Chapter 152.1 : Imminent Crisis
A while before the village chief made a ruckus about Flora’s disappearance.
Flora slipped out of the village without being found out by anyone and went towards the highway by herself. Her gait was slow, and unstable.
Perhaps it was because she was already in a bad condition, thus her condition deteriorated even further when…
「……….. U~h…………..」
As soon as she left the village, her consciousness started to become hazy. She let out near soundless moan of pain as she strove to move farther, and then collapsed on the spot.
But, Flora wasn’t going to give up yet. Otherwise she would become the hostage of a hostile nation and that would bring a heap of trouble for her home country.
She even felt that………….. Dying was far better than becoming a hostage to a hostile nation. But, she didn’t want to die. She was scared of dying. She wanted to go back to the Bertram kingdom. She had to!
The various emotions and memories that were jumbled around inside her head become the new source of power for Flora’s body to be able to move again.
But her stamina and endurance had reached its limit, her body was unable to move. No, her body might have been moving. It’s just she didn’t know the current condition of her body. ――,
「U~h…………….」
With a thud, Flora’s feet turned limp as she fell right in the middle of the highway.
（………………. Eh?）
Maybe it was due to her hazy consciousness or perhaps it was because her sense of balance was off, but she had just realized that she fell to the ground when she felt her cheek touching the ground and her line of sight shifted.
（I can’t…………. get up. Dear sister, I, want to meet you）
For all that she wished to be able to meet Christina once again, her conscience grew ever hazier, and waves of terrifying fatigue threaten to engulf her. Even when she tried her best to muster all her will to order her body to stand up, to move, but she couldn’t do it at all.
She was already out of ideas.
◇ ◇ ◇
Around the same time, Rio was in hot pursuit on Lucius’s trail towards the west of the kingdom―― Coming ever closer to the village where Flora stayed at.
（If I’m quick enough, I might be able to find him before the end of this day）
Rio could feel it! He was getting closer and closer to finding Lucius for sure. According to the information that he got from the royal castle, he knew that five days ago, Lucius left along with a knight squad and the first prince of the Paladia kingdom, Duran Paladia, to go hunting in a certain forest in the western part of the Paladia kingdom.
It seemed that they went there using horses. However, they didn’t disclose the exact details of their hunting ground. But then again, he didn’t need that details since the western area of the Paladia Kingdom was quite small. Even if they were ahead of him, it was still possible for him to catch up, since he knew the general direction they planned to hunt in. Therefore, he wasted no time and chased after them immediately.
Besides, while he was chasing them via air, he also collected more information about the hunting groups from the cities and villages along the way. That way, he could eliminate their possible routes and find their trail, easing his pursuit. And, finally, he made some headway with one particular hunting group after he made a detailed investigation of the route the day before.
In other words, he was just one step away from catching Lucius’s tail. Rio took a deep breath as he stepped into a new village.
The villager working in the agricultural field gave him a side glance when he noticed the sword hanging on Rio’s hip――、
「Excuse me, may I ask you a question? Did a knight squad pass by this area around five days ago? 」
Rio asked with a calm and collected tone.
「……….. There was none, uhm, may I ask who you are? 」
The villager expression was filled with vigilance as he asked Rio’s identity.
「I’m a servant working in the royal castle, currently chasing after them by foot.」
Rio introduced himself, using a fake identity while flashing a friendly smile. The result was as clear as day, as the villager lower his vigilance against Rio.
「O~h, I see. The people of the royal castle, huh? They did come to our village. It seems they were also searching each village around this area, that was close to the forest, for a girl wearing a dress」
The villager easily told Rio that fact without waiting for Rio’s question, maybe spurred by the thought that he couldn’t act rude towards people from the royal castle.
「… I see. So that was the case huh? Thank you very much for your cooperation.」
Hearing that though, Rio’s eyes widened in an instant before he restored his calm and composed expression and conveyed his gratitude, friendly smile still fixed on his face.
（A dress wearing girl? They’re not going for hunting?）
Though that revelation surprised him, asking the person in front of him wouldn’t amount to anything since he wouldn’t be able to clear his doubts. On the contrary, it’d bring unnecessary suspicions if he asked too many questions.
「It seems that I finally caught up to them. Well I’m going to excuse myself here since I’m in a hurry as well.」
Rio bowed slightly in thanks and turned around to leave the village. After he reached an area devoid of people, he took to the skies again.
（The villages around the forest of this area, huh?）
The search area was quite wide when he overlooked it from above. It seemed there were several villages around this forest, but looking from his current position wouldn’t take him more than one hour of searching.
