Chapter 05
“Ah, what are you talking about?”
Ariadne waved her hand with a laugh at Florin’s meaningful words.
Wasn’t it a sly little trick?
Not long ago, there had been all the fuss about Ashley losing her healing power.
“What kind of scary talk is that? Especially with all the talk about Ashley’s powers disappearing…”
“Y-Yeah…?”
Florin nodded along, though even he was puzzled by this unbelievable situation.
Ariadne had been staring at him for a long while when she suddenly clapped her hands together, as if remembering something.
“Ah!”
“Ah! You startled me.”
Florin had shouted unexpectedly, making Ariadne’s eyes widen. She quickly sat on the edge of the bed, lifted her skirt a little, and said:
“See here? I got a scratch while coming out of the kitchen today. Look at it.”
The scratch from the wooden wall was visible at once. Ariadne frowned as she looked at it, feeling a phantom kind of pain.
“Yeah… that must’ve hurt.”
“Try putting your hand here.”
“What?”
“Well, I saw Miss Ashley do this. Maybe your powers could appear too. I heard it usually shows up first as self-healing. Hurry. Put your hand here.”
Florin was relentless.
Ariadne hesitated, but Florin, unable to wait any longer, grabbed her hand and placed it over the wound.
“….”
“….”
They stayed like that for a while.
“….”
“….”
Because Florin was so serious, Ariadne couldn’t bring herself to pull her hand away and looked awkward. Only after a while did Florin’s expression fall into disappointment.
“See? I told you. It can’t be.”
“This is strange…”
Florin had hoped that the situation with Ariadne would improve, even just a little. If Ariadne developed healing powers, no one would dare treat her carelessly. She was used to Ashley being the only one favored, after all.
“Sigh…”
She exhaled deeply. If only a miracle would happen.
“Just in case, stay inside the room. I’ll update you on the situation outside. Anyway, the Count and Miss Ashley will have to go to the palace soon for the hunting tournament.”
“Alright. Got it.”
The hunting tournament, huh.
This was the perfect opportunity to make a run for it while the Count’s house was empty! Ariadne was thrilled at the idea, but that plan would not come to fruition.
A few days later, on the day of the hunting tournament.
Ariadne, who expected to be left alone, was personally visited by the Count, saying she had to accompany him to the palace.
Of course, it wasn’t a request—it was an order.
Because Ariadne was considered a person of interest, leaving her alone was too risky, so she had to go along.
At first, she resisted, but soon changed her mind.
‘If my healing powers have really manifested…’
This would be the perfect opportunity to confirm it. There was no reason to refuse. She thought she could confirm it and then escape afterward.
She boarded the carriage obediently. Ashley was already inside.
Sitting with her arms crossed and eyes closed, she looked a little haggard. Clearly, her healing powers had not returned, making her anxious and restless. But Ariadne didn’t feel even a bit of sympathy.
Such pity should only be reserved for those who deserve it.
Ariadne turned her head toward the small window, sitting opposite Ashley, feigning indifference.
“Unni.”
Unexpectedly, Ashley spoke first.
“….”
Ariadne ignored her call and continued to look outside.
“Unni…”
Ashley tried again, and Ariadne shot her a cold glance.
“I don’t know what guts you think you have to speak to me. Let’s be quiet on the way. I don’t want to hear your voice. Understood?”
Ashley’s boldness from her earlier suicide attempt was gone; she lowered her head timidly.
Since they were in separate carriages, Ashley had no allies and looked even more sullen.
Ariadne couldn’t help but let out a small, humorless chuckle at the sight.
The awkward silence was broken by the carriage door suddenly flinging open.
“Ashley, come move to my carriage.”
It was the Count. Clearly, he was worried about what Ariadne might do, giving her a stern glare. Even more amusingly, Ashley fled as if Ariadne had really intended to harm her.
Ariadne let out a bitter laugh at their departure as the carriages began to move.
Growing bored of looking outside, she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
The journey from the estate to the imperial capital took two days by carriage.
