Seirei Gensouki ~Konna Sekai de Deaeta Kimi ni~ Chapter 151

Chapter 151 . 1 : Sudden Change

While Lucius was fighting Renji, Flora’s condition had started going downhill .

（………… . What should I do?）

Flora  pondered frantically as she suffered from a serious headache .

The matter of her physical condition worsening as time passed was something that she herself was well aware of . Moreover, the pace at which her physical condition deteriorated got faster as days went by . She couldn’t help but feel frustrated by her condition .

At that time――,

「Florsama, I brought your meal . 」

Will’s voice, the son of the village chief, came from the other side of the door . But, Flora who was almost delirious was unaware of that .

「………… . . Florsama?　Are you asleep? 」

He tried knocking at the door again as there was no reply when he called her name――,

「………… Y-Yes!」

Flora replied with a flustered voice, following which the door opened with a clank .

「Ah, so you’re awake!」

Will appeared from behind the door with a flushed red face .

「I’m sorry .   I have been in a daze for a while . 」

「I see, your fever has yet to go down, huh…………」

When Flora apologized, Will’s expression also became gloomy . Yesterday, a few days after his quarrel with his father, despite saying that he would observe her condition, there was no sign of her fever going down .

（………… . . Should I report Florsama’s condition to pops?　He said he  would report to the lord about Florsama if her fever did not go down in a few days . ）

By doing so, Flora might become angry with him . Will at least, expected such a reaction from her . But, they might have to lie to Flora if she didn’t agree with their decision .

Thus, depending on their choice, it would truly be difficult to make Flora agree with their plan . When Will hesitated while thinking over what he should do――、

「…………… . . What’s the matter? 」

Flora asked timidly . Maybe because even the smallest movement was already causing her a lot of pain, even just tilting her head looked clumsy to others .

「Eh, A~h, it’s nothing! Please eat a lot…………… And get well soon!」

Will, unable to tell her the truth, shook his head due to the guilt he felt towards her . Even so, when he was about to put the tray containing her meal on the desk beside the bed――、

（The birthmark on the nape of her neck . ………… . . Doesn’t it look bigger than yesterday?　No, is that really a birthmark?）

He was stunned upon finding the birthmark on Flora’s nape . Though he couldn’t see her birthmark yesterday as it was hidden by her hair, today, the birthmark seemed to have spread all over her neck to a point where even her long hair couldn’t hide it anymore .

「……… . U-Uhm . . 」

Being stared at by Will, Flora tried to hide her breast with a flustered face . Since her dress wasn’t suitable as a sleepwear, she was currently wearing a slightly bigger shirt she had borrowed from the village chief, as such there was a dangerous gap that could be seen from above .

「Eh, Ah, sory, you misunderstood!　I didn’t mean to peek at you! 」

Though Will understood the meaning of Flora’s action, he still denied it with a beet red face . The place he was staring at was her nape, but it seems Flora had misunderstood that . Moreover, even Will himself couldn’t deny that he was not taking the chance to look at her chest .

「Ye-Yeah .   I know . 」

Flora nodded with flushed cheeks while hiding her chest, yet leaving her birthmark as it was . Her action told him that she was not aware of the birthmark on her neck――、

（Has she never noticed it?　Is that………… An illness?）

It suddenly dawned on Will . But, he hesitated to ask at this time due to the extremely awkward atmosphere between them . Thus――,

「Hahaha . Anyway, I’m going to leave the meal here . See you again! 」

Will left the room as if running away from her .

After he closed the door, Flora heaved a relieved sigh . Despite the awkward situation, to be honest compared to yesterday, today she had managed to cope with Will’s actions, albeit only slightly better than the previously . On the other hand――,

（………… . If it is an illness, it might be a bad one . ）

Will had troubled expression outside of Flora’s room . Fundamentally he was an optimistic person, but as expected he became more and more anxious as her condition deteriorated . At worst the disease could spread to the entire village if it was an infectious type .

（……………… Should I report this to pops?　What should I do?　No, I guess I have no other choice . I don’t want to do this, but…… . . ）

He somehow became really worried when he recalled Flora’s expression . Will decided to tell his father the next day .

The next morning .

In the agricultural field of the village where the villagers were doing their job, there were the figures of the young men of the village including Will and Donner .

（………… As expected, I really can’t tell my pops about it . With Florsama’s deteriorating condition, I have no choice but to ask the lord of this area to save her）

Will was racking his brain the entire night last night and finally managed to put his thoughts together .

「Oi, Will . Haven’t you been absent minded since this morning? Are you still worrying about Florsama?　Aren’t you the one who always comes up with one reason after another?」

They, who were of the same generation, were gathered around Will .

「You guys really aren’t aware of another person’s misfortune huh . …………… . Oh well, hear me out . Florsama’s physical condition isn’t that good . 」

As he said that, he heaved a sigh with dismayed expression, and decided to consult his peers due to his endless worry and exhausted mind .

「WHAT！  ? 」

It caused a complete change in their expressions .

「What do you mean! ? 」

「Was her condition that bad? 」

「Tell us the details!」

And so they kept inquiring Will about Flora . Especially Donner who was basically shaking Will’s shoulders with an angry expression .