Rio hurriedly headed to the next village.
◇ ◇ ◇
A few minutes later――
「Look, look for her! 」
The villagers were bustling around to look for Flora who had disappeared while the village chief was waiting for their report in the central plaza. He was bound to be disappointed though, since the report was discouraging.
「………… It’s no good. We can’t find her in the village nor the field, pops」
Will reported alongside the other men who came with him, all of them out of breath.
「In short, she has left the village, huh……………」
The village chief muttered, looking worried.
「Whhat makes you think that? Do you really think that Flora-sama left of her own accord? In such a deteriorated condition? 」
Will asked, looking as if at his wits end.
「………… The truth is, she left a letter. It was a letter of gratitude. She wrote, “Thank you very much.”」
The village chief lightly frowned as he told them part of the truth. In fact, aside from the letter, Flora had also left her dress and some kind of gem as a token of her gratitude for their care, but the village chief couldn’t bring himself to tell them about it.
「WHAT! ? THEN SHE REALLY LEFT THE VILLAGE! ? HOW DID NO ONE SEE HER WHEN SHE LEFT THE VILLAGE! ? 」
Will seized up the village chief as he asked.
「T-That’s the only possibility left. In any case, there should be no way for her to go out, especially in her current physical condition. She also has not shown sign of getting better. So, the main question here is, why did she leave even with her bad health? She must have had some sort of reason to force herself to leave. Do any of you know why she did such a dangerous stunt? 」
The village chief reasoned out loud, before asking the youngster what they knew of the situation.
「LIKE HELL WE KNOW ABOUT IT! IF FLORA-SAMA REALLY LEFT AS YOU SAY, I’LL GO LOOK FOR HER AT THE MAIN ROUTE! 」
Will exclaimed, but just as he was setting off for the highway――,
「CALM DOWN! THERE ARE 3 MAIN ROUTES FROM THE VILLAGE, TO THE NORTH, SOUTH, AND WEST. DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHICH ROUTE SHE TOOK?. ARE YOU TRYING TO LOOK FOR HER BY YOURSELF, WITHOUT KNOWING ANYTHING? NOT EVEN HER REASON FOR LEAVING? 」
The village chief yelled back at Will, flustered.
「SO YOU’RE TELLING ME NOT TO LOOK FOR HER?! 」
「I’M TELLING YOU TO WAIT FOR A WHILE AND CALM YOURSELF BEFORE LOOKING FOR HER! SHE SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO GO THAT FAR IN HER CURRENT CONDITION, FOOL!」
And thus, Will and village chief started to quarrel, while the others could only watch this parent and child pair. Though, before it could devolve into a fist fight, someone suddenly interject with a question.
「Hey, what about the possibility of someone taking her out? 」
That question stopped everyone in their tracks.
「And…….. That someone would be…? 」
「I see, so that’s the case.」
The villager nodded his head, understanding what the village chief implied. Village chief himself asked because he didn’t want to suspect his fellow villagers without any basis.
「………… Though we can’t eliminate that possibility, that might not be the cause. Perhaps, Flora-sama’s reason was in the letter she wrote. In the first place, why would someone from our village need to take Flora-sama away from here? None of us know Flora-sama’s identity nor her chaser’s identity, so why would one of us take her away?
「A~h, well, this situation is similar with the story I’ve heard once…」
The villager, who spoke his theory, sheepishly said that, scratching his head.
「………… Nevertheless, we might have stumbled upon some clues that we missed due to oversight. If anyone noticed anything strange, report immediately. Flora-sama’s disappearance might have happened around the time we were starting our work」
When the village chief said that, the villagers looked at each other, trying to recall something unusual around that time. Suddenly, someone spoke out loud――,
「Around the time we started to work……….. Ah, come to think of it…………….! 」
A certain man suddenly recalled something.
「 What’s the matter？ 」
The village chief asked that man――,
「……… Ah, it’s nothing big, it’s just that when everyone went to work, I recall that Donner returned from the field. Isn’t that strange? 」
The man said as he looked at Donner who was silently standing nearby. Due to the unexpected situation and attention, Donner’s body twitched. However, he kept his mouth shut. The other youngsters were not the same though.
「………….. Donner? 」
The young men, starting from Will, asked as they looked at Donner, suspicious.
Being stared like that, Donner couldn’t keep his composure especially since he had a guilty conscience. As such his eyes started to swim around.
「N-No. I don’t know anything. I went back to the field immediately after.」
He denied the suspicion directed at him with shrill voice, shaking his head. However, his excuse was refuted by the next sentence Will said.
