Extra S*ave Saves the Crown Prince Chapter 25

I walked, memorizing my surroundings so I wouldn’t get lost. The Crown Prince’s tent was not in the central area but rather on the outskirts of the fortress. It was located on the opposite side from the herb storage where I was staying.

 

As I neared the tent, I began to see members of the Thornbush Knights. It seemed the knights’ tents were all gathered nearby. They naturally made way for me and bowed their heads.

 

At the far end of the fortress, where it met the mountain, there was a single tent standing alone. Near that tent, I saw a familiar physician and attendant waiting. What a relief. Now, finally, he could receive treatment. My heart ached as I followed behind, watching the blood drops fall steadily.

 

“Wait. I haven’t seen you before.”

 

A Thornbush Knight who was waiting with the physician approached me. I guessed this was the entrance to the Crown Prince’s tent area. He looked me up and down with cold eyes.

 

“Arnic. Let them through.”

 

“Who is this?”

 

“I’ll explain later.”

 

Baslo glanced at me, then pulled the knight—apparently his colleague—aside.

 

“What the—who is it?”

 

I bowed deeply to him and followed behind Captain Lekes.

 

“Am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

 

When no one stopped me, the knight called Arnic looked baffled. His eyes were still full of suspicion as he watched me. Baslo seemed to whisper something to him, but he kept asking questions, clearly unconvinced.

 

‘What’s going on?’

 

The physician glanced back at me, mouthing words. We’d exchanged greetings a few times during herb deliveries. He seemed to think I might have been dragged here, since a slave like me had come this far.

 

I couldn’t manage a proper smile, nor could I put on a stern face, so I just squinted my eyes and made a strange expression.

 

When we reached the tent entrance, the order was Crown Prince—Captain Lekes, Baslo—physician, attendant—then me. Baslo stepped forward and opened the door first. The inside was already brightly lit, as if someone had prepared it in advance.

 

“You may withdraw. I’ll receive your report later.”

 

The Crown Prince took a step inside, and Captain Lekes was about to follow. Without fully turning around, the Crown Prince spoke. Baslo’s eyes widened as he held the door, but he had no choice but to bow.

 

I bowed with Lekes and stepped back. Only the physician and attendant were allowed inside. It was a shame, but at least I now knew the location of the tent, which was something. I peeked through the open door to see what the inside looked like as I stepped back.

 

“You, come in.”

 

Huh? Me? I looked at Lekes and Baslo, bewildered. Seeing their surprised faces, it really seemed he meant me. My heart pounded. The Crown Prince didn’t repeat himself and had already gone inside.

 

I hesitated, unable to do anything, then finally stepped in, feeling as if I were crossing into another world.

 

Inside, the tent was more modest than I expected. There was just a bed, table, sofa, dresser, and nightstand. There wasn’t even a canopy on the bed. That seemed a bit much—even for the Crown Prince, shouldn’t he at least have a canopy?

 

The Crown Prince sat not on the sofa, but in a chair by the table. The physician laid out medical tools on the table, and the attendant began cutting away the cloth on his arm as if used to it. When the Crown Prince removed the cloth he’d been holding tightly, blood immediately began to seep out again.

 

How painful must that be.

 

It would hurt far more than a branding iron. Even a slight graze from the prince’s sword had hurt so much—how much worse must a wound like that be? I clenched my fists and glared at the injury.

 

“Sit.”

 

I was standing by the entrance when he pointed to the sofa with his finger. Huh? Sit on that sofa? Me? Is he talking to me?

 

The physician and attendant couldn’t hide their surprise either.

 

The physician was moving his eyes, saying various things, but I could only answer with my eyes. He asked what was going on, and I could only reply with “Ah, well, um,” sort of communication.

 

It was all so awkward, but in the end I sat on the sofa. Since he kept gesturing at it with his gaze, I had no choice. After all, I was someone who had to obey orders. I sat with only the edge of my seat touching the sofa.

 

“Hm.”

 

Only after I sat did he let out a long breath and lean back in his chair. Then he closed his eyes. Even as the physician cleaned the wound, there wasn’t so much as a groan or a change in his breathing.

 

If not for the bloody scene before me, I could have believed he was sleeping peacefully. I wanted to look away from the wound, but I couldn’t seem to turn my gaze. I was so tense during the stitching that I became stiff as a board.

 

“Gasp.”

 

I clasped my hands over my nose and mouth, almost as if in prayer. Wait, that’s raw flesh—can you really just stitch it up like that? Isn’t there any anesthesia or something? This can’t be right. Excuse me, doctor. But I was afraid I’d distract him and cause a mistake, so I couldn’t say a word. I even held my breath as much as possible, worried that even the sound of breathing would be a disturbance.

 

Moreover, the physician looked as pale as a patient, sweating profusely. My own face probably looked no different.

 

“!”

 

Then, by chance, I looked at his face—he was looking at me, eyes open, at some point. His expression was just calm. But as I watched, I could see a faint sheen of sweat on his forehead. He was enduring it, too. And I could see the focus in his golden eyes waver and return, over and over.

 

In the past, in that cave.

 

Compared to the wounds he suffered then, this might be minor. But watching him endure it as if it were nothing, as if it were just another part of daily life, made it even harder for me to bear. It felt like something sharp was scraping my heart. Afraid I’d let out a groan, I bit my lip hard and kept enduring.

 

If only, instead of teleportation or something, I had the ability to transfer pain. I wished he wouldn’t have to hurt anymore.

