I had always craved love, but when someone actually started taking care of me, I didn't know how to react.
In the end...
"Ah, aah..."
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth.
Marine giggled and slipped a spoonful into my mouth.
"How is it? Is it delicious?"
At Marine's question, I hesitated and then nodded.
"...I think it's delicious."
"Oh, if it's delicious, it's delicious. What do you mean, 'I think it's delicious'?"
Marine smiled and lightly chided me.
'I guess so.'
But I had never tasted anything delicious before, so I didn't know what delicious was.
The feast of flavors I was experiencing for the first time was so unfamiliar.
A taste that was hard to express swirled in my mouth.
At the same time, I was overwhelmed.
'I can taste it.'
When I first heard that I had lost my sense of taste after being bitten by Karcho, I didn't think much of it.
After all, everything I ate was the same, and the taste of them was all terrible.
So I thought it would be better to lose my sense of taste, but it wasn't long before I realized that wasn't the case.
I realized too late that taste was also an important part of life.
My sense of taste disappeared from me, who had nothing. There was nothing I could feel.
I received the spoon from Marine.
I ate the mushroom soup. It was soft and had various flavors, which was amazing.
The braised meat was slightly salty and tender, and the salad was very fresh. The greens had a bitter taste. So that's why dressing is needed.
I learned for the first time that tastes could be so diverse.
"Oh my, you eat so well! The chef will surely be happy if he sees you. I'll go clear this away quickly."
Marine smiled brightly as she emptied the plate and wheeled the trolley away.
"Wow, I'm full."
I was so amazed by the taste that I ate without thinking, and now my stomach felt like it was going to burst.
'Should I go for a walk to digest?'
There's also a place I need to go to before it gets too late.
'Let's go before Marine comes back.'
I haven't known Marine for long, but I had a feeling that she would tell me to rest and not let me go out.
But...
"I don't have any clothes."
I ran into an unexpected obstacle.
I couldn't find any clothes anywhere, as if my old clothes had been thrown away when I moved rooms.
I even tried to find the clothes I wore yesterday, but they weren't there either.
Marine must have cleaned them up.
But I can't go out in my pajamas.
'Well, is there anything I can throw on...?'
I looked around and suddenly noticed a coat hanging on a chair.
It was Marine's coat, and it seemed she had hung it there temporarily because she didn't have any plans to go out for a while.
Hmm...
'I'm sorry, Marine.'
I decided to borrow it for a while.
The coat, which reached below Marine's waist, came down to my ankles. It barely didn't drag on the ground.
The sleeves were too long, so I rolled them up a few times, which made them quite thick, but my hands were still free enough.
After buttoning it up, I walked over to the full-length mirror on the wall.
I nodded and muttered.
"I look like I'm wearing a sack."
The sight of a lump waddling around was funny, but this was the best I could do for now.
I'm reasonably satisfied.
"I'll borrow it for a while, Marine."
After saying a silent farewell, I opened the door and went out into the hallway.
'Where is this place anyway?'
Come to think of it, I didn't even know which room I had been moved to.
'It's not on the second floor, at least.'
If it were, Bansis, having already heard the news, would have jumped out and run over here.
Besides, even the servants who are usually visible in the hallway were hard to find.
I quickly figured out where my room was located.
'It's on the third floor.'
That also explained why the servants weren't visible.
If there were no guests in the guest rooms, there was no need for the servants to wander around here.
By the way, I never expected them to give me a guest room on the third floor.
'They really went out of their way.'
I thought it would be a great success if they just gave me a room used by the maids, but I never imagined they would give me a guest room that was more than spacious and completely empty.
'Yeah, that's more convincing.'
In any case, it's clear that it's not a decision made for me.
As I walked down the stairs from the third floor, the servants gradually began to appear.
The servants were startled when they suddenly saw me coming from above, and then-
'They're avoiding me?'
As soon as our eyes met, they quickly turned their heads away.
Most of them were the ones who used to call me the shame of Rodbel without hesitation.
'Hmm.'
When I stared intently at a particularly severe servant, he looked away, sweating profusely.
It seems that...
'The Duke must have laid down the law.'
Did he order them not to speak ill of me?
'And I even got a guest room.'
It seems that I'm being recognized as a family member to some extent.
'That's not it.'
They're just trying to appease me so I don't run away.
'Well, it's not bad for me.'
I smiled brightly at the servant, and he was startled and quickly ran away.
Not only that servant, but all the servants who met me coughed for no reason and pretended not to notice or simply avoided me.
They must be worried that I'll find fault with them for what they've done to me so far.
'I'm not that free, either.'
If I were to kick out all the servants who have harassed or insulted me, the Rodbel manor would soon become a ghost mansion.
Besides...
'The Duke is probably just putting on a show.'
I'm not naive enough to believe that and get carried away.
Anyway, I was uncomfortable with the way those who used to look at me like a bug were now treating me like a germ and avoiding me, so I quickly left the building.
Whoosh-
As soon as I stepped outside, a cold wind blew.
It was warm inside, so I didn't expect it to be this cold.
'I'm glad I borrowed the coat.'
Even though I borrowed it without permission, I would have been shivering if I had come out without it.
I stood for a moment and looked around.
Perhaps because it was cold, there weren't many people walking around.
It seems like I can go anywhere.
'I can't go out, right?'
I glanced towards the gate.
It was too far away to even see the shape of the massive gate.
It would take much longer than an hour to get from the gate to the main building on foot, since it's a distance that requires a carriage ride.
Even if I managed to escape somehow, the Duke's chasing squad would quickly catch up.
Since the Rodbel chasing squad is famous for being persistent, I would surely be caught before long.
'I might really be imprisoned then.'
I have no intention of taking a gamble with such an obvious outcome.
Even if that weren't the case, there's something I need to do here.
'So for now...'
I quickly moved my feet, which had stopped.
There is someone I must meet.
I realized it once again.
"Haa... haa..."
My stamina is garbage.
The fact that the Rodbel Duchy is disgustingly large also contributed.
Anyway.
<Training Ground 1>.
"...Found it."
I smiled at the sign in front of me.
'It's been a long time since I've been here.'
It's been almost five years since I was 15.
"I didn't think I'd be back here."
I stared at the sign with a strange feeling for a moment, then moved my feet in the direction the sign indicated.
Starting from the sign, the wide path gradually began to narrow.
The path was now full of fallen leaves that had almost completely fallen. The feeling of them crumbling and breaking as I stepped on them was fun.
As I passed through the winding trail, I strangely didn't feel tired anymore.
Rather, my wobbly legs gradually gained speed.
Later, I was almost running.
As soon as I left the trail.
"Haaap!"
"Heuaap!"
My vision widened and a powerful roar echoed from all directions.
The momentum was so fierce that my ears were temporarily deafened by the roar.
'There's a soundproofing magic barrier around the training ground.'
Maybe that's why. The training ground felt like another world that didn't belong to Rodbel.
So I guess that's why I ran away here too. To escape from Rodbel.
I stood for a moment and looked around.
Training Ground 1, which occupies a large area of the Rodbel Forest, was famous for being very large and having a complex geography, but.
Step, step.
I walked forward without hesitation.
How long has it been?
"Ooh! There - it's dangerous!!"
The moment I turned my head at the urgent shout, a flash of light flashed before my eyes.
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