「C-Calm down!　I’m about to explain the situation to you!　Donner, cut it out already, your brute power is hurting me! 」

Their fervor abated after Will said that . Thus, after everyone had calmed down, Will explained in detail about his recent worries regarding Flora’s condition and the men attentively listened to Will’s story .

「Well, that’s a troubling matter indeed . Should I report Florsama’s condition to my pops? I mean Florsama seems reluctant to ask for the help of other nobles . 」

Will heaved a sigh after telling his peers about Flora’s condition . ,

「Ha~h, in the first place . Why is Florsama reluctant to rely on other nobles? 」

A certain youth asked with a curious tone .

「Dunno . My father told me to not pry too deeply into her situation as it might bring in unexpected trouble . 」

Will shook his head while heaving a sigh for the second time .

「I see……………」

All of his peers also had a troubled expression . A while later――,

「But then, it’s not like we know what goes on in the minds of those nobles anyway . Could it be that an evil noble is targetting her life?　The same thing can be said for our local lord . 」

Another youth said that .

「………… . Yeah, you guys are thinking the same thing as me right? 」

Smiling wryly, Will asked to confirm . A promise is a promise, but even that kind of situation was already outside their expectation .

Chapter 151 . 2 : Sudden Change

「In that case, just don’t tell the local lord . 」

Donner muttered so .

「No, that’s not a choice either . Seeing that Florsama’s condition keeps deteriorating, if her condition doesn’t improve during her stay in this village or if it turns out that her illness is an endemic……… . . 」

Scratching his head, Will talked about the reasons for why there was no other choice than to rely on the local lord .

「Humph, in short, you’re just scared . Your sudden change of attitude is simply because you don’t want to be the only one who is responsible for this matter . 」

「HaaA?？ 　I’m not scared!」

Furrowing his eyebrows, Will said so in response to Donner’s mocking remark .

「In that case, you should tell Florsama . Tell her that you’re going to report to the local lord if her condition doesn’t get better in a few days . In addition, you should ask her if there’s something that troubles her . 」

「I’ve told you that it’s better to not probe too deeply regarding her situation . I’ve no problem with asking those questions . The problem is if things get more complicated due to my questions, what would you do if you were in my position ? 」

Will retorted, almost shouting at Donner . But, Donner refused to back down .

「That’s why I said that you’re getting scared . I mean you basically never told us about this matter up till now . 」

Donner replied without holding back as if to sneer at Will’s wimpy nature .

「………… YOU BASTARD, ARE YOU TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT WITH ME? 」

Will’s face stiffened due to anger . The other men just listened to the situation in silence as they thought about the reason for their quarrel .

「Humph, the one who pushed us away first was you right . 」

「Because things would get messy if you guys suddenly intruded!」

「And you only talked about it when it was convenient for you . 」

Donner said so as he glared at Will .

「You bastard…………  quite a chatterbox when it comes to Florsama’s condition aren’t you? Well then, if you were in my position, what would you do to protect Florsama? 」

Maybe because he was already at the end of the rope, Will asked such a question in a fit of anger .

「Humph, I can do more than you, at least I won’t turn into a coward like you!」

「YOU BASTARD! 」

Will was about to punch Donner in hearing his blunt answer . ―,

「Oi, cut it out already! 」

Naturally the other men stopped Will .

「LET GO OF ME! 」

Will tried to shake off the others in order to punch Donner, but――,

「GUH」

He couldn’t help but be pushed away by their strength . Even if he were to challenge Donner in a contest of strength, Will had no chance of winning against Donner who had a stronger physique than him .

「Humph, aside from your loose lips, you’re powerless against me . You won’t be able to protect Florsama . In the first place, the one who guided Florsama to the village chief’s house was me!」

Saying so, Donner looked down on Will with a triumphant face .

「Then, show me how you’re going to protect her!　I don’t think you can do anything for her!　You can say that since you don’t know about Florsama’s current condition!　I already have no choice other than relying on our local lord! 」

Even if Flora won’t agree to that idea―― And thus, Will ranted on and on about what he was feeling lately while glaring at Donner with a menacing gaze .

「…………………… . . Humph!」

Frowning, Donner stared back at Will . Donner was making a scary face, though Will couldn’t read his mind, he felt that it was something unpleasant towards himself . Then, a while later, he suddenly turned around and left them .

「Ah, oi . Donner, where do you think you’re going! 」

When the other young men asked him――,

「…………… . . The break time is over . 」

Turning around lightly, Donner muttered those words and left . The other young men, including Will were left behind as they watched  Donner’s retreating back embarrassed .

After that, Donner who had pretended to go back to work took a detour from the agricultural field towards the house at the center of the village .

On the way, when he passed by another villager who was already at the prime of his life――,

「Are, if it isn’t Donner… What’s the matter? 」

The other person called out to himas his house wasn’t located in the middle of the village, it was slightly separated from the rest of the houses in the village . And since work was about to begin, there might be no reason for him to be in the middle of the village during this time .

「……… . . My farming tools were in a slightly bad shape . 」

Donner averted his gaze,  feeling guilty about lying to another person as he showed the hoe in his hand .

「Ha~h . I see .   Then return immediately after you fix it . 」

The man said so without thinking too much about it . Despite the lack of courtesy, Donner didn’t mind it so much as the one who had said those words was a villager from the same village as himself .

