Chapter 59: Charlotte and the Shut-in

"Man, alive and kicking, huh."

I laid Trishel down on the bed and sat Riven in a chair.
This girl really was running around half-dead. I patched her up in a hurry, but I can’t help worrying if the treatment was enough.

She turned only her head to look at me.

"What’s this? Is little Charlotte actually worried about me?"

"Of course I’m worried. Naturally."

She saved me at the auction too. And lately, she hasn’t even been pulling her usual harassment.
It’s embarrassing to admit, but… I do feel grateful.

Even if it’s Trishel. I’m not that coldhearted.

"Ugh!"

"What’s wrong!? Are your wounds reopening…?"

Just as I managed to express that gratitude, mixed with a little guilt, Trishel suddenly clutched her chest and started writhing in pain.
I quickly left Riven’s side and rushed over to her.

Then—

"By the weight of holiness, the heavens shall shatter and the trees shall bow—"

"What nonsense are you spouting now? Honestly."

Unbelievable. I wasted my worry on her.
I swatted away her reaching hand and returned to Riven.

『Are you alright?』

"…Yeah."

As for Riven, I still hadn’t been able to restore his sight or hearing.
It wasn’t that my power wasn’t enough. Even the healer from Crimson Bell tried, but nothing worked.

『I’m sorry.』

"Don’t be. This… is the price for rushing in alone."

Since he can’t see or hear, we communicate by writing words into his palm.
At first I was at a loss, but after some trial and error, this was the method we settled on.

"My sense of smell and touch are still working. With instinct added in, I can still move somewhat."

『But…』

"Yeah. Fighting would be tough now."

His lips pressed into a tight line.
It had to be painful, yet he didn’t let it show.
That… was the part that hurt me most.

Letting Riven go home like this didn’t feel right either.
Salem apparently had influence even on the surface. If she’d survived that explosion, then stepping outside carelessly now would be dangerous.

What to do? The one who knows Salem best is Trishel. I turned to call her into the discussion, only to find—

"And God said, ‘Let there be holiness.’ And so holiness filled the world—"

…So she was still muttering that garbage.

"Quit fooling around, Trishel!"

"Yeees, it’s your Trishel-chan here. What’s the matter, Charlotte-chan?"

Apparently well enough to move, she lifted her upper body from the bed and turned to face me.
She’d been in critical condition, but already she could move again. Good grief. Tough girl.

"I want to talk about what comes next."

"Right. I don’t think he should go back."

"…"

"I’m not reading your mind, you know. You’re just that easy to read, Charlotte-chan."

So she’s always one step ahead of me.
Should I be glad things move quickly? Or creeped out?
No… for now, I should be grateful.
At least right now, she’s on our side.

"Why shouldn’t he go back?"

"If Salem makes a move, he won’t stand a chance like this."

"That’s…"

"Salem can lean on the town’s power structure. For a while, best not to make any public moves."

So it really is that bad.

"You too, Charlotte-chan."

"Me as well?"

"You’re the most at risk. Now that you’ve openly opposed her, she might come after you without restraint."

A chill ran straight through me.
I hadn’t grasped the danger was that severe.
That kind of woman… targeting me?

Just imagining it was enough to fill me with a dreadful, suffocating fear.

"Both of you should stay here at the clan house. In fact, don’t leave this room."

"But they already know I’m with Trishel, don’t they?"

"They’re not reckless enough to pick a fight with Crimson Bell. That could spark a war involving the whole city."

…That’s true. I saw Raynard’s influence back at the auction.
Crimson Bell is the biggest clan, and most of its members are serious powerhouses.

If Crimson Bell were to halt all adventuring activity, the city’s economy would take a heavy blow.

The level of trust in their work is different.

Merchants and craftsmen care deeply about that. Once you reach a certain standing, you’d never hand out requests to some random adventurer who just appeared out of nowhere.

"Earlier, you said Salem can influence the upper echelons of power…"

"That’s right. But she hasn’t reached the craftsmen. After all, she can’t afford to stall the actual functioning of the city."

