Chapter 6: illness

Inside the quiet bedroom of the villa.

“Haah… haah…”

Only faint, ragged breathing echoed.

Logan gently wiped Anya’s pale forehead with a damp towel.

From the shock of coughing up blood moments ago, she had completely lost her strength and was lying in bed.

Her bloodless white face and faintly trembling eyelashes clearly showed her precarious condition.

“…I’m sorry. Logan, because of me… you might get sick, so please, get away from me quickly…”

Anya whispered, struggling to open her eyes.

Her voice was hoarse, and her eyes held resignation along with apology.

“I can’t do that.”

Logan replied firmly, placing a newly wrung-out wet towel on her forehead.

“I’m fine, so don’t worry about it. Anya, just focus on resting comfortably.”

“…Logan…”

Anya kept saying she was fine and to stay away from her, but Logan silently stayed by her side, nursing her.

He changed the wet towel, brought her water to drink, and tucked in her disheveled blanket.

His touch was clumsy, but the sincere worry contained within it gently swayed Anya’s heart.

How long had it been since she last felt the warmth of another person?

Excluding her loyal knight escort, Renate, when was the last time someone had cared for her so devotedly?

After contracting this unknown illness, the world had turned its back on her.

Everyone distanced themselves, whispering and avoiding her.

Even her father, who held the greatest power in the empire, feared the unknown disease and had essentially exiled her to this remote place.

Wasting away painfully day by day in despair, she instinctively realized she didn’t have much time left.

So she had asked Renate.

She wanted to meet her end peacefully in a quiet place where no one knew her.

It was hard to believe such a request came from a thirteen-year-old girl, but Renate swallowed her tears and decided to grant her master’s last wish.

At the same time, she had come to this remote village clinging to a faint glimmer of hope.

She was counting on the legendary medicinal herbs said to be here and the presence of her old friend, Fiona, whom she had known for a long time.

However, Anya herself had almost given up on treatment.

She merely wished her final journey would be less lonely.

But unexpectedly, she met a boy her age named Logan here.

A boy who, like her, carried the heavy burden of life at a young age.

When she heard his story, she felt a sense of kinship and pity.

She was afraid she might transmit her terrible illness to him.

But Logan… even after seeing her horrifically cough up blood, he showed no fear or disgust, instead worrying more and staying by her side.

His calm and sincere attitude seemed to melt a corner of Anya’s frozen heart.

But that too was fleeting.

She recognized the bitter reality.

‘…This is also ultimately because it’s a request. Not for my sake.’

The reason he was so devoted was likely because of the high-paying request.

And she knew all too well from his stories that his childhood friend, Irene, already held a deep place in his heart.

‘…How pathetic. Me, too. To be jealous in a situation like this…’

Anya smiled self-deprecatingly at her own pettiness.

But despite that, the tenderness and warmth Logan offered at this moment felt incredibly precious and desperately needed.

Knowing it was selfish, she decided to accept his kindness a little longer.

After all, she didn’t have much time left.

---

Late at night.

In front of the villa’s entrance, Logan reported Anya’s condition during the day to Renate.

Renate couldn’t hide her troubled expression as she listened to Logan’s explanation.

“…Yes, you worked hard again today. And thank you, truly. You may go now. Also… if by any chance… you feel reluctant to continue the request, you can quit at any time. There’s no penalty clause.”

Renate spoke sincerely.

She had entrusted the request to Logan without properly informing him what illness Anya suffered from.

Even if she wanted to tell him, she could have made the excuse that she didn’t know what disease it was.

Anyway…

She had entrusted the job because she believed there would be no transmission, as her own body, which had been escorting her for a long time, showed no abnormalities, but she hadn’t told him anything.

It wouldn’t be strange at all if he said he wanted to quit right now.

However, contrary to Renate’s expectation, Logan answered immediately without hesitation.

“No. I will continue.”

“I can’t just leave Lady Anya… no, Anya, alone like this.”

“…Is that so. Truly… thank you. I’m sorry, but please, just a little longer.”

Renate’s voice trembled slightly as she bowed deeply to Logan, showing her respect.

“Yes. Then I will come again tomorrow morning.”

