Episode 7
“Now, be careful getting up.”
I usually just ran around with Dustin even outside the mansion, so this was my first time riding in a carriage.
I didn’t think much of it because we were in a rural territory, but seeing this definitely makes me realize that we’re nobles.
The lavishly decorated carriage seemed to be shouting, “Look at me, I’m carrying a noble!”
“But isn’t this too aristocratic? It’s like openly inviting bandits to attack us.”
This was something I’d been curious about ever since I started reading fantasy novels in my past life.
Bandits often targeted and attacked carriages that blatantly screamed “noble.”
Wouldn’t it be better to make it look shabby so they would think, “Ah, they must be poor nobles” and just pass by?
No matter how much they look down on our family, nothing is more precious than life, right?
“There are cases like that, but usually if bandits realize it’s a noble’s carriage, they see the many escort knights and avoid it instead.”
It seems the bandits in the Marcia Empire are quite gentle.
If it were me, I would have targeted only noble carriages, ganged up on them, robbed them blind, and run away.
“And if they target nobles, they become easier targets for the guards.”
Ah, right.
That’s true.
“And since it’s a gathering of noble families, it’s also a way to flaunt their wealth, so it’s usually not easy to make it look modest.”
Life is so tiring for these people.
I make a mental note to abolish such formalities when I become the head of the family.
Well, if I get a status window, I’ll probably go on an adventure instead of becoming the head of the family…
Anyway, no matter what, the ride in an expensive carriage is comfortable.
Cushioned seats and a spacious, pleasant interior.
I think they said it would take a whole day to get there.
It’s so comfortable that I could stay here for two or three days.
If there were camper vans in my past life, it would probably feel like this.
“Anyway, it’s your first time riding in a carriage, so enjoy the view.”
“Yes!”
A slight jolt tells me that the carriage has started moving.
I thought it would be very bumpy since it’s a carriage, but it’s not, which shows that power is indeed the best.
Isn’t that right?
Since we have this much power, the coachman would drive as carefully as possible to save his own life.
“There are so many people?”
Not long after we depart, I see countless people gathered outside the carriage window as we leave the mansion.
There are so many people that I wonder if almost all the villagers have come out.
“They’re all here to see you.”
“Me? Why?”
They must have seen me running around all the time, so why bother?
“Well, I guess they’re feeling sentimental about you already being 13 years old?”
“Yes, our mischievous, immature little lady is going to have her coming-of-age ceremony. How fascinating it must be for the villagers.”
“Mischievous and immature? There’s no child more mature than me.”
I retort to my father, who’s teasing me by poking my cheek, and turn my gaze back to the window.
So many people have come out to see me off, even though I’m just going to a party.
I was a popular type in my past life too, but this is almost celebrity level.
“Oh, the blacksmith is here too! And the lady from the general store!”
As I look around, I see many familiar faces.
Seeing their touched expressions makes me feel strange. I also feel like I should show them something more entertaining.
A strange desire wells up inside me.
“Should I do a breakdance…”
“What are you talking about..?”
“Oh, nothing. Just saying.”
I feel a bit guilty seeing my mother’s bewildered expression, so I wave my hand slightly.
No, I wasn’t really going to do it…
Half a day after the Elliot family’s carriage departed, as the sun began to set…
“Attacking a noble’s carriage is dangerous, Boss!”
“Do we have time to worry about that now?”
A man with a scruffy beard and a sharp-looking woman were whispering as they watched the Elliot family’s carriage, which had stopped for a moment.
“There haven’t been any carriages passing by lately. We can’t starve to death!”
The woman with red hair, sharp eyes, and fair skin, despite her appearance, spoke roughly and let out a frustrated sigh.
“We’re only doing this once. It’s fine, the escort knights look weak anyway.”
Of course, it was difficult to fully assess a knight’s prestige and ability just by looking at their appearance, but there were only two knights who didn’t look particularly strong.
“There must be hidden ones.”
“Why are you so worried? You know my skills. And I brought everyone here after carefully selecting them.”
The woman, with a beautiful smile that could captivate anyone, looked back.
“Boss, are you sure we can handle it?”
About fifteen bandits with menacing looks were glaring at her.
“Handle it or not, what choice do we have? It’s over if we don’t leave a single one alive.”
She felt a pang of guilt about there being a child in the carriage, but their own safety and food came first.
Even if it was a child, if it was a baby who couldn’t even move, they couldn’t afford to let it live.
“You’re going to kill even the child?”
“Our family in the village comes first. Someone else’s child is not important.”
The woman, having made a difficult decision, began to look around the carriage to assess how many more escorts there were.
“There are two behind that tree, and three behind the big rock.”
“Okay. We’ll take care of those.”
Two large men began to move stealthily and quickly towards the escort knights, and the red-haired woman’s sharp eyes gleamed with greed.
“Now, shall we begin?”
“Yuri, what’s that?”
I’m not sure how long we’ve been traveling, but after the scenery changed a few times and we were fully immersed in the forest landscape, my mother asked about the dagger at my waist.
“It’s a self-defense dagger.”
Maybe it’s because I always carried it with me even inside the mansion, or maybe it’s because the scabbard is ornate and matches my dress well.
It’s surprising that no one noticed it until now.
“Ah, I see. Well, it’s good to have a means of protecting yourself.”
In the past, my mother would have been horrified to see me carrying such a thing, but it seems like she’s gotten used to it these days.
