Ch.3The Party He Left (1)

As soon as Lael returned to her quarters, she carelessly tossed aside the sword and armor she had been wearing.

Normally, she would have meticulously arranged them and immediately started maintaining them, but she was in no mood for that now.

Born as the daughter of the Duchy of Gideon, she had lived a life where everyone called her “Lady” and praised her. But Lael herself didn’t exist in that life.

Only the Duke’s daughter existed.

She knew perfectly well that these were the complaints of someone privileged. But she hated it nonetheless.

That’s why she had learned swordsmanship and become an adventurer despite her father’s opposition.

Yet nothing really changed after becoming an adventurer.

Whichever party she joined, people would bow and scrape as soon as they heard the name “Gideon.” There were even times when she received all the credit despite doing nothing.

Then, by chance, she met Crow in a party.

Her first impression of him was simply that he was a handsome man with long hair, nothing more, nothing less.

She thought he would be just like everyone else.

That he would bow and scrape without her doing anything, trying to gain something by impressing the Duke’s daughter.

But it didn’t take long for that assumption to shatter.

On the first night after setting out with the new party, when everyone was supposed to be asleep, Crow quietly called her out.

Since a man calling her out in the middle of the night could only mean one thing, she brought her sword to cut him down immediately if he tried anything inappropriate.

The place they arrived at was dreamlike—a beautiful lake reflecting the moonlight.

Given the romantic setting, she was preparing a rejection speech thinking he was about to confess his love, when unexpected words came out of his mouth.

‘Hey, Duke or pigeon or whatever you are, do your assigned role properly. Can’t you see the vanguards are struggling because of you? I really don’t know where a girl like you rolled in from.’

Looking back now, she had risen to C-rank adventurer thanks to party members giving her credit, but she had mistaken that for her own skill.

To be honest, she had been angry at the time.

There was no reason to hear such words—words she had never heard even from her father—from a man she had just met whose only merit was his good looks.

Still, thanks to him, she realized that she had been hiding behind her ducal family.

As time passed, she found herself following him.

Her heart would race just seeing him smile, and she wanted to walk beside him, matching his steps.

She hated seeing him lose his reason and commit crimes.

Warlock—honestly, that was nothing. It wasn’t even a pebble sticking out on the road.

She had planned to silence that damned Priest Franz somehow, by giving him all her money or even hiring an assassin if necessary.

But she felt fear at seeing this unfamiliar side of him.

She was scared. It felt like their relationship would crumble.

Still, she should have stopped him. That was her last chance.

But the one who blew that chance was none other than herself—the one who had spent the most time with him among the party members.

Her chest tightened at the fact that he was no longer by her side, and her hands and feet trembled at the realization that she might never see him again.

Lael collapsed to the floor and burst into tears.

She couldn’t care less if anyone heard her or if rumors spread about the Duke’s daughter being a crybaby.

* * * * *

Elin, who had followed right after Lael out of concern, confirmed that she had entered her room before going to her own. She sat on the bed, placing the bow she had been carrying on her knees.

She felt pathetic.

She had become so paralyzed with fear of the monster that her legs wouldn’t move.

Because of that, she couldn’t stop Crow.

But that was just an excuse.

She should have stopped him by any means necessary.

It was he who had saved her from being taken by illegal slave traders, from being dragged to hell alive.

It was he who had given her a place in the party, buying her a bow, arrows, and even the clothes she was wearing now.

Of course, he had told her that she didn’t need to repay his kindness and should live her own life.

But she had made a promise to herself the moment he saved her.

‘From now on, I’ll live for this person.’

‘If I can become his wife, nothing more needs to be said, and if not, I’ll at least repay his kindness somehow.’

But as the time spent with the party increased, that promise gradually faded.

She thought it was natural.

‘I’m essential to this party.’

She had become a being filled with needless confidence.

‘Maybe now I’m worthy of his love.’

A mind filled with confidence naturally breeds arrogant thoughts.

When Crow turned his back and left, she should have grabbed his hand somehow, even if Lael and Derin remained still.

Wasn’t he the one who reached out when she needed help the most?

