Time of the Blind Beast - Chapter 110

Paulina had returned.

Upon hearing the news that the Valdemaira family’s carriage had crossed the threshold after a long journey, Ezekiel hurriedly wrapped up his regular meeting with his subordinates and headed home.

The two were walking slowly through the spacious garden of the Valdemaira estate. It seemed Paulina was explaining the layout of the mansion so that her husband wouldn’t lose his way in the unfamiliar place.

That scene overlapped with the image of Lisanne guiding him and creating a walking path at the Derosa estate. Ezekiel stopped for a moment and watched the two.

Paulina’s husband was a man with stylishly tousled golden-brown hair. The contrast between the couple was striking enough to instantly understand why Paulina had acted aloof toward her husband during their university days. The two of them seemed to have nothing in common at first glance.

While Paulina possessed the strictness and trustworthiness of a textbook physician, her husband exuded the air of a free-spirited, laid-back artist. His appearance hardly suited someone in the field of medicine, where one deals with human life. Yet it was surprising to hear that he had once rivaled Paulina for the top academic position.

Still, their extreme differences somehow made them appear more alike. Walking hand in hand, they looked like a friendly, comfortable couple of the same age. A few words from her husband brought a natural smile to Paulina’s otherwise stern face. He leaned so much toward her that Paulina had to repeatedly adjust his cane for him.

Even though he was said to be blind, the man didn’t seem particularly inconvenienced. Skillfully tapping the ground with his cane, he strolled leisurely through the Valdemaira garden like someone out for a casual walk.

If only he could live like that with Lisanne, it would be perfect happiness.

Ezekiel recalled the days at the Derosa estate. Those memories now felt dreamlike and distant.

Even before any official acknowledgment, everyone at the Derosa estate had regarded Lisanne as his lover. Madam Serva had even advised teaching her how to manage the household.

…Yes, back then, he and Lisanne probably weren’t much different from that couple.

They had lived each day with richer emotions than now. Even though he couldn’t see, he had felt happiness from time to time. He had thought that once he could open his eyes, he’d be even happier. He had believed that once he fixed his eyes, he’d never look back on the dark days that had brought him down.

He had never imagined the day would come so soon when he would miss those times.

“Ah, Major. Let me introduce you. This is my husband, Ethan.”

Just then, Paulina noticed Ezekiel standing tall and approached with her husband. The man, drawing near with even steps, bore the same burn scar across his face as Paulina.

Ezekiel lightly tapped the man’s cane to indicate his position.

“I’m Ezekiel of Valdemaira.”

“It’s an honor to meet the famous Major. I’m Ethan Yvon. Thanks to you sending a carriage and always arranging comfortable lodgings, Paulina and I had a pleasant journey. Thank you.”

“As the host, it’s only natural to ensure the guests’ comfort.”

Paulina’s husband, who introduced himself as Ethan, greeted Ezekiel in a cheerful tone.

“How is Miss Lisanne doing?” Paulina asked.

“She wanted a checkup, so I had her see another doctor first. According to him, there’s nothing particularly wrong on the surface.”

“Is that so?”

“The doctor suspects she’s pretending not to speak on purpose. But that can’t be true. Lisanne has no reason to fake something like that. So I kept thinking about what the real issue might be…”

He was someone who had once spoken normally, and his vocal cords weren’t entirely damaged. Yet now she couldn’t speak. During Paulina’s absence, Ezekiel had stretched his imagination to its limits, exploring every possibility.

Maybe the doctor was incompetent.

Maybe there was a problem that couldn’t be detected visually.

If not that, then perhaps…

Ezekiel cautiously opened his mouth. “Is it possible that the psychological burden of speaking is so great that it’s preventing her from doing so?”

***

What am I supposed to say when my voice returns?

He thought he had tried to understand the immense burden contained in the message Lisanne had left behind, but in truth, he hadn’t understood it at all.

Ezekiel carefully pulled his chair close so it wouldn’t make a sound. He had only come after confirming that Lisanne had fallen asleep.

“So, Major, are you saying Miss Lisanne’s condition is a type of mental illness…?”

“It’s not a mental illness.”

Upon hearing Ezekiel’s hypothesis, Paulina deliberated for a long time. But as soon as she uttered the word “mental illness,” Ezekiel firmly denied it.

What people generally called mental illness referred to those possessed by ghosts, so-called lunatics. Such people were confined to a room in the house, their very existence erased as they lived out their days in seclusion, or they were abandoned on the streets. Families with a reputation to uphold chose the former; those without the means to care for someone chose the latter. Either way, the result was the same. The confined lived out their lives in a tiny room, the abandoned were dragged to a detention center to die.

But Ezekiel had no intention of sending Lisanne to a detention center or locking her away in a room.

“Lisanne doesn’t act violently or behave strangely. She just can’t speak.”

“Yes, I didn’t mean it that way. Still… how did you come up with such an idea?”

It was actually a simple idea.

Ezekiel was a soldier who believed in the psychological effects often referred to as mental strength. Even in adverse battles, he had encouraged his troops by saying they were winning and just needed to hold on a little longer, reclaiming fortresses and reversing the tide through boosted morale.

We can do it. We’re doing well. We’ll succeed. When he instilled positive determination, his subordinates often achieved results beyond imagination.

Then what if the opposite happened? What if someone brainwashed themselves into thinking, “I can’t do it”? What if they believed they didn’t know what to say, or didn’t want to say anything at all?

It was a delusional idea, but not impossible. Sometimes, the human psyche creates mysteries beyond logic.

“…It’s a difficult issue. In any case, I’m a doctor who treats visible symptoms, so I can’t say whether the Major’s view is right or wrong.”

Paulina shook her head first. In contrast, Ethan agreed with Ezekiel’s opinion.

“You’ve said something very interesting. I think it’s possible.”

He spoke clearly.

“There are still many unexplored realms in this world. Dreams, for instance. No one knows how they work, yet some claim to foresee the future through them or create music and novels from them. If the human mind can affect dreams, why not the body as well? I don’t find it strange at all.”

“Ethan, the mind isn’t part of the medical field. You can’t see the wound or prescribe medicine.”

“That may be true now, Paulina. But who knows? If one day we overcome the White Death or Black Death through medicine, maybe we’ll diagnose and treat the human mind like any other physical ailment. Whether that takes two hundred years or three hundred, we’ll see.”

Though they lightly bickered, Paulina never let go of Ethan’s hand. Ethan also pulled Paulina even closer.

“The Major is said to be a commander who led many miraculous battles. I believe miracles are simply cases where the mind positively overwhelms the body. Then wouldn’t Miss Lisanne’s muteness be a case where the mind negatively overwhelms the body?”

The mind negatively overwhelming the body…

Ezekiel looked down at the sleeping Lisanne with a distant expression.

What kind of pressure could be so overwhelming that one would rather lose their voice altogether?

He had no way of gauging it.

An old ache washed over him again. Ezekiel instinctively reached into his inner pocket for the pill bottle, but clenched his fist instead.

Lisanne, you’re suffering from a pain with no cure. How could I, alone, seek peace from medicine? I can’t afford to be so selfish.

He clenched his teeth.