Chapter 67
When they quickly pursued and arrived at Alexia Village, contrary to expectations, they couldn’t find a single strand of hair from the Kennys.
They searched every inn in the village and showed the innkeepers the wanted posters with the faces of the Kennys, but they couldn’t obtain any useful information. The only conclusion that could be drawn was that the Kennys hadn’t stayed in Alexia Village and had headed straight for the cliff.
“Edwin, stay in the village and search it once more, then follow us. The rest of us will head straight for the cliff!”
If they had already passed the cliff path, the area that needed to be searched would expand greatly. With the current number of people, finding them would be difficult. They could only hope that the Kennys, unaware of the wanted notice, would continue toward the capital and be caught by the guards. Charlotte gripped the reins tightly.
Why had she acted so foolishly? If she had at least once investigated their background before sending Aria, this wouldn’t have happened! No matter how much she tried to focus on the present, guilt kept creeping up. Every blink brought a sharp sting to her eyes.
“Milady.”
“……”
“Who wouldn’t be deceived when someone deliberately lies to them?”
“…If something happens to Aria, I don’t think I could ever forgive myself.”
“The Kennys showed you a false ideal. The ideal that Aria, whom you cherish so much, could grow up happily in a good home. This is not your fault.”
Whether it was because Ash’s comfort felt warm or because she worried something might happen to Aria, tears blurred her vision. Still, she knew crying wouldn’t change anything. Now was the time to focus on resolving the current situation rather than dwelling on past mistakes.
Charlotte wiped her cheek with her sleeve. She forced her hair together, tearing the hem of her skirt to tie it into a single bundle.
As soon as they left Alexia Village, the forest became thick enough that branches and leaves brushed against their faces, and the path narrowed significantly. Thick roots jutted from the ground like traps, but a single kick from the white horse shattered them.
They could have turned back, but it would have taken too long to reach the cliff. Even if the Kennys had already passed, they had to chase them as far as possible. Dozens of scouts ran along the narrow, dangerous path until the scenery suddenly opened up.
A sheer cliff stretched out before them, so high that falling would mean certain death. Now Charlotte could understand why it was difficult to pass at night. The path wasn’t as narrow as the forest trail, but one wrong step could be fatal.
Charlotte swallowed hard, doing her best not to look down. Pedro gave a sharp tug on the reins to match Ash’s pace, handed him a crossbow, and fell back. Ash lowered his reins and skillfully handled the weapon.
Charlotte felt dizzy realizing she was the one controlling the horse from such a height—but then she grasped something even more dangerous. Ash handed her the crossbow he had been preparing. Her face paled even more than when she held only the reins.
“Milady, just in case, take this.”
“…Why give me the crossbow? Isn’t it for you, Duke?”
It was surprisingly large for a crossbow, and it had three latches for loading bolts.
“Do you know how to use it?”
“My father taught me, but I’ve never actually used it.”
“Good that you know. I’ll give you a pouch of bolts for your belt. The black bolts on your right contain gunpowder. When fired, they explode like bombs, so be careful. The silver bolts are normal. And there’s a dagger on your left. Let’s try loading one.”
Charlotte focused herself. Yes, her father had shown her the crossbow… though she could barely remember the sequence of loading and firing in seconds. She only recalled the arrow striking the very center of a wooden target and shattering it. Shaking her head, she recalled the steps she learned as a child.
‘Like this…’
Luckily, she mostly remembered. With a click, she fixed and loaded an arrow.
“I will protect you as safely as possible, but in an emergency, you may need to defend yourself.”
Charlotte nodded, gripping the crossbow tightly. She had prepared herself for this. She would save Aria herself. With these hands that had given Aria to demons, she would take her back.
After running halfway along the cliff path, Alexia Village looked like a tiny dot. Charlotte inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. Her white breath drifted across her cheeks into the air.
Dawn was approaching, the first light slowly emerging from the horizon. Beautiful… she wished she could see this scenery with Aria.
Just as a sigh escaped, she almost fell forward. Ash had tugged sharply on the reins. Startled, she looked up at him. His gaze was fixed straight ahead.
Following his eyes, Charlotte slowly turned her head. Then she faintly heard a sound.
‘…Screams?’
As soon as she realized the screams came from a man and woman, she swung the reins before Ash could react. The cliff path twisted sharply at nearly a 70° angle, and the screams came from the inner side, growing louder as they approached.
She had assumed the Kennys had passed along this path, but perhaps not. Or maybe it was someone else. No one passed the cliff at night, she reminded herself.