「……Oi, Donner. Weren’t you the one who left first, telling us it’s time to work? Moreover, you were extremely angry this morning and yet, you’re really calm right now」
Suspicion filled Will as he asked Donner.
「I just had my farming tools repaired since they were already in a bad shape and then returned immediately. I didn’t do anything!」
Donner replied with a flustered voice and then turned his face away.
「……….. You, you didn’t tell Flora-sama about “that” matter, right? If you did, that may be the reason Flora-sama………..」
「Like hell I know about that! I know nothing at all! 」
Donner denied Will’s continous barrage of questions with a flustered face. However, before they could continue to argue――,
「…………….. What is this about, Will? 」
The village chief finally intercede, asking for clear explanation, after listening to their exchange from the side. However, it was futile.
「…………… L-Like hell I know. In any case, there’d be no end if we continue this kind of useless banter. Now, I’m going to look for Flora-sama in the main route, and even if my dad oppose me doing that, I’d still do it!」
Will exclaim out loud as he turned around and retiliated to his father.
Chapter 152.2 : Imminent Crisis
「……….. It’s not that I oppose the idea of you looking for her. It’s just I’m worried. Anyway, there’s nothing to be gained by stopping you and having Flora-sama died around our village was also a bad thing. That being the case, we have to split into groups and looked for her in the main routes that stretch from the village. Naturally, I’m also going.」
The village chief explained, stopping Will from going ahead alone, as he joined in the search.
◇ ◇ ◇
Later, the villagers joined hands together to search for Flora on the main roads connected to the village.
Every single one of them including Donner, Will and the village chief were looking for Flora as they walked on the main route heading toward the south. A while after leaving the village――,
「…………… OI! Is that a collapsed person over there! ? Ah, Oi Donner! 」
When Will had just shouted that he found a person collapsed, Donner had already ran to that place. However, Will was not far behind, as he immediately chased after Donner.
「Flora-sama! 」
The one they found collapsed on the road was really Flora. A thin quilt was draped on top of her villager-like attire as a makeshift mantle.
「Haa, haaa…………..」
Flora’s face was flushed red, her breathing rough and beads of sweat were slowly flowing on her forehead. The shirt that she wore under the thin quilt was most likely drenched in her sweat.
「Are you alright, Flora-sama! ? Didn’t you say that you can’t move due to your illness! ? 」
The one who arrived first called Flora. However, Will who has been closely following him, cut in.
「So it really was you………….. Hey, Donner! Are you awake, Flora-sama! ? It’s me, Will! 」
Will pushed his way in between. He flipped Flora’s body up gently and then called her name.
「Ah, uh……………」
Flora faintly replied. It was a really faint reply, but she seemed to be able to stay conscious, albeit it was only by a thread. Meanwhile, the village chief and the villagers who were left behind came towards them one by one.
「This is……..」
The village chief, who was looking at Flora, held his breath due to the severity of her condition.
「Oi, Pops! It seems that Flora-sama is still conscious. Let’s bring her back to the village」
Will said with a flustered voice. But――,
「…………」
The village chief just stood there silently. His gaze fixated on the nape Flora’s neck.
「Oi, Pops! Oi, you guys, let’s carry Flora-sama! 」
Will smacked his lips and called out to the men still standing stunned. Those men came back to their senses and ran towards Flora.
「Wait, her illness might be contagious! 」
The village chief stopped them.
「…………… A-are you seriously saying that now! ? 」
Will unintentionally shouted, furious, as his face twisted unsightly in his rage, but――,
「……….. What is that birthmark-like thing on the nape of her neck? Was such a conspicuous mark there when she just came to the village? 」
The village chief simply pointed at the nape of Flora’s neck while he asked that question, voice cold. The place he pointed at was where that bluish birthmark-like spot was located.
「Urgh…………………..」
The villager’s face stiffened when they saw that birthmark-like spot on the nape of Flora’s neck.
「…………….N-No way! 」
Will suddenly exclaimed loudly.
「Will. Can you shut up for a moment? 」
「IT’S ALL WRONG！ I was just about to tell you about this matter today! At first, I thought it was just an old wound, but I felt it was strange for that birthmark-like spot to become bigger by days! 」
Agitated, Will try his best to explain to the Village chief only to be told off once more.
「Muscle pain along with ache joints of her whole body, and then there’s that high fever too. Though she said that this was just a fever, it’s another story with those dark birthmark-like spots. I think I remember seeing a few cases like this」
The village chief said with a pensive look on his face――,
「Y-You know about her illness! ? Tell me what is Flora-sama illness! ? 」
Will asked that question as if looking for salvation, a person to back him up.
