Chapter 5
Erina sat down, staring blankly at her name engraved on the stone mountain. No one could understand how satisfying it was to see her last name not as Eols but as Medelia. Since the moment she decided to possess everything and began her plan, Erina had not been able to relax. She couldn’t even close her eyes, standing on the terrace, anxiously watching the entrance of the mansion, wondering if Rose, who had been staying with Faylon, might leave the mansion and arrive here earlier than in the original story.
But contrary to her fearful imagination, the beautifully engraved name on the stone wall was ‘Erina Medelia’. The fact that this mine, with its astronomical value, had her name engraved on it, meant that it was now hers. It was so precious that it could earn the protection of the imperial family and the priests. This was something she had never had before—something that was entirely her own in a world where nothing could be possessed.
As Erina quietly contemplated, she heard a loud voice from behind her.
“Countess! A-Are you okay?”
She saw Revil stumbling toward her, holding a parasol nearly her height. Erina couldn’t help but smile at the sight. It felt like the tension she hadn’t been able to release since yesterday had finally dissipated.
“Revil.”
“Yes!”
Since her parents had passed away, she had never felt such genuine concern, and it made her heart flutter.
“Thank you.”
She smiled brightly as she sat, and his face turned bright red as he still held the parasol close to his chest.
“Can you see it?”
Erina’s gaze was fixed on the spot where the ancient language had vanished and her name had been engraved. Revil quickly understood the meaning behind her words and shook her head up and down rapidly, responding in an excited voice.
“Yes, I can see it! It’s so amazing! The picture suddenly changed to the Countess’s name!”
“This mountain, this mine, has chosen me as its owner. Not that woman, but me. I can’t believe it.”
Revil seemed to sense the complexity of her feelings in those words and kept quiet, pressing his lips tightly together.
“Do you want to go with me?”
Revil’s heart skipped a beat at the word “together.” He had always known that he was seen as an annoying presence, even if he was still young. Having been sent to an orphanage at an early age, he knew how to be observant. But despite that, Erina had always been kind to her. Unlike others, she never tried to take anything from him, nor did she raise her hand against him. Instead, she had rescued him from difficult situations and reached out to him with kindness. He could never forget that warmth, which almost brought him to tears.
“Yes, I’ll go.”
“Then, come.”
Erina reached out her hand to ask for the parasol.
“I’ll hold it!”
“It’s because I don’t have the strength to stand. I’ll use it like a cane.”
“Ah…”
Revil’s face, filled with regret, was so cute that Erina couldn’t hide her smile.
Though her legs were weak from the relaxation, Erina gathered her strength and stood up, gripping the parasol tightly in her hand.
A warm breeze, as pleasant as the weather, swirled around them as they walked together. In a buoyant mood, Erina used the parasol as a cane with her left hand, and extended her right hand to Revil.
“Let’s go.”
They held hands, walking until they reached the entrance of the magic stone mine. The entrance was so massive that it made the two of them appear small in comparison.
As Erina stepped forward, the edges of the oval entrance began to glow white, as though wrapped in a band, and simultaneously, the interior also began to glow brightly. It was like an artificially created short corridor that opened into a jagged and brightly glowing stone wall. Everything visible was made of magic stone.
Unlike other ores, even the smallest fragments of magic stone, which could be discarded with other materials, held magic within them. Erina noticed a stone, about the size of a child’s fist, lying in front of the stone wall at the end of the corridor. She picked it up as though she were enchanted.
The rough, translucent magic stone had a soft purple hue, and within it, a golden name was engraved.
[Erina Medelia]
It was the first magic stone that Rose had picked up as soon as she entered the mine in the original story.
In the original story, the magic stone had a pale pink hue, with the name engraved in green. Unlike the original, which represented Rose, the magic stone in Erina’s hands now clearly claimed ownership, a color that spoke of Erina. It was intoxicating.
She tightly grasped the magic stone, placed it in her handbag, and turned away.
“Let’s go back, Revil.”
Now, Erina truly believed in the reality she had changed. The satisfaction was so overwhelming that it made her heart ache.
She left the mine with Revil and turned back to gaze at the place where her name was engraved once more. It felt like the time had come to put all the plans, which had been waiting quietly, into action.
But then, an unexpected variable arose.
“Ugh…”
Erina felt Revil stomping his feet beside her.
After leaving the mine, the two returned to the place where they had boarded the carriage. The sun was already setting, signaling that it was nearly evening. Yet, the carriage hadn’t arrived.
Erina had overlooked a crucial detail in her fixation on owning the mine. The coachman driving the Eols family’s carriage was also Faylon’s man, and it was a servant who welcomed Rose. She had been awake all night, unable to sleep, and perhaps her exhausted judgment had caused her to miss the most important detail.