As Logan bowed and retreated, Fiona approached Renate, who was watching his retreating back with a complicated gaze.

She, too, had just returned from her forest exploration, like Renate.

“I told you. He’s a trustworthy kid.”

Fiona said with a grin.

“…Yes, you were right, Fiona. I admit it. But… Her Highness’s condition is getting worse. It seems there isn’t much time left. We’ll have to widen the search area even more starting tomorrow.”

Anxiety clouded Renate’s face.

Fiona nodded silently, but her heart was just as heavy.

‘…It’s probably going to be difficult. That medicinal herb is practically a legend.’

The illness Anya suffered from.

An unknown disease whose cause and cure even the empire’s best doctors couldn’t identify.

Red or purple spots appeared under the skin, gums bled, and extreme fatigue was followed by a horrific incurable disease leading to death from coughing up blood and internal hemorrhaging.

People feared it, calling it by various names such as the Bloody Curse or the Rotting Sickness.

Fiona felt sorry for her old friend Renate, who had come to visit her after a long time, and the young master she served, but honestly, she thought there was almost no hope.

There was nothing she could do but help them to the best of her ability until the very end.

‘Please… may Her Highness suffer a little less… and may she meet her end peacefully, thanks to a good friend like Logan.’

Fiona prayed silently as she looked up at the night sky.

---

On the way home at night.

Logan’s mind was completely filled with thoughts about Anya’s symptoms.

‘To suddenly cough up blood… Her complexion was terrible too. Her mouth also… seemed to be a strange color. She always looked drained of energy… What was this… I definitely knew it…’

He rummaged through the faint fragments of memory until his head throbbed.

He wasn’t medically knowledgeable in his past life as an ordinary young man on Earth, but he tried desperately to find clues among the vast amounts of information he had encountered.

There had to be a way to save Anya, something to alleviate her suffering.

Logan, who had been walking deeply engrossed in thought for a while, finally stopped, hitting his fist against his palm as if he had remembered something.

‘Ah! That’s right! That disease caused by vitamin deficiency…!’

Scurvy.

According to the knowledge he possessed from his past life, it was a disease contracted by sailors who couldn’t consume fresh food during long voyages.

The symptoms that appeared due to a lack of vitamin C from not consuming fresh fruits or vegetables were strikingly similar to the suffering Anya was experiencing.

Of course, this was a fantasy world, and there was no guarantee that Anya’s illness was indeed scurvy.

Just thinking about it, it didn’t make sense for a noble lady like Anya to contract such a disease.

But…

‘It’s worth a try. There’s nothing to lose!’

With that thought, Logan arrived home.

When he opened the front door, Irene was waiting for him with a worried expression, despite the late hour.

“Logan! You’re finally here?”

“Irene… I told you not to wait and go to bed first.”

Logan said, his voice a mixture of apology and gratitude.

“But… if I don’t see you even for a little while at this time, I don’t get to see your face all day.”

Irene said, pouting her lips.

At her innocent heart, Logan felt the fatigue accumulated during the day melt away like snow.

“…Irene…”

But at the same time, the painful image of Anya, who was the same age as Irene, suffering, came to mind, and a corner of his heart grew heavy.

A girl born into a noble status, yet tormented by illness, lonely awaiting death.

He felt a pang of pity at the thought that she might not even have the chance to fully develop her talents brightly and healthily like Irene.

‘Still, it’s too early to give up. If the method I found is correct… if I hurry, I might be able to save her.’

While Logan was lost in such thoughts, Irene called him with a dissatisfied expression.

“Logan…”

“Hmm? What’s wrong, Irene?”

“…That request, how long do you have to do it?”

Irene’s voice was filled with undeniable dissatisfaction.

“You’re earning much more money than before now, aren’t you? So why are you pushing yourself so hard? Leaving early every morning and coming back late at night… Can’t you just… quit?”

There was a sense of apology for Logan suffering because of her every day, but frankly, there was another reason too.

The request was to escort a noble lady, of all things.

And he had to stick by her side all day.

For some reason, she felt uncomfortable and anxious.

“I can’t quit, Irene.”

