Ch. 67

“Rai. My order was clear—don’t worry about me, just kill them.”

[Master.]

“What?!”

[Among the spirits, I’m relatively free-willed, but even so, there’s still a hierarchy of priorities. The most important mission every spirit shares—me included—is to protect our master. Not to kill others.]

“Damn it… whatever! I remember their faces. Even if I have to hand them over to the security force, I’ll catch them.”

I remembered the wanted posters plastered on walls everywhere.

There were bounty hunters and mercenaries who specialized in catching criminals, so if I put a price on their heads, the chances of catching them would go up.

They didn’t just mess with me—they laid hands on Iruze too. That gave me more than enough reason to issue a bounty.

Iruze’s parents might even put up a massive reward.

And if Ash, by some chance, was truly royalty… this would explode into chaos.

Come to think of it, this wasn’t something that could just quietly be brushed aside.

Laying hands on a member of the royal family was enough to warrant an entire noble house’s extermination.

“Speaking of which, what about Iruze?”

[How should I know how that kid’s doing?]

“Ugh, you’re useless.”

After two days of unconsciousness, all I was left with were unanswered questions.

Maybe Iruze and Ash were in a different room. I picked up a candlestick from the table and stepped out of the room.

Too many thoughts were eating away at me for me to sit still.

That question had plagued me the whole time I was sick:

‘Ash, why did you save me? We only just met. I mean nothing to you, and you probably mean nothing to me.’

‘Why would you burden me with something like this?’

‘Why would you risk your life for me? What reason could you possibly have?’

The hallway I quietly stepped into was darker than I expected, likely because it was so late at night.

Without Rai, I might’ve felt a little scared.

[There are voices over there.]

As I started walking in the direction Rai pointed, I realized I was barefoot.

Still, I kept walking.

“…You heard it too.”

“That boy was really His Highness the Prince?”

“That’s why they asked us to keep it a secret.”

“My goodness.”

Standing by the staircase were familiar faces.

Instructor Iritho and Captain Tornel of the knights. I drew closer.

“You said it yourself, Captain. The crest on the knights who came to fetch that boy belonged to the Elan royal family.”

“I did say that, but… who would’ve imagined a boy rescued from slavers was a direct royal?”

“I didn’t expect it either. But the people who came today—”

The two, whispering in hushed voices, fell silent in shock when they saw me.

“Geenie, you’re awake.”

A bad feeling rushed through me.

I stepped toward Instructor Iritho, my lips dry as parchment.

“Instructor. What about Ash?”

Why did I feel this way? Instructor Iritho knelt in front of me, gently stroking my cheek with a sorrowful look.

I asked again and again.

“Is Ash okay? Where is he?”

“…Ash, His Highness Epiros, has returned to the palace. You won’t be able to see him again.”

“No!”

“Geenie.”

“I haven’t even…”

I hadn’t even thanked him yet.

Hadn’t told him he was an idiot. That what he did was stupid. That I wouldn’t have done the same. And that’s why I was grateful…

Not a single word.

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye!”

I couldn’t accept it.

That he’d just gone somewhere beyond reach.

He went and made himself someone I couldn’t stop thinking about—and now this?!

“Geenie? You must forget about what happened that day.”

“…”

“You must never speak of it to anyone. Understood?”

Instructor Iritho, wearing a rare stern expression, gripped my shoulders and made me look her straight in the eyes.

Her warning gaze told me this wasn’t something to take lightly.

“You’re a smart girl. You understand what I mean, don’t you?”

I bit my lip hard.

Of course the royal family would find it disgraceful that a prince was kidnapped by slavers.

Of course they’d want to pretend it never happened. Of course they’d want to keep it secret!

But still, this was too cruel!

I was furious, not even knowing exactly what had been taken from me.

“Geenie, he said to make sure I thanked you.”

“Ash said that?”

“Yes. He said he was grateful you saved him, and that one day, he’d repay the favor. He wanted to leave a letter for you. But his hand…”

Instructor Iritho couldn’t finish. And because of that, I too was overwhelmed by strange emotions. I couldn’t stop the sudden tears from welling up.

More vivid than Ash’s face in my mind was the image of the dagger that pierced through that small hand.

Just thinking about it made me ache and tremble with fear, and my eyes began to tear up.

My throat tightened, and my voice came out trembling on its own.

“His hand, what about Ash’s hand? Can it be healed? He ended up like that because of me.”

“…I don’t know.”

“How could this happen! He’s the one who saved me. I should be the one thanking him. I… I just…”

I didn’t want to be hit, so I stayed quiet. I just kept hoping it would all end quickly, curled up and passive.

Ash went up against the slavers because they were trying to drag me and Iruze away.

Of the three of us, Ash was the dumbest—and the bravest.

“He’s royalty. He’ll get the best treatment. Probably… Let’s hope he’ll be okay, together with me.”

“…I want to write Ash a letter.”

Instructor Iritho shook her head with a pained expression.

“Why not?!”

“You won’t be able to send it. Geenie, the royal family…”

Her voice grew very small.

“They don’t want this incident mentioned. They won’t deliver your letter. They won’t let you see him either.”

The burden on my heart was too heavy, and I started to gasp for breath.

As if suffocating, I struggled just to inhale. I bit my lip to hold back the tears.

I must’ve looked a complete mess.

“Geenie, for now, just get some rest. You need to recover.”

“…What about Iruze?”

“Just a few bruises. She’s fine now.”

“Did Iruze get to say goodbye to Ash?”

“She didn’t either. They… took Ash the moment they arrived.”

Instructor Iritho took both of my hands in hers and tried to comfort me in a worried voice, but I barely heard a word she said.

My mind was consumed with a single thought—how could I meet Ash again?

I couldn’t accept that this was how it would end.

“Your complexion is terrible. Come now, let’s go back to your room and lie down, alright? Geenie?”

“…”

“Your internal injuries are serious. You need rest. The healers say at least two weeks. You won’t be able to participate in the tournament. Thankfully, Leo can take your place…”

“The tournament.”

“You didn’t even want to enter it in the first place, remember? Let’s just focus on getting you well for now.”

Yeah, I’d never cared about that tournament.

A bunch of kids fighting each other—there was no way that was actually fun.

But now, it was exactly what I needed.

“I’m going to compete.”

“Geenie? You need rest.”

“I’m going no matter what!”

I would win that prize.

And not just any prize—a major one.

My voice rang out more determined than ever before.

“I need to win. That way, I’ll get to meet the Emperor, right?”

The winner of the tournament was awarded a certificate bearing the Emperor’s name, personally presented by him. And the Emperor granted the champion a single wish.

Most winners asked for fine weapons or higher noble titles.

But to me, this seemed like the only path left to see Ash again.