Chapter 111: (Self Edited) Living as a Person

I finished reading.The impression I had read was, of course, ‘I wish I could come here one day earlier’.

‘That’s bad.’

‘I’m also worried that Myaro is psychologically wary. Well, is that natural? For the other side, they got no clue about it, and if there’s no information for as long as twelve days, they would be worried that we are dead.’

‘However, has the fortress already fallen? That’s not good.’

‘Even if it takes ten days or so to walk to Reform, there is a high possibility that we’re going to arrive at the rear of a siege. Haah. This is really bad. I feel like holding my head… Haa~~hhh…’

—

“–xxx!” (Carol)

‘Hmm? What the…?’

“–Oi!” (Carol)

When my shoulders were shook, I suddenly awakened. I hurriedly looked at the voice and found Carol.

“Wahh… could it be that you fell asleep?” (Carol)

“I guess so.” (Yuri)

‘Oi oi. I can’t believe it myself.’

When I opened my eyes, there were letters scattered on the desk in front of me. It wasn’t a dream.

After reading the letter, thinking that we weren’t in a good situation, I leaned my back on the backrest and closed my eyes to think a little. As I sighed, it felt a bit comfortable since the fatigue gradually disappeared.

After that, I didn’t remember anymore. It seemed I had lost consciousness in one go.

“Sorry.” (Yuri)

I apologized. When I thought that she was working even though she was injured while I was sleeping in a chair, I felt bad.

“No, I don’t mind… it’s just that the food will get cold, and I think if you want to sleep, it’s better to sleep in bed.” (Carol)

“Aah… I see. How long have I slept?” (Yuri)

“Not that long.” (Carol)

‘Is that so?’

When I looked outside, the sun hadn’t set yet.

‘Was it almost one hour?’

“I feel bad…” (Yuri)

“No, you’re tired and that’s normal. More importantly, I was able to cook. It’s just that… I can’t bring it here.” (Carol)

Carol said it weakly.

She didn’t bring it because she could drop the dishes. It was quite difficult to carry multiple dishes back and forth without dropping them, even at a distance of only five meters.

“I really appreciate it. Let’s go.” (Yuri)

I stood up in the chair.

—

As I walked while supporting my injured feet, I unexpectedly found decent dishes lined up on the desk in the kitchen.

I didn’t know what kind, but some of the chicken meat was fried in oil and the sauce was like a mixture of fruit jam and oil.

That was the main dish, and there was also vegetable soup.

‘Vegetables at this time of year aren’t very good, but it will be different if you turn it into soup.’

Besides, there was a lot of bread in a small net basket.

“Amazing.” (Yuri)

For some reason, this was the first time I saw Carol cook. I didn’t expect much, but she seemed to have a lot of skill.

“I’ve been practicing.” (Carol)

“Do you practice this together with tea making?” (Yuri)

“Well, a little. It would be embarrassing if I could only cook something like charcoal in an emergency situation. Leaving that aside, let’s eat.” (Carol)

‘I suppose so. If it gets cold, the food is not going to taste good.’

I sat down and picked up a fork.

“Thanks for the meal.” (Yuri)

“Help yourself.” (Carol)

When I chewed the bird meat, which I didn’t know what kind of bird it was, it had a unique fragrant aroma in addition to the sweet and sour flavor of the sauce. It seemed that it was smoked.

If it was raw meat, it would be rotten. Even so, the meat with its moisture inside really went well with the sweet and sour sauce.

When I went for the soup, in addition to the leafy vegetables, there was similar bird meat inside. The transparent bird oil floated thinly on the surface of the soup and made it look delicious.

When I put the vegetables into my mouth with a fork, the flavor of the oil, which had the sweetness of bird oil, was transmitted, and I felt warm swelled from the depths of my body.

“Delicious.” (Yuri)

“Really? I’m glad.” (Carol)

While looking relieved, Carol didn’t put her hand on her cooking and watched me eat.

“What’s wrong? Do you have no appetite?” (Yuri)

I said.

“Eh? … Aah, yes. No, I’m going to eat.

She said as she became aware of it, and started eating.

—

I finished the food in the blink of an eye, and tea was prepared. It had a dark green color.

‘I haven’t had Carol’s tea after a long time. I’m looking forward to what kind of tea it tastes.’

I put the tea into my mouth.

“…Uehh.” (Yuri)

The intense bitterness numbed the root of the tongue. It felt like an egg, and the taste wasn’t up for praising.

“Hehe, it doesn’t taste good, isn’t it?” (Carol)

It seemed Carol had expected that.

