MTO C115
by berryChapter 115
Michel closed his eyes as well, trying to fall asleep.
Then a sudden worry crept into his mind.
What if I wake up and wander off again?
Neither in his previous life nor in this one had he ever thought he suffered from sleepwalking.
Could sleeping somewhere unfamiliar have somehow brought on a condition he’d never had before?
Even now…
The voice that had called to him still echoed vividly in his ears.
What would’ve happened if Kaidan hadn’t found me?
Perhaps he would have wandered over a cliff.
Or perhaps he would have stumbled into a monster and become its dinner.
Either way…
He couldn’t imagine a happy ending.
“Don’t ever touch another monster again.”
Just as Michel continued tossing and turning, unable to sleep…
Kaidan suddenly spoke.
Still lying down, Michel looked toward where Kaidan was sitting.
“You were lucky it was a Stone Hog.”
“There are monsters whose skin is coated with poison.”
“If your luck had been worse…”
“Your foot would’ve rotted away.”
So he wasn’t going to let it go after all.
The inevitable lecture had arrived.
Still…
Since he was grateful for the chance to talk on an otherwise sleepless night, Michel rolled over to face Kaidan completely.
“I only did it because I didn’t have time to think.”
“And I knew Stone Hogs weren’t poisonous.”
“I also knew their weak point was their nose.”
“Someone taught me that.”
“I should never have taught you anything.”
Michel was rendered speechless.
He understood why Kaidan was worried.
Even so…
The words stung more than he expected.
After all…
His time studying monsters alongside Kaidan in the library had become one of his happiest memories.
“You’re brave.”
“And you’re strong.”
“But let me have the chance to protect you too.”
“I haven’t taken my eyes off you for even a moment since we left the castle.”
Those words immediately erased the pout from Michel’s lips.
Come to think of it…
The instant he’d kicked the Stone Hog…
Kaidan’s sword aura had flashed almost simultaneously.
Even if Michel hadn’t reacted…
The monster would’ve been cut in half anyway.
How long had he been watching me?
Whenever Michel looked toward Kaidan…
Kaidan always seemed to be looking somewhere else.
Michel had naturally assumed Kaidan paid him little attention beyond his duty to protect the Saint.
After all…
As Captain of the Knights, he had countless other responsibilities.
Yet…
It had also been Kaidan who noticed him secretly leaving the tent that night.
“…”
It was fortunate the lantern had already been extinguished.
Otherwise…
His face would’ve been as red as a ripe apple.
“Go to sleep.”
“Yes, sir.”
At Kaidan’s gruff order…
Michel obediently lay flat on his back again.
He wondered whether sleep would actually come.
Strangely enough…
His eyelids gradually grew heavier.
If I wake up again…
Kaidan will catch me again.
That single thought transformed the uneven ground beneath him into the softest bed imaginable.
“Good night, Kaidan.”
Half-asleep, Michel murmured the greeting.
Only quiet breathing answered him.
Using that gentle rhythm as a lullaby…
Michel drifted off to sleep.
For a mountain crawling with monsters…
It was an extraordinarily peaceful night.
“Captain.”
“There aren’t any more streams in this area.”
The scouts returned and gave their report.
The narrow creek they had been following simply…
Ended.
It was time to search for another water source.
Kaidan silently looked up at the sky.
He wanted to continue searching.
But sunset would arrive before long.
Today alone…
They had already fought two battles against monsters.
Everyone was exhausted.
Continuing the search was impossible.
“We stop here for today.”
“Melt snow.”
“Water the horses first.”
“Yes, sir!”
At Kaidan’s command…
The knights sprang into action.
After handing his horse to one of his subordinates…
Kaidan instinctively surveyed the camp.
Among the rugged soldiers…
The pale-haired priest stood out immediately.
Michel had practically had his horse stolen from him by Owen before wandering off alone to lean against a large rock.
He was nodding off while sitting upright.
Lately…
Whenever he found even a brief moment…
He’d catch sleep like that.
Wrapped in the blanket the knights had draped over him…
His curled-up figure resembled nothing so much as a plump little rabbit.
Without thinking…
Kaidan smiled.
Realizing it…
He awkwardly rubbed at the corner of his mouth.
Quickly…
He walked away before anyone could notice.
The search for the dragon continued for more than two full weeks.
Every morning…
The search party resumed hunting for the lake.
Every evening…
They made camp and planned the following day’s route.
During that time…
They discovered three small lakes.
Each time…
Michel concluded that none of them matched the one from his dream.
The knights always laughed and assured him they would surely find another one soon.
But…
Their morale was visibly beginning to decline.
The farther they climbed…
The sooner darkness fell.
The mountain paths grew increasingly treacherous.
Much of the snow remained frozen solid, making every step dangerously slippery.
The cold became harsher by the day.
Yesterday…
A blizzard had even swept through the mountains.
Only this morning had the snowfall finally stopped.
Because of the weather…
They had barely been able to move.
Even now…
The clouds overhead looked ominous.
It seemed another snowstorm could arrive at any moment.
“Searching the mountain like this without any real direction is reckless.”
“The Dragon’s Waist is enormous.”