“Ugh, aaah! Aaaah!”
Turning the corner, an unbelievable scene unfolded before Ash and Charlotte. The first thing they saw was the Kennys, dressed in finery but torn to rags, terrified. Surrounding them were black wolves… Charlotte’s face turned pale, her heart dropping.
Even though no one had spoken their identity, Ash and the other snow mountain scouts drew their swords tensely. Charlotte released the reins and gripped the crossbow with both hands.
‘Why are monsters here?’
Although monster sightings had increased, she hadn’t expected to encounter dozens on a cliff path far from the north.
Even though Ash and the scouts were accustomed to fighting monsters, could they handle so many? Her hands trembled—not from fear of the monsters, but from something else.
The Kennys were about to fall off the cliff under the threat of the monsters.
Then, where was Aria…?
“…So this must be what Cassandra meant.”
While Ash muttered this, Edwin, having finished searching the village, arrived and froze at the sight of the monsters.
“Duke, why are there monsters here…?”
“Do you remember Cassandra’s prophecy? That dozens of monsters would attack the carriage of the nobles? This is what she meant.”
“But didn’t she say the forest? We searched the forest area periodically… Ah, no way…”
Events in Cassandra’s prophecies always came true. But the exact location wasn’t always precise. Still, they mostly occurred nearby, so deviations weren’t an issue. Edwin looked back at the forest near Alexia Village they had just passed.
It must be the forest Cassandra saw. But still… the cliff!
The environment was extremely disadvantageous. Ash whispered quietly, likely thinking the same.
“There are too many. It’s too difficult to fight them all at once. And since it’s a cliff, one wrong move could mean total annihilation. We need to lure them. At least in an open area or forest.”
“And what about the Kennys? They might fall or be bitten to death—either way.”
They couldn’t decide on the Kennys immediately. Like Charlotte searching for Aria, Ash was dealing with monsters while also looking for Aria. But seeing her absence, he turned his attention to the Kennys. They had stayed with Aria, so capturing them alive was crucial to determine Aria’s location.
“Duke.”
There wasn’t much time. They had to figure out how to capture the Kennys and lure the monsters.
“This is strange.”
“…Milady?”
“The monsters aren’t leaving the carriage.”
The carriage? Only then could Ash focus on the carriages instead of the Kennys or the monsters. There were two carriages. One was slightly apart, and the other, the Kennys’ carriage, was surrounded by the monsters as if being protected.
Even before noticing Charlotte and Ash, the black wolves had been lurking around the carriage. Once they were spotted, the wolves tensed, fluffed up, and pressed close to the carriage wheels.
Though they had faced many monsters, Ash had never seen behavior like this. Charlotte immediately understood the reason.
She gathered the emotions she had suppressed deep in her chest and shouted loudly:
“Aria!”
At the same moment, the monsters bared their teeth and began howling as if ready to attack, amplifying the noise. Their cries echoed along the cliff like the screams of someone being torn apart. The sound was ear-shattering, yet Aria’s voice was still clearly audible.
“Mom….”
Aria’s weak voice came from inside the carriage.
‘Aria’s in the carriage!’
The moment Charlotte confirmed Aria’s survival and location, the monsters didn’t exist for her. Her daughter, who had been given to demons, was right there. She had to save her, even if it meant being torn apart by the monsters. But the monsters surrounded the carriage like border guards.
‘What should I do? If Father were here…’
At that moment, a gentle, calm voice brushed her ear.
[Charlotte.]
‘Father?’
A past memory unfolded before her eyes.
[Monsters fear those with strong holy power. Then what else do they fear?]
[Um, I don’t know.]
[Fire.]
[Fire?]
[Yes. They aren’t afraid of torches or flaming arrows, but if everything around them becomes a sea of fire, they retreat. Got it? It’s one of their few weaknesses, so remember.]
Charlotte steadied her breath.
“…Yes, Father.”
As soon as her father’s voice faded, her hands reached for the bolt pouch at her waist.
Click, thud! The pre-loaded silver bolts fell, and three heavy black bolts filled the space. The target wasn’t the monsters but the ground they were standing on.
“!”
The recoil from firing the crossbow without hesitation was so strong she nearly fell. Ash stretched his arms to pull her into his embrace. As he shielded her with his shoulder, the black bolt exploded. The recoil made her arms ache, and the heat surged across her skin.
The black bolt wasn’t as powerful as a military-grade bomb, but it was enough to create a fiery wave like a sudden surge. Startled by the flames, the monsters began retreating from the carriage.
Charlotte didn’t waste a moment.
