Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Was that a warning? Or a threat?
Cedric’s overwhelming presence made it hard to tell. But without saying another word, he turned away with an air of indifference. He then drew his sword, an elegant weapon tinged with a mysterious blue glow, and sliced downward through the black barrier.
A faint crack appeared in the path his blade had traced, and then part of the barrier shattered as if collapsing under its own weight.
Watching Cedric calmly step through the breach he’d created, Isabella couldn’t contain her astonishment.
“Heavens! He broke Baal’s barrier like it was nothing!”
“Crunch!”
‘Oops!’
The sound of Baal grinding his teeth rang out ominously, and Isabella quickly realized her blunder. She slapped a hand over her mouth.
It seemed the crack Cedric had left behind had inflicted a wound on Baal’s pride that would not easily heal. She hesitated for a moment.
But then, rather than offer a clumsy attempt at comfort, she chose to quietly step away.
Isabella picked up the unconscious girl and headed for the clearing outside the village where the villagers had evacuated.
“Mom! Grandma!”
“Chelsea!”
“Oh, thank the heavens!”
As they reached the clearing, the girl, whose name was Chelsea, regained consciousness, leading to a tearful reunion with the old woman and her mother.
Isabella stood to the side, allowing the three, back from the brink of death, to collect themselves.
Once the survivors nearby had calmed down a bit, she approached Chelsea.
“Oh, I don’t even know how to thank you… Thank you for saving my granddaughter. Thank you, truly.”
The old woman wiped away dry tears as she bowed repeatedly. Isabella waved her hand gently and looked toward Chelsea, who was nestled in her mother’s arms.
“Just seeing her safe like this is more than enough. More importantly… you said her name is Chelsea?”
Chelsea answered bravely.
“Yes! I’m Chelsea!”
“Good, Chelsea. Would it be all right if I asked you something?”
“You’re the one who saved me, right? If I can answer, I’ll tell you anything!”
Her eyes sparkled with the desire to repay the favor. Isabella asked carefully.
“Chelsea, do you remember the stuffed doll you were holding?”
“Yes! Oh? Come to think of it, it’s gone now!”
Chelsea suddenly looked around as if just realizing it was missing. But Isabella, who couldn’t bring herself to say it had been torn apart by the Tear of Infernus, forced an awkward smile and continued.
“I must have dropped it while rescuing you. Was it something precious to you?”
Chelsea shook her head.
“No, it’s okay. When the merchant man comes back, I’ll just ask him for another one.”
“Merchant man?”
“Yeah! Sometimes traveling merchants come to our village!”
Her mother added, filling in the gaps in Chelsea’s explanation.
“Since our village is on the road to a major city, peddlers drop by every now and then. In fact, one came by just three days ago.”
“So that’s where you got the doll?”
This time, the old woman answered.
“No, no. He said my granddaughter was cute and gave it to her as a gift.”
“As a gift…?”
It didn’t make much sense. Why would someone give away a tattered old doll as a present?
Just then, footsteps approached, and a voice spoke from behind her.
“Is this merchant someone who visits often?”
Turning around, Isabella saw the knight who had previously raised his voice at Cedric. He followed up with another question.
“Do you happen to remember what this merchant looked like?”
The old woman furrowed her brow in thought, then exchanged glances with her daughter.
“Now that I think about it, we’d never seen him before.”
“That’s right. He was wearing a rain cloak, so we couldn’t really see his face.”
“I see… That’s unfortunate.”
The knight’s voice carried a tinge of disappointment. At that moment, Chelsea, who had been quietly listening from her mother’s arms, flapped her hand toward Isabella.
“Miss, Miss! I saw him!”
“Hm? You did?”
“Yes!”
Chelsea responded confidently, then used exaggerated gestures as she described the man.
“He had two moles right next to his lips! And his eyebrows were really weird!”
“Weird eyebrows?”
“Uh-huh! They were super long and droopy just like my grandpa’s!”
“Really? Do you remember anything else?”
“Nope, that’s all. Was he a bad man or something?”
Chelsea, who had been confidently listing details, grew a bit timid under everyone’s attention. Seeing this, Isabella smiled warmly and gently patted her head.
“No, nothing like that. I was just curious because the doll was a little unusual.”
There was no need to bring up the matter of the Tear of Infernus.
“Thanks for answering, Chelsea. You must be really tired.”
