Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 27

“Colonel! Are you all right?!”

Right after that, a navy officer with a short bob haircut—someone I had seen at the naval base before—ran in. It was Ariel, Delrus’s superior, whom I had been introduced to once.

While Ariel and the others escorted Pedian outside, I immediately sat Ehit back down as he was getting up from the floor.

“Sit down.”

Ehit looked back at me warily as I knelt behind him.

“What is this?”

I didn’t answer and started treating him from behind.

Here, a healer’s treatment worked the same way as anywhere else—using holy power along with medicine. Stop the bleeding from the deep cut, then speed up skin regeneration.

“Dapflen, I don’t need this. Just—”

“Stay still.”

I focused on the treatment, but the wound was deeper than I thought, and the bleeding wouldn’t stop easily. On top of that, treating him through his shirt only slowed things down more.

In the end, I grabbed his shirt collar and said,

“Can I lower this for a moment?”

Ehit looked like he had a lot to say, but after a short sigh, he nodded.

“Do as you like, Healer.”

He irritably undid a couple of buttons. From his sun-darkened bronze shoulder to his upper back, a sharp vertical wound was visible.

I focused on stopping the bleeding and healing the wound. Bright red blood slowly faded.

‘He has a lot of scars too.’

As I treated him, my eyes naturally wandered over his exposed shoulder and back.

The fresh blood was only from the belt strike earlier, but there were small wounds and scars everywhere.

‘How many more treatments would it take to heal all of these?’

Though I didn’t know if I’d still be in Bellachen by then.

‘That scar isn’t there yet, is it?’

In the original story, Ehit had a scar on his left arm from being struck by a rock on a rainy day. It looked like it hadn’t happened yet.

“Is it done?”

“Huh? Yes.”

As soon as I answered, Ehit pulled his shirt back up.

His blue eyes looked at me sharply.

When I tried to stand, Ehit reached out and pulled me back to sit in front of him.

His blue eyes, partly hidden behind black hair falling over his forehead, met mine at close range.

“This situation feels familiar, doesn’t it?”

“It doesn’t to me.”

“It was the same at Salon Ohastein. When we faced the drug dealer, you didn’t avoid him—you tried to deal with it yourself.”

I remembered how he had lumped me in with the addicts back then.

That arrogant look, like he’d already judged me no matter what I said.

That cold gaze when he let me go after teasing me enough.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t create situations like this again.”

I frowned.

Was he thinking I was in league with that thief too?

Holding back my frustration, I said,

“Let me be clear. I have nothing to do with that man. He was trying to steal something, and I was trying to stop him. We’re not accomplices.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean?”

Ehit stared at me for a moment longer, then answered in a low voice.

“Don’t throw yourself into danger.”

I closed my mouth. I had been about to argue back.

His expression was firm—almost angry.

 

 

****

 

 

 

By the time we arrived at the Regan Investigation Bureau, it was already pitch dark. Ehit left Dapflen in the reception room and stepped outside.

“If you plan on returning to Bellachen tonight, please wait just a little.”

Dapflen looked like she might not really be listening, but she seemed to choose waiting and returning to Bellachen over going back to Elzers Ailetta’s house.

After handing Pedian over to Regan, Ehit looked into a few more things.

Why Pedian Hessl committed the theft, and how it was connected to the holy relic theft case being investigated in Bellachen.

The results were bigger than expected.

Because of the culprit Dapflen caught, the trail of the holy relic theft had been uncovered as well.

“What did they say?”

Dapflen, who didn’t even realize what she’d done, blinked her big eyes and jumped up from the reception chair.

Ehit looked at her for a moment, then gestured for her to come outside.

“Let’s talk on the way back.”

Dapflen trotted out and followed him.

All the way to the carriage, she kept insisting that she really had nothing to do with the thief.

It sounded like she was overexplaining, but that was a common reaction for someone who’d been startled.

“How did you know he was the thief? It looked like he stole the watch too.”

“I just set a trap. I said that Kelling watches are so high-end that you can tell who wore them using a special solution.”

