Chapter 43
Ariel’s sword sliced through the air.
The wind stirred by her blade weakened the momentum of the magic-infused daggers.
But only slightly. They still flew toward her with deadly intent.
The sword spun freely in her hand.
Clang! Cling! Clang!
Every dagger targeting Ariel was deflected by her sword and flung away.
Watching the scene, the assassin muttered,
“Mission failed. The guild’s intel didn’t say she was this skilled.”
“People tend to hide their true abilities. That way, clueless assassins like you feel safe enough to attack.”
Her small, pretty face looked ghostly to the assassin—utterly chilling.
How can someone so young be this powerful?
He was among the top three assassins in the guild.
He’d thought killing a mere seven-year-old would be a breeze.
But now that I’ve gauged her strength, I’ll just retreat for now and…
“Thinking of running?”
Ariel asked in an indifferent tone.
Can she read minds or what?
She tapped her finger under her eye.
“Your gaze kept darting behind me. That’s usually what people do when they’re looking for an escape route.”
It wasn’t unheard of for a child to be skilled.
But to be this sharp in judgment?
It felt like he was up against a veteran of thousands of battles.
“You… What the hell are you? A demon?”
“Something like that.”
Ariel shrugged and smiled.
But her red eyes had grown cold.
And there wasn’t the slightest hesitation in the sword she wielded—the sword that would take her enemy’s life.
“Something close enough.”
“Well, time to head back now.”
Ariel looked down at the defeated assassin and retrieved her flower crown.
Only then did she realize that the horse had run off during the fight.
Which meant she’d have to walk all the way back to the estate.
And now it was raining.
“…Seriously? Just my luck.”
Dinner time.
Duke Clasta looked at the empty seat and asked,
“Where’s Ariel?”
Countess Fremeng clapped her hands like she’d just realized.
“Oh dear, you’re right. It’s dinnertime—where did she go? Probably just out playing and lost track of time. She’ll come back when she’s hungry.”
“We should still look for her.”
“Oh come on, Brother. She can’t be far. I’m sure she brought a servant and a knight or two with her. Kids these days don’t like being hovered over, you know?”
The Countess smiled calmly, hiding her true feelings.
She knew Ariel had gone into the forest, but pretended otherwise.
By now, she must’ve fallen off the cliff and turned into a corpse.
She had hired that assassin herself.
Sure, Ariel had won a martial arts tournament—but that was just a kid who hadn’t even trained for a year.
Lure her deep into the forest, kill her, and blame it on a monster attack.
Simple.
My son must be the next Duke of Clasta.
“Don’t worry. She’ll be back soon. Come on, let’s eat before it gets cold. I even asked the chef to recreate Father’s favorite dish—”
“No. Not until we find her.”
The Duke stood up from the table.
He summoned the servants and ordered them to search for Ariel.
“Milord! She’s not in the estate!”
“She’s not in the training grounds either.”
“Mary, did she say anything to you?”
The Duke turned to Mary, who bowed her head.
“I’m sorry.”
Ariel often slipped away on her own to train in secret, so Mary hadn’t thought much of it.
“Milord! Someone saw the young lady heading into the forest with a servant!”
“When was this?”
“Right after lunch. So at least five hours ago.”
The Duke turned toward the window.
A flash of lightning lit up his face.
It’s been raining… since around lunch, hasn’t it?
It had poured all afternoon.
And winter was approaching. The air had grown bitterly cold.
A child lost in the forest for five hours on a day like this?
Even with her sword skills, she was still a child.
If she caught hypothermia, she could die.
“M-Milord…”
The Duke’s face turned grim under the lightning’s glow.
“Summon the knights. Issue a Class 1 emergency. We search until my daughter is found.”
He personally began saddling his horse.
Countess Fremeng rushed to stop him, grabbing the reins.
“Wait! You’re going too? In this weather? That’s dangerous!”
“You expect me to sit here while others search? Let go.”
The Countess bit her lip in frustration.
I didn’t think he cared about her this much.
She’d assumed he’d order a few knights to search and leave it at that.
