Chương 60: Remembrance

Adolin's eyes fluttered open, and a sharp stab of light greeted him. He groaned and closed them again. His head was hurting too, and the air reeked of healing herbs and alchemy. He felt incredibly unpleasant. What had happened?

"Lord—" he heard a voice as footsteps approached him. He covered his eyes with his hands and opened them slowly. It wasn't as bright as he'd assumed. It was just that he was extremely sensitive... to everything. The parts of his skin touching anything hurt, and his ears hurt from the noise.

"How are you feeling, Lord?" a woman's voice said.

"Get the Lord! He's awake."

"Great," Adolin said as he squinted his eyes again. Well, he wasn't feeling that great. It was closer to awful, or perhaps there was a better word for it. Atrocious? He had been examining the curse in the Count's core. That was the last thing he remembered, and the pain... it was odd. Everything should hurt after what he had done, but not this much. The terrible sensitivity to everything was odd as well. That wasn't a symptom of what he assumed happened to him. Sensory overload.

There was one explanation for what was happening to him, but that only made sense if he had been unconscious for two days or more. That meant he had overstayed by a lot inside the Count's core. The voices around him started getting louder, and he felt nausea rising in his stomach. He vomited onto the ground. Once everything was out of his system, he cast Toxin Removal and felt the nausea and pain begin to fade. He lay back down on what he assumed was a bed and closed his eyes.

It would take a few moments for everything to return to normal. A minute later, he opened his eyes. Eduard was standing right in front of him, alongside two women dressed as nurses and an older man in a black coat covered in herbal residue. An alchemist, he guessed.

"Adolin," Eduard said.

"What happened?"

"What? Just took a quick nap," Adolin said, wiping his face. His head still hurt, but that was just as he expected. It was from the sensory overload he had experienced.

"A two day nap?" Eduard said. Adolin sat up on the bed, his legs hanging over the spot where he had vomited. The smell made sense now.

"I was exhausted," he said.

"The Count?" Eduard asked. That brought him back to what had happened before he lost consciousness. He knew he had discovered something important, but what was it? His memory of the last few moments inside the core was incredibly vague. His stomach grumbled.

"Let me get something to eat first." Eduard nodded and looked toward the other side of the room.

"It will be prepared."

"Thanks," Adolin said. There was something missing... The kitten.

"The cat?"

"We took it outside. It didn't want to leave your side after you fell unconscious and stayed with you the entire time," the woman to Eduard's left said.

"So we took it out to eat and drink some water. It's with my sister. The kitten is in good hands." Adolin nodded.

"Thanks." He glanced at the ground and turned his body away. He didn't want to step in that. Just as his feet touched the ground, two men stepped forward and helped him stand. He didn't really need the help, but he didn't complain. He was pretty sure he looked awful. The woman continued.

"Such a fierce little protector," she commented. Adolin chuckled.

"It didn't cause much trouble?"

"No, it was adorable." Well, the kitten was making new friends at the estate. Maybe he could leave it with them. They were already taking care of it. They left the building and headed toward the one Eduard lived in, the man helping him walk. He could have used another healing spell and fixed the problem, but it didn't feel right. Everyone looked worried, and if he suddenly used a spell and returned to normal, it would just make the situation awkward. He didn't like awkward situations.

They got closer to the building, and out of the garden, a little kitten sprinted toward them. It reached him and started climbing, its little claws digging into his skin. Moments later, it was standing on his shoulder and meowing loudly into his ear. The meows did sound worried. He lightly patted its head.

"There, there. I'm good," he muttered. The kitten's mouth was also wet, with milk, he guessed. They had been taking good care of it, he noted. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. A little girl came running from the same direction the kitten had come from. Around ten years old, Adolin guessed. She stopped in front of them, panting, and looked at the kitten sitting on his shoulder.

"Umm..." She looked at everyone present and bowed to him, then to Eduard.

"My lords." Then she glanced at his shoulder again.

"Maya," the woman who had spoken with him earlier said, "is that how you should act before a lord?"

"No." She bowed again. Eduard laughed softly.

"Leave the poor kid alone," he started at the woman.

"You came running after the cat?"

"Yes," Maya said, looking at the ground. Adolin smiled as well.

"You can play with the kitten." Her eyes brightened, and she looked at the kitten again.

