Episode 33

I refused the invitation, but I decided to turn a blind eye to borrowing Guadang, so I needed to make another plant-specific poison! I feel like everything is going well. I headed to the management office humming a tune. I greeted the residents who were taking care of the field since early morning. And just as I was about to enter the building, I noticed someone running towards me at a frightening speed.

“Manager!”

He shouted my name with all their might!

What’s going on? Did he catch me doing something wrong? The revenge plots that had failed so far flashed through my mind like wildfire. I see now. The grass around the western tower’s outer wall was dead!

‘They found out I spread poison there.’

Perhaps they even found out that I had spread it in the field. Lizzy is kind and smart, but sometimes she lacks subtlety! I turned my body to flee for the time being.

However, before I could properly run, I was caught from behind.

“Why are you running?”

It was Frer. My tension suddenly eased.

If it had been sent by Leonel, it was probably Arette who had come. I was about to feel relieved, but Frer’s anxious voice interrupted my thoughts.

“It’s urgent. Where’s the warehouse key, no, just come with me.”

Before I could say anything, he ran off again at a terrifying speed. But he stopped before even covering 100 meters.

It was because of me.

“Huff, huff, wait, huff, carriage!”

“Is that all you could manage to run…”

“It’s urgent, they said. Huff, the carriage!”

Frer nodded and hurried over, pulling a carriage.

“Get in!”

I climbed onto the carriage, huffing and puffing. It was indeed urgent because the carriage started moving before I could even sit properly.

I fell into the chair as if thrown by the momentum. After rubbing my sore bottom, I opened the window and shouted.

“But what’s going on?”

“Wolves have appeared in the village, and someone was bitten.”

“Wolves in the village?” 

It was unusual for them to come so close to where people lived.

No, more importantly…

“Somebody was bitten? Who? How badly are they injured?”

“They were only lightly bitten. But we’re worried about disease transmission. We washed the wound with clean water, so it should be fine as long as we use the herbs in time.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. As I exhaled, I tilted my head at the unfamiliar sensation. Had something like this happened before I died? I started to search my memories, but Frer interrupted my thoughts.

“So we need herbs, and I heard they’re in the warehouse.”

“…You ran from the village to the cultivation area?”

Was he even human? While Frer’s house was on the outskirts of the village, it was still quite a distance from the management office, and you couldn’t exactly call it close.

It was one thing for him to run all the way here, but what was odd was that he didn’t seem out of breath at all.

In my astonishment, the carriage came to a halt. As soon as I got off, I saw the warehouse.

“Manager, quickly!”

“Huh? Uh, okay.”

I opened the warehouse door, pulled by Frer’s immense strength. He went inside without a word and ran somewhere with the herbs.

I tried to follow him for a bit but soon gave up. There was no way I could keep up with that speed.

‘I shouldn’t have bothered running.’

While catching my breath near the warehouse, I spotted an elderly woman who lived nearby. After catching my breath and steadying myself on my knees, I grabbed the old woman.

“I heard there are wolves. Do you happen to know where they were seen?”

“Oh, I do. It’s a mess, you know. They suddenly appeared at the forest border in the west.”

“Thank you!”

Although my legs were trembling, and my knees occasionally buckled, I could still walk, albeit with great effort. I walked through the village.

People had gathered in one place, and in the center, I saw Frer skillfully administering treatment. Around us were tracks, smaller than a donkey’s hoofprints, from various small animals, scattered all around.

Thinking about encountering wolves sent shivers down my spine. I was still shivering when I heard the sound of hooves.

As I turned my head, I saw Leonel atop a large horse.

“Duke?”

The townspeople turned their heads upon hearing my voice. They initially displayed welcoming expressions when they saw me, but when they noticed Leonel, their demeanor shifted to contemplation. Then, one by one, they removed their hats, straightened their clothes, and nodded respectfully.

Leonel, with his cold and bright red eyes, scanned the people and their surroundings. After taking a deep breath, he furrowed his brow ever so slightly and began to walk leisurely around.

His lowered gaze and occasional deep breaths seemed somewhat unusual.

“What’s wrong?”

 I asked when Leonel approached.

“The smell of meat is quite strong.”

The smell of meat? I sniffed the air, trying to detect any lingering scents. Come to think of it, there seemed to be a scent reminiscent of charred meat in the air. Could it be that the wolves came to the village because of this smell?

‘Still, they don’t usually attack people.’

As I tilted my head, a man suddenly appeared and knelt. It was Mr. Carlson, one of the parents of the four ragdoll children.

“I’m sorry!”

Leonel stood before him. His eyes, as cold as minerals, bore down on Mr. Carlson with an imposing presence. Then, he glanced around, and beyond a flimsy wooden fence, a hastily made clay oven came into view. On top of it, there were several ducks and chickens whole and cooked. Although the fire was out, it appeared that the meat had been cooked for quite some time.

