TMLHGCFTV 09

Chapter 9

As the situation continued to deteriorate, more and more people began complaining or simply collapsing where they stood. Against that backdrop, Vanessa’s reaction was actually fairly normal.

I barely managed to get Vanessa back on her feet and led her outside the tent. The cold dawn air struck my face. One by one, the other tents were beginning to open as well.

From a little farther away came the shouts of people training. There were people working that hard, too! If you don’t have muscles, at least put in the effort!

I had only one goal.

To make sure Vanessa could at least run away on her own two legs.

“Run, Vanessa. You ran for ten minutes yesterday, so today we’re doing fifteen!”

“Uaaahhh, Rosana.”

I gave Vanessa’s back a few encouraging pats. She started flailing her arms and legs in a clumsy imitation of running. It had only been two days since she’d finally managed to make something resembling a run.

Sigh.

Getting someone who could barely walk to actually run wasn’t easy.

It was like making a baby who had only just learned the ABCs write an English sentence.

Still, what could I do?

If she wanted to live, she had to run.

“Swing your arms harder, Vanessa! Lift your legs higher!”

“I’ve never walked this much in my entire life, let alone run. We always traveled by carriage back home….”

“There aren’t any carriages here. We have to walk on our own two feet.”

Even impoverished lower-ranking noble families clung to their carriages. They believed them to be a symbol of nobility.

At my reminder of reality, Vanessa began to whine.

Even so, she obediently lifted her legs higher and moved her arms with more effort.

She really did look like a baby taking its first steps.

“Vanessa, control your breathing. If you breathe too quickly, you’ll tire yourself out.”

“Haa… haa… yes….”

About five minutes later, Vanessa was already starting to struggle.

“Huff, huff.”

Actually, she looked like she was dying.

Seriously, how is her stamina this terrible? What am I supposed to do with her?

At this rate, she really was going to get torn apart by a monster’s teeth.

I let out a deep sigh.

“Rosana… how are you… so good at running? Even after walking all day….”

“I practiced hard. For a month before we left. I exercised a lot, too.”

“A whole month?”

Vanessa stared at me in surprise.

“If you want to live, you have to do whatever it takes.”

One by one, people were starting to wake up and stare at us curiously. I was used to those looks by now. They had looked at me the same way whenever I trained alone.

They had even stared in fascination when Vanessa first started running after me.

“Everyone… is looking at me….”

“Imagine they’re monsters watching you. It’ll help you run faster.”

Vanessa made a horrified face.

At least she had enough energy for that now.

After ten minutes, Vanessa began staggering.

“Lady Rosana… just for a moment… if I could rest….”

“Take a one-minute break. Then we’ll run lightly for another ten minutes.”

“Uaaaaagh!”

Vanessa collapsed right where she stood.

“I think I’m going to die….”

“You’re not dead yet. Come on, Vanessa. You can do it.”

“Five minutes feels so long… And we have to walk all day again later….”

“Then think of it this way. You need to buy a limited-edition dress, but the shop is closing in five minutes.”

“Ah!”

Vanessa’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“What would you do?”

“I’d make my maid run there for me. Luckily, our maid is a good runner!”

She’s hopeless.

I stared at her with a completely deadpan expression, and Vanessa burst out laughing.

It was better than seeing her cry every day, but seriously, this girl was beyond saving.

Good grief. How am I supposed to turn this noble lady into a functioning human being?

After laughing for a while, Vanessa cautiously asked,

“Rosana, do you really think… something frightening will happen in Greystone?”

“Even if it isn’t in Greystone, it’ll happen somewhere eventually. Monsters are real, and we’re practically sticking our heads into their mouths.”

Vanessa immediately became gloomy.

I patted her shoulder.

“Vanessa, a week ago, you couldn’t even walk for an hour. Now you can walk all day, and you can run for fifteen minutes in the morning. That’s incredible progress. At this rate, you’ll be able to run like a sturdy deer even when you face a monster.”

Vanessa stared at me with tearful eyes.

She cried while laughing.

“Starting tomorrow, we shouldn’t just practice running. We should practice jumping, too.”

I figured I might as well make sure she didn’t even have time to think about crying.

Vanessa looked horrified.

“Jumping like a grasshopper? Without any dignity?”

“You’ll be able to escape better if you can get over obstacles. Who says you’ll only be running on flat ground?”

Vanessa sighed and muttered,

“I suppose I’ll have to research how to jump with dignity….”

Her expression as she seriously contemplated it was hilarious.

She still cares about that?

I patted Vanessa’s shoulder encouragingly.

“All right, get up. One minute’s already passed.”

“Uaaaaaah….”

I grabbed the staggering Vanessa and pulled her back to her feet.

For the sake of Vanessa’s dignified sprinting career.

The other noble ladies who had been watching us finally approached me after Vanessa became capable of running for much longer than before following several days of forced marches.

“Lady Rosana.”

A young lady who was still wearing her worn-out dress and refusing to give up her heels nervously moved her lips.

“Do you remember me? I’m Herod.”

I gave her a short nod.

“…I heard what you said to Lady Vanessa. Are we really going to fight monsters?”

“We’re going to Greystone, aren’t we?”

Herod bit her lip anxiously. The young ladies standing behind her looked just as worried.

“But… the Saintess is traveling with us. Won’t she protect us?”

In this world, the Saintess was only ten years old.

“…You’re a little too grown-up to hide behind a child.”

I sighed deeply as I said it.

Herod’s face flushed red.

Then, with tears welling in her eyes, she asked,

“Th-then what are we supposed to do?”

All of them looked at me as though they were about to cry.

They didn’t even know where to begin or what they were supposed to do.

I looked at them one by one before speaking.

“You can change starting now. Take off your dresses and put on something comfortable. And wear shoes you can actually run in instead of heels.”

“B-but how can a noble lady…? I’m actually here to meet His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“So am I.”

Voices of agreement rose from all around us.

There was a reason they refused to give up, even though their makeup was melting under the sunlight and sweat.

They had come here hoping to meet the Crown Prince.

Well, even Duke Ardena had sent me here for exactly that reason.

There was no reason to assume the others hadn’t come with the same intentions.

“You could die before you even get the chance to have a single conversation with His Highness.”

Herod blinked.

“Are you really willing to risk your life for a vague hope like that? Doesn’t that seem like a terrible cost-to-benefit ratio?”

A lot of people had already died during the first spider clan attack.

At this rate, these women would undoubtedly die in that attack as well.

One of the young ladies standing toward the back whispered softly,

“Please… help us. Please, Lady Rosana.”

“Y-yes. Please help us. We want to be like Lady Vanessa… Please help us the way you helped her.”

Every one of them had turned bright red.

There was a good reason for that.

They had never gotten along with Rosana.

And why would they have?

Rosana had always acted as though she were superior to everyone else, deliberately ignoring them.

If she hadn’t, the mask she wore would have slipped.

And they had been jealous of Rosana, too. She had once been engaged to the Crown Prince, and they had believed her to be the woman closest to him.

For them to swallow their pride and approach Rosana at all was already a huge step.

Come on. Is pride going to put food on your table?

“Good thinking.”

I dusted off my hands.

“Let’s start with your shoes! If you managed to walk all the way here in those things, that means you have patience and endurance. There’s potential!”