Chapter 18
Blair asked, puzzled. It didn’t feel like he had been lying down for that long.
“It’s been exactly a week since you had that horseback riding accident.”
Horseback riding accident? Blair’s sense of disorientation became increasingly clear. What horseback riding accident? He had taken an arrow for Kyle at the imperial hunting grounds and died—no, not died, but was injured. Come to think of it, it was also strange that only his brother was here, without Aaron or Kyle. Blair’s eyes narrowed further. Something was definitely off.
“What horseback riding accident?”
“Didn’t you fall off your horse in Frey Forest a week ago? They say it’s fortunate you took knights with you; if you had gone alone, it could have been disastrous. The physician says it’s nothing serious, but you’ve been unconscious for a week, and everyone in the family has been very worried.”
He did have such a memory. He had fallen while riding like a madman in Frey Forest. But that was long ago, when he was a teenager. And back then, Blair had collapsed in the morning, been sick for exactly one day, and woken up the next evening. He certainly had no memory of being bedridden for a week.
“I see. Was I badly injured?”
Still unable to make sense of the situation, Blair responded obediently. He couldn’t figure out what was happening.
“No, the knights said you managed to break your fall before the impact, so the damage was minimal. The physician says you only injured your left arm. But since you’ve been unconscious for so long, the family has been extremely worried. When you recover, make sure to apologize to our parents.”
Ah, that’s right. It happened that way. The incident was over ten years ago, so his memory was hazy.
“I’m sorry for causing worry, brother.”
Blair responded reflexively.
“Don’t be. You’re grown now, and you should have that kind of spirit. But never forget that your health and safety are always the most important.”
Now he somewhat understood the situation. This seemed to be an extension of the life review. It appeared he was witnessing a memory from ten years ago. The memories seemed slightly mixed up, but perhaps everyone’s life review was different. Blair carefully examined Theodore’s face, which looked not just young but youthful. A welcome sight. He was truly glad that his last memory wasn’t of Kyle. It was nice to see Theodore’s youthful face after so long. This was the best possible companion for the journey to the afterlife.
“I missed you, brother.”
Blair hugged Theodore around the neck. The brothers had quite a significant age gap. Theodore was a full ten years older than Blair, almost like an uncle. Having grown up receiving all sorts of affection from his older siblings due to the large age difference, Blair was quite affectionate with his family. Though he maintained all sorts of dignity as a duke and grand general in his normal life, he didn’t want to be that way in front of his brother.
When Blair received the title of Duke Gladius, he had to give up Castle Monetery. Naturally, Blair also lost his right of succession to the House of Monetery, and living solely in the capital led to an inevitable distance from his family. The Monetery territory wasn’t even that far from the capital, but that’s how things had turned out.
He had planned to visit the Monetery territory and catch up with Theodore after retiring from his position as Grand General, and now it seemed his longing had manifested as a fantasy. Either way, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.
“Haha, after being sick, it seems you’ve missed me a lot.”
Theodore gently stroked Blair’s head. Just then, the door opened again, and the physician entered. With a smile, the physician separated the two brothers.
“It’s good to see brotherly affection, but since the youngest master has woken up, I need to examine him again.”
“Of course.”
Theodore released Blair. The physician, who had brought his medical bag, unwrapped the bandage on Blair’s left shoulder. He was the House of Monetery’s doctor who had been caring for Blair since childhood.
At this point, it was quite a realistic life review. Now he understood why people smiled as they died. With such a realistic and pleasant dream, it made sense. Blair continued his train of thought. It was warm and peaceful. I should have just lived as the third son of Monetery, eating and playing all my life, instead of accepting the Gladius territory. I shouldn’t have gone to war.
“You’re healthy. You’re only sixteen, a robust age, so your recovery is quick. This is the healthiest time of your life. Since you’ve been bedridden for a week, your body will be weakened, so eat nutritious and soft foods for a while. I’ll prescribe medicine separately.”
“I understand.”
Theodore nodded.
“Then I’ll take my leave. I was worried since you were bedridden for a week despite not having a serious injury, but you seem to be in good health with no major issues. Refrain from using your left arm for a while and take care of your body as much as possible, Young Master Blair. Other than that, there’s nothing special to worry about.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Blair nodded to the physician unconsciously. After finishing his various instructions, the physician changed the bandage wrapped around Blair’s shoulder. After prescribing medicine, the physician promptly left.
