The Doll Princess Rose

第21話 Taking care Moi

"Thunder's Storm!"

With a bang, a combination of thunder and a whirlwind that looked like a towering pillar appeared over a wide area. Caught up in the magic, Rose unleashed a powerful lightning attack that caught the giant three-eyed monkey in the middle.

The giant three-eyed monkey groaned loudly and took its last breath. When its huge body collapsed, the ground shook with the sound of the trees being pushed down and the impact.

"Great job! Your movement and attack flow have improved recently, Miss Rose."

"Thanks to you, Instructor Darga. I feel like I'm finally able to understand the flow of how to fight."

"Hahaha. What? This is also my role. It's just..."

Darga looked at the monkey with regret.

"Yes?"

"That monkey looked delicious, but I can't eat it now because it's completely charred."

"What?! Can that monkey be eaten?!"

"Yes. It's quite delicious."

"Oh..."

"If you grill it slowly over low heat and serve it simply with salt..."

Drool flowed from Darga's mouth. 

Is that monkey delicious? Rose thought.

"Instructor Darga, you're drooling."

"Ahaha, no, no. This is sweat."

That's a lie, Rose said with a wry smile.

"Then, next time I'll kill it as carefully as possible. I also want to try eating this monkey. But I don't think Moi will cook it."

"I'll make it then."

"You can cook?"

"I can cook something simple. I've occasionally cooked it on the battlefield, in the field, and at camp."

"That's amazing. I've never cooked before. I knew I had to learn someday, but I never had the chance."

"Next time, I'll ask Miss Moi to teach me something. I love that vegetable bread and would like to try making it myself someday."

"Yeah! I want to learn that, too!"

It's been about half a year since Rose separated from Yanagi. Rose's training has become more intense, and now, she has to deal with ferocious class beasts and birds. Darga, a kind evil instructor, keeps a distance and watches over her so she doesn't get caught up in the attack. He gave her instructions when she was in a pinch, and even saved her when she was about to be eaten by a wild beast. However, he didn't help any further. Anyway, Miraiya summoned these beasts. One wild beast a day, she picked at random and they never knew what to get. And Miraiya always creates an invisible wall. It is designed so that once the beast is defeated, it will disappear. Otherwise, the residents at the foot of the mountain would panic.

When Rose came home every day in tatters, Moi looked very worried. When she asked Darga what kind of training Rose was doing, Darga always replied in a gentle voice, "It's normal magic training.''

However, this evil instructor gives out terrifying instructions. Rose faces daily situations, such as being told not to use great magic or finishing it off with a dagger. When she faced a huge wolf, it was so difficult that Rose thought she was doomed. The wolf was about to eat her, and when she managed to escape, she was crushed by its paws and almost flattened. She was saved because the ground was soft.

Rose hurriedly cast a barrier and heal (recovery magic) on herself and survived. But her clothes were embarrassingly tattered and she was almost naked. No matter how young Rose is, a girl is still a girl. Not wanting her to walk around naked, Darga took off his shirt and put it on her. When she came back like that, Moi screamed in shock.

By the way, the armor is also adjusted every two months at Master Berg's workshop in Escodria. The repeated fierce battles put a great strain on the armor. Darga was always scolded by Master Berg, who wondered what kind of practice he was practicing.

But more than that, Rose has grown considerably taller! Now that she's about 80cm tall, she can reach her head with her hands. Although Rose is now able to wash her hair by herself, she is still being pampered by Moi. She takes a bath with Moi every day and gets her hair washed. For Rose, Moi's like a kind mother.

Rose was reborn in this world, and there was a person called her mother. It is said that the person is Yanagi's mother, who created Rose's body. But actually, the two people who give her love daily are her maid, Moi, and her bodyguard, Darga. Rose feels so happy every day that she could truly be the child of these two.

And Rinka, the black cat, sometimes kisses Rose's nose and makes purring sounds when she hugs her. About Miraiya, Rose thought Miraiya was still a strange person, but she was a very nice person.