「……… . Yeah . 」

Heaving a sigh, after nodding at the man, he went away as it is . ――,

「Come to think of it, HEY DONNER! 」

The man called Donner as if he suddenly recalled something .

「…………… . What’s the matter 」

Donner shuddered, and as soon as he turned around――,

「Please be careful since you’re going to scare the young women . 」

The man said so while laughing heartily .

「…………」

Frowning, Donner clicked his tongue and  left in silence . The man went towards the field, still laughing at Donner .

（Everybody just keeps making fun of me!）

Donner stepped on the ground, feeling angry . He felt that everyone in the village was looking down on him . The girls didn’t approach him as they thought of him as weird and spoke ill of him behind his back . Such a persecution complex started emerging from within, overflowing endlessly .

（Look . Even someone like me……… . will go to save you . I won’t leave you to that wussy Will . I will show you how to do it, Will!）

He turned around . Or to be exact, he wanted to turn around . He couldn’t accept the fact that Will was the only one allowed to see Flora . Despite only having his glib tongue with his status as the village chief’s son, he received a lot of attention from the other girls . He came later and yet had become the only one close to Flora . Even though the one who had talked to Flora first was him―― .

And so on, while thinking about such things, Donner arrived at the house of the village chief . ―、

（He should be in the middle of morning patrol right now . I must finish this right away before he realizes the strange situation . ）

And so, he secretly approached the village chief’s house . Each member of the village chief’s family, including the village chief himself were assigned to their own jobs . However, even though the village chief, as the one who held the official position, was supposed to stay at home, he mostly spent his time outside it . Donner knew that right now, he wasn’t at home and had yet to return since leaving that morning .

Then again, as Flora was staying in his house right now, he might have left someone in the house, so he observed the situation inside the house from a slight opening at the front door .

（Yup, no one is inside . Let’s enter now . ）

After confirming that no one was inside the house, Donner went inside immediately . The house was very quiet .

（She should be on the second floor . ）

He had a grasp of the village chief’s house as he had visited it many times before . Thus, Donner went towards the second floor with ease .

After he reached the second floor and the sole guest room there, he stood in front of it for a while before he knocked on it . He sharpened his hearing to make sure he did not miss any sound from inside and then――,

Chapter 151 . 3 : Sudden Change

「……Yes . Is that you, village chief-sama? 」

He heard the pained voice of a girl from inside the room a while later . It was Flora’s voice .
With a clank, Donner opened the door . ――,

「 ……Eh? 」

Flora’s body trembled as she looked at him with a feverish face .

（Ooh………… . ）

Donner had an overwhelmed expression on his face when he looked at her . He was unable to forget Flora’s cuteness that surpassed the other girls in the village . And that cute girl was right before him now . Even though she looked a bit more haggard than when he had first met her, such things didn’t have an apparent effect on her beauty . She was the exact opposite of those village girls who looked down on him .
「Uhm, if I’m not wrong, You are……… . . Donner-san, right? 」

Flora called his name . Perhaps Flora remembered him?!

「You, remember me? 」

Donner felt really happy right now .

「………… . ye, yes . You’re the one who was kind enough to guide me before, right?　May I ask about your business here?」

Flora’s face didn’t look that good when she asked him that question . In fact, her current condition was so bad to the point that she wanted to lie down right away without talking to anyone . However, she endured it somehow due to her upbringing as a member of Royalty .

「I-I came for a visit!」

Donner replied with a shrill voice, unable to hold back his emotions .

「Visit……… . Is it . Thank you very much . 」

Flora seemed to be happy to hear that . But――,

「Ah, no, the truth is I want to tell you something . 」

When he heard Flora’s words, Donner told her that he had another reason to come up here aside from visiting her .

「Something to tell me, is it?　………… . . May I hear about it? 」

Flora asked him with a worried look on her face . Even though she didn’t have the strength to listen to idle talk in her current condition, her kind heart did not allow her to ignore him, as such she tried her best to hear him out .

「Florsama……… At this rate, you’re going to be taken to the place of our local lord . 」
「EH? 」

Flora who was bracing herself to hear Donner’s story, ended up feeling vexed when he spoke .

「Will and the village chief are thinking about it . It seems they find Florsama, who isn’t too eager to receive help from other nobles, to be suspicious . 」
「Uuuh…… I-I didn’t mean it that way……… . . Uhm, they’re suspicious of me? 」

Frowning, Flora who was at a loss for words, timidly asked that question . Normally, a kind girl like her wouldn’t tell a lie, but right now her physical and mental condition was anything but normal, as such, she couldn’t help but to utter that lie .

「……… . . I’m not too clear about the situation, but they said that usually as a fellow noble you would have asked help from other nobles . It seems that the village chief is going to report to the local lord about you, tomorrow at the earliest . In that case, the local lord might really come . …………… . . What do you think about it? 」

Donner asked while staring at Flora face .

「W-What should I do? Even though I was going to leave as soon as my body felt better……… . . 」

Flora was completely panicked .

「L-Leave you say! To Where! ? 」

Donner asked flustered .

「EH? 　Uhm, to my homeland . I mean if I stay any longer in this place, I’m going to end up making my retainers and the people close to me worry……… . 」

Staring at him with astonishment, Flora replied, pride in her tone .

