Merchant Harven

Serion ran for a long time, passing through a half-collapsed gap beneath the castle walls and continuing into the forest.

Her clothes were torn in many places.

Pieces of fabric, as if trying to hold onto her fleeing body, caught on the rocks and branches, falling away one by one.

The wind stung her wounded skin.

She was breathless.

A woman’s body was much weaker than she had thought.

She hadn’t stopped running once since escaping the castle.

But the voices of the soldiers who had belatedly followed echoed through the forest.

“This way! There’s a piece of her clothes here!”

At that, Serion rose to her feet again.

Her legs wobbled.

She was suffocating, and her vision blurred.

But she couldn’t stop.

As she desperately fled, Serion eventually reached a cliff edge densely packed with trees.

A raging river flowed below the cliff.

There was nowhere else to go.

Serion hid behind a large tree.

Her heart was pounding madly, and her whole body trembled.

The hand clutching the hem of her dress was soaked with sweat.

Rustle— rustle.

She could hear soldiers approaching nearby.

Serion closed her eyes and held her breath.

“I guess it’s not this way?”

“Are you sure? Ugh, this is annoying.”

After a while, judging that the soldiers had disappeared, Serion stood up.

Coming out from behind the tree, Serion realized it was a mistake.

“I was wondering when you’d come out.”

“What should I call you? Young master? Witch? Or… Madam? Hehehe.”

The soldiers sneered at Serion.

Serion drew the Ritual Dagger.

“Dare you stand in my way?”

But she was no threat to the soldiers.

“Come along nicely. Then it won’t hurt as much.”

“We don’t need to bring her back alive, do we? Can’t we just take her head?”

“Yeah, if she’s going to die anyway… it wouldn’t hurt to have a taste first.”

They scanned the bare skin revealed through Serion’s torn dress.

“We don’t have time to take turns one by one. Let’s just take care of it ourselves.”

The soldiers slowly surrounded Serion.

And began to undress.

“Stop it. You madmen.”

The hand holding the dagger tightened.

Her hand was trembling.

“…I’ll kill you if you come closer.”

The soldiers ignored her, their eyes raking over Serion’s skin.

Their eyes were already gleaming like beasts.

Faced with the approaching soldiers, Serion made a decision.

There was nowhere else to retreat, no other choice.

She turned and threw herself straight into the river from the cliff.

Thud—

Her body hit the water’s surface, and she lost consciousness.

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Serion opened her eyes to a cold sensation.

Her body was half-submerged in the shallow water.

Leaves and mud were plastered to her hair and the hem of her dress.

Her whole body ached as if it were being torn apart.

She slowly rose and looked around.

There were no castle walls, no people, not even a light.

Only shallow water, rocks, and trees filled the surroundings.

“…Where the hell am I?”

The moment she spoke, her breath puffed out white.

The cold, combined with her exhausted body, made her want to collapse again.

But she couldn’t.

The wet clothes clung to her body, hindering her.

She tore off the bottom of the dress, which was barely hanging on, and stood up again.

She saw fish swimming in the water.

Feeling around her waist, she was relieved to find the dagger was still there.

Without hesitation, she drew the dagger and thrust it into the water.

However, it only cut through the water in vain.

“Damn it…”

The fish were not easily caught.

She tried several more times, but the result was the same.

Her breathing grew rougher.

‘If I can’t catch them, I’ll find another way.’

Serion moved away from the riverbank and examined the small trees around her.

She chose one and began to dig into the ground with the dagger.

Roots. Bark.

It was tough and dirty, but it was all she had.

She needed to recover at least a little to move her body.

Several days passed like that.

Serion survived by eating tree roots and moss, and drinking river water.

Her stomach turned every time she put it in her mouth, but being picky was a luxury in this situation.

Shame was also unnecessary to survive.

She ate simply to live.

From morning, Serion crouched by the river and took off her clothes.

And looked at herself reflected in the river.

Her arms and legs were covered in scars, and her appearance was wretched, but even so, her beauty could not be hidden.

She carefully lowered her body into the water.

The cold water seeped into her wounds, which had not yet healed.

The clothes she had been wearing for days were caked with mud, sweat, and the smell of blood.

She rinsed her clothes in the flowing water and submerged herself deeply in the water.

Just as she came up, having submerged herself to the top of her head, she heard a noise from beyond the forest.

Serion held her breath and crouched in the river.

Her eyes were fixed on the dagger she had placed on the rock.

The one who appeared from the forest was a middle-aged man wearing a shabby coat.

He looked like an ordinary commoner, not a soldier from the castle or a servant of the nobility.

But whoever he was, Serion was too defenseless.

The middle-aged man silently looked back and forth between Serion and the dagger on the rock, then carefully reached out and picked up the dagger.

