Chapter 06
Perion’s body stiffened as he listened to their conversation from a distance that was neither too far nor too close.
Why…?
With trembling eyes, Perion stared at Ariel, who wore an inexplicable smile.
“…W-what do you mean… they ran away…?”
Roberick’s voice, as if his soul had left him, echoed hollowly.
“…Siorne Arkaites Bastevan!!”
That mutter soon transformed into a furious shout.
Ah, Roberick had learned the whole truth.
Perion could not take his eyes off the Wind Spirit King, who looked down at the enraged Roberick with a leisurely smile.
Why is he interfering?
If the Wind Spirit King hadn’t intervened, nothing would have gone wrong.
Perion’s plan had been perfect, and although Roberick had unexpectedly lost his composure, it would have ended after he vented his emotions.
Roberick would never have discovered the truth.
How did the Wind Spirit King know about Siorne Bastevan and his granddaughter’s escape?
Had he been watching them separately?
Why?
A supreme Spirit King watching over nothing more than an old man and a child?
The more questions piled up, the less it made sense.
“!”
At that moment, a piercing gaze, as vast as the sky, turned toward Perion.
Before a being of overwhelming existence, Perion trembled like a powerless child.
Ariel’s lips curved upward.
It was a cold, mocking smile.
[Figure out where they went yourself.]
Leaving only those words behind, Ariel transformed into a gust of fierce wind and vanished.
Only silence remained in the ruined place, leaving Perion and Roberick alone.
Looking down at the scattered ashes, Roberick’s lips moved.
“Ha.”
A breath escaped him.
“Ha, hahaha!”
What began as a release of suffocating breath soon turned into a crazed laugh.
“…Perion.”
Perion, who had been staring blankly at the scene, dropped to his knees.
“Gather the knights.”
Perion’s fingertips scratched the dry ground harshly.
“…Understood.”
The only words he could utter were those of obedience.
“…So, you’re Aaron Haight, and the little one next to you… is that a boy or a girl? Take off that robe and let me see.”
“My grandson. Can’t you tell just by looking?!”
In the middle of what should have been a quiet village checkpoint, the grandfather and the inspection officer were arguing.
I bit my lip.
Two weeks ago, in the middle of the night, my grandfather and I began our escape, and it had started off smoothly.
The moment I stepped beyond the boundaries of the small village I had never left since birth, the sense of freedom I felt was indescribable.
I saw dazzling cities I had only read about in the novel, and although we couldn’t properly sightsee since we were fleeing, I was still able to glimpse famous canyons, ancient ruins, and snow-covered mountains from afar.
Everything had been going well.
Until that damned name, Roberick, was mentioned.
‘His Grace, the Grand Duke of Heilian, has issued a warrant for an elderly man in his late sixties and a young girl who appears to be about five or six years old!’
Along with that announcement, wanted posters were put up in the streets, detailing my grandfather’s and my appearances in great detail.
We had suddenly become fugitives wanted by the entire empire.
There was no other choice.
We had already begun our escape.
No matter how it ended, we had to keep going.
‘…It can’t be helped. You should dye your hair and make slight alterations to your appearance. As for the child, we’ll disguise her gender.’
So we hurriedly followed the plan proposed by one of Perion’s subordinates, who had been accompanying us under the pretense of being our escort.
“You’ve read the wanted notice too, haven’t you? Even small towns like this are under pressure these days. Honestly, just who are that old man and that girl for His Grace the ever-gentle Grand Duke of Heilian to act this forcefully?”
“….”
Every time the officer praised the Grand Duke, veins bulged on my grandfather’s hand.
“Anyway, let me see the child’s face.”
Damn it! I should’ve altered my face like my grandfather did!
‘No! What if that cheap makeup damages Edith’s delicate skin?! Will you take responsibility?!’
Because of my grandfather’s overprotectiveness, we compromised by dressing me as a boy and covering my face with a robe instead of altering my face.
‘Then at least cut her hair short.’
Perion’s subordinate held up a pair of scissors with an exhausted expression.
‘No!!’
But once again, my grandfather refused.
‘How could you cut such beautiful hair so mercilessly!’
‘…But she needs to pass as a boy.’
The subordinate replied incredulously.
My hair reached my waist, and while it was a shame to cut it, it was necessary for a perfect disguise.
Just as I was about to speak to calm my grandfather—
His golden eyes, brimming with tears, looked down at me pitifully.
‘Because of that damned bastard Roberick Arne Heilian, my precious granddaughter is about to lose all her beautiful hair… damn it….’
And that look was something I simply couldn’t resist.
‘I won’t cut it.’
Yes, if grandfather was that heartbroken, there was no need to cut it.
‘But—!’
‘Boys grow their hair out too, don’t they? I’ll tie it back. Won’t that look androgynous?’
Why did I say that?
As I watched the large hand slowly reaching toward me, I regretted my past decision.
This officer clearly looked stubborn—of course he’d find my appearance suspicious! Damn it…
“Mmgh! Mm!”
A flash of a blade crossed my vision at that moment.
Before I knew it, the officer had his mouth covered, struggling.
Huh?
Tilting my head in confusion, I saw Perion’s subordinate, now familiar, holding a blade tightly against the officer’s neck as he looked at my grandfather.
“…Wouldn’t it cause trouble if you killed him here?”
“I won’t kill him. I’ll knock him out and lock him up somewhere.”
