NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14
### Chapter 014
We had reached the Northern region.
That statement carried a simple meaning.
A place more isolated than any other region within the Claire Empire.
It meant there was no inn in sight.
Of course, there were no restaurants either.
There was nothing to do but endure the increasingly cold weather, leaning against the carriage.
—
After carefully scouting for a suitable resting spot, Kalen halted the carriage.
There were countless tasks at hand: tending to the carriage, preparing food, and occasionally soothing Eliana’s anxiety.
On top of that, he couldn’t just rest immediately. He had to wait until Eliana fell asleep and could only find rest himself on the driver’s seat.
Thanks to Duke Everchant’s consideration, it wasn’t overly uncomfortable, but it wasn’t an easy situation to endure for long.
—
After thoroughly observing his surroundings and confirming there were no immediate threats, Kalen climbed aboard the carriage—not the driver’s seat, but inside where Eliana was.
—
“Kalen…”
Though the setting had changed, the scene was strikingly similar to the room in the Rakatus Mansion.
Eliana’s gaze, directed toward the opening door, prompted Kalen to move to her side.
How long had these days continued? It all began roughly a week ago when Eliana, feeling bored, invited Kalen inside the carriage for company. Since then, whenever the sky turned dark, signaling a time to take a break, Kalen would approach Eliana and keep her company.
It wasn’t an unpleasant task. Listening to Eliana’s stories from the past was oddly entertaining. Plus, since these were old childhood memories, slight discrepancies added an interesting twist each time she recounted them.
—
Eliana quickly adjusted her eye level when Kalen took a seat beside her. Unable to see clearly, her chosen method involved gently holding Kalen’s face to align it with hers.
Physically, Eliana appeared flawless—or even mesmerizingly delicate, capturing the heart of every man who dared to gaze upon her. Such beauty at close range, holding her face, was all the more captivating.
However, Kalen’s mind was preoccupied with the fatigue accumulated from days of relentless travel. Even an individual accustomed to the wilderness can only endure so much for weeks at a time.
—
Once they had matched eye levels, Eliana began to speak naturally, and Kalen intended to quietly respond until Eliana drifted off to sleep.
The only difference from the usual routine was…
Eliana’s voice was slightly strained.
—
*
—
“Haa… Haa…”
Kalen sensed something was amiss around this time.
—
“Miss?”
“Haa…”
Her flushed cheeks, her labored breathing, her trembling hands and lips—it was all alarming. Instead of meeting Kalen’s gaze, her deep eyes were fixed downward, and the voice that had once carried stories had now fallen silent.
All that filled the silence was Eliana’s heavy, strained sighs.
—
Cough!
With a cough, Eliana spat blood that landed on Kalen’s face.
—
Seeing the blood on his hand after wiping his face, Kalen’s expression hardened gravely. Checking Eliana’s forehead revealed a temperature as fiery as a burning coal. What’s worse, the “mana fever” pain he had managed to endure earlier had intensified.
The fluctuations in mana emanating around Eliana, the hemoptysis and the high fever, combined with his worsening mana fever, all pointed to one dire conclusion—the most critical factor being Eliana’s worsening condition.
—
Perhaps it was fortunate, or perhaps it wasn’t.
Kalen understood what this abnormal phenomenon signified.
—
“Just in case you ought to know…”
“What is it, my Lord?”
“She’s only left the estate once before, an unusual event, so caution wouldn’t harm.”
—
Before setting off, Duke Everchant had issued a warning about Eliana’s incurable illness and the unusual event that occurred the one time she left her confines.
—
“Should you notice mana swirling around my daughter, keep your distance and watch.”
“…Surely, you misunderstand. How can I be entrusted with her protection and yet distance myself in times of need?”
“I see. You heard correctly. That event hasn’t happened since, but should it occur, keep your distance.”
“Why so?”
“That is beyond human control. Perhaps you, being you, might fare differently, but I don’t see it. Everyone present during that incident passed away—internal organs crushed from explosive mana overloads.”
“…”
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have turned away when she pleaded for her life, but who could say. After all, I am also the head of the house, and I can’t let my family die in vain.”
—
This warning from several years ago came rushing back to Kalen as he stared at the now-prone Eliana lying across the bed. He hadn’t been informed about the hemoptysis or the high fever, indicating that this time, the situation was more severe. He couldn’t simply trust that this would resolve on its own.
—
Cough! Cough!
The pristine white bedsheet was turning crimson with blood.
—
“Huhu…! Hap…! Coohhack…!”
—
Watching Eliana’s trembling back, Kalen quietly moved his hand.
—
When Eliana’s behavior deviated sharply from her usual cautious demeanor, they had once shared a conversation. Kalen had asked if she ever felt lonely in her room, and Eliana had admitted that she did. The largest contributor to this loneliness was the absence of family.
Eliana, who sometimes conversed with Emma, had expressed a yearning for the love of her parents. Even if it wasn’t specifically parental love, she longed for someone to talk to.
Curious about affection, pondering what it would feel like to grow with parental love, and despite giving up on such hopes, Eliana still couldn’t shake off the loneliness.
A fragile, delicate young lady awaited her death within the confines of her room.
