Chapter 67
Alesia flinched and stumbled backward. A red fox, eyes gleaming with hostility, was glaring at her with ferocity. She hadn’t even noticed it approach while she’d been focused on finding the ring.
Yip!
The fox bared its sharp teeth and bristled, ready to strike. Behind it, more foxes emerged one by one from the underbrush. They were clearly drawn by the scent of rotting flesh and blood.
There’s still residual miasma from the monster’s corpse… and yet they came here?
Wild animals typically avoided areas littered with the bodies of monsters. The fact they’d come here could only mean one thing—desperation born of starvation.
And sure enough, the foxes before her were all emaciated to the bone. Their gleaming eyes reflected nothing but the predatory instinct of the starving.
“…So even to your eyes, I look weak.”
A bitter laugh slipped from her lips. Foxes, known for their cunning and usually reluctant to approach humans, now saw her as easy prey. She knew she was vulnerable, but having it confirmed like this was still humiliating.
Alesia cast a glance toward the depths of the forest where Kaon would be. He could sense magic and mana with his eyes—if these had been monsters, he would’ve come running already.
But the foxes threatening her were mere beasts of the forest. Starved and aggressive, but nothing like true monsters.
Roaaar!
A distant roar echoed through the woods. Just from the sound, she knew Kaon was driving the monster back.
Alesia clenched her fists. He was out there fighting a massive beast alone—she couldn’t afford to be bested by a pack of forest foxes. Her eyes never left the spot where the ring was hidden as she swallowed dryly.
All I have to do is put the ring on. If I can just use magic, these foxes are nothing.
The foxes had spread out to encircle her and were slowly closing the gap. Steeling herself, she planted her feet and, summoning every last ounce of strength, launched herself forward.
“Kyaaa!”
The foxes, seeing their prey sprinting, leapt at her in unison.
Snapping jaws aimed for her exposed hands and neck. Alesia swung her arms wildly as she tried to push forward, but her movements were sluggish. One fox had sunk its teeth into the hem of her cloak and now dangled from it, while another slammed into her torso.
Her unhealed body wavered under the onslaught, and then—a brutal impact crushed her left arm.
“Ugh!”
She screamed. Pain turned her vision white. A larger fox had bitten down hard on her arm.
She thrashed to shake it off, but the fox only bit down harder.
“Kieeek!”
With all her strength, she smashed her fist into the fox’s head. Only then did it finally release her. She could smell blood through the gaping hole it had left in her sleeve.
Her whole body ached—not a dull pain, but a sharp, relentless one. Her wound felt as if her arm might fall off at any moment. She wanted to pass out.
But even in that pain, she staggered forward, refusing to collapse.
“You’re completely useless.”
“Why are you even alive, trash?”
“If it were me, I’d have offed myself already.”
The abuse she’d endured for over a decade echoed in her head, melding with the howling of the foxes.
I can’t die like this.
If she gave up now, it would prove them right. All those people who called her worthless, useless—it would mean they were right. She hadn’t suffered all those years just to die like this.
There was still so much she wanted to do. It had taken her this long to reach a point where she could dream of tomorrow. New hopes bloomed with each passing day, and only now had she begun to envision a future.
Please!
Clenching her teeth to silence her groans, Alesia dove for the pile of leaves with her right arm outstretched.
The foxes, leaping at her again, missed their target and fell awkwardly to the ground. In that instant, Alesia snatched the ring with a sharp swipe and rolled to the side.
Startled, the foxes hesitated, but quickly regrouped and charged at her collapsed form again.
“I’m…”
With trembling fingers, Alesia shoved the ring onto her finger. She forced her limp arm to rise. Her head spun, her vision blurred. Still, she gathered the last of her strength and chanted the spell.
“…not a failure.”
A torrent of searing fire erupted from her hand, blazing through the forest and consuming everything in its path. Some of the foxes were swallowed by the inferno, others scattered, fleeing in panic.
Silence fell.
Her arm dropped with a dull thud. The last slivers of consciousness drifted away as she heard someone faintly calling her name.
The gentle trickling of water brought her back from the void.
“You really lucked out with a private caregiver.”
Despite the grumbling tone, a cool, damp cloth carefully wiped her sweaty face with tenderness.
