#23. Change (4)
Sasha immediately took Pavel’s hand and said,
“Wanting more isn’t always a bad thing. When you want something, you work harder for it. And when you work hard, you grow faster—just like you have.”
She recalled how quickly Pavel had grown.
When they first began training, he could barely run for 30 seconds before gasping for air.
Even the relatively light wooden sword made his arms tremble visibly, and he couldn’t hold a proper stance for long despite Sasha’s corrections.
But that didn’t last.
Within a month of strengthening his body and picking up a real sword, he was sparring lightly with Sasha.
At first, he was knocked flat by her strikes—but…
“Still, growing that much in just a month after picking up a sword for the first time is impressive.”
And not just that.
Now, what once felt like child’s play was becoming real sparring between them.
Children grow quickly—but Pavel’s pace was beyond ordinary.
“Perhaps this is the power of mana’s blessing…”
His growth was exceptional.
Sasha had trained many recruits as a knight commander, but very few had advanced as quickly as Pavel.
“And those few? They all became famous knights.”
With mana’s blessing, Pavel would undoubtedly surpass even them.
Excited for his future, Sasha smiled warmly.
“Desire can be a powerful fuel for growth. It’s not always a bad thing to want more.”
“….”
“You get what I mean, right?”
She shook his hand gently, urging a response, and Pavel gave a small nod.
“Good.”
Like a teacher pleased with her student, she continued gently:
“Then let’s head back now. We’ll wash up, warm ourselves with some food, and… finish the history lesson we left off yesterday?”
“….”
Pavel stayed silent, as if ignoring the topic was his usual tactic when he didn’t like something.
Sasha chuckled, recognizing the childish protest—but he still followed her obediently.
They packed up and covered Pavel fully before walking back toward the annex.
But they didn’t get far before stopping.
A pitiful whimper echoed from nearby.
“Huh? What was that?”
Sasha tilted her head.
“It’s coming from over there, I think.”
She pointed at a thick bush along the roadside.
Pavel narrowed his eyes in that direction. The dense foliage hid whatever lay beyond.
“Let’s check it out.”
Pavel nodded and took the lead.
Sasha quickly caught up and walked beside him.
At the bush, Pavel used his wooden sword to part the leaves—and there they saw it:
A small, injured puppy huddled in a hidden clearing.
Its gray fur was matted and covered in wounds, its whole body shaking.
“Oh no!”
Sasha winced at the sight.
The puppy was so tiny it looked newly born—and yet there wasn’t a single uninjured part on it.
“Whimper…”
The dog let out a faint cry, instinctively sensing Sasha as a source of help.
“Hang on, I’ll help you.”
Kneeling down gently, Sasha assessed its condition.
Swollen eyes. Emaciated body. Pus-filled ears. Countless wounds bleeding across its frame.
“I can’t leave it like this.”
She moved quickly.
Rip—!
She tore part of her inner skirt and used it to bandage the worst wound.
“Whiiine…”
The pup whimpered as she tightened the makeshift bandage.
“Just hold on a little longer.”
She scooped up the puppy carefully, shielding it from the cold wind with her cloak, and stood up.
“Let’s go!”
“Yeah.”
This time, Sasha led and Pavel followed as they rushed back to the annex.
“Young lady? Young master?”
Olga, who had been waiting out front, gasped when she saw them rushing in.
“What happened?”
“Olga, can you prepare some warm water? We have an emergency patient.”
Sasha showed the injured puppy in her arms. Olga gasped and covered her mouth.
“Oh my goodness! Of course!”
While Olga ran off, the two climbed the stairs to Pavel’s room.
As usual, the lazy annex staff were nowhere to be found—likely slacking off somewhere again.
“Pavel, can you clear the table?”
“Got it.”
He swiftly cleared the space, and Sasha carefully laid the puppy down. It whimpered weakly.
“I’ll go make medicine. Watch over it for me, okay?”
After giving him some basic instructions, Sasha returned to her room.
She mentally reviewed the wounds while selecting the necessary herbs.
