The Knight's Unexpected Compassion

The mood of the expedition party shifted noticeably after Isaac joined.

“I’ve never seen a regular imperial knight. The aura you carry is completely different.”

“Haha, knights are all the same. Even if you only look at the body, Sister Priest, you’d believe it.”

“Ah, I just happen to love sweating. I grew this big frame for nothing—when I really need it, it doesn’t help at all. Hahaha!”

The booming laughter that poured in from outside the carriage made Lisbel shake her head in awe. He was a person who was truly different from her on the deepest level.

Even though he had rolled in from nowhere and was of an alien clerical identity, the knights still laughed and chatted with him as if they had always been on the alert.

If you recalled the knights who had remained silent the entire way through the First and Second Ruins as though they were meditating, the change was truly astonishing.

“In truth, I volunteered for this expedition. I overheard my sister saying she was going on this one.”

Lisbel realized the guilt behind his decision for not keeping the promise he had made to protect her from inside the Sanctuary.

When she said he didn’t have to do it that way, Isaac answered that it was part of his own past atonement and that there was no need to worry about it.

“We’ll stop here for a moment and rest.”

And so they headed toward the next ruin.

Lisbel, still unaccustomed to the horrific swaying, stepped down from the carriage with a deathly pale face that twisted in discomfort.

“Tsk. She’s causing another scene.”

“I don’t understand why she’s making such a fuss today when the road isn’t that rough compared to last time.”

The blatant sarcasm that hit her ears like she had to listen anyway left her with no strength left to care.

Having vomited once already, her stomach was empty, and no matter how violently she retched, nothing came out. Breathless and eyes unfocused, Lisbel unconsciously lifted her head and found her gaze locked with Hendrick, standing some distance away.

“Hah…”

She had never planned to have even a shred of hope for that arrogant man.

He was a cold-blooded bastard who had thrown her away without mercy the moment they were lovers. Even if they had been locked together like beasts inside the ruins for the past few days, hot and entangled, she had known long ago that he would not be the first to reach out in this pathetic situation.

She thought she had given up, but watching herself suffer like death while he watched her humiliation with not even a single raised eyebrow, her insides finally rebelled. If a stranger had seen her on the roadside moaning, she would not have felt this way.

“Ah… I’m really sorry. I’ve never been to the eastern region before, so I’m not familiar with the roads. After pushing through days and nights without rest, I made a fool of myself with this frame.”

The warm, soothing voice that suddenly appeared shattered the tense atmosphere in an instant.

Isaac, who had been absent earlier, now stood before the knights who had been insulting Lisbel, scratching the back of his head in an easygoing manner.

“Cough, we weren’t speaking to Sister Priest….”

“Still, I hope you’ll be understanding. The knights over there and the guide, along with the ones who went ahead, don’t seem well either. It’s their first time on a rough route, so it’s only natural they’re struggling.”

Being a regular imperial knight, it was impossible for them to feel proud about shoving a pale woman. The knights awkwardly cleared their throats in response to Isaac’s gentle words of understanding and quietly slipped away.

“Come on, Sister. The path to the ruins ahead was where I was handing out herbs to those people. Even if the motion sickness doesn’t fully disappear, your stomach will feel much calmer.”

With the knights scattering away like mice, Isaac approached with an unconcerned face. He then pressed a round, pounded herb pill into Lisbel’s palm.

“…Thank you.”

“No matter what your circumstances, you’re a comrade moving forward together now. I’ll take my leave and head to the others.”

Watching Isaac’s broad back as he turned away after handing over the herbs, Lisbel swallowed the pill. Its terrible bitterness struck her tongue roots, but soon the churning stomach began to settle like a lie.

She did not know what chains or bad influence this small kindness would bring him later. She should have rejected it harshly. But just as in the hellish Sanctuary, his kindness was her only salvation now, so the thought that she could not refuse him made her feel terribly selfish.

