Chapter 35
It was that kind of day.
The day they stepped out of the tent and immediately heard the servants busily searching for them on the bridge.
The day she followed Elic and headed toward the mountain behind the estate to avoid them.
“Today, we’re hunting magical beasts! A true knight should be able to take down a magical beast in the blink of an eye!”
“C-Captain… But my mother said magical beasts are dangerous…”
“Idiot! Knights are supposed to be dangerous!”
“That’s true, but…”
Bart hesitated, but Elic remained completely unmoved.
The atmosphere was on his side as well.
“That’s our captain! He thinks on a completely different level from us!”
“You’re so cool! I admire you!”
“Waaaaah!!!”
If she could return to that day, Tiria would probably have desperately tried to stop Elic from going and sent him home.
After all, it was on this very day that Elic encountered a magical beast and received a scar that would never disappear.
But eight-year-old Tiria didn’t know that.
The Wibin family’s education never taught children how dangerous magical beasts were.
Naturally, they were never taught not to go into the mountain behind the estate.
Nor were they taught what to do if they encountered a magical beast.
Such things weren’t necessary for noble etiquette.
How often would a noble ever directly face a magical beast in their life?
So, on that day, Tiria was simply happy to be with Elic.
“When are we going?”
There was nervous anticipation mixed into that happiness.
If they didn’t run away to the mountain soon, people from the family would come looking for them.
They had to get there before that happened.
It was, in her mind, a romantic elopement.
Elic had already said he wouldn’t marry her, but that wasn’t important to Tiria.
What mattered was that she wanted it.
As her parents often said:
“A noble is someone who places everything they desire beneath their feet.”
As a result, Tiria had never even considered that Elic’s opinion might matter.
So her hand remained tightly gripping the collar of his clothes.
Elic, meanwhile, paid no attention to what had happened that morning.
“Ugly girl, you’re excited too, aren’t you?”
Elic grinned.
Even being called ugly only made Tiria smile.
“Good! Then let’s get moving!”
When Elic raised his wooden sword above his head, the children cheered.
“Waaaaah!”
And so Tiria climbed the mountain behind the estate.
* * *
“Spread out from here! If you find a magical beast, shout!”
At Elic’s command, the children scattered from the mountain’s entrance.
Tiria stayed with Elic.
“Come on, let’s go.”
“Okay.”
The mountain wasn’t particularly easy to climb.
Few people came here except herbal gatherers, so it wasn’t maintained at all.
Rocks, roots, and uneven terrain constantly obstructed their path.
Naturally, Tiria struggled.
Her calves were still swollen from being struck with a switch.
Walking through such rough terrain was difficult.
Of course, she couldn’t show it.
She was afraid that if she became a burden to the magical beast hunt, Elic might leave her behind.
But—
“Ow…”
Her body was more honest than her heart.
A pained sound escaped her lips.
“Huh? What’s wrong, ugly girl?”
Tiria quickly shook her head.
However, Elic was far more perceptive than she expected.
The moment he sensed something was wrong, he immediately approached her and lifted the skirt that reached her ankles.
The bruised, bluish calf underneath was revealed.
His expression hardened.
“…What’s this? You’re hurt?”
Tiria felt her heart sink.
What if Elic got angry and told her to go home?
The thought terrified her.
“No…”
“What do you mean, no?!”
Tiria flinched.
Then—
“If you’re hurt, you should tell me, you dummy! Get over here! I’ll even fix that ugly face of yours while I’m at it!”
Without warning, Elic lifted Tiria onto his back.
Tiria’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit’s.
The situation was completely different from what she’d expected.
Unable to process it, she asked instinctively,
“You’re… not going to abandon me?”
“Why would I abandon you? Knights don’t abandon their comrades.”
“I’m your comrade?”
“Of course you are. What, are you an enemy? I told you before. You’re our medic.”
“Though right now you’re the wounded one.”
Muttering that, Elic snorted and continued climbing the mountain with Tiria on his back.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Snow crunched beneath his feet.
Elic grumbled.
The wind was cold.
Yet despite that, Tiria felt warmer than ever before.
So she smiled foolishly once again.
“Hehe…”
Really.
No matter how many times she thought about it…
“I like you.”
“I don’t like you.”
“I’m going to marry you.”
“Didn’t I say no?”
Tiria wrapped her arms tightly around Elic’s neck.
Though he complained, he didn’t shake her off.
Her calves hurt.
Her face stung.
Yet she was so happy that she kicked her legs playfully.
“Stay still!”
Elic scolded.
When she didn’t stop, he let out a deep sigh and said,
“If you’re going to marry me, come back prettier.”
“Okay.”
“You have to be smart too. And you need to have lots of children.”
“Huh?”
