“Your Grace, everything has been taken care of.”
“Good work.”
“But the child…”
The Duke of Cartellani glanced over at the child wrapped in a cloak. Fortunately, she didn’t appear to be hurt.
“Little one…”
“Why the hell did you save me?!”
Elia suddenly shouted, and the Duke, along with the knights, turned to her with stiff expressions.
She squirmed to get away from the Duke, and though the tightly wrapped cloak was annoying, she eventually managed to break free.
Standing on her short legs, Elia looked around at them with a face full of injustice.
They were clearly the Iron Eagle Knights—renowned as the pride of the North—clad in silver armor marked with the eagle emblem.
Each one of them was known to be powerful enough to take on a hundred foes. Elia remembered struggling quite a bit to deal with them in the past.
Looking at them now made her feel strangely guilty.
Their captain, Dmitri Hazel, a massive man, was known for his brute strength—able to take down enemies bare-handed, a true monster among monsters.
And their vice-captain, Campbell Mont, wielded a sword with such speed and precision that he, too, had been a formidable opponent.
They had all been difficult to kill—not because they had done anything wrong, but simply because they stood in the way of Raul becoming emperor.
Elia adjusted her backpack and turned away.
She didn’t know why the Duke of Cartellani and the Iron Eagle Knights were here, but she figured she wouldn’t be dying today.
“Hey, kid, where are you going?”
“Don’t ask.”
She spun around to walk off but found herself being lifted off the ground.
When she turned her head, the Duke was holding her up by the scruff of her neck.
“Let me go.”
“It’s not safe that way. I’ll take you somewhere secure.”
The Duke motioned toward the direction Elia had been heading. Even at a glance, it was a dark and ominous place.
“There are bloodsucking trees over there. Go that way, and you might get drained to death.”
He purposely tried to scare her, but Elia remained unimpressed.
“That’s the point.”
“What?”
“Unless you’re going to kill me yourself, let me go.”
“You really say whatever you want, don’t you? This won’t do. Dmitri, bring me a cloak.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
After receiving the cloak from Dmitri, the Duke wrapped Elia in it again and strapped her to his back.
She now looked like a cocoon with only her face sticking out. The knights around them chuckled at the sight.
“Put me down!”
“No. I don’t know what your story is, but I can’t let a kid die. Dmitri, give her my snack.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Dmitri took out a small pouch, pulled out a round candy, and popped it into Elia’s mouth.
She rolled it around in her mouth, tasting the sweetness.
“Tastes good, doesn’t it?”
Without realizing it, Elia nodded.
“It’s called candy. If you behave, I’ll give you the rest.”
Tempted, she almost spat it out—but it was so delicious that she couldn’t.
“Just stay still.”
The Duke smirked, then turned to the knights.
“That’s enough rest. Let’s move.”
As the Duke led the way, the Iron Eagle Knights in silver armor followed behind.
Seeing them made Elia’s eyes sting.
Why did you save me, you idiots.
If they knew she had killed them in a past life, they would never have saved her.
But revealing past lives would disrupt the World Tree’s balance.
So they would likely never know, not in this lifetime.
Elia resigned herself to just staying quiet. It didn’t look like they planned on letting her go anytime soon.
Being strapped to the Duke’s back was oddly warm and comforting. Sleep slowly overcame her, and before she knew it, she had dozed off.
The knights glanced over at the sleeping Elia and whispered among themselves.
“She’s cute.”
“I think so too.”
“Like a baby hedgehog.”
The Duke also glanced at her and let out a soft chuckle.
So soft and cozy.
Elia rolled this way and that, surrounded by warmth. And then a delicious smell tickled her nose.
Sniffing, she opened her eyes to see a campfire blazing.
Above it, meat skewered on a stick was roasting, dripping with fat and turning golden brown.
“Hey, kid. You awake?”
The Duke of Cartellani was watching her with a gentle gaze, having noticed her eyes open.
Elia looked down at the cloak wrapped around her and tried to recall what happened.
She remembered being saved from monsters and being strapped to the Duke’s back.
The rest, the branch in her backpack had filled in.
[You slept like a baby.]
‘Shut up.’
The branch went silent.
“You must be hungry. Eat this.”
The Duke handed her a well-cooked skewer.
It looked delicious—nicely grilled on a hand-carved wooden stick.
Hunger won out, and Elia accepted the skewer from him.
“Don’t hesitate. Go ahead and eat.”
Seeing her just stare at the meat, the Duke must’ve thought she was feeling shy.
“Thanks for the food.”
Holding the skewer with both hands, Elia bit into the meat.
The Duke watched her with a faint smile.
The knights’ gazes were also full of warmth.
Apparently, watching a little girl eat meat was unbearably cute.
Now that she had eaten and regained some strength, Elia had the energy to look around.
They were still in the forest.
The sun had already set.
And nighttime in the forest meant more danger.
They had likely stopped to camp in a relatively safe area. From the surroundings, Elia could guess roughly where they were. At least they were out of monster-infested territory.
Still, it was late, and they must have decided it was too risky to travel further.
Elia planned to escape once everyone fell asleep.
There were guards on watch, but she thought she could avoid their gaze.
She wrapped herself in her cloak and pretended to sleep.
As time passed, the area grew quiet. Everyone seemed to be asleep.
Opening her eyes, Elia quietly slipped off the warm cloak.
She gently shouldered her backpack and stood up without a sound.
Avoiding the gaze of the sentry perched in a tree, she hid behind another and looked back at the Iron Eagle Knights.
So kind. Too kind.
That’s why she felt all the more sorry.
‘I’m sorry. I hope you live happy lives in this lifetime. I won’t do anything.’
She had come here to die.
She no longer clung to life.
Being alive felt meaningless.
Elia gave one last bow, then turned to leave.
But—
Tug.
Someone grabbed her backpack.
She quickly turned to see the Duke of Cartellani holding onto it.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Don’t bother me.”
“That way leads straight into a monster den.”
“So?”
The Duke furrowed his elegant brow and let out a long sigh.
“At least tell me why. I can’t let you go unless I hear your reason.”
“My reason?”
“Yeah. A kid says she wants to die. If an adult doesn’t stop her, what kind of adult is that?”
He should’ve just ignored her.
Elia couldn’t understand why they were even here to begin with.
“There’s no reason. I’m just tired.”
“Tired?”
“I’m tired of living. I’m an orphan with no family, no money—how am I supposed to survive? Beg on the streets? I’d rather become monster food than starve to death. At least that way, I’d fill their bellies. Don’t you agree?”
The Duke looked at her in disbelief. What kind of child talked like this?
Her eyes, as if she had lived a thousand years, disturbed him.
“So don’t try to stop me.”
“How about coming with me? I can at least promise you won’t have to beg to live.”
“No thanks.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s pity. I don’t want anyone’s pity.”
“Can’t you think of it as kindness?”
“There’s no such thing as a free favor. It might be kindness now, but it’ll change later.”
“Then… pay me back for the candy. Once you do, I won’t stop you.”
Elia stared at the Duke, completely dumbfounded.
