Chapter 78: Another Beginning of Misfortune (4)

[78] 11. Another Beginning of Misfortune (4)

“You’re saying it’s okay to put a bounty on her head when she’s not supposed to die?”

Sheila looked up, her eyes going beyond the bonfire. Feya, polishing her axe, added,

“Besides, 300 gold coins? That’ll make those greedy adventurers go wild.”

“The Captain isn’t someone who would be captured by those lowlifes.”

Sheila’s expression was complicated.

“The bounty is just for show, a psychological tactic. *We* will be the ones to capture her.”

“And then, you’ll use *that* on her?”

Feya’s gaze went past Sheila’s shoulder, toward the tent where the knights were sleeping. A pure white arrow was placed beside it.

Sheila frowned.

“What happens after that is none of your business, barbarian.”

“Don’t be so stingy, we’re partners, You can at least tell me that much, can’t you?”

Sheila didn’t even bother to reply. She simply stood up and said coldly,

“Go get some sleep. Tomorrow, we’ll ambush as soon as the Captain is found.”

Then she entered the tent.

Feya, left alone, stroked her axe a few times before standing up.

Looking at the city walls, barely visible beyond the forest, she muttered,

“An arrow that erases memories… Just what the hell is she going to do with that…?”

***

Old memories sometimes become dreams.

It was the memory of a burning mansion.

Deathly red flames burned through the curtains along with the night, and black smoke obscured the stars. There were no screams, but the stench of burning flesh filled the air.

And there, in the middle of it all, was a half-burnt man.

The man, his left side charred black, looked at her with tears streaming down his face. A voice, full of regret, flowed out like blood.

[This is all your fault, you bitch]

[Your curse brought ruin to this family…]

[I should never have adopted someone like you…]

The man couldn’t finish his words and collapsed onto the ground. Drool, mixed with blood, flowed from his open mouth.

It was the moment the last Adrian died.

***

Rosalia opened her eyes. She was in a filthy back alley. The sun was already high overhead, and her eyes were wet.

Collecting herself, she wrapped her body in a tattered blanket. Tightening the bandage on her face, she stood up.

It had already been six months since she started this journey.

Rosalia felt exhausted.

Her enemy was the entire empire, and she was alone.

She had no support, and nowhere to turn to for help.

All she had was a broken ‘Dragon King’s Essence’ and a rumor about a witch who could fix it in the eastern part of the continent.

And on top of that, a bounty of 300 gold had been placed on her head.

Realistically, there was no chance of her succeeding.

And even if she did complete the mission, there was nowhere for her to return to…

Rosalia shook her head, pushing aside those thoughts. She desperately tried to think about something else,

and inevitably, it was a man who came to mind.

Rem, that oddly dressed mage she had parted ways with two weeks ago. Also, the man whose life was ruined by Rosalia’s hands.

Rosalia felt guilt tightly squeezing her heart.

Had it been right for her to send him away like that? Wouldn’t it have been better to travel together?

No, if they had, it would have been even more dangerous for him.

She, Rosalia, was cursed.

And anyone who got involved with her would meet a tragic end…

*Halt-*

Rosalia’s contemplative steps came to a stop.

It was because of a figure blocking the alley.

He was wearing a thick robe and stood silently, blocking her way.

Rosalia grasped the sword hidden in her clothes. Lowering her body, she spoke in a hoarse voice.

“I-I’m just a simple leper… do, do you have some business…”

“Damn it, this is why it took so long to find you.”

Her hand tightened on the sword hilt.

“Wh-what do you mean…”

The man threw his robe off, and at the same time, Rosalia’s sword shot towards him like an arrow.

But it never reached him.

Firstly because of a barrier,

And secondly, because of his face.

“You…?”

Rem, with an unpleasant expression, pushed away the sword that had hit his barrier.

“How about we move somewhere else first?”

***

*Splash-*

The hot water washed away the grime that had been clinging to her and loosened her stiff muscles.

She wanted to stay in that warmth forever.

But Rosalia forced herself to reject that warmth. She finished bathing as quickly as possible and headed to the room.

“You finished faster than I expected?”

…Rem was sitting at the desk, tinkering with a strange magic tool. Rosalia sat down across from him.

“…Weren’t we going our separate ways?”

Suspicion was evident in Rosalia’s voice. Rem’s timing was a bit too convenient.

Especially when there is a bounty on not only Rosalia’s head, but also Rem’s.

It wasn’t uncommon for a criminal to hunt down an accomplice to avoid punishment of their own crime.

Rosalia’s fingers touched the hilt of her sword.

“That’s what we agreed on, but an unexpected situation came up.”

Rem closed the magic tool and put it in his pocket. Then he slammed two sheets of paper on the table.

