The Male Lead’s Sickly Aide is My Type - Chapter 86.1
Chapter 86.1
In the ensuing silence, the expressions on people’s faces varied. Among them, the expressions of the court mages were particularly worth seeing.
The mages, searching for the owner of the voice, found Archen standing behind them and gaped.
“What, what?”
“Since when have you been here? Get out!”
“How dare you intrude here?”
Cries of anger erupted from among the mages.
Carinne was just as flustered. The moment she heard Archen’s words, her resolve to ignore him flew away. She poked him in the side and whispered softly.
“If it’s because of what happened earlier, let it go. You’re not a child. Are you going to come out like this?”
Archen sighed softly and brushed back his bangs. There it was, that expression. The face of an adult that looked terribly tired and weary. When he made that expression, Carinne felt like a child who didn’t know anything.
“It’s not because of that. Did you see the people outside?”
Outside?
Carinne turned her eyes to the outside of the tent and met the eyes of a soldier with a bandage on his leg and a crutch. The soldier was looking at the people inside the tent with a desperate look in his eyes.
Suddenly, the scene inside the barricade that she had seen while searching for Iris came to mind. Soldiers with wounds screaming in agony, refugees with pale faces searching for a place to rest, and even children crying after losing their mothers in the chaos. If no one stepped up to close the gap, they would have to endure endless suffering.
Archen had stepped forward to sacrifice himself for all those people.
“It can’t be helped.”
He muttered in a subdued tone.
Nevertheless, Carinne couldn’t condone his actions. It wasn’t as if there were no mages, and there was a whole truckload right in front of them, so why did Archen have to be the one to step up? On the contrary, if she had to pick the person who should take care of his body the most among the mages, it would be him.
“Even so, why…! Why should you do the work of the arrogant court mages…!”
Carinne blurted out without realizing it, then stopped short. It was because she felt the stinging gazes of the arrogant court mages.
Marta was among them. She stopped short of leaving the tent.
As she raised her hand to silence the mages, Marta’s sharp gaze swept over the people inside the tent before reaching Archen.
“Do you know how to close the gap?”
“I do.”
“Do you have enough magic power?”
“I do.”
“Then good.”
A flush of color appeared on Marta’s face, which had been visibly tired.
“I’ll provide you with support troops.”
“He’s not a court mage, is he?!”
One of the mages shouted angrily. It seemed that he was uncomfortable with Archen, who was neither a noble nor anything, interfering in the place where the distinguished court mages were discussing work.
He went on a tirade about how people’s jobs were different, just as their social status and bloodlines were different.
Marta waited patiently for the mages to finish speaking, her expression one of pity.
“So, is there anyone among the court mages who will go to close the gap?”
No one answered. Marta nodded as if to say, “See,” and turned to Archen.
“Then, I’ll take it that there are no objections. We’ll attach five elite knights to you. They’ll be of help.”
“It’s not necessary. The more people there are, the more of a burden it will be.”
Archen added that the knights had work to do here as well.
Marta remained silent for a moment before agreeing with him.
“I understand. If there’s anything else you need, please let me know. I’ll provide whatever I can with the authority of the Knight Commander.”
“But won’t he need an escort?”
Duke Lucas interjected at that moment. He was standing right behind Carinne, and she didn’t know when he had started listening.
“I’ll go with him.”
Archen thought for a moment before replying that it didn’t matter. It seemed he didn’t mind having one person go with him.
“Wait a minute.”
Carinne knew that this wasn’t the time to interject. She also knew that this wasn’t the place for her to step up. But she had to say it now. She couldn’t just stand there sucking her thumb at the barricade where Archen and Duke Lucas were going to go and not be there.
“I’m going too.”
The passive female image of waiting for her counterpart who had gone to war to return safely while embroidering a handkerchief was far from Carinne. Going and taking on all the chores herself was Carinne’s credo, regardless of whether she had to go with them.
Marta raised an eyebrow silently. Duke Lucas muttered that he knew it would be like this, and the mages all frowned. Perhaps their pride was hurt that a mere princess was taking on a task they couldn’t.
Whatever the case, it didn’t matter to Carinne what the court mages thought. What stance did Archen take?
Of course, he opposed it.
As Carinne expected, he came out against it.
“No, you can’t. Just pretend you didn’t hear what she just said.”
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