About 10 years ago.
Maria was sitting in the wagon.
Inside was quiet.
Only the sound of wheels rattling as they traveled along the dirt road.
In the cramped wagon compartment.
There were no windows to see outside.
She brushed her black hair back and sighed deeply.
She didn’t even know the destination the wagon was heading toward.
Based on the silence around her and the sound of the unkempt floor, it seemed to be heading toward a desolate place.
They must be planning to dispose of her.
She thought she might die today.
It had been several months since she was caught by Narcissi while hiding with Eliya.
During that time, Maria had been locked up in some unknown solitary cell in a remote area.
The only things allowed were a bit of food, water, and letters.
Letters sent to Eliya.
At first, she resisted Narcissi.
But she couldn’t hold out for long.
After all, Narcissi had threatened her with Eliya’s life.
In the end, Maria had no choice but to write letters to Eliya from time to time.
In the beginning of her kidnapping, she thought of it as a relief.
At least she was alive and could still write to Eliya.
What a foolish thought.
Only when she regained her sanity did she realize the truth.
Just as she was being threatened, Narcissi was also threatening Eliya.
With her own life at stake.
She probably provided evidence in the form of letters.
Narcissi would have yelled that if she didn’t obey, she wouldn’t get any more letters.
Just imagining it twisted her insides.
Even if she was furious, there was nothing she could do.
She didn’t even know where she was imprisoned, and she was shackled.
Moreover, two sturdy soldiers watched her closely from outside the door in alternating shifts.
It was impossible to write anything suggesting an escape in a letter.
Narcissi would examine each letter first.
So months passed by, with her just being used.
Today, the soldiers guarding her took her out of the solitary cell and began moving her somewhere.
She thought she might die.
For some reason, Narcissi seemed to have decided her usefulness was over.
As a result, she would be disposed of.
“Eli… .”
She wasn’t afraid of her own death.
She was more worried about Eliya being left alone.
Could she manage on her own from now on?
That small, delicate child.
Her heart was troubled.
She wanted to rush out of here and go back to Eliya.
But that was impossible.
She had no strength, and if she resisted, Eliya might be treated even worse.
Before the harsh reality of class and power, she felt pitifully weak.
She didn’t expect Balak to do anything for her.
He was the kind of person who left Eliya to fend for herself for the sake of a great cause.
The reason she had to hide was that he didn’t think he could take care of them if he brought them back to the family estate.
If she had known he was that kind of man, she wouldn’t have looked at him back then.
The wagon’s speed gradually slowed.
The time had come.
“Eli… . I’m sorry… .”
Narcissi and his children, envious of Eliya’s magic, wouldn’t leave her alone.
She wanted to protect Eliya, but she couldn’t.
Not that way.
Even alive, she wouldn’t be much help to Eliya.
Their relationship was nothing more than a name: a mere birthright.
No matter how much love she poured out, she was a powerless human who couldn’t protect her daughter from the world.
Even the title of ‘mother’ felt extravagant.
Still, she wanted to hear that child call her ‘mother’ again, just once more.
– Clunk.
Finally, the wagon stopped.
The door opened.
Maria simply closed her eyes and waited.
But the voice that came was familiar.
“Maria!”
“… Balak? What are you doing here?”
“Details later! Quickly, get out!”
Maria was pulled by his hand.
As she stepped down from the wagon, she found herself in a dark forest path.
The driver sat slumped forward, seemingly unconscious.
“Narcissi made a request to Ramek.”
“To kill me? The Duchess is preparing unnecessarily large knives to catch a commoner.”
Despite Maria’s sarcasm, Balak remained silent.
“So, what are you going to do after rescuing me? How will you evade the request placed with Ramek?”
“We won’t evade it. We’ll make it look like you’re dead.”
“What do you mean by that… .”
Balak set the wagon on fire.
It flared up in a scarlet blaze.
“What are you doing? Ramek always leaves behind traces of their deeds. You plan to deceive them with a fire?”
“In this season, this area is famous for spontaneous wildfires in the forest.”
Casually, Balak tossed small embers into the woods.
Before long, a blaze would engulf this area.
“Before the assassin arrives, we need to leave this place.”
“Ha… .”
Maria’s head was spinning.