“No, thank you for saving me! When our village is fixed, come visit my house! I’ll show you all my favorite dolls!”
“Haha, sure. If fate allows, we’ll see each other again. Take care, Chelsea.”
Despite everything, the brightness in Chelsea’s smile was stronger than that of many adults. Waving back at the girl, Isabella turned and walked toward the waiting carriage.
After a while, she reached the edge of the forest near the clearing, where Baal was already waiting.
“Baal, let’s head out.”
“Don’t overdo it, Miss. You’re still human, unlike us, remember?”
Baal tried to dissuade her with concern. But Isabella simply waved it off and climbed into the carriage.
“If I’m going to sleep in the carriage anyway, I might as well do it while we’re on the move.”
She was tired, yes, but she knew full well that night was when monsters were most active, not midday.
Smiling to reassure Baal and the others, who looked at her with worry, she said: “Use as much of my magic as you need. Let’s hurry. I’m too curious about the capital to even think about sleeping.”
“My lady…”
Understanding the consideration behind her words, Baal and the other creatures quietly took their places in formation. Just as the carriage began to move…
“Lady Hellen, wait!”
Someone ran toward her, calling out. She opened the window to see the knight from before, now catching his breath.
“Do you have some business with me? Also… how do you know my name?”
Isabella tilted her head, confused. She hadn’t introduced herself to him. Realizing his oversight, the knight spoke formally.
“Ah, my apologies. I never introduced myself. It’s an honor to meet you. I am Ijef Hailld, chief aide to Duke Caron.”
“Oh!”
The moment she heard his name, Isabella’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
The Hailld family are the owners of the prestigious Selva Bank, the largest in the Empire. They’d also produced numerous ministers of finance. She never would have guessed the third son of such a family was serving as Cedric’s aide.
Quickly collecting herself, Isabella stepped out of the carriage and returned the greeting.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. As you already know, I’m Isabella, eldest daughter of the Hellen family. So then, what brings you here?”
“Ah, nothing urgent. I just thought it might be unsafe to travel at this hour, and I hoped to offer a suggestion. Please forgive me if I’ve overstepped.”
“Not at all. What suggestion?”
She wasn’t offended, if anything, she was curious what kind of proposal a Duke’s aide had come all this way to make.
Ijef pointed to the temporary camp set up by Cedric’s knights.
“I’m sure you must be exhausted from the battle with the undead. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d be happy to prepare a tent for you. It’ll be more comfortable than a moving carriage.”
“I see…”
She hesitated for a moment. Her brother Lloyd’s words echoed in her mind when her pilgrimage to the capital had first been decided.
[“Sis! Nothing’s ever free. Especially not kindness without reason. If someone you just met is being overly generous, you better start asking why. You’re way too naïve. You’re a con artist’s dream!”]
Having had little interaction with people even in her past life, Isabella couldn’t help but be cautious.
‘Still, this is someone with verified credentials. Wouldn’t it be rude to be this suspicious without cause?’
Rejecting Ijef’s offer without reason felt impolite. But the most awkward person in that moment wasn’t Isabella. It was Ijef, who was silently waiting for her reply.
‘Ugh, what a pain… I can’t just walk away now, can I?’
Normally, he wouldn’t have cared if she wanted to travel through the night or not. But after twenty-three years of navigating politics, pressure, and penny-pinching nobles, and now serving the infamously prickly Cedric…
There was no way he hadn’t noticed how sharply Cedric’s attention was focused on Isabella.
‘D**n it… I really picked the wrong guy to serve.’
Ijef sighed inwardly and waited. Just then, Baal approached Isabella.
“My lady, the capital isn’t far. Better to rest here tonight. It’d be terrible if you got sick before your debut ceremony.”
It seemed Baal, too, was hoping she’d accept the offer. The other monsters gave small nods in agreement. Finally, Isabella relented.
“…Thank you for your consideration, Sir Hailld. I’ll accept your offer, just for tonight.”
“Not at all. If it weren’t for you, the damage from this mission would have been much worse. We’re the ones who are grateful.”
“I only did what anyone with a conscience would.”
Goosebumps prickled down her spine, and she gave an awkward laugh. And so, after exchanging these uncomfortable pleasantries, Isabella followed Ijef toward the knights’ camp.
……
T/N: Duke Cedric Caron, your attention didn’t go unnoticed hehe
