Chapter 7

She threw herself over the cliff.

Even the wind brushing past her felt like pain.

While falling, she quickly took a pill made from a dyed potion and put it in her mouth.

Now, everything depended on luck.

“Farm… this damn… ugh. The subspace…”

At that moment—

Calling subspace “Farm.”

She thought she heard the sound of flowing water as her consciousness faded.

Then everything went black.

It was a beautiful dream.

She was running across a green hill, full of fresh grass.

Even though she ran fast, she didn’t feel tired.

It was like she had wings on her legs.

Far ahead, there was a tall mountain. Birds flew through the huge trees.

Clouds floated around the mountain’s middle. Maybe a god or spirit lived there?

As she turned around, something grabbed her ankle.

—This is not where you should be.

A loud sound rang in her head.

Suddenly, her body became heavy, as if being pushed down.

She was being pulled into darkness.

“No…!”

“Ah, you’re finally awake?”

Suddenly, she could hear again.

A soft herbal smell and warm air surrounded her.

Her throat hurt badly. She coughed, and someone placed a water bowl to her lips. She drank it quickly.

“You’ve been asleep for three days. You had frostbite, cuts, torn skin, were coughing blood, and had a terrible fever. I really thought you were going to die. I even put a splint on your ankle.”

The woman who gave her the water seemed kind and middle-aged.

She didn’t understand what was going on. Where was this place?

“This is a clinic. I’m the doctor here. My name is Maria.”

It was like Maria read her mind.

The first feeling she had was relief.

She had survived. She had finally escaped that cabin.

Her heart beat so fast with excitement.

But then came an even bigger surprise.

“You were found by the river in the south of the Grand Duchy.”

What?

“…The Grand Duchy?”

“Yes, the Duchy of Wintergarten.”

Her eyes widened. She pulled her cheek to check if this was a dream—it hurt.

“This is really Wintergarten?”

“Of course.”

She had arrived at her destination while unconscious!

She was happy but also felt a bit strange.

As she tried to sit up—

“Cough, ugh…”

Blood came out again. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve and smelled blood. She wasn’t fully detoxed yet.

She reached into her bag and pretended to search for something.

Then she took out a potion from her inventory.

A small golden light swirled in the center of the potion. She drank it quickly. Her body began to calm.

Suddenly, everything became quiet.

Maria had stopped moving. That’s why it felt strange.

When she looked at her, Maria screamed,

“Is… is that what I think it is—?!”

Maria’s eyes were wide with shock.

Oh, right. Her potions had been banned for two years. Could even using them be illegal?

“Ah, I bought it a long time ago—”

“Potion! Where did you get that? Around here? It’s so rare now. And it looks like a real one!”

Maria’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

She stepped back nervously, but Maria came closer.

Violetta handed her the bottle and asked carefully,

“You mean there are rumors?”

“Yes. People say it’s related to black magic or has side effects… things like that. Where did you find this?”

“…Black magic?”

She asked casually, but her heart dropped.

Black magic?

Her power—her skill—couldn’t be from something evil.

Even the kingdom that abandoned her never said her potions were black magic. This was a huge insult.

“Who said that?”

“Well… there were rumors in the kingdom and some cases, too.”

Maria quickly hid the potion in a drawer like she had done it before.

“And most of all, the Grand Duke’s doctor, Sir Tinte, said—”

She was about to explain more when—

Bang bang bang!

Someone pounded loudly on the clinic’s door.

“Maria! Something terrible happened!”

Maria stood up, surprised.

Violetta was dying to know what Maria was about to say, but the person outside sounded too urgent.

Maria rushed to the door.

“What is it?”

“There’s a huge fire at Maline’s forge!”

“What?!”

“We don’t have enough people. The fire is spreading. We need a doctor, please hurry!”

For a second, Violetta thought, Why would a forge catch fire? But the panic on Maria’s face wiped that thought away.

“I-I have to go now. Miss, can you rest here? I’ve finished the emergency treatment, so you should be okay.”

The man at the door looked desperate. She could even smell the burning air he brought in.

Violetta checked her body again. She was still weak, but she could move.

She stood up.

“…I’ll go with you. You said you’re short on hands, right?”

“What?”

“I’ll help however I can.”

“No, you’re still a patient!”

“Call me Rita. And… I don’t have money to pay for treatment. I’ll do whatever I can to help.”

They argued a little, but of course Violetta won. The situation was too urgent.

Maria gave her thick clothes and a robe, still worried. Violetta gave a thumbs up.

She also borrowed a scarf to hide her face.

“Maria, hurry!”

Maria ran outside with the villager.

Violetta followed behind, looking around.

Old houses, bare winter trees, magic streetlights turning on. Evening was beginning.

Finding the fire was easy. A big black smoke cloud was visible, and everyone was running toward it.

The smell of smoke grew stronger. People were screaming.

“Ahhh! Father! Please wake up, please!”

“Is there a doctor?! My wife is not breathing!”

“Maria! Over here! He’s not breathing!”

Despair hung as heavy as the smoke.

Maria, sweating and tense, ran around treating people.

Some other doctors in white clothes and belts were there, but not enough.

“Help! Help here too! Ahhh! Celine!”

Someone grabbed Violetta’s hand and pulled her. They just grabbed the nearest person in need.

The woman pulling her was crying and running after a stretcher.

Violetta followed.

A doctor barked orders at people.

“Wet soft cloth with cyan juice. Hurry!”

“Celine! Stay awake! Don’t pass out!”

Celine was a young girl, maybe fifteen. She had blisters and serious burns—probably second-degree, maybe worse.

“Huff… it hurts, it hurts…”

“Celine! Please!”

Violetta bit her lip.

Her stomach still felt queasy. Her ankle throbbed.

And then—her mood turned very dark.

Is this really… the end?

Why are you saying that?

I just… wanted to live… a little longer…

Don’t say that. You’re not dying.

A memory from her deep past surfaced again.

Let me know when you’re ready for Chapter 8!