The man crossed his arms and smiled bitterly.
“There’s no sign of my head recovering.”
He had no difficulty conversing, thinking, or acting.
Yet how could he not remember even one name?
Not remembering his name, among other things, was shocking.
‘I must have been a big, thick, clumsy guy.’
The man was convinced his past self was a dimwit. That’s why he was injured to the point of losing his memory right before dying.
The more he thought about it, the more unpleasant the man felt. He uncrossed his arms and stood up.
To erase the stifling feeling, he looked around the house.
“Overall, it’s small.”
It was the same impression he had when he first entered the log cabin last night. With piles of unsorted herbs scattered around, it was hard to tell if it was a warehouse or a home.
There was a reason why various herbal scents could be detected from Sharti’s body.
“Hmm?”
The man who had been examining the house structure for a while tilted his head. His gaze stopped at the small kitchen.
An unclear, subtle difference flickered in his eyes.
“Something… is missing.”
The man stroked his chin. But he didn’t think too deeply about it.
“She’s late.”
It was almost noon already.
Time passed slowly, and the wait grew longer, no different here than in the cave.
“She must be hungry.”
The man himself hadn’t eaten anything since morning, but he was only concerned about Sharti’s empty stomach.
Recalling Sharti’s persistent stomach growling and her happily savoring just two pieces of bread, a smile flashed across the man’s emotionless face.
“I can’t go out either.”
He wanted to find some tree fruits to give to Sharti. He wanted to do at least that much.
Rather than waiting for her helplessly and aimlessly like this.
The man who had been wandering around the house entered the bedroom again.
“She’ll come. Surely.”
Holding the note Sharti left, the man held his breath.
While waiting for her return, he was gradually consumed by loneliness.
Meanwhile, the shadow that had been watching the old log cabin suddenly disappeared.
“Tsk tsk… The kid picked up something strange.”
[This is the timeline separator]It was well past lunchtime when the soldiers finished receiving emergency treatment and regained consciousness one by one.
Grumble grumble…
‘…Ah!’
As expected, Sharti’s stomach clock, which had been empty all along, rang out.
With a bright red face, Sharti hurriedly turned her body.
Trying to avoid the soldiers’ eyes and heading for a corner, Sharti stopped in her tracks, clutching her stomach.
‘Is there anything to eat at home?’
Of course not. So the man alone at home must have been hungry until now too.
Realizing her mistake belatedly, Sharti held her head.
Given his personality, the man wouldn’t have left the house since the soldiers had come looking for it.
‘How could I let someone who needs regular meals go hungry.’
Quite some time had passed since coming down to the village.
Thinking of the man hiding on an empty stomach made her feel uneasy.
‘He must be feeling anxious too on top of everything else.’
It was the same anxiety she had experienced herself.
But there was nothing Sharti could do right away.
‘Even though the dangerous situation has passed, I can’t leave my post…’
There was a risk that the wounded soldiers’ condition could worsen while she was away.
If that happened, the goodwill the soldiers were currently showing could instantly turn into resentment and anger.
After long deliberation, Sharti went downstairs with a determined look on her face.
“Huh? Sha, what’s wrong? Do you need something else?”
Patricia, who was preparing meals for the patients, noticed Sharti and approached her.
Face to face with Patricia, Sharti became nervous.
“What is it? Tell me.”
Patricia had an unexpected expression.
It was the first time Sharti had brought up the treatment fee first.
“Food ingredients? That’s not difficult, but… You know, right Sha? The treatment fee isn’t much to begin with.”
Sharti nodded calmly.
The treatment fee an unlicensed doctor could receive wasn’t even half the cost of the herbs.
Moreover, since she had treated soldiers who visited for the village’s security, the fee would be set at a level close to free service.
“I’ll try to…”
Grumble grumble, rumble rumble… At that moment, Sharti’s stomach clock rang again.
Having held it in for so long, it was a very persistent alarm.
