Pembe never did anything wrong while I was with him.
No, rather, he was not interested in human affairs and only interacted a little with people related to me.
Pembe's only interests are me and sweet food.
According to our cute hamster familiar, the familiar's abilities and rank are determined from the moment they are born in the darkness of hell.
That part is similar to a demon, but it is different from a demon that eats human souls or enjoys human pain, anger, sadness, etc.
The familiar that attacked me said that they did so because of their contract with the warlock, and that they had no intention of attacking humans.
'Black magic, familiars. Is it really that bad?'
As I watched Pembe chant black magic spells and explore the surroundings, my thoughts grew increasingly complicated.
Hey, let's stop. It's not too late to worry about these things later.
I deliberately explained our plan to Pembe in a bright voice.
"Please take care of me, Pembe. I'll head to the mine as quickly as possible. Before I get there, I'll contact Carol in town and we'll go together."
"What? Why?! Are you really going with that maid? Weren't you just trying to trick Eudela and Liana?"
Pembe hated Carol, so her reaction was expected.
I chuckled and calmly continued my explanation.
"Carol is the successor to the Demirant Information Guild. She has connections all over the country. Taking her with me is the safest option. She also knows I've become deeply involved with the Warlocks. And she's promised to bring me some information on the black magicians."
Pembe's eyes widened as he heard Carol's new side.
He looked very surprised.
"...I told you so. She has an innocent face, but she's like a vixen. She hides her true nature like a snake. Tsk."
Pembe, who answered after a while, only grumbled that he could no longer object to taking Carol.
Carol and Pembe were on bad terms from the moment they met, and it continued to be the same while they were living in the mansion.
Everyone loved Pembe, the cute hamster, but Carol was an exception.
So, it was usually Eudela who took care of Pembe's snacks, and he rarely encountered Carol.
Is it okay if we go together on this trip?
Pembe, already worried, asked again.
"That Duke? Yvonne's lover. If you asked him to come with you, he'd be much more helpful than Carol."
“I told you we’re not lovers...”
I muttered and corrected myself, but Pembe didn't even pretend to hear.
"If hest not your lover, what is he? Is he your fiancé? Or should I just call him your husband?"
'What.'
Is this familiar crazy?
Fiance? Husband?
You're so crazy, the devil from the other world is calling you back, man.
But I don't know why the corners of my mouth go up for no reason.
When Pembe, who was waiting for an answer, looked at me with an expression that said, 'You're pretty crazy too,' I quickly controlled my expression by licking the corners of my lips.
"Ahem. No. And, I didn't tell him. He's busy, unlike me. The Duke, I mean."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Pembe tilted his head.
“We are enough. It’s okay.”
I muttered to myself with a stern face, as if making a promise.
That's ridiculous.
Ask Rudnine for help.
I came here on purpose without telling him.
There might come a time when I have to become a warlock and fight Empress Giselle. That's why I deliberately avoided getting involved with him.
'Ah.'
- You got rained on.
The face and voice of Rudnine, who had been waiting in front of the mansion, suddenly appeared vividly.
His empty eyes were filled with sadness, betrayal, and despair.
I was out of breath.
Could it be that he's doing this again because I left without contacting him?
I don't like that.
I rubbed my left chest because of the strange pain that felt like a needle was stabbing me near my heart.
'Should I go back and tell him now?'
I turned my head toward the capital, gripped the reins tighter, looked ahead, and steeled my resolve.
Don't be weak, Yvonne.
After returning home from a sweet date with Rudnine yesterday, I couldn't even breathe and was troubled.
But in the end, I came to a difficult conclusion and made a plan.
First, I need to go to the Thiels Mine as soon as possible and cure my magical amnesia.
Second, based on the black magic data that Carol has obtained, we will research to determine the extent of Empress Giselle's black magic power.
And as Cordelia said, I checked the situation to see if I should become a warlock.
Third, decide.
'Of course I don't want to be a warlock.'
I bit my lip because I didn't even want to think about that future.
Damn, what a shitty ending!
No matter how much I protect world peace, if I become a warlock, everyone will turn their backs on me.
I have to abandon my family, my lover, my future. Selfish people would never treat me, a warlock, as a hero.
‘Oh.’
No, rather, he was not interested in human affairs and only interacted a little with people related to me.
Pembe's only interests are me and sweet food.
According to our cute hamster familiar, the familiar's abilities and rank are determined from the moment they are born in the darkness of hell.
That part is similar to a demon, but it is different from a demon that eats human souls or enjoys human pain, anger, sadness, etc.
