Chapter 5 – Part 5

“The air is certainly thick here. It’s a place sorcerers would covet.”

Glenn marked a tree with a stone. Olivia agreed with his assessment.

“That’s why someone would use stones from this place for curses. We need to question Gael Abyss about it, which is quite a hassle.”

It was more than a hassle. It was truly detestable. In plain words, she hated it with a passion.

“Still, since he has lingering feelings for you, it should be easier than dealing with someone like Harry Palmer, right?”

After moving away from the marked tree, Glenn left another mark on a new one.

“We should head back before it gets too dark. Even though I’m marking the trees, it will be hard to see them in the dark. Also, it will be difficult to find someone who’s here illegally.”

Olivia surveyed the surroundings. The air was as hard to breathe as at high altitudes, and thick fog enveloped the area. To make matters worse, rain had begun to fall, turning the ground increasingly muddy.

“Even nobles can’t enter here lightly, so who could have been mad enough to deal with Harry Palmer in this place?”

“That person would do anything to make you suffer… or so they said.”

Glenn’s voice was thick with hostility. In contrast, Olivia felt indifferent.

Considering her unfortunate fate and circumstances, it wasn’t strange that someone might harbor such wishes. She’d rather do it herself, though the idea of cursing someone she cared about so much that she wanted to kill them.

Olivia meticulously surveyed her surroundings. Marsden had told her that stones used for curses glowed red in the dark. Yet, to her increasing unease, those stones remained elusive.

There were many stones emitting a faint glow, exuding an eerie aura that made it clear why outsiders were forbidden from entering.

“No sign of any presence?” she asked.

“None. It’s hard to find even the common bugs here,” Glenn responded, staring ominously at the ground. Bugs were present, but they too seemed to be hiding, sensing the danger.

“I feel like we’re just going in circles,” Olivia muttered.

“It would be better if we were more prepared… Marchioness!” Glenn’s quiet voice suddenly rose as he rushed to steady Olivia, who was staggering.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m just a bit dizzy… I’m fine.”

“This place is known for having minerals used in magic, even without curses. It’s natural for an ordinary person to feel overwhelmed,” Glenn said, worried Olivia might collapse.

In the past, Olivia was quite delicate outside the battlefield. She had endured a lifetime of hardship under Harry Palmer, becoming sensitive to words that clawed at her heart. Even recalling such harsh words was a burden.

He regretted it when she disappeared, having confined himself within the boundaries of their lord-servant relationship, comforted by her struggles.

“Let’s rest for a moment,” he suggested.

Olivia waved her hand dismissively, and Glenn reluctantly stepped back, signaling the knights to remain vigilant.

As they moved further in, the fog thickened. If it got any worse, they wouldn’t be able to see someone right in front of them.

While they could sense presences, distinguishing between allies and enemies would be a challenge, potentially causing them to lose Olivia.

Though his feelings for Olivia differed from those for the Duke, Glenn did not want to lose Olivia again.

“This feels familiar,” Olivia said.

“What do you mean?”

She removed her hand from her forehead and looked into the distance.

“This damned air… I’ve encountered it somewhere before. Where was it?”

For a moment, Glenn saw the ‘old Olivia’ in her—fragile and precarious.

“I…”

Olivia wanted to explain why she felt suffocated by the forest’s fog. She wanted to warn Glenn and prepare for the danger.

“Let’s talk, okay? Just trust me! Or is it…? You never…”

Blinking, she saw eyes in her hallucination.

“You were investigating me, weren’t you?”

The fog obscured the color, but they were clearly dark, murky eyes.

Even knowing it was a hallucination, Olivia’s body trembled uncontrollably, overwhelmed by fear.

“Why can’t you answer? Did you really doubt me? Huh?!”

The voice was scratchy, like distorted noise. Olivia shook her head, trying to see the hallucination clearly.

“Olivia, how could you… Even if everyone else belittled you, I cherished you and valued you…”

She didn’t know who it was, but Olivia wanted to silence this person. She wondered why he dared to judge her. She didn’t care if others thought little of her as long as she was healthy and her loved ones were happy.

“There’s a reason you’re treated like this, right? It’s not me. You’re just that kind of person.”

The voice sounded desperate to convince itself. Olivia was astounded by the audacity.

“F*ck off…….”

“I shouldn’t have let you live.”

“Who… are you?”