“……”
“……”
Patricia closed her mouth, and Sharti wrapped her arms around her stomach.
Her face hidden by her robe turned bright red.
“Sha, have you not eaten anything since morning…”
Patricia trailed off, quietly closing her mouth.
She realized that she was the one who had woken up Sharti and brought her to the village.
“Alright. I’ll talk to them. You worked so hard, you should at least get some meat.”
Unable to lift her face, Sharti bowed deeply in gratitude.
As Sharti’s stomach clock wouldn’t stop even then, Patricia looked at her pitifully and handed her a bowl of soup.
Embarrassed, Sharti lowered her head and headed to a corner on the first floor with the soup.
‘Why does it keep growling?’
As Sharti searched for the cause, she recalled last night’s exercise and felt remorseful. But the same was true for the man who had run through the mountains with her.
Smelling the savory soup made her think of him even more.
‘…It’s delicious.’
The soup she hesitantly tasted was truly delicious. It had a distinctly different flavor from the soup she made.
‘I wonder if it would taste like this if I added meat?’
Before she knew it, she had emptied the bowl while seriously eating the soup.
Sharti’s ears turned red belatedly, feeling like she had eaten too hastily.
Just then, she heard footsteps coming down the stairs from above.
‘Ah! I’ve been away from my post for too long.’
Thinking they might be looking for her again, Sharti straightened her clothes.
“You still haven’t found him?”
“We formed a separate search party, but it seems he’s hiding somewhere if we still can’t find him.”
“That bastard knows too! That he’ll be thrown straight into jail if he’s caught!”
Unable to find an opportunity to leave due to the hostile atmosphere, Sharti held her breath.
The soldiers continued talking, not noticing Sharti sitting in the corner.
“What does Sir Tristan say?”
“After hearing reports that the footprints were headed towards the bottom of the mountain, he seems to be considering the possibility that he went down the mountain.”
“What? Then he might have returned before us?”
“Damn it! If so, he’ll surely try to cover up what he’s done!”
Intense reactions followed.
“We should return quickly too. Even the guys who regained consciousness are all clamoring to go, grinding their teeth.”
“Then let’s pack up quickly. We need to get back and catch that bastard.”
“Shh. Don’t get worked up and let anything slip. Let’s just go back to our posts.”
Leaving an uneasy feeling behind, the soldiers went back up the stairs.
“……”
After confirming that the surroundings had quieted down, Sharti let out the breath she had been holding.
‘The soldiers will leave the village sooner than expected.’
The wounded soldiers seemed to want to leave the village as soon as possible, even if they had to be carried on stretchers.
Of course, it wasn’t a rational decision made with a clear mind after taking medicine. No matter how effective the medicine was, it would be too much strain on their bodies to descend this rugged mountain terrain.
‘A few of the wounded will remain, but it shouldn’t be a problem for wandering around in the mountains from now on.’
She couldn’t keep the man hidden in the log cabin forever.
Getting some fresh air would clear his mind and help alleviate the depression caused by his memory loss.
‘Since it seems the person who attacked the soldiers has also gone down the mountain, we can relax.’
Her face lit up with anticipation at the thought of delivering this positive news.
“Teacher!”
“…!”
As she reflexively turned around, she saw Tein who had just entered the inn. Sharti ran over in one breath and hugged Tein tightly.
Tein smiled brightly.
“Teacher is busy! I must help! I picked many herbs!”
Surprised, Sharti matched Tein’s eye level.
Tein cupped his hands around his mouth and whispered.
“Grandmother protected me! I’m safe!”
Sharti immediately looked around. Bireta was nowhere to be seen.
“Grandmother can’t meet the soldiers. I came alone!”
Sharti nodded at Tein’s explanation.
Like Sharti, Bireta was also in a position where she needed to avoid the Empire’s eyes as much as possible.
Tein’s face filled with joy as he read the note saying she had been looking for him.
“I learn a lot! I work hard to help Teacher!”
Tein was particularly enthusiastic today.
