episode_0082

It was an unusually sunny day.

The flawless sky was clear and pristine, like a blank sheet of paper. The autumn wind, brushing against the blades of grass as if the sunlight itself were embracing the horizon, was just the right amount of cool and pleasant.

The dense forest stretching along the path was alive with trees laden with fresh fruit, squirrels nibbling on acorns, and deer drinking from the lake—a scene so vibrant it seemed to breathe life even into those who beheld it.

And tragically, there was one person who had no leisure to take in the beauty of nature.

The cloudless sky spun dizzily, unfathomable, and the sunlit leaves shimmered like blinding needles. The frolicking deer, the birds chirping among themselves—nothing registered in her vision.

Her mind, as if emptied of spirit, refused to hold onto anything.

Arina could feel the limits of her body just from keeping her heavy eyelids open. It had been six days since she had consumed anything but water. By now, she had reached a point where she felt nothing—no reaction—to the soldiers’ daily torments, each more creative than the last.

The incident with tampered food had only happened once, but in truth, there was no telling. After that day, Arina had refused every meal the soldiers prepared. Who knew what they might slip into it next?

The soldiers, who had even placed bets on how long she would last, had no idea. They didn’t know she had already endured an extreme fast once before.

As her limbs grew thinner by the day, the smiles gradually faded from their faces.

This is bad. Sensing something had gone wrong, a few resorted to violence, forcing food into her mouth, but Arina stubbornly refused, as if saying she’d rather be beaten to death than swallow what they gave her.

Even those who had treated her as little more than a stress-relieving toy eventually threw up their hands and left her alone.

Amid those enjoying the beautiful weather—some sparring lightly, others chatting during their break—Arina staggered as if she were the last person left in the world.

Pale face, lifeless eyes, a body so thin it seemed a mere touch would knock her over. The few knights who still held goodwill toward her watched her unsteadiness with unease.

They were knights of some skill. Unlike the lowly grunts who had lied about owing their lives to torment her, these were men who had fought on the front lines, witnessed her prowess, and even been saved by her.

They wanted to help, but the charge of treason was no light matter. Fear of being branded as traitors kept them all hesitant, watching and waiting.

Huff. Huff. Blink. Blink.

She forced her swaying body upright and struggled to keep her heavy eyelids open.

Even sheer willpower had its limits—and hers had long been reached.

Thud. After swaying side to side, Arina finally collapsed.

“Lady Liel!”

“Damn it, I knew this would happen!”

The watching knights sprang into action, laying her down properly and checking her pulse.

“Her pulse is weak, but steady.”

“Breathing, too. No immediate threat to her life.”

“Still, if left like this, she’ll be dead in no time.”

The knights exchanged silent glances. They had hesitated before, but now, they could no longer stand by.

As mere knights, raising their voices would change nothing. In this mad situation, they’d only be beaten down.

Their only choice now was to report to their superior and let him decide.

—

“I heard there was an incident. Liel Frost collapsed, yes? They say she hasn’t eaten anything in six days.”

The man in charge of Liel Frost’s capture and the representative of the operation was none other than the Knight Commander, Ludbert. Upon receiving the knights’ report, he summoned all soldiers involved to hear the full story.

“It’s a minor issue. It’s hardly rare for criminals facing punishment to refuse meals. Besides, a mage capable of sustaining themselves with mana can easily last a week without—”

“Yet she collapsed, didn’t she? What if she’d fallen onto rocks instead of grass? What if we’d been crossing high terrain and she’d tumbled down?”

The reprimand in his tone made the involved soldiers flinch and hastily defend themselves.

“W-we didn’t do much! Just a few light shoves, some mild torment—weaker than usual—”

Their excuses sounded pitiful, but they genuinely felt wronged. Transporting prisoners—especially captured demons—wasn’t new to them. If it were a demon, they’d have carved off horns or claws as trophies or, if female, passed her around for their own amusement.

This was common knowledge among military personnel, often overlooked.

To them, toying with criminals was practically a fringe benefit of the job. In that regard, what they’d done to Arina—given her status—had been relatively restrained.

(Though the incident with the bodily fluids in her food was too shameful to mention and likely the main reason she refused to eat.)

“She wouldn’t refuse food over something so trivial. Something’s being hidden.”

“That‘s…”

Under Ludbert’s scrutiny, the knight faltered and clenched his jaw. Better to stay silent and take a light punishment than admit they’d driven her to collapse.

