Chapter 49
For a moment, I blinked blankly, trying to make sure what I was seeing was real.
A knife. Why? Why are those people holding knives?
But even after blinking, the scene before me didn’t change. It was real. The blade reflected the light, gleaming like a mirror. My heart started pounding.
The situation had escalated rapidly. Owen was near the guards. A man with dark blonde hair slipped his hand inside his trench coat—and then pulled it out again. His hand was empty. Instead, a small dagger was now embedded in a guard’s wrist.
At that moment, another dagger fell to the floor—it must have been the one the guard had been holding. The sound of the falling blade was drowned out by the piano’s music.
It wasn’t over yet. As soon as his companion was taken down, another guard, who had been standing beside him, disappeared behind my line of sight.
When I jumped up from my seat, the music abruptly stopped, and the people around murmured in confusion.
The shortest route was right in front of me.
I stepped on a chair and quickly climbed onto the piano. The keys beneath my feet rang out loudly.
CRACK!
No sooner had I gotten on the piano than a dagger flew at the spot where I had just been sitting.
“What is happening?”
“Did you see that? Did a knife just fly?”
The crowd murmured in alarm. As I leapt off the piano, people instinctively moved aside, clearing the way. Now, run!
“Owen! Arne!”
They were already running beside me.
“Sophia, are you okay?”
“Yes, thanks to you!”
Arne asked as he ran beside me.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
“Well…”
What should I say?!
“From now on… uh, we’re playing tag! Have you ever played tag before, Arne?”
“Yes, I have.”
Arne answered firmly.
“So… if you get caught, it means death, right?”
Well, that’s not normally the case, but right now, it wasn’t wrong!
But seriously, what was happening here?
Those guards should have been sent by Grand Madam, right? Why are they chasing us with knives as if they want to kill?
“It seems these people weren’t sent by my mother.”
“Huh?”
Owen spoke. The man added:
“Anyone she sends would handle things simply; she wouldn’t go to such lengths and cause so much trouble.”
What?!
Setting aside what I just heard—
“So… those people have nothing to do with Grand Madam?”
“That’s right.”
“And yet, they were chasing us?”
“Yes.”
Wait… so from the beginning, their goal was…
I averted my gaze for a moment. Arne was running beside me. There was no reason for a child to be in danger. I didn’t want to ask further.
But Arne was Arne. This precocious boy asked Owen without hesitation:
“Dad, does that mean those men have been chasing us to kill us all this time?”
“!”
Arne actually asked that.
Owen answered as if he had expected the question.
“It seems so. They probably considered Monterosa the final battlefield.”
“I see…”
Arne nodded seriously.
Oh my god. Arne knew about the guards too.
What chilled me the most was that, in front of them, I had been casually exploring stores and walking the streets for the past few days.
‘Thank goodness Bambi dealt with the guards last night.’
Bambi had known what was coming.
“Sophia,”
“!”
Owen’s voice was low but urgent. At the same time, he pulled my head toward him, and something whistled past my left side.
A sharp throwing star stuck into the street—it almost pierced the back of my head. Even while running, I shivered.
“Th-thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Owen bent down as he spoke, quickly picking up the throwing star the assassin had left behind and flinging it behind him. There was no scream, but I could hear someone fall.
I glanced back. The assassins chasing us… six, no, five.
I spoke while running, so my words came out in fragments.
“This… won’t do.”
“Yes.”
I scanned the area, searching for something, and something caught my eye. That’s it!
“Let’s go to the temple!”
The Temia Temple—the symbol of Monterosa! A place governed by religious law rather than secular law. Any citizen of the empire could visit, and there was one rule that applied without exception to all visitors:
No weapons allowed.
In other words, if we could reach the temple safely, we’d be safe!
Owen seemed to understand my plan.
“Good idea. If possible, we could request protection.”
In this free city, the temple also served as a kind of peacekeeping authority. If we explained the situation, they might provide protection.
