t even care which way Astelle was going because he was concentrating on brushing the dirt off.

Astelle went through the grass and looked for medicinal herbs.

She picked only the herbs she needed and carefully placed them in a basket.

It was about sunset somehow.

On the forest road at sunset, there was a cool evening air.

The cool breeze passing through my neck cools my skin from the heat.

Whenever I breathed, there was a smell of moist grass and sour soil.

I passed near the large birch tree and was amazed.

I heard a stepping sound from the entrance side.

It seemed that someone was approaching this way.

A few steps away, Vellian, who had squatted and searched the grass, stood up in a hurry.

“Your Majesty!”

As I turned in surprise, I saw a familiar person in the distance.

“Astelle.”

It was Kaizen.

He looked at Astelle’s surprised face and asked a little displeased.

“Why are you so surprised? Did I get in the way?”

“… No, Your Majesty.”

Of course, it was very disturbing, but I couldn’t be honest with it.

At the moment, all my nerves were focused on the herb basket holding in one hand.

In addition to the medicinal herbs to put in the cure for fever, there were also medicinal herbs to change the color of the eyes.

Astelle suppressed the rising anxiety.

‘It will be fine. Anyway, Kaizen is also a stranger to medicinal herbs.’

Astelle grabbed the herb basket and asked with a natural expression as much as possible.

“Your Majesty, what are you doing here?”

I thought he would have gone back to the main building.

She reported the illness to him and decided how to deal with it.

There was no more talk with Kaizen.

The business is over, but why did you follow this far?

“I came to help you. The forest is dangerous.”

“This is a nice place, just a few minutes walk from the castle.”

This place doesn’t seem close to the castle, but the emperor’s soldiers will take turns looking around and monitoring from the border of the village to the forest.

There could be no dangerous thing to happen. But Kaizen disagreed.

“Still, it’s dangerous to be alone.”

“Vellian is with me.”

“Do you think he will help if there is an emergency?”

Vellian looked at this side with a sad expression at his lord’s relentless evaluation, but Kaizen did not pay attention to him.

Well… assuming that if I met a robber or a wild beast, Velian is unlikely to be of great help.

But for Astelle, that wasn’t a big risk.

The most dangerous thing was to discover Theor’s identity to Kaizen.

‘It is most dangerous to be with the Emperor now.’

She wanted to say so.

Without knowing such a feeling, Kaizen continued to say.

“I told you to arrange your room and prepare Theor’s room as well. I waited because I thought you would be back soon, but no matter how much I waited, you didn’t come.”

“Thank you for caring for me.”

Kaizen said while looking at Astelle’s basket of herbs.

“I can help too.”

What else does this mean?

“Thank you, but Your Majesty, it is enough because Sir Vellian is also helping…”

“If there was even one more person helping, wouldn’t you find the herbs faster?”

Kaizen looked around and asked.

“What are you looking for? I’ll find it.”

Astelle tried to refuse that she was okay and swallowed the dry saliva.

It was a good way to think about it.

If there are three people who are looking for the herbs, then it will be faster.

When I found all the herbs, I could go back to the castle and fall apart from Kaizen.

After Astelle checked the basket, she explained to Kaizen some herbs to look for.

“There are four herbs left. The easiest to find is the white flower…”

I repeated the same explanation as I gave to Vellian.

Vellian was still looking for the Gurren grass that Astelle had picked up already.

She was thinking of letting Kaizen find a white flower.

Kaizen listened carefully to Astelle’s explanation, and he looked around quite seriously and found the herb.

‘It will be fine.’

Astelle went around the forest at a certain distance from Kaizen and looked for medicinal herbs.

She planned to find everything she needed and return as soon as possible.

The sunset soaked through the branches of the tree soaring high in the sky.

When I raised my head for a moment, I saw dark blue leaves that were half-covering the scarlet sky.

“Astelle.”

Kaizen, looking down at the weeds from a few steps away, called Astelle.

“Is this the flower you mentioned?”

“Did you find it?”