Chapter 43
The Arrow That Left the Bow (2)
I stared at the moss-covered stone wall and let out a bitter laugh.
“Hah, really…”
Unbelievable. Just… unbelievable.
Lee Haewon, age 28.
Imprisoned in a stone jail in the 21st century…
“Is this a dream?”
I pinched my own cheek, but it only hurt.
In front of me were bars as thick as a wrist. Behind me, a bed and… what was supposed to be a toilet.
No, that’s not really a toilet—it’s closer to just a hole.
A cruel interior that doesn’t grant even a shred of human dignity.
“Ah, water.”
Startled by the drop hitting the crown of my head, I looked up.
So, the bars blocking my view are real… right?
‘Why does my life have to be this difficult?’
Isn’t it a fantasy world rule that if you tell a little lie, someone turns a blind eye?
Even if the area near the tower is ruined by war… people can still survive there, right?
The knight who threw me into this miserable place left with a smirk, adding a final word.
“You’ve underestimated us, spy. If you don’t tell the truth, you won’t step out of there.”
I was too stunned to even reply.
‘Whose spy am I supposed to be?’
If I were a real spy, I could understand the suspicion—but this? Not even worth arguing against.
“Seriously, this is ridiculous.”
I had no truth to confess, and unless I broke out of here, I’d be trapped forever.
The only saving grace was that I’m the administrator of an open market.
If I activate the merchant’s mark here, I can leave freely.
My cozy three-room suite on the 50th floor.
It had been nearly 35 years since I last entered, hopping between the one-room apartments in front of Babel Tower, Kona, and the info center.
The thought of diving into the plush king-size bed I had finally prepared made me smile unconsciously.
Alright, time to go back.
Just as I smiled triumphantly and was about to call Sam, a voice stopped me.
“Um…”
“Ugh, f***!”
I screamed in shock at the eerie voice coming from the darkness outside the bars.
“Oh! Did I scare you? I’m sorry…!”
A frail female voice answered from the opposite side.
Apparently, the gloomy prison wasn’t my stage alone.
“Who… are you?”
I asked quietly toward the other side.
“I was captured too. From what I hear, it seems you were brought here without reason… same with me.”
From her hoarse voice, despite her calm, gentle tone, I could tell how exhausted she was.
She took careful, clumsy steps forward.
The sticky sound of her feet peeling off the floor made me frown—it was that gross kind of sound you just know would annoy you.
Then, when she leaned her face through the bars…
“…Are you a beastkin?”
I asked, dumbfounded.
It was a question that didn’t even need asking.
A figure with the elegant face of a swan was looking at me apologetically.
“You… look like a swan.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Clara Swan. You recognized me right away.”
Clara muttered shyly, averting her gaze.
If you couldn’t recognize that, there might be something wrong with your eyesight, teacher.
Not just “like a swan”—her upper body was a swan.
Her shy smile was the head of a swan, while the legs beneath her tattered clothing were human.
Even the arms gripping the bars… were wings covered in scraggly feathers.
‘Wait, her arms are wings?’
It looked like someone had split a human and swan right down the middle and fused them.
Normally, beastkin have human faces with ears, wings, tails, or claws added—not like this.
My narrow thinking was shining again today.
“I’m Clara. You’re the first person who’s been kind to me even knowing I’m a beastkin.”
Clara added shyly.
I blinked, stunned by her sparkling beak, and muttered awkwardly,
“Oh… um, well…”
Putting Clara’s appearance aside, the thing that worried me more was another matter.
‘A beastkin trapped in a human territory?’
Kona, the beastkin territory, was already war-torn, but here in human-controlled Kasabl, the land burned with the desire to win the war.
By now, people probably knew all the way to Earth that the two species didn’t get along.
And yet, here was a beastkin trapped in a human area.
Suspicious secrets must be hidden here, I thought, unable to stop myself from asking.
“Clara, why are you trapped here?”
“We… haven’t even introduced ourselves yet…”
‘Oops.’
Her calm, rational tone hit me like a bone.
“Call me Leeha.”
Even with my rushed introduction, Clara smiled kindly and nodded.
“Well, Leeha. Nice to meet you. Though the place is… unpleasant.”
“Nice to meet you too. So, why are you here?”
“You focus straight on the point, don’t you?”
“Sorry. It’s just… I’ve never met a beastkin in human territory before.”
Clara hesitated, fluttering her beak, then lowered her gaze and whispered,
“I… got pregnant.”
Even in wartime, there are still new lives.
…Wait, what? A blessing of life in the middle of a war?!
I was too stunned to reply. I looked up.
‘Why is she so shy?’
Clara’s face was flushed.
Even in this dark cell, her blush was visible. How red must her face have been?
