chapter 07
“[Look, there’s the plaza! Just a bit more!]”
It was only when I was on the verge of fainting that I finally arrived at the bustling center of the capital.
I could barely even remember how I got off the carriage.
Thankfully, once my feet touched the ground, the dizziness quickly cleared up.
After pressing my disheveled cloak hood back into place, I took out a piece of paper from my bosom and unfolded it.
Getting into the bustling district was the hard part—finding the way from here wouldn’t be too difficult.
“Let’s go.”
With determination, I began to walk.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize that something was wrong.
At first, a large dog came charging at me.
Just before it bit me, a patrolling soldier spotted it and held it back.
“I’m sorry! I accidentally let go of the leash…”
The man who seemed to be the owner made excuses, but something felt off.
The dog’s pupils were completely dilated, and it was drooling uncontrollably. It didn’t look normal.
If that had been the end of it, I might’ve laughed it off as bad luck.
But the strange events kept coming.
Next, I almost tripped over an unexpected obstacle.
Barely managing to keep my balance, I turned around—only to see there was nothing there.
When I stepped on a certain spot, something rose up from underfoot.
This wasn’t normal.
My senses sharpened, and I became acutely alert.
[Up there! Watch out!]
Ash’s shout made me leap backward just in time.
A heavy, unpleasant thud echoed right where I had been standing.
“Hah, now it’s a flowerpot?”
A flowerpot the size of a soccer ball had fallen where I was just moments ago.
Had I been a bit slower, it would’ve hit me square on the head.
Ash’s voice turned grave.
[…Olavia.]
I clenched my teeth. The situation was turning increasingly dangerous.
This is insane.
At this point, it felt like I was thoroughly cursed.
In broad daylight, in a busy district, multiple attempts on my life had occurred within mere moments.
That last one especially—could’ve easily killed me.
They’re making it obvious, like a threat: “We can hurt you anytime.”
The poisoned tea leaves were no longer the main concern.
I was running my fingers through my hair in frustration when—
[Olavia! Look ahead!]
Huh?
While I was lost in thought, the atmosphere around me had shifted.
The street had gone eerily quiet.
The pedestrians gave off an unsettling aura.
Their cold, suspicious gazes felt like they were fixed on me.
Goosebumps prickled across my skin.
Instinctively, I knew.
I need to run.
My pace quickened without thought.
The strange passersby started to follow me—slowly, but undeniably increasing in number.
First from the left, then the next block from the right.
They popped up here and there, forcing me to change direction multiple times.
Then suddenly, I stopped in my tracks, a chilling realization striking me.
This is like being hunted… like a rabbit being driven into a trap.
[Bad news! It’s a dead end!]
A chill ran down my spine as I slowly turned around.
I should have realized it sooner.
Those who had been following me had now fully revealed themselves, leisurely walking toward me.
They moved like predators closing in on helpless prey. Like spiders approaching a butterfly caught in their web.
[Olavia, what do we do?]
Ash’s voice inside the hood trembled with fear.
My heart pounded violently with rising panic.
Calm down. If I lose it here, it’s all over.
I focused on the approaching figures.
Their movements are unnatural… like they’re being controlled.
Could I even call them human?
My clenched fists were so tight the knuckles turned white.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
There’s no way out.
Sensing imminent danger, I bit down hard on my lower lip.
Then, out of nowhere, an overwhelming pressure crushed my body, like I was being flattened.
“Urgh…!”
I let out a groan and collapsed under the unexpected force.
[Olavia!]
Ash’s panicked voice rang out from inside the cloak, but I couldn’t respond.
My body trembled uncontrollably—it no longer felt like my own.
Step.
A slow, deliberate footstep echoed.
I looked up with trembling eyes.
And saw—
Who…
A shadowy figure walked slowly into the alley.
A murderous aura radiated from the stranger—it was suffocating.
The closer the man came, the more the air froze around him.
I felt like I would stop breathing from sheer terror.
And I wasn’t the only one.
“Grkk, grgh…”
The eerie pedestrians who had been following me began making strange, distorted sounds.
Their cries, a mix of fear and despair, sounded like tortured wails.
Some tried to flee.
But it was useless.
Shhk. A bone-chilling sound rang out as one of them—the first to try to escape—was sliced in two.
“Ah…!”
I slapped a hand over my mouth to stifle a scream.
But the real horror came next.
This can’t be…
The inside of the severed body was completely empty.
No organs, no flesh—just a hollow shell.
In the blink of an eye, their bodies turned black.
The next blink—and they began crumbling like broken pottery dolls.
By the third blink, it was over.
They shattered and turned to black ash, scattered by a sudden breeze.
All that remained was a faint trail of dark powder on the ground.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
How… How could something like this happen?
It was impossible to even make sense of it.
I was stunned beyond words.
One by one, the beings sliced by the sword vanished into dust.
Ssshhk.
The man who had so cleanly carried out the act slowly straightened up.
Then turned his gaze toward me.
“……!”
A chill raced down my neck, and my body froze.
My heart thundered louder than ever before.
The man who had rendered me immobile with fear now began to approach.
I couldn’t even think of running—I simply stared in a daze.
In an instant, he was right in front of me, within arm’s reach.
“Hrk…” I gasped, flinching and shrinking back.
“You’re human.”
His voice was low, smooth, and deep—strangely resonant.
The moment he spoke, all my frantic movements ceased.
At some point, I had squeezed my eyes shut.
Now, I slowly opened them.
And found myself thinking the same thing as he had said:
…A person?
But this time, I was breathless for a different reason.
He was tall.
His perfectly proportioned, powerful physique couldn’t be hidden even by his clothes.
Glossy black hair. Sharp and elegant features.
And most striking of all—those glowing, blood-red eyes that locked me in place.
Even his expressionless face and the chilling air around him were mesmerizing.
He was breathtaking. Otherworldly. Unreal.
Do people like this actually exist?
He felt like a celestial being looking down on a lowly mortal.
So surreal was his appearance.
“What the hell did you do to draw out all those things?”
Snapped out of my trance by his voice, I blinked in surprise.
When our eyes met, he tilted his chin toward the alley behind me.
That snapped me out of my daze like a splash of cold water.
“What were those things just now?”
I didn’t even wait for his reply before I bombarded him with more questions.
“Why were they trying to attack me? How did you defeat them? No—more importantly, who are you?!”
Words poured from my mouth like a machine gun.
The man, now being interrogated instead of questioning me, frowned slightly and looked at me.
A faint trace of irritation flickered across his artfully sculpted face.
“I need to erase this.”
“…Excuse me?”
Erase what?
As I blinked in confusion, a cold palm pressed against my forehead.
“Don’t worry. Once you wake up, this will all feel like a regular memory.”
“W-What are you saying?”
“Let’s just say you were mugged.”
I stared at him in disbelief.
He was—he was going to erase my memory.
And on top of that, alter it?
I was too stunned to speak.
I glared up at him, full of indignation, but he didn’t even bat an eye.
Soon, I felt warmth spreading across my forehead.
“W-Wait a minute! Who said you could just erase my memory?!”