「……….. One of the things that I know is the fact that this is a deadly disease that takes the life of its victims. I don’t know the detailed information about this illness since I only know about it from those peddling merchants.」
「What the…………..」
When the village chief replied, Will and the other villager’s face stiffened with fear.
（A certain spider that lives in the forest can also cause similiar symptoms, but that spider should be a nocturnal animal. Besides spider isn’t supposed to appear in the village, but……… Even if it’s caused by that spider, there’s no antidote for it. There’s also the possibility that it’s an unknown illness. Whichever the case, she’s already beyond saving. Anyway, it’s not like she died in my village, and I doubt anyone is willing to carry her since now there’s a suspicion that she may carry an infectious disease.)
With that thought, the village chief decided to place the village as his top priority, choosing to abandon Flora――,
「…………. Let’s just go back…」
He urged the villagers to go back to the village.
「W-What are you going to do to Flora-sama then! ? 」
「……. We can’t take in someone suspected of having an infectious disease into our village. I actually want to tell you guys to leave her here………… But, as expected, I can’t just leave her like this on the main route so close to our village. Let’s bring her closer to the entrance of the forest.」
The village chief gave a cool-headed judgement in response to Will passionate wish to help.
「O-OI! 」
When he noticed, Will already seized his father’s collar But――,
「WILL! YOU MUST UNDERSTAND OUR SITUATION! THIS IS FOR THE SAKE OF THE VILLAGE. OR ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT YOU CARE MORE ABOUT THAT NOBLE THAN YOUR FELLOW VILLAGERS?」
「……」
Will shut his mouth when the thundering voice of the village chief rang out.
「……….. You guys, let’s finish this quickly. Donner, you’re the strongest amongst us. Carry her!」
The village chief told Donner who stood close to him, but――,
「I-I, no. I don’t want to carry her.」
Donner hesitated for a bit before he determinedly shook his head.
「Ceh, you good for nothing. In that case, you guys, carry her.」
The village chief smacked his lips in annoyance and then ordered the other villagers.
The villagers carried Flora with timid movement, afraid of the infectious disease they suspect Flora carry, and treated the act as if they were carrying a lump of filth. They carried her all the way to the entrance of the forest which was separated from the main route.
「…………… Poor things. Such a cute girl is…………….」
A certain young villager gulped as he looked at Flora’s agonized expression, but――,
「Forget about her young man. You’re going to be infected by her illness if you don’t stop. Here should be enough. Let’s get this matter over with immediately」
The other young man urged his friend to get over with it quickly, face frightened that they’d get infected if they carry her longer. Soon after, they tossed Flora’s body at the entrance of the forest, each person still looking worried.
「Urgh…………………..」
A small groan escaped from Flora’s lips, but her voice couldn’t be heard by those villagers who left right away.
（Someone…….. Save…… Me………………..）
◇ ◇ ◇
After that, the villagers headed back towards the village. Whilst they were on their way back, the village chief cautioned the villagers to forget about Flora’s existence. He also told them that it might have been better if that kind of noble never came to their village from the very beginning. From the beginning till the end of his speech, the villager’s countenances were bad.
However, when the villagers arrived at the agricultural field, they spotted a certain villager standing together with people wearing knight attires alongside the escort party of the first prince of the Paladia kingdom, Duran Paladia, waiting for them――、
「T-That man is the village chief! 」
The villager, who was with those knight, pointed at the village chief with an agitated expression. And when the villager gave away who the chief was amongst the returning group, a man in his prime, Lucius, came out from amongst the knight.
「Finally. Are you the village chief? Sorry, I have no intention to intrude since your village seems to be troubled with our presence. I have tried to ask the villagers who I came upon, but for some reason, they seemed to be afraid of us to the point of being unable to talk to us」
He greeted the village chief with a strangely intimate attitude.
「……… I-If it’s honored knight. My apologies for the uncouth people of my village. May I ask for your business with this kind of a rural place? If you wanted to talk, do let me invite you to my humble abode.」
The village chief gulped and then led Lucius who had an impatient expression to his house. Lucius flashed a sneer and arrogantly smile as he looked down at the village chief and the villagers from the back of his horse――
「Ah, the truth is, I’m looking for someone. Has a girl wearing a dress come to this village? Her name is Flora. No, there’s a possibility of her using an alias, but……….」
He stated the reason for why he visited this village clearly to everyone there.