Was this really the right choice?
She didn’t think the Duchess would be fooled.
What if, as a result of this affair, Eliya was treated even harsher?
“Alright, I understand.”
Maria accepted it.
After all, the situation had already unfolded.
She couldn’t stop Balak, who was determined.
Instead, she thought positively.
Perhaps she could see Eliya again.
Though not much, she might at least be able to help a little.
For now, she followed Balak and hurriedly left.
The fire that engulfed the wagon and the forest quickly turned into a significant blaze.
And at that place, a boy appeared.
“…….”
His golden eyes calmly surveyed the surroundings.
The wagon meant to transport the target was ablaze.
The driver hadn’t awakened even amidst the fire.
Had he fainted?
Or was he already dead?
It seemed a bit unnatural.
The whole scene was.
‘Who intervened?’
There was no target inside the wagon.
Thus, his commission had failed.
But oddly enough, that didn’t feel bad.
If he had to kill an innocent person,
It was better to fail than that.
However, he couldn’t return empty-handed.
Angra would be furious.
He needed to show at least minimal effort.
With a poisoned dagger, he stabbed the unconscious driver.
He felt no guilt.
A person bought from Ramek.
He had collaborated in killing several others in this manner.
Next, he cautiously entered the burning wagon.
It was dangerous, but there was time to finish the job and escape.
He likely stabbed the place where the target had been seated and withdrew the weapon.
Making it seem as if he had succeeded in the assassination regardless.
This was currently the best he could do.
After that, the boy exited the scene.
Not long after, in a small wooden house in the forest close to his hometown, a mother and daughter had lived.
Shortly after they left, all the villagers were massacred.
The boy heard it was their doing, but upon investigating further, it wasn’t so.
They couldn’t take full responsibility.
They were just caught up in a situation they didn’t want to be part of.
So, this was enough.
It wasn’t forgiveness.
It was merely an awakening and, at the same time, a weak fear.
Killing people and enduring a hellish training every day was all frightening and unpleasant.
If possible, he wanted to give it all up.
Or perhaps hope for a nonsensical miracle where someone else would take his place.
A futile prayer.
Leaving the burning wagon behind, the boy exited the scene.
*
On a secluded mountain ridge.
Maria spoke to Balak.
“What are we going to do from here? You know I can’t go back. If the Duchess finds out, neither I nor Eliya will be left alone.”
“I’ve thought about it, and I believe it might be best to go far away and live in hiding.”
“What do you mean?”
“I can relay news about Eliya occasionally. We can stay nearby and avoid getting caught by Narcissi… .”
“That’s not an option. How can I trust you?”
This man, blinded by this great cause and the Bevel family’s absolute peace from power monopolization, was not trustworthy.
If she was going to trust him, it would be better to just storm the Bevel family estate.
Then anything would be possible.
Maria was not foolish enough to actually execute such a plan.
“Then, what alternative do we have?”
“That’s something we have to think about now.”
“Hmm….”
Maria glared at Balak disapprovingly before sighing.
Was there no clever solution?
An idea came to her easily.
“I need to be next to Eliya.”
“That doesn’t seem like a great plan.”
“Of course, I can’t just walk around like this. I’ll be there in another guise.”
Though she wouldn’t be able to do much.
*
“…….”
Eliya slowly blinked her eyes and looked up at the woman who had come to find her.
Red hair like fire.
Deep black eyes.
The first assigned servant after living without proper attendants in the family estate.
But that servant was staring at her face with such intensity.
After a moment, the servant finally spoke.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Eliya. I am Ria, the maid who will serve you from today onwards.”
Eliya looked up without responding, mumbling blankly.
“Where’s my mother?”
“…what?”
“My mom. I want to see my mom. I should be getting letters from her, but it hasn’t arrived for weeks.”
“……”
“If you’re supposed to be attending to me, does that mean the letters will come through you from now on? Do you know?”
Ria, disguised as a maid, forced herself to maintain a business-like smile.
Inside, she clenched her teeth, holding back overwhelming emotions.
She had to hide her breaking heart.
Thanks to Balak, she had escaped and prepared for several weeks.
She dyed her hair, applied heavier makeup to look older than usual, altered her speech and voice.
