Chapter 02

“Huff… huff…”

In front of the cabin, Elloze struggled to catch her breath.

She must have run like a madwoman, because every breath she exhaled carried the faint taste of blood.

They came to kill me!

They had come to dispose of her.

The monks’ words continued to echo in Elloze’s ears.

Her hand tightened against the wall of the cabin.

At the same time, the sound of her teeth grinding together escaped her clenched jaw.

When she had first been abandoned here as a child, she had been so shocked that she spent her days crying.

But as time passed and she grew older, she slowly came to accept her situation.

She had been abandoned.

And there was no one on her side.

Once she understood that, she began doing everything she could to survive here.

After reading the hunter’s diary, she wandered through the forest, desperately searching for food and eating as many wild berries as she could whenever hunger gnawed at her.

Then, after discovering a patch of land deep in the forest that was suitable for farming, she began cultivating it.

She also read the countless books that had been abandoned alongside her, learning everything she needed to survive.

Every trap in this forest had been made by Elloze herself after studying the books and failing countless times.

At first, she had considered running away.

But she had nowhere in particular to go.

At least she had a cabin and a forest here.

If she went outside, she wouldn’t even have that.

Besides, the outside world had been thrown into chaos by a long war and had only just begun to stabilize the previous year.

So Elloze had quietly lived here.

She told herself that it would be easier if she simply thought she had never had anything to begin with.

Even so, she could never completely let go of the thought of returning to the capital someday.

I made a promise to Mother.

Elloze remembered everything about her mother.

Her mother’s room had been the largest and most beautiful room in the estate.

From its balcony, the entire garden could be seen at a glance.

The garden, where beautiful flowers bloomed in every season, had been the pride of the estate.

Whenever Elloze breathed in the floral fragrance carried by the breeze, her mother would smile and pull her into her arms.

“Elloze, will you promise Mama that you’ll inherit this beautiful garden and take care of it?”

In response to her mother’s request, Elloze had eagerly promised that she would.

It was the first and last promise she had ever made to her mother.

Elloze clenched her fists.

A promise she had been unable to keep for fourteen years.

The time had finally come to fulfill it.

And she certainly didn’t intend to die here like some stray dog!

Elloze immediately rushed back into the cabin.

“There’s no time.”

She remembered the conversation she had overheard between the monks as they were leaving the kitchen.

“From what I heard, they’re planning to take care of it tomorrow evening. Apparently, he specifically told them not to let anyone approach the cabin until he comes back.”

Fortunately, it seemed they weren’t planning to kill her tonight.

Then again, they had seemed to be enjoying themselves while eating and drinking.

They brought my meal today.

Meals were delivered every other day.

So no one would come tomorrow.

Then if I leave the cabin, no one will realize I’m gone before that man returns.

The edge of the forest ended in a cliff.

No one would ever imagine that she could escape from there.

Elloze let out a quiet scoff.

“So I can escape after all.”

The hunter had written down many things in his diary.

Including the fact that there was a path leading down below the cliff in this forest everyone believed was completely isolated.

From the outside, the cliff looked impossible to descend unless you were a bird.

But the hunter had found a way down so he could secretly sell the animals he hunted without the monks finding out.

Elloze turned and looked at the books piled beside her bed and against the wall.

The monks didn’t know it, but there were far fewer books now than when she had first arrived.

I sold them diligently.

Ever since discovering the path down the cliff, Elloze had spent every week waiting for the weekend.

On weekends, the monks were too busy receiving worshippers to pay her the slightest bit of attention.

Wealthy people from nearby towns came to visit, so the monks busied themselves pretending to be solemn and devout in an effort to squeeze even more donations out of them.

That was why they didn’t even bother giving Elloze the garbage they normally called food on weekends.

Which worked out perfectly for me.

Whenever the weekend came, Elloze would descend the cliff under the cover of the dark early-morning hours.

