[Castle Entrance]
After crossing the drawbridge, Michelle saw a proper gorgeous outdoor garden.
However, the garden is filled with an atmosphere that will not heal visitor’s hearts. The bustle of things living there was somehow wishing for something.
----- The sign of monsters……is still thin.
But, this is not the place to enter with common sense.
This thought Michelle placed in her heart. She has to find Curtis and peered out using the moonlight.
She already thought of going inside the castle, breaking into a run, then-----
At the corner of her eye, there was something out of place.
That is, a red peculiar dot.
It ought to dissolve if she rolled her eyes but it did not vanish.
Why does she see this red mass? She realized it in a moment.
-----Could it be……
The reflection of reality at the corner of her sight was clear and her eyes could not lie. She cannot accept reality, thus she strongly fastened her heart.
She felt her back ooze with sweat regarding that red peculiar dot-----
She suddenly fell into a pool of blood, turned and looked at the figure of a man wearing those familiar clothes.
“Curtis!......”
Instantly, she knew he is really Curtis. She frustratingly kicked the ground, had she paid more attention to her surroundings she wouldn’t have run up towards his body.
Curtis’ body was full of wounds and it was not known which wound was worse. Based on the quantity of blood that pooled over the area, the thought of his survival was hopeless.
“Curtis! Hang on, Curtis!”
Michelle’s body went numb.
She cannot find his pulse.
She also could not confirm whether he is alive or dead.
Over and over, she tried to drown out the voice inside her head that kept on saying [it’s too late]. All she could do was ----- cry.
“Cu……Curtis!”
“……uh……cough……”
“!”
Instantly, all her senses returned to her.
He still breathes.
From the moment his groan was confirmed, for a split second, her faced showed a deep sense of relief, however, that was immediately changed.
Curtis’ face is pale and his breaths are extremely weak.
It is clear that at this point his life is in the balance.
She attempted to close his wounds, but -----
The young man covered in wounds suddenly stood up.
“Eh……?”
Not understanding what just happened, Michelle’s eyes widened.
The youth headed towards the main door of the castle dragging his bleeding leg----- and ignoring the presence of Michelle.
“!? Cu……Curtis! N……no! You should not move!”
“Cough……”
His body either stopped moving or he heard Michelle’s voice, Curtis collapsed and dropped on his knees.
“No! There is no reason for you to walk! First, if you don’t stop the bleeding……”
It seemed that he fainted due to the loss of blood and Michelle’s voice did not reach his ears.
Curtis increased his breathing, fixing his eyes on the front door of the castle.
At this rate, Curtis would die from excessive blood loss. Even though it was impossible, Michelle tried to hold back Curtis’ body, then -----
Suddenly, there was a splashing sound and some kind of liquid substance rained down on Curtis’ body.
“!?”
Imagining a monster attack, Michelle reached for her equipment at her waist and followed the direction of the thrown liquid with her eyes.
However, instead of an awful monster ----- she saw a middle aged man there.
“Oh missy, are you guys ok?”
This big man with a bald head, beard and wearing an army jacket stood in front of her.
He carried some kind of bottle in his hands and its contents are the same type of liquid that was splashed on Curtis’ body.
“Be at ease. The liquid that I doused him is a potion since I saw that things here seemed to have gone wrong and his wounds seemed more serious than to disinfect with vodka, right?”
This military uniformed man with a scary face said those friendly words in an inappropriate place such as Dracula’s garden.
“Potion……?”
Mumbling her suspicion, Michelle watched the situation of the soaking Curtis.
Then----- comparing his condition now to before, it is clear that his bleeding stopped and his breathing had gone better.
“It is better to drink it but……at that time, it was impossible.”
Frankly, that man is suspicious but it is certain that he saved Curtis.
“Though----- it is surprising. Did you come across other people here that are not your acquaintance?”
“……”
Michelle kept a little part of her heart cautious but she did say thanks to the man in front of her.
“Thank you, you’ve been very helpful. You are……?”
“Hmm? Me? Ah----- To say it simply, I run a general store. If there are items you want like information or medicine, I sell them for a cheap price.”
“……?”
For a moment, she did not understand what the man was saying. While supporting Curtis’ body, she asked the man with a troubled expression.
“Selling……That……You, do you know what this place is?”
“Ah Dracula’s castle, right?”
“……”
“Was I ripped off pretty bad by an alchemist? That chap said that this potion can heal any type of injury. But ah, this time, I am not here to make money. But just to be sure, if you want to buy something next time, you have to pay me ok?”
The man shook his head and said those words casually.
“After all, with that injury, it is not appropriate to make a business out of it. Here.”
With those words, the big man tossed some kind of book in addition to medicine.
“These are free samples. Next time, I have to receive payment, ok?”
“……ah……thank you……”
While saying thanks to the man in front of her, Michelle brought a potion to Curtis’ mouth.