“Aah… well, this is…” (Yuri)

“This is good for you.” (Carol)

‘Are you sure it’s fine? I wonder if it’s like a medicinal drink.’

Carol was drinking the same tea with a calm face.

“Well, would you like some more?” (Carol)

“That’s fine.” (Yuri)

I drank it all at once. I thought that the taste would remain in my mouth, but after I finished drinking it, it was surprisingly refreshing.

“Yuri, are you just going to sleep?” (Carol)

“Yeah… if possible, I want to take a bath, but it’s getting darker.” (Yuri)

‘It’s hard work to make hot water, and it will be impossible from now on.’

“Well, show me your wounds.” (Carol)

“Ooh. Alright.” (Yuri)

‘That’s right. I have to treat the wound. The wound that had worsened in the fight against Canker remained without removing the cloth that covered it.’

Carol put away the dishes while supporting her leg. Then, she placed distilled liquor and cloth on the table. As the sun went down and it became pitch black, she knelt down at the hearth and lit the fire on a lamp.

When the lid of the pot that had been hung at the hearth was removed, hot air rose out. It seemed that there was hot water in it. Using a small saucepan, she drew the hot water into a container like a basin.

She had prepared various things. I assumed she prepared it while I was sleeping.

As she rattled and moved the chair, she sat diagonally to my left, and hung a large cloth over my lap. I also moved the chair slightly to the left and sat down.

“Put your foot here.” (Carol)

“Alright.” (Yuri)

I raised my left foot, and put it on Carol’s thigh with dirty shoes on. Along the way, a heavy pain ran in my left knee, but I had experienced countless pains just today, so I was already used to it. When Carol took off my shoes, she stripped off the dirty bandage, or… rather the cloth. The piece of cloth was dyed with blood that had repeatedly wet and dry, and there was soil stuck on it. Under the fire of the lamp, it looked black rather than red.

Carol carefully peeled off the cloth and threw it into a bucket placed in the soil of the kitchen.

*Besha*

I heard the sound of something getting wet.

“Uh…” (Carol)

Carol looked at the wound and frowned.

‘Does it look really bad?’

“I’m going to wipe the blood.” (Yuri)

Carol put a clean towel in the water of the basin and squeezed it lightly with her hands. She fluttered it to remove the heat and wiped my dirty feet while avoiding the wound.

It hurts a bit, but it felt like a footbath, which was very pleasant. After wiping the dirt, she threw the towel into the bucket. She put a new towel in the hot water again. She didn’t squeeze it this time, but applied it to the wound while it was still wet.

“…Guuhh.” (Yuri)

I bit the back teeth tightly and withstood the sensation. It wasn’t very hot, but the wound was soaked in it.

“Are you alright?” (Carol)

“Keep going.” (Yuri)

The wound was cleaned while being lightly pressed against the towel.

“How is it?” (Yuri)

“… Maybe you’d better judge it yourself than I do.” (Carol)

“You’re right.” (Yuri)

I twisted the ankle of my foot on Carol’s lap. When I looked at the sole of my foot as if looking at it from here, I could see it from a distance.

Carol put the lamp near the wound.

Blood leaked from the closed wound, and the hole through which the thread passed was cramped due to the tension, and blood was bleeding from there, but it wasn’t so bad. For the time being, the wound was still stitched. It wasn’t misaligned and didn’t open.

The wound looked terrible due to the twitching of the sewing thread, but anyhow, since it wasn’t a chemical fiber, inflammation would occur, and this would heal as much as possible after the thread was removed. The question was whether the wound was closed.

I was more bothered that the affected area was swollen.

‘Well, did it swell because I walked so hard?’

“If the thread isn’t torn, you can leave it as it is.” (Yuri)

“It looks like… it’s not torn yet.” (Carol)

“Then, just disinfect it with alcohol.” (Yuri)

“Alright.” (Yuri)

Carol opened the lid of the distilled liquor, soaked it in a new cloth, and washed the wound with a rap-tap.

‘As expected, it stings.’

“Uhmm… there’s an ointment that I’m not sure about. Should I apply it?” (Carol)

Carol looked at a wooden container on the desk. It was flat and had a shape just like a stamp case.

“Show it to me.” (Yuri)

When I asked her to give it to me and looked at the container, it was hand-carved as ‘Yulm Life-Saving Ointment’. With that hand-carved writing, it didn’t look like something cheap for children.

In some cases, these medicines were manufactured by the Witch households. Looking at the foundation of this product, this was the focus of their business.

I opened the lid, and it had a grassy smell. It was probably a mixture of essential oil and beeswax. It didn’t have a mint odor like menthol, and the color was cloudy yellow.