But he was going himself?
I made the right choice getting rid of that girl.
By now, the assassin must have killed her and disposed of the body.
Any traces would be washed away by the rain.
“Please be careful.”
She masked her anxiety and saw the Duke off.
But he didn’t even hear her. He was already galloping into the rain.
Milord…
She could almost see Ariel shivering in the downpour.
Her blue lips and pale face were so vivid, it felt like she’d actually seen her.
Then, a memory came flooding back.
“Brother… Brother… Please, save me…”
“Damn it.”
The Duke shook off the memory and urged his horse faster.
I crouched and rummaged through the assassin’s belongings.
Any proper assassin should be carrying something useful…
Sure enough, I found rope, daggers, poison, and more.
I bound him tightly and even gagged him to prevent a suicide attempt.
He woke up and started struggling.
So I calmly raised my fist.
“Hey, Mister. It’s raining. Let’s keep this quiet.”
“Mmmph!”
“Tsk. Annoying.”
I knocked him out again with a clean hit to the neck.
Then I dragged him to a nearby cave.
Walking all the way back to the estate in this weather would be suicide.
His face scraped the ground as I dragged him, flinching from the pain.
But hey, if he’s out here killing people, he should be able to endure a little road rash.
“If I make it back, you’re all dead. That witch of a Countess, and Wigen too.”
I ground my teeth and gathered sticks to make a fire with some stones.
I’d hidden from storms in caves like this many times while monster hunting.
Of course, I never got any credit.
They always said Rigan killed them. While he relaxed in a cozy inn.
“Ugh. I need to stop thinking about that.”
I curled up by the fire.
“I just want to go back to the estate.”
Even if I wasn’t technically imprisoned, I hated tight, dark spaces.
Looking at the rain, I changed the subject in my head.
“Mary’s potato soup would be perfect in this weather.”
The rich, creamy soup with warm bread dipped in it… It always melted the chill away.
“I’m starving.”
Just thinking about food made me hungrier.
It was way past dinnertime by now.
“I wonder what the Duke is doing. Maybe he’s eating dinner.”
He probably knew by now that I hadn’t returned.
“Not that he’d care.”
“Let’s be honest. I don’t care what you go through or how you live. I don’t need a real daughter—just someone to fill the heir’s role. Whether you get assassinated on the road or die from poison, it doesn’t matter to me.”
I remembered the words he said when we first met.
So this is a road assassination, huh? I’m not dead yet, though.
Maybe I’d been thinking about the Duke too much.
Because suddenly, I saw a strange vision in front of me.
The Duke was on horseback—right at the cave entrance.
“Found you.”
“…Your Grace?”
Before I could say more, he rushed over and checked me over.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
“Thank God you’re safe.”
“Um…”
Was this really the Duke?
Or was it some new type of illusion monster I’d never seen?
But the warmth of his hand was unmistakably real.
“…How did you find me?”
“My daughter didn’t come home. Of course I came to look for you.”
“I was planning to wait out the rain here and return in the morning.”
“You did well. But…”
His gaze fell on the unconscious assassin.
“What on earth is that?”
Countess Fremeng paced nervously in her room.
I never imagined Brother would go looking for her himself.
Thank goodness she’d hired that assassin.
As long as the girl lived, the Duke would never name Wigen as heir.
Just then, the Duke’s horse returned to the estate.
She rushed to the entrance.
“Brother! Did you find—”
And froze like a statue.
Because Ariel was dismounting safely from the Duke’s arms.
How…? I sent an assassin…
Ariel looked up at her with crimson eyes.
Whatever had happened, the Countess knew she had to act fast.
Ignoring her soiled dress, she threw her arms around Ariel.
“Thank goodness you’re safe! Do you know how worried I was?”
“You were worried about me?”
“Of course! I regretted ever mentioning that flower crown… If anything had happened to you in the forest, how could I face your uncle?”
She fussed over Ariel, checking her face and arms.
“You’re ice-cold… Thank heavens you’re not hurt.”
“I thought you didn’t want me to come back.”