Finally, she stood before Eliya.
It wasn’t a good reunion.
Her daughter, whom she hadn’t seen for months, looked very emaciated and haggard.
She didn’t need to see how she had been treated in the family estate.
She wanted to cry right then and there, and she also wanted to go confront Narcissi and Balak in anger.
But she couldn’t do that.
She didn’t have the strength, and even if she did, it would be nothing more than a futile rebellion from a mere commoner.
If Narcissi found out she was alive, she wouldn’t let her be.
She had to endure this absurd situation.
Simply.
She knelt before Eliya, who she would have to serve from now on.
“Lady. I am your servant, someone lower than you. Please feel free to speak.”
“But if I talk freely here, they’ll all treat me harshly….”
“I… I won’t. So I hope you’ll speak comfortably.”
Eliya nodded, hugging her teddy bear tightly.
She still held onto the stuffed animal given to her on her birthday years ago.
It was now tattered.
“And about my mother’s letters….”
Ria took a breath.
She had to act as calmly as possible.
She never expected she would utilize her experience as a dancer like this.
Dance is an expression of emotions through movement, a form of acting.
The expression of a dancer on stage is also crucial.
She managed to maintain a composed and businesslike expression.
“Since it’s a matter directly handled by the Duchess, I don’t know anything about it.”
“I see… .”
She couldn’t hug Eliya, who looked disheartened and was about to cry.
The next words fit the situation well and came from her unguarded sincerity.
“… I’m sorry I can’t be of help.”
*
“I’m sorry…”
Maria spoke, coughing blood.
Memories of the five years she spent beside Eliya flashed by.
Though not as much as Eliya, she had never had a comfortable day.
Especially on days when the Duchess would throw her weight around, she couldn’t sleep a wink.
Out of resentment and injustice.
She tolerated everything.
The only thing she could do was manipulate reports or documents to minimize the Duchess’ interference with Eliya.
That was the extent of it.
Maybe there were many things she should not have endured.
If she had just spoken up earlier, things wouldn’t have escalated to this extent.
When Eliya had enough strength.
Or when the Bevel family estate disappeared.
If it had happened sooner, at least before now, they could have avoided the worst.
Thus, she was sure to bear punishment.
The price to pay for neglecting and avoiding consequences until now.
If death was the price, it was so dignified.
To meet her end in Eliya’s embrace might be a luxurious luxury or a greater punishment.
It felt like the latter.
Seeing Eliya suffering only deepened her feelings of guilt.
“Ah, oh… ah…!”
Seeing Eliya patting her own face as she cried, Ria opened her mouth.
Her consciousness was fading.
“Eli… our baby… I’m late, I’m sorry… .”
“……”
“Still, you mustn’t get caught in your own belief… . You’re smart enough to know what I mean…?”
“Ah, uh, uh….”
Eliya couldn’t voice the words swirling in her mind.
Her lips trembled.
It felt as if a knife was lodged in her throat.
It was for some reason difficult to articulate anything.
“Uh, uh… ah, ah….”
Seeing Eliya, who was crying incessantly, Ria smiled without realizing it.
With bloodied hands, she gently caressed the child’s face.
“Our baby, still babbling like before… back then, you spoke so quickly…”
Cough!
Blood surged from her mouth.
“Ah, ah… .”
“Eli… don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Everything will be alright. Please don’t cry.”
“Ugh… .”
Ria’s vision grew hazy.
It wasn’t just because of the tears.
Everything in reality was gradually drifting away.
She felt as if this next sentence would be her last.
Though it was her first encounter with death, she sensed it so clearly.
What should she say to her?
In the brief moments of memory that flickered by, Eliya was all she could see.
She vividly remembered the moment she gave birth to the child in the stables.
If she were to paint it, she could capture the fragrance of that day down to the tiniest detail.
It was the moment when a miracle arrived in her life.
It felt like she was embracing the world.
Feeding, crawling, babbling, calling her mother, taking first steps.
How cute it was when the first tooth came in.
“I… I’m so sorry for being useless and powerless… I wanted to do better… I only wanted to do good things, but it didn’t work out… . If I had been a noble mother instead of someone like me, would it have been better?”
“Ah, ah….”
“Still, I love you so much. Eli… .”