“You useless woman. You’ve been a hindrance from the start.”

The fog thickened. Olivia drew her sword. This wasn’t just a hallucination. The murderous intent she felt was real.

“Step back. Or I’ll cut you down…”

“Lady Charbert?”

A voice interrupted, distinctly different from the last, this time identifiable as female.

‘Charbert? From the past?’

Olivia’s hand trembled as she gripped her sword. Someone was definitely there, but her consciousness was fading.

She needed to find Glenn. She couldn’t face this fog alone.

“Glenn…!”

Though dizzy, she was certain of one thing.

This was dangerous. Incredibly dangerous. Instinctively, Olivia knew she was standing at the edge of death.

This was all wrong. This was…

“You shouldn’t have been born…”

“Marchioness!”

Her sword fell from her hand. A splitting headache pierced her temples, and Olivia’s vision darkened.

“Marchioness, in front of you!”

Whose voice was that? She wondered, but it wasn’t important right now.

As something thin and sharp grazed her neck, Olivia swung whatever she had in her hand.

But deep down, she knew it might already be too late.

***

Marsden stood frozen, holding the letter. It had been fine until Ricardo had brought it to him, claiming it was Olivia’s letter, but the contents had completely shattered his peace of mind.

“She went… where?”

Marsden felt a familiar sensation he hadn’t experienced in a long time: ‘I don’t know how to react when I’m this angry.’ This feeling often arose in the past when Olivia would undertake something without a word, join a war without a word, or deal with assassins without a word.

Marsden pressed his forehead. The sudden surge of anger made his body temperature drop. His fingertips turned white.

“Buddy.”

A chilling aura seeped into Marsden’s low, muttering voice as he looked down at the letter’s contents.

[I’m going to Count Abyss’s manor. I have something to ask him about the forest. I’ll be back soon, so please rest at home. If you do this favor for me, I’ll let you meet me anytime.]

“Buddy, what nonsense is this?”

The paper crumpled uselessly in Marsden’s hand. He had always treasured anything Buddy gave him, from handkerchiefs to quills. He kept everything she gave him without exception.

“Meeting Gael Abyss alone…”

His teeth ground together. The shredded piece of paper fell from his hand.

“Ricardo!”

A thunderous rage erupted from deep within him. His voice, like a scream, echoed, and Ricardo hurriedly entered Marsden’s bedroom.

“You said you delivered the letter immediately upon receiving it.”

“Yes, I brought it to you as soon as it arrived.”

Sensing the unusual atmosphere, Ricardo watched Marsden carefully. From his long experience as head butler, he judged the situation to be dire.

“But the ink was quite dry. She sent it deliberately late.”

Marsden walked resolutely towards the coat rack, where a coat was always ready for him to wear out.

“I hate these moments. When Buddy does something dangerous in secret, when she undertakes reckless actions, meets people I dislike, or those I deem dangerous.”

Ricardo swallowed hard. Marsden fastened a well-sharpened sword to his waist and reached under the bed.

“Just thinking about Buddy being in a situation I don’t know about makes my head boil and my guts turn.”

Marsden fastened a revolver next to the sword, a gun he had kept clean and ready to use at any moment.

“Buddy must not meet Gael Abyss. It would be better to kill him.”

Ricardo couldn’t stop him. Instead, he hurriedly followed his master, who was charging toward his destination like a wild horse.

Something terrible was bound to happen.

Marsden didn’t care if Ricardo followed him or not, though it would have surprised everyone if the Duke had ridden into the manor on horseback without a carriage, but that’s none of his business.

Despite his unwell body, he rode for hours. The sky grew darker, and the rain fell harder, reminiscent of that day. On that day, too, the sky seemed to weep endlessly as if it knew that a shining presence had disappeared.

Olivia had liked the rain. She said it made her feel at ease when she was at home and refreshed her spirit when she was outside. Olivia, who was far from being extravagant, rarely discarded worn clothes, and that day too, she wore a dress that had previously been soaked in mud…

“Open the gate! It’s His Grace, Duke Marsden!”

Arriving at the Count’s manor, Ricardo quickly instructed the guards. Otherwise, Marsden looked ready to break down the door.

The knights, who had already been informed that the Duke Marsden was rushing to the Count’s manor like a grim reaper, hastily opened the middle gate. They shivered with fear, thinking the Duke was about to kill their master.

