Chapter: 13
I forced my stiff eyes to look around.
Now that I thought about it, the faces around me all seemed familiar.
That large man over there looked just like the head of the Grand Merchant Guild.
And the man standing beside Baron Yophis with the swallowtail-shaped beard looked just like the famous physician.
They must be their ancestors.
Now I understood why someone as important as Baron Yophis had personally led them all the way here.
Stella must be sick.
They had come looking for medicine.
Just like the heroine of an otome game, her body was frail.
It probably wasn’t life-threatening yet.
If it were, they would be searching for me for an organ transplant instead of looking for medicinal herbs.
“What an interesting coincidence. Or should I call it a dreadful fate?”
At Baron Yophis’s words, I answered flatly.
“A dreadful coincidence sounds more accurate.”
“Your manner of speaking has become rather rough. Is that the Irregulars’ influence?”
The moment he mentioned the Irregulars, I flinched.
He knows.
Well, of course he did.
The guild master had saved me at the marketplace before.
He had shown the inverted cross—the symbol of the Irregulars.
So this man would naturally know I had become involved with them.
After all, he was the director of Andres Intelligence.
I can’t let him keep talking about the Irregulars.
“Is there any reason for us to continue this conversation?”
“Well…”
“If not, then shut your mouth and get lost. You disgust me.”
When I spoke coldly, he paused.
Then he looked at me with amused, intrigued eyes.
This was probably the first time he had ever heard me speak like this.
In his mind, the harshest insult I was capable of was probably something like dreadful coincidence.
That was how I had lived in Andres.
Graceful and gentle.
I had aimed to become a lady no one could criticize, wearing high heels and suffocating dresses that tightened around my neck even on days when I felt ready to collapse.
The one who had taught me all of that…
Was Baron Yophis.
Raphael Yophis himself.
He could never have imagined that the obedient girl he knew would one day call him disgusting.
After staring at me for a moment, he chuckled.
“Interesting.”
Then he suddenly grabbed my wrist.
Before I knew it, I had been pulled toward him.
“Your beautiful fingers have become rags, and your once spotless cheeks are covered in dirt… yet somehow your eyes shine brighter than they ever did back at the estate.”
“Let go.”
“And yet your pride remains unbroken.”
“I said let go.”
“Open the carriage door. I’m taking her back to my territory.”
…What?
What the hell was this lunatic talking about?
I planted my feet and resisted with all my strength.
“Raphael Yophis!”
But it was useless.
I hadn’t rested properly for two days and had wandered the streets without stopping.
There was no way my exhausted body could overpower a grown man.
In the end, I was forced into Baron Yophis’s carriage.
The door slammed shut behind me.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
I shouted, but Baron Yophis remained perfectly composed.
He merely opened the window slightly and gave an order.
“Use whatever means necessary to get the answer from the old man. We cannot return to the family head empty-handed.”
“Yes, sir.”
The large man and the swallow-bearded physician bowed.
The carriage immediately began moving.
Baron Yophis simply crossed his legs and smiled pleasantly.
“You’ve completely lost your mind since I last saw you.”
“There are many things I’d like to ask you. Shall we begin with the Irregulars?”
“…!”
So that was why he had taken me.
The Irregulars had their hands in countless affairs throughout the Empire.
Yet no one had ever managed to obtain meaningful information about them.
And I was the thread that might lead to them.
A snake like him would never let prey like this escape.
Looking at my frozen expression, he raised an eyebrow.
“How did you meet the Irregulars?”
“…”
“Have you become one of their members?”
“…”
“Where are they now?”
I stubbornly kept my mouth shut.
“Have you become interesting… or simply foolish? You know who I am.”
“I do. Once we reach your territory, you’ll feed me a truth serum. So you’d say it’s better if I answer willingly.”
He laughed.
Looking him straight in the eye, I continued.
“If I’m going to talk eventually, it’s better to make you bargain with me first.”
“Exactly.”
“I know you, Baron. But it seems you don’t know me.”
“No. I know you very well, my lady. I know how vulnerable you are to praise.”
He was right.
Just hearing him say, Good job, had once made me feel as though all my efforts had been rewarded.
I looked out the window.
The carriage had reached the edge of the forest.
Baron Yophis watched me.
“You should be a good girl.”
“My adorable young lady.”
“Please be a good girl.”
“My adorable young lady.”
…Just like when I had been his foolishly obedient student.
“There was a time when those words made me happy.”
“Yes. Which is why…”
“It means they don’t anymore.”
I threw the carriage door wide open.
The magical carriage was moving far faster than I had imagined.
A fierce wind rushed inside.
“I sincerely hope we never meet again.”
“…!”
Then I jumped.
The last thing I saw was Baron Yophis’s expression turning cold.
That face…
That was the real Raphael Yophis.
I knew it better than anyone.
If I went to his territory… no matter what horrific methods he used, I’d eventually reveal everything about the Irregulars.
My body hit the ground and rolled violently.
