Episode 4
‘But that’s the land of monsters… I heard you can hear them crying at night.’
Kyria was thinking this when—
“Noona.”
“Mm?”
“The bluebird came again.”
“Ugh.”
Unlike her little brother, who pointed excitedly at the window, Kyria made a face like she had bitten into something sour.
Reluctantly, she opened the window. A bird with bright blue feathers circled the room once before landing on her arm.
Then it puffed its throat and spat out a thick envelope.
“Ahaha.”
Lian laughed, finding it amusing, and picked up the letter.
There wasn’t a single stain or trace of spit on it.
Although it looked alive, the bird was actually a magic tool. No matter where the contract holder was, it would always deliver letters.
Very few nobles could even afford to own one.
“To Lady Medeia… from the Forester. It’s him again.”
Lian read the name on the envelope and handed it over.
“Shh. Lian, I told you that name is a secret.”
When Kyria put her finger to her lips, Lian copied her in a fluster.
Kyria opened the envelope and groaned.
“Six pages this time?!”
He sent letters once every two weeks, and they averaged five pages.
She already had too many problems, why was he adding to them?
“Well… let’s see what it is this time.”
She sighed and began reading.
The handwriting was, as always, neat and proper.
[To Lady Medeia.
…Do you ever find yourself unable to sleep at night? Because of bad memories, worries about the future, or unpleasant animal cries in the dark? Deer or rabbits, for example.
The animals in the forests I manage are fiercer than those in the South, and they ruin the night’s peace.
At such times I… (etc.) ]
“…..”
How could deer and rabbits possibly be fierce and unpleasant? She couldn’t even imagine it.
‘I’m not replying this time.’
Two letters from him, one reply from her—that was their unspoken rule.
Still, even while making a fed-up face, Kyria read on carefully. Lian tilted his head, curious.
“Noona. Who exactly is this Forester guy?”
“Well, he’s….”
As she folded the letter, she searched for the right word.
Someone who always craved attention like this… What was the word again?
Oh, right.
“A clout-chaser.”
“Clout-chaser?”
“Yeah. Someone who acts flashy just to get other people’s attention.”
“…So he’s trying to get your attention?”
“99.9% sure.”
“…..”
Suddenly Lian glared at the Forester’s letter with burning eyes.
“Let’s tear it up, noona.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s bothering you.”
“No. I don’t want that. It’s still a fan’s letter.”
The Forester was Medeia’s first ever fan.
He was a nuisance now, but back then, when she was struggling, his letters had given her so much strength.
Medeia, the poison herb specialist.
From the moment Kyria decided to research poisonous plants, she hid her true identity.
Instead, she acted freely under her second name: Medeia.
She felt sorry to the Count, who had silently funded all her tuition and research costs, but there was no other choice.
‘If they found out I studied poison herbs, I’d probably be stuck as some poor child-bride or a nun by now.’
No one wanted a woman who researched poisons as a bride.
After all, in the Empire, poisons were only ever used for bad purposes.
But Kyria thought differently.
‘Poisons can be medicine too!’
Through Lian’s case, she had already confirmed it was possible. So under the name Medeia, she continued her research.
She regularly published her findings in the Empire’s most popular magazine, From Cradle to Grave.
Every issue, the “Readers’ Opinions” section and letters to the publisher were full of vicious insults.
In her old-world words, they were “hate comments.”
Since she was using a pen name, it didn’t hurt much.
In fact, the magazine gave her special treatment, saying, “Thanks to you, sales are up.”
‘Even if it didn’t feel good to read, though.’
Then one day, she received a polite three-page letter that shocked her.
It explained how valuable her research was, and how helpful it had been to him.
And at the end, there was this postscript:
[Don’t be hurt by people who criticize before they even try to understand. Your research has great value.
Please don’t give up.
I will always be on your side.
With respect,
The Forester.]
More than anything else, those last lines made her cry without even realizing.
It was exactly what she had wanted to hear the most.
Out of gratitude, she wrote him a careful reply. Then another letter came back.
And so began their correspondence.
But gratitude only went so far.
He wrote so often, and always five pages at minimum. For someone whose life was “research, eat, toilet, research,” writing replies became too hard.
She had nothing left to say!
