After assessing the situation, Charlotte, Ines, two maids, and an associate priest set out to find them.
The rain made the ground even more slippery, and the pitch-black darkness of the mountain made teeth feel cold enough to knock against each other.
Each room had a light, but it was useless in this rain. Fortunately, one of the intermediate priests in charge of managing the building allowed them to use an oil torch that would not go out in water, so they were able to walk relying on the faint light.
Ines grabbed a rope and a hook to hang on the railing before going there.
The fact that four, not two, were missing meant that they could go in but not out.
Ines walked ahead of the associate priest. The others had difficulty taking even a single step, but Ines’s steps were unstoppable.
Two were probably in the cabin, and the other two were hanging on the railing. If they were alive, she could save them. She absolutely had to.
When they arrived at the bridge, the rain got heavier. Ines waved the torch back and forth and called out their names. After a long while of silence, the rain subsided a little and someone screamed.
She looked at the associate priest for a moment, but it was not a situation where she could ask for help. The boy, who seemed to be about fifteen years old, was trembling, unable to come to his senses.
From this perspective, his legs still seemed to be alive. Ines, who had made up her mind, tied the rope tightly around her waist. Then she secured the other ring to the wooden railing and pulled. There was nothing superfluous about her actions.
“What are you trying to do now?”
“I have to go save you.”
“What?”
In a situation where you couldn’t see even an inch ahead, it was difficult for anyone to muster up the courage. However, Ines took the torch from the associate priest without hesitation.
“I’ll be back, Charlotte.”
“Ines...”
“If I can’t come back, be sure to send the letter that’s tucked in the front of my Bible.”
“Don’t say that. Ines, I’m scared. Don’t go, please.”
“No, you have to go. I can’t turn away from someone who’s dying.”
Charlotte couldn’t hold on to Ines anymore at those firm words. Ines smiled at her and took her word for it again.
“There are two letters. Yes?”
She took each step forward, holding the torch in one hand and the rope in the other. The bridge was arched. So the bridge that had survived until the middle had suddenly lost its shape.
When Ines walked cautiously to the middle, the woman who had seen the light shouted. But she couldn’t see them.
“Here, here! There’s someone here.”
“Who is it?”
“Ines? It’s Anna, Anna!”
When she shone the torch, she could see Anna and Karen dimly.
“Amy and Jenny?”
“I don’t know. The path suddenly ended on both sides, so we were standing here.”
The sound was muffled by the rushing water, but it wasn’t too far away to be heard. When she looked at the bottom, she saw that the bridge from where Ines was to where Anna and Karen were was broken.
For now, she let out a sigh of relief. If she had been a little later, they would have sunk into the water with the broken bridge.
“Listen carefully to me. I’m going to come to you now. And you have to swim with me one by one.”
“What, what? I, I can’t swim.”
“No, you have to. If you don’t, you’ll die.”
Ines said firmly and tied the rope close to the railing. Then she immediately dove into the water. Of course, her feet didn’t touch the bottom. The strong current from the heavy rain swept her body into the river.
However, Ines swam toward them, relying on the rope. When she raised her arms over the bridge, Amy came and pulled her. Jenny was sitting on the ground, holding on to the railing, probably because her leg was hurt. Ines approached Anna first.
“When your body is submerged, swing your arms forward. Like this.”
“Like this?”
She was following Ines’s lead, but her face was filled with fear.
“If you’re too scared, close your eyes, and when I tell you to open them, open them. Then just grab onto whatever you see. Yes?”
Fortunately, her severed leg wasn’t too long. Ines took a deep breath and tied the rope around Anna’s waist. Ines knew how to tie a knot so that it would never come undone. She had learned this at Romfield.
“Hold on to the rope and make sure you move your body. I can’t drag you because I have to pull the rope with the torch.”
But there was no answer from Anna.
“Anna!”
Ines called loudly, and only then did her eyes focus.
“Huh?”
“You have to come to your senses. Otherwise, it’s not just you who will die, it’s all of us who will die.”
Seeing her nod, Ines went into the water without hesitation. Looking at the state of the broken bridge, she didn’t have much time.
Ines, who had brought Anna to the bridge where the road was connected, let her go up and turned around to rescue Karen. Fortunately, the rain had subsided in the meantime, so Karen could be rescued quickly.
