CHAPTER 6
I was an outsider—and a noble at that.
Given how often the original story showed corrupt nobles picking fights with and abusing commoners, it was only natural for them to be wary of me.
‘It can’t be helped.’
There’s a saying that the shortest path is often the long way around.
I figured it’d be best to leave the food and medicine behind today, then return again tomorrow.
Just as I was swallowing my disappointment and turning to leave—
“Um… excuse me.”
A little girl approached hesitantly.
“D-Daisy!”
A woman—probably her mother—came running from one of the shacks in a panic.
The girl glanced back at her mother, then walked closer toward me.
“Are you really giving the bread away for free?”
She asked, watching me with uncertain eyes.
“Of course. That’s exactly why I brought it.”
I crouched to meet her eye level and answered gently.
Her expression lit up briefly, then her gaze shifted to the basket of medicine nearby.
“Do you give out medicine too?”
“Is someone sick?”
“N-no. My mom is…”
I looked up to check the woman running toward us—she clearly didn’t look well.
“Wait here just a moment.”
Tia quickly caught on and brought over some bread and medicine.
I gently placed them into the little girl’s hands.
“Here’s some bread and medicine. If you need more, just come ask.”
“R-really? Thank you so much!”
The girl bowed deeply, on the verge of tears.
She clutched the bread and medicine to her chest and sprinted back to her mother.
‘What a good kid.’
I smiled at her courage—braving fear for the sake of her sick mother.
“I guess that’s it for today. Let’s—huh?”
Just as I was about to leave, my eyes widened.
Children were slowly gathering from all directions, peeking out from behind corners and buildings.
“A-are you really giving out bread?”
One boy, clearly malnourished, asked timidly.
“Yes. There’s plenty to go around—just form a line.”
Their faces lit up instantly.
The kids lined up in an orderly row, their eyes wide and hungry like baby birds waiting to be fed.
“Chew slowly so you don’t get sick, okay?”
I personally handed out bread to each of them.
“Um… excuse me, are you a noble?”
One child asked, clutching his bread.
I only smiled in response.
“Really? You’re a real noble?”
“Yes.”
I nodded, and they stared at me in wonder.
“But… my mom said nobles are all bad people…”
They probably only knew nobles as arrogant and cruel oppressors.
That’s how most nobles were portrayed in The End of the World Society.
So for someone like me—a noble—to show them kindness and hand out food myself… must’ve been shocking.
“Y-you’re nothing like a noble… You’re like an angel!”
The word angel made me smile without realizing it.
“Wooooow…”
The children gazed at me, half in awe.
As their line slowly shortened, adults who had been cautiously watching began stepping forward one by one to join it.
‘Success.’
I cheered inwardly.
I’d been disappointed thinking I’d have to go back with nothing to show for it—but things had turned out better than expected.
‘I’ve got a good feeling about this.’
It felt like I might finally be able to meet Evan soon.
Of course, it didn’t take long to realize that was just wishful thinking.
4.
“Thank you, truly… I don’t know how I can ever repay you.”
An elderly man who had received bread kept bowing his head in gratitude.
It was the most someone in his position could offer.
I smiled warmly and checked the remaining line.
About ten people were left—but none of them were the face I was desperately hoping to see.
‘He didn’t show up today either.’
My mouth felt dry with worry.
It had been ten days now, and I still hadn’t caught even a glimpse of Evan.
I thought surely curiosity or hunger would have brought him out by now.
But I was completely wrong.
‘Don’t tell me I won’t meet him until after he’s adopted into the family?’
The original novel did say the Duke brought Evan out of the slums.
The problem was—it was only mentioned in a couple of lines.
There was no exact timeline of when he was adopted, so I had no way of knowing.
The anxiety I’d been trying to suppress now grew into a snowball of dread.
I was starting to worry that my plan to bond with Evan before he entered the family was going to fall apart.
Once again, I returned to the carriage with nothing to show for my efforts.
As soon as it started moving, a long sigh escaped me.
Evan wasn’t the only problem—something the Duke had said at breakfast kept echoing in my mind.
“The frost beast subjugation is nearly over. Leon and Clark will return earlier than expected.”
I nearly dropped my fork the moment I heard those words.
Even I had heard of frost beasts—they were vicious magical creatures.
They were intelligent, traveled in packs, and even powerful characters in the novel avoided facing them unless they had to.
Those two lunatics had apparently gone out of their way to find a pack and wiped them all out—like it was some kind of competition.
‘This won’t do.’
Maybe… this was my last golden opportunity—before Leon and Clark returned.
I couldn’t afford to just sit around waiting for Evan anymore.
Clang.
The iron gate of the ducal estate creaked open.
After arriving back at the annex and stepping out of the carriage, a familiar system notification rang out.
Notice! Side Quest Activated!
[Laying the Groundwork]
Type: Personal Training
Objective: Go to your private training hall and defeat the highest-level scarecrow dummy.
Reward: Physical Synchronization Rate Increase
I glanced at the details and closed the window.
“Will you be visiting the training hall again today?”
“Looks like it.”
“…Alright.”
I took the lead, heading straight toward the training hall.
Today marked the tenth day since I’d begun this unplanned training.
They called it a side quest, but since it had triggered regularly ever since I started relief efforts, it was more like a daily quest.
Current Physical Synchronization Rate: 38.6%
Considering I had started at 0%, that wasn’t bad.
‘I really have been busting my ass.’
I hated working out, but survival had pushed me to train relentlessly—and this was the result.
That said, was I satisfied with this number? Not even close.
In other stories, the female lead would be flinging spells and unlocking memories as soon as she transmigrated.
So why was I stuck doing all this backbreaking work?
To make matters worse—
‘They’re even restricting my Authority? Isn’t that a bit much?’
I glared at the status window in frustration.
Your Authority will be unlocked once your Physical Synchronization Rate exceeds 50%.
That one line always made my jaw clench.
Brünnack bloodlines were supposed to be able to use their powers freely once they awakened them.
But instead, I was locked out behind this arbitrary requirement.
It just wasn’t fair, no matter how I looked at it.
Swallowing my growing irritation, I crossed the central courtyard and arrived at the training hall in the east wing.
I descended into the basement and stood before a door engraved with the name Kiana.
Clunk.
The magical mechanism recognized me and unlocked the door.
As I opened it, a massive private training hall unfolded before me—hard to believe it was underground.
“I’ll get your training outfit ready.”
With Tia’s expert help, I changed into a more flexible outfit suited for combat.
Though called training clothes, it was basically equestrian wear.
Tia quietly left the room so she wouldn’t interrupt my training.
I tied up my hair and walked to the center of the arena.
Taking a deep breath, I reached for the whip wrapped around my waist.
Notice! Highest-Level Dummy Combat Quest Started.
At that moment, the dummy lying on the floor sprang to life.
Snap!
The whip coiled in my hand suddenly uncurled and struck the dummy dead on.
It shattered cleanly into two pieces.
‘Ah.’
My fingers tingled.
The awkwardness and unfamiliarity I once felt with the whip were long gone.
Immediately after, a dozen more scarecrows began rising from the ground.
To be continued…
