A week later, the garden party Marianne had invited her to was just around the corner.
Julia was trimming flowers from early evening, preparing a bouquet to take to the party tomorrow.
As she was wrestling with fabric and ribbons, a voice came through the crack in the door.
“That’s strange. He said he’d be back by this morning. I hope nothing happened to him….”
It was Gabriel’s voice. Julia didn’t stop what she was doing, but she listened closely to the conversation.
“Don’t worry. It’s probably just that his patrol is taking longer than usual. Jeremy’s the kind of person who could take down a wild boar with his bare hands. He’ll be fine.”
The next voice belonged to Paul, the gardener. Their conversation continued, echoing in Julia’s ears.
“If you’re really worried, I’ll head out to the base of the mountain early tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, that might be best.”
As their conversation faded down the hallway, Julia tied the ribbon neatly and thought about Jeremy.
Jeremy was one of the knights who guarded the monastery. He had been dispatched a few days earlier to reinforce the troops at the foot of the mountain bordering the region.
“…Come to think of it, Marianne did mention that a few knights had gone missing in the mountains.”
Julia suddenly recalled what Marianne had said at the lord’s manor.
A creeping worry began to build inside her. She wondered if Jeremy’s delayed return had something to do with that.
The Holy Kingdom was a nation that had almost no disputes with other countries. It was said that even common raids were rare due to the country being under divine protection.
However, according to Gabriel, there were times, long ago, when monsters would come down from the mountains.
Many people were injured back then, and ever since, they had taken border patrols more seriously.
It was hard to believe that something so terrifying had once happened in such a peaceful and quiet land.
Julia suppressed the small but growing concern as she finally completed the bouquet.
The next morning, Julia headed to the kitchen.
She remembered how much Marianne loved cookies and thought she would bake some to bring along.
As she slowly entered the kitchen, she found Gabriel standing at the counter.
“Gabriel, you’re up early?”
“Ah, Julia. Perfect timing.”
Gabriel placed freshly baked madeleines and various types of cookies on the table. The warm, sweet smell filled the kitchen.
“I baked these for you to take to the party. Since it’s your first time being invited, you should bring something in return.”
Julia’s eyes widened as she looked down at the freshly baked cookies, still steaming.
It seemed Gabriel had the same thought as she did.
“I was going to make them myself, but you went through all this trouble for me.”
“You should ask this old woman for help first. I know cooking isn’t exactly your strong suit.”
Gabriel chuckled playfully, his wrinkled eyes crinkling with amusement. Julia smiled and laughed along with his.
“Thank you. I’m sure Lady Marianne will love them.”
“Go and have fun at the party. Don’t worry about a thing here. Stay as long as you like.”
Julia nodded enthusiastically. She was always grateful to Gabriel, who treated her like a daughter.
Gabriel wrapped the cookies and bread carefully in a clean white cloth and placed them in a basket.
After receiving the basket, Julia returned to her room to put on a bright-colored winter dress suitable for the party.
Finally, she put on a long coat, gathered her things, and left the monastery.
Climbing into the carriage, Julia smiled brightly.
“I’ll be back soon.”
She waved slightly to Gabriel, who had come to see her off.
The carriage rattled down the road and through the gates.
The monastery felt quieter than usual after Julia left.
The priests had all gone to the central temple for the annual event, leaving only a few workers, Gabriel, and the children at the monastery.
After lunch, Gabriel headed to the children’s room to put them down for a nap. A good afternoon rest was essential for growing children.
The well-fed children quickly drifted off to sleep.
Gabriel stayed by their side for a while before checking her pocket watch. It was already past two o’clock.
Thinking about working on her embroidery, Gabriel returned to her room and rummaged through a basket in the corner.
Just then, a sharp scream echoed from outside.
“Oh my goodness!”
Startled, Gabriel snapped her head toward the door.
She rushed to the entrance, her hand on the door handle, but someone opened it before she could.
