Bonus chapter
Please support us on our group Patreon so we can deliver more chapters to you.
Enjoy the chapter~
Chapter 31 – Mother’s Memory
…..where is this?
I woke up in an unfamiliar hall.
When I looked around, there were many injured people all around me.
……I see. I was in the war with Bazelard…at the forefront… Huh?
I had no memory of what happened after that.
I was worried that I might have been taken prisoner.
[Varian-sama! Have you come to!?]
When I heard a voice and turned around, Rolo was there.
[Yeah. Rolo…where are we?]
[This is the hall in the fort city Portu. A whole day has passed since then.]
The fort city Portu is divided into blocks, including a fort that also serves as a barracks, a plaza, and a city area, surrounded by an outer wall.
This place seems to be the hall of the fort.
[I… took the lead… and we won, right?]
[Yes, it was a splendid battle.]
Rolo grinned. The wound on his right eyebrow looked painful.
[The army has already disbanded, leaving only the garrison behind. Let me call everyone.]
[Nah. I bet everyone is resting, so let me do it myself.]
I headed to the barracks with Rolo.
Jean, Andre, and Tanqueray were there.
[Oh, Varian-sama. You’ve awakened.]
[I was worried because Young Master suddenly collapsed.]
Jean looked blank, and Andre approached with concern.
[Ahh, so I suddenly collapsed…]
[Yeah, everyone had to carry you because you’re so heavy.]
Jean made a gesture as if carrying an omikoshi.
It seemed like they carried me in a strange way, but because of my size and the specially made chain mail… apparently it took four people to carry me.
[Thank you, you saved me. Tanqueray too… you saved my life.]
When I hesitantly called out to Tanqueray, who was standing behind me, he burst into tears while mumbling, [Thanks to Varian-sama, I am… Uughu].
Tanqueray appeared to be an emotional person.
He reminded me of Giroude, which made me laugh lightly.
[But, most of us didn’t get hurt. It’s strange.]
[Yes, the soldiers in the back suffered worse damage.]
According to Jean and Rolo, the soldiers who followed them suffered more damage than us who rushed in first.
The enemy might have avoided us as we rampaged wildly.
Bazelard’s army must have been confident of victory this time.
Soldiers in a winning battle have high morale.
This is because there will be “rewards” such as looting after the war.
However, this also leads to the mentality that it is foolish to die fighting a strong enemy in a winning battle.
Most soldiers want to get their reward by messing things up.
I, who was raging like crazy, could have been nothing other than the God of Plague in their eyes.
That’s why I survived.
…You never know where your chances of winning lie…
I was vaguely remembering the battlefield.
[Speaking of which, Yannick-san was attacked.]
[Is he alright?]
I frowned at Jean’s words. “Was attacked” is a rather ambiguous expression.
I couldn’t tell if he fell in battle or not.
[He got hit with a spear in the stomach, and it pierced through the chain mail. He returned tied to a horse, but with the way it looked, I guess he wouldn’t survive.]
Jean spoke calmly, but I was honestly shocked.
Even though I’ve gotten used to people dying, it still hurts when someone I know dies.
[I see, I hope he’s alright… Alright then, let’s treat the injured in the hall.]
After hearing about Yannick, I remembered the hall where the injured were gathered earlier.
The smell of blood lingered in the space, which was covered with filthy hay, making it extremely unsanitary.
If anything, that’ll only lengthen the healing period.
I checked the hall and had leather straps, wood, knives, needles, thread, etc. prepared.
I really wanted bandages and dressings, but cloth was expensive so I couldn’t use them.
Leather straps and other items were collected from Portu’s supplies, under the excuse of, “Varian will use them for treatment”.
…Actually, I just want to sterilize it by boiling it…
I know the concept of bacteria, so it’s hard for me to treat wounds with non-sterilized tools, but there’s no point in preaching about bacteria in an era without microscopes.
At least I should wash my tools with fresh water while treating.
