While pretending to stay at Count Martina's mansion and distracting the attention of the Emperor and others, I negotiate with the nobles of the Northern Territory.
This was my plan.
I rode quickly, not only because I was not sure if the Northern Territory nobles would cooperate right away, but also because I had to return before the knights I had left behind at Count Martina's mansion noticed my disappearance.
“..."
It was when I arrived at the river mouth that I suddenly stopped, having been running so fast that my horse's mane fluttered.
My green eyes flashed sharply.
I let out a small sigh as I looked around the surroundings, which had become dark as the sun had set.
“You finally caught up.”
The watcher who bothers me.
I don't know if it was the Emperor, the Duke of Lucien, or someone else who put it up, but one thing was certain: it was to keep out uninvited guests.
Otherwise, all of my plans will be exposed.
'I guess I'll have to take a different route.'
I had thought of another route in case this happened, but the problem was that if I went there, I might be late for my appointment.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
I didn't even feel like wasting time worrying about this.
“Hya.”
I took up the reins again and headed towards 'Tram Street', a street where homeless people lived, a little away from my original destination.
Arriving near the tramway, I left my horse at a nearby rental shop and went inside the tramway.
Even after the sun had set, the center of the capital was as bright as day thanks to the magical streetlights and lights streaming in from the shops, but not the tramway.
The street was so pitch-black that it was impossible to see ahead.
The buildings and tents were all haphazardly built, and there was hardly any sign of life, giving off an eerie atmosphere as if a ghost might appear at any moment.
That was why I chose Tramway as a place to escape the guards.
The roads and buildings were in poor condition, and the streets were too quiet to ride horses, but other than that it was an ideal place to ward off uninvited guests.
I adjusted my hood and entered the shabby building.
Most of those living in the tramway were vagrants and criminals.
It's not that vagabonds become criminals, but rather that criminals hide here to avoid the guards and end up becoming vagabonds.
So the tram people created a secret underground passage to avoid the guards who could come at any time.
I, who was born as the daughter of a Duke and seemed to have never had a connection to a place like this in my life, learned about the secret underground passage in Tramway all thanks to Chernosser.
In my first life, Chernosser abandoned me on the tramway because he didn't like me.
When I think about the hardships I went through back then, my teeth still grind.
'But thanks to that I found out something fun.'
It was also useful in moments like this.
The secret passage was in the basement of the building.
I, who was going down the relatively intact wooden stairs, stopped when I felt a presence below.
Then, I took out the dagger I had hidden in my thigh, and went down slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible.
One step, one step.
The moment the last foot touched the last step, a young voice was heard from inside.
“Hey, save me!”
“Shh, be quiet.”
I turned my head towards the sound.
There was a boy who looked like he was just entering puberty and a young girl who looked to be no more than eight years old.
It was discouraging to see children shaking in fear.
After confirming that there was no one else besides the children, I lowered the blade.
"Sorry."
Normally, I would have checked to see if the kids were okay and given them appropriate compensation, but unfortunately, I didn't have time for that right now.
Since I never know when uninvited guests might show up and there isn't much time left until the appointed time, I just make a simple apology and open the door leading to the underground secret passage.
Tap, tap...
This was my plan.
I rode quickly, not only because I was not sure if the Northern Territory nobles would cooperate right away, but also because I had to return before the knights I had left behind at Count Martina's mansion noticed my disappearance.
“..."
It was when I arrived at the river mouth that I suddenly stopped, having been running so fast that my horse's mane fluttered.
My green eyes flashed sharply.
I let out a small sigh as I looked around the surroundings, which had become dark as the sun had set.
“You finally caught up.”
The watcher who bothers me.
I don't know if it was the Emperor, the Duke of Lucien, or someone else who put it up, but one thing was certain: it was to keep out uninvited guests.
Otherwise, all of my plans will be exposed.
'I guess I'll have to take a different route.'
I had thought of another route in case this happened, but the problem was that if I went there, I might be late for my appointment.
“There’s nothing I can do.”
I didn't even feel like wasting time worrying about this.
“Hya.”
I took up the reins again and headed towards 'Tram Street', a street where homeless people lived, a little away from my original destination.
Arriving near the tramway, I left my horse at a nearby rental shop and went inside the tramway.
Even after the sun had set, the center of the capital was as bright as day thanks to the magical streetlights and lights streaming in from the shops, but not the tramway.
The street was so pitch-black that it was impossible to see ahead.
The buildings and tents were all haphazardly built, and there was hardly any sign of life, giving off an eerie atmosphere as if a ghost might appear at any moment.
That was why I chose Tramway as a place to escape the guards.
The roads and buildings were in poor condition, and the streets were too quiet to ride horses, but other than that it was an ideal place to ward off uninvited guests.
I adjusted my hood and entered the shabby building.
Most of those living in the tramway were vagrants and criminals.
It's not that vagabonds become criminals, but rather that criminals hide here to avoid the guards and end up becoming vagabonds.
So the tram people created a secret underground passage to avoid the guards who could come at any time.
I, who was born as the daughter of a Duke and seemed to have never had a connection to a place like this in my life, learned about the secret underground passage in Tramway all thanks to Chernosser.
In my first life, Chernosser abandoned me on the tramway because he didn't like me.
When I think about the hardships I went through back then, my teeth still grind.
'But thanks to that I found out something fun.'
It was also useful in moments like this.
The secret passage was in the basement of the building.
I, who was going down the relatively intact wooden stairs, stopped when I felt a presence below.
Then, I took out the dagger I had hidden in my thigh, and went down slowly, trying to make as little noise as possible.
One step, one step.
The moment the last foot touched the last step, a young voice was heard from inside.
