Chapter 6

I overdid it with the role of the adopted daughter 006

“Mom gave me a mission?”

Yeah.

This.

The progression is a bit different.

This was supposed to be a few days later.

Viola was a bit flustered.

The order of the episodes has changed.

“Mom gave me a mission.”

In the original, Bichen and Viola set out on a mission together.

It was Viola's official first mission.

Bichen in the original says this:

“Wouldn't it be fun if we competed?”

But the current Bichen is a bit different.

“Do you want to play with me?”

It subtly changed from the original.

Instead of competition, it was expressed as playing.

“Play?”

“It'll be fun.”

“Are you sure?”

“Really, it's super fun.”

“Who?”

“Bichen!”

Viola almost collapsed, her legs giving out.

To hear her own name called out and see her smile so brightly.

But it wasn't contrived; it was cute.

‘Damn it.’

I shouldn't find Bichen cute.

‘She’s been trained to kill since birth.’

If she wanted to, she could take out several adults with a single swipe. A very, very dangerous biological weapon.

Viola composed herself.

I can't be fooled by her appearance.

Feeling sorry for the abused Bichen and my own safety are separate issues.

“Well, it might be fun.”

The order of the episodes has changed.

But Viola thought it was for the better.

This episode, more than anything, was a very, very important point for Viola.

‘Suddenly, I have to go kidnap the male lead.’

It seemed she would meet the male lead, Tundra, from the novel.

***

Zyon gave a few explanations.

“Is this your first time in a real battle? The bandits mostly use poisoned arrows and throwing knives. In close combat, they sometimes wield axes, but they tire quickly because they rely on brute strength without proper technique.”

“And this is a dagger coated with a deadly poison. Please be careful when using it. If you accidentally get stabbed, even you, the princess, will...”

He pointed to the sky.

He smiled.

It seemed to mean going to heaven.

Such talk.

Don't say it with such a warm smile.

Swallowing those words, Viola said:

“I don't need the deadly poison.”

“Wouldn't it be useful?”

“I don't want to use poison in a game.”

In truth, she refused out of fear of accidentally getting poisoned, but Zyon easily understood.

“Hmm, that's true.”

Zyon wiped the poison off with a handkerchief and handed the dagger to Viola with a smile.

“I wish you success in your mission.”

“What about you?”

“Of course, I will accompany you, but I can't provide direct help. This is a mission given to the Fifth Prince.”

That's right.

The mission Bichen mentioned.

So, the 'game' was a mission to suppress the bandits causing trouble in the Betto Mountains.

It wasn't a large-scale bandit group.

An eight-year-old couldn't single-handedly suppress a famous and large bandit gang.

This was more like a practical training exercise for Bichen.

Zyon asked:

“Would you like to get in the carriage, or shall I prepare a horse?”

Viola doesn't know how to ride a horse.

Viola looked up at Zyon.

“I'd like to be treated more elegantly.”

“I'll prepare the carriage.”

Zyon prepared the carriage.

It was a carriage drawn by a pair of black horses.

Thanks to magic, the carriage was surprisingly comfortable inside.

However, Bichen seemed a bit dissatisfied.

“I find riding horses fun.”

“Then you can ride a horse.”

“Why do you call me 'you'?”

Bichen lifted her chin in front of Viola and pointed at her.

“Viola is seven.”

Then she pointed at her own chest.

“Bichen is eight.”

Her expression was full of arrogance.

The ease of a victor overflowed.

“You should call me 'big sister.'”

“Why?”

“I'm eight, and you're seven, right?”

That innocent look of a child made Viola almost smile.

She tried hard to suppress her smile.

“Still, I think I've killed ten more people than you. Hehe.”

The smile naturally disappeared.

“If you really hate the carriage, big sister can ride a horse.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Riding a horse consumes energy.”

“So?”

“Then I can't show off my cool side.”

Saving even a bit of energy was this serious eight-year-old's profound resolve.

Viola's group headed for the Betto Mountains, located south of Winter City.

The Betto Mountains were a small mountain range that branched off from the giant 'Northern Great Mountains.'

Viola composed herself.

‘A practical training exercise against bandits, but a very dangerous situation for me.’

The real Viola might not know, but the current Viola was Arin.

So, Viola used her head.

“Big sister.”

“Yeah?”

“I'll give you the first chance.”

“Really?”

“Wasn't it originally a game for you?

Right?”

“Yeah, that's true.”

Bichen nodded.

Although she suggested playing together, she didn't want to lose to her younger sister.

She also wanted to show off her cool side in front of her younger sister.

As a big sister.

“First, you do it.”

“Okay, I got it.”

“Do your best, but don't overdo it.”

“Huh?”

“If it gets too tough, I'll help you.”

She deliberately made a mocking face.

It touched Bichen's pride.

“Hmph! That won't happen!”

Bichen resolved.

To show a very strong side as a big sister,

“You just wait. I'll do it all!”

***

A twelve-year-old boy.

Tundra had treasures.

His father and sister.

To him, his father and sister were treasures.

His father was always affectionate.