「H-Homeland……… . . B-But, you shouldn’t be able to go through a journey in your current condition right? 」
「……Yes . 」
「And you didn’t want to go to the place of our local lord? 」

Donner asked questions as if he was interrogating Flora . Nevertheless, Flora also wanted to get a grasp of the current situation, even with the risk of being captured by one of nobility of a hostile nation, therefore, she endured .

「Yes……………… I don’t want to go to the local lord’s place, or should I say that it’ll cause various kinds of trouble if I go there . 」

Flora agreed with a frail voice . When she said that, Donner’s eyes lighted up and he said――,

「I-If that is the case, shall I offer my house as a temporary shelter to you?　It might be similar in size to a barn, but it’s better than staying here and being discovered by the local noble . 」

Donner offered his help unreservedly .

「EH? 　No, that is………… . 」

Flora’s eyes opened wide due to her astonishment when she heard such a sudden proposal . She could neither guess the reason behind Donner’s sudden offer to help her nor what his plan was . She was completely in the dark .

「What do you think? 」

Meanwhile, unaware of her plight, Donner who thought that it was an amazing plan, pressed her to decide immediately .

「But then, I’m going to cause trouble for you, Donner-san………」

Shaking her head, Flora tried to reject Donner’s offer with a troubled face . Perhaps she felt that everything had been going too well up till now, she couldn’t help but to hesitate . Or perhaps she was afraid that she’d became a burden for him . But before she voiced out her doubt――,

「You’re not troubling me at all! 」

Donner replied with a firm tone .

「UUhm, is there anyone else in this house? 」
「Ah, no, there’s no one else for now . But, the village chief might come back soon if we don’t move out immediately . When that happens, there might not be another chance for you to leave . That’s why if you want to leave, we have to leave now . 」
「………… . I can’t . I can’t move due to this illness of mine . 」

Flora shook her head, as sorrow filled her face .

「Are you sure?　They’re going to take you to the local lord you know? 」

Donner asked as impatience filled his very being .

「……Yes . I can’t stop now」

Flora nodded at him . Hearing her, Donner showed an impatient face――,

「O……… . . Ouch? 」

He approached Flora and grabbed her arm from above the sleeve . Donner’s sudden action caused Flora to stare at him with astonishment before her face warped in pain .

「…………」

Donner who was paying attention to her looked extremely worried, especially as Flora’s face was warped in pain . Then a fragile voice rang,

「U-Uhm………… . . Please release my arm . It hurts!」

Flora asked Donner to release her with a slightly frightened look on her face .

「Eh, no, it’s just that…………… . . Let’s move! 」

Donner released Flora’s arm in panic and told her to go with him . But――,

「…………… My apologies . I can’t go . 」

Flora suddenly shook her head in denial, rejecting his offer with an apologetic expression .

「No way…………」

When he heard Flora’s rejection, Donner’s expression was as if the world was crashing around him . After a while, he stood lifelessly, with indescribable emotion within his heart .

「………… My deepest gratitude for telling me about this piece of information . But, please go back for now . 」

While Donner was standing there motionlessly, Flora spoke up and told him to leave, trying to not feel awkward when she spoke .

「………… . Then, excuse me! 」

Hearing the implicit request for him to leave, Donner’s body twitched, looking as if he was about to bow . However, he suddenly stopped moving――,

「……… . Sorry . I’m not feeling very well . And in fact, isn’t it about time for you to return to work? 」

Flora politely said with a frown on her face and it was obvious from the frown she had that she was enduring her pain .
Donner’s body trembled, but maybe because he understood Flora’s intention, he turned around as if running away and left the room . Silence once again descended into the room .

「…………… Sorry, Donner-san . Even so, thank you very much . I don’t know why you told me about such things, but………… . 」

Flora spoke her apology and gratitude out loud at the empty room, without letting Donner, who had already left the room, to hear . A while later――,

「O-Ouch………………」

She removed the sheet placed on her and tried to leave the bed . But, a sharp pain suddenly ran across her entire body causing her face to warp in pain .

（I-If I don’t do something……… . . And something were to happen…………）

Flora started to think about what she had to do from now on with her head that was only half functioning .

Around one hour later .
Will, Donner and the other young men of the village were doing their daily work in silence .
In contrast to the seemingly annoyed Will, Donner seemed to be listless as he did his work . The other men looked at those two without speaking a word as they could feel the delicate atmosphere between them . At that time――,

「AH, isn’t that the village chief . He looks like he is in a panic………………」

The face of one of the youths changed when he saw the fast approaching village chief .

「OI WILL! 」

The village chief who was out of breath called out to Will .

「What’s matter, pops? For you to be so flustered like that . 」

Will asked, curious . ―,

「…………… . Florsama is gone . Do you know where she might have gone to? 」

The village chief questioned with a pale face .

Chapter 151 . 1 : Sudden Change.

While Lucius was fighting Renji, Flora’s condition had started going downhill

 .

（………… . What should I do?）.

 .

Flora  pondered frantically as she suffered from a serious headache

The matter of her physical condition worsening as time passed was something that she herself was well aware of . Moreover, the pace at which her physical condition deteriorated got faster as days went by . She couldn’t help but feel frustrated by her condition

At that time――,.

 .

「Florsama, I brought your meal . 」.

 .