Ines looked at the pitch-black sky where the cabin was in the distance.
The two of them must have been in the cabin next to the well. The cabin was crude, but it wasn’t bad enough to be swept away by the water.
However, they wouldn’t be able to avoid the rain there. One side was almost open, and of course, the rain leaked in. So the two maids who were soaking wet would definitely freeze to death on this mountain tonight.
After thinking about it, Ines moved her body again. She had been in the cold river for so long that at some point, she couldn’t feel anything in her body.
Ines paused for a moment and thought about Carson.
‘My lord, please help me gain strength.’
As she recalled the moment when she realized that his cold golden eyes were warm, her body felt hot.
When Ines got to where Anna and Karen were standing, she could see that the situation was more serious than on the other side. The length of the broken bridge was longer and the current was much faster.
When Ines went back into the river, she was completely swept away by the stronger water than before. The ropes tied to her chin and legs made a scary sound and grabbed her body. When Ines looked up in surprise, she saw that the leg supporting the rope was weakly broken to one side.
Fortunately, it wasn’t completely broken. She barely managed to stretch out her arms and grabbed the railing of the broken bridge, and she calmly started to move forward.
Soon after, her body tilted again and Ines stretched out her arms with all her might. She caught a clump of grass sticking out weakly on the ground.
As she went forward, scratching the soft ground with her nails, fortunately, the water was shallow where the bridge ended. When her feet touched the ground, Ines let out a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Carson stepped into the entrance of the Temple of Edmont.
“It’s a temple on a cliff.”
Noah continued to speak, but at some point he became silent. Even without saying, Noah could tell what was hanging at the end of Carson’s silence. For the past year, the lord had been the same as usual, and yet so different.
“The weather changes so suddenly that it’s mysterious.”
“...”
“If I had known it would be this bad, I would have slept downstairs and come up tomorrow as soon as the sun rose.”
Carson picked up his pace, leaving behind Noah, who spoke in a louder tone than usual.
Torches lit up here and there in the temple at the unexpected visit of the royal family.
Upon hearing the news, the high priest quickly walked out to the first entrance of Edmont to welcome him.
“Are you here?”
Carson looked around the temple without answering.
“I wonder if you had any inconveniences coming here.”
“I’m not so ignorant that I would find comfort in coming to pray to God.”
Carson spoke softly, wiping away the fatigue from his face, and the high priest held out his arm as if to guide him.
“Come inside. You’ve been rained on, so you should warm up a bit.”
“Yes, but more than that...”
The high priest often exchanged letters with Carson. It would be more accurate to say that they were reports rather than letters.
He regularly asked about Ines Swenden, who came from his domain. So he had a feeling that this beautiful young royal would visit Edmont someday.
“If you go inside, I’ll bring the person you’re looking for.”
Of course, he had no special instructions to protect Ines. He had no intention of giving her any special privileges. He was just checking. Was the maid named Ines Swenden doing well?
Carson was led to the priests’ quarters. There were no special rooms in the temple. The high priest was given a large office, but the room itself was the same as the other priests. The only difference was that the lower-ranking priests, called associate priests, had four in one room, the middle-ranking priests had two, and the upper-ranking priests had a room alone.
Carson sat without taking off his wet clothes, looking at his back shaking anxiously. The wooden chair creaked whenever he moved, completely matching the atmosphere of the room.
Now, even without seeing Ines, his heart was pounding.
What should he say first when he sees her after a long time? Will the woman who declared that she would spend the rest of her life for Carson welcome him? Could she be blaming herself for the hardships of life?
“Ugh...”
As he sighed, Noah came to his room.
“My lord, I found out while looking around, but the atmosphere in the temple is unusual right now.”
He jumped up from his seat with an unknown premonition. The wooden chair seemed to scream with its own will at Carson’s movements.
“There seems to have been an accident on the mountain today. Several maids have gone missing, and I think Miss Ines Swenden is one of them.”
The rain made the ground even more slippery, and the pitch-black darkness of the mountain made teeth feel cold enough to knock against each other.
Each room had a light, but it was useless in this rain. Fortunately, one of the intermediate priests in charge of managing the building allowed them to use an oil torch that would not go out in water, so they were able to walk relying on the faint light.