The only injured people left in Portu were unable to move… they were in serious condition.
I looked at some of them, but it was clear that many of them were already in helpless condition.
I also decided to give a “mercy kill” to those who requested it… I delivered the finishing blow.
Delivering a mercy kill to a friend is a job that everyone hates.
I think I, a member of the Earl’s family, should do this kind of work.
Before I could finish them off, the injured people thanked me… To be honest, it’s complicated.
Fortunately, the man in front of me right now didn’t seem to need any of that.
It looked like his shin was broken.
[It’s going to hurt… Tanqueray, Rolo, hold him down.]
I pulled the man’s broken leg and straightened it.
The man tried to jump up, but his shoulders were held down, preventing him from moving.
Tanqueray and Rolo were both pretty strong, so they played the role of holding the patient down.
I had Jean and Andre sweep the hay out of the hall.
It’s better not to have such filthy things lying around.
The man screamed every time I pulled… I felt like I’m hurting him somehow and I feel sorry for him.
…I don’t know if it’s going well, but at least it’s straighter than before.
Satisfied, I applied a splint and tied it up with leather straps.
[Thank you, Varian-sama.]
[Don’t mention it.]
Although we continued to have similar interactions over and over again, the soldiers were deeply grateful for my careless treatment.
People in this era rarely receive treatment from a doctor.
Some of the soldiers actually shed tears while thanking me.
By the way, among them, I seem to be the only one here with the knowledge to treat wounds.
…Well, I might be better than some random “self-proclaimed” doctor here.
I examined the next patient’s wound.
An arrow was stuck in his flank.
…..it’s a little strange spot to get shot on… can I patch it up?
I cut the clothes with a knife and washed the wound with water.
[I’ll pull it out, hold him down.]
If you forcefully pull the arrow, it will widen the wound if the arrowhead has barbs.
I stuck my finger into the wound and carefully pried it out.
The patient was flailing in pain, but because his mouth was tied with a leather strap to prevent him from biting his own tongue, he could only let out muffled cries.
[Good, there’s less bleeding! Stay strong.]
I roughly sutured the wound with hemp thread.
It’s a tough needle for sewing leather, but it’s better than nothing.
[The threads will fall out after about half a month. It’ll hurt though.]
When I grinned seeing my handiwork, the patient replied with a muffled voice. I forgot to untie the leather straps.
We finished the treatment after taking a full day off.
There will be people who will be saved and people who will not be saved.
By the way, the soldiers that I mercy-killed were recorded as killed in battle.
============
As a side note, Jean slacked off from cleaning the hall, so Andre did it by himself.
Apparently Jean was having fun with the daughter of a craftsman working at fort Portu.
I don’t want to get into trouble since it seems like it was consensual, but it’s not a good idea to skip work.
When I scolded him, he replied calmly, [Starting tomorrow, that girl will be taking care of the injured].
It’s true that people are needed to take care of the injured, so the issue of him slacking off was ignored.
By the way, Jean’s face has improved considerably.
It’s a bit irritating to see that the girl seemed to be so smitten with him.
Unlike Rolo, who is a slave, Jean is my relative and childhood friend.
His archery and horsemanship skills are better than mine, and in a sense, he’s my equal.
…Can I use this guy…?
There’s no doubt that he’s a dear friend, but he keeps slacking off and I can’t even tell him off.
At this point, I’m worried about the future.
By the way, my uncle Rodrigue heard that I was treating a wounded soldier and came to check on me.
Apparently, he was quite worried about me when I collapsed, and he ended up nagging everyone, saying, [If he wakes up, report it to me].
[Go home early and reassure my sister-in-law.]
After saying that, my uncle left.
As a precaution, he led about 100 people to defend the fort city Portu.
An army is not something that can be formed easily.
It’s unlikely that we’ll get attacked in the first place, but he just did it just in case.
We were lacking food before, but now could sustain a small army with the food stolen from Bazelard’s army.