Chapter 152.1 : Imminent Crisis
A while before the village chief made a ruckus about Flora’s disappearance.
Flora slipped out of the village without being found out by anyone and went towards the highway by herself. Her gait was slow, and unstable.
Perhaps it was because she was already in a bad condition, thus her condition deteriorated even further when…
「……….. U~h…………..」
As soon as she left the village, her consciousness started to become hazy. She let out near soundless moan of pain as she strove to move farther, and then collapsed on the spot.
But, Flora wasn’t going to give up yet. Otherwise she would become the hostage of a hostile nation and that would bring a heap of trouble for her home country.
She even felt that………….. Dying was far better than becoming a hostage to a hostile nation. But, she didn’t want to die. She was scared of dying. She wanted to go back to the Bertram kingdom. She had to!
The various emotions and memories that were jumbled around inside her head become the new source of power for Flora’s body to be able to move again.
But her stamina and endurance had reached its limit, her body was unable to move. No, her body might have been moving. It’s just she didn’t know the current condition of her body. ――,
「U~h…………….」
With a thud, Flora’s feet turned limp as she fell right in the middle of the highway.
（………………. Eh?）
Maybe it was due to her hazy consciousness or perhaps it was because her sense of balance was off, but she had just realized that she fell to the ground when she felt her cheek touching the ground and her line of sight shifted.
（I can’t…………. get up. Dear sister, I, want to meet you）
For all that she wished to be able to meet Christina once again, her conscience grew ever hazier, and waves of terrifying fatigue threaten to engulf her. Even when she tried her best to muster all her will to order her body to stand up, to move, but she couldn’t do it at all.
She was already out of ideas.
◇ ◇ ◇
Around the same time, Rio was in hot pursuit on Lucius’s trail towards the west of the kingdom―― Coming ever closer to the village where Flora stayed at.
（If I’m quick enough, I might be able to find him before the end of this day）
Rio could feel it! He was getting closer and closer to finding Lucius for sure. According to the information that he got from the royal castle, he knew that five days ago, Lucius left along with a knight squad and the first prince of the Paladia kingdom, Duran Paladia, to go hunting in a certain forest in the western part of the Paladia kingdom.
It seemed that they went there using horses. However, they didn’t disclose the exact details of their hunting ground. But then again, he didn’t need that details since the western area of the Paladia Kingdom was quite small. Even if they were ahead of him, it was still possible for him to catch up, since he knew the general direction they planned to hunt in. Therefore, he wasted no time and chased after them immediately.
Besides, while he was chasing them via air, he also collected more information about the hunting groups from the cities and villages along the way. That way, he could eliminate their possible routes and find their trail, easing his pursuit. And, finally, he made some headway with one particular hunting group after he made a detailed investigation of the route the day before.
In other words, he was just one step away from catching Lucius’s tail. Rio took a deep breath as he stepped into a new village.
The villager working in the agricultural field gave him a side glance when he noticed the sword hanging on Rio’s hip――、
「Excuse me, may I ask you a question? Did a knight squad pass by this area around five days ago? 」
Rio asked with a calm and collected tone.
「……….. There was none, uhm, may I ask who you are? 」
The villager expression was filled with vigilance as he asked Rio’s identity.
「I’m a servant working in the royal castle, currently chasing after them by foot.」
Rio introduced himself, using a fake identity while flashing a friendly smile. The result was as clear as day, as the villager lower his vigilance against Rio.
「O~h, I see. The people of the royal castle, huh? They did come to our village. It seems they were also searching each village around this area, that was close to the forest, for a girl wearing a dress」
The villager easily told Rio that fact without waiting for Rio’s question, maybe spurred by the thought that he couldn’t act rude towards people from the royal castle.
「… I see. So that was the case huh? Thank you very much for your cooperation.」
Hearing that though, Rio’s eyes widened in an instant before he restored his calm and composed expression and conveyed his gratitude, friendly smile still fixed on his face.
（A dress wearing girl? They’re not going for hunting?）
Though that revelation surprised him, asking the person in front of him wouldn’t amount to anything since he wouldn’t be able to clear his doubts. On the contrary, it’d bring unnecessary suspicions if he asked too many questions.
「It seems that I finally caught up to them. Well I’m going to excuse myself here since I’m in a hurry as well.」
Rio bowed slightly in thanks and turned around to leave the village. After he reached an area devoid of people, he took to the skies again.
（The villages around the forest of this area, huh?）
The search area was quite wide when he overlooked it from above. It seemed there were several villages around this forest, but looking from his current position wouldn’t take him more than one hour of searching.