Ines grabbed a rope and a hook to hang on the railing before going there.
The fact that four, not two, were missing meant that they could go in but not out.
Ines walked ahead of the associate priest. The others had difficulty taking even a single step, but Ines’s steps were unstoppable.
Two were probably in the cabin, and the other two were hanging on the railing. If they were alive, she could save them. She absolutely had to.
When they arrived at the bridge, the rain got heavier. Ines waved the torch back and forth and called out their names. After a long while of silence, the rain subsided a little and someone screamed.
She looked at the associate priest for a moment, but it was not a situation where she could ask for help. The boy, who seemed to be about fifteen years old, was trembling, unable to come to his senses.
From this perspective, his legs still seemed to be alive. Ines, who had made up her mind, tied the rope tightly around her waist. Then she secured the other ring to the wooden railing and pulled. There was nothing superfluous about her actions.
“What are you trying to do now?”
“I have to go save you.”
“What?”
In a situation where you couldn’t see even an inch ahead, it was difficult for anyone to muster up the courage. However, Ines took the torch from the associate priest without hesitation.
“I’ll be back, Charlotte.”
“Ines...”
“If I can’t come back, be sure to send the letter that’s tucked in the front of my Bible.”
“Don’t say that. Ines, I’m scared. Don’t go, please.”
“No, you have to go. I can’t turn away from someone who’s dying.”
Charlotte couldn’t hold on to Ines anymore at those firm words. Ines smiled at her and took her word for it again.
“There are two letters. Yes?”
She took each step forward, holding the torch in one hand and the rope in the other. The bridge was arched. So the bridge that had survived until the middle had suddenly lost its shape.
When Ines walked cautiously to the middle, the woman who had seen the light shouted. But she couldn’t see them.
“Here, here! There’s someone here.”
“Who is it?”
“Ines? It’s Anna, Anna!”
When she shone the torch, she could see Anna and Karen dimly.
“Amy and Jenny?”
“I don’t know. The path suddenly ended on both sides, so we were standing here.”
The sound was muffled by the rushing water, but it wasn’t too far away to be heard. When she looked at the bottom, she saw that the bridge from where Ines was to where Anna and Karen were was broken.
For now, she let out a sigh of relief. If she had been a little later, they would have sunk into the water with the broken bridge.
“Listen carefully to me. I’m going to come to you now. And you have to swim with me one by one.”
“What, what? I, I can’t swim.”
“No, you have to. If you don’t, you’ll die.”
Ines said firmly and tied the rope close to the railing. Then she immediately dove into the water. Of course, her feet didn’t touch the bottom. The strong current from the heavy rain swept her body into the river.
However, Ines swam toward them, relying on the rope. When she raised her arms over the bridge, Amy came and pulled her. Jenny was sitting on the ground, holding on to the railing, probably because her leg was hurt. Ines approached Anna first.
“When your body is submerged, swing your arms forward. Like this.”
“Like this?”
She was following Ines’s lead, but her face was filled with fear.
“If you’re too scared, close your eyes, and when I tell you to open them, open them. Then just grab onto whatever you see. Yes?”
Fortunately, her severed leg wasn’t too long. Ines took a deep breath and tied the rope around Anna’s waist. Ines knew how to tie a knot so that it would never come undone. She had learned this at Romfield.
“Hold on to the rope and make sure you move your body. I can’t drag you because I have to pull the rope with the torch.”
But there was no answer from Anna.
“Anna!”
Ines called loudly, and only then did her eyes focus.
“Huh?”
“You have to come to your senses. Otherwise, it’s not just you who will die, it’s all of us who will die.”
Seeing her nod, Ines went into the water without hesitation. Looking at the state of the broken bridge, she didn’t have much time.
Ines, who had brought Anna to the bridge where the road was connected, let her go up and turned around to rescue Karen. Fortunately, the rain had subsided in the meantime, so Karen could be rescued quickly.
Ines looked at the pitch-black sky where the cabin was in the distance.
The two of them must have been in the cabin next to the well. The cabin was crude, but it wasn’t bad enough to be swept away by the water.
However, they wouldn’t be able to avoid the rain there. One side was almost open, and of course, the rain leaked in. So the two maids who were soaking wet would definitely freeze to death on this mountain tonight.
