Louie greeted me back timidly with a bow. Once he laid eyes on Lucius though, Louie scurried to tend to the slumbering Marquess. Despite being a tiny little boy, he's by no doubt passionate in his profession. Arthur and I just stood by the side, watching quietly. Arthur is a fire attribute while I am a wind attribute, there's nothing we can help with.
Healers are mostly water attribute and light attribute. However, since light attribute owned by most is only a small amount, water attributes like Louie are more dependable! Nevertheless, light mana usage is by no doubt the most effective healing method.
Seeing that my presence is not needed, I decided to excuse myself. "I'll go out first," I said to Arthur.
"Alright, go and have a good rest, dame!"
Once I pushed open the curtain, the merry celebration of our victory against the Scourge filled my view. Although it is not grand, proving the aftermath of war, the joy radiates without fail! I went out of the tent and joined the knights celebrating by the centre of the camp. A couple of the knights were singing and dancing while one of them was making music beats out of an empty barrel.
"Dame! Have a drink!" A blonde knight with a broken leg offered.
"Dame! We saw you fought one-on-one with the Serpento Mortus. It was a great fight!" Knight 1 approached.
I recognised him from a glance, the man I labelled with a number. Hence, I welcomed him almost warmly, "Oh, you're the one from before! Cheers!" I make a toast before chugging down the glass.
The celebration continued all the way until dusk. After that, we paid our respect to the fallen knights of our march. The number of the dead wasn't small, the most painful part of war is just starting. The grief of their family members, the burial, it's more painful than the battles.
By midnight, after all of the unofficial ceremonies had been completed, the knights began to retire for the day. I for one, am not able to sleep. So I sat by the dried up river, leaning on a dead tree trunk that hugged me with its roots. Based on the early chapters I read about Catherine, she came from the slum with Lucius. I believe that she doesn't have any family members, be it biological or adoptive.
"Guess no one will welcome me home," I sighed.
Ironically, I felt more down now that the war had ended. I kinda missed my parents in the other world, how are they doing? Is time flowing the same there? If so, what happened to my body? A lot of questions appeared on my mind, but no answers ever be found.
"Know anything, entity?" I inquired.
Then again, no reply. I know it heard me the first time, I know it's there. Perhaps, even the mysterious entity had no idea on what we are going through.
"No? You've never been this quiet before."
After a brief silence, it finally replied, as if assuring me, *I think all is fine.*
"Right? I hope so, too…"
After being reassured, I slowly dozed of right there and then, waking up only at dawn. The knights at the camp had began disassembling the tents. At the same time, a group of knights were arranging the armoury while a few were seen burning the trashes down. Now that the war is over, we will return to our homeland.
*I guess I'll just go straight to the knight's dorm. Not like I have anyone to see nor waiting for me,* I sighed.
"You got a stupid expression on your face," a familiar voice appeared from my side.
Rolling my eyes, I ignored his comment about my face before replying,"I'm thinking."
Hearing his amused hum, I turned to face him, slightly looking up as he was standing. Of course, it is none other than the 'human baggage', Lucius Leonhart. He looks like he's in a good mood.
"You're up. How are you feeling?" I asked, my eyes following his movements.
"Good enough to see your ugly face," he replied rather nonchalantly.
*Rude,* I thought, taking a deep breath as to not lash out on a sick patient.
"Did you just come to pick a fight?" I huffed, holding onto my thinning patience.
"Not a bad idea."
"Woah," I was amazed my his unexpected boldness. "What a prick!"
After taking his time looking around, he suddenly plopped right next to me. Only a small gap separated us before I scooted away, shooting glares at the peculiar Lucius.
"Aghh, leave me alone! I'm looking for peace but a disaster came!"
As if I was making a joke, he looked rather entertained before saying, "The camp is being cleaned up. I'll sit here so that you don't look like you're slacking off."
Hearing the clanking sound of the stuff being moved, I was reminded on what is currently happening behind us. While the other knights had each been given tasks to do, here I am, staring out into the space. Indeed, I am slacking off.
Biting my lips, I let out an exasperated sigh, "….suit yourself then."
Surprisingly, being with him doesn't feel so awkward? Who would've thought that I'd be sitting with the protagonist of my favourite story, enjoying the breeze of morning air? I sneaked a glance at him once in a while only to catch him already looking. Perhaps I could use this chance to gain something from him. He's quite resourceful, after all.
"By the way," I cleared my throat. "You should treat me to a meal or something. I mean, I did save you from before."
"Hm?" Lucius raised an eyebrow. "Aren't you a shameless one?"
"What? Thought I'd do it for free?" I smirked, taunting him about the incident.
Lucius let out a small chuckle before suggesting, "Then you can be my accompanying knight for the post-war ball. The knight's feast will also be served."
"Oohh~ a palace's meal!" I clapped my hands together before pulling a thumbs up, "Nice idea!"
In the novel, it was described that the imperial chefs made the most delectable dishes. After all, one could only get the job after passing through strict tests, level by level. Only the geniuses were able to cater to the imperial family! Since this is a big war, the ball will be held in the imperial palace instead of the royal palace. For a commoner like me, this is a golden, once in a lifetime chance. Nevertheless, I am far from satisfied, knowing that I could still get more out of him.
"Aghh….now that I think about it," I pretended to have a sore shoulder. "My body still aches from carrying you all the way…oh, my poor, fragile body,"I sighed dramatically, glancing for his reaction.
Lucius, who had been looking at me most of the time, finally turned away. I leaned closer to get a look on his face, only for him to scoot further.
"Hm, 100 gold is enough," I hinted.
"This is thievery," he waved my request away.
"Call it reward, Marquess," I shrugged, clearly not affected with what he said.
Perhaps he didn't actually mind the request itself as he agreed rather readily, "….Alright."
Lucius remained facing away and refused to look my direction. Oh, well, at least he gave me a ridiculous amount of money! I expected him to lower the value but he accepted it as is. Might actually be a small amount to him. Also, I thought about it before, but he is surprisingly laid back. Maybe I could ask him for more?
Just before I tried to pull another string, I accidentally locked eyes with Arthur when I turned to look at the bustling camp ground. He waved cheerfully, making me wave back.
"Gosh, what a lovely creature!" I stared in admiration.
As my comment caught his attention, he turned to the same direction and asked,"Arthur?"
"Yeah," I nodded. "Like a golden retriever!"
Lucius looked at me with a puzzled expression. Oh, well. Finally, he's looking!
"…a Golden….Retriever?" He repeated, not familiar withthe term.
*Ah, right. They don't have it here. Only those scary looking Cerberus.*
"A type of lovely creature," I gave a vague explanation.
Lucius' face turned to a frown, maybe he doesn't get the picture. If I say it's a dog, won't that be like calling Arthur as a dog?
Seeing his confused face, I simply shrugged it off, "Nah, you won't get it."
Soon, the troop was ready to march back.