ITPV 10

~Chapter 10~

Due to its proximity to the Vegas Forest, the land price near Gate 1 was relatively low. Upon that very spot, Marquis Valandier had built a mansion using some of the Empire’s greatest resources.

Thanks to its solid walls and strong gates, this area — once considered dangerous — soon became the liveliest quarter of the North.

As befit a wealthy noble, the mansion was heavily guarded. The security was nowhere near as strong as the Imperial Palace, but it was even stricter than the Arfin family estate. This was born from the Marquis’ deep concern for the long-lost daughter he had only recently regained.

“…I miss this place.”

My bond with the Marquis was unique. It had started when I tried to fix the mess caused by the original Livia Arfin.

Livia Arfin had bribed the gate guards to smuggle special goods from abroad, and one day a child witnessed the act. The smugglers panicked and kidnapped the child, selling her off to a foreign land.

Two months later, upon returning to Rajan, the smugglers discovered that the child was none other than the precious daughter of Marquis Valandier.

By then, it was too late. The child was long gone, and terror overtook the smugglers. Afraid to be caught or killed, one of the smugglers eventually confessed the girl’s whereabouts to Livia Arfin and then disappeared. A few days later, he was found dead in a shabby inn.

It was ten long months before the Marquis finally found his daughter.

And it was none other than me — Livia Arfin — who brought the girl back from the foreign land. Thus, I became a benefactor in the Marquis’ eyes, but I felt no satisfaction from it.

‘If I hadn’t happened upon that crumpled note in a drawer… he might never have found her.’

The original Livia Arfin had learned of the child’s whereabouts from the smuggler’s confession, but deliberately kept it a secret. To cover up her role in the smuggling incident, she had silenced the smuggler and buried the truth. Pure, unfathomable cruelty.

The Marquis considered me the savior of his child, but in reality, the abduction had been caused by Livia Arfin herself. The guilt weighed heavily upon me, making the Marquis’ kindness feel like a thorn. Yet, in the eyes of others, the old Livia and the person I am now would be seen as one and the same.

Still, the Marquis treated me kindly. To him, I was both a benefactor and a foe, and he remained too naïve to tell the difference.

“Ha… but that was my misunderstanding too.”

He had acted that way knowing full well who I really was.

“Right now, the problem is… how do I get inside?”

I had found the person I needed for help, but reaching him was another matter. The long line of carriages I’d spotted earlier had likely already passed the gates and arrived at the central estate. Somehow, I needed to get inside too.

I rested my chin between my fingers, narrowing my eyes as I watched the gates. There was no way to sneak in through a hole — security was too tight. After the abduction of the Marquis’ daughter, security had been bolstered tenfold.

‘If I can just speak with the Marquis, I can make this work somehow… but how?’

The Marquis was a man of great status, and in this Empire, he was someone far too high for an unidentified person like myself to gain an audience with.

As I observed, I noticed the bustling activity. The wagons were being thoroughly inspected one by one. Among the guards was a man who stood a head taller than the rest — Aldin, the captain of the guard and the trusted right hand of the Marquis.

‘If Aldin is checking the wagons himself, that must be an important shipment. Which means…’

I watched closely as the merchants disembarked and the guards inspected their goods. Luckily, no one paid any attention to a wretch like me. After all, a handful of beggars could be found in every corner of this area.

The wealthy and benevolent Marquis often gave alms, and it was natural for beggars to gather near the gates.

“Alright… let’s go.”

I licked my dry, cracked lips and drew in a long breath, clearing my throat. Fatigue and dizziness still weighed down my body, but the faint glimmers of hope gave me a small burst of strength.

I had long ago discarded the tattered robe. All that remained was a plain white shirt and tight jeans. I felt a sting of regret for having sold the coat, but it was too late for that now.

With confident steps, I approached the gates.

Aldin, sharp and imposing, glanced down at me with a furrowed brow.

“…Where have you come from?”

Though I was a mess, he spoke with politeness — unlike the staff at that restaurant.

I lifted my chin, looking straight into his eyes.

“I have something for the Marquis.”

“Have you made an appointment?”

“No. It was too urgent for that. But if you tell him my story, I’m sure he’ll make the time.”

“…If you don’t have an appointment, you won’t be granted an audience.”

“What if I didn’t have time to make one?”

“Then you can make one now.”

Stubborn as ever. But I knew better than to give up after a few words. I gave a faint snort.

“Sir Aldin, you have the Marquis’ trust, yet you treat me like this?”

“The Marquis does not accept anyone without an appointment. And as for trust, that has nothing to do with how I treat you.”

“Then, as the Marquis’ closest friend, I must say this is no way to treat a guest of your lord.”

“…”

Aldin fell silent, scanning me from head to toe. It wasn’t the sneering gaze of a lowly staff member, but a calculating stare — the look of someone trying to assess if I was truly telling the truth.

Aldin was a man too principled to immediately dismiss someone making a claim, no matter how ridiculous. That was why I felt confident in acting bold.

Although I was no longer that person, I had indeed been a friend of the Marquis. Aldin had later been assigned to guard the Marquis’ daughter, so he wouldn’t necessarily know every person with whom the Marquis kept company.

Aldin furrowed his brow in deep thought, grappling with whether or not to believe me.

“Can you prove it?”

“Prove what?”

“That you’re friends with the Marquis.”

“Can friendship be proven?”

“If you can’t, I can’t let you in.”

“Sir Aldin, an unbending sense of honor is certainly a mark of loyalty. But too much rigidity can also be a weakness.”

“…”

“Why not try a bit of discretion? At least send word to the Marquis.”

My remark about his rigidity made Aldin scowl deeply. The already stern lines of his face sank into an even darker grimace, making him resemble the chieftain of a band of bandits.

When his hand fell to the hilt of his sword, my body tensed instinctively, but I refused to flinch. To show fear now would mean ruin. Aldin would grow wary if he detected even a hint of weakness.

If I failed here, I wouldn’t get another chance to approach the Marquis.

I sank my teeth into the inside of my cheek, forcing a faint, confident smile.

“Should I also be worried that Lady Serel’s hands have grown rough with the winter winds? I came a long way to help, after all.”

“…”

“Is Serel about this tall now?”

I guessed the approximate height of the little girl I’d known five years ago, holding my hand roughly waist high. Aldin’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Lady Serel is twelve now. The last time you met, she must have been much smaller…”

Aldin drew a small tablet from his belt and pressed it down until it rose to my shoulder. Calmly, he said:

“She’s grown this much.”

“Ah…”

It was said that children grew quickly, and seeing it confirmed was oddly poignant. Five years felt like a lifetime ago.

Aldin offered the tablet quietly.

“I will inform the Marquis. State your name.”

I drew in a long breath.

Since arriving in this world, I had pondered this moment countless times. No longer Kim Ji-young, I would now live fully in this new world. And with that resolve came the name I had long ago chosen for myself.