“How long are we supposed to keep wandering around like this?”
As exhaustion accumulated…
Complaints finally began surfacing.
Only a handful of people were inside the command tent.
But those standing outside likely felt the same.
“Shouldn’t His Holiness attend this meeting as well?”
“This expedition began because of the Saint’s revelation.”
“Perhaps he’ll have another idea.”
“The Saint delivers God’s will.”
“It is our responsibility to carry it out.”
“And are we absolutely certain…”
“That the Saint truly received a revelation?”
“You’re questioning His Holiness’s faith?”
David’s sharp reply made the complaining knight immediately falter.
“N-No!”
“I apologize.”
“I only meant…”
That morning’s battle against a pack of Dark Wolves had left several knights injured.
None of the wounds were serious.
But they were the expedition’s first casualties.
The incident had shaken the entire order.
The knight speaking now happened to be especially close to one of the injured men.
His anxiety was understandable.
Even so…
Fear spread quickly.
It had to be stopped before it infected everyone.
At last…
Kaidan spoke.
“You understand…”
“That doubting the Saint…”
“Is the same as challenging me.”
“I apologize.”
“I spoke carelessly.”
“As punishment…”
“You’ll stand first watch tonight.”
“I’ll overlook it this once.”
“But there won’t be a second.”
“Yes, sir.”
“This meeting is over.”
“Tomorrow…”
“We search for a new water source.”
Once again…
The meeting ended without any meaningful progress.
Everyone looked as though they still had more to say.
But they quietly left the command tent.
Kaidan himself felt no less frustrated.
Until now…
The knights had all supported the Saint.
But the longer this fruitless expedition continued…
The more likely their resentment would eventually turn toward Michel.
Humans were creatures who forgot miracles all too easily.
Kaidan could enforce discipline within the order.
He could not control what each individual thought.
This is exactly why I didn’t want to bring him.
Remaining behind with David…
Kaidan continued discussing their next move.
Then…
His eyes drifted toward the slightly open entrance of the tent.
He immediately stood.
“Where are you going?”
“On patrol.”
“You’re going yourself, Captain?”
Leaving the bewildered David behind…
Kaidan stepped outside.
Night had long since fallen.
Because today’s meeting had lasted longer than usual…
His pace was noticeably hurried.
More knights than ever stood guard around the Saint’s tent.
Their numbers increased with each passing day.
Still…
Kaidan wasn’t reassured.
He searched well beyond the edge of the camp.
Just as he’d expected…
A lone figure was walking silently through the dark forest.
Kaidan strode forward and caught the slender wrist.
The small figure flinched before turning around.
“…Kaidan.”
Michel looked dazed for a moment.
Then…
As recognition returned…
He frowned.
He looked noticeably more exhausted than before.
Michel’s sleepwalking had continued for over two weeks.
Ever since finding him wandering through the forest on the expedition’s first night…
Kaidan had spent every night searching for him.
No matter how many guards they stationed around the tent…
It accomplished nothing.
Every guard insisted the Saint had never left.
Michel always slipped beyond the camp…
Like a ghost.
The mountains were filled with magic capable of bewitching the human mind.
Those who followed phantom voices wandered endlessly until they eventually lost their way and died.
Kaidan knew of five different mental-type monsters rumored to inhabit the Dragon’s Waist.
Every single one posed a deadly threat to anyone without proper training.
No matter how stubborn he was…
I should’ve left him at the castle.
“Let’s go back.”
The moment Kaidan tugged gently on his hand…
Michel obediently followed.
Perhaps because he hadn’t been sleeping properly.
Or perhaps because of the mysterious voices.
Lately…
He had become unusually quiet.
The soft fullness that used to appear whenever he smiled had disappeared from his cheeks.
He’d lost weight.
People who lost weight felt the cold more easily.
The hand Kaidan was holding trembled.
He unconsciously tightened his grip.
The bones beneath Michel’s skin felt painfully thin.
Every time he noticed it…
It felt as though something stabbed his heart.
Kaidan brought Michel back to his own tent.
The atmosphere within the knights’ order was already fragile.
If they learned Michel had wandered away again tonight…
There was no telling what conclusions they might draw.
“…I’m sorry.”
Only after Kaidan helped him onto the bedroll did Michel finally speak.
He couldn’t even bring himself to look Kaidan in the eye.
Instead…
His gaze wandered nervously.
Yet…
The one most confused by this nightly game of chase…
Was surely Michel himself.
“Go to sleep.”
“We have to leave even earlier tomorrow.”
Remaining seated on the ground…
Kaidan removed Michel’s shoes.
After the sleepwalking began repeating night after night…
Michel had started sleeping with his boots on.
It was a sensible precaution.
Likewise…
Whenever Michel lay down…
Removing those shoes had quietly become Kaidan’s habit.
Only a few days earlier…
Michel would have stubbornly insisted on doing it himself.
Recently, however…
Perhaps simply because he was too exhausted…
He entrusted everything to Kaidan without complaint.
For so long…
Kaidan had wished Michel would settle down, even if only for a little while.
Now that it had finally happened…
His heart felt heavier than ever.