Chapter 84
“Extra! Extra! Get your hot-off-the-press monster news!”
The streets of Roteria were deserted.
A boy stood by a newsstand, shouting to sell his newspapers.
The desolate streets carried only the sound of his voice. Once bustling with life, Roteria now seemed completely abandoned. Even shadows were scarce, and a cold wind swept through the silent town.
“Ah! My papers!”
The gust of wind sent a stack of newspapers from the stand flying through the air.
The startled boy darted into the square to catch them, and I, standing in the middle, snatched one perfectly into my hands. My eyes slowly scanned the bold headline:
Hordes of Monsters Appear in Roteria
Casualties Reported from Monster Attacks
From above my head, the little chirp of my sparrow could be heard—a tiny sigh.
I stared at the newspaper with a heavy heart.
The boy, thinking I had helped him, hurried up to me.
“Th-thank you! I thought I’d lost them all… really, thank you so much!”
The child, bowing repeatedly, wore tattered clothes and a worn hat.
It had already been three months since the monsters first appeared.
The Empire had been unprepared, and the monster attacks had caused severe damage.
Though Layton’s forces had been holding them back, unexpected monsters kept emerging, and the death toll continued to rise.
Worse, the number of monsters wasn’t decreasing—it was growing.
And these weren’t ordinary monsters.
Some seemed to possess intelligence, and a few could even speak human language.
Even someone as formidable as Layton could not hope for a quick end when such cunning monsters attacked in swarms.
Simply keeping the horde from overrunning the heart of Roteria was an achievement in itself.
The city center, densely populated, suffered relatively little damage—but economically, things were dire.
Fearful citizens only bought essential food, venturing out less and less.
Wealthy nobles and merchants fared fine, but struggling commoners were hit hard.
In the slums near the city, the number of beggars increased daily, searching for food.
Meanwhile, the nobles continued to hold lavish feasts, living as if nothing had changed.
Even a brief walk through the city revealed the grim reality.
The boy had likely stood all day in the empty market, trying to sell newspapers.
I rummaged through my bag and pulled out a gold coin.
“Here. Take this.”
“Huh? W-what is this for…?”
The boy stumbled backward, wide-eyed at the large coin.
“This newspaper—you can consider it sold.”
I shook the paper gently and smiled warmly. The boy’s eyes wavered with disbelief, unsure if he could accept it.
I patted the worn hat on his head reassuringly.
“It’s alright. Take it. I’m paying for the information it gave me.”
“This paper costs only one shilling, miss. I don’t have change for a coin this large.”
He shook his head and offered the coin back, shoulders slumping.
“You don’t need to give me change. Consider it payment for what I wanted to know.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. It’s worth it.”
Finally, the boy bowed deeply and accepted the coin with both hands.
“Thank you!”
He ran off, face glowing with the joy of having earned enough to eat for the month.
For me, who had spent the day doing nothing significant, this was at least something memorable.
I stroked my sparrow’s back, which had settled on my shoulder.
It chirped softly in my ear, as if cheering me on:
[Cheer up. You did something good today.]
“I hope this good deed brings some luck to Layton,” I murmured.
The sparrow’s expression darkened at the mention of Layton. Though it didn’t particularly like him, worry seemed to spread from me, making it frown whenever his name came up.
“You’re worried about Layton too, aren’t you?”
[Wha—I’m not! I like it when he brings cookies sometimes, that’s all! That idiot made a contract with a demon! And his character isn’t impressive either.]
I chuckled softly as we boarded the carriage waiting for us. The sparrow pretending not to worry was amusing.
“Still, you wouldn’t want Layton to get hurt, would you?”
[Of course not! If he gets hurt, you and Ail would be sad.]
My little sparrow cared about others, even about Layton.
The rattling carriage started along the empty streets. I gently scooped the sparrow into my palm and set it on my lap, meeting its clear eyes with a smile.
“That’s right. If Layton gets hurt, it’ll sadden more than anyone.”
It had already been three months since I last saw Layton.
Since the monster war began, he hadn’t visited the estate even once.
The one saving grace was that letters arrived regularly, about once a month.
His handwriting was stiff, but the words were kind.
He thanked me for the Titiano flower herb that helped him withstand the madness, reminded me to eat and stay healthy, and occasionally added strange instructions to keep small pet birds from wandering.
I read the letters again and again, trying to quell my anxious heart.
Layton wouldn’t die.
Even though events were diverging from the original story, the original outcome remained unchanged.
‘…Though perhaps this faith is futile.’
I knew it. Since I interfered in the original story, the flow had gone awry and was now beyond my control.
Whether this was my fault or fate, I didn’t know.
Whatever happens next, one thing was certain: I had something to do.
I picked up the newspaper I had set aside.
The first page, plastered with monster attack reports, contained the headline I had been looking for:
“Daughter of Count Donovan Missing—Monster Involvement Suspected”
It had been nearly three months since Lady Rachel Donovan disappeared, yet the investigation had made no progress.
The Donovan family had offered a reward of 100 gold coins to anyone who could find her, but still, no one knew her whereabouts.
Lady Rachel had vanished from the family estate when it was briefly unattended, and monster involvement could not be ruled out.
It had already been three months since the shocking disappearance had rocked the Empire.
The Donovan family, a prestigious house in high society, had even organized a special squad of knights to search for her, but to no avail.
I read the article carefully, then set the newspaper aside.
“We’ve arrived, Miss,” said the coachman as the carriage stopped in front of the estate.
I stepped out, clutching my dress, and Daisy followed behind.
“Heading straight in to see her?” she asked softly.
I nodded briefly.
“I’ll prepare some warm tea, Miss.”
“Thank you, Daisy. How has her condition been?”
“Much improved. She’s coherent most of the time now and even calls out her name occasionally.”
“Her name?”
I raised an eyebrow as we reached the white door across from my room. Daisy parted her lips to speak but stopped when another maid passed by, clearly signaling it wasn’t the right time.
‘I’ll see for myself inside anyway.’
My mouth went dry at the thought of what I might find. I grasped the doorknob and turned it.
With a click, the door swung open.
On the white bed by the window, a girl who had seemed lifeless slowly rose and sat up.
A fragile smile played across her face, freckles dotting her pale skin, and her orange hair glimmered in the light.
“Lady Rachel…”
It was the missing Rachel Donovan.
