Chapter 9.4

“Of course you should know. Zen, aren’t you curious?”  

“Not really. Why bother with headaches? Anyway…”  

As the carriage slowed, Garzen peeked through the curtain and continued.  

“Hamartia is expanding its activities in the capital. I heard from the guards, but didn’t you get pickpocketed on your first day here, Miss?”  

“Yes, that’s right…”  

“It was probably Hamartia’s people who stole your notebook. If not directly, they might have hired someone.”  

So it was Hamartia. Brienne was surprised by how close they’d really been. Garzen frowned as though he had a headache and sighed.  

“They’re sneaking in using those Academy ID notebooks. Stealing magic tools and using them for crimes.”  

“Then… The magic tool we saw in the prison, was it stolen the same way?”  

“That’s what I think.”  

Brienne, brows knit, asked carefully,  

“Then, Zen, what are the royal family and the temple doing? Shouldn’t this be stopped right away?”  

“Yeah, it should. That’s what any decent person would think…”  

Garzen paused apologetically.  

“But it’s not easy. There’s too much division of power. Instead of working together, everyone’s busy checking each other to protect their own interests. That’s the reality in Roeta.”  

“Oh no…”  

“Anyway, I also think we need to stop Hamartia before they do something worse. They want to wipe out not just the Demekia Priests but even the wizards. That’s what makes them so dangerous.”  

Their main crimes were arson against temples. And targeting lower-ranking nobles for *ssault, kidnapping, theft. Sometimes, they even committed unspeakable crimes.  

Brienne frowned as she listened to Hamartia’s atrocities.  

“It’s obvious they hate nobles. But why do they do such things? What’s their ultimate goal?”  

As soon as Brienne finished her question, the carriage stopped. Garzen stood up first and opened the carriage door.  

“…Vengeance. A new era.”  

With a dark expression, Garzen pulled up his hood and continued.  

“Hamartia wants a new social structure. They want to break all the destinies set by Demekia, the goddess of fate. For example, nobles become commoners. Commoners become nobles.”  

“…”  

“They want to reclaim the human rights trampled just for being commoners. With Riela, the goddess of vengeance, at the forefront.”  

Somehow, hearing that reason made Brienne’s heart complicated. Hamartia was certainly a terrible criminal group, but she couldn’t say she didn’t understand their feelings at all. She knew it was strange for a noble, blessed by the class system, to think like this.  

So Brienne could only mutely look conflicted. Garzen turned to her and held out his hand.  

“What are you doing? Aren’t you getting out?”  

“…I’m coming.”  

Brienne took Garzen’s hand and got out of the carriage. Where the carriage had stopped was beside the wall surrounding the temple.  

Brienne, who had expected a splendid temple entrance, was a little taken aback.  

“Are we at the right place?”  

When Brienne looked at Garzen with puzzled eyes, he pulled a bundle of rope from his coat. To think such a thing would come out of his coat. Brienne’s eyes widened in surprise.  

“What’s that?”  

“You’ll see.”  

Garzen smiled with a secretive air and swung the hook at the end of the rope into the air, then threw it over the wall.  

After tugging the rope a few times to make sure it was secure, Garzen turned to Brienne playfully.  

“So, what do you say, ladies first?”  

“…What?”  

Brienne stared at Garzen in disbelief.  

‘Was he really telling me to climb over the wall?’  

‘Me?’  

She was speechless.  

It was so absurd, she felt like she was dreaming for a moment.  

How could Zen always ask her to do the impossible? Brienne glanced at her shoes and frowned.  

“Don’t joke. How am I supposed to climb a wall in these? Even with comfortable shoes, I could never do it. I’ve never done anything like this.”  

“You can do it.”  

But Garzen, as if he’d expected her response, grinned and strode over to the carriage to fetch a pair of shoes.  

He knelt down before Brienne and placed her foot on his knee.  

Then, as he calmly removed her shoes, he said,  

“You always say that, Miss. That you can’t do anything. Don’t set your own limits. Why say you can’t do it before trying?”  

“…I’m just saying I really can’t. I’m not strong. Just like any other lady.”  

“Are you just any noble lady?”  

“What?”  

Brienne blinked a couple of times, and Garzen, having finished changing her shoes, suddenly stood up.  

