Into the Rose Garden Novel - Chapter 43

“Aaaaargh!”
“Help… help me!”
“Aaagh! My wrist!”
The narrow alley instantly turned into pandemonium. The brave but reckless thugs writhed on the dirty ground, bleeding profusely. The one who charged with a dagger even had his wrist severed. The moment a perfectly good human hand fell to the ground with a thud, Aeroc couldn’t suppress a retch and turned his head away.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Bendyke didn’t stop at merely incapacitating his opponents. Not content with severing a wrist, he cut the Achilles tendons of two others, and one was even pierced through the lung. Some were tightly binding their thighs with dirty rags to stop the bleeding, while others shrieked, clutching their bleeding wrists. A few, overcome with terror, tried to crawl away. Bendyke left long gashes on their backs. His deliberate infliction of pain without killing them made him seem like a demon.
“Stop it now.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Aeroc stopped him. A few drops of blood trickled down the face of the torturer.
“They’ve already lost their will to resist. Unnecessary slaughter is a grave sin.”
“These kinds of people must be eradicated.”
It had already gone beyond self-defense, but Bendyke showed no signs of stopping.
“Then I’ll leave. I don’t want to see such a horrific scene anymore.”
He didn’t want to accuse the man who had helped him of murder. If someone were to accuse him and name Aeroc as a witness to stand trial, he wasn’t confident he could lie. It was better to see and hear nothing at all. Though it felt late, he quickly left the place before witnessing anything worse.
“Aeroc.”
Bendyke called from behind. He ignored him and walked quickly. The groans of the hateful yet pitiable men soon faded. But the presence following him did not.
“Wait.”
When they reached an alley free of horrific groans and blood, Bendyke grabbed Aeroc. It was the first time his black gloves had looked so terrifying.
“Let go.”
He shook off his hand. But his steps halted. He stared at the man with distrustful eyes. Bendyke’s expression had returned to its usual impassive state, as if the excitement had subsided. The usual sneer was also gone.
“I will accompany you to the mansion. It’s dangerous here.”
“Just put that dreadful sword away.”
Aeroc warned in a low voice, looking around cautiously as if someone might see. Bendyke then pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the blade. Red bloodstains clearly spread across the handkerchief Bendyke discarded on the street. Aeroc shuddered.
“I don’t know who the dangerous one is. To carry such a weapon in broad daylight in the middle of the capital, even in the slums. Are you insane?”
“I have never harmed an innocent person.”
Far from repenting, he tried to justify his actions. He should have properly understood the implication when Wolflake warned him that Bendyke was a dangerous man.
“Those men deserved to die. They would only bring misfortune to others if they lived.”
“Are you a judge? Or are you under the delusion that you’re a god? No matter how much they waste their lives, as long as they are born human, they must be punished through proper legal procedures. Even if they became robbers and harmed me, it’s a few weeks of detention, not a crime that warrants dismembering their limbs and crippling them.”
“They are not human. They are vermin. And if they had touched a single hair on your head, I would have gouged out their eyes and cut out their hearts while they were still alive. A severed wrist is a light punishment.”
“You’re crazy.”
Just then, a whistle sounded in the distance. Aeroc was startled. But the perpetrator merely frowned.
“Is it a guard?”
“No, it’s a signal from the thugs.”
“Anyway, quickly get out of sight.”
“Are you worried about me?”
“I’m worried about myself getting caught up in this.”
“I’ll take you to the mansion.”
“Don’t even dream of entering my house in that state. I have no desire to bring a criminal into the mansion my parents left me.”
As he fumed, Bendyke sneered, “You’ve already let one in.” Judging by his reaction, it seemed this wasn’t the first time Bendyke had done such a thing. But Aeroc had no desire to waste any more emotion on the madman’s baseless illogic. He didn’t want to exchange another word. He glared at him in silence, and just as he was about to turn away, Bendyke suddenly spoke.
“If you don’t like the mansion, how about my place?”
“I’d rather go into an abandoned house infested with fleas and rats.”