“Hah…”

Even breathing was a struggle now. Could she not allow herself this one moment of gentle kindness?

Gradually as the motion sickness ebbed, Lisbel closed her eyes and curled her tired body.

* * *

“Hah…”

If she stayed trapped in this horrific carriage until the next ruin, she might die of motion sickness before she could clear her name. When the despair reached her throat, a breath of relief came.

“From now on, you will all stay in this village for ten days. The leader’s order is to recover your strength and rest.”

The peace Isaac’s herb pill had offered lasted only a moment. Once more the hellish swaying began, and Lisbel eventually had to get out of the carriage, enduring endless sarcasm and rough words while walking. By the time her feet were crushed, they had reached the largest village in the eastern territory.

Everyone who had endured nonstop marches from the capital to the Second Ruin was exhausted. They all let out cheers at the sweet ten-day rest granted to them.

Lisbel, who had wanted rest more than anyone else in the expedition, felt deep relief that she would not have to ride that horrific carriage even for ten days.

She lay dead-like in the hotel bed and slept for two days.

On the morning of the third day, Lisbel finally managed to get up after shaking off the motion sickness completely.

Knock knock.

Lisbel, who had been blessed with a rare refreshing morning, opened the door with a puzzled expression at the knock in her empty room.

During the precious ten days of rest, the only person who might come to find her was Isaac, so she had no reason to be on guard. She had seen him suffer from motion sickness, so he had probably come to check on her.

“If you’re in a strange place, you should confirm who it is before opening the door, shouldn’t you?”

And soon she regretted her careless action of flinging the door wide open. The person who had come was none other than Hendrick.

“What is it?”

“I have somewhere I need to go. Come with me.”

“I was told I could rest freely for ten days. Did I misunderstand something?”

“…It’s not bad for you. Just come along.”

Lisbel had no desire to follow Hendrick’s command without any explanation. But since she knew he would not leave quietly if she refused, she let out a small sigh and draped her cloak over her shoulders.

“Wait here.”

Hendrick walked ahead in silence, and Lisbel followed closely behind him, lips pressed tight.

The eastern region had long been a place where those with high academic and research spirits settled, so the people there had a calm temperament. Even in the bustling street, there was no loud hawkers’ chatter or noisy commotion—only the murmur of conversations and the sound of carriage wheels rolling.

“Don’t go in.”

As Lisbel quietly looked around under the cloak, seeing the unfamiliar scenery she had never seen in the capital or the north, Hendrick called out to her from a building he had just exited.

* * *

“Welcome.”

As she stepped inside, a woman in a white coat smiled gently.

‘Doctor? Why did she bring me here?’

Lisbel looked at Hendrick in confusion.

“Then I’ll come back in an hour.”

“Yes. I will treat you with all my heart.”

Lisbel, left completely alone without any explanation, stood there in bewilderment at Hendrick’s abrupt departure.

“I heard you’re a severe motion-sickness patient. The leader ordered me to treat you carefully so your schedule isn’t delayed. Could you come here for a moment?”

Only after hearing the doctor’s kind guidance did Lisbel fully understand why Hendrick had done this.

“I thought he didn’t care at all….”

Of course, she had no thought that it might have been born from concern or pity.

During the expedition, there had been more than a few times when the delay in schedule was caused by Lisbel’s motion sickness, so as the leader, he would not have been unaware of her condition. Since they had only finished the Second Ruin and the road ahead could be even more grueling, he had surely taken action to prevent her from becoming an obstacle.

“Your body seems extremely weak. Like someone who has been locked up…”

Fortunately, it seemed Hendrick had found a proper doctor. The doctor diagnosed her condition exactly, even though she had not revealed her true identity, making Lisbel let out a quiet laugh.

It did not matter even if it was for the sake of that ruthless man. As long as she could escape this horrible motion sickness, she had no reason not to make use of even cheap kindness from the man who had thrown her away.

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