24 Hearts

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The twenty-fourth fragment, Carpe Diem

Judah waited for her patiently. The moment her helmet vanished away, her blue hair damp with sweat cascaded down to her shoulders, like the moonlight shining on a river. His moment of beholding her beauty was cut short as soon as his eyes caught sight of her bleeding wound.

The entirety of her joint bled, and the mere sight of it made Judah wince. He hastily pulled water out of his -Bag- to pour at her open wound.

“Ouch…!” Jeanne’s eyes winced in pain.

After roughly washing away the blood, Judah frowned at the condition of her wound. Holding that heavy lancer of hers certainly strained her injury to open further. Washing the wound only did so much, as blood continued to grumble out of her open flesh. It was only a matter of time before she could pass out from blood loss, so he took his potion and pulled the lid out with his teeth.

Jeanne, watching him heal her wound, glanced at the ring on his finger. It was unlike she had ever seen, one carved out of a whole mineral. Jeanne knew he wore none before they parted ways because an attractive ring wasn’t easy to miss. And looking at Judah now, she also found herself drawn to him. Can a person look so different by merely wearing one ring? Or was she attracted to him all of a sudden because of his heroic act of saving her life? Surprised by her very own train of thought, Jeanne did her best to stay focused on their current predicament.

“Amazing.”

“What is?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Despite her efforts, Jeanne couldn’t stop herself from talking out loud, looking visibly puzzled.

Judah was as confused as she was, but he figured Jeanne talked about the potion in his hands. He poured it generously into her wound, regenerating its cells and healing her in no time. To make sure she was utterly patched up, Judah even bandaged her arm. When Judah tried patting it, Jeanne no longer hissed, but she still seemed to wince because of it.

“Okay, it’s all done. But who knows, I think it’s best to drop by the temple before you go back to the castle.”

“Thank you for your help, Judah.” Jeanne bowed her head to her savior.

Judah smiled in response. She grasped her wound, trying to apply pressure, and although the potion’s effect did a great deal, a bit of pain continued to linger in its sidelines. But it was nothing she couldn’t handle, and she can even survive without checking herself into the temple.

“But how about you, Judah? Are you well?”

“Yes? I didn’t get hurt.” Judah replied, emptying the rest of the potion to Jeanne’s other gashes.

It was true. Judah had little to no scratches. The blood covering his body was Ea’s. Still, Jeanne shook her head.

“I’m not asking about the wounds of your body.” Jeanne lifted her injured right arm then poked Judah on the chest, “I’m asking about the wounds of your heart. Isn’t this the first time you’ve killed a person? The act of killing another human being is far different from slaying a wild beast. That is my question, Judah.”

Judah expected anything but that. Her fingers, creasing through his leather clothes, seemed to dig deep into his heart. Judah looked down at her hand, trying to smile through his struggling voice.

“Haha, I didn’t expect to hear anything like that from anybody… But yes, it’s okay. It’s not the first time anyway.”

“Are you for certain that you’re well? Then, what happened the first time?”

Judah couldn’t say no to the sincere curiosity in her face, so he sat next to her. Giving Jeanne empty words did no right, mostly when the view in front of them was the very body of the Flying Fighter he had just killed. Judah slowly recounted to her what had happened in the past. There was nothing to hide because he had already shown her Shadow Swordsmanship and Justice anyway.

“That’s what happened…” When Jeanne heard everything, she responded with a big sigh.

“I answered your question. Can I ask you one?”

“Yes. Ask whatever you wish.”

“What do you feel about the Flying Fighter? You don’t seem to care much about her.”

The two of them stared at Ea’s lifeless body, still as the puddle of blood it laid on. Jeanne was silent for a while.

“How don’t I care? I believe it’s because the opponent is already dead, and I survived. That’s all I see myself invested in. If she didn’t die, the fact that she defeated me does not change, and the fact that she defeated me does not change even if she died. Both of us faced defeat, and I will carry that with me for my entire lifetime.”

“I guess… I’m sorry. I must have been interrupting, right?”

“Judah, what do you have to apologize for? All you did was save me from dying at the hands of the Flying Fighter. Didn’t you even win your duel with her?”

“…”

“There is nothing you have to apologize for. Rather, I should be the one repaying your grace, yet I am in no place to offer you anything good in return. For that, I wish to ask you another question while I have this moment.”

Judah expected Jeanne to endow him with rewards for the grace he had done. The Blue Lancers never forgot grace. This was the tradition embedded in the Byron Empire’s Blue Lancers.

For them, the lifesaver must be rewarded with grace. They were to listen to whatever their savior should ask for.

