## Chapter 233 – Training (7)
Sending him to Zone 2 with guards.
Charlotte’s words made sense, but I didn’t like it. I couldn’t completely hide my unease, but it was unavoidable for Ryu’s sake.
Aser glared and asked cautiously,
“That guard isn’t you, is it?”
Charlotte observed Aser’s reaction and smiled faintly.
“Of course not. Do you think I’d leave Master alone to have fun? I don’t have the luxury right now anyway.”
Didn’t she already have a long record? I still couldn’t forget that she stole Ryu’s first time.
Aser barely swallowed the words that rose to her throat. As she said, this wasn’t the time to argue over such things. Aser sighed briefly at the floor and asked again,
“Anyway, you’re saying I can find the answer to this by going to Row, right?”
“Yes, it’s just one possibility, though. If Row doesn’t know, honestly…”
Aser cut her off as Charlotte was about to utter something uncharacteristically weak.
“Even a small chance is fine. Right now, I just want Ryu to get better.”
Charlotte smiled slightly, sensing Aser’s consideration.
“I’m glad we agree. I was worried about what to do if Master threw another fit.”
“You have time to joke around… so it can’t be that serious.”
“It’s not serious, but that doesn’t mean we can just ignore it. It’s better to solve problems as quickly as possible, right?”
“That’s true too.”
If something like this happened in Zone 7, the damage could be significant. Perhaps the moment I returned to Zone 7 from Zone 5, I should gather guards and send them off immediately. While Aser was thinking about what was to come, Clara got up and looked at the two people talking, saying in a voice still heavy with sleepiness,
“Oh? Is it my turn now?”
Aser gestured as if to say it was okay and opened her mouth.
“No, you can sleep a little longer.”
“How can I be the only one doing that when everyone else is suffering?”
After finishing her words, Clara shifted her gaze back to Ryu, who had collapsed again.
“Did I do too much?”
She was blaming herself for the current situation, saying it was caused by her special training. Would this have happened if she had gone easier on him? The shadow cast over her heart grew, feeding on regret.
Aser said in a nonchalant voice so she wouldn’t worry,
“It’s not your fault.”
Charlotte chimed in.
“That’s right. Clara was just fulfilling Ryu’s request, right? If anyone is responsible, it’s us, the guardians.”
Her expression still held tears, but I could feel that the anxiety in her heart had lessened somewhat.
Clara rose from her seat, promising to give them the best treatment while they were in her zone and resolving to do so.
●
As dawn broke, Ryu cautiously opened his eyes again. Looking around, this time it was Aser, not Charlotte, who was watching over him.
No one else was visible.
Aser, wearing only a black negligee, was sitting next to Ryu, reading a book. She closed the book and smiled as she heard the rustling sound from the blanket as Ryu got up.
“Oh, you’re awake? I didn’t wake you, did I?”
“No…”
Ryu’s voice was more subdued than usual. Aser leaned closer with a worried expression at his appearance.
A pleasant fragrance tickled Ryu’s nose, as if she had just taken a shower.
Ryu blushed and leaned back slightly. Aser, who would normally have hugged Ryu, finding it cute, seemed to take it as a sign that he was unwell and didn’t.
“What’s wrong? Does your body still hurt? Your face is red?”
Then she placed her hand on Ryu’s forehead.
He didn’t have a fever, but Ryu’s face, touched by her cold fingers, turned even redder. Ryu slightly averted his gaze and answered quietly.
“I’m fine now.”
“Really? That’s a relief.”
Aser breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. She took Ryu’s hand and gave him a pitiful look.
“If something is wrong with your body again, you have to tell me right away, okay?”
Ryu nodded.
Negative emotions immediately flooded his weakened mind.
Tears welled up at the thought of the people who had suffered because of him all night. Ryu wiped away the tears and carefully opened his mouth in a sorrowful voice.
“What book were you reading?”
That wasn’t what he really wanted to say.