It was Paul, who had left the monastery that morning at Gabriel’s request.
“We… we have to run! Monsters, monsters are attacking!”
Paul shouted with a pale face.
Riding his horse to the foot of the mountain early in the morning, Paul had discovered that the entire defense squad had been wiped out.
There, massive monsters were brutally tearing the soldiers apart.
Upon seeing that sight, Paul had immediately turned back toward the monastery, but the monsters had already descended upon the entire village.
“Hurry! Get the children and run—!”
Before Paul could finish his desperate plea, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed.
Standing behind Paul was a man dressed in black, grinning from ear to ear.
Blood pooled around Paul’s lifeless body.
Meanwhile, the carriage carrying Julia had entered a wide road.
It was around then that the snow began to fall.
At first, it fluttered down lightly like snowflakes, but as the carriage pressed on, the snowfall grew heavier.
Julia could hear the coachman’s voice muttering through the small window in front.
“If the roads freeze, we’ll be in trouble.”
Julia, too, began to feel concerned, looking out the window with a worried expression.
There was still a long way to go before they reached the lord’s manor.
The carriage moved slowly along the slippery road, eventually turning into a relatively intact street.
But after a while, the carriage suddenly shook dangerously and came to a halt.
Julia slammed into the side of the carriage with a groan and slowly lifted her head.
“What… what happened?”
As she tried to ask what was going on, Julia’s hands flew to her mouth in shock.
A monstrous creature had appeared out of nowhere and lunged at the coachman.
Crash!
The creature’s impact caused the carriage to shake violently, and the windows shattered instantly.
Julia looked briefly at the shattered glass before turning her gaze back to the coachman.
“Help, help me!”
The coachman screamed as he fell to the ground.
What Julia saw was a grotesque monster, sinking its fangs into the coachman’s throat.
No, it wasn’t just a beast; it was a demon.
A massive demon with blood-red eyes roared loudly, something Julia had never seen before.
“…Ah, ah.”
Julia crouched low, trembling, and peeked outside. She saw more demons, with similar forms, running on two legs and prowling the streets.
And in the midst of them, a man dressed in a black robe with white hair walked leisurely.
Julia couldn’t even breathe, the terror completely paralyzing her thoughts.
Suddenly, the man’s voice rang out just outside the carriage.
“I smell something alive. Something sweet and delicious.”
The man’s creepy voice echoed in Julia’s ears.
Then, with a clank, the door handle turned, and the carriage door was ripped off.
The strange-looking man grinned wickedly, staring at Julia with glowing eyes.
“You were hiding here?”
Julia couldn’t even scream. She trembled violently, retreating further into the carriage. Her hand touched a shard of broken glass.
Without thinking, she reacted purely on instinct.
“Ahhhhh!”
The man’s shrill scream echoed through the streets.
Clutching the glass shard that had slashed across the man’s face, Julia scrambled out of the carriage in desperation.
She had struck the man’s eye deeply with the glass.
But Julia didn’t get far.
She stopped in her tracks, surrounded by the very demons that had killed the coachman.
Julia’s terror-filled eyes fixed on the monsters.
The demons, baring their large, jagged teeth, seemed ready to pounce on her at any moment.
The glass shard dug deeper into her hand. Blood seeped out, but Julia didn’t even have time to register the pain.
The demons circled around her cautiously.
Unlike their quick attack on the coachman, their movements seemed hesitant, as if they were unsure.
Julia couldn’t move a muscle, locked in a stare with their glowing red eyes.
One of the demons, after slowly circling her, suddenly lunged with its jaws wide open.
“Eek!”
Overwhelmed by terror, Julia buried her face in her arms and screamed. Instinctively, she gathered her holy power to the tips of her fingers.
Thud! A loud thump and a great crashing sound followed.
Julia panted heavily for a long time before lowering her arms.
“H-how…?”
Her trembling eyes widened in disbelief at the sight before her: the demons, engulfed in flames.