Alesia slowly fluttered open her heavy eyelids. Her lashes trembled. The blurred outline of a ceiling, flickering with soft lamplight, swam into focus.
“Ah…”
A weak moan escaped her lips as pain swept through her body. Her limbs ached as if she’d been pummeled, and her burned left arm throbbed with searing heat.
Wincing, she forced her right hand out from under the blanket. The ruby ring on her finger glimmered faintly in the dark.
I got it back.
Relief washed over her like a wave. The tension in her body unraveled, leaving her dazed and lethargic. Her wounds still stung, but her heart was calm.
A soft towel dabbed away the fresh line of sweat from her brow. Looking up blankly, she saw Kaon gazing down at her, a mix of worry and frustration written all over his face.
“I just changed the bandages. It’s going to sting. I’ve got painkillers ready, so take them.”
He set down the towel and handed her a round pill and a cup of water. She tried to sit up but struggled. Bracing herself with her uninjured arm, she managed to rise, and Kaon wordlessly supported her shoulder with a sigh.
Swallowing the bitter pill, Alesia glanced at her bandaged arm. The wraps, which should’ve been soaked in blood, were clean. The distinct herbal scent confirmed the use of medicinal salves.
“You did all this?”
“Who else would? You told me not to get caught, remember? You don’t even remember saying that, do you? You were completely out of it…”
At his gruff reply, a hazy memory flickered through her mind.
“Get it together. I’ll take you back to the estate soon—just hang on!”
“Don’t… let anyone know. No one… ever…”
“Is this really the time to be worrying about that?! Damn it.”
She vaguely recalled hearing his voice after casting her spell. Somehow, he had brought her back from the forest without anyone noticing. She didn’t know how, but he managed it.
“Your sleeves were caked in dirt, so I… didn’t undress you or anything. I just cut off the worst bits. That’s all.”
Kaon averted his eyes, flustered, as if even that much embarrassed him. Alesia chuckled faintly. Even if he had taken off all her clothes, she wouldn’t have cared. She knew he didn’t do any of this with ill intent.
“I’m sorry. I went too far away.”
When she looked up again, Kaon was biting his lower lip, his face clouded with guilt.
“I know you led it away on purpose. So I could search safely. Did you really think I wouldn’t figure that out?”
The bear-shaped monster, despite its bulk, was quick and had a wide attack range. He must’ve deliberately lured it far to keep her safe.
The foxes’ sudden appearance hadn’t been his fault either. No one could’ve predicted such a thing in the wild.
“…I’m sorry, too. For saying you weren’t a real mage, and that you were overdoing it.”
Kaon’s red eyes stilled, his usual sharpness dimmed.
“I was arrogant. I didn’t know anything about you, and I judged too easily…”
“Kaon.”
Alesia looked quietly at him, weighed down by guilt. It wasn’t him who should apologize. He had done nothing wrong. And yet, he felt responsible.
“I lied to you and your family. Everything you said about me was true.”
She wasn’t a true mage. She had pushed herself too hard. Kaon had every right to be crueler than he was—but he wasn’t. And for that, he deserved praise, not guilt.
“So don’t apologize to me—unless you’re doing it out of pity.”
But Kaon Ferdinand was too kind for his own good. That was the problem. He couldn’t bring himself to ignore the painful truth he’d stumbled upon, nor could he outright ask her about it.
“…Did you take classes in how to say the most annoying things possible? You’d ace the course.”
He shook his head in disbelief, muttering like a sigh.
“I’m not pitying you. I’m worried, you idiot.”
Alesia opened her mouth, then closed it again. She’d received too much help from him to say What right do you have to worry about me? Saying it now would just hurt him.
“Just answer me one thing. Can you really not use magic without that ring?”
She froze. She’d been about to brush off the question with an excuse—but now she hesitated. The ring on her finger suddenly felt tight, like it was pressing into her skin, whispering that she was only whole because of it.
“I said not to pity me, not to pick a fight.”
“That’s not—ugh, come on…”
Kaon scratched his head furiously, clearly unsure of how to phrase what he wanted to say.
“When you used magic in the forest… I saw it. The mana… it flowed from you.”