"Really?" Maya asked and took a few steps toward him. The kitten on his shoulder hissed at her, but that didn't stop the girl. She stopped in front of him. Adolin glanced at the kitten.

"Go play with her and be nice." The kitten meowed annoyingly at him, but he ignored it. He took it from his shoulder and handed it to the girl. Maya smiled and ran back the way she had come. Adolin managed to get rid of the kitten, at least for the time being. Then they entered the building where Adolin had eaten his first meal in the new world and sat beside Eduard. Everyone else left them, except for the two elite guards standing by the door.

The table only had bread on it, along with a tray of butter in front of him and another in front of Eduard. He took a piece of bread and tore off a chunk. Then he scooped some butter from the tray and spread it over the bread before taking a bite. Then another. He was starving. Eduard didn't say anything and joined him. Soon, more dishes were placed on the table around them. Smoked meat, fresh sliced fruit, and some kind of jam. Adolin dug into everything and only stopped once he was full and his stomach hurt.

He hadn't even realized how hungry he had been. When they were done, pitchers of cold beer were brought to the table, and Adolin took a long sip. He had to admit, he enjoyed meals like this. Well, it was probably a normal breakfast for Eduard, but Adolin enjoyed it quite a bit. There weren't many sources of food on the Demon Continent, and he had eaten just about everything a human could consume. None of it had tasted good.

"Better?" Eduard asked. Adolin nodded. He was content, and he had cast a healing spell before starting his feast. Now, his stomach was the only thing that hurt.

"Care to explain what happened?"

"Well, I overstayed where I shouldn't have," Adolin said.

"And suffered a backlash from my own stupidity." Eduard put his hands on the table, interlocking his fingers.

"The Count? Did you discover the problem?"

"I'm pretty sure it's a curse, or something similar to one," Adolin said as he leaned back in his chair, one hand resting on his stomach.

"Can the curse be removed? Can the Count be healed?"

"I think so, but I'll need some time to find a way. Along with a few other things I need to do."

"There is a chance?" Eduard asked. He leaned forward slightly.

"Right?" Adolin nodded.

"Let me know what resources you need," Eduard said.

"Everything will be provided." Did he need a certain inn burned down? He did indeed, but wasn't that a touch too much? He needed to think of something that involved less fire.

"I'll let you know, but a list of everyone who was in contact with the Count before he fell ill would be appreciated." Eduard looked like he wanted to say something, but only nodded.

"Someone will bring it to you." Adolin took his coin pouch from his inventory and pulled out two gold coins.

"This," he said, placing the coins on the table, "for the carriage driver." He left soon after. He needed a quiet place to clear his thoughts and try to recover his memories of the final moments inside the Count's core. He knew he had found the issue, but little else. Everything was blurry, and he needed to remember what he had seen so he could find a way to resolve it. He also had a feeling that he needed to see a list of everyone who had been involved with the Count around the time he fell ill.

He wasn't sure why. But he was certain it was important. The great thing about the estate was that it had multiple gardens. He found the most isolated one, hidden behind the main building, and headed there. His first guess about the number of guards had been wrong, because there were even more stationed behind the buildings. Probably as many as there were in the front. Eduard had practically brought an army. He didn't blame him. He would probably do the same in a similar situation.

Though the good thing about it was that he had earned some trust from Eduard, and no one bothered him. There were only a few guards and a mage keeping a constant eye on him. He stepped inside the garden. It was more colorful than the gardens in the front. It was also quiet and peaceful, with a few birds chirping in the trees around him. The air smelled of flowers, the sweet kind. There were a few benches, but he ignored them and walked toward the center of the garden.

There was a small patch of grass that wasn't crowded with flowers and plants, just enough space for a person to sit. So he went there, sat in a meditative position, and closed his eyes. Adolin took a deep breath, savoring the aroma around him. He needed to be careful with his mana during his stay at the estate. He had a feeling that troublesome things were coming, though he wasn't sure where that feeling was coming from. It wouldn't be the Count's men, or Eduard of that he was certain. But something was coming.

And if he didn't finish his job here quickly enough, he would get caught up in politics once again. Was it really that hard to stay away from them? He frowned. Taking a few mana potions was probably what he needed. Maybe a few extra as a backup. Eduard would likely allow him to take them, so there was no reason not to. Now, he needed to get back to the problem with the Count. Recovering his memories. Remembrance. The pain from the event hit him again, as if he was experiencing it again.