Will’s voice, the son of the village chief, came from the other side of the door . But, Flora who was almost delirious was unaware of that

 .

「………… Florsama?　Are you asleep? 」.

 .

He tried knocking at the door again as there was no reply when he called her name――,.

 .

「………… Y-Yes!」.

 .

Flora replied with a flustered voice, following which the door opened with a clank

 .

「Ah, so you’re awake!」.

 .

Will appeared from behind the door with a flushed red face

 .

「I’m sorry .   I have been in a daze for a while . 」.

「I see, your fever has yet to go down, huh…………」.

 .

When Flora apologized, Will’s expression also became gloomy . Yesterday, a few days after his quarrel with his father, despite saying that he would observe her condition, there was no sign of her fever going down

 .

（………… Should I report Florsama’s condition to pops?　He said he  would report to the lord about Florsama if her fever did not go down in a few days . ）.

 .

By doing so, Flora might become angry with him . Will at least, expected such a reaction from her . But, they might have to lie to Flora if she didn’t agree with their decision

Thus, depending on their choice, it would truly be difficult to make Flora agree with their plan . When Will hesitated while thinking over what he should do――、.

 .

「…………… What’s the matter? 」.

 .

Flora asked timidly . Maybe because even the smallest movement was already causing her a lot of pain, even just tilting her head looked clumsy to others

 .

「Eh, A~h, it’s nothing! Please eat a lot…………… And get well soon!」.

 .

Will, unable to tell her the truth, shook his head due to the guilt he felt towards her . Even so, when he was about to put the tray containing her meal on the desk beside the bed――、.

 .

（The birthmark on the nape of her neck . ………… Doesn’t it look bigger than yesterday?　No, is that really a birthmark?）.

 .

 .

He was stunned upon finding the birthmark on Flora’s nape . Though he couldn’t see her birthmark yesterday as it was hidden by her hair, today, the birthmark seemed to have spread all over her neck to a point where even her long hair couldn’t hide it anymore

 .

「……… . U-Uhm 」.

 .

Being stared at by Will, Flora tried to hide her breast with a flustered face . Since her dress wasn’t suitable as a sleepwear, she was currently wearing a slightly bigger shirt she had borrowed from the village chief, as such there was a dangerous gap that could be seen from above

 .

「Eh, Ah, sory, you misunderstood!　I didn’t mean to peek at you! 」.

 .

Though Will understood the meaning of Flora’s action, he still denied it with a beet red face . The place he was staring at was her nape, but it seems Flora had misunderstood that . Moreover, even Will himself couldn’t deny that he was not taking the chance to look at her chest

 .

「Ye-Yeah .   I know . 」.

 .

Flora nodded with flushed cheeks while hiding her chest, yet leaving her birthmark as it was . Her action told him that she was not aware of the birthmark on her neck――、.

 .

（Has she never noticed it?　Is that………… An illness?）.

 .

It suddenly dawned on Will . But, he hesitated to ask at this time due to the extremely awkward atmosphere between them . Thus――,.

 .

「Hahaha . Anyway, I’m going to leave the meal here . See you again! 」.

 .

Will left the room as if running away from her

After he closed the door, Flora heaved a relieved sigh . Despite the awkward situation, to be honest compared to yesterday, today she had managed to cope with Will’s actions, albeit only slightly better than the previously . On the other hand――,.

 .

（………… . If it is an illness, it might be a bad one . ）.

 .

Will had troubled expression outside of Flora’s room . Fundamentally he was an optimistic person, but as expected he became more and more anxious as her condition deteriorated . At worst the disease could spread to the entire village if it was an infectious type

 .

（……………… Should I report this to pops?　What should I do?　No, I guess I have no other choice . I don’t want to do this, but…… ）.

 .

He somehow became really worried when he recalled Flora’s expression . Will decided to tell his father the next day

 .

◇　◇　◇.

 .

The next morning

In the agricultural field of the village where the villagers were doing their job, there were the figures of the young men of the village including Will and Donner

 .

（………… As expected, I really can’t tell my pops about it . With Florsama’s deteriorating condition, I have no choice but to ask the lord of this area to save her）.

 .

Will was racking his brain the entire night last night and finally managed to put his thoughts together

 .

 .

「Oi, Will . Haven’t you been absent minded since this morning? Are you still worrying about Florsama?　Aren’t you the one who always comes up with one reason after another?」.

 .

They, who were of the same generation, were gathered around Will

 .

「You guys really aren’t aware of another person’s misfortune huh . …………… . Oh well, hear me out . Florsama’s physical condition isn’t that good . 」.

 .

As he said that, he heaved a sigh with dismayed expression, and decided to consult his peers due to his endless worry and exhausted mind

 .

「WHAT！  ? 」.

 .

It caused a complete change in their expressions

「What do you mean! ? 」.

「Was her condition that bad? 」.

「Tell us the details!」.

 .

And so they kept inquiring Will about Flora . Especially Donner who was basically shaking Will’s shoulders with an angry expression

 .

「C-Calm down!　I’m about to explain the situation to you!　Donner, cut it out already, your brute power is hurting me! 」.

 .

Their fervor abated after Will said that . Thus, after everyone had calmed down, Will explained in detail about his recent worries regarding Flora’s condition and the men attentively listened to Will’s story

 .

