Chapter 21
“Ouch!”
“Hold still.”
The moment the disinfectant touched my wound, the hair all over my body stood on end.
I screwed my eyes shut, clenched my teeth, and held my breath, trying to endure the pain.
At least it was fortunate that it wasn’t business hours yet, so the tavern was empty except for us.
“Argh! It hurts…”
Thanks to that, I didn’t have to hold back and could groan out loud.
“Geez. Didn’t I tell you not to pick fights carelessly? If something happens, you should come to me first.”
“Hehe.”
Fiona, who was applying ointment to the wound on my leg, raised her eyes to look at me.
Her gaze was full of reproach, and I looked away with an awkward grin.
Her scolding always intimidated me.
Before becoming the owner of the Green Tavern, Fiona had been a mercenary—
and not just any mercenary, but the right-hand of the most successful mercenary company in the country.
She had been both talented and smart at a young age, so her value among mercenaries was extremely high.
But her mercenary career didn’t last long.
She had been injured while carrying out a commission.
In the end, she had to retire, and she returned to her hometown, Asicle Village, where she opened the tavern called the “Green Giant.”
Even so, her reputation carried on well after her retirement, and people continued to seek her out.
Though she had officially stepped away, she couldn’t cut ties with the mercenary world.
Eventually, while running the tavern on the surface, she secretly continued her old line of work.
That’s how she became an information broker whom no one in the underworld dared to touch.
Maybe that’s why—
To me, Fiona was both a kind person and a frightening one.
You know the type of person: cheerful, kind, and easygoing most of the time… but terrifying when angry.
That was Fiona, exactly.
‘She’s the one who taught me to only focus on one opponent when fighting.’
Back when I was weak and kept getting knocked down, Fiona had grabbed my shoulder and told me:
“Beat up just one guy. Just one.”
She must have misunderstood back then, having just returned to the village after retirement and not knowing me well yet.
She probably thought I was being bullied.
‘Well, that worked out for me. Thanks to that misunderstanding, she taught me some self-defense.’
Even though my body wasn’t suited for fighting and I only learned how to target vital points…
Still, because of that, I wasn’t afraid of petty thugs anymore.
‘If only I had been a little stronger… If I’d had even a fraction of Claude’s skill, things might have turned out differently.’
Estelle wouldn’t have had to hear such awful things, and I wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
‘…Wait, why am I suddenly thinking of Claude?’
Maybe because he’s the most skilled person I know.
I tilted my head at the thought, then shrugged it off.
“Sigh.”
In front of me, Fiona let out a long, deep sigh.
She had been scolding me this whole time, but clearly, I wasn’t listening, which frustrated her.
I rolled my eyes and avoided her gaze.
Fiona finally let out a resigned huff and ruffled my hair.
“Still, you did well, just like I taught you.”
“Right?”
I grinned at her praise.
Though the wound on my face quickly forced me to wince again.
Fiona shot me a sharp look.
“What are you smiling for? You’re all banged up.”
Maybe it was because of her wavy orange hair, but Fiona always carried an aura of confidence and sensuality that made it impossible to treat her lightly.
But since she’d helped me when I was younger, at moments like this she felt more like an older sister.
A reliable sister I could always lean on.
‘That’s why I was so happy when I found out she and Peter were together.’
Two people I truly liked and trusted, dating each other.
Just knowing that filled me with joy and even a little pride.
While I was grinning to myself, Fiona finished up and pressed a gauze pad firmly onto my wound, securing it with tape.
“All done. But next time, don’t jump in headfirst. Come to me first, okay?”
“Yes, I will.”
“You always say that.”
Fiona shrugged, pouting a little.
And in that moment, I couldn’t help but feel envious of Peter, who got to see this side of her every day.
“Alright, Reyna’s treatment is done. What about the little one?”
“I’m not hurt anywhere.”
“Really? Let me check anyway.”
Fiona took the sugar bag from Estelle, quickly scanned her up and down, then nodded.
“You’re fine. Thank goodness.”
The moment Fiona let her go, Estelle hugged the sugar bag tightly again.
“But don’t you have work? Isn’t this your busiest time?”
“What? Oh no, the time!”
I froze when I checked.
The children’s free time had ended long ago.
By now, they must have realized I was missing, whether they’d napped or not.
They were probably looking for me.
‘I just hope nothing happened while I was gone…’
Anxiousness rushed over me.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s not like they’re alone, there are older ones too. If you hurry back now, it’ll be fine.”
Fiona had noticed my worry. She patted my back gently to reassure me.
“I want to hear the full story of what happened today, but next time is fine. Even if you don’t tell me, it’s alright. I’ve already seen your face.”
With that, Fiona lightly pushed me and Estelle toward the tavern door. She opened it wide and waved us off.
“Thanks for the help. See you next time!”
Estelle and I bowed our heads in thanks before hurrying back toward the village school.
“Teacher!”
The moment we opened the school door, the children came rushing at us.
Seeing their faces, I was relieved.
Nothing bad had happened. Their faces were all bright and cheerful.
But as they got closer, their expressions shifted into worry.
They had noticed my injuries.
“Teacher, you’re hurt! Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I just tripped on the way. It’ll heal soon.”
I gave them a big smile on purpose to reassure them.
“What should you do when you get hurt so it heals fast?”
“Disinfect it and put ointment on!”
“That’s right!”
Thankfully, they calmed down quickly.
“But teacher, where did you go? You were gone when we woke up.”
“Sorry. Did I scare you?”
“Yes, but it’s okay. My uncle told us fun stories.”
One of the kids at the front pointed across the room.
There sat Basago, smiling warmly at us.
‘Phew, thank goodness.’
Relief washed over me.
I’d almost left the kids unattended, but Basago had been here the whole time, looking after them.
Still, that didn’t erase the fact that I’d been irresponsible.
Leaving without telling them—no matter the reason—was wrong.
I’d have to apologize to both the kids and to the people who trusted me with them.
“Teacher, we’re hungry. What about snacks?”
While I was lost in guilt, another child called from afar.
He clutched his belly and plopped down on the floor dramatically.
Oh no.
I had almost forgotten about snack time.
“I’ll bring it right away. Just wait a little.”
“Okay!”
Taking the sugar from Estelle, I hurried into the kitchen.
Luckily, I had already prepared most of the snack before leaving, so it wouldn’t take long.
I melted the sugar into syrup, then tossed in the fried sweet potatoes and mixed them well.
As I stirred, I felt someone’s presence behind me.
I turned, still holding the spatula.
“Estelle?”
It was indeed Estelle, fidgeting with her hands and chewing her lip, as though she had something to say.
I turned off the fire, set the spatula down, and walked over to her.
“What is it, Estelle?”
“Um, I… th-thank… you.”
She shifted her eyes nervously, mumbling.
Her voice was so small I could barely hear her.
I gave her a gentle smile to reassure her and asked softly:
“Hmm? What did you just say?”
Then, to my surprise, she answered clearly—
“…Thank you. F-for saving me.”
