A clenched fist suddenly flew towards her head. She was going to get hit. Alessia squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head to protect her face.
“Hey, hey! He said not today!”
“Damn it, that’s right.”
At that moment, someone grabbed Pascal’s shoulder from behind. It was another cousin. Pascal, who had turned around with a fierce glare, muttered a curse and shoved past Alessia with his shoulder. Her body spun from the impact with his heavy frame, but that was the end of it.
‘He just left…?’
Alessia stared blankly at the backs of her retreating cousins, unable to believe it. It wasn’t common for Pascal to leave her alone after failing an exam. Just a moment ago, he had been chasing her as if he was going to kill her.
She had resigned herself to getting hit when he raised his fist as usual, but nothing happened. Another cousin had even stepped in to stop him.
‘He said not today?’
Who? Why would they give such an order?
It was a mystery, but a fortunate one for her. Perhaps her parents had finally decided they couldn’t stand by any longer. The bullying had been getting worse, and after all, she was their daughter.
Thinking this made her heart tremble. For the past ten years, she had done nothing but disappoint her parents, except for the moment she was born. Although she still couldn’t sense any magic, Alessia resolved that if given another chance, she would seize it with all her might.
“…Can I really eat all of this?”
“Yes.”
That day was truly a lucky one.
Alessia, summoned alone late at night, was first astonished by the table full of dishes, and then by the fact that it was all prepared just for her.
There was roasted suckling pig with crispy skin, a pie topped with mashed potatoes and sliced lamb, warm venison stew, and bread filled with thick strawberry jam.
It was the first time such a feast had been laid out for Alessia. She couldn’t remember much from her early childhood, but now no one cared about her meals. Sneaking into the kitchen to grab whatever she could find was her usual dining routine.
She began to eat the food voraciously. With the weather warming up, the kitchen had been using up ingredients quickly and not leaving much out, so she hadn’t eaten properly for days.
Although her stomach soon felt heavy from the greasy dishes, Alessia didn’t stop. She didn’t know when she would get another chance like this, so she needed to eat as much as she could while she had the opportunity.
“Follow me when you’re done.”
She only stopped eating when she was so full that she couldn’t take another bite. Each breath she took smelled like meat. Her father and uncle led her down to the basement.
The dimly lit basement reminded her of a prison from a book, except instead of prisoners, there were animals in the iron cages.
Grrrr…
Alessia flinched at the growling sound that seemed to scrape at her throat. A black wolf was glaring at them from inside a cage. Its ear was horribly mangled, making it terrifying to look at. Alessia quickly turned her head away.
As they went further in, they came to a door instead of a cage. Next to the door was a handle attached to a chain that seemed to extend from the room. While she was staring at it, wondering what it was for, her father gave her uncle a signal.
Her uncle, as if he had been waiting, took a small jar from his pocket and poured its contents over Alessia.
Splash! Startled by the sudden dousing, Alessia stumbled back. Though the jar wasn’t large, it was enough to soak her old dress.
‘Honey?’
It wasn’t just water; it felt sticky and had a sweet smell. The thin linen dress clung unpleasantly to her skin, but she couldn’t show her discomfort.
“Open the door.”
Following the command, her uncle opened the door and gestured inside with his chin. Alessia stepped in cautiously but couldn’t see anything. The room was pitch dark, and she was just rolling her eyes around when her uncle lit a torch behind her.
“……!”
Inside the room was a metal gate that spanned across it. Alessia recalled the handle outside the door. It seemed to be connected to a pulley system on the ceiling that would lift the gate.
As surprising as that was, what lay beyond the gate was even more shocking. The space was filled with numerous dogs. They were clearly not pets; they were emaciated, with patches of dried blood visible among them. The stench was unbearable.
Her stomach churned as she began to grasp what was happening. She had already eaten too much, and the rich meat dishes were making her feel queasy. Alessia barely managed to hold back her nausea.
Bark! Bark bark!
Some of the dogs started barking ferociously as they approached the gate. One by one, the dogs that had been trembling in the back began to rise. Alessia realized that these dogs hadn’t been sleeping of their own accord.
“How long will it take?”
“They’ll all be awake within ten minutes.”
“That’s enough time.”
Her father’s conversation with her uncle confirmed her suspicions. Alessia, who had been cautiously observing the room, flinched. The dogs seemed to be fixated on her.
Then, with a creak, the door closed. She turned around quickly, but her father and uncle were gone. A sense of foreboding overwhelmed her.
