Chapter 200

 

* * *

 

“But how, Young Master? You’ll stand out a lot if you go.”

Isaiah knew well how Claude would appear to the eyes of ordinary villagers.

The problem was his appearance.

“Even if you borrow a beggar’s clothes and smear ashes on your hair, you won’t be able to erase the impression that a noble from the capital is in disguise.”

“We can solve that problem easily.”

Claude smiled brightly and tapped Isaiah’s shoulder.

“Uh-oh.”

Of course, Isaiah could quickly grasp his intention.

“…You want me to go?”

“Well, you’ll stand out too, but I thought you could blend in more skillfully than me.”

“Absolutely not!”

Isaiah immediately jumped up and refused.

“Is it because you don’t like going to the temple? Don’t worry. If they gather the village children and teach them, they must be a great person of character…”

“No, no! It’s not because of the temple. I’m telling you, everyone will definitely recognize me and make a fuss!”

Claude stared at Isaiah for a moment with narrowed eyes. Since when did he become so famous that everyone would recognize him and go wild?

“Ah, that… has it already come out?”

“What do you mean already, it was last winter! You’re insensitive, Young Master.”

Isaiah took out a small stamp from a leather pouch that was stored flat.

Surprisingly, it had a portrait of Isaiah on it, which was specially issued to commemorate the recent martial arts tournament.

“Hmm.”

Claude closely examined the commemorative stamp he handed over.

In the portrait, Isaiah’s eyebrows were much thicker than in real life, and his eyes were sharp. As if he could defeat ten bears with one hand if they came charging at him.

In contrast, the real person in front of him was fidgeting with a gentle face that looked like he couldn’t even step on an ant.

“…Well, I don’t think anyone can recognize you with this stamp.”

“Th-that can’t be! In the capital, there are people who recognize me every ten steps! I can’t walk around at all!”

As he seemed to want to keep the title of ‘famous Isaiah’ no matter what, Claude had no choice but to nod.

“Alright, then there’s no other way. I don’t like it, but I’ll go to Belhold.”

“Uh, will you be okay?”

“It’s not like there’s no way at all.”

 

* * *

 

Claude packed some medicinal herbs in a large duffel bag and got on his horse.

It was a simple schedule of checking on the girl named Mindy, delivering medicine to the temple, and coming back, so he thought he could return to the mansion before evening.

After passing through the wilderness with unusually strong winds today, he entered the entrance of Belhold a few minutes later.

The village seemed particularly quiet compared to when he briefly passed by before.

Of course, the stores were operating normally, and sometimes he could see children playing together in a corner.

‘That’s true, but…’

Should I say it lacks vitality?

First, he looked at each inn in the center of the village.

“Are you a traveler?”

At the sudden question, he turned to the side and saw a girl with her nose and mouth wrapped tightly in a yellow scarf, staring up at him.

Claude almost wanted to laugh.

Because ‘Mindy’ was clearly written on one end of the scarf.

As she was the daughter of an innkeeper, maybe she spoke to the traveler to introduce her inn?

“Yes, that’s right. What’s the matter?”

“Actually, Teacher May taught me not to talk to strangers carelessly.”

The girl started with an excuse first. She seemed to want to make it clear that she didn’t normally do this.

“But you specially talked to me?”

“Yes. Because travelers shouldn’t get sick. So I wanted to tell you something important.”

“What is it?”

“You shouldn’t stay here long. A really bad flu is going around right now.”

“Ah…”

Claude slowly nodded his head. As if he had just learned that fact for the first time.

“So, you know, right? It’s better to pass through our village quickly if possible.”

“But.”

Claude deliberately made a troubled expression.

“I haven’t been able to rest for two days now. Can’t I at least have a meal before I go?”

“What? T-two days…?!”

The innocent child immediately tilted her head here and there as if in difficulty, then sighed heavily as if she had no choice.

“Then have a meal at our inn before you go. The place with yellow flowers in full bloom is our store. Pretty, right?”

“It is.”

Mindy spun around and started walking ahead.

As there was a small leather bag dangling behind the child’s back, Claude slipped August’s letter into it.

Fortunately, Mindy didn’t notice that fact.

 

* * *

 

Claude arrived at the inn and ordered a simple meal.

Usually, ‘a man who comes to the inn alone and eats with an excessively elegant appearance’ would probably stand out quite a bit, but now that the village situation wasn’t good, no one paid attention to him.

Thanks to that, he was able to freely observe Mindy and her parents.

He felt he needed to find out a little more after returning to the capital, but for now, there were no particularly suspicious circumstances.

Perhaps the meddlesome Mindy discovered August in the wilderness and ran after him to strike up a conversation.

Just like she had approached Claude in a friendly manner today after spotting him.