The road passed through Visen Forest, a known hotspot for monsters.
They could have rested midway, but due to delays from Ashley’s missing powers, there was no time.
It was a pitch-dark night. The carriage sped along, the darkness adding a chilling atmosphere.
Though knights were escorting them, a group of monsters could be difficult to handle. Everyone hoped to get through Visen Forest quickly.
Then it happened.
Thud! Boom!
The ground shook violently, like a mountain collapsing.
“Ahhh!”
“Mo-Monsters!”
It seemed they had encountered an enormous horde of monsters. Ariadne quickly opened the carriage door and saw that the carriage carrying Ashley and the Count had been overturned.
She ran to them instinctively, about to check on Ashley, when a bodyguard appeared and scooped Ashley up.
“Lady…! Are you alright?”
To him, Ariadne seemed invisible. The bodyguard, worried only about Ashley, quickly disappeared with her and the Count.
“….”
Ariadne stood frozen, stunned. She saw the horrifying scene unfolding before her eyes.
The monsters’ attack was brutal and merciless. Human torsos were hacked apart, blood splattered across the area—it felt unreal, yet vividly real.
The calm moments from earlier felt like a lie.
“Ahhh!”
Screams, darkness, and splattering blood.
It was a night of unparalleled terror.
Though the knights fought with all their might, they were outnumbered.
There were simply too many monsters, and they seemed to be enjoying the slaughter.
Ariadne felt deathly fear wash over her instantly.
It was the most terrifying night she had ever experienced.
She knew she had to run, but her body refused to move.
Then, one monster leaped right in front of her.
A shadow fell over her head.
For a brief moment, she thought she would die and squeezed her eyes shut.
Thud!
The sound of metal piercing flesh, and something fell from above.
“….”
Opening her eyes, she saw someone had plunged a sword into the monster’s belly.
The monster collapsed with a thud, and the man who attacked it fell, wounded.
Ariadne, somehow finding courage, dragged the fallen man to safety, away from the fighting.
“Haa…”
She caught her breath as she examined him.
“This doesn’t look like one of our knights.”
She hid in the bushes, holding her breath.
For a long time, the sounds of clashing swords and screams continued.
Eventually, the battle seemed to settle somewhat.
She expected someone to come looking for her—but no voice came.
“This can’t be…”
Eventually, Ariadne realized that she and the fallen man were alone in the forest.
She was utterly incredulous.
To be abandoned in Visen Forest, where monsters frequently appeared, was beyond imagination.
No matter how much she was looked down on, she was still the Count’s daughter. She looked around desperately, but no one was in sight.
An eerie silence hung in the air.
“Ugh…”
The man groaned, reminding her she wasn’t entirely alone.
He seemed unconscious, groaning softly.
“Damn it.”
Left with a man about to die and abandoned in the forest, she exhaled deeply. From what she could see, his right arm was seriously injured.
Not wanting someone to die in front of her, she rolled up her sleeves and examined the wound to try to stop the bleeding.
“Don’t die.”
Muttering to herself, she placed her hand over the wound.
Suddenly, a shimmering light appeared.
The wound began to heal before her eyes. Ariadne yanked her hand back in surprise as the light flickered and disappeared.
“What… what was that?”
She looked at her hand and the man’s wound repeatedly.
Trying again, nothing happened this time. She realized the power that had flowed from her hand earlier was similar to healing, but she wasn’t sure if it truly belonged to her.
“Hmm…”
The wound healed, and the man opened his half-lidded eyes, breathing heavily.
He was a prince from a neighboring empire, visiting Rensha on urgent business timed with the hunting tournament. Because there was little interaction between the two empires, the foreign prince had been unprepared for the dangers of Visen Forest.
Having rushed out with only a few bodyguards, he encountered an enormous monster horde and was struggling.
Perhaps sensing the healing, he weakly asked Ariadne his identity as soon as he could speak.
“You… are you a Saint of the Empire?”
After saying this, the prince lost consciousness again.
