Marquis of Marron

 

When I came out of the inn to find Reikart, the sun had already set. Perhaps because it was a small village, a few shops had already closed their doors.

 

I stood at the inn’s entrance, keeping an eye on where Reikart might have visited.

 

Ah, there’s the blacksmith, and there’s the bakery. The town was small enough that it was easy to memorize.

 

“Why are you out here?”

 

As he returned with a bunch of purchases, Reikart asked. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find a magical furnace, so instead, he bought versatile oil that could easily ignite a fire.

 

“Just because.”

 

I smiled.

 

Reichardt pushed me away, telling me to finish my meal. In his eyes, I must have appeared to be about to collapse, skinny as a skewer.

 

“Reikart.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Go to bed early. You didn’t sleep well while coming all the way here to deal with contaminated beings.”

 

“I’m not the only one who hasn’t slept.”

 

“You probably slept worse than me. You kept tossing and turning.”

 

“I’m going in anyway. Let’s get a good night’s rest and go back in the morning.”

 

Due to limitations on what we could carry, we couldn’t buy everything we wanted. We tried to get a cart or wagon, but it was difficult. To get from Selborne to Marron Castle, we’d have to travel through a pathless forest.

 

Reikart pointed towards the square.

 

“Tomorrow, as soon as we get up, we’ll have to find a horse. The town is small enough that we won’t be able to get a good one, but we might be able to find a donkey.”

 

“A donkey sounds good.”

 

I’ve never ridden a horse before, but a donkey would be better since I’d have to keep purifying while leading it.

 

With that, he retired to his room and promptly fell asleep.

 

A sleep so deep he wouldn’t even notice someone was coming. How tired must he be? He nearly died trying to kill the real Hailey. Soon after that, he had to bring me out of Marron Castle before fully recovering.

 

“Sleep well.”

 

Reikart Winter.

 

The pitiful protagonist.

 

“Live happily ever after.”

 

I glanced at his closed door for a moment before descending the stairs.

 

I had already packed my things. Using my skill in packing from traveling, I neatly arranged all the items in the bag, just enough for me to carry.

 

It was heavy, so I might need to take breaks, but since time was on my side, it was fine.

 

“Did you express your gratitude?”

 

Fatima, the innkeeper, asked me as she finished cleaning up.

 

She was a gracious woman who had given me three sets of clothes, some dried meat, new cookware, and other things I needed.

 

“I did.”

 

Leaving behind what seemed like a valuable treasure near his bed, Reikart wouldn’t likely run out of money for a while.

 

“Where on earth do you live to insist on carrying such a heavy load alone?”

 

“It’s not that far.”

 

“Why didn’t you ask that brother to carry it for you earlier?”

 

“He has his own path to follow.”

 

As a gesture of thanks, I handed Fatima another gold coin. After a brief moment of hesitation, she reached out and accepted the gold coin. Then, with a quick motion, she went back into the kitchen, telling me to wait for a moment.

 

She quickly returned, handing me a packed lunch and two bottles of special seasoning.

 

“These are our specialty spices, and if you keep them cool, they’ll last for a while….”

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Hey, listen.”

 

Fatima was looking at me with a vague frown on her face. It seemed like a familiar expression. Now that I thought about it, Reikart had a similar look whenever he looked at me.

 

“It may sound like nagging, but listen carefully. A girl shouldn’t casually hand out gold coins to anyone while traveling alone. There have been many dreadful incidents around here lately…”

 

“This area is inherently dangerous. The contaminated land is just nearby.”

 

“That’s not it. It’s about bad people who might take your money. Even ordinary people, upon seeing such a valuable coin, might suddenly have malicious intentions. You seem too innocent and vulnerable.”

 

Wow, is that a compliment?

 

I smiled and thanked her. It was funny that Fatima was genuinely concerned about me.

 

Where did the clichés go? Shouldn’t I be facing bandits or robbers who would take all my money, or being noticed by a slave trader and sold to a pervert?

 

Is it because I’m not the main character?

 

She’s a good person. How amazing.

 

“You know, sometimes people are scarier than ghosts. You have to be careful. Okay? If anything happens, throw the money away and run. Do you have a knife for self-defense? Make sure you memorize the location of this town.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

I nodded vigorously.

 

I know better than anyone that humans are scarier. I wasn’t afraid of monsters, zombies, or ghosts at all. I’m much more afraid of people.

 

That’s why I can’t wait to get home.

 

“Thank you.”

 

I walked out of Fatima’s inn with a heavy heart.

 

I had decided from the beginning that I would leave Reikart in Selborne and return alone.

 

He’s a person from the ‘outside’, so he should live outside. By now, the female protagonist should have appeared, and they would meet somewhere as if destined and fall in love.

 

My castle was sufficient with just me and my fairy.

 

Stars streaked across the dark sky. I had expected the road to be deserted since I had traveled out of town in the middle of the night, but there were quite a few people. Men returning from work in the nearby forest.

 

Come to think of it, this place was called Production City.

 

They all dressed similarly, wearing loose vests with various tools hanging around their waists.

 

I looked at them curiously, and they looked at me curiously.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“Home.”

 

“At this hour? Be careful. Stick to the main road. Don’t wander off in any direction just because it’s dark. If you go into that forest, you’ll be captured by an evil witch like Hailey! Have you heard of Hailey?”

 

“Oh, yes.”

 

It was called Selborne. Are all the people in this village so kind? Is it common for strangers to worry about each other like this? or is this novel doing me a favor?

 

The innkeeper, these men—everyone seems that way. Normally, at this point in a story, wouldn’t I transform into a villain, get defeated, and disappear?

 

“Do you have to go far? You’d better stay at the inn for the night and leave in the morning! We’ll take you as far as the lumberyard.”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

They were loggers from Selborne. They were returning to town after a day’s work in the nearby woods.

 

“Do you want some of this?”

 

A man offered me some herbs to repel insects. I accepted without hesitation.

 

“The girl is brave to go out alone. Hurry back home.”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Are you sure you’re not scared? Should I ask my wife to accompany you at least up there?”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

When I repeatedly refused, they shrugged and urged me to go. Then they continued their conversation among themselves.

 

“They say soldiers have been dispatched to the border of the contaminated land. The church, right? After neglecting us for a hundred years, now they send a survey team.”

 

“I heard one of the cardinals is young and eager.”

 

“What a waste of time.”

 

My ears perked up for a moment, then dropped, and I quickened my pace.

 

An investigation team for the contaminated land.

 

Investigate a hundred times if you want.

 

Marron Castle will forever remain a ruin. An island within an island. Because I would make it so.

 

I will live a long, lean life in it without being executed or pursued. And to do that, I need to stay out of the way of the main characters as much as possible.

 

I’m sorry, Reikart, but it was an unavoidable choice since you are a protagonist.

 

 

𝑺𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒏 𝑲𝒐-𝒇𝒊