He retorted coldly. The whistle sounds grew closer. This time, Bendyke moved first. He glanced at Aeroc and walked past him, striding quickly. He should be going the other way. The whistle and the sound of someone running increased his anxiety. Aeroc hesitated, then finally chose a direction.
“Only until we reach the main street. It doesn’t mean I’m following you.”
“Did anyone say anything?”
Bendyke replied indifferently. But Aeroc didn’t miss the slight upturn of his lips. As the presence of the unknown group, whether guards or not, drew closer, Aeroc couldn’t hide his nervousness. He pressed close to Bendyke.
“There!”
Someone shouted. Just then, Bendyke opened a door Aeroc hadn’t even known existed and pushed him inside. It was a dark, dusty space. It seemed like a storage room. As the door closed, a group rushed past a moment later. In the meantime, Aeroc held his breath, pressed close to his unwelcome companion. The sounds of them searching for the two came and went.
Something hard pressed painfully against his thigh. The position, pressed against the other man, was also uncomfortable.
“Something’s touching me.”
He whispered lowly and tried to shift his leg. Bendyke groaned softly. Aeroc wasn’t the only one uncomfortable.
“What on earth is caught?”
“Don’t talk, just stay still.”
“But… it hurts.”
He moved his hand to feel around. The other man’s groan intensified.
“Are you carrying two swords? You dangerous man.”
“You’ve got it wrong.”
“Then a gun?”
Just as he was about to retort why he would use a sword if he had a gun, a hot breath tickled Aeroc’s ear.
“Whether it’s a sword or a gun, it’s certainly not the Count’s property, so why don’t you let go?”
The moment a painful sigh mingled with the other’s suppressed voice, he realized what it was.
“Oh.”
Aeroc immediately pulled his hand away. But the close proximity remained, still pressing painfully against his thigh. As the embarrassment subsided, disgust welled up.
“To get aroused while harming people. You crazy pervert.”
“It’s the opposite.”
“What?”
“It’s the opposite. It came out to calm my excitement.”
How naive and foolish he had been to even consider having sex with such a man. He deeply regretted implicitly complimenting his body, unable to distinguish a crazy pervert. He didn’t want to face this terrible man for another second. If he had his way, he would have stormed out of there immediately, but unfortunately, there were still many people outside searching for the culprits who had harmed their comrades. Between a potential danger and an immediate one, there was only one choice. For now, facing the crazy pervert was slightly better.
“Why do you need a weapon to calm your excitement?”
“To get some exercise.”
“If you’re going to a brothel, take money, not a sword. Surely you’re not planning to threaten them because you’re stingy with the fee? This crazy man…”
Aeroc, piecing together the situation, let out a gasp of horror. Bendyke shushed him, trying to quiet him.
“I’d rather give it to you. I’ve completely given up on trying anything in this disgusting area. I’ll hand over my full wallet entirely.”
“Here? What did you need money for?”
The moment he heard the low voice from the darkness, Aeroc realized he had made a big mistake. His whole body froze, with only his breaths coming and going.
“Count, now that I think about it, I haven’t heard why you came here alone.”
“None of your business.”
He turned away in embarrassment. He realized again that in such a confined space, pressed close, any physical signal was meaningless. On the contrary, his tense body only heightened the other’s arousal. The other’s breathing grew rougher. The hard erection pressing painfully against his thigh seemed ready to tear Aeroc’s skin and burst forth at any moment.
“I can’t take it anymore.”
He wondered what he couldn’t take anymore, and if it was what Aeroc expected, he earnestly hoped he would endure it. However, the arrogant employee, fired just yesterday, didn’t seem to notice Aeroc’s wish at all. He flung open the closed door and dragged Aeroc back into the dirty alley.
“There they are!”
As the two stepped out, the men who had been searching for them gave chase again.
“Get lost.”
Bendyke drew his usual sword and warned in a terrifying voice. As they hesitated, someone blew a whistle. Immediately after the sharp sound cut through the air, a man with a gun appeared.