Marsden dismounted and strode towards where the servants were. As a Duke of the Empire and a close aide to Emperor Hellebore, the servants and knights were in a panic, exchanging urgent whispers.

“Is Marchioness Charbert here?”

His voice was emotionless, making it all the more chilling and terrifying. A knight approached and bowed, confirming that she was.

“Where is she?”

The knight swallowed hard. Though he had never been to war, he could tell that saying the wrong thing here meant death. The murderous aura emanating from this towering man confirmed it.

“She, she went to the Kettlelin Forest.”

“Now? Today?”

As Marsden took another step closer, the knight felt like he was suffocating. This was not a man one could endure calmly.

“Yes, she said she had to go… Just an hour ago…”

“An hour!?”

Marsden grabbed the knight by the collar, lifting him effortlessly.

“In this weather, to such a dangerous place?”

“Please, spare me! The Count forbade it, but the Marchioness insisted on going!”

Marsden’s distorted smile looked as if he were tearing his own lips. The knight’s teeth chattered at the sight.

“If the Marchioness has so much as a scratch, I will sever your master’s head.”

“….”

“Of course, the limbs will be cut off first.”

The knight’s mind flashed to thoughts of what would happen to him if his master were dismembered.

Duke Marsden was a man who had even gone to war in place of the young Marchioness Charbert and brought victory.

One punch from him could probably knock someone’s head off. Maybe, just maybe, this man could kill someone with his bare hands.

The knight sent a desperate message to his comrades, urging them to at least pretend to intervene, but they averted their eyes as soon as he did. The knight’s body trembled uncontrollably.

“I-I will guide you!”

“Without your master’s permission?”

The knight despaired. The Duke’s mocking demeanor was like a predator playing with its prey before killing it.

He decided he had to defuse the situation first.

“The Count also wishes for the Marchioness’s safety. Entering the Kettlelin Forest in this weather is dangerous, and he opposed it as well.”

The knight belatedly added an excuse for himself. Marsden’s smile faded away.

“Then right now…”

“Duke Marsden.”

Marsden’s voice, which had been urging the knight, stopped. His dark eyes turned in the direction of the voice.

“It’s been half a year. I’m truly pleased to see you again like this.”

Silver hair fluttered in the wind. Some found it beautiful, but Marsden despised that color. And those golden eyes too.

He hated everything related to Gael Abyss.

“You didn’t come to see me, but to find Liv, didn’t you? Unfortunately, Liv has stepped out for a moment.”

The rain, which hadn’t bothered him when he came to find Olivia, now irritated him. It felt as if anything that had even slightly touched Gael Abyss’s coat was now touching him.

Gael Abyss gave off a feeling completely opposite to Olivia’s. While Olivia made any place she was in look beautiful, Gael Abyss made even the most beautiful place look vile and dirty.

“I told you not to utter that nickname.”

“……”

“How dare you disobey my order?”

As Marsden released his grip, the knight fell backward. Without a thought of protecting his master, the knight quickly retreated. The murderous aura was overwhelming.

“I apologize for displeasing you, Duke, but I have repeatedly said I cannot comply. While you cruelly left Liv alone, I was the one who stayed by her side.”

Gael didn’t back down either. Though he clearly feared Marsden, he showed no sign of retreating. Instead, he stood at the top of the stairs, looking down on Marsden mockingly.

Everyone nearby was shocked by his behavior, but Gael acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Marsden’s hand hovered over the hilt of his sword.

He could kill Gael Abyss in an instant. The only reason he didn’t was because of one person.

“Let’s save the arguments for after I cut off your limbs. Correcting facts is also something I desire.”

“Don’t go. Or take me with you.”

“Don’t bear everything alone…”

Olivia’s sorrowful voice floated to the surface of Marsden’s consciousness. Guilt tightened around his throat, but there was no time to be lost in past memories.

Marsden began to move, and Gael watched him with a disapproving gaze.

“Count.”

A man who appeared to be an attendant whispered something urgently into Gael’s ear. Gael’s eyelids twitched.

Meanwhile, Marsden was already on his horse, leaving the manor. Gael’s gaze persistently followed Marsden’s retreating figure.

“It seems he’s of no help.”

Dark emotions clouded Gael’s eyes.

“Everything is tangled because of that woman.”

Gael looked up at the sky. With the impending downpour, he thought it might be an opportunity.

* * *