In Another World With My Smartphone: The Lost Hero

Chapter Nine: Guilt

In Another World With My Smartphone: The Lost Hero

Chapter Nine: Guilt

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"Guilt upon the conscience, like rust upon iron, both defiles and consumes it, gnawing and creeping into it, as that does which at last eats out the very heart and substance of the metal."

-Robert South

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Alfred continued pacing around the fireplace of his office, thinking carefully about how he would finish the letter he was currently writing to his elder brother, the King of Belfast. Between needing to explain himself for why they had suddenly requested the services of both the current Royal Physician and the Royal Court Mage on such short notice, not just for a mere adventurer, but a foreign commoner no less! However, there were other pressing concerns seemed to align with the possible attempted kidnapping of his daughter.

'Amanesque town is part of Count Balsa's domain...' Alfred thought as he finished another lap around his office. 'However, one of the other great lords could have used the gangs of Amanesque to try and implicate Balsa instead. With the meeting next month to facilitate the treaty between Mismede and us. That and Princess Yumina's engagement ball with the Great Lords...I can foresee trouble brewing if nothing is done.'

As the Duke finished another lap, the doors to his private office opened, revealing his wife with a sad smile on her face. The recently healed Duchess had been quick to return to her duties as the Lady of the House. It was her, as the daughter of the previous Royal Physician, who had quickly taken charge of the panic after the young man had collapsed, from calming everyone down to placing a gag order on the staff and finally summoning the two greatest experts in the Kingdom to the manor, all while reassuring the girls in Alex's party that she would do all she could for them.

"How is he doing, Ellen?" Alfred questioned as he watched his wife silently reach the chair closest to the fireplace.

"Raul and Charlotte have him breathing," Ellen answered calmly as she sat and poured herself a cup of tea. "So he is alive at the very least but is still quite weak at the moment."

"Thank goodness," Alfred breathed a sigh of relief. While he may not know the lad all too well yet, he could see a ton of potential in him that could be very useful for the country. Between that and the debt he owed the young man, The Duke was relieved that the young man was on the road to recovery.

"Perhaps you should take a seat, my love," Ellen suggested as she poured another cup of tea for her husband. "It will do your heart no good if you continue to stress yourself. Wait for Raul and Charlotte to finish treating that poor boy. Then you can finish the letter to your brother with a calm mind and a calm heart. With any luck, they should be finished any minute now."

"You are right, my dear," Alfred confessed with a long sigh as he took the seat next to his beloved wife and accepted the cup from her. "With everything that happened in just one day, I was beginning to feel overwhelmed..."

"I can not blame you," Ellen replied with an understanding nod. "Which is all the more important to remain calm, lest you make an easy mistake."

"It is good to finally have you back by my side," said Alfred with a bittersweet smile. His wife had always been a pillar of strength and support, especially after being made Duke of Ortlinde. Even during her time blind, while unable to carry out her typical duties, she would still hear his thoughts and give him counsel when prompted. "And how are the girls?"