“It’s dangerous.”
Aeroc, pale with fright, tried to stop Bendyke. But instead of fleeing, he pulled Aeroc back and simultaneously threw his sword.
Bang!
With a loud noise, the gun fired. But it wasn’t Bendyke who fell in the street thick with the pungent smell of gunpowder.
“He’s dead!”
The man with the gun lay on the ground, bleeding. But Bendyke wasn’t unharmed either. There was a hole in his broad shoulder, and blood gushed out.
“You’ve been shot!”
Aeroc, unconsciously touching the wound, cried out as he saw his hand soaked in red blood.
“Kill him!”
The men rushed forward. Despite the serious gunshot wound, Bendyke snatched the cane Aeroc was holding and fought them off. An unbelievable scene unfolded. He was incredibly rough, eliminating the thugs one by one, almost without using one arm.
Thud. Thud.
The end of the mercilessly swung cane became stained with a color similar to the sword Bendyke had been holding. As he watched the gruesome scene, unable to close his mouth, a man even larger than Bendyke appeared at the end of the alley.
“Hagen.”
One of the thugs called him Hagen, and the man clicked his tongue when he saw Bendyke. Then he smashed the face of a thug who approached him as if welcoming him with a punch.
Thwack!
The sound of a cheekbone collapsing coincided with the thugs freezing.
“Sir, the Lord asked me to tell you to take it easy.”
“I’d like to take it easy, but as you can see, I have a guest.”
Bendyke, breathing heavily, spoke as if he knew Hagen well. Hagen frowned, looking at Aeroc at the mention of a guest.
“I’ll take care of it.”
At his words, burly men suddenly appeared from somewhere. They dragged away the half-dead thugs and disappeared.
“What on earth is your true identity? Does ‘Lord’ refer to the master of the underworld? How do you know him? You’re not the Lord, are you?”
When Aeroc asked, Bendyke made a strange expression. He seemed about to say something, then groaned lowly. Blood from the gunshot wound flowed down to his fingertips and dripped.
“I should treat this first.”
“My house.”
Aeroc followed him without a word. He actually tried to support him, but Bendyke refused. The reason was that he didn’t want to get blood on Aeroc’s expensive jacket.
“I don’t want to ruin the Count’s perfection.”
It seemed like a mischievous joke on his part, but for the listener, it didn’t feel good at all. Rather than being unpleasant, it was sad. How inhumanly cold-blooded did he consider him? No matter how proud a nobleman he was, staining his clothes with the blood of someone who risked his life to help him was nothing.
Come to think of it, Bendyke had told him to remain perfect the first time they met. Remain perfect. How on earth did this man see him? He must be a proud and noble aristocrat. He had always wished to appear that way and had strived to do so. But Aeroc couldn’t understand why he felt unhappy now, accompanying a man bleeding and walking through dirty streets.

The house Bendyke led him to was a three-story red brick house. Similar houses stretched endlessly around it, making it easy to mistake the address if one didn’t properly check the brass plaque with the house number. It was a common type of residence in the city center.
Bendyke, who had opened the heavy, black-painted front door himself, locked it once Aeroc entered. A hallway extended from one side of the dark entrance, and stairs leading upstairs were on the other.
“This way.”
He quietly followed Bendyke, who led the way. The floor was covered with a carpet of a rather cozy pattern, though not luxurious. The room they were led to was a small reception room, and inside a well-polished display cabinet, a very homely porcelain set with flower and insect patterns was displayed. A small round table in the center of the room was covered with a white tablecloth, and in the middle, a single rose was placed in a small vase.
“It’s more modest than I expected.”
“Because I’m a poor country bumpkin, you see. City life costs a lot of money.”
His retort had no malice, but somehow Aeroc felt much more uncomfortable than usual.
“Let me correct myself. I meant I was surprised it was so domestic, unbefitting of you. Your porcelain taste is rather cute.”
“It’s not my taste, but the housekeeper’s. I let her do as she pleases.”