Craftsmen are a difficult bunch. If you try to strong-arm them from above, only a handful will actually bow their heads.

So, staying here would guarantee our safety.

But… that alone isn’t enough.

"But if I stay here, what about everyone back at the Stray Cat Inn?"

"I’ll take care of that. Please trust me."

Trishel pressed a hand to her chest and looked straight at me.

Direct. Without a hint of doubt.

"Please… trust me."

"…Alright."

What about Riven, though?

I took his hand, opened his palm, and traced the words: about staying at the clan house.
When I finished, he paused for a moment before speaking.

"They can look after their own safety. My subordinates aren’t in that position for nothing."

『Then…』

"Yeah. Sorry, but I’ll impose on you."

Riven agreed to stay.

"Then it’s settled. I’ll go explain the situation to the others."

With that, she hopped down from the bed.
Pat-pat—she tapped the mattress, signaling that I could move Riven over.

…Is this really okay? Well, there are only two chairs, and the desk isn’t that big.
Thinking of Riven, it’s better for him to lie down than stay sitting.

If Trishel says it’s fine to use her bed, then so be it.

I guided Riven by the hand, and we shifted from the chair onto the bed.
Watching us until then, Trishel moved to the door to leave.

"Oh, right—Trishel."

"Mm? What is it?"

"Will Riven ever recover?"

This was important.
If he stays blind and deaf forever, what happens to his dream?

He spoke of it so strongly before. To have it ruined like this—it’s far too cruel.

"…The only certain way is to have Salem heal him."

"But she’d never do that, would she?"

"Right. I’m sorry."

Sorry. I had an idea what she meant by that.

She’s on our side. And yet, at the same time, bound to Salem’s side as well.

This must be the best she can offer us.
Maybe… it really is the only option left.

"Thank you."

I called out to her back as she left the room, but she only gave a little wave and walked out.

And then, just the two of us remained.

What now? What should I do?

I opened my mouth, unable to bear the silence—but then remembered he couldn’t hear me, and shut it again.

…Damn it. This silence is unbearable.

What should I do?

"…Are you there?"

"Yes!"

The first to speak was Riven.

"Ah! N-no, that's not—"

But words were meaningless.

I quickly took Riven's hand and traced letters into his palm.

『Yes』

"…Trishel is gone, isn’t she?"

『Yes』

When I answered, Riven let out a deep breath. His attention shifted to his hands. They were trembling slightly.

I looked up at his face. He was staring straight ahead. Staring… but.

"I'm sorry."

The words dripped with frustration. Maybe there was anger in them, too.

"I'm sorry."

Who was that apology meant for? Surely not me.

"I'm sorry…!"

—Ah. Now I understood.

Riven didn’t believe it could be healed. Whether instinctively, or because he somehow just knew, he had realized it. This was something beyond anyone’s power to fix.

Just watching Trishel made it clear enough. This condition was more than human hands could handle. But Riven couldn’t have known. He couldn’t hear.

And I—I couldn’t know what he was truly feeling.

"Don’t give up!"

I clasped his hand tightly between both of mine.

Riven turned his face toward me.

"We haven’t lost yet! Not yet!"

I knew he couldn’t hear me. But I couldn’t stop myself from saying it.

This heat, this feeling—I could only convey it by speaking it out loud. No other way would ever reach him.

"We—we haven’t lost!"

I remembered the auction.

He had sunk into despair then, too. Crushed by a hopeless reality.

It was the same now. No—this time was worse. Because it had already happened. Because his natural sharp eyes and absurdly keen ears had been stolen away.

"That’s why, that’s why…"

Don’t give up.

The words stuck in my throat. All I could think of were things like what do I do or how can I fix this.

So instead, all I could do was cling to him.

I wanted him to feel my heat. My refusal to give in. Even if only a little, as long as he could feel it through touch—

I believed it would say more than a handful of words ever could.

At first Riven stiffened, but he didn’t push me away. As if to confirm that I was really there, he only touched my arm—just barely.