83. summer vacation (3)

I left the shaved ice shop with Mr. Erika, who is said to be Koyono’s mentor.

“I see you’ve been well, Koyono. No contact for a while.”

“Oh, since today is a festival, I was going to visit you tomorrow.”

“It was an excuse. He picked up a naughty little boy, carried him on his back, and raised him… ”

“When are you bringing up the story! I have friends too…!”

Erika playing around with a sad expression and Koyono bickering.

They are also from the East, and the two of them wore the same ponytail, so they really looked like a real family.

Looking at it this way, Erika-san is tall and looks like Koyono’s mother…

“Aren’t you feeling rude just now?”

“Yeah? Oh, nothing.”

“Hmm, be careful.”

… Suddenly Erica looked back and was startled.

He seems to be a very sensitive person.

Anyway, the party of 5, including 4 party members and Erika-san, wandered around the festival streets.

After a while, I cautiously approached Erika-san after the conversation with Koyono.

“Erika, you introduced yourself as an acupuncturist… Is that correct?”

“My parents were pretty famous for acupuncture. Since then, I have learned little by little and have a certificate.”

“Then may I ask you a favor?”

The character Erica was obviously a person who had never appeared before.

The only way to cure Arlott’s disease in the game was the ‘imprint of the flame’, but…

If the reward of the quest and the first character named ‘Erika’ are combined,

I really didn’t know if there would be a clue that could fix Arlott’s leg.

“If you’ll excuse me, could you please look at Princess Arlotte’s legs?”

“Well… You mean that kid?”

Arlott busily turns his gaze around and captures the scene of the festival in his sights.

Behind him, Koyono was pushing a wheelchair with a smile on his face.

What about Evan… As usual, I’m just walking by the side without saying a word.

“I am a shield mage by profession, and an acupuncturist is a side job. It’s really basic compared to the local acupuncturists… ”

“Is that so… ”

Erica apologized with an apologetic face.

Since Arlott was a child, even after searching all over the country, there was no clinic that could fix Arlott’s leg.

It’s a natural result… However, I was disappointed as much as I had high hopes.

If so, the content of the quest to heal your legs with acupuncture from the East…

“Hmm… So, I’d rather let you meet my mother. I’m taking a break from work now because I’m sick, but after all, he was the best acupuncturist in the East.”

“Are you sure? thank you!”

Arlott’s clue was not Erica, but Erica’s mother.

As ‘the best acupuncturist in the East’, it will be of great help to Arlott’s illness.

I eagerly bowed my head to Erica.

“…You really care about that child. Did you say Schmitz?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Hmm… I’ll let you meet my mother, so please grant me one wish later.”

“I will do anything.”

“That’s an immediate answer~”

No matter what you command, I will do anything to fix Arlott’s leg.

Erica didn’t say anything in particular, as if my sincerity had been conveyed.

Thanks to the story of asking to meet as soon as possible, we decided to visit right after the festival.

“Um, stop talking about boring things and go to that kid right now.”

“Yeah? But there is still talk of compensation… ”

“It’ll start soon, so come on.”

Erika-san, who was making incomprehensible noises, pushed me on the back.

Moving forward awkwardly, I stood next to Arlot and Koyono.

At that moment, a fireworks display unfolded in front of them.

-Peee… Perverted..!

“Well, the real pleasure of the Heirin Festival is, of course, the fireworks.”

“wow… ”

Colorful fireworks spread out as if drawing a picture in the night sky.

Blue, orange, yellow and red colorful colors caught the eye.

In the streets where everyone is lost in the light of beautiful fireworks

I looked at Arlott’s happy face as he gazed at the flames.

It was a sad, beautiful profile.

* * *

the day after the festival.

Our party was guided by Erica to find the house where Erica’s mother was.

In the rather narrow house, various herbal medicines and oriental medical instruments were lined up.

An old man with gray hair was lying on a futon in a small tatami room.

“mom. I’m here. Look at this kid.”

“They say it’s no use raising all the children… You usually don’t even poke your nose, but it only crawls when you ask.”

“Don’t say that, Mom… I’m sorry, huh?”

Erika-san clings to the grumbling old man and acts cute.

… Why do I remember Koyono and Erika-san from yesterday’s festival?

After arguing for a while, Erica succeeded in convincing the old man.

“Whoa… Okay, now that it’s over. Lay the girl here on the blanket.”

“…”

“Hey, don’t look at me like that! You don’t want to be treated?”

Leaving behind Erica, who was screaming out of embarrassment,

I slowly laid Arlot down on the futon.

The old man’s wrinkled hands slowly groped Arlott’s body.

“Huh… How could such a vile body of such a young thing settle down?”

“I’m fine, Grandma.”

“It’s okay… It is good to be alive.”

The old man’s expression was serious.

As I sat next to Arlott and looked at the old man, an unexpected feeling came to my mind.

… Even she, who prides herself on being the best acupuncturist in the East, could not cure Arlot.

“There is only one thing I can do.”

The old man who had been watching Arlot for a while gave a heavy voice.