“I’ve never heard of Kelling having that feature.”

“Of course you’d know it was a lie. But he panicked and ran right away. I tried to stop him so we wouldn’t lose him. I wasn’t planning on having you take the hit for me.”

Dapflen glanced at his shoulder as they walked toward the carriage.

It would be a lie to say it didn’t hurt. The spot where the belt struck still burned like a burn wound.

Why had he jumped in front of her?

It was strange.

He was someone who thought it was almost fortunate that she would die soon. And yet, in that moment, he’d moved without thinking.

Was it a soldier’s sense of justice? Even he didn’t know the reason.

Still, it was a relief that they caught the culprit without creating another injured person.

The criminal, Pedian Hessl, was a scholar at Lus Academy.

Deep in debt to loan sharks, he seemed to have been tempted by the offer that ten percent of the item’s value would be deducted from his debt if he became a pawn.

The promise that he’d never be caught because the investigators were already bribed fell apart quickly once Regan’s investigators cut him loose.

The real gain was discovering that the theft network connected to the loan sharks was far larger than expected, centered around Regan.

‘That scholar was probably just one of many.’

More investigation was needed, but even the clues so far painted a clear picture.

The biggest distribution network was likely pirates, backed by money and force. The holy relic theft was probably part of that too.

Why that particular relic was stolen still needed investigation.

‘Someone must’ve found out—and been killed for it.’

If it was true that some of Regan’s investigators were cooperating, burying the truth would’ve been easy.

Of course, they probably never expected this case to reach Bellachen.

“I’ll get on first.”

They arrived at the carriage. Ehit held out his hand to Dapflen.

She took it without hesitation and climbed aboard.

The brief sensation of their hands touching lingered longer than expected.

 

 

 

****

 

 

At Bellachen’s harbor after sunset.

A figure in a black robe stared out at the distant sea, grinding his teeth.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. The board had been perfectly set, everything moving according to plan.

And yet, that woman was disrupting it.

Dapflen Ailetta.

“……”

Did she think she had nothing to fear because she had Cloyden backing her?

Then it was time to show her what kind of pain Cloyden could bring.

 

 

****

 

 

 

Holding the carriage handrail, Ehit climbed up to sit beside me and glanced over.

“You’re holding my hand without hesitation this time. Last time, you insisted on climbing up alone.”

“I’m too tired to help it right now.”

The real reason was that boarding first let me protect the left side of my head.

When I first saw Ehit at Elzers’s house, I’d gone blank, wondering if he’d come all the way to watch me.

Finding out he was there because of the case was a relief.

“Did you come to Regan because of that case?”

“Yes.”

“I just want to be clear one more time—I have nothing to do with that loan shark.”

“You’ve already said that three times.”

“I’m just saying it in advance so you know I won’t fall for it if you try to doubt and toy with me.”

“I have no intention of doing that.”

Ehit answered curtly, then changed his tone a moment later.

“Honestly, I did think it was possible.”

“What? Really?”

“You were suspicious enough for that, Miss Dapflen.”

Still, his way of addressing me was much closer than before. At least for now, he wasn’t treating me with open suspicion.

“While searching one of the dealer’s locations, we found items belonging to Pedian Hessl.”

“Finding his things there doesn’t prove he’s the culprit.”

“Of course. But even if he wasn’t directly involved, it means he’d been there at least once. That alone makes him a person of interest.”

“So that’s why you followed him to Elzers’s house.”

“You have to understand why it looked strange, considering it was an Ailetta household. As I said, even a small connection makes someone a suspect.”

“Yes, yes, I get it.”

“And you also— never mind.”

“What? Why stop halfway?”

“No reason.”

Even when I pressed him, Ehit didn’t answer.

“But I truly didn’t expect you to be there. And in that situation, of all things. I can’t tell if you’re brave or just fearless.”

“It’s already over, so don’t scold me now.”

“Please think a little more about your own body.”

“Yes, sir. And I don’t think that’s something you should be saying to me.”

“……Ha.”

When I answered stubbornly, Ehit let out a sigh, as if he’d given up.