With that, Bendyke entered a small door in the corner of the reception room. Aeroc wandered around the reception room, looking around. He had imagined a stark space filled only with swords, guns, safes, and ledgers. To think he would have such a lovely reception room. It truly didn’t suit him.
“Kyaaaak!”
A woman’s piercing scream echoed from afar. With thumping footsteps, a stout old woman appeared. Bendyke followed her with a guilty expression.
“You got shot! I knew this would happen someday! Go upstairs right now! Take off your clothes! Didn’t I tell you I have a bad heart? If I die of a heart attack, I’ll curse you immediately, Master!”
After chasing Bendyke upstairs with noisy nagging, she looked at Aeroc and shrieked.
“What are you staring at so stupidly? Can’t you see someone’s hurt? Call a doctor right now!”
“Ah, that person is a nobleman, he can’t go anywhere without a carriage. If you send him outside, he’ll get lost.”
Bendyke, who was going upstairs, answered instead, and the old woman, who seemed to be the housekeeper, became even more exasperated. She flung off the apron tied around her waist and shouted at Aeroc.
“The kitchen is this way. There’s clean water in the kettle, take it upstairs. There are clean towels in the cabinet in the second room on the right upstairs. The first-aid kit is in the second shelf of the cabinet next to it. Wash the wound first. There’s antiseptic, but the doctor will treat it, so just try to keep him from bleeding more until then. What are you staring at blankly! Move now!”
Aeroc was startled by her shouting and rushed upstairs. The first-aid kit was in the second shelf of the second cabinet in the second room, right?
“I said the kitchen is that way! You need to get hot water first!”
“Ah, my apologies.”
With the housekeeper yelling, Aeroc went back down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. Her commands were somehow difficult to disobey.
He found a kettle filled with water on the table in the kitchen, which was even more modest than the reception room. He picked up the brass kettle without thinking and almost spilled it. He hadn’t realized the kettle was so heavy. It was incomparably heavier than the porcelain teapots he used. He carefully carried it upstairs with both hands. Upstairs, there were two doors on each side, facing each other, making a total of four. Bendyke was in the first room on the left. He had already thrown off his clothes. One side of his back was soaked with blood.
“It’s serious.”
“Did you bring the water? And the cloth?”
Aeroc placed the water on the table, and Bendyke reached out his hand towards him. Aeroc looked at it for a moment, then quickly went out again and stood at the bottom of the stairs. Then he estimated the second room on the right and went straight there. The cabinets were full. He found a towel in the second cabinet as instructed. He also found the first-aid kit next to it. When he returned with them, this time Bendyke ordered Aeroc around.
“That’s the bathroom. Bring the basin from inside.”
He didn’t like feeling like an errand boy, but he endured it since the other was injured. When he returned with the basin, Bendyke poured water into it and soaked the cloth. Then he tried to wipe his shoulder by reaching behind him. But he barely managed to reach it.
“Kh, damn it.”
He cursed lowly, his face contorted in pain. He sat on the chair and stretched his arm again, but he couldn’t reach the wound no matter how hard he tried.
“Give it to me.”
It was a well-intentioned offer, but he looked at him suspiciously, so Aeroc returned his gaze. Bendyke then handed him the wet towel. He squeezed out the water and gently wiped around the wound. As he wiped downwards, dark blood gushed from the gaping wound. It was so gruesome that he felt the pain infecting him. Bendyke grimaced but clenched his teeth and didn’t groan.
“That must hurt.”
“Not really. This is nothing compared to that pain.”
“Braggart.”
He tried to scoff, but the injury seemed so serious to him that he couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh. Aeroc wiped the wound with very meticulous hands. After wiping it sufficiently, he could see the bullet lodged in the center of the wound.
“I see the bullet. Fortunately, the wound isn’t deep.”
“You see it? Then pull it out.”
“What?”
Bendyke opened the box Aeroc had brought and took out a pair of forceps. Aeroc, receiving them, asked in surprise, “Are you serious?”