The familiar that attacked me said that they did so because of their contract with the warlock, and that they had no intention of attacking humans.
'Black magic, familiars. Is it really that bad?'
As I watched Pembe chant black magic spells and explore the surroundings, my thoughts grew increasingly complicated.
Hey, let's stop. It's not too late to worry about these things later.
I deliberately explained our plan to Pembe in a bright voice.
"Please take care of me, Pembe. I'll head to the mine as quickly as possible. Before I get there, I'll contact Carol in town and we'll go together."
"What? Why?! Are you really going with that maid? Weren't you just trying to trick Eudela and Liana?"
Pembe hated Carol, so her reaction was expected.
I chuckled and calmly continued my explanation.
"Carol is the successor to the Demirant Information Guild. She has connections all over the country. Taking her with me is the safest option. She also knows I've become deeply involved with the Warlocks. And she's promised to bring me some information on the black magicians."
Pembe's eyes widened as he heard Carol's new side.
He looked very surprised.
"...I told you so. She has an innocent face, but she's like a vixen. She hides her true nature like a snake. Tsk."
Pembe, who answered after a while, only grumbled that he could no longer object to taking Carol.
Carol and Pembe were on bad terms from the moment they met, and it continued to be the same while they were living in the mansion.
Everyone loved Pembe, the cute hamster, but Carol was an exception.
So, it was usually Eudela who took care of Pembe's snacks, and he rarely encountered Carol.
Is it okay if we go together on this trip?
Pembe, already worried, asked again.
"That Duke? Yvonne's lover. If you asked him to come with you, he'd be much more helpful than Carol."
“I told you we’re not lovers...”
I muttered and corrected myself, but Pembe didn't even pretend to hear.
"If hest not your lover, what is he? Is he your fiancé? Or should I just call him your husband?"
'What.'
Is this familiar crazy?
Fiance? Husband?
You're so crazy, the devil from the other world is calling you back, man.
But I don't know why the corners of my mouth go up for no reason.
When Pembe, who was waiting for an answer, looked at me with an expression that said, 'You're pretty crazy too,' I quickly controlled my expression by licking the corners of my lips.
"Ahem. No. And, I didn't tell him. He's busy, unlike me. The Duke, I mean."
"Hmm. Is that so?"
Pembe tilted his head.
“We are enough. It’s okay.”
I muttered to myself with a stern face, as if making a promise.
That's ridiculous.
Ask Rudnine for help.
I came here on purpose without telling him.
There might come a time when I have to become a warlock and fight Empress Giselle. That's why I deliberately avoided getting involved with him.
'Ah.'
Then, suddenly, I recalled that day when the rain poured down like a deluge.
The face and voice of Rudnine, who had been waiting in front of the mansion, suddenly appeared vividly.
His empty eyes were filled with sadness, betrayal, and despair.
I was out of breath.
Could it be that he's doing this again because I left without contacting him?
I don't like that.
I rubbed my left chest because of the strange pain that felt like a needle was stabbing me near my heart.
'Should I go back and tell him now?'
I turned my head toward the capital, gripped the reins tighter, looked ahead, and steeled my resolve.
Don't be weak, Yvonne.
After returning home from a sweet date with Rudnine yesterday, I couldn't even breathe and was troubled.
But in the end, I came to a difficult conclusion and made a plan.
First, I need to go to the Thiels Mine as soon as possible and cure my magical amnesia.
Second, based on the black magic data that Carol has obtained, we will research to determine the extent of Empress Giselle's black magic power.
And as Cordelia said, I checked the situation to see if I should become a warlock.
Third, decide.
'Of course I don't want to be a warlock.'
I bit my lip because I didn't even want to think about that future.
Damn, what a shitty ending!
No matter how much I protect world peace, if I become a warlock, everyone will turn their backs on me.
I have to abandon my family, my lover, my future. Selfish people would never treat me, a warlock, as a hero.
‘Oh.’
If I really had to become a warlock and drive out Empress Giselle and her gang, I would torture them in the most painful way possible.
“Hehe. What kind of torture methods were there...?”
As I laughed sinisterly, already as dark as a warlock, emitting a dark aura, Pembe noticed my expression and hid in my bag in shock.
I wanted to quickly resolve this stuffy feeling, like I had eaten a bunch of sweet potatoes without a sip of water.
So I rode hard north towards the Thiels Mine.
Like a crazy wild horse!
That's me, the horse, and I are one!
I really didn't eat all day!