With blood and tears, she forced out three pages, but eventually gave up.
That’s how her replies became short, blunt, and “cool.”
The Forester didn’t mind.
Even a short reply made him happy.
‘He must be really lonely….’
And so, this exchange had gone on for nearly a year.
“But noona.”
“Mm?”
“The Forester often mentions the North. Does that mean he lives there?”
“Hmm… maybe?”
The North.
The land ruled by the Monster Duke.
Part of his body had turned into that of a monster. No priest or medicine could restore it.
So along with the swarming monsters, his very name had become a source of fear.
“No wonder he knows all these strange things.”
“What do you mean?”
Lian showed a small plant he had found inside the envelope.
“This was tucked inside.”
“Huh?”
It was a small flower with black petals and purple spots.
Looking back at the letter, Kyria saw an extra note pushed to the back page.
[I found this flower by chance. It looks poisonous, so I thought it might help your research. I put a preservation spell on it, so it shouldn’t wither.]
He cast a preservation spell on a single flower?
‘Is the job of Forester really that profitable?’
Impossible. He must be a nobleman, or some nouveau riche.
“What kind of flower is it?” Lian asked.
“Uuuhm… well….”
She hated to admit it, but—
“I’ve never seen it before.”
That hurt her pride as Medeia.
Lian’s eyes went wide—he had never heard his sister say such a thing.
“Wow. So the North really has a lot of unusual things.”
‘The North….’
Kyria studied the flower carefully.
Since the Demon Realm’s gate had closed, strange new plants had appeared there along with the monsters.
Most were poisonous and useless.
‘If I really want to study poisons properly, I have to go North. But… what if Lian’s illness gets worse while I’m gone?’
Like others, Kyria feared monsters.
She couldn’t wield a sword or use magic, which made it even worse.
But the biggest reason she hesitated was Lian.
Medusa’s disease would stay quiet, then suddenly speed up into petrification.
What if that happened while she was away?
On top of that, the Count was tying her down.
When it came to money, he was merciless. This time, he really intended to wring every gold coin out of her.
‘There must be another way….’
She was thinking that as she absentmindedly smelled the flower’s fragrance—
Thud.
Kyria collapsed unconscious on her bed.
Kyria dreamed.
In the dream, she had become a Viscount’s wife.
It had been a long time since she last visited Lian. Her husband had gone North on business, so she came while he was away.
They said expensive resources were being found in the barren North.
When she mentioned that, Lian, sitting weakly on the bed, smiled faintly.
The petrification had already reached his chest.
“I wanted to go to the North too… to become a knight….”
“You’ll be able to. Next time, I’ll ask if we can go together. But for now, take this medicine. I just made it.”
She pulled out a vial and looked at him—
“Lian!!”
His face was turning to stone.
The petrification reached his heart, and in the blink of an eye, his whole body turned into rock.
“No, no!!”
Kyria screamed and cried, flailing her arms.
“Lian! Please! No!!”
“Noona!”
“Lian!!”
“Noona! Kyria noona!”
Gasp—
At his voice, Kyria’s eyes flew open.
She was clinging to Lian, her face covered with tears and snot.
“Noona, you fainted and then started crying. What happened?”
“No… uh, nothing….”
She quickly wiped her face, trying to reassure him.
She didn’t know what the dream meant, but it had felt too real.
Maybe it was a prophetic dream, maybe not.
But one thing was certain—she never wanted it to happen.
The flower was gone from her hand.
But that didn’t matter.
She had finally made up her mind.
Bang!
The Count’s office door burst open.
It was Kyria.
“I’ve decided.”
“Hm?”
The Count, who had been writing a marriage proposal letter to a toad-faced Viscount, looked up calmly.
“Well then, tell me.”
“I’ll repay the 400 million gold.”
“…You will?”
The Count blinked in surprise.
Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“You’re not just stalling for time, are you? If so, I won’t accept it.”
“Give me one year.”
“…Did you not hear what I just said?”
Ignoring his disbelief, Kyria slammed both hands down on his desk.
Bang!
For a moment, the Count’s shoulders flinched.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Kyria’s expression looked scarier than usual.
“I have a plan. Give me one year, and I’ll bring you back more than 400 million gold.”