“The doctor will do the same anyway. Even if the doctor stitches it up, you can at least pull out the bullet, can’t you? If I keep bleeding like this, I’ll faint soon. To stop the bleeding, you have to remove the bullet first.”
A flustered Aeroc swallowed hard. In truth, he wanted to faint first. With trembling hands, he used the forceps to grasp the bullet. In the middle, the large back twitched. Bendyke clearly showed signs of pain, but he didn’t utter a single groan or scream, only rough breathing. His patience was remarkable.
Clink.
Aeroc picked up the half-lodged bullet and dropped it into the basin. He threw the forceps in at the same time and sighed in relief. Even then, blood continued to gush out. He grabbed several clean, dry towels and pressed them firmly against the wound with both hands.
Meanwhile, Bendyke opened a small box on the table. Inside were several small brown bottles, identical to the medicine bottles he had seen before. He drank two bottles one after another. The bitter smell permeated the air, indicating how strong the medicine was.
“Mmm.”
After drinking the medicine, Bendyke pressed his forehead with his uninjured arm and let out a low rumble in his throat. That was the extent of his cry. The injured man’s back slowly rose and fell with a long sigh. He must be tired from losing so much blood. Aeroc tried to say something but stopped. Bendyke needed rest.
How long did the awkward silence last? A presence was heard downstairs. Aeroc, who was suffocating from the smell of blood, saw the housekeeper reappear as if she were an angel. The doctor who entered with the housekeeper was someone he knew well.
“Count?”
“Ah, Doctor.”
“Has the Count been injured? I heard it was a gunshot wound?”
“No, it’s not me, it’s this man.”
With that, Aeroc slowly took his hands away and stepped back. The doctor, placing his medical bag down, carefully lifted the towel with the round bloodstain.
“I removed the bullet. It was shallow.”
“Well done.”
With that, the doctor opened his medical bag and took out a stethoscope. After a moment of silence with the round end against his back, the doctor hung the stethoscope around his neck. Then he tapped Bendyke, who had been quiet for a while.
“Mr. Bendyke? Mr. Bendyke?”
There was no answer to his calls. He was leaning his chin on his uninjured arm, eyes closed, and hadn’t moved since earlier.
“His breathing and pulse are normal, and the bleeding has stopped successfully, but it’s strange.”
He looked around and found two empty bottles. The doctor picked up the bottles and, seeing that their contents were completely empty, looked at Aeroc with surprised eyes.
“He drank two bottles immediately after I removed the bullet. I was told it was a headache medicine.”
“This? This is enough to knock out a bull with just one bottle! I told him to take only one spoonful at a time, but he drank two bottles at once! He’s trying to kill himself!”
Aeroc had no idea. Hadn’t Bendyke drunk a whole bottle before? The doctor, furious but unable to hit the severely injured man, jumped up and down, and the housekeeper came to his defense.
“My master tried to control himself. Even today, he only took a spoonful and endured it, then went out for a walk to relieve his frustration. But then, for whatever reason, he got into trouble.”
With that, the housekeeper glared at Aeroc as if blaming him. He tried to explain but closed his mouth. It was awkward to explain something. It was better to wait for Bendyke to regain consciousness and handle it himself. Rather, another question came to mind.
“What kind of illness requires such strong medicine to be used regularly?”
The person who answered Aeroc’s question was also the housekeeper.
“Please go home now. As you can see, our master is not in a condition to entertain guests.”
“I will stay until he regains consciousness.”
“Please come back later.”
Because of the housekeeper’s firm insistence that he leave again, Aeroc reluctantly moved his feet, though he didn’t want to.
“The doctor’s carriage is downstairs. Please take that. We cannot escort you far.”
The cold housekeeper closed the door after chasing Aeroc out. He stood in the dark hallway for a moment, staring blankly at the closed door. This kind of treatment was new to him. He tried to protest but lost the will. He didn’t want it, but Bendyke had been injured trying to help him. Moreover, his condition was serious. Although he was told his life wasn’t in danger, it was ridiculous to talk about etiquette with an injured person.