DSMBL Chapter 98

Chapter 98

I closed my eyes tightly and opened them again—Stephanie was suddenly hugging me tightly.
“Human, are you okay?”
Cough cough.

This time, Theo hugged me from the other side. It felt unreal that we had just been trapped under a collapsed building.

I had really thought we might die. The ground beneath us kept falling apart, and the debris above our heads was ready to collapse at any moment. Just a small shift and we could’ve been crushed.

I had wished that even if I died, Theo and Stephanie would survive. If Stephanie hadn’t acted, I might have truly been ready to sacrifice myself.

“I’ll take care of it! I can do it!”

The child who had smiled brightly with sparkling eyes actually did solve everything. Stephanie cleared away the falling debris above us and built a strong support to hold it in place.

She did what even an adult man might not have been able to do—and she did it easily.

Then, she created a safe space for people to escape and flew Theo and me out of there right away.

The cheers that were shouted toward us still echoed in my ears.

“I’m not okay… stop squeezing me so much.”

If it weren’t for my fear of heights, it would’ve been perfect. Flying through the air from such a height almost gave me a heart attack.

“Thank you, Stephanie. You did amazing. You saved everyone.”

Stephanie smiled proudly.
“I’m great. I’m a mighty dragon and protector of this land! Of course, I had to do it. My mother dragon said so—Stephanie stayed on this earth because she had a mission!”

I patted Stephanie’s head. I wondered—what would’ve happened if she hadn’t been there in that terrifying moment?

“Exactly. Our Stephanie is the coolest.”
“Coolest?”
“Yeah, you’re really cool. You’re the best!”
“Stephanie is the best!”

Theo shouted after me. The kids laughed while still hugging me.

While we were all laughing and rolling around, we suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves.

“Charlotte!”

It was Cassius. I jumped up in surprise at the sound of his broken voice. He was running toward us, his face pale.

Cassius jumped off his horse and fell to his knees in front of us.

“Cassius?”
“…You’re safe, right?”

His voice trembled, which was very unlike him. The greenery near the castle cast a shadow over him. Cassius cupped my cheek and stared at me for a long time before slowly sighing.

“…You’re really safe, right?”
“Of course. We’re all okay. You wouldn’t believe how amazing our Stephanie was. Right?”
“That’s right! Stephanie is super cool!”

Stephanie stood proudly, hands on her hips, and belly sticking out. She was full of confidence.

Cassius stared at her with trembling eyes. He must’ve been so scared.

I gently took his hand.
“…Yes. You did great, Stephanie.”

Cassius said in a choked-up voice.
“You saved Istheria. You saved the people.”

Sometimes, small connections we think mean nothing turn into great power. Just like this.

What if we hadn’t gone to the river that day? What if we had insisted on not letting Theo raise Stephanie?

But we didn’t. All those little chances came together to become destiny.

“Thank you so much, Stephanie.”
“Of course! Stephanie is a hero!”

Stephanie hugged Cassius around the neck without hesitation. She panted softly in his arms.

“Don’t be afraid. Stephanie will protect you! Stephanie protects weak humans!”

Cassius hugged her tightly in return.

“But what happened all of a sudden? Were there many people hurt? Do we know what’s going on yet?”

“Rescue work is going on. Many people have died or been injured,” said Cassius with a bitter smile.

“As for what’s happening… maybe it’s a sign that the time is coming,” he added, looking out toward the forest.

I understood right away what he meant. A true disaster is approaching this land. The world has prepared people like Stephanie, Cassius, and countless knights for this moment.

The snowfolk had joined hands with us, and Istheria was preparing to fight them.

And now… they were coming.

My heart grew cold. One day, we would look back and feel like today’s disaster was nothing in comparison.

“Don’t worry! I’ll protect everyone!” Stephanie burst out laughing cheerfully.

“Yeah! Stephanie is super cool! Stephanie is really strong! She’ll protect us!” Theo added with a grin.

The children’s laughter lightened the mood. We sat on the grass for a while, quietly taking in the moment.

Eventually, people rushed out from the castle and spotted us.

“Duke! Duchess! You’re safe!”

We returned to the castle, greeted with sincere relief. Thankfully, no one had died or been seriously hurt today. That alone was a blessing.

***

After returning to the castle and settling down a bit, Rubella and Selua told me what had happened during our absence.

“…Lorencia’s been locked up, and Janice is missing?”

“Yes! No one’s saying what happened, but the atmosphere is really tense. Apparently, she was in the Duke’s office just before the earthquake.”

So Lorencia had finally done something wrong. My fingers went cold. If Janice and Lorencia were working together and had something to do with the earthquake…

Maybe Janice sensed the danger and escaped, while Lorencia was caught.

Yes. To close the monster gate, both Janice and Lorencia are needed. What was once a guess now felt like a certainty.

“I need to talk to Cassius.”

“To the Duke? But you should rest more. The doctor said you absolutely need to recover…”

“There’s no time for that. I need to meet with Cassius and also contact the noble ladies to help with the aid work. There are things I must do as the Duchess.”

“The Duchess…” Rubella repeated quietly.

“Rubella, while Selua and I are gone, please take care of the castle. Talk to the head maid and manage things. And if Janice shows up, make sure she’s caught immediately.”

“Yes, Duchess!”

I gave Rubella a quick hug and left the room. Stephanie and Theo had already eaten and received treatment, and were now fast asleep. Thankfully, their nanny was taking great care of them.

Cassius was in the training yard, talking seriously with some knights. Though his expression was grave, I couldn’t wait. I called out to him.

“Cassius!”

“Charlotte? You’re up already… why aren’t you resting?”

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Without hesitation, Cassius walked over and dismissed the others. In a low voice, I asked:

“I heard Lorencia has been imprisoned. Does it have anything to do with the earthquake… or the monster gate?”

“You were suspecting something too?”

“A little. I had a feeling, but no proof… so I didn’t say anything.”

I couldn’t tell him everything about why I suspected it—it wasn’t something I could explain. But Cassius accepted it anyway.

“I see. I also started suspecting something. Lorencia’s eyes turned completely red.”

“…Her eyes?”

“I haven’t been able to confirm anything about Janice. She disappeared, and we haven’t been able to find her. Right now, we don’t even have enough people to spare for the search.”

“I’ve been thinking… if Lorencia and Janice are connected to opening the gate, maybe they can close it too?”

I was sure of this—because that’s what happened in the original novel.

Cassius nodded seriously.

“I’ve considered that possibility too. That’s why we’re trying to find Janice.”

“Okay. If you find her, please let me know too.”

“I will.”

“Oh, and I’m heading out now to meet the noble ladies. I’m sure there’s something I can do to help.”

“Charlotte, I wish you would stay here…”

“But I’m the Duchess.”

I gently pushed his hand away.

“I’m also the lady of the North and a citizen of Istheria. So please let me do what I can.”

Cassius stared at me for a while, then sighed deeply. It was his silent way of giving permission.