“There is a part where the blood leading to the leg is blocked by cold air. It will temporarily pierce that place.”

“I-really?”

“…you have to put acupuncture all over the leg. The blocked cold will flow through the body, causing pain. Will you still do it?”

The wrinkly old man’s hand ran over Arlott’s forehead.

The eyes of the old man looking at her were filled with pity…

There was determination in Arlott’s eyes.

“If only my leg could be healed, I would do it. the pain… I’m used to it now, hehehe.”

“…Is that so? If that’s the case, Halmi will do her best. Stay focused.”

Everyone except for Arlott left the room at the clear banquet order.

I sat down at the small living room table right in front of my room and sipped my tea.

My role has ended in getting here.

Right now, I had no choice but to pray that Arlott would hold on.

I made up my mind and left the room…

“How much time has passed now?”

“…It’s been 30 minutes now. Do you know that I have already asked you more than 20 times?”

“Lord Schmitz, I know your heart, but… It seems we are still far away.”

Each minute felt like an unbearably long time.

My heart was pounding and I was breaking out in a cold sweat, and I couldn’t keep my composure.

Occasionally, the sound of Arlot enduring pain came from the room, and I felt like I was going crazy every time.

I’d rather be sick.

“Lord Schmitz, your fingernails… ”

“ah.”

Did blood ooze out of the fingernails that I bit off without knowing?

Koyono noticed right away and brought a tissue.

As she was wiping the blood with an embarrassing expression, she opened her mouth.

“You must be very anxious.”

“…I’d be lying if I said otherwise.”

“It will be fine. So don’t worry.”

“Okay, don’t worry. Because my mom’s needlework is amazing. In the past, the imperial family also came to visit us.”

Koyono and Erika told me something to try to ease my tension, but…

To be honest, it didn’t come to my ears very well.

Because in my head, there was only the thought that Arlott would not go wrong.

Time passes so helplessly.

“It is done. Come in.”

After several more minutes, the acupuncture was finally over.

As soon as I heard the old man’s words in the room, I jumped up and opened the door.

If something went wrong, I had to help her by at least using the imprint of the flame.

“Ah, Schmitz… ”

“Are you okay? Excuse me for a moment.”

Arlott’s hair was wet with sweat and clinging to his forehead.

Even the face becomes haggard in a few tens of minutes…

No matter how painful it must have been, my heart ached.

There was nothing special about it other than a tired-looking impression, but just in case, I immediately made an imprint of flame.

“Hey, what is this?”

“…I think I can write the imprint of the flame like this.”

When I suddenly started a fire in my body, I felt the people around me stir up, but I didn’t care.

With the energy from the engraving, Arlott’s veins were sifted.

‘I’m really cold a little bit…’ ‘

The coldness in Arlott’s legs so far seemed to have completely blocked the blood vessels.

Of course, there is no problem with blood flowing, but should I say that the energy itself is strong?

But now there are small holes through which warmth can flow along the blood vessels.

“Aww… Schmitz, stop… ”

“sorry.”

I let the warmth flow a little, and Arlott immediately complained of pain.

If I didn’t know the details and just blindly let go of the warmth, it could have been a bigger problem.

I hid my regret and trimmed the flame again.

“Huh… Was it because of you that the ordeal disappeared?”

“…Please keep this a secret.”

“I was trying to get something in return for bullying the old man… I can’t help it because God Miho chose me.”

I don’t know if he was trained at the ordeal when he was young, but

The elderly man seemed to have guessed my identity to some extent.

Still, I didn’t feel hostile, so I put Arlott in a wheelchair right away.

“It was just a small hole in the blood vein. It’s not strange when it gets blocked. But if you have that imprint… It will speed up the healing process a lot.”

“thank you. You are a life saver.”

“What is a benefactor? Old people can’t take away young people’s time. Let’s go.”

The old man waved his hand and saw us off right away.

Arlott was still complaining of pain in his leg, so today’s schedule was changed to rest at the accommodation.

As I was rushing to the inn to lay her down, Koyono suddenly opened her mouth.

“Aren’t you sick now?”

“When I received acupuncture, I thought of the past a lot. Whoops.”

“…How can you smile like that?”

Arlott had a smile on his lips even after he left the old man’s house.

Is it strange that Koyono can smile even when she is sick?

Arlott’s answer to her question was unexpected.

“When Schmitz was training at the ordeal, it must have been harder than this.”

“My lady, it is not so. that’s-“

“Because that’s the opportunity that Schmitz gave me. How can I not laugh?”

“…..”

At Arlot’s sudden words, I lowered my head.

It’s not a big deal if it’s to make her better, but it was embarrassing to bring it up like this.

Koyono looked back and forth between me and Arlot, then muttered to herself.

“…I guess it’s going to be difficult.”

“yes? What did you say?”

“Nothing, Prince Arlot.”

After that, Koyono closed her mouth.

I stared into space with a worried expression

Her mouth didn’t open until she arrived at the inn.

… Thinking that everything would be fine, I hurriedly took Arlot to the lodging.

For now, the stability of Arlott came first.