—
“I’m hurting…! Huuuc…! I don’t like it…! It hurts!!”
—
Kalen gently held up Eliana’s body and embraced her.
Eliana was no longer in a rational state, her mouth and nose awash with fresh blood. Getting smeared with blood was inevitable as Kalen held her close.
Yet Kalen remained unfazed, as if everything were normal, as if there were nothing unusual. He continued holding Eliana.
—
“Shhh…”
“Huuuc…! Huhuuu…! It hurts…!”
—
Crack!
What does a person on the brink of death desire most? Of course, the best course is eliminating the cause, but that wasn’t possible here.
The answer was to provide something to lean on.
If enduring pain, provide something to grip.
If emotions run high, be a confidant.
Kalen positioned himself as that support.
—
“Huu…! Huuuugh…!”
—
Lost, Eliana’s hand clutched Kalen’s body, her sharp nails tearing through his flesh.
It was hard to believe this frail, diseased body could summon such strength.
When death looms near, human beings can exhibit supernatural power.
The wounds inflicted by Eliana’s hands, the streams of fresh blood she coughed up, drenched Kalen’s body. The pain from being scratched and torn and the intensifying mana fever doubled Kalen’s suffering.
Kalen, offering his entire body as Eliana’s support, thought:
‘When I’m around, it’s somewhat better, she said.’
When Eliana had met Kalen for the first time, she mentioned that his presence somehow made her feel like her head was clearing.
The illness causing mana to explosively overheat was amplified by Kalen’s distinct physiology. Kalen reached this conclusion.
Therefore, holding Eliana wasn’t solely about giving her someone to lean on.
When trying to save Sinat by applying second-order magic to his own body, and now in trying to alleviate Eliana’s condition, it felt like there was a resemblance between these acts.
—
Kalen inappropriately smiled faintly amidst the blood-stained chaos.
While his body was being torn apart, and the stench of blood filled the air, Kalen gently patted Eliana’s back.
—
“Shhh…”
“!”
—
At the northern border of the Claire Empire continent, amidst an open plain where an old carriage had been abandoned, a shadowy world enveloped everything.
—
Had we continued as planned, there would have been exactly three days left until our arrival in the north.
—
*
—
A foul stench.
An odor strong enough to vibrate the air.
It could easily be considered another world entirely from the one Eliana, the noble young mistress, was accustomed to. But now inside the carriage, the stench was overpowering.
—
Chaos. The word “chaos” appropriately described the immediate environment surrounding Kalen and Eliana.
Their surroundings, drenched in blood and vomit, were no different for Kalen himself.
Eliana was still spitting blood at intervals of a few hours, though slightly better than the beginning. Added to this was her vomiting, leaving the cleanup to Kalen.
The cleaning magic tool had proven useless. Kalen didn’t know how to use it, and Eliana was in no mental state to operate it.
Thus, the task of wiping away the blood and vomit fell to Kalen. In reality, Kalen wasn’t in much better condition. Bearing the brunt of Eliana’s convulsions covered his body with new wounds and scars.
Still, the act of holding her seemed effective. Occasionally, moments of lucidity would return to Eliana, providing enough respite to allow for brief moments of cleaning.
—
Day turned into night.
For hours on end, without rest.
Whenever Eliana whimpered in fear and agony, Kalen would hold her gently and speak softly.
About everything they had ever discussed, from large to small, he recounted each story. He recounted Eliana’s faintest memories of the past, and the adventures they might have in the future if miracles happened.
He was giving her a reason to live.
Eliana, far from her usual self, uttered whatever came to mind. Most common phrases were “It hurts,” “I’m scared,” “I don’t want this.” Following these were “I want to die,” and “I’m lonely.”
Occasionally, during brief moments of clarity, she would feel this even more acutely.
—
“Why… Why are you…”
“I do not know.”
—
Kalen had taken on the role of Eliana’s protector, but there was no real reason for him to endure such hardship. He himself had once explained that for someone like Sinat, it was about gratitude and shared memories.
But Eliana was different.
Still, the reasons were similar.
What Kalen had once told Blamia when reproaching himself about saving Sinat mirrored this—there was no reason, except that he couldn’t stand the sight of her pain.
The only slight connection was that, before meeting Blamia, Kalen himself had struggled for life, somewhat resembling Eliana.
Just because she looked like she might die, he decided to save her. Kalen better than anyone knew Eliana’s strong desire to live.
—
“Miss.”
“Haa… Haa…”
“Would you like to make a bet?”
“What…”
“Whether you will see the Winter Island alive or not.”
—
Eliana felt dazed at Kalen’s random suggestion of a bet, given her current condition. Her body was utterly wrecked, yet here he was proposing a bet instead of self-pity. She could fully understand the temptation to blame him.
Shaking her trembling head to meet Kalen’s eyes, Eliana was momentarily surprised to see not the shadowy form she was accustomed to but a clear silhouette of Kalen’s lips.
They seemed, unmistakably, to curl into a slight smile.
—
Though her consciousness faded soon afterward, Eliana’s mind clung to only two things: Kalen’s soft whisper of her condition and the bet he had proposed.