For a life review, this was remarkably realistic and long-lasting. He thought he had been listening to Kyle’s wailing for quite some time, but it seemed the thread of life was quite tenacious. So this much time is granted before crossing over to the afterlife. While it might have been nice to see various scenes from his life, it wasn’t a bad feeling to enjoy the most peaceful part of his life for a long time. Seeing Theodore’s young face made him think that way.
Perhaps what feels like a long time to me is actually just one second in reality. Blair shrugged his shoulders.
“Ow, ow, ow, ow!”
“Blair?”
Having forgotten about his injured shoulder, he shrugged and was hit by a wave of pain. For a life review before death, why is this so realistic? It really hurts! Blair grumbled inwardly. Blair was quite stoic, but his shoulder hurt excessively. One would think that pain wouldn’t be felt in a fantasy, but this life review was extremely realistic.
“You must have been injured quite badly. Refrain from going outside for a while.”
“Yes, I will, brother.”
“Take your medicine before sleeping. The physician said it’s a painkiller mixed with a sleeping aid, so you should sleep well.”
Theodore, with a worried expression, handed him the medicine. Blair naturally took and swallowed it, then lay back down. Looking up at Theodore while lying down, Blair’s eyes were bright with no sign of drowsiness.
“Well, I wonder if you’ll be able to sleep after having slept for so long already. Sleep well, little one.”
Theodore briefly kissed Blair’s forehead, turned off the light, and left the room. It was certainly a pleasant fantasy to see as a final scene before departing for the afterlife. A gentle smile spread across Blair’s face.
Despite having supposedly slept for a week, sleep helplessly overtook Blair. Before losing consciousness, Blair had one final thought.
This must really be the end now.
It was a life with no regrets. I’ve lived well enough. Blair closed his eyes, mourning his own death.
But despite his self-mourning, Blair was able to open his eyes and get up the next day as well. No, what kind of life review goes on this long? Grumbling as he got up, Blair finally left the bed and stood in front of the full-length mirror in the corner of the room.
“Hmm.”
Blair let out a subtle sound. Though it was a face he had seen every day for thirty-three years, it was strange to see himself suddenly younger by nearly twenty years. His jawline was still slender, there was no muscle to be found on his limbs, and his hair was short. His face, not yet showing any signs of beard growth, looked young and youthful.
“I was quite cute when I was young.”
Blair gave himself a generous evaluation. It was one of the common assessments an elder gives to a youngster. As he touched his cheeks, the young Blair in the mirror touched his cheeks the same way. It was a rather peculiar feeling to watch the mirror image of young, innocent-looking Blair mimic his actions while he himself was a weathered politician and a monster known as the “Sword Demon.”
How long had he been standing in front of the mirror when the door suddenly burst open?
“Blair!”
“Sister?”
Glossy black bob hair. A person wearing active wear that didn’t suit a noble lady—it was Blair’s older sister. She was eye-catching with her tall, slender figure and friendly features.
“I heard you woke up yesterday and only saw Theo? I wanted to see you too, my baby. Why are you up and not lying down?”
Clara, eight years older than Blair, kneaded his cheeks as if they were bread dough.
“I’m so glad you’re not seriously injured. We were very worried when you didn’t wake up for so long.”
“It’s nothing, sister.”
By this point, he couldn’t distinguish what was what. Wasn’t this a life review? But the cheeks that Clara was pinching ached quite a bit for a life review. He could feel both her body temperature and pain where her hand touched his cheek. The sensation was too realistic. Yesterday he could feel pain, and now this ultra-realistic life review had continued for more than two days. Could such a thing exist?
Blair’s expression gradually became more perplexed.
“So, what did the physician say?”
“Just to use my left arm less and take care of myself.”
Blair answered Clara’s question unconsciously.
“That’s not helpful at all. Who doesn’t know that? I’ll have the merchant guild send some medicinal herbs that are good for your body, so make sure to take them. You need to take care of your health before returning to the academy.”
“Yes, sister. Wait, the academy?”
“Hm? You have to go back next week, don’t you? It’s spring already. Since you were unconscious for so long, our parents were saying you should take a leave of absence this semester. Are you planning to take a break? Not going?”
When Blair asked with wide eyes, Clara’s eyes widened in response.
“Ah, no!”
Though he didn’t understand anything, Blair answered first and thought later. It was the discipline of a soldier accustomed to following orders.
“Good. You need to take care of your health if you’re going to the academy. Though I’m sure you’ll manage well on your own. Make sure to take the medicine I send. And this is pocket money! You’ll need it at the academy.”
[To be continued in the next chapter…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
