I stared blankly at the men who had suddenly appeared and were saying ridiculous things.
Such individuals were not unfamiliar.
'Wherever you go, there's always someone like this.'
'You're young, so if you beg, they'll give you more food! Get lost!'
On that icy street, they mercilessly used violence to steal even the little I had.
"Didn't you hear me? If you don't want to die, hand over everything you have!"
I suddenly chuckled at the situation.
Even a place as vibrant and lively as this had its darkness.
That fact was somehow reassuring.
To be honest, I didn't want to make a big deal out of it if I could help it...
'I have no choice. I don't have much time left.'
Marin must be waiting for me anxiously.
If the magic wears off before I arrive, that would be disastrous.
'I'm glad I brought this just in case.'
Instead of answering, I rummaged through my bag.
Misunderstanding my actions, the man shouted.
"Don't pick and choose, just throw the whole thing over!"
"I'll kill you if you try anything funny."
It was then that they held a knife to me.
Ah.
'This will do.'
I took out a flower from my bag.
To be precise, it was a fake flower.
"What is it? Are you asking us to buy you a flower?"
"Or are you giving us a flower and begging us to spare you?"
"Puhaha, what a funny girl. Take off your hood, let's see your face and decide!"
The thugs, unaware of the flower's true nature, simply chuckled and mocked me.
'That's not it.'
This is a magic tool.
And a pretty powerful one at that, that paralyzes the body for a while when you touch the pollen.
My plan was to escape while the men were paralyzed and unable to move.
However, this magic tool has a range limit, so I silently waited for the men to approach.
Thinking they were being ignored by my lack of response, the men approached with angry faces.
"You wanna die so bad- Ugh!"
...?
The man who was approaching menacingly suddenly screamed and fell forward.
"Wh, what!!"
The second man, flustered by the sudden situation, wildly swung his weapon in the air.
What on earth is happening?
"Which little rat is it! If you don't come out right now, I'll kill you-"
"Little rat? Where do you see a rat as handsome as me?"
Someone was walking towards us from across the alley.
Soon, he revealed himself beneath the sunset.
With hair as red as the setting sun...
"Ugh, you wanna die?"
"Did you do this to the leader?"
"Huh? Was that guy the leader? He's too scrawny to be a leader, isn't he? What kind of leader falls down from getting hit by a pebble?"
As if to prove he wasn't lying, he bounced a stone on the back of his hand.
"How dare you...!"
The second thug exploded with anger and rushed towards him.
"Die!!"
"Dying is."
The red-haired man grinned and pointed at the thug.
"You."
The man who had been rolling the stone dropped it and shifted his stance.
I blankly watched his fluid movements.
In the blink of an eye, the man twisted his stance and grabbed the approaching thug's wrist and forearm.
He twisted it.
"Aaaargh!"
"Ugh, you're loud. You should just sleep it off."
And then he threw him to the ground!
Thud!
"Cough..."
The thug, who had slammed into the ground with his entire body, coughed up blood and then lost consciousness.
While I was dumbfounded by what had happened so quickly, the man's head turned this way.
At that moment, the last remaining thug moved.
Towards me.
"D, don't move!"
He suddenly restrained me from behind and put a knife to my throat.
The sunset reflected off the sharp blade.
"If you come closer, this woman..."
But the man couldn't finish his sentence.
Thump.
The man suddenly collapsed, his arms and legs twitching slightly.
Ah, right.
"Magic tool..."
It had activated without me even realizing it and paralyzed the man.
I looked at the thug who had fallen at my feet with a bewildered expression, then slowly raised my head.
By then.
"I knew it."
The red-haired man, who had already come right up to me, pushed back my hood.
He made eye contact with me and grinned.
"You know me, right?"
"..."
I couldn't even swallow.
Who on earth is this man...?
'Who is he?'
"At first, I was a little unsure, but the more I thought about it, the more familiar you looked. I followed you to confirm...".
"..."
"I think I know. You were one of my students, right?"
'Student?'
