Chapter 32 ……………………………
I lightly snapped off a stone that hung down like an icicle.
The pinkish stone settled neatly into my palm and shone even more brilliantly.
To others it was just a pretty-colored stone, but to someone like me—born with magical abilities—it was a stone essential enough to sway my fate.
“Pretty.”
Rubbing the magic stone against my cheek, I savored my happiness.
I wanted to tell Kautz about this immediately.
I had found both Ron and the magic stone!
There could be no better day than this.
Outside the cave, dawn light hung low enough to make out shapes.
After extinguishing the lantern, I ran straight to where the black horse was.
Fffft—almost as if it had been waiting a long time, the black horse snorted and pawed at the ground. It made me proud and fond of it.
“Thank you. For staying put.”
I searched the bag tied to the saddle.
“I have to give him this.”
A drawing of Ron’s face.
If he saw this, maybe Ron would regain his lost memories and open his heart to me completely.
Then suddenly—an all-too-familiar sound reached my ears.
Woof! Woof!
“Eek—! You startled me!”
It was the little puppy.
Inside the cave, with only a lantern, I’d barely checked its size… but now that we were outside, it looked even smaller and cuter than I thought.
Only now could I see its brown fur covering its tiny body.
“You—when did you come out? Don’t tell me you followed me?”
The puppy either didn’t hear my question or pretended not to, instead rolling its body against the dirt.
“Hey, are you ignoring me? At least one of us needs to stay with Ron!”
I scolded the disobedient puppy.
“If you leave too, Ron will be all alone! How lonely would he be!”
My voice rose slightly, and the puppy—who had been rolling around—suddenly froze, then jumped to its feet. It tilted its head at me… then began stamping its front paws in the air as if to play.
“No! I’m not trying to play!”
As our little tussle continued—
“Young Lady!”
Between the tall trees stretching toward the sky, Kautz appeared, dressed entirely in black.
“Kautz!”
I ran toward him as he stopped to catch his breath.
“I’m sorry—did you look for me a lot?”
“Not at all… But it’s a good thing you weren’t still there. Oh—Young Lady, you’re back to your original form!”
Somehow, without realizing it, I had returned from being a boy back to being Maryann again.
Kautz went on to describe the chilling, sharp-eyed thing he had seen last night.
“A monster appeared?”
“Yes. A horde of them. They turned the forest upside down. The Dvble bastards were all out fighting them, causing an uproar. And during the chaos, several slaves escaped too.”
At the mention of slaves escaping, Ron inside the cave flashed through my mind.
“If you had stayed there…”
“Kautz.”
“…It would have been very dangerous, yes? But why, Young Lady?”
“I found Ron. That slave boy!”
“…You did?”
“Yeah! And also—this!”
I pulled out the pink icicle-like magic stone I had hidden in my pocket.
Kautz’s eyes widened.
“Oh my goodness! Young Lady, where on earth did you—?!”
“In that cave.”
Following my gesture toward the cave, Kautz’s expression suddenly hardened.
He gently grabbed my shoulder and held a finger to his lips—shhh.
Puzzled, I looked where he was staring… and saw something unfamiliar.
What… is that…?
Between the blue-green trees, countless black dots filled the view.
But as the fluttering grew stronger, I realized they weren’t just scraps of cloth—they were black-patterned flags.
The Dvble men.
And unfortunately, the number of black flags was increasing beyond anything we could handle.
“We need to leave here as fast as we can.”
“Kautz… what do you mean?”
Seeing I didn’t understand, Kautz said:
“If we stay, our lives will be in danger as well, Young Lady.”
“What? Don’t tell me—you want to leave him behind?”
“…Just for a little while. We need to hide.”
“Kautz! No, we can’t!”
Growing anxious, Kautz finally turned back and spoke:
“The Dvble may be ruthless, but they won’t kill a child.”
“If they don’t kill him… then what?”
“They prefer absorbing others into their group rather than killing them. They want to grow their numbers. So right now, we have to leave. If you and I live, then later—we can rescue Lord Ron.”
“…No, Kautz… We have to save Ron… Ron…”
Seeing me on the verge of tears, Kautz held my hand tightly.
It was the second time.
Once at the slave market—and now again.