Unless it was an unreasonable or impossible request like asking for the killing of others, betrayal of the empire, or to be taught the lance and shield techniques of the Blue Lancers, otherwise, everything was accepted. And this took precedence over the emperor’s order, and even the emperor acknowledged it. Should the emperor order the Blue Lancer to kill someone, their savior could refuse it. In some cases, others would accept a simple thank you.

The noble Blue Lancers had never been abused for this, and their emperor accepted this tradition wholeheartedly. In their case right now, Judah was Jeanne’s benefactor, for just before her death, he swooped in to save her life.

“Do you have any wishes? You are my lifesaver, so I will listen to anything you wish.”

“…Anything?”

“Yes, anything. But anything plausible, if you may. I’m afraid I cannot kill someone on your behalf or acquire an item impossible to find, such as a fragment, for example.”

There was only one option in the game. There, Jeanne was meant to be his colleague, but there were more of her that he could ask at that very moment. His eyes darted down to her curvy body glistening with sweat, and his mind couldn’t help the dirty thoughts lingering at the back of his mind. He could ask her to be his wife or even ask her to give up her body for him, but Judah had no intentions of saying those things to her.

“That’s a wild bargain. What would you do if I asked for money and food enough for a lifetime?”

“I can give you that. I must tell you; however, I am only a nobleman, and It won’t be easy to provide such a request. I cannot provide any amount of riches right now, but I will do my best to fulfill it.”

“What if I asked for your body?”

“…If the benefactor wants it, then…”

“What if I asked you to be my wife?”

Jeanne’s face turned red instantly. Her heart skipped a beat when he asked for her body, but the moment she heard the question that followed, she found herself unable to speak.

“…I do not appreciate your teasing.” Jeanne admitted, hesitating to speak again, “But if that’s what you want… And if you want it, then I will do it.”

Judah flashed her a smile, “So, how about being my companion?”

“…Yes?”

“Be my companion! I plan to leave Serenia Castle soon. I thought it would be nice if there were someone I could trust to be with. Would you like to join me?”

“I’m glad you’re finding it amusing to tease me. I’m curious about when will you grow out of it?”

“So what’s the answer?”

Jeanne sighed.

“It’s not difficult to be your colleague. But I… I can only be with you for a year at the most.”

“Really? Why?”

Judah thought it would be easy to get her as a companion, but the conditions coming with it was a surprise.

“I’m still an apprentice. Before becoming an intermediate Blue Lancer, an apprentice is given three years of freedom. During those three years, I wander around and do whatever I wish. I can become a mercenary and subdue monsters, become an adventurer, search for treasures, or become your companion and wander around various places. I have done all of those things, but in the next year or so, my independence is set to end.”

“Huh…”

If so, it can’t be helped. He never really thought that such an obstacle would be ahead. In the game, regardless of the period, the player could go to the Byron Empire and approach the Blue Spear Knight NPC to be promoted to intermediate level. Although she continued to belong to the empire, she was available as the player’s companion, but it seemed impossible to achieve in this reality.

‘Fuck.’

Should he ask for something else instead? He could go and look for other companions to invite. In Judah’s head, he recited all the names and information of other NPCs obtainable in Serenia Castle. However, there was no substitute for her. Although Mage Riel was the strongest candidate, there was no way to take her away, considering that she was already affiliated with Kain as he encountered them yesterday. He could settle for a subordinate, but he didn’t want to resort to that.

“One year?”

“Yes, one year. Of course, I don’t know what will happen if I manage to reach the advanced level beyond intermediate…”

One year, Judah nodded, thinking little by little about his plans for the future. A year or so would be enough. Coming to a decision, Judah jumped up and reached out to her.

“Okay. It doesn’t matter if it’s only for a year. Are you coming, Lady Jeanne?”

But she didn’t hold onto the outstretched hand. She only stared at it. When Judah began to think of retreating his hand, that was when she grabbed him. Judah tried to pull her up, but she sat still and didn’t barge. She remained unmoving, staring right through Judah’s eyes.

“But are you okay with that? You could ask for something else. Money is possible, and the marriage you spoke of… It’s also possible.”

Her blue eyes continued to look at Judah’s, who responded with strained laughter.

“Of course, I’m okay with that. Companionship with a good foundation of trust? I want it. One year is enough. I need a colleague I can trust more than anyone else. That’s the grace you will pay me back, and that’s what I want, Blue Lancer Jeanne. ”

Jeanne closed her eyes for a moment before finally standing up, and as she held Judah’s hand, she gave him a soft smile.

“Very well. If that’s what you really want, my spear and shield will protect you, Judah.”

[Blue Lancer “Jeanne Art Loire” became a companion.]