“Hey, save me!”
“Shh, be quiet.”
I turned my head towards the sound.
There was a boy who looked like he was just entering puberty and a young girl who looked to be no more than eight years old.
It was discouraging to see children shaking in fear.
After confirming that there was no one else besides the children, I lowered the blade.
"Sorry."
Normally, I would have checked to see if the kids were okay and given them appropriate compensation, but unfortunately, I didn't have time for that right now.
Since I never know when uninvited guests might show up and there isn't much time left until the appointed time, I just make a simple apology and open the door leading to the underground secret passage.
Tap, tap...
Suddenly, a boy holding a dagger ran towards me.
“...!”
I twisted my body in surprise, but the basement was so narrow that I couldn't dodge completely and had to give up my left arm.
Blood dripped from the arm where the dagger had stabbed me.
I frowned and grabbed the boy's arm as he lunged at me again, then threw him to the floor.
Thud.
I brought the dagger I had been swinging down right next to the boy's face as he struggled to escape my grasp.
The boy's eyes grew as big as lanterns in surprise.
There's no way a boy with no common sense would have done something like this of his own volition.
“Who ordered this?”
I asked, certain that there must be a mastermind behind it.
But the boy said nothing and kept his mouth shut.
Are you saying that it won't be easy to say?
It was clear that the boy from the vagrant house would do that out of loyalty, and that his weakness was clearly exposed.
'This is becoming annoying.'
I can't just leave the boy like this.
But I couldn't take him with me because it would just increase the burden.
The boy might have some kind of tracking spell on him.
I, who was briefly contemplating what to do with the boy, raised my head when I heard someone coming from the top of the stairs.
Judging from the way he approached, trying to keep his presence as low as possible, he was definitely not an ordinary person.
'Are you a watcher?'
I guess so.
It's been chasing me for a while now.
It was a pointless fight with the boy that got me into trouble.
As I turned around to run away, the boy grabbed my ankle.
“Let go now!”
“It’s here, it’s here!”
The boy shouted so loudly that the basement shook.
“Here it is!”
"Ha...!"
I, whose position was completely exposed, muttered a few curses and forcibly pushed the boy away before quickly entering the secret passage.
'I'm confident I can run away.'
Because I was blessed by the red dragon, my physical abilities were superior to those of ordinary humans.
I had never known anyone to run faster than me except my father.
Even though my arm is injured, my legs are fine, so let's run as fast as we can to shake off the guards and get to Nicole Tesis' warehouse.
I'm going to meet the Northern Territory nobles before it's too late.
I made that plan, but I collapsed without even getting through the secret passage.
“Ugh!”
No, it would be more accurate to say I fell down.
I looked down at my trembling left leg.
I felt no sensation in my injured left arm.
“Is it paralyzing poison?”
It looks like it was hit by the sword the boy was swinging.
Even preparing paralyzing poison.
Whoever was behind it, he was a very sophisticated guy.
So I am certain that the one behind it is the Emperor.
“This is a big deal.”
At this rate, not only would I be unable to go to the meeting place, but it would also be impossible to shake off the guards chasing me.
In the worst-case scenario, they could kill me.
Yeah, like a second life.
“...”
Her small shoulders trembled slightly as the terrible memories overlapped.
For a moment, everything before my eyes went black, but I bit my lips tightly to clear my hazy mind.
And I gripped the dagger tightly with my relatively healthy right hand.
Kwajik-
“!”
The dagger was deeply embedded in a man's thigh, who was standing behind her.
I didn't stop there but slashed the dagger horizontally.
Blood spurted out from where the dagger had passed, spraying in all directions.
“Ahh!”
When the man, unable to overcome the pain, screamed and collapsed, the colleagues who had been following me hesitated and stopped.
On the other hand, I muttered as I looked at the fallen man with an indifferent expression, my fear completely gone.
“If it had been a longsword, it would have completely cut off the leg. What a pity.”
Are those really the words that would come out of the mouth of a young lady from a noble family who grew up in seclusion?
The watchers looked at each other in confusion, then quickly pulled out their swords from their waists.
I stood up, leaning against the wall, and nodded my head, wiping the blood that had splattered on my face.
“Come at it.”
I won't get fooled twice.
I will definitely win in this life!
***
Kakang.
The sound of sharp metal pieces clashing against each other was loud.
I barely managed to block my opponent's attack and retreat, but as I began to lose feeling in my right arm, I gritted my teeth.
Although I was determined to win, the odds were stacked against me.
Because my left arm was injured and I couldn't move my body properly due to the paralyzing poison.
Moreover, there were as many as four opponents.
These are people who have been formally trained and are skilled, not just random people.
I could endure this far.
If it were a normal person, it would have happened long ago.
It was a great help in holding on to even the narrowest passages, barely wide enough for one person to pass through.
'But this too has its limits.'
If your right arm becomes paralyzed, you won't be able to hold a weapon.
I was getting anxious thinking that I had to deal with it somehow before then.
An anxious mind creates mistakes and weaknesses, and the opponent quickly stabs with his sword without missing the opportunity.
Kwak.
Out of nowhere, the ceiling collapsed, sending a pile of rubble crashing down on me and my enemies.
The enemy quickly retreated and dodged, but I was unable to do so because my body was paralyzed.
I had no choice but to cover my head and crouch down to minimize the damage, but a long shadow fell over my head.
The Master of Shadows stopped me from blocking the stones.
What is this?
I looked up in confusion.
The first thing I saw was a head of pitch-black hair that seemed to melt the darkness.
Then I saw golden eyes looking at me with concern.
"Are you okay?"
“Lord... Perdes?”
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