Ch. 131

Waking up at the same time every day for over ten years turns into a habit.

No matter how tired I was, I would always wake up around dawn. It had become second nature to train [Mana] at that time.

Even without any willpower, my body would wake on its own. Half-asleep, I would fumble for [Mana] and let it wrap around my body. Before I knew it, my mind would clear up completely.

[Mana] filled me like a gentle wave, rising all the way to my throat and rippling softly.

Once that sensation faded, I often felt so refreshed that I would happily fall back asleep again.

But when I woke up again, Annie was nowhere to be seen.

“Where did she go?”

She had been sound asleep beside me when I woke up earlier.

I gave Rai, who was sprawled on his back at my feet like a king, a nudge in the side and asked.

“Rai, where’s Annie?”

He wasn’t supposed to be in my room, but the stable wasn’t suitable for him either.

Rai always ended up sneaking into my room when the inn got quiet.

[An hour ago, I think? She ran out when she heard Chad’s voice outside.]

“You didn’t stop her?”

[Why would I? I was grateful she left.]

Wow. That guy was dead serious.

“You’re something else… but that kid really doesn’t know who her group is.”

I was clearly her guardian, after all.

Still, it’s Chad. He’s reliable. I’d watched him for a few days now and figured he was someone I could trust with a child.

Despite his brutish size and intimidating face, he was surprisingly kind and gentle with kids. He was definitely better with them than I was.

I stayed under the covers for a bit longer before reluctantly crawling out of bed as sunlight poured in through the window.

Half-blind, I trudged over to the washbasin on one side of the inn room.

Then I came face-to-face with my disheveled self in the mirror.

“Good grief… look at this hair. And still so pretty in the morning.”

Guess I got some killer genes.

They say beauty is born, not made—and that was clearly about me.

My mother in this world had been a stunning beauty, and I inherited her looks completely. Lately, my beauty had been shining brighter than ever.

Was it even okay to be this pretty? I might end up making a few men cry. I sometimes fell for my own reflection in the mirror. (T/N: What a fking narcissist. HAHAHAHAHAHA)

Being beautiful was thrilling.

Though even beauties get sleep crust.

I washed my face like a cat and ran wet fingers through my hair to smooth it out. I thought about braiding it, but brushing came first—and that was just too much effort right now.

First things first—food. I dug through the clothes I’d tossed aside before bed.

Over my thin, sleeveless cotton nightdress, I put on a stiff beige long shirt, then threw on a comfortable leather vest with pockets.

It wasn’t buttoned but tied at the front, giving it a bit of a corset look. Below that, I wore newly bought, snug dark leather pants and fastened the belts I’d left on the table one by one around my waist.

I sheathed a dagger on my belt, hooked on my coin pouch, strapped my compass, and grabbed my cloak. I just needed shoes to be ready to head out.

“Something’s missing.”

[Master’s treasure! You forgot about me!]

“Something’s definitely missing.”

[Are you ignoring me on purpose?]

Hmm. What was it…

“Ah!”

There was only one compass. I’d left Rubao’s compass by my pillow.

It had been fascinating to watch it point toward Ash, so I kept looking at it until I fell asleep.

I moved the pillow and picked up the compass, but as I reached to strap it to my waist, I noticed something odd.

The needle was flickering wildly.

“Is Ash teleporting or something?”

That couldn’t be it. Why was this happening? The needle was twitching left and right nonstop like a broken gauge.

—

I threw on my cloak and went down to the dining hall.

Sure enough, Annie was there. Sitting next to Chad, she was munching on a sandwich and blinked at me as a greeting.

“Annie, I told you not to go off alone.”

“But the uncles are here.”

“And I told you those uncles might be dangerous.”

“Hey!”

Chad raised his voice, seemingly ready to argue.

“What!”

“That’s a damn good lesson you’re teaching! She’s right!”

“……”

“Listen carefully, kiddo. Don’t go following strange men. Especially ones who look like me.”

What a character.

Chad started lecturing Annie on how dangerous the world was while I scanned the room for Ash.

“You’re up, Miss Geenie.”