First, she gives me the carrot,
“But you can’t take it to the ball.”
And then she follows up with the stick.
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t take it there.”
I don’t want to get caught by the knights and be labeled a weirdo.
Hmm… that would be quite entertaining though.
“No.”
“…What did I say?”
It seems my amused expression was showing, as I’m immediately met with a firm refusal.
I was just thinking about it, just thinking.
“Master, there’s a problem with the carriage wheel, we’ll have to stop for a bit.”
I hear the coachman’s troubled voice.
“It’s alright. I’ll get off and get some fresh air. Take your time.”
My father, probably thinking I must be restless after sitting in the carriage for so long, takes my mother and gets out, giving me a look that suggests I can run around freely.
As I step outside, I’m greeted by the scent of phytoncide, which I haven’t smelled in a while.
I used to frequent the forest.
It’s a bit annoying that I keep thinking about Dustin, but I spent almost three years with only him, so it can’t be helped.
“The forest path is unkempt, your dress might get dirty.”
“Then I’ll stay in the carriage, my dear.”
Leaving my parents to their loving conversation, I slowly walk towards the trees.
“It’s alright as long as you don’t go too far… Hmm, what’s that sound?”
I hear whispering coming from behind a rock, so I cautiously approach. I see a woman with red hair talking to a man with a scruffy beard.
What? Who are these people in the middle of the forest…
Could they be bandits?
As various thoughts fill my head, I notice about fifteen people standing behind the woman.
We’re… fucked, aren’t we?
Should I run away?
Should I go tell my parents what’s going on?
No, damn it!
Status window, isn’t it about time you awaken?
Isn’t the thrill of these situations to suddenly awaken at a dangerous moment and then bam! wipe out all the enemies?!
So why aren’t you appearing?!
“Yuri? Where are you?”
Rustle!
Startled by my mother’s sudden voice, I try to step back, but I step on a leaf, and the rustling sound makes eye contact with the red-haired woman.
Ah, we’re really fucked now…
“Little girl, when did you…”
Seeing the woman glare at me and run towards me, I quickly try to draw the dagger from my waist.
No, to be precise, I tried to draw it.
Whoosh-!
With a sound, the dagger flies out of its scabbard and high into the air. I realize something has gone terribly wrong.
“No, damn it… Why do my hands always slip at times like this…”
Well, even if I say this and that, I’m a weakling without a status window, so there’s no guarantee that I would have fought properly anyway.
Thud-!
“Gah-!”
Despite that, I feel a surge of anger towards the dagger that flew away without my consent.
But the dagger that had soared into the sky falls straight down, leading to an unexpected outcome.
One of the men, who was moving stealthily without a clue, gets hit by the falling dagger and collapses.
“Huh..?”
What’s going on…?
Startled by the rustling of leaves, the red-haired woman turned around to see a very cute-looking girl within striking distance.
“Little girl, when did you…”
She had confirmed that people were coming out.
But she hadn’t sensed anyone moving after that.
‘This is impossible… How can a little girl hide her presence so well?’
She had experienced countless hardships to become the leader of bandits as a woman.
She had caught those who tried to overthrow her and brutally executed them as an example. She had also snapped the neck of an assassin who approached her while she was sleeping.
Considering all that, it was quite a shock that she hadn’t noticed the presence of a mere child.
‘A hidden master? At such a young age?’
It was possible if she had received harsh training from a young age.
But the girl looked nothing more than a young lady from a noble family who had been raised preciously, and her confusion only deepened.
And then, the next moment.
“Gah-!”
The girl quickly drew the dagger from her waist and threw it somewhere. The woman quickly jumped back to dodge it.
No, she tried to dodge it.
But her eyes couldn’t keep up with the speed, and as she felt confused, the scream came from somewhere else.
“T-This can’t be… He was clearly moving while concealing his presence. To pinpoint the locations of Dunn and Yoon… And a dagger so fast it’s invisible… Who the hell are you?!”
It was no ordinary master who could detect and attack someone who was concealing their presence.
‘I’ll kill you..!’
But she was also a seasoned veteran, a master among masters.
Rage boiled within her at the death of her precious subordinate.
She swore to kill the girl right there and then, but the next moment, she found herself collapsing to her knees, unable to move.
“… Fuck…”
The girl muttered something, and the woman felt a powerful aura and rage emanating from her, something that couldn’t possibly belong to a child.
A chilling sensation ran down her neck.
She instinctively felt that if she touched the girl even slightly, her head would fly off.
“R-Run… Run away…!”
The next moment, the only words she could force out were “Run away”.
Even if they fought with all their might.
No, even if they all attacked together, she wasn’t confident they could kill the girl.
‘She’s going to kill us? No, it’s a miracle that I’m still alive. If we attack, we’ll definitely die… She’s not someone we can handle…!’
No one else was hurt.
On the contrary, one of her own men had fallen.
Perhaps because of that, she quickly retreated, keeping her head down as much as possible to avoid making eye contact with the girl, who had stopped attacking.
‘I’ve never heard of such a monster existing in a noble family…’
As they went deeper into the forest, she felt the suffocating aura that had been pressing down on her lungs gradually disappear.
Food, valuables…
Those things didn’t matter anymore.
It was a shame to lose one of her men, but it was a miracle that the rest of them survived in exchange for him.
Nice