If he invoked the right to remain silent, some commanders might let him off with just a beating.

But Ludbert had other plans. He drew his sword.

“It seems you fail to grasp the gravity of this situation.”

“N-no, we understand! We deeply—”

“The fact you speak so lightly proves you don’t.”

A whoosh.

Before the soldiers could react, the knight representing them crumpled to the ground, his head rolling away.

The severed head, still wearing an expression of confusion, didn’t even have time to register pain. The sight sent shivers down every spine.

Meanwhile, Ludbert calmly wiped his blade and addressed his men in an icy tone:

“Do you know why so many were mobilized to capture Liel Frost?”

Silence. He had expected as much—their ignorance was why they’d dared behave this way.

“His Majesty deemed that woman more valuable than all of you combined. Myself included.”

In other words, every soldier here was expendable—just insurance to secure Liel Frost.

“And instead of guarding her, you nearly killed her with your petty games? Do you still not understand the magnitude of your failure?”

Initially, they had thought a simple assembly and reprimand would suffice. But they were gravely mistaken.

“Starting now, we will thoroughly investigate every participant. Lies or silence will not be tolerated. Hesitate before answering, and you lose your head.”

Killing his own men was akin to cutting off his own limbs, but discipline had to be restored. With Liel Frost secured, the higher-ups wouldn’t care if a few hundred—or even a few thousand—died in the process.

—

Arina awoke days later. She was still alone, confined in a moving carriage.

Strangely, a sweet yet bitter aftertaste lingered in her mouth.

In this era, the only thing fit to feed an unconscious person was fruit wine—anything else risked silently choking them to death.

Screech.

The carriage halted. The door opened, and Arina tried to sit up, but her weakened body collapsed again.

“Her reputation isn’t undeserved. She’s tenacious.”

“Just efficient with stamina.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Ludbert rummaged through his coat and pulled out a packet of chocolate-dipped biscuits, tossing them to her.

“Eat. These haven’t been tampered with. I killed every last one of those who mistreated you.”

“Should I shed tears of gratitude?”

“Just eat. We’ve arrived at the capital. From here, we walk to the palace.”

“Hah. So I’m to be paraded before the people as proof of your triumph? That just kills my appetite further.”

Ludbert took a biscuit from the packet and held it out. The sweet scent wafted to her nose before she could resist, and her body instinctively reacted—her mouth nearly watering.

Humiliating. That she would almost accept food from an enemy, tempted by mere sweets. Defiant, she slapped his hand away.

“Get that away from me! You think I’ll just obey now? Spare me the act—”

“A misunderstanding, it seems.”

“Misunderstanding?”

The moment she turned her head toward him—

CHOMP.

A biscuit was shoved brutally into her mouth. Too large for her, crumbs spilled out as her cheeks bulged. Then Ludbert pinched her nose shut.

“Mmph! Mmgh—!”

With her mouth stuffed and nose blocked, she couldn’t breathe. His silent stare made it clear: Swallow, or suffocate. Her feeble punches bounced off uselessly.

“An act? I’m merely doing what’s necessary to deliver you. And as the defeated, your role is to obey quietly and be displayed before the people to glorify the kingdom.”

With no air, her head spun. Reluctantly, she began chewing. Her parched mouth barely produced saliva, making the dry biscuit hard to swallow.

The bitter chocolate dominated her senses, drowning out the lingering taste of fruit wine.

She hated it—the involuntary pleasure of finally tasting real food, her brain flooding with dopamine like she’d taken a drug.

Because it proved one thing: No matter how strong her will, her body was still just human.

“I ate it. Now let go.”

Opening her mouth to prove it, Ludbert yanked her up and dragged her outside.

“Can you walk?”

“You think I’m helpless?”

On her own feet, Arina raised her gaze—and the towering palace gates of the capital loomed before her.

Adorned with the kingdom’s insignia, unmatched by any other city, they were the ultimate proof of this being the heart of the realm.

As the gates creaked open, murmurs from an excited crowd reached her. Spectators had gathered, already aware of her capture. None among them would be on her side.

Not here, not beyond those gates—nowhere in this world was there anyone left for her.

Light spilled where shadows had been, forcing her to squint.

Sucking the bitter chocolate from her teeth, she muttered words meant for no one’s ears:

“Disgustingly bitter.”