In the end, the expeditionary force returned about two weeks later, so the garrison was disbanded without engaging in battle.
However, my uncle remained in the fortress and protected this area until the expeditionary force returned.
My uncle Rodrigue is a hard worker who doesn’t stand out yet is not looked down upon.
Could there be a more reliable assistant for my father, Rudolph?
I really feel sorry for my uncle.
I left all the post-war chores to Rodrigue and went home.
============
The next day, everyone lazily headed back to the capital.
I’m tired and somehow feel lazy.
[What’s going on at Tanqueray’s house?]
[My father was a farmer. But he died young, and my mother married my uncle. My uncle inherited the farmland. I did a lot of things. I helped in my uncle’s field, worked as a flour miller at the bakery, etc…. We were poor after all.]
In Lioncoeur, which has a small population, it is not uncommon for a widow to marry her husband’s brother after his death.
It is even encouraged as it keeps the relationship with the family one’s married to intact.
Tanqueray is a commoner, but he seems to be a so-called water drinker, a farmer who doesn’t own any farmland.
But, what happens often is what happens.
Many of the third and fourth sons of commoner farmers who were unable to inherit land are treated as if they were slaves.
Naturally, they are commoners, but they are water-drinking peasants.
In the spring, they head to cities to make a name for themselves, but someday starve to death or freeze to death.
Cities in this era are also places for population control.
There is a strong possibility that Tanqueray will eventually become like this.
By the way, the children of commoners are commoners, but the children of commoners without land or citizenship are free citizens.
However, whether or not landless commoners can support their children is a different story.
[I see, should I come to greet your mother? You’ve turned from a farmhand into a servant afterall.]
Tanqueray was surprised at my words.
What? Don’t tell me he doesn’t want it?
[Is there something wrong?]
[No, but… is that alright?]
Tanqueray answered my question with another question.
He had a sad and worried expression.
[Yeah, you saved my life after all… you just have to wait a little while for your paycheck, since I have to earn money first.]
It’s bad for Rolo, who is a slave, but Andre and Jean are also pitiful without a salary.
Up until now, I had been supported somehow at the Lioncoeur mansion, but I am now a full-fledged man after my first stint… I will have to earn money to support my subordinates and eventually my family.
Fortunately, I have accumulated some sugar stock…I plan to sell it.
[Thank you! I will do my best!]
[Yeah, listen carefully to what Rolo and Andre say.]
There was also the matter of cleaning the hall, and when I complained, Jean stuck out his lower lip in dissatisfaction.
We walk down the street laughing out loud.
For once, we actually look like young men of our age.
=========
When I returned home, Rushieno was crying in the chapel.
My brother’s wife, Floria, was hugging her.
I deliberately approached them carefully, so as not to startle them.
[Mother, I’ve returned.]
[….ah, couldn’t be…]
Rushieno opened her eyes wide and hugged me.
[Dear God above… oh God… thank you.]
Rushieno was crying happy tears.
Apparently, she was worried because I got home late.
[Varian, I heard that you were killed in action…that you fell on the battlefield.]
Apparently, since I came home late, she probably gathered some information on her own.
As a result, she obtained fragmented info, such as [he fought in the forefront] and [he collapsed on the battlefield].
This was a common occurrence, and there are funny stories about soldiers having their own funerals when they returned home.
[I’m sorry, but I lost the helmet, shield, and sword that my mother gave me.]
[That’s fine. You are alive, that’s what matters.]
I also bursted into tears when I heard Rushieno’s words.
Floria was also crying.
『I’m glad you’re alive』
Because those were the same words my mother said to me when I had a motorcycle accident during my youth.
…That’s what a mother is…
I also hugged Rushieno.
I might be mentally older than her.
However, the mother will always worry about her son.
That made me happy…and sad.
…Mom, I’m sorry for being unfilial…
I died before my mother in the other world.
That was incredibly sad now that I think about it.
Nega Translations 