Chapter 18
Since the Sports Festival practice began, Sue had started taking the carriage again. Her whole body ached from the strenuous daily training, and she was mentally exhausted from constantly pushing her meager magic power to its limits.
Fortunately, thanks to Melaine’s rigorous training over the past few days, she had learned to maintain her balance in the air to some extent.
However, her magic control remained stagnant. Melaine, who came from a knight family, was weak in magic and couldn’t offer much advice.
Sue was trying to control the magic backflow herself by reading books about Cribons, but there was little progress.
If I can master magic control this time, it’ll be helpful later on.
It might be useful for future evaluations, or even if she found a way to break the curse. Of course, that was assuming she could actually master it.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise outside the carriage.
“Whoaah!”
“What the…!”
It was the sound of something heavy crashing.
Sue, who had been sitting languidly in the carriage, was startled and screamed. The carriage wheels had come to a stop. Sensing something was wrong, Sue knocked on the square window connecting her to the coachman.
“Hicks! What happened?”
But the coachman, Hicks, was clutching his head, his back to her. He didn’t seem to be in any state to answer.
“Miss, please stay seated.”
Ten got out of the carriage. Sue, anxious, clutched her knees and waited for Ten to return. It was her first time experiencing something like this.
“…Miss.”
A short while later, Ten opened the carriage door. Her expression was grim.
“Ten, what happened?”
Sensing that something was wrong, Sue asked in a tense voice.
“It seems the coachman caused an accident.”
“An accident?!”
Sue’s eyes widened. Ten, gauging her reaction, continued.
“Yes. He ran over a pedestrian with the horse.”
“What…”
Ten, leaving Sue speechless, quickly explained.
“Please wait here for a moment, Miss. I’ll speak to the victim. We’ll have to replace the coachman immediately. And…”
“W-wait.”
Ten was speaking in a detached, business-like tone, as if she were talking to herself, methodically laying out the next steps. Sue, snapping out of her daze, hurriedly interrupted her.
“How badly is the pedestrian injured?”
“The pedestrian… Ah, you mean the victim? Well, from what I could see, his arm seems to be broken. Or maybe it’s dislocated? We’ll have to discuss the details further and draw up a settlement. Of course, the coachman will bear most of the responsibility.”
“No, we need to take him to the hospital first.”
Sue, her face pale, stopped her.
“…Yes? Ah, yes. The coachman who caused the accident will take care of…”
“It’ll be faster to take him to the hospital in the carriage. Bring him here.”
An accident, of all things. Sue’s throat felt dry. Although it was the coachman who was driving, Sue was his employer. Ultimately, the responsibility for the accident lay with her. At least, that’s how Sue, who was feeling a little out of it, saw it.
“Miss? Are you sure it’s alright to bring the pedestrian into the carriage?”
Ten asked again, unable to believe what she had just heard. Sue, her face buried in her hands, nodded slowly. She couldn’t see Ten’s bewildered expression.
Why is she acting like this?
Ten, tilting her head in confusion, went to get the pedestrian who was lying on the ground.
Sue let out a deep sigh, alone in the carriage.
Now I’ve even run over a random pedestrian…
The pedestrian, wincing, boarded the carriage with the help of Ten and the coachman. He was a sturdy man with dark blue hair and tanned skin.
This person…
Sue looked him up and down. The clothes he was wearing were definitely not those of a commoner. The realization made her heart sink.
I don’t recognize him. At least, not yet.
“Ugh…”
As Ten had said, he seemed to have injured his arm. He clutched his left arm every time he moved, grimacing in pain.
But as the carriage sped towards the hospital, Sue couldn’t bring herself to ask if he was alright. She just kept glancing at him nervously. She knew she should apologize, but she was too flustered to speak.
Arriving at the hospital, Sue and the others, following the doctor’s instructions, laid the man down on a mat in the examination room. It was an old hospital, lacking proper beds or private examination rooms.
As expected, the man’s left arm was broken. Fortunately, his other injuries were minor, and he didn’t seem to have any mental trauma.
Only after watching the doctor wrap a bandage around the man’s arm, over his clothes, did Sue finally relax.
“Um… Are you alright?”
Sue asked hesitantly, looking at the man who was sitting on the mat, taking medicine. The man stared at Sue for a moment before answering with a slight smile.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
“…No, I should be the one apologizing.”
The man replied quietly, lowering his gaze. A silence fell between them. Taking advantage of the silence, Sue took a closer look at the man.
He had messy dark blue hair, tanned skin, and a large build. His face was slightly tense, probably due to the accident, and as she had seen in the carriage, the fabric of his clothes was of very high quality.
“Excuse me… Are you from a noble family?”
Sue lowered her voice, trying to hide her anxiety. Just hitting a random person had made her heart pound. If he was a high-ranking noble… A shiver ran down Sue’s spine.
“Ah… Well, yes, you could say that.”
The man hesitated for a moment before nodding. Sue inwardly groaned at his confirmation. But she didn’t let it show. She put on a pitiful expression and continued.
“As I thought… I can’t apologize enough… I’m Sue, the daughter of Viscount Byron. I don’t know how to make it up to you… We’ll send compensation to your residence, and I assure you it will be more than enough…”
The man stared at Sue for a long time as she rambled in a low, apologetic voice. After organizing his thoughts, he stood up from the mat, smiled brightly, and introduced himself.
“I see. You’re the daughter of the Byron family. It’s alright. I don’t need any compensation. My name is… Leo. Leo Noel.”
“Huh?”
Sue’s voice went up a couple of octaves. Her mind snapped to attention at the unexpected name.
Who did he say he was?
“Excuse me, could you please repeat your name?”
Sue pressed her dry lips together. Leo looked at her with amusement in his eyes.
“Yes, of course. I’m Leo Noel. From the Noel count family.”
“The Noel count family…”
Leo watched with interest as Sue’s face turned even paler.
“You must be acquainted with Raines. I knew it when I saw your Full Bloom uniform.”
He chuckled.
Raines? Who’s Raines? …Ah.
Raines Noel Delpheman.
Sue finally remembered Noel’s full name.
Raines was Noel’s nickname.
Moreover, judging from his mention of Full Bloom, it didn’t seem like Leo was falsely claiming to be a Noel.
“Sir Leo, are you Sir Noel’s… I mean, Sir Raines’s brother?”
Sue, having regained some of her composure, asked, her eyes fixed on the white bandage around his arm.
“No. Hmm, I’m a distant relative.”
Leo shook his head.
A distant relative…
I see.
Now that she thought about it, there was no resemblance between Leo and Noel. It must be because they were distantly related.
“My family home is outside the capital. I’m currently staying with the Count due to some circumstances. I’ve become close with Raines during my stay… But I’m actually a low-ranking knight from the borderlands. So… please feel free to speak casually.”
Leo finished his explanation without a hint of arrogance and waited for Sue’s response, his brow slightly furrowed.
“I see… I’m in the same class as Sir Raines. I can’t believe I caused trouble for a relative of his… I’m so ashamed to face him now.”
“Haha, it’s alright. If it’s Raines… he’d probably call this fate.”
Leo waved his uninjured hand dismissively and chuckled. Sue thought that maybe his easygoing personality was similar to Noel’s.
“By the way, are you and Raines close friends?”
“Ah… Yes, you could say that.”
Sue forced a smile at the innocent question and rubbed the back of her neck.
“Haha… Speaking of Raines…”
Leo, who had been smiling along with her, suddenly looked worried.
“He hasn’t been going to the academy lately, has he?”
“Huh?”
What is he talking about? Sue tilted her head, confused by the sudden change of topic. But Leo’s expression turned serious, and he spoke slowly.