‘Stand up straight, look forward, right! Perfect aim! Our son will be a great hunter!’

His sister, who had been frail since childhood, always cheered for Tundra.

‘Sister. I'll become a great hunter, fix your body, and make our family happy and prosperous.’

‘I don’t need to be prosperous. I just want you and Dad to be happy.’

In his childhood.

Tundra's mother couldn't bear the poverty and ran away.

The remaining family of three relied on each other to overcome the poverty.

Starting to hunt at six, Tundra's skills gradually improved, and they weren't as hungry as before.

‘Now, you're even better at hunting than me? Our son is amazing.’

Tundra smiled brightly.

‘Dad hunts, I hunt, and we have double the game.’

That made him happy.

‘Now, we won't have to worry about Sister's medicine.’

If time continued like this.

If he became an even better hunter.

‘We might even be able to get treatment at the temple.’

Tundra dreamed like that.

He firmly believed that his dream would come true someday.

***

7 days ago.

Tundra's dream was shattered.

“I caught a deer! A huge one!”

But there was no sign of anyone at home.

Something felt strange and ominous.

“Dad…!”

Dad was brutally killed.

His body was so badly damaged that it was hard to look at.

But he still held onto the hand axe in his right hand.

It seemed he had fought fiercely with something.

“Sister!!”

Dad was dead.

Sister was nowhere to be seen.

Tears streamed down his face.

It felt like the world had collapsed.

Sister must have been kidnapped.

There were axe marks and footprints everywhere.

There were more than just one or two people.

At least four or five.

He bit his lip hard.

‘Dad. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. I'll be back soon.’

He needed to bury Dad, but he couldn't do it now.

‘I'll find Sister first.’

He frantically searched for clues.

For three days, he hardly ate anything and chased after the trail.

He entered the Betto Mountains.

Finally, he found a bandit camp.

In the distance.

A crudely built wooden fence and a small watchtower were visible.

A mound of dirt was visible.

There was blood around it.

‘No, it can't be.’

It was ominous.

It can't be.

Tundra dug into the mound of dirt with trembling hands.

After digging a bit, he saw a pale hand.

It was a human hand, a girl's hand.

‘It can't be.’

He frantically dug deeper.

His fingernails peeled off, and blood flowed.

There was a young girl's corpse.

Despite the horrific scene, Tundra felt relieved.

‘It's not Sister.’

His heart raced.

He infiltrated the bandit camp to save his sister.

****

Zyon's voice came from outside the carriage.

“We've arrived. The bandit camp is visible up ahead.”

Bichen, in a hurry, opened the carriage door wide.

Viola composed herself.

Now, a terrible massacre will begin.

‘They deserve to die.’

She had already seen it all in the novel.

These guys had already killed many people.

Among them were the male lead Tundra's father and sister.

The carriage stopped.

It was a narrow path where the carriage couldn't enter.

Bichen lifted the poisoned dagger.

“Why is the bandit camp so shabby?”

“It seems to have been built not long ago.”

The fact that the camp was set up so close to where the carriage could approach suggested they weren't top-notch bandits.

Bichen walked steadily.

“There's no one in the watchtower?”

Even in a crude camp, there should be someone on watch in the watchtower.

But Bichen smiled.

“I can smell blood.”

She found something while walking.

“It's a corpse.”

Bichen looked down at the corpse with a bored expression.

She immediately read the situation.

“There was a corpse buried here, and someone dug it up.”

“Seems so.”

Viola almost felt nauseous.

The corpse was right in front of her. A young girl.

She was small.

She didn't look older than ten.

Viola bit her lip.

‘Why...

Why does this small child have to die like this?

Even in a fantasy world.

‘Why...!’

She knew it in her head.

She knew it, but she felt like crying.

Seeing it in a novel and seeing it with her own eyes were very different.

They arrived at the bandit camp.

Bichen knocked confidently.

Knock knock.

After knocking, she shouted more confidently.

“Come out!”

But there would be no one in front of the camp.

Viola knew this.

Viola put her hand on the wooden door and pushed.

Creak—

The door opened with a sound.

Bichen's eyes widened.

“The door was open?”

Viola pointed to the ground with her finger.

“There's a trace of it being opened from the inside.”

“Huh?”

“Bandit camp doors are usually pulled from the outside, not pushed, for convenience.”

“Why?”

“So they can buy a little time when escaping.”

But there was a trace of it being pushed open.

It should have been the opposite direction.

“Earlier, did you see the grave that was disturbed?”

“Yeah.”

“Someone must have infiltrated before us.”

“Really?”

“Even for a shabby bandit camp, it's strange for there to be no one in the watchtower.”

“Yeah, that doesn't make sense!”

It doesn't make sense.

A watchtower must have someone.

“Someone who can use a bow must have shot the person in the watchtower and secretly infiltrated through the door.”

“So, big sister, the blood smell you detected can be explained, and a battle must have already taken place.”

Bichen's eyes narrowed.

“I can't let this happen. I'll be outdone.”

Bichen started running.

“To think there's someone faster than me, that's impressive!”