Chapter 07
Ariletti patted Leon on the shoulder in encouragement before stepping out of the stables.
Repaying what one receives doesn’t apply only to grudges—it applies to favors as well. She had gifted Hezeit a splendid piece of bait: the commander of the Black Lion Order. Now, how well that “interest” would be put to use depended entirely on Glen’s ability.
She quietly made her way back to her room.
Because of that, she failed to notice someone watching her closely from behind the stables.
On her way back, a question suddenly occurred to her.
‘But didn’t Glen Hezeit clearly ask earlier whether I, too, was connected to the White Forest?’
Aside from me… was there someone else he suspected of being a sage?
Ariletti tilted her head.
That couldn’t be right.
…Whatever. I’ll think about it after I wake up.
Whether it was a side effect of returning to the body of a five-year-old child, or because she had faced a Sword Master head-on, drowsiness overwhelmed her before even half a day had passed since she woke.
Three seconds after crawling under the blankets, Ariletti fell fast asleep.
2. Poverty, Oh, Poverty!
‘But why am I here?’
In the blink of an eye, Ariletti found herself in Hezeit territory.
Using her power on Leon Bodafetti and then falling into a deep sleep had been the problem. When she opened her eyes, she was wrapped up tightly in a bundle, dangling from someone’s broad back.
‘Huh…?’
“You’re awake, little sage! Time to eat.”
Glen and the knights had a routine: the moment Ariletti opened her eyes, they fed her warm food. Then they kept stuffing something into her bundle—heated water pouches.
Holding one to her chest while clinging to a sturdy back inevitably made her eyelids droop again.
“You’re not supposed to kidnap people, mister…”
“Yesss, little lady~ Just a bit farther and we’ll reach the lord’s castle. I’ll lay you down on a nice, soft bed soon. Be good now, sleep.”
First on Dunken’s back, then on Sir Tombel’s, and on the final day, back on Glen Hezeit’s.
Being passed from back to back, eating and sleeping repeatedly, they had already reached the northern borderlands.
Once through the fortified walls, the lord’s castle was close.
Ariletti looked up at Hezeit Castle with cold eyes.
‘Poverty…’
What ruin is this?
An old, gloomy fortress rose like an eyesore in one corner of the territory. The dark green curtains in each window were frayed in places, and icicles jutted wildly from the frames.
The banquet hall they entered was just as biting with cold.
All it contained were two worn-out tables stretching out from the head seat, dozens of backless chairs, four or five junk-like candlesticks, and rows of silver armor standing against the walls.
No golden pillars, no marble tiles, no imposing sculptures like those found in noble estates.
‘This is a bit much.’
Do people even live here? They don’t heat the place…?
It was as bleak as the imperial underground prison she had been locked in at the end of her first life.
She had known the territory wasn’t wealthy, but she hadn’t expected this.
Now she understood why the Third Prince, Lasian, had never been able to build momentum despite having Marquis Hezeit on his side.
‘He’s a marquis in name only.’
Glen issued orders to the knights.
“Quickly, distribute the supplies to the people. They’ve been waiting. Tell them we’ll purchase additional food from the Nemar territory once the snowstorms die down. So ask them to endure just a little longer.”
The knights unloaded the chests they had guarded so carefully.
Money and food, apparently.
The heir had to personally go out and earn money? Just how desperate were things?
In the first place, with the territory in such poor condition, what confidence did they have in siding with the Third Prince? Was it sympathy?
‘Well… they didn’t just pass me by when I was buried in the snow.’
“…If you’ve got nothing but soft hearts, that’s a problem.”
She had muttered unconsciously.
Glen turned his head. His hearing was sharp.
“What did you say, Aril?”
Ever since she’d told him her name, Glen had faithfully called her by her nickname instead of “kid” or “little one.” He hadn’t pressed her stubbornly about what happened at Gringen Church either.
Because of that, over the past few days, Ariletti had grown a little more comfortable around him.
But now was different.
Her voice trembled slightly as she looked around the shabby castle.
“Mister… you don’t have money?”
“Excuse me?”
Glen shot her a look of disbelief.
“You’re Aril, but I’m ‘mister’? I’m not that old, you know? Calling a blooming nineteen-year-old ‘mister’—that hurts.”
Then what should I call you?
“Not mister—how about uncle? Uncle. What do you think?”
No thanks. That sounds too close.
“Mister, are you poor?”
“Your father’s the mister. And not just a little—we’re quite poor.”
“……”
“It’s because it’s midwinter. The roads to nearby cities are blocked. Still, once spring comes, we’re not this bad.”
Blocked? Why?
Glen stretched, placing both hands behind his head.
“Even so, our territory is the safest around here. You can wander around inside the castle, but if you go outside, hold onto Sister Tanesa’s hand tightly. She may look like that, but she’s a northern native through and through. Or ask one of the knight uncles to carry you.”
He ruffled Ariletti’s bangs messily and handed her over to Tanesa.
“Tanesa. Wash her, feed her, dress her, and put her to bed. Focus on taking care of her for the time being.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
Tanesa patted Ariletti’s bottom cheerfully.
“Come on, little one. You’re with big sis now. Let’s scrub you clean and get you fed.”
“No, I should be leaving now—”
“We’ll have to find some padded winter clothes too. Not sure if we even have baby clothes!”
With no chance to protest, Ariletti began to feel uneasy.
No matter how kind Glen Hezeit was, no matter how warmly the knights treated her, she wasn’t someone who should stay here.
She had already eaten too much of their food. Now that she knew just how impoverished this territory truly was, her guilt deepened.
‘I can’t grow attached.’
The person who helps you during your weakest, most miserable times becomes the one you remember most.
In her first life, it had been Albert.
In her second life, Lucius.
In her third life, she hoped no one would remain in her memory.
‘I need to go somewhere quiet. Somewhere no one can find me. The White Forest. I’ll go to the White Forest.’
This time, she would end her life there properly.
Ariletti steeled her resolve.
But even the next day, she couldn’t leave.
She had packed her bag—only to be caught.
“Little—no. Aril?”
Out on dawn inspection, Glen looked down at the dog hole in the wall with mild disbelief.
Ariletti, who had stuck her head through the surprisingly small opening, wore an equally awkward expression.
“…G-good morning.”
“Why are you coming out of there at this hour? Did the heater in your room go out?”
Instead of answering, the child braced her hands and wriggled smoothly out of the hole. A forsythia-yellow bag Tanesa had given her dangled from her back.
Mission failed.
What now?