The image of him leaving desolately before her eyes was still vividly replaying in her mind.

Crow stops his departing steps, turns around, and says:

‘Why won’t you take my hand?’

He wore an expression she had never seen before, as if he had lost everything in the world, and tears were streaming down his face.

He had wanted someone to hold him back.

Ah…

The tears of sorrow that began to flow from Elin’s large eyes soaked the bow he had given her.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Crow.”

* * * * *

Derin, who had returned to the lodging after wagging her tail at Franz, shook her head at the sobbing that filled the corridor.

Anyone who heard it would think someone had died.

If they were that upset, they should have stopped him.

The loudest was that Duke’s daughter warrior Lael, and Derin was about to say something but stopped in front of the door.

What was she going to say after opening the door?

To stop crying because it was noisy?

No matter what, it didn’t seem right to say such things to a heartbroken girl.

She’d just have to endure it.

She would eventually fall asleep after crying herself out.

Derin turned around and headed to her own room.

She opened the firmly closed door, roughly took off her various equipment, and lay down on the bed.

Come to think of it, she had truly been at death’s door.

It was her first time encountering an S-rank enemy, but she could understand why they were in a different league from A-rank.

The speed was impossibly fast, and the scales were of a hardness far surpassing ordinary steel.

And with magic on top of that, it was truly a desperate situation.

If Crow hadn’t stepped in, she wouldn’t be lying in bed like this now.

“Black Crow”—the party she had joined after drifting between various parties.

Honestly, when she first heard the party name, she almost spat out her drink.

After all, crows are already black, so adding “black” again seemed ridiculous.

So it would translate to “black black bird.”

Black black bird? Sounds somewhat obscene.

Derin chuckled and recalled when she had once peeked at Crow bathing.

It wasn’t intentional.

She just wanted to clean herself, and he happened to be there by chance.

Of course, continuing to watch was her own choice, but who could blame her?

Anyone would have been mesmerized seeing such a handsome man naked before their eyes.

Anyway, that day she discovered why he kept his hair long despite it being cumbersome.

Behind his ear was a crescent moon tattoo.

That tattoo that Warlock masters supposedly give to their disciples.

Actually, this information isn’t widely known.

If an ordinary person saw it, they would probably just think it was a crescent-shaped scar.

But she understood why he was concerned about it.

With the Church wielding such great power, Warlocks faced execution if discovered.

She had decided to pretend not to know.

She had asked him indirectly a few times, but he didn’t seem to want to reveal it.

Instead, she had planned to use it as leverage to tease him a bit later…

But things had taken a strange turn.

Yet this turned out to be an opportunity rather than a setback.

In truth, when Lael and Elin were by his side, it seemed hopeless.

That’s why she had no choice but to find his weakness.

But now the situation had changed.

Crow had left, and the first to catch him would win.

If she comforted him when he was struggling, wouldn’t he develop feelings for her?

Of course, even if he refused, there were ways.

A thief makes a living with technique.

Whether it’s unlocking a locked padlock or a man’s belt.

Of course… the latter would be her first time…

But she thought she could manage somehow.

First, she needed to deal with that priest before he reported to the Church.

Otherwise, the Church would try to capture and execute Crow.

She could hide him as much as needed, but then they couldn’t date openly.

Derin tightly hugged the pillow beside her, buried her nose in it, and sniffed.

It was a good thing she had picked the lock and switched pillows yesterday.

* * * * *

Franz, excited about his plans with Derin tonight, visited the alchemist’s shop. He spoke to the shaggy-bearded old man who appeared to be the owner.

“Do you have that thing?”

“What thing? Ah… I see just by looking at you.”

The old man reached deep under the display counter and soon pulled out a pink potion. He handed it to Franz and said in a low voice:

“Just one sip and she’ll be completely out of her mind.”

“Ooh! You truly are the greatest alchemist of this age!”

“Heh heh… It’s the first time I’ve heard such praise.”

“Here! Here’s the money!”

Franz firmly pressed a heavy pouch into his hand and hurriedly made his way back to the lodging. He planned to fill his stomach well, as it seemed like it would be quite a long night.