Chapter 68
The flames surged as if devouring the monsters. The monsters, already startled by the ear-splitting explosion, had no choice but to retreat from the carriage when the surroundings suddenly became a sea of fire. Charlotte waited until the monster horde had fully backed off, then drew a dagger from the sheath she had hung on her left side.
“Milady!”
As soon as she leapt off the horse, Charlotte ran straight into the flames. There was no time for Ash to stop her. The fire was far larger than her petite noble frame, yet Charlotte hesitated no more than she had when firing her crossbow. She threw herself into the flames, arms aching, head covered—truly an all-or-nothing risk.
She couldn’t tell what she tripped over because her vision was obscured, but her body momentarily floated in the air before rolling across the ground, pain radiating from her shoulder. Yet there was no time to lament a possibly broken shoulder. Luckily, when she lifted her head, she realized she had passed through the fire.
Her skin burned from the heat, and the hem of her skirt caught fire. Thankful that her hair had not ignited, she used the dagger to cut off the burning skirt. Charlotte advanced toward the carriage, ignoring the monsters that hesitated because of the flames.
“!”
The moment her hand touched the latch, a chilling coldness crept along her fingertips, in stark contrast to the raging fire. Charlotte flinched and withdrew her hand. It was so cold it hurt her bones, though the fire was roaring right beside her.
‘Could it be the monsters?’
On top of that, the door was locked. Had Aria locked it from inside?
“Aria! Aria!”
Charlotte pounded on the door, but unlike before, there was no response. The wind blew toward her, making it worse. She stared down the threatening flames and gripped the doorknob. Her hands felt as if they were freezing, but she pulled with all her strength.
As Charlotte tried to open the door, the monsters grew more agitated, howling fiercely as if about to charge.
‘This won’t do.’
Gritting her teeth, Charlotte released the doorknob. Frost formed on her hands, making it difficult to move her fingers, but she gripped the dagger with both hands. She raised it high above her head and slammed it down onto the knob. Bang! It seemed she had missed, nothing happened. As she prepared to strike again, the largest, scarred wolf lunged at her.
Just as she repositioned her dagger, wondering if someone like her, who had never faced monsters before, could strike a monster’s weak spot, an arrow flew through the air and pierced the wolf’s forehead perfectly.
“Milady! We’ve got this!”
Turning her head, she saw Ash holding a longbow instead of a sword. On his signal, the Snow Mountain scouts rode straight through the flames. Pedro swung his massive axe, taller than himself, and swept away several monsters at once. Charlotte left the rear to Ash and the scouts, raising her dagger once more.
‘I have to save Aria quickly. There’s no time to delay.’
Ash had said the environment was unfavorable, yet he stepped up anyway—likely to buy Charlotte time to rescue Aria. Charlotte gripped the dagger’s handle as if to break it, determined to shatter the doorknob in one strike.
Bang! Something small, light, but sharp grazed her cheek. She felt the sting and the blood trickling down. At the same time, something fell to the ground in front of her—it was the carriage’s doorknob.
“Aria…!”
Realizing the doorknob had broken, Charlotte flung the door open, intending to take Aria immediately. She would scoop her up and hand her to Ash…
“…Aria.”
Aria was crouched in the corner of the carriage, curling up and covering her head with her arms. She trembled, eyes shut, desperately trying to hide in the cramped space. Charlotte felt all the strength drain from her body.
The red marks on Aria’s wrists from the ropes were clear, and her ankles were bound as well, limiting her movement. Her hair, which had been neatly combed with an jade comb, was now a mess.
When they first met, Aria had worn worn clothes, but Charlotte had wanted her to leave in fine attire. She had used the best designer and fabric, yet the hem of her skirt was torn. Her long socks were stained with dirt and blood, and…
“Aria, Aria. Mommy’s here. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to leave you.”
Charlotte quickly cut the ropes from Aria’s wrists and ankles with her dagger.
If only she had been more cautious, if she had investigated the Kenniths more carefully… Aria wouldn’t have suffered like this. Tears welled in Charlotte’s eyes. Almost stumbling while boarding the carriage, she leaned against the wall and hugged Aria tightly. Aria’s body was ice-cold, fragile, like holding a block of ice.
Aria, cradled in her arms, stayed still at first, then slowly moved.
