Chapter 52
I ran like I’d lost my mind.
I didn’t even know where I was going. I only knew one thing—I had to get as far away from Miss as possible.
Tap, tap-tap!
Before long, the number of footsteps chasing me increased.
I’d been discovered by the masked men.
If this had been earlier, I would have been terrified. But now, I almost felt relieved. It meant they had found me first, not Miss.
Hold out. As long as possible.
I clenched my teeth and forced my legs to move with everything I had.
Surprisingly, I wasn’t caught easily.
Even I was shocked at myself. I kept escaping by the narrowest margins, as if I had some hidden talent. At critical moments, I rolled down slopes or slipped into holes, dodging them cleverly.
And the longer I avoided them, the longer I ran, the more hope grew inside me.
This might actually work.
Maybe I could escape safely.
If I could buy time until Miss made it down the mountain, and then hide and wait for my own chance… if we could both get out of here alive…
I’ll see her again soon!
Once hope took hold, my body didn’t feel as tired.
It was like I was numb. Fear and terror were gone. I was just running forward, as if possessed.
That was when I saw light.
Light was leaking through the dense trees.
I moved toward it instinctively. It looked like a path—the only path that could save me, the way out of this situation.
If I could reach it now—
Tap!
I threw myself toward the light. Then I lifted my head and froze.
“Uh…?”
There was nothing there.
No trees. No buildings. Just a wide, open view in the distance and thin clouds spread softly across the sky.
It was a cliff.
“Why…?”
Cold sweat ran down my back. At the same time, I heard multiple footsteps right behind me.
I stopped breathing and turned around.
The masked men were there.
The same men who had been scrambling, unable to catch a single child—now they were all gathered in one place. As if they had known I would come here.
As if they had been waiting.
I was fooled.
Only then did I realize it. They hadn’t failed to catch me.
They had let me go on purpose—so the prey would walk into the trap on its own. So I would reach the place they wanted.
And in the end, I had fallen right into it.
Just as my chest turned cold, a gloomy voice spoke.
“Did you enjoy your little walk?”
“……”
I pressed my lips together. They hadn’t realized I wasn’t Miss yet, right?
“Heh. Watching you run around like a headless chicken, not even knowing where you were going, was quite amusing.”
“……”
“Miss So, surrender quietly. If you come with us peacefully, we’ll spare your life. But if you resist… well, you might get to see something much more entertaining.”
So they haven’t figured it out yet.
Their sinister threat made my heart pound, but inside I felt a small sense of relief. Thankfully, they still thought I was Miss.
More importantly, they didn’t seem intent on killing her.
I didn’t know what they were planning, but that worked in my favor. If they were trying to kill me outright, I’d have been done for already. This meant I had an opening.
I couldn’t waste it.
I raised my hands.
“……”
As I lifted both hands to show I had no intention of resisting, the masked men began to approach, one by one.
I watched them calmly.
I’d only get one chance. Just a little closer. Just a little more—
When they stepped closer—
Now!
Thud!
I threw myself to the ground.
I rolled straight between the legs of the nearest masked man. Just like the “last-ditch escape” trick I’d used before, slipping through the gap between his legs to get behind him.
They clearly hadn’t expected a noble young lady to do something like that. Flustered, they froze for a moment, and I slipped between another man’s legs as well.
That was when someone shouted loudly.
“Close your legs! Close them!”
A group of burly men standing there with their legs pressed together and knees turned inward was a ridiculous sight—but I couldn’t laugh.
The masked man I’d just passed spun around, reaching for me.
I kicked with all my strength at the back of his knee. Using the recoil, I rolled forward, narrowly dodging the hand that tried to grab me.
I rolled, dodged, ran, fell.
I moved my body with everything I had.
But my luck didn’t last long.
Thud—!
“Ugh…!”
I was kicked squarely in the back.
The blow was heavy. I rolled across the ground several times. Even though I’d been knocked farther away from them, I couldn’t get up.
My vision flickered—black, then white.
When my senses returned, a masked man was standing right in front of me.
I knew then.
This is the end.
Just as a hand as big as a pot lid came down toward me—
Clang!
“Who are you?!”
Someone burst out from behind me.
The man swung his sword at the masked man, forcing him to block and retreat. Then the man turned to me.
“Are you all right?!”
I tried to answer—then my eyes widened.
Who are you?
I didn’t recognize him.
At first, I thought he might be Brother Im or one of the So family’s warriors, but he was someone I’d never seen before. Or… had I?
I didn’t have time to think.
More people rushed in behind him.
“Protect the young lady!”
“Don’t let these bastards escape!”
“Capture every last one of them!”
I didn’t know where they came from, but they all charged the masked men with weapons in hand. In an instant, the area turned into chaos, filled with clashing steel and screams.
As I sat on the ground in a daze, someone approached me.
“Are you all right?”
It was the man who had appeared first.
Before I could answer, he spoke again.
“I apologize for being late. We should have helped sooner, but we were delayed dealing with the Demonic Cult scum in the manor. As for the manor lord—”
“……”
“I see… I truly have no excuse. The young lord entrusted us to protect the manor lord and his family no matter what, yet we failed to uphold that command… it’s unbearable.”
“Young lord So?”
At my murmur, the man answered immediately.
“Yes. The young lord of the Namgung Clan—Thunder Sword, the great hero Namgung Jeong.”
Thunder Sword. Namgung Jeong.
At that moment, I remembered where I had seen this man before.
Before Miss left for the Namgung Clan, the manor lord had increased the number of guards. Namgung Jeong had recommended several people as escort warriors, in case anything happened.
I must have seen him then.
Not often, but we’d crossed paths occasionally. They all had such intimidating presences that I usually avoided them.
Only then did I feel relieved—yet a bit resentful too.
Why only now?
If only they had come sooner. Before the manor lord died. No—before that. If they’d arrived before we entered the secret passage…
But what could be done now? They had been fighting the Demonic Cult too.
When I forced myself to calm down and looked around, the situation was mostly settled. Some masked men lay on the ground, others seemed to have fled.
The man held out his hand to me.
“Let’s go. I’ll escort you.”
Only then did I speak.
“Um… I’m not the young lady.”
“What?”
Taking a breath, I removed the hooded hat and lifted the veil.
The man’s eyes widened when he saw my face.
“Actually—”
I couldn’t finish.
For a split second, his expression turned vicious.
“Huh…?”
My eyes widened too—but just as quickly, the expression disappeared. He was smiling again.
In a calm voice, he asked,
“I see. Then who are you?”
“I—I’m a servant who was attending the young lady. I just ended up following her all the way here…”
“Yes, I did hear she had a servant. But why were you dressed like that, running away? Where is the young lady?”
“The young lady is…”
A strange premonition hit me.
A strong feeling that I shouldn’t tell the truth here. That I couldn’t ignore the expression I’d seen just now.
“I… don’t know either.”
“What?”
“We were escaping together to the middle of the mountain. Then suddenly, the young lady grabbed me and threatened to beat me if I didn’t change clothes with her…”
I’m sorry, Miss.
I felt awful bad-mouthing her like this, but I had no choice. It seemed safer to stall and see what happened.
And considering Miss’s reputation as a villainess, it wasn’t entirely unbelievable.
The man looked at me suspiciously and asked again,
“Then do you know where the young lady went?”
“She left me behind and went on alone, so I really don’t…”
“Did she say where she was going?”
“I don’t know that either…”
“Then you’re useless?”
“…What?”
