Dry Drowning

Chapter 26

“Oh, my. Did you wake up because of me?”

Ed, who just entered the room with a silver candlestick, muttered as if he was embarrassed. He must have thought Ian had woken up because of him, and had already released his hand from the carefully opened door.

“I’m here to check the fireplace. Sometimes it turns off at dawn… But it would be better for it not to.”

It was Ed who knew Ian’s daily life more than anyone else. He thought he just woke up a tired person for no reason. When Ian got up from the bed he was lying on, Ed slowly opened the door and entered the room.

It was already 3 in the morning. Confirming that it was the same time as yesterday, he turned his gaze to Ed, and Ed looked at him softly.

“Learning a foreign language is very difficult.”

As if he understood the hardship, Ed smiled, asking him something that was none of his business. Come to think of it, since when did he*?

[*T/N: When did he not ask about something that’s none of his business.]

Obviously, at first, he was a person who drew lines only around his mouth as if he was taking care of a load that he cannot burn. He spoke kindly, but in retrospect, all his words were out of necessity.

*You should take a rest. I’ll look for a way. After a few days, the procession…

[*T/N: Ian is telling about the things that Ed said before, out of necessity.]

“Ian-nim.”

Yeah, it was after the procession.

When he woke up after falling in the snow on his way back, he remembered him looking his way with a particularly bright expression.

Even at that time, I felt something was odd, but I didn’t have time to think properly because I joined the Knights Templar the other day. He began to learn to write as soon as he wondered if his territoriality was over, and in the meantime, Ed took care of Ian with all his heart. With the meticulousness of preparing ink bottles and fountain pens on the training ground desk every morning,

Ian believed that Ed wasn’t the sort who did things that he didn’t even ask for. The invisible wall is the obvious type. If what he did was the first impression, Ed these days was the opposite.

“There’s only two weeks left now.”

Ian wondered what it was about, but when he recalled the date, he realised it was about the expedition. Ed muttered, checking the firewood of the fireplace that made a sound.

“The master will be with you, but….”

“…..”

“If you happen to fall out from the crowd, go where you can hear the splash of water.”

He didn’t know what to do.

It didn’t seem like everyone, including Schwartz, was just trying to emphasize that the Archduke was by his side. It was a problem because he couldn’t tell whether the advice was just like a horror movie’s narrative simply to scare me from running away or if it had any other meaning.

But it was clear that there was something dangerous.

The general of the Knights, who is tall enough to exceed 2m, was injured in the last expedition.

I thought it was from a big bear because of the claw marks on his face, but if so, I couldn’t understand Ed’s meaning in going to the water.

“The watery scent of water often gets rid of the smell.”

Which big beast doesn’t like water?

He thought of a few kinds, but maybe there are completely different species. He couldn’t say for sure since he had only been out of the mansion once. He also didn’t have time to look around because he was shackled, but somehow he didn’t feel like he was back in the past.*

[*T/N: Ian thought he reincarnated back in the past in some foreign country, but after hearing these fantasy types of things, he thinks it isn’t the past but somewhere else.]

It wouldn’t matter if this was a simple medieval era.

He did not know the names of all the countries in the past, so maybe it was a long time ago in an unknown foreign country.

However, when he looked out of the window at a forest full of black leaves, Ian was immersed in a vague feeling that this might be a completely different place from the world he lived in.

“Then sleep well.”

When he thought of that, Ed glanced at the clock, and took a step back. It was natural because it was late, but Ian, who still had something to ask, shook his head quickly.

“…..Do you have anything to say?”

Ed, who was about to turn around, stopped his steps, leaned over and asked. After pondering for a moment, Ian remembered the fountain pen on the table in his room. That would be enough. When Ian, who was thought to lie down again, lowered his feet under the bed, Ed, who took a step back, returned in an even posture.

Unlike yesterday, it was not difficult to find items that were placed because the fireplace was illuminating the surroundings. Walking barefoot to the table, Ian picked up a fountain pen that was neatly placed. Footsteps slowly approached Ian when the sound of scribbling something on a paper with ink on it was heard.

Ian, who barely wrote the appropriate word because he hadn’t learned the verb yet, handed Ed the paper.

“Well.”

It was dark, but it wasn’t to the extent of not being able to read letters.

Ed put down the silver candlestick on the table, took the paper that was suddenly handed over and read the poorly written letters carefully.

Yesterday morning visit

“…..”

He saw three words connected, but he didn’t say anything. Ian tapped the table with his fingertips, perhaps thinking he didn’t understand it well. Here, yesterday, came. Ian wondered who came in and looked down at him for a long time. He thought it wasn’t Ed, but he seems to have been in this mansion for quite a while, so maybe there’s someone he can expect.

