Rain,
a Cave, and the Truth 6
Hurrying
back to Ashren-sama, he had lit the other lamp and was waiting for me
while holding it up above his head.
「There was a cave nearby. I will lend
you my shoulder; can you walk?」
「Sorry. It seems I cannot walk alone.」
I
crouched down and stood up as if slipping under Ashren-sama's arm.
Staggering a little, we managed to reach the cave while the rain was still
falling. We proceeded a little further inside, and after I lowered Ashren-sama
from my shoulder, I headed even deeper.
「Ah, there are twigs here. I wonder
if they were blown into the cave by the wind.」
When
I picked them up, they were not damp, perhaps having been here for quite some
time.
「I want to start a fire; could you
gather them for me?」
「Understood.」
The
scattered twigs were quite numerous. Gathering those with dead leaves still
attached, as I proceeded deeper and deeper, I could hear the dripping sound of
water.
Taking
the branches back to Ashren-sama for the time being and handing them
over, I headed toward the place where the sound of water came from, checking
that the cloth canteen was in my raincoat pocket. We have enough drinking
water, but it's better to secure more just in case.
Water
dripped from the ceiling drop by drop, and a small but deep puddle had formed
beneath it. Formed over many years by water hollowing out the rock, there were,
of course, no living creatures inside it.
I
dipped my finger in, waited a moment, and after confirming there was no
irritation or itchiness, I took a tiny amount into my mouth. But.
Ptoo.
I
immediately spat it out and rinsed my mouth with the slight amount of water
remaining in the cloth bag. No good, this water cannot be drunk.
There
is no numbness, but a slight tingling irritation remains on my tongue. Thinking
it's fine since we have drinking water, I placed my hand on the cave wall and
lightly stroked the rugged rock surface.
「The rocks in this cave are different
from the ones on the mountain path...」
Bringing
the lamp closer, I could see faint blue impurities inside the rock. The rocks
rolling on the mountain path didn't have anything like that, so it might be
unique to the stratum at this depth.I'm curious, I thought, but the
priority right now is Ashren-sama. I gave up on the water and decided to
return to Ashren-sama's side.
「There was water further inside, but
it's better not to drink it. I will treat your injury, so let me take off your
shoe.」
「Understood. I will do it myself, so
could you take the medicine out of my backpack, Layla? They are all
gathered in a hemp bag.」
「Yes. I will open it without asking,
then.」
Mark-sama has my backpack, so the only
one here is Ashren-sama's. I opened it and searched for the hemp bag
containing the medicine. Ashren-sama took off the shoes from both his
feet, placed them near the fire, and this time took off his raincoat.
「You should dry your shoes and
raincoat as well, Layla.」
I
handed the hemp bag I found to Ashren-sama, and in exchange, received
his removed raincoat. I spread it out on a rock near the fire to dry, and while
I was at it, took off my own raincoat and hung it next to his. Then, although I
had a little hesitation, I took off my shoes as told to let them dry.
Even
though I was wearing a raincoat, both my shirt and trousers were wet. But I
have no change of clothes, so I have no choice but to stay as close to the fire
as possible.
「I will apply the poultice.」
I
received the poultice from Ashren-sama, who was trying to treat it
himself. This is the poultice I made, with Ashren-sama's further
improvements added to it.
「Despite the situation, I am looking
forward to seeing how effective it is.」
「I can somewhat understand that
feeling. Let's put desiccants in your shoes as well.」
I
took out two desiccants from the hemp bag. I made these for the knights who
highly praised the athlete's foot medicine.
The
insides of the knights' shoes are in quite a bad environment, walking through
mud and getting damp with sweat. Thinking a strong desiccant was needed, I put
several powdered medicinal herbs along with charcoal into highly breathable
cloth. It's not just a desiccant; it's a masterpiece that removes moisture,
suppresses the proliferation of bacteria, and has a good scent as a bonus.
「Let's use one at a time. If we swap
them halfway through, both the left and right shoes will probably dry.」
「I am so sorry that we don't have my
backpack.」
「Do not worry about it.」
I
put the deodorizer in one of each of Ashren-sama's and my shoes. Ashren-sama
tells me, "I am looking forward to the results of that too," but I am
starting to feel apologetic for my own worthlessness.
「Also, let's change out of those wet
clothes. I have two changes of clothes, so I will lend you one.」
「I'm sorry.」
「I told you not to worry about it,
didn't I.」
Ashren-sama handed me a new shirt and
trousers from his backpack and turned his back. I feel reluctant to take off my
clothes, but I cannot stay wet, and I don't want to be troublesome by getting
embarrassed in a situation like this.
I
undid the buttons, took off my shirt, and threw on the shirt Ashren-sama
handed me. Of course, it was big and baggy, so I rolled up the sleeves four
times. The waist of the trousers was also too big, so I borrowed a rope and
tied it.
Even
after finishing changing, Ashren-sama called out to me in a gentle voice
as I looked down in self-hatred.
「Layla, come near the fire. Even though it
is summer, you will catch a cold.」
「Yes.」
I
held my hands out to the bonfire in front of me. The heat transmitting from my
fingertips made me realize that my body had gotten completely cold.
「Because I lack stamina, I held you
back, and on top of that, I even caused you to get injured, Ashren-sama.
Even now, we are in a cave like this unable to treat it properly; I am so
sorry.」
「I am just glad you were not injured,
Layla.」
「Even after struggling so much to get
here, there might not be any results.」
「That is not true. We will obtain the
result that 'there was nothing'.」
A
result that 'there was nothing'. Hearing these words for the first time, I
shifted my gaze from the bonfire and met his ice-blue eyes, which were smiling
softly.
「Layla, there is no such thing as a wasted effort. The very fact that you did it becomes a result in itself.」
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