Since I really liked horseback riding and had good physical strength, I had no discomfort at all.
I think my personality of focusing on one thing and not seeing anything else also plays a part.
I heard Pembe screaming from inside the bag, "Yvonne is a monster!", but I ignored it and ran.
As I was running like crazy, the sun was setting, and the sky was turning red.
The capital had long since been abandoned, and we were well into the north of the empire.
If I had my way, I would have run all night and arrived at the Thiels Mine as soon as possible.
“Purrrrrr, purrrrrr! Keuuuuung!”
...but the state of my words is not normal.
My horse, so sturdy that he was famously nicknamed "of Yvonne, for Yvonne, by Yvonne," had white, foamy saliva dripping from his mouth.
In comparison, I didn't break a sweat, and my thighs, let alone my butt, didn't hurt.
Besides, I was going to make contact with Carol around this time, so I looked around slowly and pulled on the reins to slow down.
“Huh, huh, huh. Pfft!!!”
"Stop, you're so pitiful. I'm just a familiar, but... I'll cast my familiar's healing magic on you. Sniff. Take this. Cheer up."
“Khuu ..."
It seemed that I and Pembe had become very close to each other through our camaraderie forged in an extremely harsh environment.
I felt guilty as the one who created this environment, but I pretended not to notice and looked around.
A village seemed distant in the distance.
As I entered the road leading to the village entrance, I looked to see if there was a village guide sign.
'Where is it?'
Should I go a little further in?
I just ran north without any sense and had no idea where I was.
Still, I was confident that this was near the village of Lirvel, where I had agreed to meet Carol, so I looked around, scratching my head.
‘Is there anyone here...?’
At that moment, a woman suddenly appeared on the street where not a single ant had been seen.
She was staring at me from afar.
'How long has this been going on?'
I tilted my head in puzzlement and then slowly approached the woman on horseback.
It wasn't a particularly nice outfit, but she was a young woman with red hair wearing a clean navy dress and a white apron.
‘It seems like someone from this village...’
"Don't worry, Yvonne. I don't sense any dark magic. She's not a warlock."
“Yeah, thanks.”
I was relieved when Pembe confirmed it as if to dispel my suspicions.
"Hey."
I gave her my most friendly smile, pointed to the village, and asked.
“Let me ask you something. Is this the village of Lirvel?”
“Lirvel Village? No. You’ve already passed Lirvel Village.”
"Yes?"
The woman looked me up and down, then put her hand on her cheek and made a worried expression.
"Oh my goodness. Miss, this is Seider Village. You're too far north of your destination. Lirvel Village is far below. It's over there, on the other side of the mountain."
“Beyond the mountain?”
I was so confused that I looked at the mountain in the direction she was pointing, completely engulfed in darkness.
And then I rubbed my temples and sighed deeply.
'Yvonne. Are you crazy?'
Look at the map and run!
I felt pathetic for just running up such a high mountain.
I gently bowed my chin to her and turned my head.
“Thank you for your answer. I should go back before it’s too late.”
“No!!! Absolutely not!”
"Yes?"
Oh, that's surprising. Why is your voice so loud?
I opened my eyes wide in surprise and turned to look at her. The woman came running towards me in a hurry and desperately tried to stop me.
"Miss! It's too dangerous right now. You can't go!"
She continued speaking with a very urgent expression.
"This is the Iels' territory. Is this your first time in the north? I hear monsters often appear at night here in the north."
“Ah, so this is the Iels territory...”
I answered slowly and looked around.
A name that makes your heart ache just by saying it.
I ended up entering his territory.
Of course, I knew before I left that I had to come to Rudnine's territory.
Because the Thiels Mine that Baron Gardner told me about was located in the Iels territory.
At first, I was very surprised, but fortunately, the mine owner's name was not Rudnine, but someone else.
The mines in the territory were often bought and sold to others, so there were many cases where they were not his property.
The sapphire mine that I had as my personal property was also transferred to someone else.
Anyway, since the Thiels Mine isn't owned by Rudnine, there's no way I'll ever run into him again.
But somehow, when I realized that I was in the Iels territory, my heart started pounding.
The seemingly ordinary village of Seider feels different.
It seemed to have a more affectionate and soft scent.
It's like it resembles him.
'I'm really hopeless.'
I was laughing bitterly, mocking myself for not being able to shake off the thought of Rudnine, when a woman approached me and cried out earnestly.
“Miss., please, please, stay here!”
I looked at her with bewildered eyes.
Why are you clinging to me like this?
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