Finally, Curtis was able to sense Michelle’s presence.
Gradually suppressing his rising breathing, for a moment, he turned towards this side, but-----
Without a word, he reached for a small bottle with trembling fingertips and drank the liquid contents off.
“Are you ok……?”
“……”
His injuries are healing faster than before thus it can somehow be said that the military man’s potion is real.
With that, they were able to slip out of crisis mode and once again, Michelle said words of thanks.
“Thank you so much. I’m Michelle, he’s Curtis……and you are?”
“Me? I’m Hammer. As I’ve said before, I run a general store. I have goods from newspapers until rocket launchers.”
Michelle suspiciously stared at the man that was openheartedly talking.
“What was your purpose in coming here……? I doubt that your true purpose is just to sell goods, right?”
“Ah----- What was my reason…… from your look, you are a party sent by the church, right?”
“Y, yes……We are just the advance party though……”
For a moment, she hesitated to talk about the truth with him but since she felt that the man in front of her has no malicious intent, she immediately talked about their current situation.
The bald military man showed a slightly serious face and said in a lowered voice.
“Do you mean…… Of course, Yoko-san would also be coming here right!?”
Suddenly hearing an acquaintance’s name, Michelle tamely answered.
“Eh? If it’s Yoko-san, she’d probably come here but……”
Then the man clenched his fists, gave a wry smile and shouted “Yes!”
“Damn, I had confidence in believing the rumor about Dracula’s castle! My hunch was that if the castle appears again, Yoko-san would absolutely come! Banzai!”
Not knowing how to respond, Michelle remembered to say one thing.
“She ought to meet up with Julius-san. I think it would take quite a while……”
Immediately after hearing Julius’ name, Hammer placed his hand on his face, looked up to the sky and with an exaggerated voice said.
“……Argh-----! With that grandpa again!…… Working with that guy…… Perhaps, it is destiny that chance brought me here several times! Why, you also think that way, right?”
“By chance……You mean, you came here because you thought that you’d meet Yoko-san……”
“Gahahahahaha! Don’t pay attention to that little detail!”
With that man’s hearty laugh, Michelle for a while forgot her current situation.
-----Hammer
-----Come to think of it, he seems to have heard from Yoko-san and the others.
-----Putting himself in this perilous place, this weird soldier……
While supporting Curtis’ body, Michelle asked a surprising question.
“Do you really plan to set up shop at this place?”
“I’m just a guy with items. Since I am collecting loads of items, money and jewels from those monsters, why not take the opportunity and earn some more money, right?”
By the way he talked, Michelle thought that he somehow understood this place.
“You’ve got an amazing business sense……”
“That’s why, please come again, come. In order to meet Yoko, I’m willing to go through a lot of trouble! The next time you’ll buy something, I’ll give you a discount.”
Michelle did not say anything more to the grinning Hammer. She would have to continue nursing Curtis when -----
Curtis once more stood up.
“Ah……don’t stand!”
“……”
His face is no longer hollow and both of his eyes had the light of a strong will.
However, he did not fully react to Michelle’s voice. He faced her with frozen eyes and said.
“Sorry, but……My memory’s gone.”
“Curtis……?”
Not understanding the meaning of his words, Michelle called out his name without thinking and ----- she just invited confusion.
“Curtis……? Yes, my name is Curtis……”
“Eh……?”
“I can’t remember your name right now. I could only recall the name Curtis.”
----- What……
-----At this moment, this joke……
Curtis’ eyes prove that this was not a joke.
Still Michelle cannot accept this fact.
“Hey, say something……”
“Although I understand what I must do.”
Drowning out Michelle’s words, Curtis viciously glared at the castle in front of him
“Must destroy……this castle”
After muttering that, he faced the castle and stepped forward.
On the other hand, Michelle not knowing what had just happened, and not knowing what to do, just stood there paralyzed and in a daze.
“I don’t understand the situation but are you confused? Sometimes in battle, getting hit with a shock can cause memory loss.”
When she heard that other person’s voice, Michelle’s confidence returned and hurriedly faced Hammer.
“Ah, thank you very much! I’ll surely give a formal thank you to you later……!”
“Your thanks is enough. Just buy something later. Besides, I’m thinking of hanging around here. Hurry run after your boyfriend!”
Michelle once more said her thanks to Hammer who is now patting his head and laughing heartily. She then turned towards the castle and started to run after Curtis.
While watching those two, Hammer was still grinning.
“It’s good to see a such young man and a young woman. Would I also experience the same type of chasing from Yoko-san……?”
Suddenly, Curtis who just entered the castle noticed his leg gave way again. He then saw a jar that Hammer rolled on the ground.
“Weird, huh? You have used that much potions so you should have recovered by now, but……oh, oh, what if we took a bad product?”
Hammer still surveyed his surroundings, saw Curtis down and saved him ----- he raised his brow and muttered.
“That guy, live well……”