But if he revealed his true feelings right now, he felt like he would burst into tears. He was too busy hiding his emotions by asking a question he had no interest in.
Aser pointed to the closed book and said,
“This?”
The book was titled ‘The Origin of Species’. The bookmarks scattered throughout made it clear that she had read it several times.
“I just wanted to study something.”
She gave an awkward smile, as if she was hiding something from Ryu.
After that, there was no further conversation.
In the lengthening silence, his sadness deepened.
“Why did it turn out like this?”
Aser quietly began to listen to Ryu’s story.
“I just wanted to be helpful to Master, but I’m just causing trouble again… I’m so frustrated just sitting here and receiving help.”
She took Ryu’s trembling hand and comforted him in a warm tone.
“It’s okay. You’re already helping us enough.”
He knew in what sense he was being helpful.
But the help Ryu was talking about was different.
“I wanted to protect Master. That’s why I even received special training from Clara… If I become a man and can’t even protect my woman, it’s too…”
Aser, hearing his true feelings, was surprised and slightly opened her mouth.
Aser had already climbed onto the bed and hugged Ryu tightly.
“You wanted to protect me?”
Ryu nodded in Aser’s arms. Her soft skin and fragrance calmed his mind and body.
Aser stroked his head.
How had the small, fragile boy, who seemed like he would break if you touched him, grown up to be so reliable? She couldn’t help but feel proud. She wanted to hug him right away, but she knew now wasn’t the time.
“But if this continues, I’ll just hold Master back. I don’t want to see Master get hurt again.”
“Protect me. But you don’t have to protect me right now. I’ll be waiting here, so you can come slowly. So for now, let’s just rest and recover, okay?”
Her kind words somewhat relieved Ryu’s mind, which was covered in self-loathing. Only then did Ryu nod with a comfortable expression.
“Okay.”
Aser stroked Ryu’s cheek and smiled.
“Shall we go downtown together today?”
“Okay.”
Ryu got up, took a shower, put on simple clothes, and went outside with Aser.
●
After the two left, Hart, who had quickly recovered thanks to Clara’s care and her own strong body, came down to the living room in a lively voice. Hart scratched her head awkwardly and showed a cheerful appearance.
“Sorry for causing you trouble!”
But there was no one in the living room to accept her greeting.
Hart tilted her head with a puzzled expression and began to wander around the mansion.
“Huh? Where did everyone go?”
Clara was not to be seen in the kitchen or the yard.
Eventually, the place where Hart found Clara while wandering around was the room where Ryu was resting. For some reason, Clara was resting on Ryu’s bed, as if she was smelling something.
“Master? Why are you resting here?”
Hart had no idea what was going on.
Moreover, Clara was startled by Hart’s sudden appearance and hid the blanket behind her.
“Y-you’re awake?”
“Yes… But what are you hiding behind you?”
“Oh, it’s nothing!”
Clara showed an unusually excessive reaction. Hart tilted her head questioningly and didn’t ask any more about it.
“I heard something noisy in my sleep yesterday. What happened?”
Clara thought it would be impossible to keep it a secret from Hart, so she told her everything that had happened to Ryu, and Hart, hearing the circumstances, opened her mouth with a worried expression.
“I-I see. That’s a big problem.”
“Do you know anything about this?”
“Ah, no. I’m hearing it for the first time too.”
“Really? Well, that’s why we’re going to Row. If it was a problem we could solve, we would have solved it ourselves.”
Clara said as she came out of the room.
“I think we’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, so let’s prepare a hearty dinner tonight. We should only have good memories on the last day, right?”
Hart pounded her chest as if to say she could trust her.
“Trust me! I’ll catch a cow for the first time in a while!”
After finishing her words, Hart went out energetically.
The only way to let go of negative emotions was to release them with positive energy. Ryu, who didn’t know that fact and always kept them in her heart, taught her how to overcome sadness. For him, she thought she would make today the best day ever.