Rio hurriedly headed to the next village.
◇ ◇ ◇
A few minutes later――
「Look, look for her! 」
The villagers were bustling around to look for Flora who had disappeared while the village chief was waiting for their report in the central plaza. He was bound to be disappointed though, since the report was discouraging.
「………… It’s no good. We can’t find her in the village nor the field, pops」
Will reported alongside the other men who came with him, all of them out of breath.
「In short, she has left the village, huh……………」
The village chief muttered, looking worried.
「Whhat makes you think that? Do you really think that Flora-sama left of her own accord? In such a deteriorated condition? 」
Will asked, looking as if at his wits end.
「………… The truth is, she left a letter. It was a letter of gratitude. She wrote, “Thank you very much.”」
The village chief lightly frowned as he told them part of the truth. In fact, aside from the letter, Flora had also left her dress and some kind of gem as a token of her gratitude for their care, but the village chief couldn’t bring himself to tell them about it.
「WHAT! ? THEN SHE REALLY LEFT THE VILLAGE! ? HOW DID NO ONE SEE HER WHEN SHE LEFT THE VILLAGE! ? 」
Will seized up the village chief as he asked.
「T-That’s the only possibility left. In any case, there should be no way for her to go out, especially in her current physical condition. She also has not shown sign of getting better. So, the main question here is, why did she leave even with her bad health? She must have had some sort of reason to force herself to leave. Do any of you know why she did such a dangerous stunt? 」
The village chief reasoned out loud, before asking the youngster what they knew of the situation.
「LIKE HELL WE KNOW ABOUT IT! IF FLORA-SAMA REALLY LEFT AS YOU SAY, I’LL GO LOOK FOR HER AT THE MAIN ROUTE! 」
Will exclaimed, but just as he was setting off for the highway――,
「CALM DOWN! THERE ARE 3 MAIN ROUTES FROM THE VILLAGE, TO THE NORTH, SOUTH, AND WEST. DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHICH ROUTE SHE TOOK?. ARE YOU TRYING TO LOOK FOR HER BY YOURSELF, WITHOUT KNOWING ANYTHING? NOT EVEN HER REASON FOR LEAVING? 」
The village chief yelled back at Will, flustered.
「SO YOU’RE TELLING ME NOT TO LOOK FOR HER?! 」
「I’M TELLING YOU TO WAIT FOR A WHILE AND CALM YOURSELF BEFORE LOOKING FOR HER! SHE SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO GO THAT FAR IN HER CURRENT CONDITION, FOOL!」
And thus, Will and village chief started to quarrel, while the others could only watch this parent and child pair. Though, before it could devolve into a fist fight, someone suddenly interject with a question.
「Hey, what about the possibility of someone taking her out? 」
That question stopped everyone in their tracks.
「And…….. That someone would be…? 」
「I see, so that’s the case.」
The villager nodded his head, understanding what the village chief implied. Village chief himself asked because he didn’t want to suspect his fellow villagers without any basis.
「………… Though we can’t eliminate that possibility, that might not be the cause. Perhaps, Flora-sama’s reason was in the letter she wrote. In the first place, why would someone from our village need to take Flora-sama away from here? None of us know Flora-sama’s identity nor her chaser’s identity, so why would one of us take her away?
「A~h, well, this situation is similar with the story I’ve heard once…」
The villager, who spoke his theory, sheepishly said that, scratching his head.
「………… Nevertheless, we might have stumbled upon some clues that we missed due to oversight. If anyone noticed anything strange, report immediately. Flora-sama’s disappearance might have happened around the time we were starting our work」
When the village chief said that, the villagers looked at each other, trying to recall something unusual around that time. Suddenly, someone spoke out loud――,
「Around the time we started to work……….. Ah, come to think of it…………….! 」
A certain man suddenly recalled something.
「 What’s the matter？ 」
The village chief asked that man――,
「……… Ah, it’s nothing big, it’s just that when everyone went to work, I recall that Donner returned from the field. Isn’t that strange? 」
The man said as he looked at Donner who was silently standing nearby. Due to the unexpected situation and attention, Donner’s body twitched. However, he kept his mouth shut. The other youngsters were not the same though.
「………….. Donner? 」
The young men, starting from Will, asked as they looked at Donner, suspicious.
Being stared like that, Donner couldn’t keep his composure especially since he had a guilty conscience. As such his eyes started to swim around.
「N-No. I don’t know anything. I went back to the field immediately after.」
He denied the suspicion directed at him with shrill voice, shaking his head. However, his excuse was refuted by the next sentence Will said.