“I’m going to create the Elic Knights someday. You’ll need at least ten kids, so you have to be healthy. Aldio says strong women have lots of children.”
Elic added colors to the picture Tiria had imagined.
A beautiful house filled with sunlight.
A grown-up Elic.
A grown-up herself.
And a crowd of children gathered around them.
She loved the image.
Thinking about that dreamlike future made her heart swell.
“I’m not going to hit my children.”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
“I’m going to hug them every day.”
“Dummy. That sounds exhausting.”
“I’ll still do it. Even if they’re picky eaters, I won’t scold them.”
“That part sounds nice.”
As they chatted, Elic suddenly stopped.
They had arrived at a small clearing covered with tiny plants.
“Sit here.”
He placed Tiria on a rock and began plucking leaves.
“What are you doing?”
“These are all medicinal herbs. They’re good for injuries.”
Answering casually, Elic crushed the herbs with a stone and began applying them to her calves.
“Ouch…”
“Bear with it, dummy.”
It stung far too much to endure easily.
But Tiria endured.
Because Elic was the one treating her.
Soon, after covering her calves with enough leaves to turn them green, he tore off part of his sleeve and wrapped it around them.
“There!”
He looked incredibly proud.
Curious, Tiria asked,
“How do you know all this?”
“I studied it. You’re supposed to be a medic, and you don’t know?”
“I don’t.”
“Then study!”
Elic smiled brightly.
“If you want to marry me, you should at least know how to grow medicinal herbs yourself!”
Tiria smiled softly.
“Okay.”
“Then let’s go. Honestly, you’re such a troublesome ugly girl.”
Once again, Elic carried her on his back.
Their climb continued.
He probably never knew.
That because of this conversation, she had begun studying plants.
That what started that day eventually became her hobby of gardening.
Even now, Tiria often thought:
“Kyaaaaaah!!!”
If she hadn’t followed him into the mountain that day—
“Grrrrr…”
Wouldn’t your earlobe still be unscarred?
* * *
Tiria couldn’t remember exactly when it happened.
What she remembered was chatting happily atop Elic’s back, speaking of dreams and fantasies.
And then, suddenly, the atmosphere changed.
At some point, even the sounds of birds disappeared.
Silence swept through the mountain.
Then it appeared.
“Grrrrr…”
Its jet-black body was as large as a house.
Its bright yellow eyes awakened primal terror.
Its gaping mouth dripped saliva, filled with fang-like teeth.
It smelled foul.
Disgusting.
Rotten.
Sickening.
“Grrrraaah!”
The moment she saw the magical beast, Tiria screamed.
“Kyaaaaaah!!!”
Panic overwhelmed her.
She fell from Elic’s back.
Thud!
Pain shot through her backside.
At that moment, the beast’s forepaw moved slightly.
Slash!
It was an unbelievable sight.
When Tiria barely managed to lift her head, she saw blood erupting from Elic’s neck.
Bright red droplets splattered across the white snow.
The contrast was horrifyingly vivid.
The metallic scent filled her lungs.
“Ah…”
Her mind went completely blank.
Then—
“Run.”
Elic spoke.
His head turned stiffly toward her.
Panic filled his face.
“Run first!”
He raised his wooden sword.
One hand remained pressed tightly against his bleeding neck.
Run?
Where?
From whom?
What about you?
Questions flashed through her mind.
Then Elic shouted again.
“HURRY!!!”
Her legs trembled.
She couldn’t stand.
Tears welled in her eyes.
Her teeth chattered uncontrollably.
Elic bit his lip.
“Nngh…!”
Taking his stance, he faced the magical beast head-on.
The beast let out a low growl.
Its eyes narrowed.
Only then did Tiria notice.
Elic’s legs were trembling too.
Just like hers.
He was terrified.
Yet he wasn’t running.
Because of me…
Her chest felt as though it were burning.
“GET LOST!!!”
Elic charged.
At that moment, something like crimson smoke burst from his body.
That was the last thing Tiria clearly remembered.
CRAAACK!
The magical beast’s swipe sent Elic flying.
He crashed into Tiria.
Together they tumbled down the snowy slope.
Even while rolling, Tiria held tightly onto him.
The beast followed leisurely behind them.
Finally—
Thud!
They slammed into a tree.
Pain exploded throughout her body.
A moment later, she realized Elic had lost consciousness.
At the same time, the shadow of the magical beast fell over her.
Then, a beat later—
“Found you.”
A low voice spoke.
And—
RIIIIP!
The magical beast split cleanly in half from top to bottom.
As her consciousness faded, Tiria vaguely saw something.
An adult wearing clothes made from crudely stitched animal hides.
The man carried the unconscious Elic over his shoulder as he walked away.
Crunch.
Crunch.
The sound of footsteps in the snow grew more distant.
And Tiria lost consciousness.
To be continued…
