Chapter 35

* * *

As soon as Doha hid in the blind spot, she had no choice but to tear through the last remaining scroll.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t escape the garbage dump with just one move.

‘This is nothing but a deception.’

They were none other than the assassins hired by the Empress.

Even if they didn’t possess special abilities, they were professionals who made a living out of this.

They were determined to pursue until confirming Damien’s death.

Doha glanced sideways.

Damien was clutching his stomach tightly, blood oozing from his lips as he chewed, risking reopening the magically cauterized wound if he moved too vigorously.

“This way.”

After scanning the surroundings and confirming nobody was around, Doha led him to a nearby building.

The skeletal remains of the building seemed abandoned, but at least the first floor was relatively intact.

“Here…”

Wiping the cold sweat trickling down his jawline with the back of his hand, Damien muttered.

“My hideout.”

Doha replied as she threw the artifact enchanted with illusion magic outside the building.

This would buy them some time to escape.

“I’ve always been curious, did you live here?”

“A garbage dump can be home.”

Doha shrugged, and Damien stared at her without much reaction.

“Ever heard of a bunny?”

“Yeah?”

“They call me that because I’m as fast as a rabbit.”

It seemed Bunny was quite a well-known figure in the garbage dump.

However, it was Damien’s first time seeing Bunny in person.

Bunny and Damien had no connection whatsoever.

They each possessed a pair of earrings that allowed them to contact each other at any time.

But it was only after Bunny became Doha that they developed a bond.

Human relationships are truly mysterious.

“It’s fortunate no one has discovered this place yet.”

No one has discovered it?

Damien scanned the scattered debris, traces of fire, and graffiti on the walls, scattered haphazardly around the area.

Even a cursory glance revealed traces of a group staying there.

But Doha, feeling behind the long bench-like chairs, suddenly grabbed the bottom and tore it apart.

With a thud, a long, thin metal rod emerged.

Doha shoved it into the gap in the tile floor and used it as a lever to pry open, revealing a ladder leading down and a long corridor stretching into darkness.

“Can we go down?”

“…”

An underground passage.

Those from the garbage dump also called this place the spider’s den.

While entrances were scattered around, the interior was so intricately tangled that finding an exit was difficult. And once you took a wrong turn, getting lost to the point of exhaustion, unable to escape until death, was not uncommon.

It resembled being trapped in a spider’s web, waiting for death like caught insects, thus earning its name.

“This spider’s den is your hideout?”

Damien, who grew up in the garbage dump, was well aware of its infamous reputation.

Doha nodded.

“Once you set foot in the underground passage, you won’t get caught.”

As Damien’s nervous gaze turned toward her, he suddenly jerked his head.

“…Footsteps. We have about a minute until they catch up.”

He heard that? And he could even estimate?

‘Oh, well, he’s from the royal family.’

The nobles were said to have exceptional physical abilities, often referred to as a race favored by the gods.

‘Then, was this kid the one who dealt with the assassin we saw at the pawnshop?’

Doha was inwardly surprised but realized it wasn’t the time for that and quickly climbed down the ladder, leading the way.

Following behind, Damien put the tiles back in place and followed her into the spider’s den.

“Oh.”

Suddenly, a drop of water fell from above, startling Doha as she looked up. It was sweat from Damien’s head.

“We’re almost at my hideout.”

Doha reassured him.

Without a word, he silently followed her down the ladder.

Doha meticulously retraced the path they needed to take in her mind.

“Right, then left next, right twice, then take the middle corridor and go left.”

How long had they been walking like this?

When they finally set foot in a familiar space, Doha turned around with a brighter tone.

“My lord…”

But at the same time, a sudden thud was heard.

“My lord!”

Doha urgently embraced the collapsed child.

“Ouch.”

No matter how mature her mind was, Doha, being physically young, stumbled and had no choice but to let him go.

Luckily, they were right at the hideout, so she somehow managed to drag him inside.

‘Oh… the wound burst again, as I thought.’

Doha examined Damien’s clothes, now stained red once more. The wound looked quite severe.

‘Since there’s an artifact, it should cauterize again, but…’

Whether the wound would heal or if he would die depended entirely on him.

‘But I’ve certainly drawn out his lifeline.’

Drawing it wouldn’t suddenly extend a person’s lifespan.

If that were possible, everyone would have undergone a life-extension surgery.

What mattered was the will to survive.

‘And the will to save.’

It was Doha who had recklessly lifted the seemingly lifeless child.

If so, she had to take responsibility. To safely leave the garbage dump and secure a place in the palace.

Doha retrieved clean cloth from a box Bunny had hidden in the hideout. She tore it into long strips and wrapped it tightly around the child’s abdomen like a bandage.

‘But first, we need to fetch some water.’

Doha stood up.

Without hesitation, she navigated through the maze known as the spider’s den.

* * *

Bunny had disappeared.

News of her disappearance came after Bunny had moved to another territory with the wandering sorcerer, Muto.

“It seems you made contact with the wandering sorcerer staying in that territory. Unfortunately, what happened afterward is a mystery.”

Senior sorcerer Antonio had no choice but to convey all this news to Angelus.

Due to Muto’s evasion tactics, it was even more challenging to estimate their location.

To track them using magic required the presence of a mage imbued with the spell.

Of course, it was possible to track even without the mage, but it would take at least a day or two.

“The child left the castle and disappeared with the sorcerer?”

“Yes. He wanted to give a special gift to Young Master..”

A special gift.

‘Brother! Look forward to your birthday gift!’

Angelus froze in place.

The nightmare that had been creeping up on him every night had returned to reality.

The documents he had to deal with today were ruthlessly crumpled in his grasp.

He hurriedly got up, but stumbled and grabbed onto the desk.

The papers on the desk scattered like autumn leaves falling from a tree, floating aimlessly in the air before cluttering the floor.

Angelus rushed out of the room without a second thought.

No, he almost did.

There was a belated thought.

“The bracelet…”

“Yes?”

“She have an artifact I gave as a gift. Tell the mage with the tracking spell to come immediately and track them down.”

“Oh, that’s…”

Antonio’s words trailed off.

“In fact, I’ve already tracked it down. I assumed my lady, would naturally have the artifact with her, so without any suspicion, I sent her…”

“Tracked it down, you say?”

At that moment, Angelus abruptly stopped in his tracks. Then, he swiftly turned around and seized the magician by the collar.

“But why haven’t you found her yet?”

His expression was as if blood was rushing to the top of his head.

He had given the bracelet to prevent exactly this!

“Well, when I traced the location of the bracelet, it was in Lady’s drawer.”

What?

The hand gripping his collar went limp.

As Angelus stood there momentarily speechless and stunned, Antonio quickly rummaged through his belongings and produced the bracelet and a letter found in Ophelia’s room.

“…”

The letter was neatly addressed to Ophelia Kredel.

With trembling fingertips, he roughly broke the seal of the letter.

[I return this item to you as it’s too much for me. Please keep it safe until the true owner of this bracelet returns. Please hand it over personally.]

Following that were words urging not to harass the magician, stating it was an act done unknowingly.

However, Angelus couldn’t tear his gaze away from the words the true owner of this bracelet.

She was drawing a clear line.

[Don’t do this to me, take care of your real sister, Ophelia.]