Chương 72: Chapter 42: “He and I (2)”

Sir Ozy's carrier sat on the floor beside the desk. The pug was asleep inside it, his squat body curled into a shape showing that he had given up sometime in the last hour. His snoring would come in intermittent waves, sometimes loud bursts which are then followed by stretches of silence. Right now, he was in one of his quiet phases. Martha had laid out a change of clothes and was already holding up a fitted dress when Celestia walked in. As expected of her personal maid.

Five minutes later, Celestia was freshened up and changed into something more socially acceptable. Her hair had been brushed and pinned, and the faint traces of accumulated dust and dirt had been wiped away. Celestia was tired. The day had been long, after all: between Anna's potion, the combat elective, the speech to the recruits, and the thoughts of the eventual evening meeting with Cassia. Knock. Knock. Someone knocked at the office door and Martha answered it.

A maid stood in the hallway with a young man behind her.

"My lady, the healer has arrived." Noah stepped into view, and Celestia remembered.

'Ah. Right.' She had completely forgotten about the healing appointment. The day's events had buried it under everything else. Noah stood in the doorway, his posture relaxed and his expression pleasant. He gave a polite bow of his head. Celestia didn't bother sitting back down. She picked up her fan from the desk, snapped it open, and walked past Martha toward the door.

"Noah. Walk with me." Noah didn't refuse or question, as if he was used to this. The evening sky outside was already darkening. The streetlamps along the business district had been lit, and the foot traffic had thinned.

"Ride with me back to the academy and treat me during the trip. It will save time." Martha, who had followed them out with Sir Ozy's carrier in hand, stopped walking.

"My lady." Her tone had shifted.

"It is not proper for an unwed woman and man to share a carriage alone." She paused, and her gaze drifted briefly to Noah's face before returning to Celestia.

"…Especially one with such… agreeable features." Celestia glanced at Noah, then back at Martha.

"I don't mind." She turned to him.

"Do you?" Noah shook his head.

"Not at all, Lady Reingarde." Martha's lips pressed into a thin line.

"Then at the very least, allow me to accompany you." Noah tilted his head slightly, and a small smile crossed his face.

"If you ride with us to the academy, wouldn't that mean you and I would be alone together on the return trip?" Martha opened her mouth, then she closed it; her expression cycled through several stages of objection before settling on resignation. She exhaled through her nose, adjusted her grip on Sir Ozy's carrier, and walked to the carriage without another word. She placed the carrier inside first, settling it onto the seat with care. Sir Ozy shifted in his sleep, let out a single snort, and went still again.

Noah climbed in next, taking the seat opposite the carrier. Celestia entered last and sat beside Sir Ozy's carrier. After they both settled in their seats and the carriage started to move, "You may begin," Celestia said. Noah, seated across from her, gave a small nod.

"Excuse me." He reached forward and took her right hand, cradling it gently as he turned it over to examine it. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. At first look, he paused; his fingers traced the surface of her palm, her knuckles, then the back of her hand. The injuries he had started treating the previous day had visibly closed. The skin was still slightly discolored in places, but the major problems had already been fixed.

"Lady Reingarde," Noah said, looking up.

"Did you have another healer attend to this?" Celestia met his gaze.

"No."

"This recovery is significant," he continued, his tone careful.

"If another healer has already treated it, I should refrain from continuing. I believe I have already explained myself the previou—."

"It wasn't a healer," Celestia said.

"Don't concern yourself with it." Noah held her gaze for a moment longer, and then he started working, the familiar glow spreading across her skin. Celestia leaned back against the seat and let him do his job. Outside, the carriage moved at a steady pace through the business district, the rhythm of hooves on stone filling the silence between them. After several minutes, Noah spoke again.

"Your hand was in worse shape than it appeared." Celestia glanced at him.

"The surface injuries healed well," he said, his attention still fixed on her hand.

"But internally, there was more damage than what showed." He adjusted his grip slightly.

"Fortunately, today's session should be enough to rectify that problem and finish the hand entirely."

"Hm." Celestia hummed in understanding. The distinction between surface healing and internal damage was useful information. Anna's potion had handled the visible wounds with almost frightening speed, but if the deeper injuries had lingered underneath, then Anna would probably only realize it later after conducting more tests on rats. She would need to tell her. Noah continued working in silence for another minute before he released her hand and set it down gently.

"That should do it. May I see the knee?" Celestia hiked up the hem of her dress to expose the injured knee. Noah shifted forward in his seat and placed both hands around the joint, his palms settling just above and below the kneecap. The glow resumed.

"It's the same as the hand," he said after a moment.

"The surface is mostly intact, but internally it's worse for wear. Though, you don't need to worry, I can finish this one today as well." Celestia said nothing and turned her attention to the window. The buildings of the business district had given way to the wider roads leading out of the city proper. Lampposts grew sparse, and the treeline thickened as the carriage began its approach toward the mountain path that led to the academy.

Since Noah was focused on healing, the only sounds were the carriage wheels and the occasional creak of the frame over uneven road. By the time the carriage entered the mountain road, the glow around her knee faded. Noah sat back and straightened his posture. That same easy smile settled onto his face, as though he had nowhere else to be. Celestia couldn't help but realize something.

'Why was this person never mentioned in the book?' A healer of his caliber, with a face like that, should have had at least a scene or two in the original novel. The story had never been shy about introducing attractive characters into Arthur's orbit, and a male healer with Noah's looks would have been memorable enough for the author to use, especially to highlight Arthur even more. Yet she couldn't recall his name appearing even once.

She was about to ask him something when Sir Ozy provided his own contribution to the evening. A snore ripped through the carrier with enough force that the pug's entire body seemed to vibrate inside it. Noah flinched. His composure cracked for the first time that evening as his eyes darted to the carrier beside Celestia, visibly startled.

"Don't mind it." There was a particular exasperation in Celestia's voice.

"He's my elemental pet." Noah stared at the carrier. Sir Ozy had already returned back to his quieter rhythm, entirely unbothered by the noise he had just unleashed.

"From the Tower, I suppose?" Noah asked, recovering his smile.

"A gift from someone."

"I don't suppose I could take a look at him?"

"I'd rather you didn't," Celestia said.

"He's quite noisy when he's awake." Noah let out a soft laugh.

"Noisier than just now?"

"Quite considerably." Since there was nothing to do for the remainder of the ride, Celestia didn't stop the conversation from continuing, as this was a good opportunity as any to gleam more information of the priest's origins.

"I assume you received the gift recently?" Noah asked.

"Precisely."

"Did you at least enjoy the auction?"

"It was distastef—" Celestia stopped as her eyes widened a fraction. She made a mistake, the word had left her mouth on reflex, a response to what had seemed like an innocent question. Noah's smile didn't visibly change, it was still pleasant and warm, but there was something manic behind it now.

"Aha." His voice was still gentle.

"Found you, Moon."