PART 2.

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The carriage shook violently, causing me to open my eyes.

It wasn’t an environment conducive to sleeping well, so I had merely closed my eyes briefly, but somehow it felt like I had been dreaming for a very long time. With a drowsy mind, I blinked my eyes slowly.

……I wish I could have dreamed a little longer.

I couldn’t remember what the dream was about, but the lingering feeling remained. For some time now, whenever I fell asleep in uncomfortable surroundings, I often had such dreams. Dreams where I could see faces only I could see when my eyes were closed. Dreams where I wanted to stay forever.

Licking my parched lips that seemed about to crumble into dust, I painfully moved my hand to hold my head. After having that dream, a splitting headache always followed. Of course, my current headache wasn’t solely due to that reason.

The smell. A terrible stench permeated the carriage.

It was natural since unwashed people were piled like luggage in a confined space, but this smell didn’t just stem from uncleanliness. The hopelessness of those who had surrendered to despair created an even more severe stench.

I turned my head as I felt my clothes being tugged. A young girl with a face dirtied by soil dust was looking up at me. Fragile eyes that seemed to know the depths of fear were yearning for something.

Lifting my deeply pulled hood slightly, I looked around. The carriage compartment, mainly used for transporting goods, was filled with women and children. Having gone days without eating or going outside, they all had lost their strength and were huddled up as if dead.

After confirming no one was looking in my direction, I took out a piece of dried meat from my chest. What was once the size of my palm was now only about the size of my thumb.

“This is the last piece.”

Whispering softly, I was about to divide it in half but ended up giving her all of it. The child, while drooling, didn’t immediately put it in her mouth but began eating it bit by bit with patience. Though woefully inadequate, it was certainly better than eating nothing.

Though I was quite dull to hunger, enduring it wasn’t easy. Especially since I couldn’t predict how many days this journey would take.

The ground must have been uneven, as the carriage suddenly jolted violently, causing the child to drop the meat. As the panicked child frantically searched the floor, someone’s hand snatched it first.

“You, what’s this? You had food?”

A woman with disheveled blonde hair roughly pushed the child aside and shoved the meat into her mouth without hesitation. One by one, the people who were awake raised their heads. Even in the darkness, I could feel the cold gazes fixed on the child who had fallen to the floor.

“You little b*tch, you had food and were eating it all by yourself? Do you have more? Hand it over right now!”

The woman who grabbed the child by the collar began stripping her clothes. A woman who had been huddled in the corner also rushed over.

As the child struggled and glanced at me, I watched silently, but surprisingly, the child held her ground without saying a word. When the woman, unable to find anything, finally raised her hand to strike the child’s cheek in frustration—

“I gave it to her.”

At my hoarse voice, the woman glared at me with bulging eyes. I added indifferently:

“What you ate was the last piece.”

“You nasty b*tch, so you’ve been secretly eating everything by yourself all this time?”

Her expression suggested she needed somewhere to vent her rising anger. Explanations would be a luxury for someone who wouldn’t listen regardless of what I said.

“I have one more piece, and I might share some if you bow your head and apologize to that child.”

At my words, the woman flinched and glanced at the child who was fixing her clothes, but she seemed to have made a quick decision. She lunged at me.

Despite having starved for two days, she still had such strength—indeed, her broad shoulders weren’t for nothing. I lightly deflected the woman’s arm as she tried to grab my collar, then struck her solar plexus with my opposite elbow.

As she exhaled with a “kuk” sound and bent over, I struck the area between her thumb and index finger against her neck, causing her to kneel while coughing severely. People pressed against the edges to avoid the woman who was now vomiting.

My chest contained more than just beef jerky, but there was no need to take it out. Besides, it was too flashy and would attract unnecessary attention, especially in this situation.

“The one more piece was a lie. So why don’t we save our strength?”

After finishing my words to the woman who was clutching her neck in agony, I sat back down. The child approached me on her knees. Her eyes reflected a light of admiration.

“Your hair color is very pretty.”

At the child’s shy whisper, I realized my hood had been lifted and pulled it down deeply again. Though I had cut it short to avoid standing out, I couldn’t hide the color.