The moment I heard those words, everything clicked into place and my head grew cold.
'The Darkmoon Guild.'
The place where Marin survived.
"You were supposed to be disposed of, but you escaped."
"..."
"But to meet you in a place like this. What an incredible coincidence. Or is it fate?"
The man was speaking as if he was genuinely pleased, but I wasn't stupid enough not to know that wasn't the case.
"Now that I've found you, what should I do..."
He was contemplating what to do with me - Marin.
Gritting.
For some reason, my teeth were grinding. And at the same time, I was relieved that it wasn't the real Marin who had run into this man, but me.
"First, I'll take you back to headquarters, Ugh?"
"You can't let your guard down."
I stabbed the poison needle hidden inside the flower into his stomach.
The needle was so small and thin that it couldn't cause a deep wound, but the important thing was its effect.
Like the paralysis effect of the magic tool, it was a poison that would temporarily paralyze the limbs.
"I don't know who you're mistaking me for, but you've got the wrong person."
"Ugh. This..."
"Thank you for your help. But I'm a little busy right now."
I took a step back.
Fortunately, the poison seemed to be working well, and the man's knees buckled.
I immediately pressed down my hood and bowed my head towards him.
"The paralysis will wear off in 10 minutes. There will be no aftereffects. Goodbye."
I immediately ran past him.
Fearing that he might follow, I ran at full speed.
I crossed the still bustling plaza and climbed onto the Lordbell carriage waiting at the carriage rental station.
"Please leave quickly!"
The coachman was flustered by my urgent appearance, but quickly set the carriage in motion.
As I watched the center of the capital grow farther away, I took a deep breath.
Still, I felt uneasy about Marin's appearance being exposed.
To think I'd run into a member of the Darkmoon Guild in a place like that.
'As long as Marin is by my side, I won't meet him again, but...'
Still, I should probably give Marin a heads-up, just in case.
After calming my startled heart to some extent, I looked inside the bag.
A very old book at first glance.
Looking at that book made me smile for no reason.
This book will create a new relationship for me.
"I want to meet you soon, Cherish."
What kind of child will she be? Will she look just like Aen?
I idly imagined and closed my eyes for a moment.
As I fell into slumber, I smiled.
For some reason, I had a feeling I was going to have a pleasant dream.
I was standing on ruins.
It was land that had been stripped of all life, as if a disaster had passed through it.
Blackened earth. Collapsed buildings. People buried beneath them.
In the silence where not even a breath remained, I, or rather he, was there.
"How could there be a child in a place like this..."
Startled, I turned to where the voice came from.
A familiar voice...
'...Aen?'
Aen, clad in bloodstained armor, approached me with a dazed expression.
And knelt down in front of me.
Tears streaming down his face as he looked at me, or rather, at something in front of me.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."
"..."
"Will you, come with me?"
He extends his hand.
I blankly looked in the direction Aen's hand was pointing.
And there-
"Hah!"
"Oops."
When I opened my eyes wide, there was the coachman with a surprised expression.
Hah, hah...
As I gasped for breath and stared blankly, he said urgently.
"Ah, it seemed like you were having a nightmare, so I tried to wake you up...!"
Nightmare? Was it a nightmare?
'It felt similar but different...'
What on earth was that dream just now?
It was too intense, and just as strange a dream.
Aen was crying and reaching out to someone.
Who was that... someone?
My thoughts didn't continue any further.
I returned to reality for now.
I looked out the window and asked.
"Have we arrived?"
"Yes, we just arrived."
"Thank you."
I hurriedly got out of the carriage.
And immediately ran inside.
I was about to head straight to my room, but I stopped in front of the window pane and neatly tidied up my clothes.
Then I went back to my room.
After casually greeting the knights, I knocked on the door.
"Milady, it's me. Marin."
"Co, come in."
I heard a voice from inside.
I naturally opened the door and went inside.
The moment the door closed and the knights' gazes were blocked.
"Milady...!!"
Marin, who looked like me, jumped out of bed.
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