At that moment, the door burst open, and two doctors along with Wizard Bolse barged in.
“Lady?!”
Surrounded by fallen assassins.
Bleeding Ria.
There was no need for further explanation to comprehend the chaotic situation.
And for some reason, it was clear that Eliya couldn’t use her magic.
“What the hell…!”
Bolse swore as he began to cast healing magic.
But the wounds were too severe.
The two doctors wiped the blood away.
Before they could apply the medicine, the flowing blood needed to stop, but there were no signs of that happening.
Ria felt her body growing colder.
“Y-Judas, I… ugh….”
That was the only word Eliya could pronounce.
But, Judas was nowhere to be seen.
“Y-Judas?”
As she looked around, he burst through the door.
She didn’t know when he had disappeared.
He returned with a dagger in hand.
He sat down beside Eliya.
“Lady. I understand it’s hard to trust me, but please just trust me this once.”
“Eh…?”
Eliya didn’t even have time to respond.
– Thud!
Judas stabbed the dagger into Ria’s chest.
Eliya simply stared in disbelief at the surreal scene.
Ria’s eyes gradually closed, and her voice fell silent.
Judas explained as calmly as he could.
“This is a method I used to save Sir Gawain. You may be confused, but this dagger brings people to a temporary death before reviving them. Think of it as an artifact-like dagger.”
“…….”
“So please just trust me this time. I beg you.”
Eliya, in a daze, nodded her head.
She didn’t understand what he was saying.
She just believed.
Because her inability to trust had led everything to disaster.
So, she had to trust.
Blindly. Whatever it was.
Judas swallowed a deep breath and spoke to Bolse.
“Can you heal her?”
“Impossible. How am I supposed to… .”
“Then freeze the wound. We need to completely freeze this body.”
A passive state followed by reviving with the dagger.
Judas couldn’t guarantee whether it would work on someone who was almost dead.
While debating the possibilities, it appeared hopeful.
He’d had experience using it for exactly similar purposes before.
Twice, once when someone’s neck was severed.
It had failed.
The other when someone had lost limbs and was near death from exsanguination.
After placing them in a passive state and using both medicine and magic, he had successfully revived them.
He couldn’t guarantee the same success with Ria.
Nevertheless, it was the best he could offer at that moment.
He had to take charge and lead this through.
Bolse nodded and began cooling Maria’s body.
Eliya gazed blankly at Maria, who was slowly being engulfed by the cold ice.
Judas turned her head towards him.
“Lady.”
“Uh… .”
“Enemies are coming outside. I’m going to go out and handle it quickly.”
“Ugh, ughhhh… .”
Eliya shook her head like a child who couldn’t speak.
Judas gently patted her as he smiled bitterly.
“I’ll be back soon. Remember when we played hide and seek long ago?”
Five years ago on Eliya’s birthday.
That day when Saradis almost assaulted her in the magic study.
“Today is just like that. If you stay safe and hidden, I’ll be back quickly to find you. Understood?”
Eliya nodded blankly.
“Please take care of the lady. I need to go fight now.”
The two doctors, along with several servants, approached to take Eliya and Maria away.
Due to the commotion, several knights also arrived.
Among them, Shylock stayed until the end and suddenly asked.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m not particularly hurt.”
“Not your body. I don’t know exactly what happened, but you don’t look normal.”
“… I didn’t expect someone to care about me this much.”
“Tch… didn’t mean to worry.”
“Still, thank you.”
Judas grabbed his sword and approached the window.
He didn’t know what expression he wore.
He wasn’t curious either.
He only knew that his sanity was hanging by a thread.
It felt like it might snap.
He was barely holding on.
Irritation, anger, unfairness—all negative emotions cooled down and were on the verge of bursting.
Everyone needed a target to take their frustrations out on.
The one responsible for this entire mess.
The person who had been waiting in the shadows with intentions.
Emperor Johan. And his forces.
First, he decided to kill those who had invaded.
A not-so-bad target for venting.
“But how will you win against so many without the lady?”
To Shylock’s concern, Judas simply smiled.
He had received a huge amount of mana while being close to Eliya.
“It’ll be tough, but.”
[Magic Liberation (Lv.200)]
“It’s not impossible.”
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