Chapter 36

# 36

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"Who is that person?"

When Nabiya asked, the boy flinched.

The coachman answered.

"It's my assistant."

"Is that so?"

Nabiya approached the boy and grabbed his arm.

"Why are you covering your face like this?"

Slap!

The boy roughly shook her off, and the coachman, taken aback, hurriedly lied.

"Oh, I'm sorry! It seems my assistant was startled by how beautiful you are, miss."

"Uh-huh. It's fine."

Nabiya raised her hand to cover her mouth slightly, smiling shyly.

'Having achieved my goal.'

A cold gaze was fixed on the black moon, which absorbed magic.

Kate pulled Nabiya with a worried expression.

"Miss, you'll catch a cold if you get wet. Come under the umbrella."

The boy, Wood, who was said to be the assistant, watched Nabiya with a tense expression as she moved away.

'How dare a dirty commoner touch me.'

Wood gritted his teeth and absentmindedly wiped his arm.

'What was that feeling just now?'

When Nabiya touched him, he felt a chill.

Was it because he was afraid of being exposed?

Meanwhile, Nabiya, who had boarded the carriage, asked Kate.

"Aren't you coming?"

Kate laughed awkwardly.

"I have a lot of things to do."

Nabiya nodded.

The door closed, and through the window, she saw Kate leave with a relieved look.

'Perhaps it would have been better to escape the mansion with me.'

If she stayed here, Nikan wouldn't leave that maid alone.

Soon, the carriage passed through the back gate of the Agnes mansion.

This road led in the opposite direction of the bustling area, heading towards the Esselred mansion.

'That place, surrounded by lakes and forests, is perfect for carrying out despicable deeds.'

It was also a good spot to ambush the low-quality hired assassins.

Nabiya knew Wood better than Nikan did.

Through Charlotte, Nabiya whispered to Wood.

"Make Miss Nabiya a slave."

While slavery was prohibited by imperial law, there were legal procedures.

Those who attacked without a declaration of war and lost, or criminals who caused significant property or personal damage, fell into this category.

Up to this point, it could be smoothed over with a substantial compensation.

But what about a commoner who harmed a noble?

The imperial law was even harsher on commoners, and Nabiya was conveniently a commoner.

Wood would expose the fact that Nabiya was a commoner and claim her as his slave before the slave trial began.

Nabiya had told him as much.

There was a flaw in this plan.

'If the noble who was attacked doesn't consider it an attack, it becomes useless.'

Wood was too young to be well-versed in imperial law to recognize this flaw.

"Employ an assassin who will do anything for money to ride with Miss Nabiya in the carriage and attack Esselred."

Then, Nabiya wouldn't become Esselred's foster daughter; she would become a slave immediately.

This method was too dangerous for a young boy to use.

'Wood must be overconfident.'

The power of a water mage was strongest when it rained.

He must have calculated that the rain would help him recover his incomplete magic.

'But that calculation is also part of my plan.'

Nabiya, who had stolen Wood's magic, could also use the rainy weather to her advantage.

Nabiya checked outside the window.

They were about to reach the vicinity of the Esselred mansion.

Her palms were damp with tension.

Nabiya clenched her fists, then suddenly noticed her badly injured hands.

These were the wounds she had sustained when she clawed at the floor and struggled fiercely to escape the warehouse.

Under her nails, scabs formed, making them look unsightly.

Would the Duke of Esselred even listen to her, looking so wretched?

Would he kill her outright, finding her disgusting before any negotiation?

Nabiya pulled her short sleeves down forcefully.

To hide her dirty and unsightly appearance.

Then she sneered.

She didn't intend to become a beloved foster daughter.

She was going to negotiate her safety by offering something valuable to the Duke of Esselred.

The carriage soon stopped.

Outside, the sound of someone leaving was heard.

'It must be the coachman running away.'

This time, she sensed someone approaching.

It must be the assassins Wood hired.

Sure enough, Wood's quiet whisper was faintly heard.

"Here."

Nabiya closed her eyes tightly, gathered her magic, and counted.

"Give me the rest of the money first."

Three.

"Here. I'll give you a tip if you finish the job well."

Heard.

"Ha ha! Then I'll make sure to finish it properly."

One.

Bang!

When the horses gathered in front of the door, Nabiya released the condensed magic.

"Ah!"

The fragments of the exploded carriage pierced the assassins like daggers.

In an instant, two out of the three assassins were dead.

Despite committing murder, Nabiya's face remained cold and expressionless as she stole Wood's magic again.