Sharti was simply happy with the child’s reliability as she held his small hand.
“Oh my, Sha. Did you bring Tein?”
Just then, Patricia and Tristan approached.
Sharti nodded vigorously. Tein seemed nervous, chewing on his lips.
It was understandable to be scared of an adult, especially a soldier looking down at him.
“I’m 7-year-old Tein! I will help Teacher!”
But contrary to Sharti’s expectations, Tein finished introducing himself bravely.
His slightly flushed face looked almost passionate.
‘Did something happen?’
Surprised by Tein’s proactive change for a moment, Sharti just felt proud and pleased.
“Tein. Sha, you have to stay still and not cause trouble. Understand?”
“Yes!”
“Good.”
Patricia just patted Tein’s head with a not particularly expectant face.
On the other hand, Tristan looked closely at Tein, who was tightly holding Sharti’s hand.
“I suppose this is the child you mentioned.”
Even to Tristan, who was in his early thirties, Tein looked too young.
However, Tristan expressed welcome rather than doubt.
“I heard from the teacher. That you’ll be an excellent doctor in the future.”
“Yes! I will become a doctor! I read many books!”
“I see. I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes!”
Tein smiled, showing his teeth.
Before moving, Tein took out a white cloth that he had crumpled and stuffed in his pocket. After neatly folding it into a triangle, Tein covered his nose and mouth and tied the ends behind his head.
“We must wash our hands!”
“Seeing that you’re already mindful of disinfection, you really are an excellent future seedling.”
Tristan quickly acknowledged him.
With Tein’s help, Sharti felt much less burdened as she returned to her post.
At first, the soldiers looked perplexed seeing Tein, but when the young child put on a serious expression and treated them earnestly, they kept their distance.
‘As expected of Tein.’
Tein brought herbs like clockwork just by meeting Sharti’s eyes. Tein also answered questions about the efficacy of medicines or from the wounded soldiers on Sharti’s behalf.
He was incredibly reliable.
Tein smiled brightly with his eyes at the note shown while wiping his sweat.
“I’m fine!”
Tein glanced around subtly.
“The soldier uncles praise me. It feels good!”
Sharti smiled along with the joy conveyed in a whisper.
While it was heartbreaking to see the child trying not to show too much joy at the praise in an attempt to appear as mature as possible, it was also incredibly endearing.
“Teacher.”
Tein suddenly showed his pinky finger with bright, sparkling eyes.
“We must run away if it’s dangerous. We promised.”
“…?”
Sharti chuckled at Tein’s sudden confirmation.
‘He must have been worried because I’m treating the soldiers.’
Sharti nodded as she linked her pinky with Tein’s.
Tein grinned widely.
“They are kind and excellent patients. I will definitely cure them!”
Hearing Tein’s words of unclear meaning, Sharti emulated Tein’s proactive attitude without much suspicion.
The daunting treatment ended after the sky had turned orange with sunset.
Tein, who had been busily moving around, was already fast asleep.
“Thank you for your hard work today.”
Just as Sharti was about to pick up the dozing Tein, Tristan came over and held out a box.
Sharti bit her lip when she saw inside the box.
Inside the not-so-large box was a piece of meat the size of a forearm.
‘It’s big!’
Sharti, who had reflexively let out an internal cheer upon seeing the meat, belatedly glanced at Tristan.
“You may accept it.”
Because her robe had already fluttered, everyone around, including Tristan, was smiling warmly. Patricia in particular was even winking at Sharti.
Sharti shook her head in embarrassment.
Her mention of the treatment fee might have seemed like she was rushing them.
“This isn’t the treatment fee.”
“Yes! This is our hearts, Teacher.”
“Please accept it comfortably.”
Sharti was perplexed.
‘Not the treatment fee? Their hearts? What does that mean?’
It didn’t make sense to give expensive meat if it wasn’t the treatment fee. Then she gently rubbed her stomach.
‘Could it be…?’
__________
Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up! (Female-dominant)
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
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