「……Oi, Donner. Weren’t you the one who left first, telling us it’s time to work? Moreover, you were extremely angry this morning and yet, you’re really calm right now」
Suspicion filled Will as he asked Donner.
「I just had my farming tools repaired since they were already in a bad shape and then returned immediately. I didn’t do anything!」
Donner replied with a flustered voice and then turned his face away.
「……….. You, you didn’t tell Flora-sama about “that” matter, right? If you did, that may be the reason Flora-sama………..」
「Like hell I know about that! I know nothing at all! 」
Donner denied Will’s continous barrage of questions with a flustered face. However, before they could continue to argue――,
「…………….. What is this about, Will? 」
The village chief finally intercede, asking for clear explanation, after listening to their exchange from the side. However, it was futile.
「…………… L-Like hell I know. In any case, there’d be no end if we continue this kind of useless banter. Now, I’m going to look for Flora-sama in the main route, and even if my dad oppose me doing that, I’d still do it!」
Will exclaim out loud as he turned around and retiliated to his father.
Chapter 152.2 : Imminent Crisis
「……….. It’s not that I oppose the idea of you looking for her. It’s just I’m worried. Anyway, there’s nothing to be gained by stopping you and having Flora-sama died around our village was also a bad thing. That being the case, we have to split into groups and looked for her in the main routes that stretch from the village. Naturally, I’m also going.」
The village chief explained, stopping Will from going ahead alone, as he joined in the search.
◇ ◇ ◇
Later, the villagers joined hands together to search for Flora on the main roads connected to the village.
Every single one of them including Donner, Will and the village chief were looking for Flora as they walked on the main route heading toward the south. A while after leaving the village――,
「…………… OI! Is that a collapsed person over there! ? Ah, Oi Donner! 」
When Will had just shouted that he found a person collapsed, Donner had already ran to that place. However, Will was not far behind, as he immediately chased after Donner.
「Flora-sama! 」
The one they found collapsed on the road was really Flora. A thin quilt was draped on top of her villager-like attire as a makeshift mantle.
「Haa, haaa…………..」
Flora’s face was flushed red, her breathing rough and beads of sweat were slowly flowing on her forehead. The shirt that she wore under the thin quilt was most likely drenched in her sweat.
「Are you alright, Flora-sama! ? Didn’t you say that you can’t move due to your illness! ? 」
The one who arrived first called Flora. However, Will who has been closely following him, cut in.
「So it really was you………….. Hey, Donner! Are you awake, Flora-sama! ? It’s me, Will! 」
Will pushed his way in between. He flipped Flora’s body up gently and then called her name.
「Ah, uh……………」
Flora faintly replied. It was a really faint reply, but she seemed to be able to stay conscious, albeit it was only by a thread. Meanwhile, the village chief and the villagers who were left behind came towards them one by one.
「This is……..」
The village chief, who was looking at Flora, held his breath due to the severity of her condition.
「Oi, Pops! It seems that Flora-sama is still conscious. Let’s bring her back to the village」
Will said with a flustered voice. But――,
「…………」
The village chief just stood there silently. His gaze fixated on the nape Flora’s neck.
「Oi, Pops! Oi, you guys, let’s carry Flora-sama! 」
Will smacked his lips and called out to the men still standing stunned. Those men came back to their senses and ran towards Flora.
「Wait, her illness might be contagious! 」
The village chief stopped them.
「…………… A-are you seriously saying that now! ? 」
Will unintentionally shouted, furious, as his face twisted unsightly in his rage, but――,
「……….. What is that birthmark-like thing on the nape of her neck? Was such a conspicuous mark there when she just came to the village? 」
The village chief simply pointed at the nape of Flora’s neck while he asked that question, voice cold. The place he pointed at was where that bluish birthmark-like spot was located.
「Urgh…………………..」
The villager’s face stiffened when they saw that birthmark-like spot on the nape of Flora’s neck.
「…………….N-No way! 」
Will suddenly exclaimed loudly.
「Will. Can you shut up for a moment? 」
「IT’S ALL WRONG！ I was just about to tell you about this matter today! At first, I thought it was just an old wound, but I felt it was strange for that birthmark-like spot to become bigger by days! 」
Agitated, Will try his best to explain to the Village chief only to be told off once more.
「Muscle pain along with ache joints of her whole body, and then there’s that high fever too. Though she said that this was just a fever, it’s another story with those dark birthmark-like spots. I think I remember seeing a few cases like this」
The village chief said with a pensive look on his face――,
「Y-You know about her illness! ? Tell me what is Flora-sama illness! ? 」
Will asked that question as if looking for salvation, a person to back him up.