Neigh!

Startled by the explosion, the horses began to run.

Nabiya crawled into the carriage, which had lost its roof, and climbed onto the driver's seat.

She knew how to drive a carriage.

"Whoa!"

Even with an adult's body, it would be difficult to control the horses' strength, let alone with her thin, eight-year-old body.

Nabiya gritted her teeth despite the pain that felt like her arms were about to be torn off.

A pitch-black mansion, as if inhabited by a monster, appeared before her.

Boom!

The carriage was shattered by the magic shot by the assassin, and Nabiya tumbled into the mud.

"Cough!"

'Is he an explosion mage?'

The black moon couldn't absorb the explosion. Nabiya bit her lip tightly but didn't hesitate to run forward.

'I have to die inside the mansion.'

Only then could she create a clear weakness for Agnes!

"Die!"

Wood chased her closely, drenched in the rain.

Nabiya gauged her remaining strength.

Like Wood, she moved the rainwater she stood on.

The spots where Nabiya had run were continuously exploding.

Boom!!

After a tense chase, she was caught in the aftermath of an explosion.

Her mind was a blur, and her ears rang.

Her wet clothes were heavy, and the cold seeped into her bones.

But as long as she was alive, this was nothing.

Nabiya stood up again.

She moved her trembling legs by sheer willpower.

Boom!

Consecutive explosions sent Nabiya flying low into the air before slamming her back to the ground.

Pain that felt like death enveloped her entire body.

'Pain that feels like death?'

This isn't the kind of pain that leads to death.

Who knows better than her how excruciating it is to be in such pain?

So she didn't give in. If she couldn't stand, she would crawl on all fours.

'I can't die here, not after coming this far!'

Smack!

Wood, who had caught up, kicked her in the side.

"Even a bug wriggles when stepped on."

A murderous aura emanated from Wood's face.

"Did you think you could make me suffer like this?"

Smack!

Nabiya suppressed the groan that was about to burst out.

Her eyes, which glared fiercely, made Wood even angrier.

"You're not even worth being a slave. I'll just kill you!"

At that moment, the assassin grabbed Wood by the collar.

"Why didn't you tell me she was a mage?!"

"Y-You insolent—!"

Wood's face turned red with anger at the assassin's rudeness.

"Do you want to die?"

When he shouted, the assassin sneered.

"Master, do you know where we are? There's no one here. No one will stop us from fighting in front of the Duke's mansion."

That's why he accepted this job.

There was no need to worry about prying eyes, and the opponent was a powerless eight-year-old girl. The job was too easy for the pay.

"So, it would be easy for me to get rid of you, too. Don't you think?"

Even if Wood was a talented mage, he was only ten years old.

Moreover, the opponent was an adult with extensive killing experience.

Wood, sensing the danger, took off his hood and said.

"I am the successor of Agnes! Do you think you can touch me and get away with it?"

The assassin flinched.

He was already suspicious because of the water magic, and Agnes? Wood, seeing the assassin's reaction, quickly became arrogant.

"I have more money than you can imagine. I'll give you enough to live comfortably for the rest of your life once the job is done."

"…I'll remember that."

The assassin released Wood and approached Nabiya, who was fleeing towards the Esselred mansion, grabbing her by the neck.

"Choke!"

Nabiya struggled to break free from his grip, but her battered body could only twitch.

'Just three steps to the main gate!'

The assassin shuddered when he saw her red eyes flash.

How can an eight-year-old girl be so vicious?

"Devilish girl. I can't let you die easily after killing my comrades."

The assassin generated a crimson orb in his free hand.

Nabiya's body suddenly went limp.

'She's not dead, but what is this…?'

The assassin raised his eyebrows and sneered.

"Good, good. Die quietly."

Nabiya looked at the assassin calmly.

Chill!

"…Ah?"

When the condensed explosion magic suddenly subsided, the assassin instinctively knew something was wrong.

Nabiya smiled coldly.

Boom!

Nabiya caused an explosion under the assassin's feet.

She was also thrown by the blast.

But it was in the direction of Esselred, as she had intended.

Nabiya closed her eyes tightly.

'I'll die here, won't I?'

But it would be a meaningful death, leaving a stain on Agnes with her life.

It's fine to die. After all, it's not the first time. If this could hurt Agnes, it was worth it.

Yes, it's fine.

At that moment, a faint voice, like a breath, escaped her lips.

"Please… save me…"

And she lost consciousness.

#06.

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Raise me.