The oath is for fools as well

Rhythmic breath, eyes closed, not a lot of movement other than the slightly wiggling ears.

She had fallen asleep, at least first stage.

Good.

I turned sharply towards Grandma, who was standing pensive in a corner.

“What the hell was that? Did you want for her to explode, break more things or just me, Grandma?” I hissed, my tone as furious despite the Spirits, channeled by the runes all around the clinics, trying to calm me down.

It was just enough for me to not shout at that old dyrgia mage, someone who could smite me easily, for behaving like this.

She could have waited until she was healed, or done more slowly, anything less!

Instead I had risked a brawl between a severely injured patient and a fourhundredgenerian.

A scary four hundredgenerian, but still someone who would not be that good against a pissed off woman.

Above all if said pissed off woman hadn’t been crunched by an angry, big, and above all angry bear.

Did I say angry? Because it’s important here.

Also, she was making me go against my own oaths, by making me calm down forcefully the elf.

“Vic, isn’t this just giving the new in a faster way? Not knowing where you are, or that you are somewhere, would not help her.” Ingrid pointed out, taking a sit beside the cub, who had now fallen asleep again.

I rubbed my eyes at that, knowing that it was hard to understand, above all for how dwarves are, and spoke, my tone tired: “Look, I am the one who is the expert on this, right? I am the one who transmigrated first, and I am also the one who…who lost hope in returning back first. Maybe her coming here is…”

Hope.

I didn’t dare to speak it.

But Grandma, who had been silent in her sit till now, turned towards me and, with a slow shake of her head, she spoke sadly: “Young boy, I understand that you still hope, but all research the Order has done, until I left it, didn’t give us any way to direct the travel to a specific plane. You know that, and it crushed you once.”

Better to not hope again to be destroyed, went unsaid.

“I know. I know that. It’s just…It’s just-” I spoke up, starting to walk back and forth, the wood under my feet creaking, my own thoughts returning to my family and friends at home.

Ingrid’s hand went to my side, silent and reassuring, and made me sigh again, but also nod at her silent support.

A few seconds of silence drowned out the slight wind, and the snores of the cub.

“I…may have been too direct. The fact she is an Alfar doesn’t take away from the fact she is from another world.” Grandma spoke up after that silence, her eyes going to the ground, her wrinkles becoming deeper and her expression contrite for a moment.

We were both surprised by how quickly she changed her mind, Ingrid turning towards her and asking, her tone direct and brutal: “But why? Vic suffered because of that, should we not help her by being truthful?”

The old dyrgia shook her head, and then got up: “I apologise to you as well, Victor, Druid, follower of the old ways. I will make sure to repay you for your help in a duty given by Magic, Honour, and Duty. I swear so.”

The wind outside picked up for a moment, and the spirits inside stopped, in that same second, their own work, staring and waiting.

I stared at her for a moment, her expression solemn, and pointed out, rolling my eyes: “You know that I dislike this kind of “biggity big” debts, Granny. But I will keep those in mind.”

A feeling of a knot came through, and the old dyrgia nodded and got up, her bones cracking slightly: “This alfar is strong, boy, pay attention when you clean her. Girl, we go prepare the taxes, I can feel in my bones that the baron will be incredibly annoying this time. When she is stable, please come to the hamlet, I may need your help undoing the damage of yesterday’s explosion.”

She started walking then, steady despite the cane, the unsurety she had before covered almost immediately in surety.

Ingrid patted my back, and with a smirk she promised, winking at me: “While you take care of the Alfar, I will make sure to bring some food. You got no more bread, I will pass from Astrid to take some. Have hopefully a shorter day today, Vic!” And out she goes, whistling a tune, like nothing of importance had happened.

Then, from the closing door, I heard a shout, amused, from the young dyrgia: “That one is awake, by the way!”

Uh?

I slowly turned towards the sleeping patient, who now had her eyes lazily open, and was staring at the ceiling.

While it would have been amusing, satisfying and outright hilarious to point that out, the fallout would be against my oaths.

So I just went on with my morning work, and preparations for winter, like preparing the bandages and the concoction. I needed to stock up after the last day.

At least most of the things were food or near, but I am still annoyed for the cotton.

Would need to hope that those merchants will have some raw textile, if not-

“The nana said you were from another world as well, Peregrino.” the elf spoke, her tone spent, and I could picture her eyes being lifeless for a moment.

It’s not like I had to imagine much.

“I am, yes.” I answered, waiting for a follow up question, while I worked.

Had to also prepare a lunch for at least three.

But there was no follow up question, only a heavy, tired, silence.

There were some sniffles, but I didn’t turn.

There were some moans about why me, but I did not answer.

I let the proud fool of a woman, so similar to how I was, mourn.

After all, I was mourning as well.

I had to respect the need of someone else to feel the same.