"Mr. Charns... run..."
"Mr. Charns, watch out!"
Zoe shouted as she bolted upright in bed.
"You're awake?" Mogwin, seated at the desk nearby, turned to look at Zoe and breathed a sigh of relief.
When Roald had brought her in, he had even braced himself to receive a corpse.
"Dad? How did I..." Zoe looked around and realized she was in Mogwin's office at the Research Department.
"You've been unconscious for a day. What matters is that you're all right."
Mogwin said nothing more. He rose, walked over with a cup of medicinal tea, handed it to Zoe, and sat beside her bed.
Zoe took it and sipped, frowning slightly as bitterness flooded her mouth.
"This is ten-year grass beard from Isonia. It'll help your body recover quickly, but it's extremely bitter. Bear with it," Mogwin said softly.
Zoe's eyes brightened slightly at his words, and she abruptly downed the bitter tea in one gulp.
"Slow down. Don't choke," Mogwin said helplessly.
"Dad, where's the person who brought me here?" Zoe asked quickly.
"Hmm? You mean Roald? He's at the Research Department too." Mogwin's aversion to Roald had eased somewhat because he had saved Zoe.
"Roald?" Zoe froze.
"Yes. He rescued you from the Mid-East."
"What?! No, Mr. Charns saved me! Roald had nothing to do with it, and he must have had something to do with why I passed out!" Zoe hurried to explain.
"Roald didn't save you? Who is this Mr. Charns?" Mogwin asked with a slight frown.
"Mr. Charns is a doctor. I was badly wounded in the Mid-East, with two bullets in my waist. He saved me, and it was thanks to him and his apprentice that we managed to break out," Zoe explained, a trace of tenderness in her eyes.
Mogwin was doubtful. He had