“Think about it. Haven’t you walked a lot since that day? Walking all day, running, too. You must be stronger now. Don’t compare yourself to those ladies who always ride in carriages at their mansions.”  

“Zen, that’s…”  

“Ah, don’t get me wrong again. I wasn’t trying to compare you to other ladies. I’m not saying they’re wrong, either.”  

Garzen raised both hands as if to declare his innocence.  

Brienne nodded right away.  

“I know that’s not what you meant.”  

Yes, but…  

Brienne glanced down at the comfortable shoes that fit perfectly, then looked up at the wall again. As she stared at the rope hanging from the impossibly high top, a new light appeared in her eyes.  

‘…Could Zen be right?’  

She felt like she was being tricked again, but his words didn’t seem completely wrong.  

She felt a stubbornness rising up.  

She wanted to test herself.  

And as she thought that, she realized the wall wasn’t as smooth as she’d thought. If she held the rope tight and stepped on the protruding bricks one by one, maybe she could really do it.  

“If you don’t trust the rope, trust me. If you fall, I’ll catch you.”  

Sensing Brienne’s resolve, Garzen handed her the handle of the rope.  

“…All right.”  

Brienne nodded, letting out a shallow breath.  

“I’ll give it a try.”  

* * *

Her gloves grew damp with sweat from her palms. Her legs trembled with nervousness. Her heart pounded loudly.  

Brienne gripped the rope with both hands and lifted her feet off the ground. Once she found a nearby brick to step on, she managed to straighten her body a bit.  

“You’re doing great!”

Behind Brienne, Garzen’s words of encouragement could be heard. Brienne looked back without thinking and was taken aback. She thought she had climbed quite a bit, but Garzen’s face was still above her eye level.

‘…Somehow, this is discouraging.’

Brienne sighed and looked up at the dizzying height above. Her arms already ached. She wondered if she would collapse before reaching the top.

“What are you doing, Miss! Move!”

“Ah, I’m going…. Don’t shake the rope!”

Garzen somehow noticed Brienne’s momentary hesitation and came closer, gently shaking the rope.

Startled, Brienne quickly stepped onto another brick.

One, two.

Three, four.

Five, six—no, seven.

‘…This is kind of fun.’

At first, she thought it was ridiculous, but once she started, it wasn’t so bad. Was it always like this? Around then, Brienne began to study the wall with a competitive spirit.

‘That spot is too narrow. The one above is farther away, but it sticks out more, so it’s better to step there instead.’

‘All right, let’s do this.’

How far had she climbed?

Finally, as Brienne reached the top of the wall, she suddenly felt as if the sky was closer. Tilting her head back, she looked up and it seemed as if the stars were pouring down from the sky.

“Wow….”

Gripping the rope tightly, Brienne looked down and shouted to Garzen.

“Zen! Look at the sky! There are so many stars tonight!”

“What?”

But at that moment,

Brienne looked down and realized a crucial fact: she was wearing a skirt.

Brienne, startled, hurriedly pressed herself against the wall.

‘Am I crazy?’

She must have lost her mind for a moment.

Even though she wore a robe over her light dress, with a petticoat and undershorts beneath, Brienne was still extremely flustered.

“Are you okay? Miss, what’s wrong?”

Noticing something was off, Garzen rushed to stand below Brienne, ready to catch her if she fell.

But Brienne felt even more embarrassed now that he was closer.

“No, don’t stand under me…! Please!”

“What? Then how can I catch you?”

Brienne looked up at Garzen, who had his head tilted up, and was horrified.

“It’s fine! You don’t have to catch me, just…!”

Brienne, gripping the rope tightly, shifted herself to another spot. But Garzen, clueless, kept following her around.

“Miss! What’s going on? If you’re really scared, just come down! Let go of the rope!”

Garzen’s face was filled with confusion, not understanding Brienne’s situation.

The night was dark, and Brienne was high up. Of course, Garzen couldn’t see anything. And, being oblivious, Garzen hadn’t realized what Brienne was wearing under her robe.

If only he had known, none of this would have happened.

“No! It’s fine, just please go away…!”

As Brienne hurriedly tried to avoid Garzen coming beneath her, she lost her grip on the rope.

“Huh…?”

Her body tilted backward.

Thud!

Without having time to grab anything, Brienne’s vision was filled with the beautiful stars embroidered in the night sky.