“Small cuts can be treated with salves, but the bigger wounds… I’ll need more than that.”
Thankfully, she had already prepared for emergencies and had even acquired surgical tools.
“I’ll need these too.”
She washed her hands, sterilized the tools, and returned to Pavel’s room.
Olga had already brought clean water.
“Let’s begin.”
Pavel stepped aside silently, and Sasha started treating the dog.
The room was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
While Pavel stood guard at the door, Sasha focused intently on stitching the wounds.
Thanks to the anesthesia, the puppy didn’t cry out.
It was too weak to struggle, which made the procedure easier.
She applied ointments to each wound—large and small—then finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Okay, next…”
She washed the puppy with warm medicinal water and fed it a small amount of medicine.
As the medicine took effect, the puppy curled up and dozed off.
“All done.”
The emergency treatment was over—but it wasn’t time to relax yet.
The pup had been badly injured and left alone for a long time. Even with treatment, it had little strength left.
“Tonight is going to be critical. I’ll have to keep watch until morning.”
Still, Sasha finally allowed herself to exhale.
And only then did she realize:
“I didn’t check for its mother. I should go back later and see if it has a family.”
They’d been in too much of a rush to look earlier.
Planning to return before dark, Sasha stretched her aching back.
That’s when she noticed Pavel staring at the puppy with unblinking eyes.
“Is he interested?”
Sasha guessed his feelings and spoke softly.
“Pavel.”
He turned toward her.
Sasha nodded toward the puppy.
“Want to try petting it? It’s fast asleep—you won’t wake it.”
But Pavel didn’t respond right away.
She encouraged him again.
“Really, it’s fine. It won’t wake up or bite.”
“That’s not it.”
“Huh?”
“…I’m afraid I’ll hurt it.”
Sasha blinked, puzzled.
Pavel explained softly.
“It’s so small and fragile… I feel like if I touch it, I’ll break it.”
The concern in his quiet voice warmed Sasha’s heart.
“What a sweet, thoughtful thing to say.”
“Then just be gentle. If you touch it with care, you won’t hurt it.”
Encouraged by her words, Pavel hesitated, then reached out.
When his fingers brushed the pup’s soft fur, his eyes widened.
“Wow…”
Without realizing it, he let out a whisper of wonder and gently stroked the puppy again.
Swoosh, swoosh.
The puppy shifted slightly under his touch.
Startled, Pavel froze with his hand still on it.
Sasha smiled at the adorable sight.
“Looks like the puppy likes you too.”
Pavel’s cheeks flushed pink.
Sasha rested her chin on her hand and watched.
A cute boy stroking an even cuter puppy—it was a picture-perfect scene.
She chuckled quietly. Then a thought struck her:
“But Pavel doesn’t usually like being touched…”
She knew some people disliked physical contact.
But Pavel was different—it bordered on compulsion.
He hated being touched—by anyone, anywhere.
Even accidental brushes made him flinch and glare as if he might kill the person.
“He doesn’t react like that with me anymore, but he’s still touch-averse with others…”
After a moment of thought, Sasha cautiously asked:
“Pavel, do you like animals?”
“…Yeah.”
“Why? Because they’re cute?”
“They don’t think things I don’t want to hear.”
The words slipped out reflexively.
And the moment he realized what he had said, Pavel froze.
“…”
His stiff gaze met Sasha’s.
Sasha quickly replayed his words in her mind.
“Things I don’t want to hear”…?
It was an odd expression.
Sasha sensed something strange—but didn’t push.
“I see. I like animals too.”
She chose to let it go.
If Pavel wanted to keep it secret, she wouldn’t force it.
But unexpectedly, Pavel seemed moved by her restraint.
He bit his lip, as if reaching a decision.
“I have something to tell you.”
But even after opening up, he struggled to speak further.
Sasha gave him a reassuring look.
“You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”
“…No. I will.”
He shook his head firmly.
“I’m going to say it.”
Taking a deep breath, Pavel clenched his fist.
“I…”
“…can hear other people’s thoughts.”
