Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
35. Older brother and younger brother②
“Flora, since you’ve come all the way here, could you please stay by his side for a bit?”
“… Ye, yes. The, then excuse me.”
At Lionel’s suggestion, I sat down next to the sleeping Gilbert in the chair next to him. However, I felt strangely nervous. was I really disturbing you, even in even in your …… dreams, that you called my name.
As I took a deep breath to calm my mind, Sir Lionel took Gilbert’s dominant hand in his.
“…… it’s my fault that Gilbert can’t hold his sword anymore.”
Sir Lionel muttered in a low, calm, but regretful voice, and then began to relate the incident that had happened two years ago.
“There were bandits from a neighboring country who had drifted into the area near the southern border and were causing trouble. We headed to subdue them, but unfortunately, along the way, a swarm of magical beasts appeared in the other direction. Our country is still slow in communicating information at great distances. …… so they took advantage of that opportunity and set us up.”
Mr. Dolph, myself, and the clergymen and mercenaries in the room all listened to the story in silence. The room was quiet, and Sir Lionel’s voice spun in a whisper.
“… While protecting me, he got stuck to a magical beast with an injury on his dominant arm, and then we lost track of him. Fortunately, he had a strong life force and managed to survive, and we were finally able to rescue him seven days later,…….”
“So that’s why the healing magic was delayed.”
The priest gently added.
It seems that healing magic can’t restore damage that has naturally healed over a long period of time due to distortion.
Sir Lionel nodded painfully. Mr. Dolph, who had been listening with his arms folded and eyes closed, let out a long sigh.
“That’s just how he is. This time, too, one wrong move could have put him in danger. ……”
Hearing this, I also clenched my hands in my lap. Just before that flash of light, the moment I saw Gilbert with the wave of red and black undead beasts approaching him, I felt a very familiar pain welling up in my chest. But now that he was safe, the pain has faded.
Sir Lionel stroked Gilbert’s hand affectionately and gave a wry smile.
“Of course I’m grateful. But honestly, I want to scold him for his excessive self-sacrifice, which sometimes causes grief to those around him. Then again, I am the one who was saved by it. A careless word would only hurt his feelings and cause him harm.”
With that, he returned Mr. Gilbert’s hand to its original position and exhaled.
“Being able to act on the spur of the moment to protect someone is one of Gilbert’s virtues… That’s why I wanted him to have as many reasons as possible to protect himself and return alive. That’s what I hoped.”*
Then Sir Lionel turned to me and smiled with a look of delight.
“Miss Flora, you are… ……”
“Lionel, you are being thoughtless. Don’t be rash. Your younger brother won’t like you if you get ahead of yourself.”
“Hmm, …… you’re right, I’m sorry.”
Mr. Dolph interrupted him as he was about to say something, and Sir Lionel scratched his head with an impatient look on his face. I felt a little fidgety too, wondering what he was trying to say.
Then Mr. Dolph gave me a look.
“Flora, do you want to talk to Lionel about it? There’s no need to push yourself, but it’s better …… than to put it off.”
Mr. Dolph’s words reminded me of the story Gilbert had told me back in the blacksmith’s village, and I gasped softly.
–You said that you felt responsible for what happened. I should probably say something. But it’s over now. ……
It was only ten days ago, and yet a memory both near and far. It has been pushed so far away from me as I spent time with you all that it is hard to put it into words now.
But I feel that if we were open with each other now, rather than hearing about it somewhere later, so that we can both be relieved of our misgivings to each other.
There are clergymen and mercenaries here, but it will all be the if they would hear about it from somewhere.
“Until about ten days ago, I was the wife of a man considered a hero. Now I’m not….”
“You are …….”
Lionel’s eyes widened in shock and he bowed his head vigorously.
“I’ve been wanting to apologize to you for a long time.”
“No, that’s all right ……, it’s all over now.”
I felt a little flustered about having to make him bow his head, but this is a fact that cannot be changed.
“…I knew he was a married man, but I turned a blind eye. I put the war first, and as a result, I am partly to blame for damaging your honor and breaking your heart.”
To him, who was direct in his self-reproach and apology, what was I suppose to say.
“…… No, any further apology would just be self-satisfying for me. It would only hurt your feelings more…”
“No, thank you for your concern. Please don’t worry about it. It is enough that you care about me… in this way.”
Then I made an effort to smile.
“He wasn’t very good at lying. The moment those words came out of his mouth, it was all over.”
The memories that I thought had gone far away had not yet vanished. My words trembled a little. And my hands clenched in my lap.
As I was holding his shaking hands tightly, the blanket that was right next to me bounced up, and Mr. Gilbert suddenly sat up, placing his hand on mine and taking it..
The suddenness of the event caused everyone in the room to turn their attention to him.
“…Gilbert, were you awake?”
“Oh, uh, well, you see, ……”
After Gilbert met my eyes, he opened and closed his mouth. Then he looked at Lionel who was standing behind me, and in a panic he let go of my hand and covered himself with the blanket.
“Gilbert, it’s too late to pretend to be asleep now. ……”
Lionel called out to him with a laugh, but Gilbert was curled up in bed with the blanket still covering him. He seemed to be shivering a little.
Gilbert’s behavior was quite strange, but I felt like it helped me to release the tension that had been building up inside me.