GMNB Chapter 43

43

It took ten days for the carriage we were riding in to enter the territory directly governed by our main house, under the escort of northern knights.

The Brandt Empire was a vast nation divided into five large regions.

The central region was ruled directly by the imperial family, while the eastern, western, southern, and northern regions were each governed by one of the four dukes.

My grandfather was Duke Callenberg, the ruler of the northern region, which was the largest of them all.

In other words, it meant that traveling from our home, tucked away at the edge of the north, to the main family estate would take a full fifteen days, even at the fastest, most direct pace.

'I survived a magical beast attack, but this carriage ride might kill me instead.'

Having lived my whole life accustomed to the relatively comfortable rides of the subway, the carriage felt almost like a torture device.

I managed to alternate being held in the laps of the nanny and maids, using the excuse that I was only four years old, but even that felt like hell.

“Are you feeling very tired, young miss?”

“Mm. I think my butt’s about to explode.”

We were taking the shortest route without detouring to any towns with inns, which meant another night of camping outdoors.

Stumbling off the carriage, I rushed into the military tent the knights had already set up and collapsed onto my bedding. I closed my eyes and waited quietly for the nausea from the carriage ride to subside.

I could hear Dietrich and Florian entering the tent one after the other, but I kept my eyes firmly shut.

If I opened them now, I might end up throwing up.

“Baby, are you sleeping?”

“Mm. Mariela is sleeping.”

“Who answers while sleeping?”

Just like me, Dietrich also suffered from terrible motion sickness. I felt him groaning as he lay down nearby.

The three of us children shared the same tent for safety reasons.

Although the spies who had infiltrated our home had already been dealt with, and we were much closer to the ducal estate now, Dad insisted on staying cautious to the end.

He argued that dispersing the security personnel would increase the risk, so the three of us were grouped together, and the guard system was reorganized to focus on protecting us.

Living such a hardcore life at the age of four, I fully supported my dad’s decision.

'If it involves danger, I’ll pass, thank you very much.'

Worn out from the grueling journey, I quickly fell asleep.

***

The biggest downside of camping was that the sleeping arrangements were so uncomfortable, it was hard to get a good night’s rest.

I had dozed off briefly, but the discomfort in my back woke me up groggily.

As I lay there debating whether to just deal with getting rounded shoulders and roll over to my side…

Someone on the opposite bed quietly stirred and got up.

Squinting slightly, I saw the back of Florian’s silver head as he rose and slipped outside.

In his hand was a wooden practice sword—one of the emergency weapons given to the personal guards protecting us.

'A wooden sword?'

It looked way too big for his still-small body.

Well, since I was already awake, I might as well see what he was up to. I quietly got up and followed after him instead of tossing and turning.

The direction Florian headed was toward my dad's tent, located near ours.

“What brings you here, young miss?”

“Shhh! Shhh!”

Just as Florian entered the tent, I settled into a spot where I could clearly hear what was going on inside. That’s when Walter, who was patrolling, approached and spoke to me.

I put a finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet. He smiled in amusement.

…Why is he like that?

“Are you here because you wanted to see your father? If so, why not just go in? Want me to escort you?”

It’s not like that, so just keep it down!

I waved both hands frantically and tugged at his arm. Walter obediently crouched down beside me.

Together, we listened closely to the conversation coming from inside the tent.

“Sir Leopord, please teach me swordsmanship.”

That voice—definitely Florian.

For some reason, a warm feeling bloomed in my chest. I wiped under my nose in pride.

Not long ago, he had been so resistant to acknowledging Dad as his teacher, yet it seemed he’d learned something from Dad’s words after all.

'To be honest, it’s not just Florian who needs to reflect. I do too.'

We relied too heavily on protective blessing—mine, Florian’s, and Dad’s—and were completely overwhelmed by the magical beasts.

In the end, the only thing you can truly trust is your own muscles. When push comes to shove, the only thing you can depend on is your body’s own strength.