Yanagi regularly sends letters to Rose. As part of his work, he visited various towns and wrote detailed stories about those towns, their specialties, beautiful scenery, rare jewelry, and plants. On the contrary to Rose's handwriting, Yanagi's letters are good and easy to read. Rose was sometimes told by Darga that her handwriting was bad. Practice more! , Darga said, warned her many times.

Every night, armor and weapons are taken care of. Darga told Rose daily to do this because her life was at stake. As expected of a warrior's father, Rose thought. When she didn't do it properly, she was told to start over and get scolded, sometimes for 20 minutes. That's tough, Rose thought. However, if she did it properly and neatly, he would pat her on the head and praise her.

Today they went back to the mansion after training as usual. However, there is no light in the detached mansion. There was no sign of Moi. They had not heard that she was away, so they became suspicious. She was always standing at the door and coming to greet her. So, Rose thought it was strange.

Miraiya and Rinka went to Escodria today, so Moi must have taken them back to the port in a horse-drawn carriage. Rose heard that the two would be back tomorrow afternoon and didn't need to pick them up, so it's hard for Moi to think about going anywhere.

"Moi isn’t here."

"I haven't heard that she's going anywhere."

"What happened?"

Worried, the two take a cautious look around the mansion and garden.

"Miss Moi!"

Darga went around the mansion and found Moi lying in the garden. She was lying near the waterhole.

"This is bad. It's like being bitten by a poisonous snake."

"Moi!"

There is no response even when Rose calls. She is unconscious.

"I have to carry her to her room!"

Darga took Moi in his hands and carried her. He hurried into the detached mansion and laid her on the bed.

"There's a lot of poison going around."

Moi's right leg is turning purple, and its area is wide. To prevent the poison from spreading, Darga tore his clothes and tied her leg.

"Miss Rose, please give Miss Moi some recovery magic. I will remove the poison."

"Alright!"

"Don't do it all at once, take it slow and steady."

"Understood!"

Rose slowly sent out recovery magic as instructed. Darga enchanted a small knife with fire and made a small cut near the leg where she had been bitten. Then, slowly massage the fingertips of his hands and send a power to push out the poison. Black blood began to ooze out of her wound. Rose brought some towels nearby and handed them to Darga. Blood was flowing from Moi's leg, and Darga said that the black blood was the color of blood contaminated with poison.

Rose cast a recovery spell again. How many minutes have passed already? Darga is still pushing the blood. Since the poison has spread over a wide area, it would be best if there was a medicine. However, since it was already dark, it was difficult to get to Escodria. Because there are no more ships. There are no medical doctors in the village at the foot of the mountain. That's why the villagers always rely on Miraiya. But now Miraiya is not at home. So they have no choice but to work together.

After more than an hour, red blood finally started coming out. The poison has finally subsided. Darga carefully sends the power to every corner of the blood vessels to push out the poison. He didn't say anything, although his face showed his tiredness. Rather than fighting, Rose thinks this kind of work is more difficult. The whole time Darga was concentrating on one thing, lightening the burden on Moi's body as much as possible and pushing out the poison. If he doesn't remove everything, there will be aftereffects later. That's why he's working so hard.

After two hours, Darga finally stopped working. There was a lot of sweat on his forehead, and he wiped it with a clean towel.

"Is it enough?"

Rose asked. Darga nodded.

"Yes, for now."

"Is Moi okay?"

"I don't know, it seems to be a critical condition tonight."

"If she can't cross the mountain, will she die?"

"I'll watch over her so she doesn't die. I'll help her."

"I see."

"So wipe your tears. There's still a lot of work to do. Please be strong, Miss Rose."

"Yes, Sir."

Darga patted Rose on the head to cheer her up. Then he left a poison-stained towel outside the mansion. He was told he would burn it without washing it.

Rose didn't know what to do, so she kept sending healing magic to Moi. Meanwhile, Darga is busy preparing a bath and making something in the kitchen. When Rose went to the kitchen, Darga was cooking something. He made a simple soup using familiar techniques. He said he had some bread Moi had made during the day, so he prepared the soup.

"Miss Rose, the bath is ready, so please go in first. As expected, I'm a man, so I can't help you take a bath or change your clothes. Please do your best on your own today."