Serion’s heart sank.

If she lost the dagger, she wouldn’t even be able to dig up and eat the roots that had allowed her to survive.

The middle-aged man opened his mouth.

“Did you run away from being a maid somewhere?”

Serion almost blurted out ‘Artiel Family’ for a moment, but quickly swallowed it back.

A commoner might be familiar with the situation in the castle.

It would be troublesome if he recognized her.

Serion simply nodded slowly.

The middle-aged man asked again.

“Do you have anywhere to go?”

Serion shook her head.

Hiding her body in the water, her eyes still did not let down her guard.

The middle-aged man watched her for a moment, then placed the dagger he was holding back on the rock.

Serion felt a slight sense of relief.

“There’s a cabin nearby. It’s a place I sometimes stay. It’ll be okay for you to stay for a few days.”

It was an unexpected kindness.

Serion hesitated for a moment, but the answer was already decided.

She had no room to be picky in the face of cold and hunger.

“…Thank… you.”

The middle-aged man nodded lightly and moved into the forest.

“Get dressed and follow me. I’ll go slowly.”

After confirming that he had disappeared into the forest, Serion carefully came out of the water.

The cabin she arrived at was not large, but the walls made of sturdy wood and the narrow eaves blocked the wind.

The middle-aged man opened the door without hesitation.

“Come in. I’ll light the fire soon.”

The middle-aged man introduced himself as Harben.

He explained that he originally lived in the northern region of Haigrant, and that this cabin was a place he had made to rest in the middle of his trade route.

“Monsters often appear around here, so no one lives here. Still, you’re lucky. You met me, didn’t you? Haha.”

He put dry firewood into the fireplace and lit it.

Serion squatted in front of the fireplace, feeling the faint warmth emanating from the flames.

Her body slowly melted.

The sensation of being alive revived beneath her skin.

Soon, Harben cooked a simple meat soup.

At his silent gesture, Serion reached out with a little hesitation.

“Judging by your appearance, you’ve had quite a hard time.”

That night, Harben took out an old cot from the closet.

“You can use this. I can sleep in that chair over there.”

He gave her the bed and sat on a chair in the corner by the wall, turning his back.

But Serion couldn’t believe it.

She couldn’t tell if his kindness was genuine or another danger.

Fiddling with the dagger hidden in her waist, she spent the night without closing her eyes.

All she heard throughout the night was Harben’s rough breathing and snoring.

He really didn’t do anything.

The next day, and the day after that.

Serion never fell into a deep sleep.

Her physical strength had recovered to some extent, but dizziness due to lack of sleep had set in.

And then came the third night.

Serion lay on the cot with her eyes open.

But the dizziness and fatigue that washed over her were now unbearable.

Her eyelids drooped heavily, and her consciousness gradually faded.

Serion fell into a deep sleep for the first time.

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She was standing in the middle of an unfamiliar space.

There was nothing around her.

She could see someone’s figure through the hazy mist.

It resembled Serion’s face.

Someone with dazzling blonde hair and alien beauty.

The goddess smiled and opened her mouth.

“Long time no see. Or is it not long?”

Serion frowned and glared at her.

“You bitch…. It’s you. You’re the one who made me like this?”

The goddess tilted her head and said in an innocent voice.

“Is there any need to be so angry? You have a beauty that some people want so badly but can’t have.”

“Is this the gift you were talking about!”

There was hatred mixed in Serion’s voice.

“That’s your choice. Always.”

At that moment, she felt a strange sensation below her legs.

A sensation of becoming wet.

At the same time, a message popped up.

▷ Trait [Pleasure Lv.1] is activated.

Sensory reception value increases.

Current Pleasure value 3 percent.

Current Pleasure value 5 percent.

Current Pleasure value 9 percent.

Serion gritted her teeth.

“What, why suddenly this.”

The goddess smiled and nodded.

“The body is honest.”

“Shut up. Stop talking nonsense.”

The goddess took another step closer.

“Pleasure is hard to resist.”

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Serion’s eyes opened.

She tried to raise her body, but her arms and legs wouldn’t move.

Her arms and legs were tied to each corner of the cot.

At the same time, Serion realized that she couldn’t hear Harben’s snoring, which she heard every night.

Without losing her composure, Serion raised her head and looked at the chair where Harben had been sleeping.

As expected, the chair was empty.

‘The dagger?’

Looking around, she confirmed that the dagger was placed on the fireplace.

Slurp— slurp—

At that moment, she felt a wet and sticky sensation below her feet.

Serion’s gaze froze as she looked down.

Slurrrp—

Harben was making her toes soaked with saliva, his tongue sticking out long.

“Huh? You’re awake?”