Chapter 4
I once had a thought while reading martial arts novels. I wondered what it would feel like to jump from roof to roof, leaping 100 meters with each step like the characters in those stories. Of course, I knew it was impossible, but it was a small, simple dream. I’d even dreamed of flying a few times.
And now, it’s come true.
Here I am, flying through the sky in the arms of the male protagonist I was rooting for! I had forgotten, without realizing it, that I was being chased by assassins and was grinning foolishly.
It wasn’t a wish I’d fulfilled by my own efforts, but how could I explain the feeling of having my dream come true…?
‘The wind is so strong, my cheek hurts a little.’
Davin was running across the rooftops at an unbelievably fast speed. I was worried I might be too heavy for him, but his arms didn’t shake at all as he held me. Davin gently landed on a red tile roof without breaking a single tile, then nimbly leaped across to another roof. When I realized this, my pupils shook in disbelief.
The combined weight of an adult man and woman would easily exceed 100 kg, but Davin was running on rooftops without breaking a single tile.
‘Amazing…!’
Before long, the rooftop path we had been running on came to an end, and the wide street ahead came into view. The area where commoners lived had ended, and the noble district, where large houses were, began. There were no more tall buildings in sight.
Seeing no more buildings ahead to land on, Davin warned me.
“We’re about to jump, so hold onto my neck tightly.”
“Uh, okay!”
It felt a little embarrassing to hug his neck, but I tried to ignore it and wrapped my arms around it. As I felt his scent, my cheeks became a little warm. But Davin didn’t notice my flushed face and effortlessly jumped into the sky.
“…!”
In that moment, I felt like I was soaring upward, like being on a ride at an amusement park. As my body floated into the air, I could see the Miller mansion, nearby noble estates, and even the imperial palace where the emperor of this empire resided.
Wow!
I couldn’t help but widen my eyes. Then, as my body continued to rise, I suddenly began to fall rapidly, like I was on a thrilling roller coaster. I laughed out loud.
Ahh! This is so fun!
By the time I was about to hit the ground, I had fallen at a terrifying speed, and I instinctively flinched. But soon, with a loud “thud,” Davin landed safely on the ground.
After landing safely, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Seeing me laughing so suddenly, Davin blinked in confusion before gently setting me down on the ground. I stood for a while, still chuckling.
Seeing me laugh, Davin smiled softly. As I continued to laugh, he gently pushed my disheveled hair back with a tender hand. After a moment, when my laughter died down, I thanked him.
“Thanks to you, we avoided a pointless battle. Thanks for bringing me here. Are your legs okay?”
Considering the immense shock when landing, I was sure he would be hurt, but Davin answered with a steady expression.
“Yes, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
The combined weight of both of us would be over 100 kg. If something that heavy was running at car-like speed and then jumped from that height, even a car would be dented, but Davin’s legs seemed perfectly fine.
Regardless, I was satisfied, feeling like I’d just been on a thrilling ride.
“Thanks to you, I’m feeling so relieved. That was fun!”
Davin chuckled lightly in response.
“You’ve enjoyed this before, haven’t you?”
“Really? Was I like this before?”
Could it be that the original Anis also did this fun thing?
If that’s true, would he do this again next time? I looked at him with sparkling eyes, filled with anticipation. Davin seemed to have guessed my thoughts and looked at me with a warm gaze as he replied.
“If there’s a chance, I’ll do it again.”
“Great!”
I answered brightly, and Davin, who had been smiling at me, suddenly stiffened. His gaze turned sharp as he looked back down the path we had just come from. Upon seeing that look, I remembered why we had to jump across the sky to get here.
“…Are they following us?”
“Oh, we’re out of the encirclement, but it seems they noticed us breaking through faster than I expected. Let’s head back to the mansion quickly.”
“Okay.”
Davin extended his hand toward me.
“It might be heavy, so give me the fruit bag.”
I handed him the bag, and together we headed into the Miller estate grounds. The mansion where Anis lived with the protagonists was a two-story building, but it was so vast, and the estate it sat on was enormous.
The first Miller count, who had made a great fortune and become a count of the empire, was very knowledgeable about real estate. He had purchased all the land he could when many nobles only bought small townhouses in the capital and had no interest in large estates. He believed that the land near both the imperial palace and the city would be helpful to his descendants.
‘And that descendant is me now!’
As I walked and smiled at the wide garden in front of me, I suddenly heard a loud sound.
‘Ah, I stepped on something.’
In an instant, my spine stiffened, and I held my breath, but thankfully nothing happened. Next to me, Davin had already caught the arrow that had flown toward us with his hand, and he asked,
“Are you okay?”
Catching an arrow mid-air? I thought that was something you only see in novels or comics.
“Ah, yes. Thanks to you.”
I smiled stiffly at him, and if it hadn’t been for Davin, I would have been dead from that arrow a moment ago.
Davin, glancing at my dress hem dragging on the ground, said,
“It seems the trap was triggered when your dress touched the ground. Be careful.”
“Hmm…”
I carefully lifted my dress hem and proceeded cautiously toward the mansion. This was the reason I had told Mr. Smith not to come to my place. After being constantly hunted by assassins, I had set up traps all around the estate.
As soon as we reached the entrance of the mansion, I sighed in relief. From here, there were no traps.
Davin, seeing the cold sweat on my forehead, spoke in a voice full of concern.
“You don’t need to be so tense when I’m around…”
“…I know that in my head, but it’s hard to calm down.”
We entered the mansion, and I was greeted by the vast hall. On the first floor, there was a large hall in the center, with a sitting room on the left for guests and a hallway leading to the kitchen and dining room on the right.
Straight ahead was a large staircase leading to the second floor, with a huge painting in the center of the stairs depicting a deity blessing humanity. The deity’s name was Habranis, and worshiping him was the state religion of the empire. From the way the painting was placed at the center of the mansion, it seemed the first Miller count had been very devout.
No matter how I looked at it, this mansion was far too large for just Anis to live in. The person who built it probably never imagined that only one descendant, Anis, would remain. As I walked into the quiet mansion with no one to greet me, I realized that nearly all the servants had quit.
The only ones left in the mansion were Davin, Lana, and the cook, Jean. Perhaps hearing my arrival, Lana appeared from the kitchen.
“Miss, you’re back?”
“Yeah, I’m back.”
I smiled at her, and she beamed brightly at me. As the original female protagonist, Lana was a stunning beauty with shining golden hair and sparkling blue eyes.
Davin handed Lana the fruit bag.
“Anis wants some fruit shaved ice.”
“Oh, I understand. Miss, I’ll make sure to prepare it for you!”
Lana took the fruit bag with ease, her one hand effortlessly handling what I struggled to hold with both. I smiled at the sight.
Lana was, of course, a future genius swordswoman with incredible strength.