Fortunately, the grass absorbed some of the impact, but only some.
I must have struck something badly.
Blood streamed down my face.
But I had no time to feel pain.
I have to run.
I staggered to my feet and sprinted.
Behind me came Baron Yophis’s voice.
“Stop her! Catch the young lady!”
Faster…
Please!
I couldn’t let them catch me.
If they did…
I’d tell them about the Irregulars.
Some people might laugh at me for feeling this way.
But to me…
That place had been warmer than any fairy tale.
“Little Teacher, thank you.”
They thanked me whenever I worked hard.
“Please travel safely.”
They told me to come back safely.
They gave me a room.
They told me I could always return.
“Is answering a question really that difficult?”
When I asked something…
Someone answered.
I can’t betray people like that…!
Blood dripped into my eyes, clouding my vision, but I didn’t care.
I deliberately ran through the densest parts of the forest.
Somewhere horses and carriages couldn’t follow.
Sharp thorns tore into my body, but I barely noticed.
I had no idea how long I had been running.
Half-conscious, gasping for air, I continued desperately.
Eventually…
A hand reached for me from behind.
No… no…!
A cliff appeared ahead.
Below it roared a dangerous river filled with jagged rocks and a swift current.
But… it’s still better than getting caught…
“My lady!”
A hand grabbed me from behind.
Startled, I shook it off and dashed toward the cliff.
“Stop!”
“Let go! I won’t tell you anything!”
“My lady!”
“No! The Irregulars are good people! I’ll never tell you…!”
At that instant—
Someone yanked my wrist.
Only after I found myself pulled into someone’s arms did I finally breathe.
“Calm yourself.”
Only then could I see clearly.
It wasn’t Baron Yophis.
Nor was it one of his men.
“…Ah.”
The ones chasing me…
The people standing before me…
And the man holding me…
“…Guild Master.”
…They were the Irregulars.
The vice guild master, Antonio, and the other members were all looking at me.
My legs gave out.
I collapsed weakly like a sheet of paper.
The vice guild master and Antonio rushed over.
“You were gone far too long, so we came looking for you. Then we saw you being chased and came to help.”
“We dealt with those pursuing you.”
The moment I heard those words, my whole body trembled.
No…
Seeing them was what made me shake.
I forced my rigid body to move and looked up at the guild master.
“…I… didn’t tell them.”
“…”
“I never will…”
“I’ll never tell anyone… about the Irregulars…”
“…”
“So…”
“Please don’t abandon me…”
Tears burst forth.
The tears I thought I’d lost forever after being cast out by my family flowed uncontrollably.
“…”
“…”
“…”
No one said a word.
My memories ended there.
Darkness swallowed me.
I finally lost consciousness.
Yustea was carried to a room in Castle San Miguel.
A physician, who had been summoned in advance, examined her.
“Her right arm and several ribs are broken. Judging by the torn flesh on her arm and the head injury, it appears she jumped from somewhere.”
One of the Irregular members who had captured Baron Yophis’s escort immediately raised his hand.
“A carriage. According to the knight we caught, she jumped from a moving carriage.”
“A carriage?”
Antonio and the others’ expressions darkened.
They could already guess what had happened.
“Let go! I won’t tell you anything!”
“No! The Irregulars are good people! I’ll never tell you…!”
They must have questioned her about the Irregulars.
Terrified that she would eventually be forced to confess, Yustea had thrown herself from the carriage.
“Why would she go that far…?”
As the members stood there in stunned silence, the physician spoke again.
“That’s not all.”
“What else is there?”
In response to Antonio’s question, the physician answered,
“There are multiple deep cuts layered across her wrists.”
“Cuts? You mean they slashed her with a knife? Those bastards went that far?”
“I don’t believe so. These scars appear to have repeatedly reopened and healed over a long period.”
“Then she suffered that back at the estate?”
Everyone looked bewildered.
Then Charlie, one of Antonio’s teammates, suddenly lifted his head.
“Wait… could it be…”
“You know something?”
When Antonio asked, Charlie hurried to open a drawer.
Inside…
“A Brightstone?”
There was indeed a Brightstone sitting inside a bowl.
And filling the empty space…
Was blood.
Charlie turned pale as she stammered,
“When the young lady left the castle, she asked me to keep adding this twice a day. She said it was half blood and half holy water. I thought it was chicken or cow blood…”
It wasn’t.
This was…
So this meant…
She had been trying to deactivate the Brightstone barrier using human blood.
There had been an enormous amount of blood.
Enough that she could easily have died.
Antonio let out a hollow laugh.
“So she was climbing the Spiral Tower and checking on the Guild Master while in that condition?”
“…”
The vice guild master shut his eyes tightly.
She had been desperately struggling to survive all alone.
Without ever showing how much she was suffering.
And yet one simple word of thanks had made her smile as though she had gained the whole world.
Even after throwing herself from a moving carriage…
The only thing she had managed to say was—
“So… please don’t abandon me…”
“You idiot…”
Antonio muttered through clenched teeth.