‘Wait, is that even a blush?’
How does a feather turn red?
Lost in questions with no answer, I barely noticed as Clara covered her cheeks with her wings and spoke.
“It was fate… a few years ago, I was drinking from a forest spring.”
I blinked at her.
‘Am I the only one who can’t follow this flow?’
Sticky, strange liquid dripped from the ceiling. The cell was so gross that touching it could cause a skin disease.
“Then I got hit by a flying arrow. Anton shot it… oh, my love.”
Am I really hearing a “first meeting story” here?
Not wanting to reveal my confusion, Clara fluttered her wings and fanned her face.
Just recalling the memory made her face flush.
“He saw my upper body and thought I was a swan, so he tried to catch me. But when he realized I was a beastkin, he was surprised and came to help.”
“Ah…”
“At first I was angry. But Anton felt so sorry and took care of my wounds every day until I healed. He was such a kind human… and well, you know?”
“…Know what?”
“That’s the story. Oh, it’s embarrassing. I’ve never told anyone before.”
“What story are you talking about?”
Clara didn’t answer, just hid her face shyly.
“We fell in love. Truly happy days.”
The scraggly feathers rustled.
‘Stockholm syndrome, maybe?’
He probably shot the arrow to eat swan meat, but then fell in love after realizing she was a beastkin and healed her.
As a normal human, I couldn’t relate at all—it was a shocking story.
Is that normal in this dimension?
Is it really plausible that a human falls for a beastkin at first sight?
‘Also, am I asking too many questions today?’
Then, Clara’s wings slowly lowered from her face and gripped the bars.
Her once shy face now carried a resigned sadness.
I blinked, unable to follow her quickly shifting emotions, when Clara murmured gloomily,
“Until people knew we were in love…”
My curiosity evaporated instantly.
She spoke quietly, yet I could tell she was sad.
Why judge a beastkin trying to restrain her emotions?
Clara caressed her still-flat belly with her wings, speaking with a mix of joy and sorrow.
“I had a child… a lovely child.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you. Leeha, you’re so kind.”
“So that’s why you’re trapped here?”
“You’re curious, aren’t you?”
Clara chuckled softly, but the smile quickly faded.
“My body changed suddenly, and I secretly visited a local doctor, who reported me.”
“You lived in a human village?”
“Yes. Anton and I met in a deep forest on the outskirts of Kasabl. We were staying in a nearby cabin.”
“So that doctor… was also human?”
“Yes. From Kasabl. He smiled, saying the child was healthy, but it was all an act. While I was home alone, the knights raided in.”
Humans—always lies and betrayal.
Feeling guilty, I looked at Clara, who added weakly,
“Anton will come looking for me…”
“Anton doesn’t know you’re here?”
“He’ll think I disappeared. Maybe he was captured too. If so… then Anton…”
Clara couldn’t continue and lowered her head.
Parts of this defied my logic, but…
‘True love, huh.’
A truly fated love story.
Amid humans and beastkin blindly clashing with swords, love bloomed.
I had sworn not to empathize with the story’s performers, but that resolution crumbled.
This was a tragedy rivaling Romeo and Juliet, if not greater.
Without resolving the scenario, no happy ending could exist.
And Clara’s story was not unique.
It also applied to Echo and Onak in Kona, and the seven-guild alliance entering the 51st floor with grim faces.
‘But I’m not intervening in the scenario.’
The quest explicitly warned against meddling.
Having helped once and been harassed by Ihwayun and Park Jiwoon, I refused further risks.
Listening to the sad swan-beastkin story was the best I could do.
After a long moment, Clara slowly squatted on the floor.
“Years ago, I heard that a human who had a friendly relationship with a squirrel beastkin was sent to the front lines. I know interacting with beastkin is a crime… but what if Anton is in that situation?”
I bit my lip at her murmuring.
No matter what I said, it wouldn’t comfort her.
But reading the mood, I felt I should say something.
Leaning my forehead on the bars, I cautiously reassured her.
“You handle bows, right? Then you’re probably not at the front lines. Archers are usually placed in the rear.”
“Ha… Leeha, your comfort skills are terrible.”
…I thought I was doing my best.
Seeing Clara smile weakly made me feel guilty.
Then—
Ding—
A bright notification cut through the darkness, making me doubt my eyes.
[■ Babel System > 51st Floor Notification]
Scenario participant count has been met. (10/10)
I had forgotten the merchant mark while listening to Clara’s heartrending love story.
In just 30 minutes, the strike team had arrived.
That meant…
[■ Babel System > Scenario Notification]
Main Scenario “That Desperate Peace” has begun.
The underground prison I was in had become a hellfire.
“Ah, f***—”
With my E-rank body, I had become a participant in the 51st floor scenario.