Each time, she would put one of the books she had read so many times that she had practically memorized it into her bag.

Then she would head to a large nearby village and sell it.

To keep anyone from discovering that she was the one selling the books, she tore out the pages bearing the monastery’s seal and sold the books only to traveling merchants.

At first, she had been forced to sell them for next to nothing.

But as time passed, Elloze became increasingly skilled at bargaining, until she could finally get a fair price.

With the money she earned, she bought all sorts of things.

Everything from seeds and crops for her garden to ordinary clothes.

Thanks to that, she had managed to survive here until now.

Elloze opened a drawer and pulled out the money pouch she had hidden inside.

The pouch was surprisingly heavy in her hand.

With this much money, she would have more than enough to reach the village and buy a horse.

Elloze reached beneath the bed.

Soon, her hand emerged holding a set of clothes.

They were ordinary clothes, not a nun’s habit.

Elloze quickly changed into them, grabbed her bag, and began packing her belongings.

Since she didn’t own much anyway, packing took only a moment.

Of everything she needed to take with her, the only truly valuable thing was a necklace her mother had left behind.

It was the necklace her mother had placed around her neck, telling her to treasure it always.

Whenever times became difficult, her mother had told her to wear it, look out at the garden, and pray.

She had said that doing so would bring her great strength.

Because Elloze had been wearing it beneath her clothes when she was brought to the monastery, it was the one precious possession she had managed to keep.

After securing the necklace, Elloze left the cabin and was about to run toward the cliff when she suddenly stopped.

If that man came to the cabin tomorrow evening, he would realize she was gone.

She had about a day’s head start, but if the monastery sent people after her, there was no way she could get far enough away before they caught her.

Then…

Elloze ran behind the cabin.

She retrieved the things she had hidden among the bushes.

I need to keep that man trapped here for as long as possible.

The man had specifically asked the monks not to let anyone approach the cabin until he returned.

“I’ll make you regret saying that.”

There was no mercy for someone who had come to kill her.

Carrying the things she had hidden, Elloze went back inside the cabin.

After finishing everything she needed to do, Elloze ran along the forest path.

Even though she knew these woods so well that she could navigate them with her eyes closed, moving through them at night was no easy task.

She pushed aside the vines she had set up to keep wild rabbits from getting to her crops.

Beyond them, her vegetable garden appeared beneath the moonlight.

The garden she had worked so hard to cultivate.

The eggplants she had left to ripen for a few more days had grown plump, while the corn had begun to mature, its kernels promising to turn sweet when boiled.

But…

“I can’t eat any of it.”

Elloze murmured the words, her voice filled with regret.

Memories of all the time she had spent tending this place flashed through her mind.

Deep in the forest, she had searched for a flat patch of land and painstakingly cleared away the stones.

Using an old shovel she had bought in the village, she had tilled the soil until her hands were covered in blisters.

Remembering those days, Elloze waved a hand.

“Goodbye. Take care.”

After bidding farewell to the garden she had tended for so many years, Elloze turned and headed deeper into the forest.

After walking for quite some time, the wind began to blow through her hair.

“I’m here.”

Whoosh.

Standing at the edge of the forest, Elloze looked out at the dizzyingly steep cliff.

She stood beneath the moonlight, studying the cliff as the wind swept past her.

She had descended it before at dawn, but this was her first time attempting it on such a dark night.

Gulp.

Swallowing nervously, Elloze reached out.

She pushed aside the vines growing over the edge of the cliff, revealing a sturdy iron stake driven firmly into the ground, with a rope tied around it.

Elloze quickly unwound the rope.

She had to use it to descend halfway down the cliff, then leap into a space hidden farther inside.

After that, she would have to climb down by gripping the jagged rocks jutting out here and there.

The first time she had descended, she had been so terrified that she had sobbed uncontrollably along the way.

But now, she was used to it.

Much later, Elloze finally reached the bottom of the cliff, drenched in sweat.