After that…
No one could say another word.
Not even Guild Master Aslan.
I blinked.
The first thing I saw was the ceiling of my room.
I’m alive…
Thank goodness.
I had fully expected to die.
But it would have been frustrating to die like that.
Especially because of Baron Yophis.
“I wonder how much time has passed…”
I muttered as I tried to sit up.
“Three days.”
“…!”
I nearly jumped out of bed in surprise.
Turning my head quickly, I saw a lone figure standing quietly by the window.
Even the sunlight outlining his silhouette was breathtaking.
It was Aslan, the Guild Master of the Irregulars.
“Guild Master…”
“Don’t get up.”
He walked over and sat beside my bed on a small chair.
“What else do you want to know?”
“Then… Baron Yophis…”
“He had already withdrawn by the time we dealt with his escort.”
“I see. Then… do you know what happened to the old herbalist? The one at the shelter? The nobles didn’t capture him, did they?”
“He was the one who told us where you were. We made sure to free him from the nobles.”
“That’s a relief. Then maybe we can ask him about herbs that could replace the Bright Herb—ugh…”
I tried to sit up again, but pain immediately escaped my lips.
My injuries were apparently worse than I had realized.
The Guild Master frowned.
“Don’t move.”
“But…”
“The physician said you need to take your medicine. Preferably with some thin soup.”
“Huh? Um… I can eat.”
The Guild Master pulled over a tray.
There were two trays on it.
One held medicine and a bowl of thin soup.
The other contained a salad.
Inside it…
Bright Herb?
After setting my tray before me, the Guild Master took the tray containing the Bright Herb salad.
“…You’re going to eat it?”
“…”
“You don’t have to. It probably tastes horrible to you…”
“It’s still better than a truth serum mixed with vomit.”
My eyes widened.
Did the vice guild master tell him?
The Guild Master moved his fork.
Quietly staring at the Bright Herb, he said,
“It reminds me of my master.”
“…”
“The master who died to save my life.”
“…”
So that was it.
The rumors had been wrong.
He hadn’t killed his master.
Instead…
His master had sacrificed everything to save him.
As I rubbed the medicine bottle in my hands, I said,
“I had a master too.”
He looked at me.
“I suppose that’s something we have in common. Remembering them only brings pain. Though unlike yours… mine was a terrible person.”
“…”
“So… I’m jealous.”
“…That old man wasn’t exactly a proper master either.”
The Guild Master put a piece of Bright Herb into his mouth.
Making a terrible face, he muttered,
“He could’ve at least bathed once in a while.”
Hmm.
So it didn’t just taste like blood.
It also tasted like his master’s smell.
I giggled and picked up my spoon.
The room was filled with nothing but the quiet clinking of utensils.
Yet…
It wasn’t uncomfortable at all.
Because I knew he was eating the Bright Herb—for me—even though it reminded him of painful memories.
See? The Guild Master really is a good person.
Ever since I cried on that cliff…
My tear ducts had been acting strangely.
I rubbed my reddened eyes and sniffled.
“…”
The Guild Master flinched and looked at me.
After frowning thoughtfully for a long moment, he finally asked,
“…Is it not good?”
“No.”
The soup was plain and almost flavorless.
Yet…
Why did it taste better than anything I had ever eaten?
That afternoon, at the Spiral Tower.
The Guild Master, Antonio, and the vice guild master received a report from an elite agent gathering intelligence.
[“Including San Miguel, there are six participants selected for the Startup Trial in this district.”]
Excluding Baron Olivan’s son, the remaining five participants were all women.
With the young princes attending, they were most likely aiming for the position of imperial consort.
The Guild Master, the vice guild master, and Antonio silently examined the portraits that had been sent in advance.
[“They’re from more impressive families than I expected… but seriously, what’s with all of you? Why is everyone so quiet?”]
Even Antonio, who usually talked nonstop, narrowed his eyes as he studied the portraits.
After staring for a while, he finally spoke.
“Don’t they look… different?”
[“What nonsense are you talking about now?”]
“I mean compared to our young lady. These girls’ clothes are all… more…”
The skirts were much fuller.
The sleeves were far more elaborate.
[“They probably had them made at one of the capital’s famous dress shops. That’s the current fashion.”]
“I thought dresses covered with dozens of ribbons were fashionable before.”
[“Fashion in the capital changes every month.”]
The vice guild master frowned.
“So our young lady will have to take the exam wearing clothes that are already out of style?”
[“Probably. So what?”]
“I’ve heard young girls can be quite embarrassed by such things.”
[“Yes… and?”]
Have these people lost their minds?
Why were they suddenly worrying about clothes?
And why did every sentence include our young lady?
The elite agent stared at them in disbelief.
[“I think those two have mold growing in their brains, so I’ll explain it to the Guild Master instead… Guild Master?”]
For some reason…
The Guild Master was also frowning as he looked at the portraits of the girls.