 

My eyes kept threatening to fill with tears, and I had to focus all my energy on holding them back.

 

All through the treatment, he and I never once looked away from each other.

 

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

 

At that time.

 

Three of the Crown Prince’s closest aides were gathered near his tent: Captain Lekes, Baslo, and Arnic.

 

“Who is it?”

 

Arnic asked Baslo.

 

“Who is it, Captain?”

 

He asked Lekes, but when no one answered, he finally let out a frustrated sigh to the air.

 

“Why won’t anyone tell me? Why am I the only one who doesn’t know?”

 

“Sigh.”

 

Instead of answering, Baslo rubbed his face with both hands. Lekes stared at the ground, deep in thought.

 

“Damn it.”

 

Baslo rubbed his face even more vigorously, then finally threw his hands down roughly.

 

“Captain, am I going crazy or what?”

 

“…Quiet.”

 

“Captain, aren’t you bothered at all? Didn’t you see His Highness’s eyes?”

 

“His eyes? What about them?”

 

Arnic was bewildered, the only one not in the loop.

 

“Ugh, seriously. Can’t you tell just by looking?”

 

“What am I supposed to know?”

 

“Do I have to explain it for you to get it? Huh?”

 

“Well, I don’t get it! Damn it, who is it, then?!”

 

“Both of you, quiet. Follow me.”

 

Captain Lekes took the lead, but the other two kept bickering in hushed voices.

 

“She went into His Highness’s tent. Isn’t it weird that I don’t know who she is?”

 

“You’ll find out soon enough anyway.”

 

“So I’m supposed to keep letting her in, right next to His Highness, without even knowing who she is? Are you serious?”

 

“Ugh, my chest is aching for no reason right now, you know? If you’re clueless, just stay out of it.”

 

“What? You wanna die?”

 

Lekes, walking ahead, suddenly stopped. He turned his head back slightly.

 

“You two, still have energy to spare?”

 

“N-no, sir.”

 

“No, sir!”

 

Snapping to attention, the two responded crisply. Lekes clicked his tongue at his subordinates, who only obeyed quickly when training was threatened. He let out a deep sigh, shoulders rising.

 

They couldn’t see it, but his gray eyes, turned away, were trembling violently.

 

『There is someone to bring.』

 

Years had passed, but he hadn’t forgotten that voice. It was the first time the Crown Prince had ever spoken about another person that way. It remained in his memory like a brand. The time spent searching for the slave called “Sez,” and the look on his face when they lost the trail, was still vivid.

 

As he walked, he ran a hand over his face. The emotion in those golden eyes as he looked at Sez would probably stay with him for a long time. Having come to Enapork as a child and grown up amid blood and death—what did Sez, that woman, mean to him? Lekes couldn’t even begin to imagine, so he decided to give up trying.

 

.*. *. *. *. *. *.

 

When the treatment was finished, the physician and attendant hurriedly erased all traces as if in a rush. The physician’s fingers trembled as he put away the tools, so I quietly stood up.

 

The attendant was focused on wiping away the blood stains on the arm with a cloth soaked in clean water. Since I knew the physician, I wanted to help if I could. Maybe I could at least tidy up the bloodied cloth.

 

Tap.

 

As I reached out for the cloth, a large hand grabbed my wrist. The heat of his skin flowed straight into my wrist. I froze, moving only my eyes to look to the side.

 

“Sit.”

 

It felt as if the air in the tent had stopped and then started flowing again. The physician and attendant paused their work, then resumed as if nothing had happened.

 

Too embarrassed to go back to the sofa, I quietly pulled out a chair at the table and sat down. As soon as I sat, the hand that had grabbed my wrist disappeared. The sudden absence of warmth left me feeling oddly empty.

 

“Now, explain.”

 

His voice was a little subdued, but so nice—why hadn’t the Original Story described it even once?

 

“…Sorry?”

 

I was so focused on his voice that I didn’t process what he’d said.

 

“Why are you here?”

 

“Oh.”

 

“Your Highness, I’ll take my leave now. If you need anything, please call. I’ll be waiting.”

 

The physician, having hurriedly finished, bowed his head. The Crown Prince nodded. The physician and attendant paid their respects and quickly left. I was impressed by how efficiently they tidied up in such a short time.

 

As I watched the attendant carry out the wooden water bucket in both hands, I turned my head and saw a water bottle on the dresser. I pushed my chair back and stood, pouring water from the bottle into a cup.

 

I offered the cup with both hands, and he looked up at me from where he sat.

 

“I thought you might be thirsty.”

 

His face didn’t look much different from before the treatment, but his lips were cracked and pale. He took the cup with his uninjured arm and drank it down.

 

Watching his throat move as he swallowed, I couldn’t help but remember giving him water in the cave.

 

Without even asking if he wanted more, I poured another cup after he finished. He didn’t refuse, and drank it down again.

 

Ah, that reminded me—I’d put some herbs in my pouch.

 

“I have some Noveni.”

 

I opened the pouch and took out the Noveni herb. The pouch itself was only palm-sized, so I couldn’t carry much, which was a shame. There wasn’t enough for a strong effect. Since I’d picked and cleaned it, the Noveni retained its original leafy shape.

 

I offered it to him with both hands, and he took it with his long fingers. He stared quietly at the Noveni in his palm.

 

“It works better if you chew it.”

 

He brushed his thumb over the Noveni, then looked up at me.

 

“Just like that time.”