When I put it on the hand, it was very soft and creamy. It was a well-made ointment.

‘However, would it be fine if I put it on the wound surface?’

‘I’m not sure whether it’s good or bad. If it hurts, should I wash it off?’

“Try it on.” (Yuri)

“Alright.” (Yuri)

Carol took the sticky ointment on the finger and put it on the wound surface. It didn’t hurt. It only hurt not because of the ointment, but rather Carol pushed the wound.

When the application was finished, a new patch of cloth was applied. The cloth was tightly closed with a long cloth, and it put a pressure to stop the bleeding. This was good.

“Aah.” (Yuri)

Carol said briefly. She gave an impression of ‘Oops’.

“It might have been better to take off the pants first.” (Carol)

‘Aah. That’s right.’

A swollen foot might not have passed through the pants because she tied it up with a cloth. As expected, sleeping on a bed with a clean sheet on the pants is distracting.I had been wearing these pants for a long time, so it’s dirty. I want to change clothes and everything.’

“Well, you can take off the pants.” (Yuri)

‘The cloth is quite spread out, so if it’s impossible, she can cut it off.’

“Then, I’ll take it off.” (Carol)

“Eh?” (Yuri)

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“I have a change of clothes.  There’s still plenty of hot water, so why not just wipe your body?” (Carol)

‘Well. I do want to have my body wiped. Since the floor is a dirt floor, there’s no problem if water drips down.’

“What? Am I going to be naked?” (Yuri)

“N-no! I’m going to turn around.” (Carol)

“Then, can I take my clothes off now?” (Yuri)

“W-wait a sec.” (Carol)

Carol put a pair of large sandals, which she had also prepared, over my cloth-wrapped left foot.

‘She’s so diligent today.’

When I lowered my left foot from above her thigh, she quickly turned to the other side.

I took off all my clothes on the spot and got naked. I didn’t think I would ever have a chance to wear clothes anymore, so I threw them away on the dirt floor.

I wet a clean cloth with hot water, squeezed it lightly to make a steamed towel, and wiped the face first.

I cleansed the whole body from spots covered with some dirt. It was unpleasantly dirty, so I changed the cloth immediately.

The wound on my left knee had already stopped bleeding. A terrible bruise was formed on the scraped skin.

I wiped the bloody part with a cloth moistened with hot water, disinfected it with alcohol, and then applied a cloth and tied it tightly.

In the meantime, the flesh swelled up on the scraped part. I couldn’t see the bones. There would be scars left.

“Carol, if you don’t mind, can you wipe my back?” (Yuri)

“Eh… aah, alright.” (Carol)

I turned my back to Carol and sat on a chair.

“Wha…!!” (Carol)

I couldn’t see her face, but it felt like she screamed a little.

“Why didn’t you wear something at the bottom?” (Carol)

“It will get wet.” (Yuri)

‘If the water drips down, the bottom part will get wet.’

“Goodness…” (Carol)

Carol squeezed the cloth and put it on my back. She wiped my back with it.

*Gyu* *Gyu*

She rubbed strongly.

“…Your body is firm.” (Carol)

“Well, it’s not as good as Dolla though, but I do train a lot.” (Yuri)

“That’s not what I meant… I mean, your muscles are completely different from a woman.” (Carol)

“Well, yeah.” (Yuri)

‘The muscle will get firm if you train so much even if you have a body of a woman.’

“…Alright, that’s good.” (Carol)

When Carol finished wiping, she said so.

“Really appreciate it. Then, please wait there.” (Yuri)

“Alright.” (Yuri)

I wore the clothes that Carol prepared. It was a good commoner’s clothes, probably because it was used by the residents of this house. There was no patch.

“I’m done.” (Yuri)

When I said that, Carol turned to me.

“I’m glad. It seems that the size is suitable.” (Carol)

She seemed satisfied.

“Yeah. Will you wipe your body?” (Yuri)

“Yes, of course. You’ve changed your clothes, so why don’t you go to bed soon?” (Carol)

‘Do you want me to sleep? I’m going to sleep right away, but that’s too sudden.’

“Do you want me to wipe your body?” (Yuri)

“You know… I don’t expect you to understand women’s hearts, but women don’t want to show their dirty body. Especially…” (Carol)

‘…Especially?’

“…It’s nothing. Go to sleep soon.” (Carol)

“Alright. If that’s the case, I’m going to sleep. I’ll use Liao’s room.” (Yuri)

Liao was sleeping in the guest room on the first floor.

‘It’s hard to go upstairs, but I’ll be fine.’