Irene’s face hardened at Logan’s firm reply.

“Logan…! Could it be… that noble lady…”

She was suddenly terrified that Logan might have lost his heart to that lady named Anya.

Irene, without realizing it, was about to question him in a sharp voice.

But Logan cut her off and calmly explained.

“Irene, you’re not someone who should let her talent go to waste in a rural village like this.”

“Eh…?”

Irene was dumbfounded by the completely unexpected words.

“Your magical talent is truly amazing. If you learn and master it properly, you can definitely become a great mage who will be remembered in history. To do that, you need to go to the Empire’s Magic Tower Academy. But we’re still far too short on money for that. This request pays very well. If I finish this well… I’ll be able to lay the groundwork for you to achieve your dream.”

“Magic Tower… Academy…?”

Irene’s eyes widened at the story she was hearing for the first time.

“Yes. I don’t know much about magic, but I know this for sure. Irene, you’re truly special.”

At Logan’s sincere gaze and praise, Irene felt the displeasure and anxiety she had felt just moments before melt away like snow.

She wasn’t sure yet if she truly possessed that much talent, but she could clearly see how much Logan cherished and cared for her.

Therefore, she decided not to be stubborn anymore.

“Ugh… Mmm… Okay, Logan…”

After all, Irene firmly believed that Logan would never value anyone else, especially another woman, more than her.

---

In the darkness, he diligently searched for something, and by the time the sun rose, he had managed to fill a small basket.

“Mmm… This should be enough.”

The basket was filled with freshly picked wild strawberries and small, tart-tasting berries of unknown names.

Since he was relying on faint memories from his past life, he couldn’t be sure if these would truly be effective for Anya’s illness.

In the first place, her illness might not even be scurvy.

‘But… if I don’t try, nothing will change.’

Logan picked up the basket and hurried towards the villa.

When he arrived at the villa, Anya was already awake, her pale face propped up against the bed.

Renate was nowhere to be seen.

She had probably left for the forest earlier to search for those medicinal herbs.

“Ah, Logan… you’re here earlier today.”

Anya greeted him in a weak voice.

“Hello, Anya. How are you feeling?”

“Ah… you don’t need to worry… Thanks to Logan’s good care, I’m much better…”

Anya tried to smile faintly as she said that, but her lips were devoid of even a trace of blood.

Logan didn’t delay any longer and presented the basket he had brought before her.

“Wh-what is this, Logan?”

Anya looked at the red and small berries in the basket with a puzzled expression.

“I picked them in the forest. Would you like to try some? I’m sure they’ll be good for you.”

Logan said as naturally as possible.

“B-but… Renate said I shouldn’t eat food carelessly…”

Anya hesitated.

It could be dangerous to eat unverified food when her health was extremely poor.

However… it was obvious that Logan had wandered the forest since dawn and picked them himself for her.

She could feel his kind and warm sincerity.

She didn’t want to refuse his effort and sincerity.

Therefore, Anya made up her mind.

“…Alright. I’ll try some.”

With a trembling hand, she picked the reddest, ripest wild strawberry from the basket and carefully put it in her mouth.

In an instant.

“Ah…!”

The sweet and sour taste and fragrant aroma that filled her mouth intensely stimulated her sense of taste, which had only been accustomed to bland porridge for a long time.

And for some reason, she even felt a very faint sensation of vitality returning to her body.

“Logan… this is…?”

Anya looked at Logan with surprised eyes.

Seeing her reaction, Logan let out a sigh of relief inwardly and said with a confident voice.

“Anya. Trust me and try a little more. You’ll definitely feel better.”

“…Yes, alright, Logan.”

Anya no longer hesitated.

Like a child, she picked the berries from the basket one by one and brought them to her mouth.

She winced at the sour taste, but her expression looked much brighter than before.

For her, who had to eat only porridge every day, this fresh and stimulating taste itself seemed to be a great source of vitality.

Logan smiled quietly as he watched the rapidly emptying basket.

‘It seems I was right… Thank goodness…’

He saw hope that he could save Anya.

Because with every berry she ate, it seemed as though a very faint flush of color was returning to Anya’s pale cheeks.