「Well, that’s a troubling matter indeed . Should I report Florsama’s condition to my pops? I mean Florsama seems reluctant to ask for the help of other nobles . 」.

 .

Will heaved a sigh after telling his peers about Flora’s condition . ,.

 .

「Ha~h, in the first place . Why is Florsama reluctant to rely on other nobles? 」.

 .

A certain youth asked with a curious tone

 .

「Dunno . My father told me to not pry too deeply into her situation as it might bring in unexpected trouble . 」.

 .

Will shook his head while heaving a sigh for the second time

 .

「I see……………」.

 .

All of his peers also had a troubled expression . A while later――,.

 .

「But then, it’s not like we know what goes on in the minds of those nobles anyway . Could it be that an evil noble is targetting her life?　The same thing can be said for our local lord . 」.

 .

Another youth said that

 .

「………… . Yeah, you guys are thinking the same thing as me right? 」.

 .

Smiling wryly, Will asked to confirm . A promise is a promise, but even that kind of situation was already outside their expectation

 .

Chapter 151 . 2 : Sudden Change.

「In that case, just don’t tell the local lord . 」.

 .

Donner muttered so

 .

「No, that’s not a choice either . Seeing that Florsama’s condition keeps deteriorating, if her condition doesn’t improve during her stay in this village or if it turns out that her illness is an endemic……… 」.

 .

Scratching his head, Will talked about the reasons for why there was no other choice than to rely on the local lord

 .

「Humph, in short, you’re just scared . Your sudden change of attitude is simply because you don’t want to be the only one who is responsible for this matter . 」.

「HaaA?？ 　I’m not scared!」.

 .

Furrowing his eyebrows, Will said so in response to Donner’s mocking remark

 .

「In that case, you should tell Florsama . Tell her that you’re going to report to the local lord if her condition doesn’t get better in a few days . In addition, you should ask her if there’s something that troubles her . 」.

「I’ve told you that it’s better to not probe too deeply regarding her situation . I’ve no problem with asking those questions . The problem is if things get more complicated due to my questions, what would you do if you were in my position ? 」.

 .

Will retorted, almost shouting at Donner . But, Donner refused to back down

 .

「That’s why I said that you’re getting scared . I mean you basically never told us about this matter up till now . 」.

 .

Donner replied without holding back as if to sneer at Will’s wimpy nature

 .

「………… YOU BASTARD, ARE YOU TRYING TO PICK A FIGHT WITH ME? 」.

 .

Will’s face stiffened due to anger . The other men just listened to the situation in silence as they thought about the reason for their quarrel

 .

「Humph, the one who pushed us away first was you right . 」.

「Because things would get messy if you guys suddenly intruded!」.

「And you only talked about it when it was convenient for you . 」.

 .

Donner said so as he glared at Will

 .

「You bastard…………  quite a chatterbox when it comes to Florsama’s condition aren’t you? Well then, if you were in my position, what would you do to protect Florsama? 」.

 .

Maybe because he was already at the end of the rope, Will asked such a question in a fit of anger

 .

「Humph, I can do more than you, at least I won’t turn into a coward like you!」.

「YOU BASTARD! 」.

 .

Will was about to punch Donner in hearing his blunt answer . ―,.

 .

「Oi, cut it out already! 」.

 .

Naturally the other men stopped Will

 .

「LET GO OF ME! 」.

 .

Will tried to shake off the others in order to punch Donner, but――,.

 .

 .

「GUH」.

 .

He couldn’t help but be pushed away by their strength . Even if he were to challenge Donner in a contest of strength, Will had no chance of winning against Donner who had a stronger physique than him

 .

「Humph, aside from your loose lips, you’re powerless against me . You won’t be able to protect Florsama . In the first place, the one who guided Florsama to the village chief’s house was me!」.

 .

Saying so, Donner looked down on Will with a triumphant face

 .

「Then, show me how you’re going to protect her!　I don’t think you can do anything for her!　You can say that since you don’t know about Florsama’s current condition!　I already have no choice other than relying on our local lord! 」.

 .

Even if Flora won’t agree to that idea―― And thus, Will ranted on and on about what he was feeling lately while glaring at Donner with a menacing gaze

 .

「…………………… Humph!」.

 .

Frowning, Donner stared back at Will . Donner was making a scary face, though Will couldn’t read his mind, he felt that it was something unpleasant towards himself . Then, a while later, he suddenly turned around and left them

 .

「Ah, oi . Donner, where do you think you’re going! 」.

 .

When the other young men asked him――,.

 .

「…………… The break time is over . 」.

 .

Turning around lightly, Donner muttered those words and left . The other young men, including Will were left behind as they watched  Donner’s retreating back embarrassed

 .

◇　◇　◇.

 .

After that, Donner who had pretended to go back to work took a detour from the agricultural field towards the house at the center of the village

On the way, when he passed by another villager who was already at the prime of his life――,.

 .

「Are, if it isn’t Donner… What’s the matter? 」.

 .

The other person called out to himas his house wasn’t located in the middle of the village, it was slightly separated from the rest of the houses in the village . And since work was about to begin, there might be no reason for him to be in the middle of the village during this time

 .

「……… My farming tools were in a slightly bad shape . 」.

 .

Donner averted his gaze,  feeling guilty about lying to another person as he showed the hoe in his hand

 .