‘I hope our affair doesn’t cause trouble for this inn.’

Claude was also happy that the lonely August at the mansion had made an ordinary friend.

But on the other hand, he was worried that if his existence was revealed, the powerless inn might receive the Emperor’s anger.

‘I should be able to protect them.’

Around the time his worries deepened, the door of the inn opened, and a man staggered in and collapsed on a nearby chair as if he had fallen.

As if it was a common occurrence, the innkeeper placed a bowl of warm soup that he hadn’t even ordered and tapped his shoulder.

“…If I die like this, I wonder if I can go to heaven.”

At the man’s muttering, Mindy tapped his shoulder and made a tearful face.

“What will we do if Teacher Neal dies! What about Teacher May?”

“Miss May is currently boiling blankets for the patients. Before that, she cleaned the temple. She scrubbed everywhere people touched.”

“And you left Teacher May alone and came?!”

“B-but I was so hungry…”

He sat up for a moment and gulped down the hot soup placed in front of him in almost one breath.

It must have looked pitiful, because Mindy didn’t scold him further.

“…I wish I could help the teachers too.”

“I’m happy just with that thought, Mindy.”

“So what about the medicine? When is it coming?”

“Well…”

The man fiddled with his hair for a moment, then only smiled awkwardly.

Mindy frowned, understanding what it meant.

“It’s really too much. I heard nobles in the capital pile up medicine in every room.”

“Even nobles in the capital aren’t like that. It’s just that the flu is going around everywhere now, so medicine is even more scarce. Still, our village is better off.”

The man finished his explanation in a flustered manner and got up from his seat.

When he tried to pay, the innkeeper sent him away, saying it was fine.

“I know the teachers at the temple are working hard, why would I take money?”

The man called ‘Teacher Neal’ persistently declined, but in the end, he gratefully accepted the owner’s kindness and left the inn.

Claude also paid for his meal and quickly followed him out.

“Excuse me.”

When he called out quietly, the man turned around with a tired look. Still, he seemed to be trying to smile somehow.

“Are you the priest of the temple?”

“No way. I’m just helping the priest. My name is Wiley Neal. Are you a traveler?”

“Yes, my name is Clyde.”

Claude naturally gave a pseudonym he often used and held out the bag he had brought to him.

“…?”

Neal looked back and forth between the bag and him in wonder, and when Claude held out the bag again, he reluctantly accepted it and checked the contents.

“Th-this is!”

“Considering the size of the village, it doesn’t seem to be a sufficient amount. But it should be enough for urgent use.”

“…This can’t be!”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t bring it directly to the temple. Anyway, please take care of it.”

Claude had checked Mindy’s house and handed over the medicine like this, so now he was thinking of returning to the mansion where August lived.

“Ah, no! Let’s go to the temple right now, you should at least receive the priest’s blessing before you leave! I can’t send you off like this!”

But the man didn’t seem to have any intention of letting Claude go.

He grabbed his arm without permission and started twinkling his eyes, asking him to go to the temple together.

“It’s alright, I…”

“Please! If I let you go like this, the priest will call me an ungrateful fellow, and Miss May will surely hit my back with a catalog!”

It was amusing that there was another person besides Melody and Mrs. Higgins who threatened people with a catalog, but Claude quickly shook his head.

“I’m sorry, I also have…”

When he kept insisting, Neal looked around and started shouting like crazy.

“Ahhh! Everyone look here! This handsome traveler has a bunch of medicine!”

“…Alright, alright!”

As people’s gazes began to gather unnecessarily, Claude had no choice but to follow his insistence.

“But I’ll just greet the priest and come out right away. Understood?”

At his answer, Neal nodded with a big smile.

“Don’t worry, even if the priest holds you back, I’ll push your back so you can leave quickly. Follow me.”

Claude left his horse at the inn and had no choice but to follow Wiley Neal to the temple.

‘Well, I was going to the temple anyway.’

It wouldn’t be bad to confirm that the medicine was being delivered to the priest.

‘After that, I’ll quickly get out of this village.’

 

* * *

 

Unlike the one in the capital, the temple in Belhold was built by roughly stacking dark-colored bricks.

Nevertheless, Claude got the impression that this place was very neat and beautiful.

The walls and roof showed traces of careful repair and maintenance with good craftsmanship, and the windows were sparkling clean without a speck of dust.

When he peeked through the wide-open temple door, the spring flowers someone had decorated were giving joy to the visiting believers.

Perhaps because it was a time when many people were sick, they seemed to have been brought to comfort their hearts.

“It’s a good temple.”

When he honestly conveyed his impression, Neal grinned as if he was proud.

“It’s thanks to Miss May. Many things have changed since she came. Ah, right. Would you like to greet Miss May as well?”