After thinking about it, Ines moved her body again. She had been in the cold river for so long that at some point, she couldn’t feel anything in her body.
Ines paused for a moment and thought about Carson.
‘My lord, please help me gain strength.’
As she recalled the moment when she realized that his cold golden eyes were warm, her body felt hot.
When Ines got to where Anna and Karen were standing, she could see that the situation was more serious than on the other side. The length of the broken bridge was longer and the current was much faster.
When Ines went back into the river, she was completely swept away by the stronger water than before. The ropes tied to her chin and legs made a scary sound and grabbed her body. When Ines looked up in surprise, she saw that the leg supporting the rope was weakly broken to one side.
Fortunately, it wasn’t completely broken. She barely managed to stretch out her arms and grabbed the railing of the broken bridge, and she calmly started to move forward.
Soon after, her body tilted again and Ines stretched out her arms with all her might. She caught a clump of grass sticking out weakly on the ground.
As she went forward, scratching the soft ground with her nails, fortunately, the water was shallow where the bridge ended. When her feet touched the ground, Ines let out a sigh of relief.
***
At that moment, Carson stepped into the entrance of the Temple of Edmont.
“It’s a temple on a cliff.”
Noah continued to speak, but at some point he became silent. Even without saying, Noah could tell what was hanging at the end of Carson’s silence. For the past year, the lord had been the same as usual, and yet so different.
“The weather changes so suddenly that it’s mysterious.”
“...”
“If I had known it would be this bad, I would have slept downstairs and come up tomorrow as soon as the sun rose.”
Carson picked up his pace, leaving behind Noah, who spoke in a louder tone than usual.
Torches lit up here and there in the temple at the unexpected visit of the royal family.
Upon hearing the news, the high priest quickly walked out to the first entrance of Edmont to welcome him.
“Are you here?”
Carson looked around the temple without answering.
“I wonder if you had any inconveniences coming here.”
“I’m not so ignorant that I would find comfort in coming to pray to God.”
Carson spoke softly, wiping away the fatigue from his face, and the high priest held out his arm as if to guide him.
“Come inside. You’ve been rained on, so you should warm up a bit.”
“Yes, but more than that...”
The high priest often exchanged letters with Carson. It would be more accurate to say that they were reports rather than letters.
He regularly asked about Ines Swenden, who came from his domain. So he had a feeling that this beautiful young royal would visit Edmont someday.
“If you go inside, I’ll bring the person you’re looking for.”
Of course, he had no special instructions to protect Ines. He had no intention of giving her any special privileges. He was just checking. Was the maid named Ines Swenden doing well?
Carson was led to the priests’ quarters. There were no special rooms in the temple. The high priest was given a large office, but the room itself was the same as the other priests. The only difference was that the lower-ranking priests, called associate priests, had four in one room, the middle-ranking priests had two, and the upper-ranking priests had a room alone.
Carson sat without taking off his wet clothes, looking at his back shaking anxiously. The wooden chair creaked whenever he moved, completely matching the atmosphere of the room.
Now, even without seeing Ines, his heart was pounding.
What should he say first when he sees her after a long time? Will the woman who declared that she would spend the rest of her life for Carson welcome him? Could she be blaming herself for the hardships of life?
“Ugh...”
As he sighed, Noah came to his room.
“My lord, I found out while looking around, but the atmosphere in the temple is unusual right now.”
He jumped up from his seat with an unknown premonition. The wooden chair seemed to scream with its own will at Carson’s movements.
“There seems to have been an accident on the mountain today. Several maids have gone missing, and I think Miss Ines Swenden is one of them.”
Carson ran outside before Noah could finish speaking. He met the high priest on his way down from his room on the third floor to the second floor.
“What’s going on?”
“It seems that the maids who were drawing water from the well outside the temple have not returned. Miss Ines and the others have gone out to look for her after finding out.”
Carson closed his eyes tightly. She wasn’t missing, but he still couldn’t feel relieved.
“What’s going on?”
“It seems that the maids who were drawing water from the well outside the temple have not returned. Miss Ines and the others have gone out to look for her after finding out.”
Carson closed his eyes tightly. She wasn’t missing, but he still couldn’t feel relieved.
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