「Ha~h . I see .   Then return immediately after you fix it . 」.

 .

The man said so without thinking too much about it . Despite the lack of courtesy, Donner didn’t mind it so much as the one who had said those words was a villager from the same village as himself

 .

「……… . Yeah . 」.

 .

 .

Heaving a sigh, after nodding at the man, he went away as it is . ――,.

 .

「Come to think of it, HEY DONNER! 」.

 .

The man called Donner as if he suddenly recalled something

 .

「…………… . What’s the matter 」.

 .

Donner shuddered, and as soon as he turned around――,.

 .

「Please be careful since you’re going to scare the young women . 」.

 .

The man said so while laughing heartily

 .

「…………」.

 .

Frowning, Donner clicked his tongue and  left in silence . The man went towards the field, still laughing at Donner

 .

（Everybody just keeps making fun of me!）.

 .

Donner stepped on the ground, feeling angry . He felt that everyone in the village was looking down on him . The girls didn’t approach him as they thought of him as weird and spoke ill of him behind his back . Such a persecution complex started emerging from within, overflowing endlessly

 .

（Look . Even someone like me……… . will go to save you . I won’t leave you to that wussy Will . I will show you how to do it, Will!）.

 .

He turned around . Or to be exact, he wanted to turn around . He couldn’t accept the fact that Will was the only one allowed to see Flora . Despite only having his glib tongue with his status as the village chief’s son, he received a lot of attention from the other girls . He came later and yet had become the only one close to Flora . Even though the one who had talked to Flora first was him――

And so on, while thinking about such things, Donner arrived at the house of the village chief . ―、.

 .

（He should be in the middle of morning patrol right now . I must finish this right away before he realizes the strange situation . ）.

 .

And so, he secretly approached the village chief’s house . Each member of the village chief’s family, including the village chief himself were assigned to their own jobs . However, even though the village chief, as the one who held the official position, was supposed to stay at home, he mostly spent his time outside it . Donner knew that right now, he wasn’t at home and had yet to return since leaving that morning

Then again, as Flora was staying in his house right now, he might have left someone in the house, so he observed the situation inside the house from a slight opening at the front door

 .

（Yup, no one is inside . Let’s enter now . ）.

 .

After confirming that no one was inside the house, Donner went inside immediately . The house was very quiet

 .

（She should be on the second floor . ）.

 .

He had a grasp of the village chief’s house as he had visited it many times before . Thus, Donner went towards the second floor with ease

After he reached the second floor and the sole guest room there, he stood in front of it for a while before he knocked on it . He sharpened his hearing to make sure he did not miss any sound from inside and then――,.

 .

 .

Chapter 151 . 3 : Sudden Change.

「……Yes . Is that you, village chief-sama? 」.

He heard the pained voice of a girl from inside the room a while later . It was Flora’s voice With a clank, Donner opened the door . ――,.

「 ……Eh? 」.

Flora’s body trembled as she looked at him with a feverish face

（Ooh………… . ）.

Donner had an overwhelmed expression on his face when he looked at her . He was unable to forget Flora’s cuteness that surpassed the other girls in the village . And that cute girl was right before him now . Even though she looked a bit more haggard than when he had first met her, such things didn’t have an apparent effect on her beauty . She was the exact opposite of those village girls who looked down on him 「Uhm, if I’m not wrong, You are……… Donner-san, right? 」.

Flora called his name . Perhaps Flora remembered him?!.

「You, remember me? 」.

Donner felt really happy right now

「………… . ye, yes . You’re the one who was kind enough to guide me before, right?　May I ask about your business here?」.

Flora’s face didn’t look that good when she asked him that question . In fact, her current condition was so bad to the point that she wanted to lie down right away without talking to anyone . However, she endured it somehow due to her upbringing as a member of Royalty

「I-I came for a visit!」.

Donner replied with a shrill voice, unable to hold back his emotions

「Visit……… . Is it . Thank you very much . 」.

Flora seemed to be happy to hear that . But――,.

「Ah, no, the truth is I want to tell you something . 」.

When he heard Flora’s words, Donner told her that he had another reason to come up here aside from visiting her

「Something to tell me, is it?　………… May I hear about it? 」.

Flora asked him with a worried look on her face . Even though she didn’t have the strength to listen to idle talk in her current condition, her kind heart did not allow her to ignore him, as such she tried her best to hear him out

「Florsama……… At this rate, you’re going to be taken to the place of our local lord . 」. 「EH? 」.

Flora who was bracing herself to hear Donner’s story, ended up feeling vexed when he spoke

「Will and the village chief are thinking about it . It seems they find Florsama, who isn’t too eager to receive help from other nobles, to be suspicious . 」. 「Uuuh…… I-I didn’t mean it that way……… Uhm, they’re suspicious of me? 」.

Frowning, Flora who was at a loss for words, timidly asked that question . Normally, a kind girl like her wouldn’t tell a lie, but right now her physical and mental condition was anything but normal, as such, she couldn’t help but to utter that lie

「……… I’m not too clear about the situation, but they said that usually as a fellow noble you would have asked help from other nobles . It seems that the village chief is going to report to the local lord about you, tomorrow at the earliest . In that case, the local lord might really come . …………… What do you think about it? 」.