“Why didn’t you speak up? To say I gave it to you.”

When I asked dryly, the child hesitated before mumbling softly:

“How could I do that when you shared with me despite being hungry yourself?”

Suddenly, a chuckle escaped me, and I bit my lip. It reminded me of someone who had flickered in my dream.

Long ago, Kirhin explained that the reason he took me into his home was the s*icide note I had written on the dungeon floor. He said he was astonished by my loyalty, as I showed concern for my master’s health even in my final moments.

In truth, I had written that hoping God would look favorably upon me, but I didn’t explain that. I simply silently gazed at Kirhin’s handsome smile as he tousled my hair.

Thinking about him always ends in tears. Quickly shaking off the thought, I deliberately furrowed my brow.

“I’m not hungry. That’s why I shared.”

“That’s a lie. I can hear your stomach growling.”

As the child hugging her knees spoke while watching me cautiously, I hardened my expression further, but then I felt the carriage come to a stop. While everyone held their breath and rolled their eyes, the door opened with a clatter.

“What the hell? What are you doing in there that’s making the carriage shake so much?”

A man with a gruff voice and a bushy beard peered inside. With an eye patch over one eye, he pinched his nose dramatically.

“Phew, the smell is awful. We even made holes for you to relieve yourselves, but which idiot defecated inside? Should I bury you in a cesspit to teach you a lesson?”

The woman who had vomited turned her back slightly and buried her head in the corner. The man shook his head and said:

“We don’t have far to go. We should arrive in half a day, so stay alert.”

“Um…!”

Seeing the door about to close, one woman nervously raised her hand. A shrill voice emerged:

“I’m, I’m so hungry.”

The man looked at her indifferently and replied:

“So what?”

“Could we possibly have some water, at least?”

Her already small voice grew even smaller. The man giggled.

“Want something to drink? I can give you that.”

Seeing his hand move towards his waistband, the woman’s face froze. She had guessed what he was about to do.

“Well, if you’re that thirsty, you can drink this……”

As the man spoke with a vile voice and fumbled inside his pants, he was suddenly struck on the back of his head and collapsed. Someone shouted urgently:

“We’re under attack!”

With metallic sounds of “chang, chang” followed by clashing  noises, the women huddled and warily watched outside. As I was about to stand up, I felt my clothes being pulled. Looking back, I saw the child clinging to my clothes, trembling.

Standing awkwardly, unable to shake off that hand, a resonant voice rang out:

“Miss! Are you alright? Miss!”

Though I knew they would come, not knowing when made the voice searching for me welcome. With a wry smile, I turned my head, and a thunderous voice flew at me like a debt collector:

“Answer me, Miss! Miss! Oh, you damned bastard, won’t you get out of the way? Do I need to slit your throat? Miss!”

Judging by the anger in his voice, he must have had quite a struggle following me. I gently removed the child’s hand that was still holding my clothes and poked my head out through the open door. If I delayed any longer, he might come after my neck.

The brightness momentarily blinded me, but soon I could see Tom with a reddened face standing in the middle of the chaos, looking in my direction. With his nose wrinkled and teeth bared, he looked just like an angry wild dog, so I quirked one eyebrow.

“If you call so frighteningly, I can’t tell if you’ve come to rescue me or capture me.”

“Well, you should answer immediately when you hear my voice!”

Tom approached with bulging eyes, but contrary to his harsh tone, he politely extended his hand. I held his hand and stepped down from the carriage. Having been in a confined space the entire time, my stiffened legs wobbled, and Tom quickly supported me. Taking advantage of the moment, I spoke in a weak voice:

“I need to have eaten something for my voice to work.”

As expected, Tom’s fierce demeanor softened slightly. Examining my complexion, he grumbled:

“That’s why you shouldn’t cause such reckless trouble without a plan. You never listen. Put this on first. Want some water?”

“Skip the clothes, got any alcohol?”

When I pushed away the luxurious silk robe Tom offered and asked, he clicked his tongue as if incredulous. Yet he still pulled out a flask from his chest and handed it to me, which is why I liked him.

I eagerly opened the cap and took a swig. As the strong liquor flowed down my parched throat, it felt like all the nerves in my body were awakening.