"I understand."

Rose nodded. She thought it would be too embarrassing to ask Darga to help her. Besides, she can do things by herself.

When Rose got out of the bath and finished changing her clothes, she returned to see Moi and found that her condition was still the same. She never regained consciousness. While Darga is out of the room, Rose feels Moi's head and notices she doesn't have a fever. However, her body becomes cold.

She doesn't know if healing magic can warm her body. However, she decided to try mixing fire attribute magic with recovery magic. After a while, Rose's palm became warm. She slowly put her hand on Moi's body. After giving Moi some magic, warmth returned to her body. Then Rose pulled the blanket over her.

When Darga finished, he came to check on her. Rose fixed the blanket on Moi, and they had dinner together. It's extra simple but delicious. However, it didn't have the usual lively atmosphere. It was lonely after all, Rose thought.

More than that, Rose worried about Moi. What happened made her realize how much they were indebted to Moi. Sometimes Rose felt that Moi was an ordinary existence, but when she lay there like this, Rose realized the magnitude of her existence. Rose thought she wanted to hear Moi's bright voice and drink that flower's tea. 

At night, Rose enters her room. She slightly sees Darga in Moi's room through her open door before entering her room. He is sitting on the bed where Moi is sleeping and holding Moi's hand. Rose didn't say anything, but went straight into her room and fell asleep.

When she woke up, she went straight to Moi's room. Darga is still sitting there, touching Moi's head now. He is checking for fever.

"Good morning, Mr. Darga."

"Good morning, Miss Rose."

"How was she?"

"It's okay, it looks like she will be safe."

Darga nods and looks at Rose.

"It was good then."

"Yes, but there's still some poison left, so I'm going to look for medicinal herbs around here."

"Yes. Do you want me to go buy milk today? I can go alone."

"No, let's take a break today. We can't leave Miss Moi here alone."

Darga stood up and headed for the door.

"Yes, I understand."

"Okay, I'll be away for a while, but please be careful. Please keep your weapon nearby. I'll be back soon."

"Okay."

Darga left the detached mansion. Did he take care of Moi all this time? Does he really like Moi? Or is he just a caring person? All things considered, Rose doesn't know. However, in times like these, Darga is still an amazing person as he acts calmly.

Moi hasn't woken up yet. But her complexion is much better than yesterday. Rose thought it would be a good idea to find something she could do for now. First, she drew hot water herself from the bathroom in a basin. Then she wiped her face with a towel. As expected, cleaning the bathtub was difficult, and Rose struggled. As Yanagi said, she decided to try using the vines to manipulate it. But it is surprisingly difficult. Yanagi said he and Keyaki can easily manipulate the vines, but this requires a surprising amount of concentration.

Drain the water somehow, clean it, and then add hot water. Rose was quite tired and sat down on a chair in the bathroom. Thinking Moi did this daily, Rose thought she should be more grateful.

While waiting for hot water, she went to the kitchen and found yesterday's leftover soup. There was no bread, but there was wheat flour and eggs. However, Rose doesn't know what food to cook, because she never cooked. She can't help but regret it now, wishing she had learned a little more. She went to the bathroom again, checked the hot water, and turned it off with a vine. 

Okay! I'm ready for my morning bath, she thought. But first, she needs to pour hot water into the basin and grab a towel. 

"Let's clean up Moi'', as Rose slowly carried the basin. But even though she finally reaches Moi's room, she feels pathetic that she is having a hard time with just this distance.

She wrung out the wet towel and cleaned Moi's face and hands. The wound on her leg has already been treated and covered with a clean cloth. Maybe Darga did it last night. Her clothes were also unbuttoned in places, probably to make it easier for her to breathe. 

She heard the sound of the door opening. Darga is back.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back!"

"I'm going to make breakfast now."

"Okay. By the way, I boiled the bath. I also wiped Moi's face and hands to clean her."

When Rose reported, Darga smiled and looked at her.

"Oh, wonderful. You did a great job. That's great, Miss Rose."

The evil instructor praised Rose. Darga looked tired, but his tone was as calm as ever.

While Darga made breakfast and antidote, Rose went to take a bath first and got ready for the morning. When she returned to the living room, she found breakfast prepared on the desk. It was a simple egg dish, yesterday's soup, and something like pancakes, all homemade by Darga.

"Please eat first. I'm making medicine right now, so I can't eat with you."

"Alright."

The plain-flavored pancakes were not sweet. However, it was quite delicious. When breakfast was finished, Rose cleared away her plate.

Darga took the finished medicine and went to Moi's room. Darga raised Moi's head and gently fed her the medicine with a spoon. Rose hoped in her heart that the medicine would work.

After that, Darga went to take a bath, ate breakfast, and took a nap in the living room. All the while, Rose is sitting close to Moi. Sometimes she cast healing spells. She thought it would be easier if there was antidote magic like in the game, but it seems like the world isn't made of only useful things.

"Hmm..."

"Moi, are you okay?"

Moi seems to have regained consciousness. Rose looks at Moi and says it looks like the medicine is working.

"Miss Rose?"

"Yes, I am."

"Why? What happened to me?"

"It looks like you were bitten by a snake. Mr. Darga has been taking care of you, all the time."

"Mr. Darga?"

"Yeah. He is taking a nap right now. I'm glad the medicine worked."

Listening to Rose's words, Moi tilted her head.

"Medicine?"

"Yeah. Mr. Darga made a medicine using herbs. I'm glad it worked."

"I have to say thank you...ugh."

"Don’t wake up yet, it’s no good."

"Oh, I understand."

Seemingly hearing Rose's conversation, Darga got up and came to Moi's room.

"I'm glad the medicine worked. Good morning, Miss Moi."

"Good morning, Mr. Darga."

Moi tried to wake herself, but Darga stopped her.

"Stay there. I'll bring you hot water."

"Yes, sorry."

"What? It's okay, Miss Moi."

Seeing Darga gently give Moi some hot water, Rose remembered Yanagi who had given her some hot water before. When Rose was living in a mansion in the village, Yanagi was the one who kindly took care of Rose, who was seriously injured in an explosion. Rose thought that such a strong and kind man was so wonderful.

At noon, Rose had a simple egg soup and crepes for lunch. Moi also drank some soup and fell asleep again. It seems like her body hasn't completely healed yet. Now that Rose has some free time, she sits on Moi's bed and reads the magic book she borrowed from Miraiya. Various medical magics are also written there. The magic and techniques Darga used yesterday are also detailed.

I see! That was the principle! The more Rose read, the more she understood the principle. And some questions will be answered.

Darga went outside again. He said he would burn the towel he used yesterday to remove the poison. After a while, Rose heard someone's voice, and it seemed Miraiya had returned. Miraiya hurried into the room and checked on Moi.

"Welcome home, Teacher."

"I'm home, Rose. It must have been tough."

Miraiya felt Moi's wrist and head, then unwrapped the cloth around her wound, and she confirmed. She pokes Moi's body with her fingers, apparently stimulating pressure points on her body. Darga and Rinka also enter the room and watch Moi's treatment. Miraiya sat Moi down, covered her front, removed her clothes, and applied medical magic to the back with the palm of her hand.

"Give me a towel. Put it over Moi's mouth."

At Miraiya's command, Darga moved quickly. He took a towel and put it over Moi's mouth.

"Ha!"

"Ugh!"

At the same time as Miraiya sent strong energy, something like black blood came out of Moi's mouth. This work continued for a while, and everything has finally come out. Rose, who was watching nearby, just stared.

"That's good! Tomorrow you'll be strong enough to walk again!"

"Thank you."

When Moi said that, Miraiya just smiled.

"Thank you, Teacher!"

Darga and Rose thanked Miraiya at the same time.

"No, she was saved because the treatment was quick. I just removed the remaining poison from her body."

Miraiya laid Moi down again and covered her with her blanket. Miraiya headed to the living room and called Rose and Darga.

"It's hard to say because the timing is bad, but please listen carefully."

Miraiya calmed her breath with a serious look on her face.

"The capital of Alhatross, the Dragon God's Miyako City, has been attacked!"