「……….. One of the things that I know is the fact that this is a deadly disease that takes the life of its victims. I don’t know the detailed information about this illness since I only know about it from those peddling merchants.」
「What the…………..」
When the village chief replied, Will and the other villager’s face stiffened with fear.
（A certain spider that lives in the forest can also cause similiar symptoms, but that spider should be a nocturnal animal. Besides spider isn’t supposed to appear in the village, but……… Even if it’s caused by that spider, there’s no antidote for it. There’s also the possibility that it’s an unknown illness. Whichever the case, she’s already beyond saving. Anyway, it’s not like she died in my village, and I doubt anyone is willing to carry her since now there’s a suspicion that she may carry an infectious disease.)
With that thought, the village chief decided to place the village as his top priority, choosing to abandon Flora――,
「…………. Let’s just go back…」
He urged the villagers to go back to the village.
「W-What are you going to do to Flora-sama then! ? 」
「……. We can’t take in someone suspected of having an infectious disease into our village. I actually want to tell you guys to leave her here………… But, as expected, I can’t just leave her like this on the main route so close to our village. Let’s bring her closer to the entrance of the forest.」
The village chief gave a cool-headed judgement in response to Will passionate wish to help.
「O-OI! 」
When he noticed, Will already seized his father’s collar But――,
「WILL! YOU MUST UNDERSTAND OUR SITUATION! THIS IS FOR THE SAKE OF THE VILLAGE. OR ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY THAT YOU CARE MORE ABOUT THAT NOBLE THAN YOUR FELLOW VILLAGERS?」
「……」
Will shut his mouth when the thundering voice of the village chief rang out.
「……….. You guys, let’s finish this quickly. Donner, you’re the strongest amongst us. Carry her!」
The village chief told Donner who stood close to him, but――,
「I-I, no. I don’t want to carry her.」
Donner hesitated for a bit before he determinedly shook his head.
「Ceh, you good for nothing. In that case, you guys, carry her.」
The village chief smacked his lips in annoyance and then ordered the other villagers.
The villagers carried Flora with timid movement, afraid of the infectious disease they suspect Flora carry, and treated the act as if they were carrying a lump of filth. They carried her all the way to the entrance of the forest which was separated from the main route.
「…………… Poor things. Such a cute girl is…………….」
A certain young villager gulped as he looked at Flora’s agonized expression, but――,
「Forget about her young man. You’re going to be infected by her illness if you don’t stop. Here should be enough. Let’s get this matter over with immediately」
The other young man urged his friend to get over with it quickly, face frightened that they’d get infected if they carry her longer. Soon after, they tossed Flora’s body at the entrance of the forest, each person still looking worried.
「Urgh…………………..」
A small groan escaped from Flora’s lips, but her voice couldn’t be heard by those villagers who left right away.
（Someone…….. Save…… Me………………..）
◇ ◇ ◇
After that, the villagers headed back towards the village. Whilst they were on their way back, the village chief cautioned the villagers to forget about Flora’s existence. He also told them that it might have been better if that kind of noble never came to their village from the very beginning. From the beginning till the end of his speech, the villager’s countenances were bad.
However, when the villagers arrived at the agricultural field, they spotted a certain villager standing together with people wearing knight attires alongside the escort party of the first prince of the Paladia kingdom, Duran Paladia, waiting for them――、
「T-That man is the village chief! 」
The villager, who was with those knight, pointed at the village chief with an agitated expression. And when the villager gave away who the chief was amongst the returning group, a man in his prime, Lucius, came out from amongst the knight.
「Finally. Are you the village chief? Sorry, I have no intention to intrude since your village seems to be troubled with our presence. I have tried to ask the villagers who I came upon, but for some reason, they seemed to be afraid of us to the point of being unable to talk to us」
He greeted the village chief with a strangely intimate attitude.
「……… I-If it’s honored knight. My apologies for the uncouth people of my village. May I ask for your business with this kind of a rural place? If you wanted to talk, do let me invite you to my humble abode.」
The village chief gulped and then led Lucius who had an impatient expression to his house. Lucius flashed a sneer and arrogantly smile as he looked down at the village chief and the villagers from the back of his horse――
「Ah, the truth is, I’m looking for someone. Has a girl wearing a dress come to this village? Her name is Flora. No, there’s a possibility of her using an alias, but……….」
He stated the reason for why he visited this village clearly to everyone there.
