[5] Chapter 1. Turning Back the Pendulum of Time (4)
“……”
“Haaaah, now I feel alive. Sleeping standing up in the cold dew left me so stiff—I can’t even tell you how much I suffered~!”
The last part sounded more like a tune than an actual complaint. Fernciana stared at him, dumbfounded, but Ilias didn’t even glance her way as he flopped onto the bed. Fernciana let out a deep sigh.
He had said that only once they returned to the capital could he get her the information she needed, so she had reluctantly agreed. But then, after they finished eating, he followed her, and just when she thought he had more to say, he threw himself into her room the moment she opened the door. And now, lying on the bed, he was claiming he finally felt like he could live again.
“I’ll just sleep for one hour, I swear.”
“……”
“Hey, come on~ I’ll look into everything you’re curious about, I promise. I’m actually the super-successful head of an information guild, you know~!”
And with that, Ilias buried his face into the bed and promptly fell asleep.
Fernciana stared at the sleeping figure in sheer disbelief before dropping her head. Regret surged over her—maybe she should’ve just waited until they reached the capital to look into things. She had paid for more than three full meals for him, covered the cost of the meal he had skipped out on the day before, and now even her bed had been taken over.
For a moment, she seriously considered hauling the man up and tossing him out the window. But with a short sigh, she shook her head to clear the thought.
In the “dream,” she had trained so relentlessly with the goal of killing the emperor that throwing around a man like this would’ve been no problem. But this was different. While the technique remained in her memory, her physical strength was lacking. She doubted she could even manage it.
‘First things first, I need to make money.’
Wearing a thoughtful expression, Fernciana looked down at the still-blank notebook.
If that man truly was Ilias Seyran, then he would probably find the information she wanted. The problem came after that. Ilias Seyran was destined to become the crown prince’s closest aide—which meant he would be the first to vehemently oppose her plan to steal the Emerald Tabula from the emperor.
That meant she’d have to gain power and information through someone else. But how much money would that even take?
She remembered doing all kinds of odd jobs in the dream. Her parents had passed away before she even turned twenty, and she hadn’t had the power to seek revenge. Money was the only way.
‘Money…’
Clutching the quill in both hands, Fernciana contemplated. It was different from last time. Back then, she didn’t know how to do anything and had no experience. She had no interest in the future or will to act, surviving day by day. But now she couldn’t afford to live like that.
‘How should I earn money?’
She tried to recall what she had done in the dream. Her hand brushed her neck.
She vaguely remembered carving little wooden trinkets and selling them when things got truly desperate. Metal swords had caused her skin to sting, so she avoided them unless absolutely necessary. But in the dream, every day had been desperate.
Fernciana let out a sigh. The time would come when things became just as desperate here.
After jotting down some of the things she remembered from the dream, she carefully stored the notebook and quill.
Surprisingly, her makeshift disguise as a boy seemed to be working well. Ilias kept calling himself “big bro,” acting completely at ease—even barging into her room and dozing off like it was nothing. With new confidence, Fernciana shoved Ilias all the way to the edge of the bed.
“Just… let me sleep a little longer…”
“Sleep. I’m taking a nap too.”
Thankfully, the bed was wide, and Fernciana herself was small, so sharing it wasn’t awkward. She snatched away his pillow to use herself but, in a rare moment of mercy, split the blanket with him equally.
“This is outright robbery!”
“Oh come on, you’re calling your big bro a robber? That’s kinda harsh, don’t you think…?”
Even as Ilias complained, his sheepish smile gave away that he didn’t truly mind. Fernciana looked up at the ceiling, speechless, before glaring at him.
“Excuse me? I bailed you out of that dine-and-dash situation, fed you three meals a day since that night, gave you a place to sleep, fed you again yesterday, gave you another bed yesterday… and now you want me to pay your carriage fare to the capital?”
“You made me sleep on the floor though…! Okay, okay, I’ll deduct it from your info fee. I’ll pay you back once we’re in the capital!”
“And I’m supposed to trust that?”
“Oh come on, kiddo! If you can’t trust me, just slap a leash on me or something~!”
Ilias raised his voice jokingly. Fernciana, who had been glaring at him, suddenly perked up.
“Should I?”
“W-Wait, no! That was just a figure of speech…”
Ignoring his flustered backpedaling, Fernciana went to a merchant caravan that had stopped by the village and paid the fare for both of them. The staff, spotting the unusual pair, glanced at them with mild curiosity but nodded without question.
“We leave after lunch, so don’t be late. Also… we can’t take care of you if something happens. Do you know any basic self-defense?”
“Ah…”
Fernciana paused, clenching and unclenching her fists. She remembered how harshly she had trained in the dream, preparing to infiltrate the imperial palace and carry out an assassination. Her body was nowhere near ready now, but the memories of the techniques were still vivid.
‘I should train the basics again. While it’s still fresh in my mind.’
With that thought, Fernciana nodded slightly and replied, “A little.”
“Heh~ You know martial arts too?”
Ilias asked in an amused tone. Fernciana gave him a sidelong glance, and the memory of those grueling training days made her shoulders slump. Even now, it was hard to believe how she endured all that to wield a sword.
“H-Hey, I was just asking! Why do you look like you’re ready to kill someone?”
“I’ve realized that the ability to kill someone might be necessary.”
“……”
Ilias burst out laughing, clutching his stomach—then immediately shut his mouth under Fernciana’s frosty stare.
Once their short prep time ended, the caravan set off for the nearby city. Their seats were at the very back of the cargo wagon.
They laid out some blankets the staff had provided and made themselves a space. Fernciana enjoyed the feel of the journey for a moment, but then fell silent. Ilias had started getting motion sickness.
Staring at him in disbelief, she watched as Ilias turned pale, his face ashen.
“Urgh… Ugh… This… bumping… how are you… okay with this…”
“Just drink some water.”
Ilias looked like he wanted to argue, but instead leaned against the wagon wall, lips sealed.
As his face grew paler and Fernciana’s sighs grew deeper, the carriage rolled steadily toward the city.