I glanced at Walter beside me, who was crouched down so long his quadriceps looked ready to burst. I nodded approvingly.

Yes, this level of muscle is exactly what’s needed…

But just then—

“Absolutely not.”

Dad’s firm voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

Huh?

“Why not?”

“Because, in your current physical condition, undergoing training would be akin to abuse.”

“That’s not true! I’ve been eating just fine lately and—”

“Let me ask you one thing. You’ve been dining with my children, haven’t you? Are you truly able to digest the same portions?”

Florian fell silent at that question.

He had always eaten the same amount as Dietrich, who was the same age, and I thought it was impressive how well he could eat despite being so thin.

But maybe that wasn’t really the case?

“All the attendants serving His Highness are loyal to me. I’ve received reports that after every meal, Your Highness secretly throws up alone.”

“...It’s just that it feels strange to have proper meals again after so long.”

“That’s exactly why I’m telling you to focus on recovering your health first.”

Florian had been vomiting alone after every meal?

He never once showed any sign of it…

But thinking about it, it made perfect sense.

'If it’s been a long time since he’s had proper meals like he said, his digestive system is probably shot.'

On top of that, he’d developed resistance to poisons after ingesting them regularly. Even if he seemed recovered now, there was no way he could be completely fine.

He still can’t trust me or Dietrich completely, can he?

That must be why he kept up the act—pretending to eat normally.

I had just thought it was impressive that he could keep up with Dietrich’s large portions despite being so skinny.

But that was a shallow assumption on my part.

In a world like this, where fantasy-like things were a daily occurrence, it hadn’t seemed too strange for a thin kid to eat well.

That was my mistake.

And the military rations didn’t help either—they were notoriously tough and dry.

On days when we didn’t stop at inns, we had to make do with those supply rations.

It was like gnawing on jerky straight out of the bag, or eating bread so dry and dense it made hardtack seem soft in comparison—almost like biting into bricks.

'Of course that kind of food would be hard to digest.'

This world didn’t even have canned goods yet, so all preserved food was basically stone-like.

“But I need to become stronger quickly. I can’t let myself be helpless again like I was this time.”

His voice was firm, as if his fists were clenched.

“Even if you rush things like that…”

“You know it too, don’t you? His Majesty’s health is failing.”

This time, it was Dad who fell silent longer than Florian.

His Majesty… meaning the emperor?

“Even so, not in your current condition.”

“Sir Leopord…”

“If you feel frustrated, recover your health first. No compromises.”

Florian said a few more words, but he couldn’t overturn Dad’s decision.

Well, he is my dad—his convictions are pretty solid.

Internally, I gave Dad a few bonus points in my affection meter, then quietly followed behind Florian, who had come out of the tent empty-handed.

Florian, his jaw tight, immediately sensed my presence and turned to look at me.

Walter, standing next to me, gave a sheepish wave. Florian just turned his back without saying a word.

“He mad.”

“He seems angry.”

“Walter’s not wrong. Fairy’s always had a nasty temper.”

“...I’m not sure whether I should thank you for that insight or ask where you learned to speak like that…”

It wasn’t that Florian had anything personal against Walter—he just wasn’t friendly with anyone, really.

Even with me and Dietrich, who had gotten closer to him over time, he still hid the fact that he couldn’t eat properly.

I gave Walter’s hand a few light taps, then quickly caught up with Florian.

He looked down at me, not even bothering to hide how annoyed he was.

“Fairy, you wanna learn sword fighting?”

No answer. Hmph, this punk.

The emperor was unwell, and the empress was out for Florian’s life.

With the two most powerful people in the empire in such dire states, it was only natural that Florian felt anxious.

“Hey… why does the empress hate you anyway?”

A fundamental question.

Dad probably knew the answer, but it wasn’t something I could ask a third party about.

That kind of thing had to come from the person involved.

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