I can’t lose Ron again…
Guilt crushed me heavily.
I hadn’t even given him the drawing yet.
The dull headache I’d been feeling grew sharp and unbearable.
I had asked him to wait just a little longer…
Ron…!
My feet began moving toward the cave.
But my small body was quickly held back by Kautz. Suddenly, his figure tilted sideways in my vision.
“…Young Lady!”
My fingers slipped from his collar.
My whole body felt like it was sinking into deep water.
“It must be… the drug…!”
Kautz’s voice grew faint.
And then—all sounds vanished.
My eyes slowly closed.
When I opened them, night had fallen.
The splitting pain in my head had eased after some sleep.
Through Britta—who was watching over me—I learned that I had been brought back safely at dawn without anyone noticing.
“I’m going for a short walk.”
After promising Britta and the guards that I would only walk around inside the mansion, I set out.
Passing by a corridor lined with large windows, a cold breeze slipped through a slightly open frame.
Breathing it deep into my lungs, I felt myself grounding back into reality.
Ron…
Images of Ron left behind in the cave flickered through my mind.
The “seed of disaster” cursed by the family, who slaughtered thousands and destroyed his own house—Ron Kereis.
That was who he became in the original story.
But the boy I met in that cave…
He was just a pitiful, missing child.
I want to save him.
There was still time.
If I rescued Ron Kereis and prevented him from turning into a murderer, everything could change.
Tomorrow morning, I would tell the Duke everything.
I wanted dawn to come quickly.
Walking like that, I suddenly realized I was near the playroom.
Why is the light on?
A faint light leaked through the door at the end of the hall.
The only one besides me who used the Duke’s old playroom was Creemoo.
But Creemoo was asleep by now.
No servant would be cleaning the playroom at this hour…
Who is it…?
Curious, I approached.
And as soon as I opened the door, the identity of the person inside became clear.
“…Your Grace!”
The Duke flinched and turned his head.
Even he seemed caught off guard, pausing as if unsure what to do with the object in his hand.
“You—Anne—why are you awake at this hour?”
“I couldn’t sleep… I heard you were arriving tomorrow.”
“My schedule changed.”
I looked at him… then at the paper in his hand.
It was the portrait of the missing boy, Ron—the one I had found earlier in the playroom.
But why was the Duke looking at it at this hour?
Was it just coincidence?
“That picture… It’s Ron, isn’t it?”
The Duke’s red eyes glinted coldly.
He exhaled deeply before speaking.
“Yes, Anne. You’ve stayed here long enough—you must have heard stories about my second son, Ron.”
“…”
He let the paper slip from his hand onto the floor.
I stepped closer, and closer.
Soon, I was within arm’s reach.
The lantern light cast shifting shadows over his face—an expression so complex it was impossible to read.
Then—plip, drop—hot tears fell from my eyes.
Seeing me cry, the Duke looked startled.
I swallowed the rising emotion and spoke:
“Ron… I found Ron…”
At that, the Duke’s expression shifted dramatically.
In a razor-sharp voice, he said:
“Ron? Ron Kereis?”
“Yes… Ron…”
He stepped forward and gripped my sleeve tightly.
Harder than I expected.
“Where—where did you see Ron?”
“Th-the Dvble… the Dvble men took him.”
His crimson eyes shook violently.
After locking eyes with me for a moment, he suddenly dimmed the lantern’s flame, closed the curtains, and shut the playroom door firmly.
All I could do was watch, bewildered.
When everything was secured, he approached me again.
“Anne.”
Wiping away the now-dried tear tracks, I looked at him.
His face was expressionless again, unreadable.
“Your Grace…”
Did he not believe me?
Did he think my words were a child’s joke?
“Ron. I saw Ron—”
Before I could finish, the Duke cut in with unexpected words:
“Who else knows this?”
“…Pardon?”
“Answer me. Quickly.”
Startled by his raised voice, I quickly gathered my thoughts.
“Kautz. Just Kautz and me. We’re the only ones who know.”
The Duke exhaled shakily.
“…I should not have shouted. Forgive me.”
Dragging his hands down his face, he spoke again—voice heavy and strained.
“Anne… Ron is safe.”
“…What?”