“Lox.”

“Do you like sandwiches? Have some with us. I ordered plenty.”

But only Lox had come back with breakfast.

“Where’s Ash?”

“He should be at the stable.”

Lox jerked his chin toward the back door, and I pulled out the compass to check. It was pointing the opposite way—to the inn’s front entrance.

Had Ash moved toward the front in the meantime?

While I stared curiously, the needle slid over and pointed to the back door this time. I wasn’t moving, but it kept flipping back and forth.

I walked toward the back door, following the erratic needle. Now it pointed firmly at the back.

Just to test, I turned toward the front. Midway through the dining room, the needle spun sharply back toward the front.

I stood still, and the needle jittered between the front and back doors like a panicked person.

“What the heck is going on?”

Was it broken?

No… maybe not. Or maybe… could it be that someone else nearby misses me just as much?

Two people, both close enough that the compass couldn’t decide?

It was the only explanation that made sense.

Ash must be at the back door. So who was at the front?

I went out through the front and looked around, but there wasn’t a single familiar face. Everyone I knew in this city was behind me in the inn.

“I don’t know anyone in Mielta…”

There weren’t many people who’d miss me to begin with.

As I stood blankly in front of the door, I suddenly felt it.

It was just a fleeting moment—but I sensed someone’s gaze, sharp like a stab.

I tore my eyes from the compass and glared toward a nearby alley.

Something unpleasant was lurking there.

[Master! Did you come out to greet me? You couldn’t wait to see me, huh.]

Rai, who had snuck out through a completely different, probably-not-even-a-door window to avoid the inn staff, came bounding out of the alley.

If he had been with me, he would have felt this nasty sensation too.

“Be quiet.”

[What’s wrong?]

“I felt something.”

Whatever it was, it was seriously unpleasant. My nerves were on edge as I stared at the alley and stepped forward.

Just as I tried to check it out, a menacing aura burst from the alley.

“Hey! You bumped into me, you gotta apologize!”

“Ow, I think my shoulder’s dislocated.”

What the…

I relaxed after seeing the scene.

So that’s what I sensed. Two rough-looking men were faking an injury, shaking down a lone traveler in a ragged cloak.

But the cloaked man ignored them and kept walking.

“Hey! I said my shoulder’s broken!”

“Yo! Stop right there!”

Just your typical street scuffle. The only unusual thing was how extraordinary the man in the cloak looked—and that those two thugs might actually end up pulp.

“Shut up.”

A gloomy voice drifted out from under the hood.

“I don’t talk to insects.”

“…Did you just call us insects?”

“The hell’s wrong with this guy? I was trying to go easy on you!”

I couldn’t help but be drawn to the man in the black cloak.

He had an unusual energy—one that felt unpleasant but also familiar.

[That guy’s a Spirit Mage, right?]

[I wasn’t sure at first, but yeah.]

[Can you feel it too, Master?]

[A little? But that aura’s way too grim for a Spirit Mage. It’s like he’s soaked in bloodlust… I’ve never felt anything like it.]

What kind of spirit does he command to emit that?

Spirit Mages usually radiated clean and pure energy.

Swordsmen gave off solid, mountain-like auras. Mages had dense, complex [Mana].

But this man… his aura was pure, yet filled with potent killing intent.

It reminded me of Rovenin.

Maybe that’s why I’d felt drawn.

Now that I looked closely, his suspiciously cloaked figure was also similar to Rovenin. But the aura of a swordsman and a Spirit Mage were fundamentally different.

They were like oil and water—impossible to confuse. This guy just looked similar. He wasn’t Rovenin.

Besides, it’s not like that bastard would miss me or anything.

“The more cowardly the dog, the louder it barks.”

“What did you say?! You little punk! You know who we are?!”

“Wanna disappear without a trace?”

“And they always die first.”

My hunch that things would get dangerous hit the mark.

The man in the cloak swiftly grabbed the neck of one of the thugs and effortlessly lifted him into the air.

He wore gloves, but I caught a glimpse of his forearm beneath the cloak—it was an odd, deep gray color.

That guy… might not even be human.