They were wanted posters with his and Rosalia’s faces on them.

Rosalia gripped her sword.

“What are we going to do about this?”

“…I apologize.”

“Not just apologies, I’m asking for a solution.”

“… I’m sorry. As I am now, there’s nothing I can do.”

Rem, grimacing at her words, covered his face with his hands. He started to pull at his hair, as if in anguish.

*Is he thinking about turning me in?*

Rosalia’s muscles tightened.

*I can’t kill him.*

*But I can knock him out in one blow.*

Rosalia counted to herself, watching Rem.

One,

Two,

Thre…

“If I help you complete that mission, can you make this disappear?”

“What?”

Rosalia asked back without realizing it. Her grip on the sword loosened.

Rem answered with an annoyed expression, crossing his arms.

“If I help you with your shit, can you make sure the bounty on my head and those wanted posters with my face on them disappear.”

Rosalia felt her mind go blank. But after a moment, Rosalia nodded, stumbling over her words.

“O-Of course. If I succeed in this mission, then not only will those posters disappear, but you will even be rewarded by the Emperor himself…”

“Ah, I don’t need any of that. So you’re saying it’s possible?”

Rem interrupted her firmly and then sank back into thought, rubbing his chin a few times. Then, with a sigh, he said.

“Fine, I’ll help you.”

“What?”

“You deaf or something? I said I’ll help you expose that Adolf guy, you know, prove that he’s a liar.”

Rosalia made a confused expression. Then, what followed was a question.

“Why?”

“You really are deaf. I just told you, to get rid of that bounty on my head…”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Rosalia frowned, her expression bewildered, and she continued.

“Wouldn’t it be more beneficial for you to just capture me right now and hand me over to Sheila?”

“How can I trust the woman who tried to kill me?”

“Then how can you trust *me*?”

Rosalia narrowed her brows.

“What I’ve told you could all be a lie. I could be a genuinely wicked criminal, or a traitor plotting to overthrow the empire.”

Rosalia’s red eyes peered at Rem.

“So then why do you believe me so readily?”

It was out of vigilance.

Thorns she had built to survive in a world where she had to be alone most of her life.

Trust was an unfamiliar feeling to Rosalia.

And to this, Rem answered with a sigh.

“Firstly, do I even have any other choice? You or that crazy barbarian, or a knight who’s willing to bury me alive along with her secret?”

“Then why not just hide out like you’d originally planned?”

“Because that’s not an option. That’s why I came to you.”

A gloomy look formed on Rem’s face.

“…There are people who need to know that I’m alive and well somewhere. At least, people who shouldn’t see my face on a wanted poster.”

Rosalia’s face hardened at those words.

“…But even so…”

“And more importantly,”

Rem, resting his chin on his hand, looked at Rosalia with an indifferent look.

“You just look too dumb to be lying.”

“D-Dumb…?”

Her? A former Captain of the Central Knights, and the best swordswoman in the empire? Dumb?

Rosalia’s mind jumbled at the word she’d never heard before. But Rem didn’t give her time to sort out her thoughts.

“So, are you going to accept my help or not?”

Rem asked, pushing her for an answer.

Rosalia’s eyes trembled, and she barely managed to answer,

“As I said before, this is a dangerous mission. You could even lose your life…”

“I’ve already experienced countless near-death situations. Besides, you’ve already witnessed my skills.”

Rem extended his hand with a sulky face.

“Let’s just get this over with, and then, for real this time, let’s go our separate ways.”

At that moment, Rosalia was reminded of a scar-like memory.

The burning mansion,

The corpses growing cold,

The people sacrificed to her curse.

[Those who stay by your side will only meet misfortune.]

Fear washed over her already weakened heart.

“… I look forward to working with you.”

But in the end, Rosalia reached out her hand.

Because it won’t take long this time.

Because they’re only joining hands for their mutual benefit.

…Because he’s someone who can be discarded for the sake of completing the mission.

Countless excuses surfaced in her mind.

But she knew the truth.

She was simply tired of running alone.

And so, a woman tired of loneliness, and a man who longed for a peaceful life, joined hands.

***

And then, a month later,

“Hey, you crazy, tin-can bitch! I told you I’d take care of it myself! But you had to jump in and…!”

“Take care of it yourself my ass! Are you blind?! That crazy barbarian woman was charging straight at us! ”

“Yeah, I’m blind! So what? You got a problem with that?”

“Eek! Y-You’re grabbing my hair?! Who says I can’t grab hair too?! You walking corpse bastard…”

“Aagh! That’s not my hair!! It’s not my hair!!”

…The two were driving the carriage while grabbing each other’s hair.