“Cooking in a personal oven…”

“It’s illegal.”

Leonel finished my sentence for me. I glanced at him briefly. He was still scrutinizing Mr. Carlson.

“There should be a communal oven.”

His stern voice, despite its lack of volume, felt even more intimidating.

Mr. Carlson trembled, unable to say a word. In response, Leonel turned to his knights standing behind me.

“Take him away.”

The knights dismounted and approached Mr. Carlson. However, amid the commotion, an elderly woman from the crowd rushed forward urgently.

“No, Your Grace!”

The hunched old woman tried to cling to Leonel’s leg, but Mr. Carlson reached out and lifted her.

“Mother, please don’t do this!”

The word “mother” caught my attention. The elderly woman, tears streaming down her face, pleaded with Leonel.

“If my son has done wrong, it’s the fault of this old woman who couldn’t teach him better. Punish me if you must.”

“Mother!”

Mr. Carlson, a robust middle-aged man in his forties, stood in stark contrast to the frail and delicate appearance of the elderly woman. I wondered what kind of punishment could make her want to shield her aged body.

I tried to recall but couldn’t figure out the exact nature of the penalty Mr. Carlson might face.

My primary responsibility was managing the estate, with Leonel exclusively handling judgments, Levance overseeing investigations and trials, and Arette executing sentences. What I knew was limited to the information I gathered while wandering around the square and the tavern.

‘What was it like back then? Where were people usually punished? Were they whipped in public, tied to the columns in the square, or left in underground dungeons?’

Everything sounded dreadful. I closed my eyes and opened them again, but the elderly woman was still trying to protect Mr. Carlson, embracing her grown son as if he were a young child.

‘Do parents normally act like that?’

I tried to recall my parents, but the memories were faint. I couldn’t even remember my father’s face, and my mother had abandoned me for her own life’s sake. When I closed my eyes, I vividly remembered my mother’s green eyes, which had always looked at me coldly without any effort on her part, even when I was just ten years old.

Even at that young age, I had never experienced any protection.

‘If she had been like this grandmother to me, would I have had a home to return to?’

I had a profession, but I had no home. I never settled down and was always wandering. If she had embraced me like Mr. Carlson’s mother, I might not have felt so lonely. Jealousy and sorrow began to burn in my chest.

However, I didn’t have a destructive urge to ruin what I didn’t have. On the contrary, I hoped that this relationship I had never imagined, even in my dreams, wouldn’t be harmed in front of me.

I stepped in front of the elderly woman.

“How about listening to their story?”

Leonel approached me and reached out his hand. His fingertips lightly brushed over my eyelids.

“Don’t make that expression as if we plan to punish heavily.”

I blinked, not knowing what expression I was making, but he gestured to his knights.

The knights grabbed Mr. Carlson’s arms, and he stood there, helpless. Leonel looked at me, then subtly asked.

“Will you come?”

“Really?”

Usually, no one is allowed in the courtroom. What’s suddenly changed? Leonel threw his words with an indifferent tone as he stared at me intently.

“Could you be our counsel or something?”

“Yes, I will.”

Leonel looked at me intently again and sighed. He might have been worried I would change my mind, so he firmly held the hem of my clothes. He pulled my arm, freeing the fabric, and stood beside the horse.

“Come here.”

I nodded and turned my body, then firmly held the wrinkled and rough hand of the elderly woman.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“Manager, please take care of my son.”

I nodded, barely able to keep the tears out of my voice, and went to Leonel. As I stood beside the horse, he grabbed my waist with both hands.

Without realizing it, I took a quick breath, and a low voice tickled my ear.

“Shoulder.”

“Shoulder? Eek!”

My body shot up without warning, and to my surprise, I reflexively reached out, screaming. Because of the shock, all other emotions vanished. I was scared because there was nowhere to put my feet, and the only thing I could cling to was Leonel’s shoulder, which I held tightly.

“Straighten your back, Nelly Pepper.”

Trembling, I straightened my back, and Leonel climbed onto my back.

“If you’re scared, just keep your eyes closed.”

I nodded and closed my eyes tightly. I could feel the horse moving. It was scary to sway from a high place, so I unconsciously pressed myself closer to Leonel.

I heard a sound of discomfort from above my head. Then, Leonel leaned back.

What’s going on? Where are we going? I’m so scared!

I grabbed onto whatever I could with my hand, and the speed slowed down.

“Ease up on the grip.”

I opened my eyes and saw that Leonel’s clothes were caught in my grip.

“I’m sorry.”

“Better to hold here. Just keep holding.”

“Hold where?”