“Father! The door is closed. I’m still here. I haven’t come out yet. Uncle! Father!”
Alessia knocked on the door, her voice gradually rising. No matter how much she turned the doorknob, it wouldn’t open, and there was no response.
“Please open the door! I’m still here! Can you hear me? I’m still here, Father! Uncle!”
Panic-stricken, Alessia began pounding on the door. She banged on it with her small hands until they were swollen, even throwing her body against it, but the door didn’t budge.
“Father, it’s so scary in here! Please open the door… Please open the door….”
She pleaded for what felt like an eternity. Finally, she heard the sound of something moving.
Are they opening it? Alessia looked at the door with hopeful eyes. But the next moment, she froze. A scraping sound came from above, followed by the creak of metal.
No way. It can’t be. Alessia turned around slowly, praying silently. The gate was slowly rising. Only then did she hear a response.
“When your life is truly at stake, you may find enlightenment.”
The dry voice made her realize the full extent of her situation. Despair reflected in her red eyes.
It had been an unusually lucky day.
***
Her faint memories always ended there. It was a dream she hadn’t had in a long time.
It hurts….
Her whole body felt like it was burning and throbbing. She had no feeling in her limbs, and her mind was foggy. The excruciating pain felt like she was reliving that day.
Is it because of the dream? Alessia thought blankly.
‘Oh, I was fighting a monster.’
Then she became aware of her surroundings. She was in the Forest of Monsters. She had been assisting Kaon, who was cutting down monsters with ease as if he had been chosen by the heavens.
‘And then….’
Recalling the next scene, Alessia shivered. A monster had swatted a knight away with its forepaw and leapt towards her in an instant. She was supposed to use magic, but faced with the monster up close, she was paralyzed with fear and couldn’t do anything.
Luckily, the monster wasn’t targeting her. Alessia’s eyes followed its movements. A knight who had just defeated a monster was catching his breath and wiping his face. He didn’t seem to notice the monster aiming for him.
‘Use your magic.’
Her mind told her to act, but Alessia hesitated. The distance was too close. She might end up burning the knight along with the monster. The magic contained in her ring was too powerful for her to control delicately.
‘If you do nothing, that knight will die. Everyone will blame you. They’ll say the mage just stood by and watched. Can you live with that?’
Her rational mind scolded her. No, she couldn’t. She had finally started to adapt and was just beginning to live a somewhat comfortable life. She hadn’t even fully established her position yet. She couldn’t afford to be seen as incompetent.
She wasn’t confident in using her magic, but she couldn’t just let the knight die either. She didn’t want to be hated anymore.
At that moment, Alessia threw herself forward. Everything happened in the span of three seconds.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember what happened next. Her vision was completely black, and her thoughts were fragmented.
‘Am I dead?’
But if she were dead, she wouldn’t be feeling pain, would she?
Oh, I just want to sleep.
Alessia felt like closing her eyes again, even though they were already shut.
She was so tired. Life was exhausting and difficult. She had narrowly escaped death too many times. Was she clinging to a life that should have ended long ago? It seemed that way. She just wanted to rest now.
“Stop fooling around and get up.”
Just as she was about to give up on everything, she heard a voice.
“I know you’re not going to die like this.”
How do you know that? Alessia retorted in her mind.
“Get up quickly. If you wake up any later, you won’t get anything.”
I don’t want anything. Why do you keep saying you’ll give me something?
The faint voice was strangely hard to ignore. Alessia, who kept responding internally, slowly felt herself waking up. She didn’t want to wake up, though.
“…….”
Reluctantly, she lifted her heavy eyelids, and her blurry vision gradually cleared as it adjusted to the light.
“Don’t make me say it again. Get up….”
The voice that woke her up became clearer. Alessia turned her head with effort. She saw her arm wrapped in numerous bandages.
‘They must have seen it all.’
That was her first thought. Seeing her in such a pathetic state would probably make them lose any remaining affection. Her arm was covered in scars so hideous that even she couldn’t bear to look at them.
Alessia then noticed the large hand holding hers. It was Kaon’s hand. No wonder one of her arms felt so heavy; Kaon had been pressing on it.
“Hey….”
She wanted to tell him to move his hand because it was heavy, but no sound came out. Even forming a single syllable was difficult.
“You…!”
Kaon, who had been frozen as if time had stopped, slowly lifted his head. Alessia tried to speak again but hesitated.
“You, this….”
Kaon Ferdinand was crying.
🍉🍉🍉