“Mom…?”
Hearing “Mom” again after what felt like years, Charlotte felt both longing and sorrow.
“Mommy!”
“Yes, Mommy’s here. I came to get you. Mommy was too late… should have come sooner…”
“Mommy, Mommy! We have to go! The bad people are chasing me. They’ll hurt you!”
Aria didn’t try to escape from Charlotte’s embrace. She only sobbed lightly instead of crying out loud. Charlotte had expected her to cry, but instead Aria clutched her sleeve, worried about the bad people. It was heartbreaking. Whoever did this had scared Aria so much she wouldn’t even cry. Charlotte’s hands shook as she gently stroked her daughter’s back.
Charlotte looked down at Aria slowly. Tiny tears clung to her eyes. Charlotte pressed her head to Aria’s frazzled hair and whispered softly.
“No, the bad people won’t come. Even if they do, Mommy will protect you.”
As Charlotte held Aria, her deep blue eyes brightened.
“No one will lay a hand on my daughter again.”
Charlotte kissed Aria on the forehead. She wanted to savor the reunion longer, but the situation was dire: flames raged, and monsters swarmed. The Kenniths… were likely restrained by Edwin. Charlotte had seen Pedro pull them from the edge of a cliff just before they fell.
“Aria, let’s go.”
“Home?”
Aria’s blue eyes, wet with tears, grew large and sparkled. Charlotte’s heart ached.
“Shall we go home with Mommy?”
“Yes, home. Those… I mean, the Kenniths don’t have to come.”
Charlotte hugged Aria firmly, dagger in hand, and stepped off the carriage. Contrary to warnings, the fire seemed to hinder the monsters, allowing Ash to gain the upper hand. She saw him dealing with several wolves. She needed to inform him that Aria was safe.
“Mommy!”
Aria screamed. Looking back, she saw a snarling wolf approaching. Charlotte tried to swing her sword, but it was too late. The wolf, fangs dripping with blood, lunged. Aria screamed again.
“Stop!”
Her shout froze the wolf for a moment.
“Don’t touch Mommy! Go away!”
At that instant, Charlotte’s body tilted backward as Ash, having fought a few monsters nearby, arrived and intercepted the wolf. He gritted his teeth and swung his sword.
The wolf fell immediately from a strike to a vital spot, but two other wolves charged next.
“Duke, dodge!”
Too late. Charlotte had been focused on the nearest wolf, not noticing the others. She shouted to Ash, but he didn’t retreat—instead, he stepped forward and adjusted his grip on the sword. Charlotte immediately understood his intention.
The wolves ran in intersecting paths, making it impossible for any one to be safely killed without others charging Ash or Charlotte and Aria.
“Even if it costs my life…”
Ash was ready to sacrifice one arm to protect Charlotte and Aria. He raised his sword high.
When his gaze met the wolf’s crazed, bloodshot eyes, a dull thud echoed, and the monster’s eyes went lifeless.
“!”
Ash stepped back quickly. The wolf collapsed, arrows lodged in its head. Had the Snow Mountain scouts fired them?
Looking up, arrows rained down like a storm, reducing the remaining monster numbers in an instant. Charlotte stared at the silver arrows lodged in the monsters’ heads—arrows she recognized immediately.
“Duke, it’s the paladins!”
The silver arrows were used by paladins. At Charlotte’s shout, Ash looked toward the opposite cliff. A white-robed paladin force thundered toward them, shaking the ground.
Meanwhile…
“Marc, I have a favor to ask.”
Teodoro spoke to Marc, who was about to leave for Floa’s territory to retrieve the necromancer’s corpse. It was the first time Marc had been asked for a favor by him, so he did not refuse, asking eagerly what it was. Teodoro touched his arm, scarred though the emblem of Leopold was gone.
“Could you check on Nostre when you return with the corpse?”
“!”
“The blizzard has ended, and I had sent a knight separately… but it still bothers me.”
If not for Leopold’s emblem, he might have gone, but Silbert had prevented it. Teodoro decided not to participate in the necromancer retrieval mission. Still, he could not remain idle—he had a strong sense that something serious had happened to Charlotte, and he could not calm himself.
“I will take responsibility for everything that happens afterward. Please, I’m asking you.”
