Chapter 4

A few days had passed since my fifth birthday.

It was early morning in early spring, still dim. Perhaps it was a premonition that made me suddenly wake up at a time when even Mrs. Goulton hadn't come to wake me. The mansion was suddenly bustling with the low murmur of adults talking to each other.

I quickly changed from my nightgown into my everyday clothes and quietly slipped out of the room. The corridor was dim and chilly. The tunic and the dalmatic, a dress-like garment made of a lot of fabric, which is the usual attire in this country—more precisely, in this region—was unnecessarily heavy. It was a struggle just to hold the hem to prevent the fabric from dragging and making noise.

I was supposed to stay in my room until Mrs. Goulton came to fetch me, but the mansion was so noisy. I wouldn't be scolded for checking out the situation as long as I didn't get in the way.

This mansion, known as the Golden Hill Manor, is surprisingly small compared to the former extravagance of the Cardia family. The name likely comes from the wheat fields surrounding the estate. In this territory, high-priced wheat is grown on the direct land, while rye is mainly cultivated on the peasants' fields. Until three years ago, the fields were almost all wasteland.

In Arcisia, the residence of a lord is usually the size of a small castle, but the Cardia territory has remained small and poor for generations, so there was no spare capacity to build a castle. My father didn't rebuild it... perhaps he feared drawing attention with a flashy construction project. Yet, he significantly increased the number of cells, truly a despicable person. He knew his actions would incite the resentment of the peasants and only thought about suppressing it.

Due to these reasons, the Golden Hill Manor, one of the smallest noble residences, is divided into bedrooms and living spaces on the second and third floors, and reception areas like the parlor and dining room on the first floor.

From my bedroom, located almost at the far end of the second floor, I could hear the commotion downstairs despite the thick floor. I moved cautiously towards the stairs, feeling a bit nervous, as this was the first time since I killed my family.

I hid behind a pillar and peered down at the entrance from the railing of the stairs. The front doors were wide open, and several adults were bustling in and out. Most of them were armed men, probably the Cardia Viscount's army, dressed in mismatched gear centered around leather. The soldiers in metal armor were either provided by Count Terezia himself or dispatched through the House of Nobles...

Considering that the soldiers from other territories wore chainmail as a matter of course, perhaps the technological level in this territory was a century behind. In Arcisia, where the isolation of lords is prevented by the House of Nobles and a certain level of standardization is maintained, this was abnormal. I shuddered at the realization.

Currently, eleven people, including myself and Count Terezia, live in this mansion. Mrs. Goulton, my governess; Mrs. Mareschamp, my tutor; Bellway, the count's secretary; Nathan, the cook; Olga, the baker; Isadora and Phoebe, the maids; Boleslaw, the gardener; and Mary, the housemaid. Only I, Mrs. Goulton, and Mrs. Mareschamp are supposed to be in our bedrooms at this hour, while the others should already be at work.

Therefore, angry voices could be faintly heard from the parlor, unhesitant and loud.

I had come out of my room to find out what was happening, but even concentrating hard, I couldn't make out the meaning of the indistinct voices.

Perhaps I should give up and go back. It was about time for Mrs. Goulton to come and wake me. Outside the window, the dark sky, slightly clouded, was beginning to be tinged with a deep red.

Feeling a tug at my heart, I slowly turned around.

Just then, someone rushed into the parlor.

Whether it was out of urgency or a lack of necessity, the door was closed in a hurry. The voice, not particularly loud, resonated clearly and easily reached my ears.

"I report. A message has been received from Azil Ilichev, stationed in Cyril Village, about the discovery of a wolf dragon."

--A wolf dragon? The sound seemed out of place, and my foot, which had just stepped forward, stopped. The name of a monster from a fairy tale in such a tense situation was simply bizarre. I forgot about going back to my room and tilted my head in confusion.

In the bedtime stories Mrs. Goulton tells, there are several tales classified as hero epics. The story of monster slaying for the sake of good and evil remains popular, no matter how the world changes. For example, the story of Wetsler, the attendant of Kusya Fema, the great godchild of the Ar Kusya religion, who slays an evil and enormous wolf dragon and marries the girl he saves is known throughout Arcisia. This is more of a myth than a fairy tale. There is also a story about an ancient sage who outwits an old wolf dragon that has lived for thousands of years, which is also a frequently told fairy tale.

According to the story, a wolf dragon is a large wolf with scales, a snake-like tail, and bat-like wings on its shoulders, capable of flying. --I had always thought it was just a fictional composite beast, but it seems that was not the case. The wolf dragon is real. I suddenly remembered that this world is not just a different world but a fantasy world. Recalling the game information, the word "monster" had appeared several times.

Indeed, it seems that wolf dragons, which live in the Black Mountains, particularly in the depths facing the Bandisia Highlands, eating snow snakes, are rarely seen.

"Still, to suddenly find out that wolf dragons really exist. What happened?"

"…I just had a feeling."

When Mrs. Goulton, who had been bombarded with questions about the wolf dragon since morning, asked me with a puzzled look, I couldn't think of a good excuse and vaguely dodged the question. I couldn't tell her that I had slipped out of my room and was wandering around early in the morning.

The mansion remained noisy even in the afternoon.

Count Terezia didn't seem to intend to hide anything about the wolf dragon from me. He instructed through Mrs. Goulton to stay away from the parlor, which was crowded, but I could still overhear the conversations in the parlor while in the dining room.

The wolf dragon that was found was a single, large individual. According to the stories, wolf dragons are similar to ordinary wolves and usually travel in packs. This means the wolf dragon was a lone wolf that had left the village. Why did it come down from the Black Mountains to human settlements? It couldn't be that it couldn't establish a new territory in the mountains. Given its size, it wouldn't have easily lost a territorial dispute and fled.

"Miss Eliza, you are eating now!"

"…I apologize."

I had been so focused on thinking that I neglected my meal, and Mrs. Goulton's sharp reprimand made me hastily stop thinking about the wolf dragon.