“Phew.”

Her body, still tense from the strain, continued to tremble.

Elloze slapped both cheeks with her hands until they stung, then muttered to herself,

“This is where the real challenge begins. Focus.”

While coming and going to the village, Elloze had learned a valuable lesson.

The moment you let your guard down, you would be taken advantage of.

One merchant had smiled kindly as he spoke to her, only to sell her his goods for several times their actual value.

Another time, she had been so distracted by the food in front of her that she hadn’t noticed the money pouch hanging from her waist disappear.

That wasn’t all.

Once, she had taken a sparsely traveled road because she wanted to get back a little faster—and nearly been dragged away by someone.

But what she had to do now was far more dangerous than any of those things.

I can’t trust anyone.

As she thought about the past, Elloze remembered the Imperial Code she had once read simply because she was bored.

They said Father died on Saturday.

Today was Tuesday.

According to Imperial law, she had until Friday of this week to go to the capital and declare her intention to inherit the title and claim the estate.

In truth, she didn’t need the count’s title.

She didn’t want anything that had belonged to her father.

That was why she had always called herself Elloze Espensia rather than Lady Elloze of House Bazelan.

But if she wanted to inherit her mother’s fortune, she had no choice but to accept her father’s title along with it.

And there’s one more thing I need to do that.

Elloze frowned.

But it was something she couldn’t obtain here, not immediately.

For now, I have to get to the capital.

Elloze turned around.

If she followed this direction, she would reach the village.

And if she kept going, she would eventually reach the capital.

Elloze stared at the road ahead for a moment before turning in the opposite direction.

Once they realize I’m gone, they’ll immediately search this road.

Then she had no choice but to move in a direction they wouldn’t expect.

Elloze drew a deep breath and started walking.

Then she quickened her pace, putting more and more distance between herself and the monastery.

Thud. Thud.

The man stared at the approaching cabin.

She must already be asleep.

There wasn’t a single light visible inside.

He drew a sharp dagger from his waist.

The last time he had come, the woman had been staggering around, coughing as though she could breathe her last at any moment.

Besides, the meals the monks gave her were disgusting enough to make a healthy person sick.

This should be easy.

A frail noblewoman who had spent her entire life imprisoned here.

Getting rid of a woman like that would be incredibly simple.

The man touched the money pouch hidden inside his clothes.

He remembered Camilla’s voice whispering to him to make sure he completed the job properly before returning.

What a frightening woman.

Her husband, the Count, had barely died, and she was already trying to have his daughter killed.

Clicking his tongue, the man approached the cabin.

It’s too quiet.

No matter how sick the woman was, he couldn’t sense even the slightest sign of life.

Feeling uneasy, the man cautiously opened the cabin door.

Creeeak.

The door opened with a faint groan.

As luck would have it, thick clouds had covered the sky, blocking even the moonlight.

Inside the cabin was so dark that he couldn’t see a thing.

The moment the man cautiously took one step inside—

Clang!

“Aaaagh!”

A metallic sound rang out, followed by a horrific pain shooting up his leg.

The man dropped his dagger and collapsed onto the floor.

Snap!

This time, something sprang loose.

A blinding bolt of pain shot through the hand he had used to brace himself against the floor, making stars burst before his eyes.

“Hrk!”

As the man struggled to remain conscious amid the successive waves of pain, the moon finally emerged from behind the clouds, flooding the night with pale light.

Only then, illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window, could the man see what was attached to his leg and hand.

“Traps?”

They were small, but unmistakably traps designed to catch animals.

“How could there be something like this here?!”

Surely the monastery hadn’t given the woman anything besides food.

Then how could she possibly have something like this?

While the man was still reeling in shock, the sharp metal edges of the traps continued digging deeper into his flesh.

This is dangerous.

He didn’t know how this had happened, but he understood one thing immediately.

These traps had been placed to catch him.

He had to get out of here.

Immediately.