﹡ ⊹ ⊰ Chapter 6 ⊱ ⊹ ﹡
"Dr. O'Malley, are you there?"
My father arrived with me in the infirmary in the mansion, as expected.
Doctors in this world are similar to oriental medicine doctors, they decocted and grind medicinal herbs and use them as medicines, and some doctors have mysterious powers that are sometimes called healing powers, they are similar to the priests in novels.
As soon as they entered the small building, even those who did not know the smell of the medicinal herbs that permeated in the air will know that this place was a clinic.
"Dr. O'Malley!"
As you know from the smell of herbs, Lombardy's doctor, Dr. O'Malley, was a textbook type of physician.
"What are you doing here, Gallahan?"
From the inside, the door of the lab opened and a man with a suspicious look walked out.
He was a tall man who looked roughly in his late forties.
"Firentia is injured, can you take a look at her?"
At my father's words, Dr. O'Malley made a brief check-up on me.
If I was injured enough to bring me to the clinic, a child that should have been crying would usually appear to him.
"So, how did it become like this?"
As I sat in a chair, Dr. O'Malley looked at my wound and frowned.
It was because the wound was more severe than he thought.
"I fell over."
I questioned myself inwardly, why it looked like the same wound as my old wound.
"Your knee may start to hurt now."
Unfortunately, it was originally the place where I fell and was injured on my birthday.
When I tried to grow without getting scars, I ended up getting something similar.
However, it wasn't broken anywhere, and unlike me, My father nodded his head, and his face turned out to be bad.
"Who... ."
It would be upsetting to see scars on his daughter's body.
My father's big hand stroked my head heavily.
Dr. O'Malley looked at us for a moment, then took out a strange potion and smeared it over my wound.
"Are you in pain again, young miss?"
Honestly, it's a bit awkward to hear a forceful show of respect for the first time in a long while.
Right.
I felt like this before my father died.
I reached out to Dr. O'Malley with my left arm, which was more severe than my knee.
"Here too...."
"Ugh."
The doctor, who saw my swollen wrist, groaned unwittingly.
"Who did it, Tia?"
My father asked in an angry low voice.
If I told him that it was because of Bellesac and Astalliu that made my wrists like this, he might go to the parents of the children who were responsible for my injuries.
But I replied in the same tone as before.
"I fell over."
"Tia..."
My father was upset as he called my name, but I pretended not to hear or do not know.
"Hmmm. I don't think it's broken because of the degree of swelling, but I think you should be careful for about a few days."
Eventually, a thick bandage was wrapped around my wrist.
When I take a bath, I must loosen it, but I had to rebind it afterward. Dr. O'Malley decided to visit me every few days.
I was also told that I had to drink bitter medicine every day for a month.
It was the worst for me, who hated bitter food or tea even as an adult.
As I felt bitter in my mouth, my father, who looked at me holding a medicine bag with quivering eyes, turned to Dr. O'Malley and said.
"Doctor. I want to talk to my daughter for a while, so will you leave us for a minute?"
"Yes. I'll be in the lab. Call me if you need anything."
The doctor went back to the lab and only me and my father were left.
This is Dr. O'Malley's space, so we should be mindful if there is anything to say.
But naturally, from the image of my father asking the doctor to go out, I felt that he was truly the son of Rulhac.
"Tia."
As I was sitting on the chair, my father knelt on one knee to level himself with my eyes before calling my name.
Seeing my father this close with the same green eyes as mine that I could only see when looking in the mirror as an adult, I am happy with a pain in my heart.
"Why didn't you talk earlier?"
It may be about Bellesac and Astalliu that he was talking about.
My dad knew they were bothering me, but it must have been a big shock as he knew for the first time today that I was even listening to such abusive words.
In the old days, I was scared of Bellesac that I would flee as soon as possible if I saw him from afar, and I couldn't even think of asking for help from the adults.
Eventually, my father did not know of this even the day he died.
I thought it was fortunate that he didn't know back then.
Now, looking back, it was really stupid of me.
"When we were arguing, he said that I'm a half-blood and hit me."
"Those guys!"
My angry father jumped up, looking as if he was going to find and punish Bellesac and Astalliu right away.
But my hand grabbed my father's sleeve.
"It's okay. I hit him a lot in return, so he won't be able to say that again."
If he does it, I will hit him again.
My father, who was exasperated for a while at my calm reaction, sat down again with a burst of bleak laughter.
"Tia, can I ask just one question?"
"What is it?"
"Why do you seem different today?"
It seemed that you wanted to know what had changed in me.
From a parent's point of view, I wonder what my child is thinking.