According to her original plan, they should have rented a public carriage, not one from the Eols family. Erina had to admit her mistake.
This place, though part of the Eols Count’s territory, was located at the farthest edge, in a sparsely populated village. Before Rose discovered the magic stone mine in the original story, it was a village where outsiders rarely passed through, maybe once a week at most. After the mine brought prosperity to the area, the roads became more active, but not now.
“What should we do…?”
It seemed the carriage wouldn’t come. Whether it was Faylon’s orders, Rose’s cunning plot, or the coachman’s twisted loyalty, Erina could sense that the carriage wasn’t coming.
“Let’s go into the village.”
Erina took Revil’s hand, remaining on alert as they entered the village. A noblewoman and a well-dressed child would easily become targets for crime in such a place. Not knowing who lived in this village made Erina anxious.
Worried that bringing Revil along might put him in danger, Erina gripped his hand tightly.
As they entered, a row of less than ten houses lined the streets on both sides.
“Oh my.”
Suddenly, a middle-aged woman appeared from the second house on the right and was surprised to see the two entering the village.
Erina instinctively flinched and looked toward her.
“What brings you to our village? Ah, are you with the group from that last house?”
“Excuse me, but the carriage we were expecting hasn’t arrived.”
“Oh dear.”
The middle-aged woman wiped her hands, which were wet from her apron, and walked toward Erina.
Her warm demeanor helped relax Erina, though she struggled to stay alert.
“I thought it might be one of the nobles who visits around this time. I assumed you were with them.”
It seemed a noble was known to travel through this village.
This was a fortunate turn of events.
If the carriage didn’t arrive, Erina could use the family name to ensure they returned together.
“Goodness, I can’t believe I left the food out like that. Oh, and I suppose you haven’t had dinner yet?”
With a bright smile, the kind middle-aged woman quickly spoke and, after a moment of thought, invited Erina and Revil into her home.
“I don’t have much prepared, but would you like to eat? I tend to make too much food.”
Erina hesitated for a moment.
The sudden invitation from a stranger, the sky growing darker, and seeing Revil nervously looking around, made Erina realize there was no time left to think.
“Then, excuse me, but may we stay for the night? I’ll make sure to offer a token of thanks.”
The middle-aged woman, who had been staring at Erina, smiled brightly and nodded.
“Yes, do so.”
“Honey! What’s taking you so long? Come inside!”
The door suddenly swung open, and a man, likely her husband, stepped out.
“Uh… uh.”
The middle-aged man, upon seeing Erina, seemed at a loss for words. His face flushed red, likely in shock from her striking appearance.
“This is unbelievable.”
The woman slapped her husband on the back and carefully and kindly led Erina and Revil into the house.
“Ugh! This woman is something else!”
“Ignore that man and let’s go inside. I was craving meat dishes today, so I must have been preparing to meet some distinguished guests.”
Ignoring the man, who was hopping around while being scolded, the middle-aged woman led the two inside the house and guided them to a small dining table that could seat just four people.
“Please, make yourselves comfortable.”
“Excuse me for a moment.”
After some hurried greetings and preparations, they all took their seats around the round table.
“Oh, I almost forgot. I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Susan.”
Through the steam rising from the food, Susan’s warm smile eased even Revil’s nervousness.
“I’m John.”
The man, who seemed to be her husband, introduced himself. Erina thought for a moment before replying.
“I’m Lina. Thank you so much for inviting us, especially on such short notice.”
Erina politely spoke without revealing her full name, and Susan and John nodded, urging them to eat.
“It looks like you came with your sibling.”
“Ah, yes, that’s right.”
Erina answered carefully, trying not to show her discomfort. Revil, picking up on her cue, focused on the meal.
“How did you end up in such a remote place?”
“I wanted to take my sibling out for a change of scenery, and we ended up here.”
In response to Susan’s question, Erina used the same excuse that Rose had in the original story.
“My goodness, this is quite the strange coincidence. What’s your name?”
Susan moved some food closer to Revil as she asked.
“…Bill.”
Revil, following Erina’s lead, dropped the first part of his name to hide his true identity.
Of course, no one here knew that Revil was an orphan, but Erina appreciated that Revil was acting carefully.
“Alright, Bill. Eat up.”
During the pleasant meal, both Erina and Revil relaxed, easing the tension in their shoulders and enjoying the food.
Though it was different from the extravagant and delicious meals they had at the count’s household, the simple and delicate dishes warmed both of their hearts.
Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door. The door opened, and someone entered.
“Susan, John.”
A deep, pleasant voice filled the room, and Erina was taken aback as a man appeared.