As the officer had said, this small rural town had no passersby at the moment.
“Please go ahead. I’ll follow shortly.”
“…Very well. Let’s go, Edith.”
We were lucky.
Holding my grandfather’s hand, I passed through the checkpoint.
…We got through this time, but we shouldn’t expect to be lucky every time.
Just how did that useless Perion mess things up so badly that Roberick already found out?
Cursing the incompetent original male lead in my mind, I quickened my pace toward the carriage in the distance.
Terma City.
This was the last city of the Roshan Empire, built closest to its border.
“Edith, if you’re tired, climb on my back.”
After enduring many hardships, we finally made it here.
“I can walk on my own.”
Once we cross this place, we’ll be completely free from Roberick’s pursuit.
“Any word from your friend yet?”
Perion’s subordinate, walking behind us, asked.
“I’ll send a letter now. She governs all wind spirits, so she’ll receive it within a day.”
I didn’t know who my grandfather’s friend was, but she must be an incredible spiritist.
Although the original story was supposed to be about spirits, they were mostly used to highlight the male lead Roberick’s strength, so aside from Roberick and Perion, no major spiritists appeared.
…No, wait. I had forgotten something.
Mariette… I think she was mentioned as a spiritist in passing.
[Shastya recalled the noble lady, as beautiful as the frozen glaciers of the northern sea, and let out a faint breath.
She was a being of entirely different essence—far too noble to be compared to someone as lowly as herself.
Already revered for her status and lineage, and to possess the power of a powerful spiritist as well…]
Ah, I forgot about that!
Mariette was indeed mentioned as a spiritist.
This is what happens when you skim for emotional developments…
Feeling frustrated, I pressed my fingertips together.
“Edith, let’s go inside.”
“Ah, yes.”
As I tried desperately to recall Mariette’s setting, my grandfather called out.
Looking up, I saw the sign of a fairly large inn.
[Inn Terapopo]
What a strange name.
“We’ll stay here until we leave.”
Holding my grandfather’s hand, I stepped onto the entrance stairs.
As soon as we secured a room, my grandfather immediately began writing a letter to his friend.
“[Sylphid].”
With a chirping sound, a small bird-shaped wind spirit appeared in the air.
“Deliver this to Mekailla.”
Chirp, chirp.
As if responding, the little bird grabbed the letter in its beak and shot out the window.
I stared at the sight in fascination, and my grandfather smiled warmly at me.
“Amazing, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
I nodded.
“Until two years ago, I used to tell you stories about spirits all the time, but at some point, I stopped.”
I felt slightly guilty and glanced away.
“…I said I was tired of them….”
“Haha, is that so? Now I remember.”
Every night, he would sit by my bedside and tell me stories about the beginning of the world, the birth of spirits, and their names.
As sorry as I felt, hearing the same stories every day had been quite exhausting.
Still, thanks to that, I ended up learning world-building details not mentioned in the original story.
“Then shall I tell you a spirit story again? We have nothing else to do.”
There was no stopping my grandfather’s love for spirits.
I opened my mouth to protest, but he had already begun.
“In the beginning, the universe was filled with endless darkness…”
The innkeeper yawned at the counter.
Now thirty years old, he had suddenly inherited the inn due to his father’s illness, and he endlessly lamented his situation.
He had lived as a complete freeloader, mooching off his parents, until he fell passionately in love with a theater actress and attempted to elope with her.
But his father stopped him, using financial conditions as leverage, and his love ended in failure.
And now he was forced to take over the inn his father cherished.
“If there’s a hell, this must be it.”
Muttering bitterly, he thought—
If only I had money.
He could return to his tearful lover and boldly ask her to run away together.
…If only he had money.
“…An old man and a young girl. How are we supposed to find such a common combination?”
So he grumbled while looking at the wanted poster offering a massive reward.
He had been examining the guests at the inn…
Ah, come to think of it, there was one.
Creak—
“!”
As if summoned by his thoughts, a small child came out of a room.
Yes, that child.
The strange boy who always walked between a fierce-looking old man and a silent young man, his robe pulled down over his head.
…Was he really a boy?
He couldn’t tell, since he had never seen the child’s face.
The age seemed about right, and the voice was clear and bright, just like described in the notice.
Although the group’s overall appearance differed from the wanted poster, if the gender question was resolved, it seemed quite possible…
“Ah!”
At that moment, the child let out a small cry.
The innkeeper’s eyes widened.
The robe got caught on a protruding corner, and as the child turned hurriedly, the hood slipped off.
This is my chance.
The innkeeper carefully observed the child’s revealed appearance.
“…!”
He felt as if a faint floral fragrance filled his senses.
The child’s hair was a vivid lavender color.
“Damn it, why won’t it come off…”
The small, fair face was filled with delicate, perfectly arranged features.
“….”
Though just a child, it was enough to leave him speechless.
“!”
At that moment, the child’s clear red eyes turned toward the counter.
The innkeeper threw himself to the ground at an astonishing speed, curling up.
“…No one….”
The child muttered softly and seemed to check the surroundings.
After a long moment, the sound of a door closing echoed.
“….”
The innkeeper slowly lifted his upper body.
The child was gone.
In a daze, he staggered toward the spot where the child had been standing.
“…No way.”
Muttering blankly, a faint suspicion began to grow in his heart.