The problem was that we were starting to tire from the long run.
At this point in my life, I had slightly better stamina than the average young lady.
Huff… huff…
I felt my breathing grow heavier. Even in the chilly weather, sweat dripped down my face.
Gradually, the assassins began closing the distance. Their pace was slow, but steady. They moved like trained professionals. The only one slowing down was me.
If they threw something in this distance, it would definitely hit. No! The temple was almost within reach!
Then Owen suddenly asked:
“Sophia, do you trust me?”
“Huh? Of course I do.”
“Then keep running.”
With that, Owen turned sharply. He stopped in place and faced the path head-on. The assassins were coming from the fork ahead!
“Owen!”
“Mom!”
Arne ran toward me.
I didn’t have time to think. Owen had asked if I trusted him.
Besides, if Owen intended to fight them, Arne and I would only be in the way.
“Go for it.”
I grabbed Arne’s hand and ran. Passersby looked at us in confusion.
Near the end of an alley, there was a music store whose owner was momentarily away. Arne, being small, could hide there.
“Arne, hide here well.”
I tried to pull Arne behind the double bass, but he grabbed me.
“What about you, Mom?”
“I’ll be over there.”
I pointed to the shop across the alley and ran toward it.
Breathless, I peeked inside. The store owner had dozed off on a chair. I crouched behind a display, only my head visible.
Almost simultaneously, the assassins came running from the alley entrance. They were disguised in ordinary clothes, but I recognized them instantly.
There were five assassins.
Three from the front increased their speed toward Owen. From left to right, they were dressed as a coachman, a merchant, and a farmer.
The coachman assassin slashed his blade.
“!”
Owen ducked to avoid it. That’s all I could see. The trench coat swayed lightly. Then, without any in-between, the farmer assassin collapsed, as if kicked. The merchant assassin, who had been reaching out, also fell forward.
Owen now held the blade the coachman had wielded. The knife turned half a rotation. He struck the coachman’s forehead directly.
Wow.
It didn’t even feel like ten seconds had passed, yet three assassins were already down.
I glanced at Arne across the alley; his face was completely stunned. Honestly, I felt the same. It was almost like watching a trick.
Meanwhile, the remaining two charged at Owen. They seemed more skilled than the previous three. But now Owen had a weapon.
As the fight unfolded in the middle of the street, nearby shopkeepers discreetly hid.
Wait, hold on.
Something seemed off. There were five assassins initially, and now Owen was fighting two. That should leave three on the ground—but only two were there.
Where’s the last one?
I frantically scanned the area. My eyes darted around anxiously.
Found it.
The assassin disguised as a farmer. Stumbling, still holding a knife, silently approaching behind Arne!
“No! Arne!”
The shout escaped reflexively, echoing through the alley. My legs were already moving.
“Sophia!!”
“Mom?!”
I must have been insane. With Owen’s voice as background, I grabbed Arne, who looked shocked, and ran across the alley as if I had wings.
Breathless, I glanced up. The assassin hesitated, raising his blade. At that perfect moment, I lunged and grabbed Arne.
Thud—
A sharp pain shot through my back.
“Ugh…”
Thank goodness, it wasn’t too late.
Arne, who had been keeping his eyes tightly shut, slowly opened them. He stared at me, wide-eyed.
“Mom!!”
“Sophia!!”
I froze for a moment. Why did I feel this strange sense of déjà vu? Why… did it feel like someone had called me by Arne’s voice before?
Crash!
A massive noise came from behind, and it seemed like the shadow that had threatened me vanished. But I had no time to care. Arne’s tears were falling as he looked at me.
“Mom… why… why did you…”
“Arne, are you okay? Did you get hurt?”
“I’m fine… but Mom…”
Other than crying, Arne seemed unharmed.
I ignored the pain in my back and smiled.
Then, another shadow appeared behind me. Again!
I quickly turned to check.