Donner asked while staring at Flora face

「W-What should I do? Even though I was going to leave as soon as my body felt better……… 」.

Flora was completely panicked

「L-Leave you say! To Where! ? 」.

Donner asked flustered

「EH? 　Uhm, to my homeland . I mean if I stay any longer in this place, I’m going to end up making my retainers and the people close to me worry……… . 」.

Staring at him with astonishment, Flora replied, pride in her tone

「H-Homeland……… B-But, you shouldn’t be able to go through a journey in your current condition right? 」. 「……Yes . 」. 「And you didn’t want to go to the place of our local lord? 」.

Donner asked questions as if he was interrogating Flora . Nevertheless, Flora also wanted to get a grasp of the current situation, even with the risk of being captured by one of nobility of a hostile nation, therefore, she endured

「Yes……………… I don’t want to go to the local lord’s place, or should I say that it’ll cause various kinds of trouble if I go there . 」.

Flora agreed with a frail voice . When she said that, Donner’s eyes lighted up and he said――,.

「I-If that is the case, shall I offer my house as a temporary shelter to you?　It might be similar in size to a barn, but it’s better than staying here and being discovered by the local noble . 」.

Donner offered his help unreservedly

「EH? 　No, that is………… . 」.

Flora’s eyes opened wide due to her astonishment when she heard such a sudden proposal . She could neither guess the reason behind Donner’s sudden offer to help her nor what his plan was . She was completely in the dark

「What do you think? 」.

Meanwhile, unaware of her plight, Donner who thought that it was an amazing plan, pressed her to decide immediately

「But then, I’m going to cause trouble for you, Donner-san………」.

Shaking her head, Flora tried to reject Donner’s offer with a troubled face . Perhaps she felt that everything had been going too well up till now, she couldn’t help but to hesitate . Or perhaps she was afraid that she’d became a burden for him . But before she voiced out her doubt――,.

「You’re not troubling me at all! 」.

Donner replied with a firm tone

「UUhm, is there anyone else in this house? 」. 「Ah, no, there’s no one else for now . But, the village chief might come back soon if we don’t move out immediately . When that happens, there might not be another chance for you to leave . That’s why if you want to leave, we have to leave now . 」. 「………… . I can’t . I can’t move due to this illness of mine . 」.

Flora shook her head, as sorrow filled her face

「Are you sure?　They’re going to take you to the local lord you know? 」.

Donner asked as impatience filled his very being

「……Yes . I can’t stop now」.

Flora nodded at him . Hearing her, Donner showed an impatient face――,.

「O……… Ouch? 」.

He approached Flora and grabbed her arm from above the sleeve . Donner’s sudden action caused Flora to stare at him with astonishment before her face warped in pain

「…………」.

Donner who was paying attention to her looked extremely worried, especially as Flora’s face was warped in pain . Then a fragile voice rang,.

「U-Uhm………… Please release my arm . It hurts!」.

Flora asked Donner to release her with a slightly frightened look on her face

「Eh, no, it’s just that…………… Let’s move! 」.

Donner released Flora’s arm in panic and told her to go with him . But――,.

「…………… My apologies . I can’t go . 」.

Flora suddenly shook her head in denial, rejecting his offer with an apologetic expression

「No way…………」.

When he heard Flora’s rejection, Donner’s expression was as if the world was crashing around him . After a while, he stood lifelessly, with indescribable emotion within his heart

「………… My deepest gratitude for telling me about this piece of information . But, please go back for now . 」.

While Donner was standing there motionlessly, Flora spoke up and told him to leave, trying to not feel awkward when she spoke

「………… . Then, excuse me! 」.

Hearing the implicit request for him to leave, Donner’s body twitched, looking as if he was about to bow . However, he suddenly stopped moving――,.

「……… . Sorry . I’m not feeling very well . And in fact, isn’t it about time for you to return to work? 」.

Flora politely said with a frown on her face and it was obvious from the frown she had that she was enduring her pain Donner’s body trembled, but maybe because he understood Flora’s intention, he turned around as if running away and left the room . Silence once again descended into the room

「…………… Sorry, Donner-san . Even so, thank you very much . I don’t know why you told me about such things, but………… . 」.

Flora spoke her apology and gratitude out loud at the empty room, without letting Donner, who had already left the room, to hear . A while later――,.

「O-Ouch………………」.

She removed the sheet placed on her and tried to leave the bed . But, a sharp pain suddenly ran across her entire body causing her face to warp in pain

（I-If I don’t do something……… And something were to happen…………）.

Flora started to think about what she had to do from now on with her head that was only half functioning

◇　◇　◇.

Around one hour later Will, Donner and the other young men of the village were doing their daily work in silence In contrast to the seemingly annoyed Will, Donner seemed to be listless as he did his work . The other men looked at those two without speaking a word as they could feel the delicate atmosphere between them . At that time――,.

「AH, isn’t that the village chief . He looks like he is in a panic………………」.

The face of one of the youths changed when he saw the fast approaching village chief

「OI WILL! 」.

The village chief who was out of breath called out to Will

「What’s matter, pops? For you to be so flustered like that . 」.

Will asked, curious . ―,.

「…………… . Florsama is gone . Do you know where she might have gone to? 」.

The village chief questioned with a pale face

 .

Chapter end