The Kind Older Sister Is No More

If I exhaust my magic by using it all on defence, I won’t be able to cast an attack spell.

But if they waited a little longer, Noel and his soldiers would come. The two were sharing each other’s locations with the rings, so he would definitely come to the rescue soon. Believing so, Irene began to examine Louiselle’s injury.

“I need a splint.”

Irene muttered as she gathered the branches that had fallen nearby. Subsequently, she placed them around Louiselle’s ankle. She then ripped her skirt and tied it up to secure her fractured bone.

“…Let’s go see a physician as soon as we get back.”

Her voice cracked; a sob leaking out. Irene took Louiselle’s injury to heart, she blamed herself much for her maid’s suffering.

Looking down at Irene, Louiselle spoke carefully.

“Young Madame…Aren’t I terrible?”

“Why all of a sudden...?”

“You have heard everything. About how I have traversed many dirty places, how countless blood has been spilt on these hands. This scar on my face is also related to the disgrace that occurred at that time. But even though you have found out all about it, why are you still treating me so warmly?”

A moment ago, Louiselle told Irene about her past. That spontaneous act was meant for Irene to abandon her after hearing the story, that way she would be more at ease. Even though she knew Irene was not the kind of person who would throw her out as a human shield to buy time for her to run away...

...Truthfully, I was afraid.

Although she had braced herself mentally, what if Irene abandoned her for real? How would she face Irene following this if she was lucky enough to make it out of here alive? Could she afford to look straight into Madame’s eyes if their warmth was replaced with contempt towards herself?

Since everyone I have met so far has been like that.

Noel and the Ram mercenaries did not react much to her story, but it was because they were in a similar situation as herself. Since they had also rolled in the gutter*, they did not feel dirty at all. They were not in any better position to judge others, so they did not have any further comments.

*dirtied their hands

But everyone else despised Louiselle and treated her worse than cattle. Even though she knew Irene would never be that kind of coward, there was a high probability that her experiences would have terrified the lady.

“It cannot be that bad.”

“...”

“I did not inquire about your scar because no matter what your past was like, you are now one of my people. There is no way I can despise my people. Rather, I think it is very precious.”

“...”

There was not a single sign of wavering; no empty words. Irene’s sincerity was heart-felt, causing Louiselle’s chest to feel stuffy. Her breathing also became suffocating.

What is this feeling?

For her, it was the first time she had experienced something like this. She bit her lips tightly.

“So stay with me for a long time. I don’t want to lose any more of my people…”

“...Okay.”

Louiselle answered, bowing her head. Leaving Louiselle, Irene rose from her crouched position. Still, the assassins were looking for a way to get inside the shield.

How long can this shield last?

She wished she had asked Mulliman beforehand, but she could never have known back then that she would use magic in this way. However, to make matters worse, the barrier gradually enclosed the internal area. And finally, the shield shrunk to a size that was just enough to cover only the tree, Louiselle and Irene.

The assassins, noticing that the shield had shrunk, waited right in front of them for the shield to completely disappear.

I don’t know the art of swordsmanship, but...

She could not wait helplessly. Thus, Irene drew out the sword Louiselle was holding and held it in her hands. But Irene knew better than anyone that this sword was useless. She was so busy taking care of Riel, there was no way she could manage swordsmanship.

The shield’s radius shortened further, and Irene leaned back desperately against the tree with nowhere to retreat. As the shield had completely vanished, Irene could once again sense the cold. They were bare in the snow and fog. She shut her eyes tightly and cried out inwardly.

Noel!

At that moment, a miracle happened. The fog that had obscured the surroundings was sucked into the tree. At the unexpected moment, Irene, Louiselle, and the assassins watched the strange phenomenon with their eyes wide open.

The surrounding gradually became more distinct. She had never heard of fog being lifted in this way. But what was even more astonishing was...

“Irene!”

Beyond the lifted layer of mist, a familiar voice echoed from afar. It was a figure that her heart had been yearning for.

Noel recklessly threw himself off the galloping horse. In seconds, he managed to pierce through the heart of the assassin who was pointing his sword at her.

Belatedly, the assassins, mesmerised by the strange sight, came around. They attempted to counterattack, but they were helpless.

The situation was settled in an instant. The fog had completely cleared, and snow fell from the clear sky. It was a dreamy yet mysterious scene. But in that moment, only the image of a fearless Noel appeared in Irene’s view.

“Irene! You aren’t hurt anywhere, are you?”

After wiping out all the assassins, Noel rushed to Irene. Irene looked at him dazed and nodded a minute later.

“…Yes. I’m okay. Louiselle’s more severely injured than I am.”

“The mercenaries and knights will be here soon. I’m really glad that you didn’t get hurt. It was fortunate that the fog cleared. I could barely find you.”

“By the way, Noel, the blood…”

“It’s not my blood, don’t worry.”

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