“Ah, yesterday…”

Ed, who put the paper down on the table, seemed to have noticed Ian’s thoughts, and slowly opened his mouth. The movement of rubbing the silver rim of the monocle with a finger was elegant.

“I came yesterday, too.”

At those words Ian moved his eyebrows slightly. Ed, who did not change his expression, glanced at the scarlet fireplace next to him and smiled softly.

“To check the fireplace. Like today.”

Liar.

Yesterday’s visitor did not even go near the fireplace. Ian was the one who lit the fireplace again, which seemed to have cooled down for a long time, and Ian was awake the whole time until Kyle came.

“….”

Then why are you lying?

It’s not that he doesn’t know, but if he dares to say that he is the one who visited, then does he know who came? There’s no need to hide it because you didn’t do anything after coming in.

The obvious lie was suspicious, but Ian had no intention to show it*. Looking at Ed for a moment, Ian slowly nodded. As if he had accepted it.

[*T/N: Ian had no intention to show that he is suspicious.]

“I’ll be more careful next time.”

Candle wax dripping with the strong winds hitting the window. Ian closed his mouth as he watched Ed’s back bend as if he wanted to apologise thinking he had rudely said. There must be a reason not to tell him. Except for the fact that the times were different, it was a place with a strange atmosphere.*

[*T/N: Here he means that the difference between the time or era he used to live in and the time or era he is in right now was already strange, along with that the atmosphere was strange too.]

Why is that?

Once again, there was a faint sound with the rattling window.

Suddenly, Ian felt like he would soon find out the reason.

***

“It’s hard, right? Even the people of the Empire are very confused.”

Kyle, who stopped explaining for a while, said as if he had read Ian’s expression looking down at the paper. It was a reaction expected by Kyle when he explained the sentence structure as briefly as possible and moved on to the verb or adjective part.

Unlike other countries, the Shertian had honorifics, and it was characterized by innumerable endings depending on the person who used it. It was famous for being difficult to learn, so the interpreters who could speak Shetier were paid higher. Even Kyle, who can hear and speak, had quite a hard time learning to write, so he understood.

And as expected, Ian was sighing with a fountain pen.

“You’re not interested at all. Right? I was like that, too. But our prince needs a little more strength~”

“….”

“….Can’t you? Hahaha, it’s okay. There are no pups who want perfect grammar from foreigners. If there are, I’ll pretend it’s a mistake and cut off their neck. Ok?

So, relax your face.

He’s going to kill a person just like that. Despite Kyle’s sly words, Ian looked at a piece of paper with letters similar to ciphertexts with a cold face. It reminded him of ciphertext at first, but as he kept listening to the explanation, he realized that Shetier was similar to the structure of Korean.

[T/N: Ciphertext – In cryptography, ciphertext or cyphertext is the result of encryption performed on plaintext using an algorithm, called a cipher. ]

Unlike English, which has only the past tense, the past perfect tense, and the present tense, it can be seen that the suffixes change like crazy from the basic sentence.

I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed, I’m doomed….and if you add honorifics to that, You can overwhelm people with your words.

[T/N: Ahem… I cannot understand this part much…]

Korean wasn’t difficult because it was a language that I had been using since I was born, but learning a completely different language similar to that meant that I was doomed. Somehow, he made me memorize only words and was afraid that I would run away.

Ian realizing his fate only then, tapped the table with his fingertips. He was contemplating whether to overturn the prize and declare a renunciation or just humbly accept it.

The decision was quick.

It was a lot of work that I didn’t like, so I boldly gave up on communication…

“Great!”

However, Kyle’s quick-witted call came first again this time. One second before knocking over the table, Kyle, who suddenly raised his hand, made a solemn face and offered a compromise.

“I’ll make it easier for you. We’re going to slow down. What do you think?”

It was almost like a scammer. Kyle, who made a gesture that he couldn’t help it, asked Ian, who looked up with an untrustworthy face. It was a critical comment.

“You must have a lot of questions. Are you confident you won’t regret not asking?”

“…..”

“That’s right. How far did I say earlier? Oh, Shetier…”

When Ian recalled some of the annoying moments where he couldn’t ask, he shut his mouth and the outdoor class that had stopped began again. Unexpectedly, Kyle had a knack for explaining, he explained it easily, it wasn’t difficult to understand.

So Ian didn’t know what to do.

The meaning of drastically reducing progress was that he would not teach honorifics.

And because of that, the words he would use would be rude.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

T/N: I AM BACK ATLAST!!!!(〒﹏〒) SO HAPPY. ALL MY EXAMS ENDED and I am free for a while now YAYYYY(~‾▿‾)~