"Because I won't stand it anymore if I just keep quiet."
When I was young I had endured everything they've done, thinking that if I endured, it will end someday.
As I expected, as we got older, Bellesac and Astalliu's harassment stopped, but it wasn't really over.
Eventually, it turned into a different kind of violence and discrimination.
"I won't be patient in the future. I'll hit them again, and if that doesn't work, I'll reach out to adults and cry. So don't worry too much."
I said and hugged my father, who looked at me with sad eyes.
My father, who was stiffed for a while, looked surprised and patted me on my back.
"But Tia. Why are you suddenly calling your dad father? I would like you to call me dad as before."
Oh.
I originally called my father, dad.
I felt sorry for the sudden sense of distance, and my father's eyes were drooping.
I finally met my father again, who died ten years ago, but I can't believe that I didn't even call him dad!
"Dad!"
As I said it, I held my father's arm more sweetly.
"Let's live happily together for a long, long time!"
"Hahaha! Of course, Tia."
Dad doesn't know what's the meaning behind my words just now.
In fact, he will never know.
This time, I won't let you die in vain like before.
I will save you.
I will save both Dad and the Lombardy Family!
* * *
Office of the Head.
Rulhac rubbed his white brows and looked at the book in front of him.
<People of the South>
He sent a person to bring another one from the library the book that Firentia was carrying before.
It was because he wondered if he remembered the contents of the book incorrectly.
This book was a study of a new mysterious tribe discovered about a decade ago at the southern tip of the empire.
The authors introduced that they live in the forest and have a very restricted culture.
They have the mystical power of 'magic'.
It was explained that it was an ability that only came down through the lineage and that it had a secret power that could not be taught to outsiders.
Rulhac covered the book with his hand after scanning through its contents.
Such contents were not important.
What worried Rulhac at the moment was why his granddaughter, at the age of seven, was reading a difficult academic book written for adults, which is not a liberal arts book like literature.
Knock, knock.
With the sound of a knock, a man with a long blonde hair tied neatly and wearing glasses entered.
It was the scholar Clerivan, who has been supporting Rulhac since the early days of creating the scholarship system.
Currently, he was in charge of the residence's finances and the Lombardy children's education.
"Did you call me, my Lord?"
"Sit down for a moment."
As soon as Clerivan stands across the table, Rulhac pushed the book, <People of the South> towards him.
"What is this?"
"It's the book my granddaughter was reading today."
"If it's a granddaughter... was it Miss Laranne?"
Laranne was Vieze's eldest daughter and Bellesac's two-year-older sister.
"It's amazing. To be able to read a book like this at the age of eleven...."
"It's not Laranne."
"Then who is it?"
"Firentia."
At Rulhac's words, Clerivan frowned.
He wondered if Lord Rulhac was joking just now.
"I'm not kidding."
"But Miss Firentia is still..."
"Seven years old."
Clerivan who immediately held up the book to check its contents as Rulhac did, seemed to be in doubt.
"Wouldn't it be that she taken the book because she just likes the cover?"
The dark green cover, like the forest in which the people of the south live, couldn't have looked pretty in a young child's eyes.
"When I'm seven years old, I'm only at the age of knowing how to read children's books or the likes."
"It's usually like that."
"Then, are you saying that Miss Firentia is not an ordinary person?"
"I called you here to find that out."
"If so..."
"On your next lecture, let Firentia take classes with other children as well."
Once a week, Clerivan gathered the children of Lombardy and teach class.
Subjects follow classes regardless of age.
The only children in the class who are expected to attend are the only two older children of Vieze and the eleven-year-old twin sons of Shananet, the only daughter of Rulhac.
"Miss Firentia is still too young. A seven-year-old will find it difficult to sit in one place for such a long time, rather than understand the class."
"That's also generally the case."
Clerivan, who read something meaningful from Rulhac's words, narrowed his eyes.
"What are you looking for, Lord Rulhac?"
"Well."
Rulhac's thick fingers struck the desk.
"Firentia's mother was a nomad who moved into this capital. She was beautiful in appearance, but there was no other special trait."
The face is faint in his memories, but the only thing that deeply impressed Rulhac was that woman's determined green eyes.
"It's true that I didn't pay much attention to Firentia. But looking at her today...."
He remembered the face of his granddaughter, who was saying everything she had to say without a shed of tears even though her hair was messed up all over.
"I had a feeling that there is finally someone who came worthy of inheriting my blood."
When he remembered how she was swinging a book on top of Bellesac, who was much larger than she was, a rare joyful smile appeared on Rulhac's wrinkled face.
Reviewed by Lnovels
on
January 03, 2021
Rating:
No comments: