The medical concoctions prescribed by the doctor worsened his symptoms. His fever had risen so high that Edward had to personally facilitate his body temperature with his magic.
Edward was furious when no one had bothered to inform him of his brother's declining health. Granted, half of the staff was baffled with worry and were only able to have enough sense to contact a doctor, but it wasn't as if they couldn't spare someone to inform him. He would rather be at Thomas' bedside than exchanged pleasantries with the Gallants.
Xander and his mother did, in fact, join them for dinner, both the mother and son pair looking sheepish the entire time. Obviously, the Queen had forgotten her previous appointment with Lady Gallant and, more likely than not, was reminded by her maid-in-waiting and/or her husband. And considering the dramatic goodbyes his best friend had given him when he left the school, the Prince was evidently embarrassed by their short separation time.
The Gallants were hospitable, as one should be when royalty was visiting, but there was too much kissing up for Edward's taste. Both Lord and Lady Gallant were trying to gain the Queen's favor by flattery and generosity while their son, Nicole, was tasked to entertain the Crown Prince. Of course, Nicole seemed unaware that the topics he leaning towards were making Xander uncomfortable, but as the country's Prince, he had been subjected to many conversations he didn't necessarily want to be part of.
Despite Edward's worries and precautions, Xander was more than capable of saying 'no' and taking care of himself and his reputation. His attendance at the dinner was absolutely pointless.
The only reason why the Gallants had invited him to dinner was due to his friendship with the Prince. Both the Lord and Lady Gallant knew one of the best ways to improve their son's relationship with the Crown Prince to build a bridge through his close confidants. It was rather unfortunate that they were unaware of the two heirs' actual relationship, and that their son had long botched up his chance with Edward since the first day they had met.
Either way, the eldest Rosetta didn't really have the will to scold them. By the time he came back to the estate, nearly all of the servants were running around like headless pigeons. He almost had to ask Mr. Hughes to catch one of the servants to ask them what was going on.
In the end, he was able to bring order to the manor before either one of his parents came back from their respective errands (or worse, Katherine, who would just add more chaos to the situation). He made sure all the maids and butlers were doing their jobs and finished up tidying the mansion and that all of the estate guards were back into their positions.
After the doctor had concluded his visit, he left a bill with one of the butlers, Amir, which the Zafarian then gave to Edward in turn. Turning down the ridiculous offers from some of the servants to pay for the youngest master's medical bill by using some of their own paychecks, Edward took care of the entire thing with his own money from a separate bank account.
While his father, therefore his family, wouldn't deny Thomas medical care and would pay off the bill as he had done, his mother might get involved and it was better just to cut off the drama before it could even start. His mother would accuse the youngest of faking despite the fact that Thomas, surprisingly, had never used this kind of attention-getting method before. Father would still pay for a doctor nonetheless, and that would leave Lady Rosetta's mood sour for the next few days or so.
She would also not be happy once she found that her son was indulging the illegitimate child, but his mother had never paid attention to his spending. She would often keep a close eye on her husband's business (therefore, the Rosetta's fortune and how it was being distributed) but Edward had never been a child that had asked for much. The biggest spender in their family was either his mother or Katherine, but his sister was the type to pay for her own things using her own money.
They were both given an allowance and neither of their parents cared what they would use it for. Edward usually saved it and would only use it for business purposes while Katherine tended to save and then spend hers once she found something she personally liked. He wasn't entirely sure whether Thomas was given an allowance or what he did with it.
Either way, in lieu of his father, he took care of everything monetary-wise and even paid for the medicine.
Then, after whatever the doctor had prescribed only made Thomas' condition worse, he didn't give the quack a second chance. If it wasn't for the fact that he was occupied with his brother's failing health, he would have taken the time to sue the other for their careless incompetence. Instead, he contacted another doctor, but when that doctor also diagnosed and prescribed the same thing, the hopeful expressions fell.
Later on, Amir suggested using herbal medicine instead of the traditional medical-magic concoctions.
It took less than a day for Conrad to study everything about the herbs regionally available in the market before grabbing the freshest ones from his personal contacts. He even planted some in a small hidden section of the back garden and they thrived under the gardener's natural green thumb. Sven also helped by teaching himself how to utilize each herb and combine their medical properties into one mixture so as not to overwhelm the child with so many different remedies. Fifi had even commandeered a section of the estate's main kitchen to brew whatever Sven had created from his studies.
Much to everyone's relief, the youngest master reacted well to these home-made medicines, but only in a way that didn't make the little one feel worse. After consuming the herbal medicine, the child would be clear-headed and less delirious from his fever, but whatever ailed the youngest Rosetta never went away. Even with all of their efforts, everyone could tell that the little master was slowly deteriorating and it had gotten to the point that Edward was almost desperate enough to go to the church and ask for one of their disciples.
While their medical knowledge might be lacking, they were more effective healers than most doctors, and their diagnostic abilities were more extensive as well. They also monopolized a lot of knowledge about magical-based illnesses and diseases as well, which Edward was thinking to investigate, but the last thing he wanted to do was bring such attention to his little brother.
The church, namely the Priest, in Evadne were always at odds with the Rosetta family. This awkward relationship was due to Alexander Rosetta's, their grandfather's, own reputation and belief. Alexander was an advocate for free knowledge and wanted the church to release their written texts and recorded cases of magical illnesses and diseases, not only to the Doctor's Guild but also to the public.
The church argued that the public could abuse such knowledge and endangered themselves, and the patient, if they ever tried to take matters into their own hands. Releasing their tomes would only cause chaos and unnecessary panic.
Alexander then pointed out that magical illnesses and diseases could only be cured by magical means. The majority of the population had no magical aptitude and could not perform or demonstrate any of the techniques and spells suggested in the texts anyhow. And those who did have magical aptitude were often educated and wouldn't foolishly attempt anything they knew was beyond their capabilities. What he wanted was for the public to be conscious of certain diseases and their symptoms and if they needed more information or some form of verification, then they would have excess to these tomes and it would help them to know whether to seek professional help or not.
There was also the fact that Astria's literacy rate was barely above 40%— therefore, how would the lower-class even begin to harm themselves when they were not able to read the tomes in the first place?
The church countered back with the same point Alexander was making: if the literacy rate was so low, then why make their carefully guarded knowledge public in the first place? Wouldn't that be a waste of paper?
Either way, even though both parties would not purposely make trouble with each other, there was always an underlying tension that would suffocate the atmosphere whenever the two groups were in the same room. Their father never tried to correct or excuse their grandfather's troublemaking ideals and make peace with the church, so neither did Edward.
Fortunately, Xander had offered the services of the Royal Family's personal doctors, who were the best of their field and more knowledgeable about magical illnesses and diseases than most doctors. While Edward didn't feel comfortable using the Royal Family's resources, it was better than relying on the church and their so-called healing expertise.
Furthermore, his long-time friend was attached to Thomas and was genuinely concerned for his brother's health. When the red-haired teen first heard about the little one's worsening illness, he followed Edward back to the estate nearly every day to help make the youngest Rosetta feel better, and when the medicine was steadily becoming less potent, he then suggested the doctors that personally took care of his own family (namely his parents, since they still weren't sure why they couldn't conceive any more children).
The two heirs planned to meet each other an hour after their classes were done. Edward didn't want to attract any unwanted attention, which was difficult enough considering their identities, so they decided to return to their residences, then had Edward visit the Royal Palace and sneak Xander and the doctor out in a nondescript carriage from the servant doors. Hopefully, this would prevent some gossipy nobles from sticking their noses into the wrong places-- he had visited the Palace enough times to where no one would deny him access through any guarded gate. And it wouldn't be the first time the two friends would 'sneak out' to explore the common streets of Evadne, so they shouldn't raise any alarm or interest among the spies.
With well-thought-out excuses to their peers (to those who had the courage to ask the Ice Prince and to those who assumed the Crown Prince would be free of his duties), both Edward and Xander left campus grounds without any deviation to their behaviors. Even his sister didn't seem perturbed by his absence, even though she seemed bewildered by his absences as of late.
Because she often went out of her way to avoid their little brother, for good but outdated reasoning, she probably wasn't even aware of his bedridden state. Theoretically, if Old Thomas was ever sick, he would probably be making a fuss and demanded everyone to cater to his whims. Everyone and their neighbors would quickly find out that the youngest son of the Rosettas was sick.
In comparison, the New Thomas was as silent as a grave site. Even if he was in physical pain, a sound wouldn't be heard from his mouth. Sometimes, Edward would have to move closer to make sure his little brother was still breathing.
The only other person in their family knew of Thomas' ill condition was their father. Edward has reported to the older man of the youngest's sickness and other than a brief pause as he was doing work, Kyron said nothing and did nothing other than granting his oldest son permission to use their family assets to provide medical care for his brother.
Nowadays, their father was a lot calmer and more of himself that the past several years felt like a dream, but he still avoided the subject of his illegitimate child and avoided said child whenever possible. At this point, though Thomas was practically a different person now, as long as their father kept himself at a distance, there was no way for their relationship to recover.
Thomas had stopped seeking for their father's approval and love and their father no longer meddled in his youngest's businesses. Now, they lived like complete strangers living in the same house. The only connection they had with each other, ironically enough, was through Edward, who would sometimes mention their father to his brother or include Thomas into a section of his report to their father. Both of them were completely unbothered by this arrangement. In the meanwhile, his mother was enjoying life without seeing her husband's bastard nipping at his heels and his sister, the free spirit, acted as if she had grown wings. She went off to school and came back to the estate with a noticeable skip in her step, prompting Xander to off-handedly comment about his sister's uncharacteristically animated behavior during her more chipper moods.
The days felt more comfortable and less like walking through broken glass, and while Thomas was still horribly sick, his little brother made it easy for people to take care of him.
Once Edward was taken back to the estate, he went upstairs to check on the sick patient and surprisingly, Thomas was awake and lucid. Though his movements were slow and sluggish, his thinner cheeks flushed red against pale-white skin, his dark eyes had a bit of brightness that the elder brother hadn't seen in the past week. Johanna was the one accompanying him for the hour and the brawny woman was changing the little one's nightgown to something much more clean and refreshing.
Edward came in just as Thomas had his arms up as Johanna slip off his sleeping gown. When the curly-haired child saw his ice-pack entering his room, he reached out silently with drooping eyes, unbothered by his half-dressed state.
The corners of the eldest Rosetta's lips twitched before moving closer as per the youngest's non-verbal request, mumbling under his breath as the air around his body became a little cooler. First, he allowed the maid to place a new gown on Thomas before allowing the other to weakly curl against his side. The heat he could feel through his clothes made his heart clench tightly with worry, but after a brief report from Johanna, Edward felt some relief knowing that the child's fever hadn't risen any higher.
It was one of the symptoms they were having the hardest time controlling, along with Thomas' ache-like pain that echoed through his body. It made the child very disinclined to move and the little fat they were able to put on his body was completely wasted.
Stroking through his brother's tangled hair with cool fingers, he helped the youngest back against the pillow and allowed Thomas to drag him onto the mattress as well. With a content sigh, the brown-haired boy tucked himself against his older brother's shoulder while the blond-haired teen then mumbled a few magic spells to make the whole room cooler. While he was gone to fetch Xander and the doctor, this should make his sick brother comfortable in his absence since he couldn't indulge the child today.
Thomas fell asleep easily, though fitfully, and after ten minutes of soothing the child's restlessness, Edward slid out of his little brother's grip and made his way towards the entrance. Mr. Hughes and Mr. Al-Amin should have his coat and the carriage ready for departure by the time he stepped outside and both would be accompanying him to the Royal Palace. They left without informing the guards nor the servants of their whereabouts.
Thirty minutes after, feeling the absence of his elder brother, Tanaka woke up to an empty room. His mind was hazy and his senses stuffy but regardless, he gingerly crawled out from under his bed sheets and lowered himself down to the ground. Though his feet weren't steady, he made his way toward his bedroom door and turned the knob.
Johanna was nowhere to be found, probably off to finish the rest of the laundry that needed to be dried. Normally, she wouldn't have left the young master alone but the next one on Young Master Watching duties, Conrad, was often a few minutes late trying to bundle whatever flowers he picked to brighten the little one's room and with Young Master Edward's magic cooling the surrounding air, the Young Master Thomas should stay rested in between changing caretakers.
But it has been fifteen minutes since then and Conrad was still gone, leaving Tanaka alone.
Usually, the servants made sure there was always someone with the young master whether he was awake or sleeping. This was mostly because of the young master was ever left by himself for a long period, he would escape from his room to find the closest person to stay near to.
Several maids nearly had a heart attack when she belatedly noticed the young master clinging onto their skirts and despite his ill state, he would silently follow the person he was attached to like a drifting ghost. A staff meeting was called to discuss about their young master's escapes out of bedrest and everyone agreed that Young Master Thomas should not be left alone day or night.
First, they made a schedule where two or three servants would stay with the young master in one hour shifts, but soon after, they found out that if more than one person was in the same room as Young Master Thomas, the child would stay awake and no amount of coaxing and soothing would get him to rest. After some adjustments, they settled with having one servant attending to the young master every one or two hours to make sure the child would get plenty of sleep and wouldn't go running around while he was sick.
Almost everyone also had to schedule in because if the young master didn't see a certain person for a certain period of time, then he would ask for them and no matter how much they reassured the little master, if they weren't within his sight for the next fifteen minutes Young Master Thomas would get flustered and teary. He almost had a meltdown when they were not able to summon Mr. Sadik within ten minutes and the large male had to personally rock the child to sleep and stay with him for the next couple of hours.
No one wanted to see such a heartbreaking behavior from the young master so they had always made sure to attend the little master in their scheduled times.
But Conrad was late and Tanaka was too restless to wait for the gardener. It's faster if he moved towards the older man instead of staying in one spot. Besides, he could feel the bright, leafy-like magic near the very edge of the estate's back gardens. It was where his nap-shed was located and Conrad hadn't moved from there for the past few minutes.
Maybe he decided to take a small nap before coming to visit him? Sometimes, whenever Conrad found him hiding away in the garden shed, he would slack off mid-work and take a nap along with him. Clarisse would always scold him afterward once she found them two hours later, either with Henry's or Amir's help, and the groundskeeper would just laugh it off.
Tanaka naturally knew the quickest way to get there, and though there were a lot of servants working around the estate, the manor was big enough to where he could avoid and dodge the maids and butlers without being seen. It wasn't that he was doing it on purpose, but his presence had always been dim, especially when he was tired or extremely quiet. It was what allowed him to sleep in random places without being disturb while he was attending Evadne Magic Academy. It was also the cause of distress for his caretaker since he could not be easily found among the estate grounds.
Nevertheless, Tanaka made his way slowly, but surely to the shed and though the 4 o'clock sun made him feel increasingly sluggish, he went through the hedge maze and through the complex cobble pathways without trouble. He knew the less-traveled paths as well as the common paths and he used both alternatively to quickly arrive at his designation.
When he looked up, the shed shadowing his small body from the sun, he saw padlock on the latch of the door, which was unusual since he could feel Conrad inside the small hovel. With a tilt of his head, Tanaka knocked three times and called out softly, "Conrad," but no one answered. He then touched the padlock, which was hot to touch because of its metallic appearance, and yanked it quietly against the door latch. It was sturdy and solid and didn't budge from the latch under his attempt.
His nose scrunched up in confusion. Maybe one of the gardeners accidentally thought that shed was empty and locked Conrad inside while he was taking a nap?
Tanaka didn't think much of it as he summoned forth the magic particles in his body. The process felt unusually stuffy but somehow more efficient. It wasn't even thirty seconds later that the padlock unlocked. Since the latch was located over his head, his reach wasn't long enough to move the padlock out of the lock hole, he used his magic to levitate it into the air before promptly dropping the padlock onto the dirt ground. He also unlatched the door before pushing it open, the musty smell of soil and hot air hitting his face.
He couldn't imagine how the groundskeeper was able to sleep in these conditions. Usually, Tanaka would leave the door or the window open whenever he decided to take a nap in the shed, but everything was closed tightly. Even the windows were latched closed from the inside as if they were trying to hide something.
Light spilled further into the darker space and not much had changed in the shed since Tanaka last saw it. There were bags of soil and fertilizer stacked against one of the walls and a mess of gardening tools rounded up into one corner. There was a small table underneath one of the windows and on the side with some clay pots and a few dirty leather gloves on the surface. The ground was dusty and cobwebs hung on the rafters, but that was nothing unusual, unlike the prone body in the middle of the old wooden floors.
Tanaka stilled as he stared at the vulnerable figure, recognizing the tannish work shirt, the dark-as-wood brown hair, and the sun-kissed skin. The only thing missing was his hazel eyes with the forest-green that always glimmered brightly in the light, but they were closed off and unmoving, his expression frighteningly peaceful.
"...Conrad?" Tanaka called out meekly, his voice barely above a whisper. The body didn't even stir. "...Conrad?" Like a recorder, he repeatedly called the name of the older man, lifelessly stumbling forward until he was hovering over his dear friend.
His limbs were placed in an uncomfortable position as if he were thrown across the floor and half of his face laid against the grainy floor. The light from the window shone against the earthly strands of the gardener's hair and he saw the specks of red dying its color. "Conrad," he said softly once again, his voice cracking into almost a whine as he fell onto his knees. With shaking hands, he pushed the older man onto his back and his head flopped disturbingly as the neck followed the change in position.
Suddenly, he felt tired. Conrad was not a light man. The groundskeeper was much taller than his small, thirteen-year-old body and had earned subtle muscles from his job-- it actually took a lot of strength for Tanaka to move the man even for a centimeter, especially in his weakened state.
His feelings were a mess. The fear, worry, devastation, grief, and despair shocking him into a blank emotional state and even though he kept moving, his body didn't feel like his. His eyes saw nothing even as they were wide open and his breath slowly turned shallow.
Maybe because of the experience from his previous life as he was doing biomedical research, when he leaned forward to rest upon his friend -to touch him, to be closer to him, to make sure he was still there- he positioned his ear where Conrad's heart should be.
Tanaka wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings and concentrated on the steady, almost burning heat from Conrad's body. Then he belatedly realized that heat was emitting from his friend's chest. And at first, it was hard to tell from the gardener's previous position, but the steady rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was breathing and the transmigrator didn't even need to strain his ears to hear the strong heartbeat.
Conrad was alive.
He shot up from the body he was laying on, ignoring the brief moment of vertigo, and did a quick check over. His pulse, pupil dilation, whether he was breathing normally-- everything seemed normal and stable. With some hesitation, he reached over to gently probe Conrad's head and was relieved to find out that whatever hit the gardener broke through the skin, therefore the excessive bleeding, but didn't fracture the skull.
There wasn't a big pool of blood surprisingly, considering how much the back of Conrad's head was caked with dried blood, but that probably meant he was hit somewhere else and then tossed into the shed afterward. There was no blood trail either, so this would have to be intentional.
Regardless, Conrad needed help and a doctor. In his previous life, he was a doctor, but not a medical doctor. He was a biomedical researcher, but not a physician. He had never worked with patients in a real medical situation before and he didn't think that the people that had volunteered for the human trials counted.
He checked the gardener one last time before noticing the others dry lips. Tanaka then pried his mouth open to find it dry as well.
Judging by how much his head wound had scabbed over and how much the blood had dried, Conrad at least had to be inside the shed for about half an hour. Most likely an hour and in addition to the blood loss, it wouldn't be surprising for the groundskeeper was dehydrated.
Tanaka wished that Edward was here with him. Or Clarisse. He should get Clarisse, but should he leave Conrad alone like this? Who would have done this to him? There was no way this was self-inflicted-- the locked door pointed out another party involved, but who? Would it be anyone that he knew? He had never seen Conrad interact with anyone outside of the estate before...
First water-- was there a well somewhere? Or a water pump? Hose? Oh right, he should get Clarisse, but Clarisse was all the way back inside of the manor. And he wasn't sure where she was in the manor either. Maybe any servant would work? But they need to bring water. How long would it take for them to find water and then come back to the shed? Where could he find water? He wished he knew how to convert magic particles into water like Clarisse could naturally do with her magic.... Ah, wait.
Climbing up to his feet unsteadily, Tanaka rushed outside and ran towards the closest bush of lavender near the hovel. Since he often napped here, Conrad had planted many of them in the small area, including a few fragrance-free flowers that would make the shed look bright and beautiful.
Though he liked them, he didn't hesitate to call his magic out and coax it towards the flowers. With some beckoning, clear, pure water seeped out of the stems of the bush and within seconds, the bush withered and turned brown. The lavender petals had turned into an ashy color and started crumbling by the touch of the breeze, but Tanaka didn't care about the state of the plant and concentrated on manipulating the magic particles to keep the clear liquid from spilling onto the ground.
With wobbly footsteps, he led the ball of water back inside the shed and had it hover over Conrad's head. He reached down to open his mouth, but that was enough to destabilize his control over his magic and instead, the water fell on top of the gardener.
Instantly, Conrad sputtered due to having to incidentally breathe in some of the water into his lungs and coughed himself awake. "Ch-Chinga! Me estoy ahogando? Quién fue el hijo de puta que me tiró al lago?!"
Conrad continued to curse until his blurry vision saw a tender face hovering above him with a distressed expression. He blinked twice, clearing his sight until the flushed cheeks of the little master became clear. "Pe...pequeño patrón?" the gardener stuttered, confused by the child appearance and... where are they exactly? It was obvious that they weren't in the young master's bedroom!
With a solemn expression, Tanaka used his sleeve to wipe some of the water around Conrad's face. Though he wanted to give the other some water, it was good that his usually cheery friend was awake and lively. But they were not out of danger just yet and though the gardener seemed coherent, he seemed confused by the situation. Considering the head trauma, it wouldn't be surprising if the groundskeeper had a concussion.
"Wait here," Tanaka instructed quietly, not minding the other's unabashed stare. Conrad had to strain his ears in order to hear the little one's words. "I'll go get help."
Though his limbs felt sore once again, the medicine he took hours before probably losing its potency, his movements quite sluggish, he slowly stood up onto his feet and made his way out of the shed.
A beat later, watching as the young master left the room, Conrad suddenly remembered everything. "Wa-Wait! Young master, you're sick--" As he twisted around to sit up, his limbs suddenly buckled underneath his weight and the gardener yelped when he face-planted back on the floor.
The rest of Conrad's words were muffled and Tanaka didn't pay too much attention to it as he checked around for the nearest person in the vicinity. Using his unusual perception of magic particles, he was surprised to find that someone was heading towards their direction but relaxed once he recognized the magic signature.
The rate of magic particles they emitted indicated a fourth-tier magician and it held a unique malleable characteristic. They were astonishingly right around the corner and Tanaka quickly pitter-pattered his way to the person. Just as he made a turn around one of the hedges, he ran into the other's leg, nearly falling backward if he hadn't grabbed onto the fabric in front of him.
There was a sound of surprise and when Tanaka looked up, he saw the hard, shadowed features of Mason Smith, one of the newer guardsmen of the estate. He had only ever seen the rough-looking man at a distance and he was quiet in comparison to his other coworkers-- like Angus, who cussed all the time except when Clarisse and Johanna were in the same vicinity, and Calum, who had no inner voice. His snores reflected his volume as well. Nonetheless, Mason's magic was familiar to him as anyone part of the estate, so he tugged on his coat and told the older man hoarsely, "Conrad's hurt."
Mason startled slightly, his silver-eyes narrowing as if surprised by the information, before briefly glancing at the direction where Tanaka came out from."Is he?" the guard inquired with a strange tone, but the curly-haired child only nodded solemnly.
"He needs a doctor and some water."
Mason paused for a moment as if he was pondering what he had been told, before reaching down to pick up the small child before him. Tanaka flinched at first out of surprise but after squirming a little in discomfort, he settled down. Angus and Calum had carried him before (like a sack of potatoes sometimes) but their sharp-looking coworker had always kept his distance from him. He was surprised that the other was now willing to be close.
"We should leave the area, young master," Mason informed the child as he walked the opposite direction where Conrad was. Tanaka was both confused and perturbed.
"But what about Conrad?"
"Your safety comes first," he reasoned strictly, his strides now getting longer while his grip on the young boy became firmer.
Regardless, Tanaka didn't give up. "Conrad's hurt. Shouldn't leave him alone."
"Conrad is an adult and can take care of himself." Mason sounded irritable and though Tanaka wanted to force the other to turn around, a wave of exhaustion and sleepiness suddenly hit him.
Something both cold and heavy spread throughout his body and he sank deeply against the guard's body. He slurred a few words, his eyelids growing heavier and his conscious blurring. In the background of the fading noises, he heard Mason's voice murmuring something he could not make out but it seemed to lull him deeper into unconsciousness—
But then he felt his magic reacting in a hostile manner against something foreign in his body and it was a very painful reaction. So painful that he was suddenly jolted awake and that brief moment of clarity, as whatever in his system wrestled for control, made him realize something.
Why did Mason just presume there was danger present so quickly? While Conrad was not accident prone, he had done his share of stupid stunts that gave him plenty of injuries. Even if the guard did not know the gardener well, wouldn't it be more logical to check first rather than assume the worst possible situation? Rarely did Rosetta estate ever suffer robbery or attacks— and that was because of the barrier surrounded the estate grounds. As long as everyone was inside, they would be safe.
But Conrad was assaulted and then locked inside the farthest shed from the main building. Either an aggressor somehow bypassed the barrier's security or... it was an inside job.
In that half-millisecond of lucidity, he invoked his magic to lash out. His veins were small to begin with, so it was already difficult for whatever was invading his body to spread and Tanaka also had near-perfect control over the magic particles created from his body.
Immediately, Mason twitched violently as if he was slapped and his limbs stiffened. The strength in the guard's arms had loosened and Tanaka slipped out of his grip like a lifeless doll.
The aftermath had Tanaka exhausted to the point of almost blacking out and the soreness that was always present on his body was amplified into a crippling pain once his body landed on the stone path. Luckily, he had enough sense to cushion his head from impact, but nothing could shield him from Mason's dark and enraged expression. It was the first time he had seen such an expression since he had been in this world, but it was not an unfamiliar expression.
He knew it was an expression of someone wanting to hurt him.
"Young master," the man cooed, rolling his shoulders to stretch out his suddenly stiffened limbs before walking closer to the prone child. "See what happens when young master moves around too much? Don't be so difficult."
Hearing the sickeningly sweet tone, Tanaka forced himself to bypass the pain and moved his arms to scoot away towards the opposite direction. He dared not look at Mason's expression again and concentrated on moving one arm and leg at a time. Unfortunately, in comparison to the healthy and muscular Mason, it wasn't long until he was grabbed from the back of his gown and forced back near the older man.
"Young master, I would hate to hurt you," Mason told him softly, as he grabbed onto Tanaka's shoulder, the older man's fingernails digging threateningly into his shoulder. "But if young master doesn't settle down--"
Mason suddenly dodged to the left, his head barely missing the hoe that swung down with a force that broke through the cobblestone. The guard held Tanaka prisoner within one of his arms, the limb pressing menacingly against his thin throat.
In turn, Conrad, who tried to knock out Mason, held up the hoe towards the larger man with a burning glare. "Maldito bastardo! First, you tried to kill me now you try to hurt the little master?! Let go of the little master before I shove your, your-- carajo, tu verga en tu culo!"
The guard only snorted, unthreatened by the other's tough act, especially since Conrad didn't look completely stable on his legs. When the gardener raised the hoe and aimed the tool to Mason's face, he unfortunately misjudged the distance, which the larger man used to his advantage.
It was all too easy for Mason to dodge Conrad's attempt and even with the extra weight in his arms, he had no difficulty in moving past the long hoe and kneeing the groundskeeper in the gut.
It was not a light blow and Conrad had no choice but to drop the gardening tool as he struggled for breath. He instinctively slouched forward in response to the pain in his abdomen and Mason used that change in height to catch the gardener's jaw by the sharpness of his knee.
Tanaka made a distress sound when Conrad's head whipped to the side, his body following the momentum before collapsing onto the ground.
With a sneer, Mason grabbed the abandoned hoe and whispered something under his breath. Much to Tanaka's amazement and silent dread, the metal head began to deform before transforming into a spearhead. The guardsman didn't hesitate to place it near Conrad's throat, the metallic glare illustrating a foreboding threat.
At first, Conrad was stunned by the assault until he felt something cool against the skin of his throat. His head throbbed as he glanced up at Mason, gritting his teeth when he saw the young master dangling from the other man's grip. He looked both terribly pale and flushed at the same time, and he should be in his room, but it was pointless to regret these kinds of things now. Right now, he needed to make sure that the young master would be safe.
"Smith, let the young master go," Conrad tried to reason, subtly inching his fingers toward the hoe-turned-spear. "He's just a kid. Whatever you have against me, don't take it out on the young master."
In response, Mason curved his lips in a mocking fashion. "I apologize, but I have nothing against you. You just picked the wrong side of the garden," the large man scoffed, his silver eyes gleaming. "Unfortunately, the little bastard has seen too much. He's coming with me."
"Oh," Conrad replies casually, his own hazel eyes turning into a deep green. "I see."
Immediately, Conrad grabbed onto the wooden pole of the spear and in an instant, leaves and branches sprouted. Mason couldn't help but let go of his weapon once the branches started to snake around his arm and the gardener ignored his headache to used that chance to barrel his body against the other man.
Tanaka was dropped in the scuffle and it was only when Conrad told him to run after staring stupidly at the mess of limbs trying to overpower one another that he scrambled onto his feet and ran towards the direction of the manor.
There was a burst of magical energy and when Tanaka dared to look back, he briefly saw Conrad being blown into one of the hedges. And judging by the loud crack he had heard from that direction, there was a possibility that the groundskeeper has hit his head again.
His throat closed, his insides squirmed, and there was a burn behind his eyes, but he willed his legs to move faster while screaming in a hoarse voice, "Clarisse!! Johanna!! Henry!! Mr. Sadik!! Amir—"
Before he could finish calling out the last name, he was yanked back by his collar, choking his breath, therefore his words, before being thrown to the side. Tanaka hit the ground harshly and before he could even attempt to get up, a large hand heavily pressed against throat and pried open his jaw.
His watery eyes could only see the dark, blurry features of Mason's face but with how the other's magic was digging into his skin, he was aware that the older man wanted to snap his neck.
Contempt and irritation rolled off of Mason in waves. "Young master should be a good sick little boy and shut up." From the corner of Tanaka's dark eyes, he could see the man taking something out from the side pouch on his belt. It was a vial, judging by its shape, with a strange dark purple liquid inside. When the older male uncorked it with his thumb, Tanaka then started squirming, much to Mason's annoyance. "If you have anyone to blame, then blame your brother."
The words were taunting and full of ridicule. Tanaka wasn't sure what Edward had to do with any of this and didn't have time to think about it. Mason shoved the bottle into his mouth and the transmigrator almost gagged by the taste of the liquid.
Mason wouldn't allow him to spit it out and covered his mouth with a bruising force. Even if some had spilled over his lips, the guard had also pinched his nose. He struggled and squirm as vigorously as he could with his weakened and sluggish body, but the older man had made sure to slip in between his legs so that he would kick anything vital and even then, his punches and kicks were very weak against someone like Mason.
Eventually, he had no choice but to breathe and when he did, the suspicious purple liquid came into both his stomach and his lungs. He coughed violently to get it out of his airways and ended up swallowing more of the concoction in the meanwhile.
Mason took his hands away from his face and though Tanaka wanted to move away from underneath the other, his body felt heavy. He could not even lift a finger. His perception became dull and though he tried to reach for his magic out of panic, it was like trying to carry water with a badly wounded basket.
His head lulled to the side, his eyelids heavy and his vision swimming until darkness greeted him in a suffocating embrace.
...--------...
Ch-Chinga! Me estoy ahogando? Quién fue el hijo de puta que me tiró al lago?! - Fuck/Shit! I'm drowning? Who was the son of the bitch that threw me in the lake?!
Pequeño patrón - little master
Maldito bastardo - You damn bastard
Carajo, tu verga en tu culo! - Fuck, your dick in your ass!
(￣▽￣)ノ Because the majority of us are too lazy to use google apparently.
Author's Note:
Well, I did warn you guys that you wouldn't like the cliffhanger, for those courageous people who decided to read now than wait until I post chapter 15 lololololol
I'm sure more than half of you are regretting your choices. But worry not! I'll post the next chapter--
Next week.
Or five days later, depending on how desperate you guys are.
We can negotiate. ~ヾ(＾∇＾) (And by that, I mean non-monetary bribes.)
No, I'm kidding, seriously. Though the deciding factor is still based on y'all misery~ ❤⃛ヾ(๑❛ ▿ ◠๑ )