If You Devour Poison / Doku wo Kurawaba Sara Made

Chapter 28: Thunder (NSFW)

In the past, he’d seen a kitten get stuck on a branch after climbing a tree, unable to get itself down.
Even when he tried to help the kitten down, it just flashed its claws at him and then escaped higher up into the tree.
No matter how he reassured the kitten he would catch it, in the end it became unable to move, trembling as it clung to the tree and he failed to save it.

“Hey, you—don’t think about pointless things.”
“...I’m not.”
“Crap… what a shameful situation.”

Jolga had never seen Anderheim like this, uttering complaints as he sat atop the branch, in a rare show of emotion. Compared to Anderheim’s habitual distasteful sneer that seemed to reveal his deceitful intentions, this was far more enticing.
...Enticing?
Jolga was surprised by his own feelings.
He looked up at Anderheim, still stuck in the tree.
He was known as the biggest scourge of Palcemith, but was in fact an extraordinary strategist. A patriotic Prime Minister, who’d thrown away even his daughter and dignity, becoming a scapegoat, all to protect the kingdom.
He had continued to take on Jolga’s resentment, all so he could protect Jolga’s heart.
Pale blue lightning fell from the sky, tearing through the curtain of rain clouds the late afternoon sun was barely peeking through.
At the thundering that followed the strike, Anderheim’s hand accidentally slipped from the branch. He fell, and Jolga easily caught Anderheim in his burly arms.

“Are you all right, Lord Anderheim?”
“This is… terrible...!

Jolga held Anderhiem as the man continued to swear and whistled through his fingers. His horse came running at the summons, and Jolga set Anderheim atop the steed. He mounted immediately after, and, one foot in the stirrups, began riding despite the rain. The Luft River had already breached its banks, the riverbank construction swept away in the muddy waters.

“We can’t go back...?”

In order to reach the paved road at the top of the slope, they would have to ride pillion, forcing the horse to struggle against the rising waters while carrying double. It would be a dangerous gamble to cross, but if they didn’t, they would be forced to take a long detour around. With the thunderstorm growing more fierce, it wasn’t wise to remain outside for long on horseback.

“It can’t be helped...!”

Pulling the reins, Jolga guided his horse to the forest with massive trees, the very same place he had warned Anderheim was dangerous.

“Hey!”

Hearing Anderheim reproach him from behind, Jolga looked over his shoulder and replied while they rode on.

“There’s a hunter’s cabin a little ways ahead.”
“...Are you… sure?”
“I’ve used it in the past during the deer season. It’s most likely empty at the moment.”

Just as Jolga had said, they reached the small cabin before even a half-hour had passed. It stood alone, surrounded by the forest’s big trees.
He opened the wooden door with a key hidden under a lantern hanging beneath the eaves, and then hitched his horse to the rings fitted in the wall with a casual ease. The more Anderheim watched Jolga, the more he felt certain Jolga truly had been here countless times before.
The cabin itself was a simple log house with a wooden floor, but the walls were lined with hunting tools. The soft pelt of some long-haired beast was spread out in front of a brick fireplace. It seemed as if it was still being used from time to time, as it didn’t smell of mold at all.

“I’ll build a fire at once. Please wait.”
“Ahh… got it.”

Skilfully using flint and some dry tinder, Jolga created a spark and fed the fire by putting kindling atop the fire dog, the metal bars that supported the wood within the fireplace. Once the larger logs of kindling had caught fire, burning with a steady flame, he retrieved some of the water stored in the cabin and heated it above the fire in a copper vessel.
In the meantime, Anderheim, who was feeling a heavy chill in his body now that he was out of the rain, began to slowly remove his dripping wet clothes, shivering as he did so. As he struggled to unfasten his cravat, the elegant, ruffled, detachable collar soaked through by the rain, with his numb fingers, Jolga, who had already stripped down to his undergarments, reached out and undid it for him. Peeling off Anderheim’s blouse, Jolga shoved a blanket at him and forced him to sit beside the fireplace.