The door to the ward shut with a thud, and all eyes instinctively turned to Garen — he had been the one to suggest stepping out to talk.
Garen stood with his arms crossed, leaning his back against the wall beside the door. The others lingered a short distance away, not rushing to break the silence, as if waiting for him to speak first.
But he didn't.
A few seconds passed. Garen lifted his head and looked at each of them in turn.
— What? You're looking at us like we're the ones who dragged you out of there.
Suron was the first to break the silence, and Sophie immediately backed him up.
— Exactly. You're the one who pulled us out here — so you start.
Garen looked at them again, the expression on his face clearly saying: «I don't even know where to start.»
He exhaled and finally spoke.
— Do you think he's lying?
— Well… — Suron stretched the word. — He sounded pretty confident while telling that story.
— True, — Sophie added. — I doubt someone could just make something like that up on the spot.
Garen shifted his gaze to Oven, who had remained silent the whole time, simply listening.
— His eyes aren't lying, — Oven said calmly.
— His eyes? — Garen repeated.
— Yes. A tongue can lie. Eyes can't.
Garen thought about that.
He knew it himself — when a person lies, they almost always give themselves away. Some become restless, fidgeting, not knowing what to do with their hands. Others avoid eye contact or stumble over simple things.
But Rein hadn't done any of that.
He spoke calmly and confidently, never looking away — even when everyone was staring straight at him.
The story was strange.
But… truthful.
Garen could feel it.
— Listen, Garen, — Oven broke the pause. — What are we even going to do with him now?
Garen scratched his beard and fell into thought. That was the very question that had been circling in everyone's mind and now finally stood in the open.
Leaving him in the infirmary would be wrong. He wasn't sick.
Hiding him from the villagers wasn't a good idea either.
And sending him back to where they found him wasn't even worth considering.
They couldn't just abandon him.
And so Garen said what, in truth, he had to say.
— I'll take him in. Under my care.
Suron frowned.
— You sure about that?
— Absolutely, — Garen replied without hesitation. — Leaving him alone would be nothing short of cruelty. The kid has amnesia, no clothes, and most likely hasn't eaten properly in who knows how long.
He looked at the others.
— We're not the kind of people who turn their backs in a situation like this.
Oven, who usually kept a calm and reserved demeanor, suddenly burst out laughing and slapped his friend on the shoulder.
— Hya-ha-ha-ha! Now that's the Garen I know. No wonder you used to be a knight of the Order.
Garen only smiled but didn't respond.
But then Sophie spoke up.
— But… where are we going to put him? The house is already full.
— In Kai's old room, where else? — Garen replied as if it were nothing. — I'll clear out the junk he's piled up there today and it'll be ready. We can probably find him some clothes too — things Kai's already outgrown.
Sophie silently accepted her father's decision. It was the most logical one.
With the decision made, they returned to the ward.
.
.
.
I wandered around the room, examining everything on the shelves. The coolest part was that I could understand the language written on the medicine labels without any effort at all. And of course, talking with the locals had been surprisingly easy too.
Eventually, though, reading the names of ointments and tinctures got boring, and my mind started drifting into strange territory again.
What if this world hangs people like me right in the middle of town?
You know — like the Middle Ages: red hair, witches, bonfires, all that.
With thoughts like that running through my head, I even started seriously planning an escape route. If instead of Garen and his crew some suspicious armored guys suddenly walked into the room, I'd jump straight out the window and run as far as possible.
Voices drifted in from behind the door. They were hard to make out — the door was thick, made of solid oak. Still, I walked closer and pressed my ear against the crack, trying to catch the gist of the conversation.
But the moment I concentrated, the door suddenly swung open… and I was caught red-handed.
I jerked backward, tangled myself in the cloth, and collapsed onto the floor in the most pathetic way possible.
— I wasn't… I just…
I tried to explain myself but ended up stuttering through every word.
«Damn it… why does everything have to…»
— Ha-ha-ha! — loud laughter burst out. — Relax, kid. We've got great news for you.
Garen laughed heartily and offered me his hand, helping me up. His palm, compared to mine, was enormous. I had noticed it earlier, but only now did the difference really sink in.
— Good news?
— Exactly, — he nodded. — Starting today, you'll be living with me. Under my care.
As he said it, he even puffed out his chest proudly and lifted his chin. Earlier he had seemed like a stern and somewhat intimidating man, but now…
All my fears shattered against that image.
That was very good news.
Not because I had suddenly gained a "guardian," no. I didn't need guardianship.
But because it meant I finally had time to figure out this world.
So yeah.
It wasn't just good news.
It was a chance to finally stop, catch my breath, and understand who I was now — and what I was supposed to do next.
— By the way, you won't just be living with my father, but with me too, — Sophie added, throwing me a quick glance. — So household duties will be part of your life now as well.
If that was the price of staying here, I had absolutely no problem with it. It was still far better than roasting inside some "brazen bull" in the town square. Washing floors didn't seem so scary when the alternative was public execution.
— Hold on with the chores, — Garen cut in. — He should probably figure out where he even is first.
— Your father's right, Sophie, — Oven added calmly, backing him up.
Sophie just snorted and looked away, but didn't argue.
— Well I think…
Suron began, clearly preparing to add his own two cents, but he didn't get the chance. Garen gave him a quick, sharp smack on the back of the head.
— Quiet.
Suron immediately shrank back, rubbing his head. I couldn't help smirking. From the way he kept glancing at Sophie, it was painfully obvious — the guy was trying to impress her. Considering they looked about the same age, it even seemed… like he liked her.
Ah. I wish I had at least some chance with girls.
But looking at myself now, I had no illusions. In this body, that clearly wasn't happening.
*Correct. Girls are merely a distraction*
The calm but familiar voice sounded inside my head.
Uh… wait. Since when do you care?
*…*
Hey!
Elaris didn't respond. As usual. She really was strange.
— Well then, if you're ready, — Garen concluded, clapping his hands together, — let's head home. We'll get you settled, fed, and properly dressed.
He said it so casually, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world. Somehow that made it even more reassuring.
Everyone turned and left the ward except Sophie. She stayed behind, returning to her duties. Even though I had been the only patient in the entire infirmary, she didn't leave — apparently a shift was a shift.
Suron and Oven said their goodbyes near the entrance and headed off about their own business.
And Garen and I set off down the morning street toward my new home.