She searched her past memories but couldn’t think of anyone in particular.
‘Has the past changed so much that new characters have appeared?’
While Leticia was bewildered, Mano’s firm resolution continued.
“But it’s okay now. I’ll be good to our baby. I’ll become a mother to our baby.”
Mano smiled faintly.
“Just like in my dream, I’ll make our baby happy.”
And at that moment, a sentence suddenly came to mind.
[Check Gilead’s dream, Leticia.]
Leticia licked her lips. It felt so strange. Mano’s dream must have been just an ordinary dream. But why then?
‘Why did the goddess specifically tell me to check Gilead’s dream?’
Suddenly, a fundamental doubt about the oracle surfaced.
‘Did she know… that I wouldn’t believe in the oracle?’
If that was the case, Gilead might possibly be.
‘A prophet… something like that?’
It seemed like a leap, but her thoughts continued to wander.
‘Could a prophet have seen my future?’
Leticia couldn’t take her eyes off Mano, who was smiling broadly. Her heart was pounding.
‘But I’ve never heard of Mano being a prophet.’
If prophecy were possible, the Principality wouldn’t have been so defenselessly overrun by the empire.
‘The empire’s sudden invasion could have been prevented.’
Yet, despite these thoughts, Leticia couldn’t shake off the strange ideas filling her mind. So, she impulsively asked.
“Madam Mano, do you know Gilead?”
“Huh?”
“Have you ever heard of Gilead?”
Even as she asked, she thought it was absurd. Mano, a prophet, and that she had seen her future, recognized her…
“Gilead?”
“Yes.”
But then, Mano said with a bright smile,
“Of course, I know! Because I am…”
Leticia’s eyes widened. And at that moment,
Boom, boom, boom.
A loud drumming sound echoed. The market atmosphere became chaotic. People murmured and looked in one direction.
“It seems the demonic beasts are attacking the city gates.”
The shoe store owner, Anna, hurriedly came to Leticia and said so. Leticia stood up in surprise.
“Demonic beasts?”
“Don’t worry. It happens often. It’ll be resolved.”
Anna spoke nonchalantly, but Leticia couldn’t feel the same. The invasion of demonic beasts was also something that didn’t happen in the past.
“Madam Mano, we need to go.”
“Huh?”
“Let’s return to our lodging. We can continue our outing another time. Please hold my hand tightly.”
Leticia, with Mano’s gift bundle tied around her wrist, supported Mano.
“Apples are very sweet! Take a look at the apples before you go!”
“Freshly caught yesterday! It’s very fresh!”
Despite the demonic beasts attacking the city gates, the market remained peaceful. Neither the merchants nor the customers seemed perturbed, making Leticia’s anxiety appear odd.
Boom, boom.
The situation changed after the second round of drumming. The market instantly became silent. The change in atmosphere was palpable.
The merchants stopped calling out to passersby and quickly began to tidy up the goods displayed in front of their shops. Customers, too, clutched their shopping baskets and started running somewhere. Leticia grabbed Anna and asked hurriedly.
“Ma’am, what’s happening right now?”
“It seems a flying type of demonic beast has appeared. We need to evacuate quickly.”
Leticia swallowed hard. Anna quickly relaxed her serious expression.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s rare, but not unheard of. The defense forces will handle it.”
Anna glanced briefly at the clear blue sky.
“I don’t know why they’ve appeared at this time…”
She quickly said to Leticia,
“Still, just to be safe, don’t go out onto the main roads.”
“Why not the main roads?”
“Because you might catch their attention. It’s better to use the alleys until all the demonic beasts are dealt with.”
Anna pointed to a narrow path between the shops.
“Quick, follow the people ahead. When you see a red building, take the left fork. Follow it, and you’ll reach the knights’ quarters.”
“Thank you for letting me know.”
As Anna had said, many people were already entering the alleys. Leticia tightly held Mano’s hand and moved forward, making sure their hands were securely interlocked so as not to lose grip as they headed towards the entrance of the alley. Just then,
“Aaah!”
“Save us!”
People inside the alley screamed wildly as they ran out. Among them, some were bleeding. Leticia’s heart dropped instantly. She instinctively blocked Mano’s front. Leticia’s eyes widened.
‘Could it be.’
Black mist was swirling in the alley. It was all too familiar, the very energy she was certain she would never see again.
After a moment, a man walked out from the midst of the mist. Smearing his bloodied hand, Tenua smirked.
“It’s been a while, Leticia.”
“You, how!”
“The master has revived me.”
With every word he spoke, black mist wafted from his mouth.
“Could it be, you summoned the demonic beasts…!”
“Heh, yes, it’s me.”
Tenua sneered. Simultaneously, Boom! One side of the market exploded. Shattered fruits were blasted into the sky. People screamed and fell to their knees.
Boom, boom, boom!
Shops blew up one after another. Leticia quickly covered Mano. Sharp fragments flew all around.
“Baby!”
“Madam Mano, just a moment…!”
Leticia flinched. She felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. Checking her shoulder in disbelief, Leticia clenched her teeth.
“Baby! Blood!”
“Madam…Mano….”
A burning pain spread. Leticia, with blood flowing from her shoulder, smiled as if it was nothing.
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt.”
“Baby! No, baby!”
Mano burst into tears, almost convulsively. Leticia urgently spoke to Anna beside her.
“Please, take Mano. I have to stay here.”
“But what about you, miss!”
“I’ll be fine.”
Leticia firmly shook off the helping hands and said,
“Hurry! Go now!”
Only she, the owner of the elixir, could stop Tenua.
‘Water, wind. Which should I use?’
Unlike before, Leticia felt anxious. She was certain that neither choice would be easy.
For some reason, Tenua seemed stronger than before. The black energy did not fear her like it did that day. It seemed impossible to suppress him with a single attempt as before.
‘Keep calm. I need to think calmly.’
Her heart pounded terrifyingly fast. Had she been alone, she might not have been so afraid. But that was not the case. Now, she had Mano by her side. There were countless citizens of the Principality around her. She couldn’t let anyone die.
Just as Leticia thought to create a whirlwind to block Tenua’s vision,
Her vision darkened, and her knees buckled. It was only after she barely caught herself from falling did she realize the situation.
‘Why can’t I see?’
Her vision spun. Objects on the ground seemed to overlap, appearing as multiples. Leticia blinked hard against her increasingly blurry focus, but it remained unchanged. Chills ran through her body, and nausea kept rising.
“How does it feel?”
Startled by the voice above her, Leticia looked up.
“What have you, done?”
“Poison.”
Leticia’s eyes widened.
“Baby!”
“Madam Mano, you shouldn’t do this!”
“No! Don’t hurt baby! Baby!”
Mano struggled as Anna dragged her away, sobbing. Seeing her cry, Tenua smirked.
“Baby? Did that old woman just call you ‘baby’?”
‘Oh, no.’
In desperation, Leticia clung to Tenua’s leg.
“Stop it, don’t. You only want me.”
“Hmm?”
“Just kill me, only me.”
“Kill you? You?”
Tenua chuckled and then grabbed her hair.
“Think I’d end it that easily? After what you did to me?”
“Ugh.”
“Leticia, ever wondered why you’re not afraid of me?”
Madness flickered in his yellow eyes as he glared at her.
“I think it’s because you’ve forgotten everything I did to you, thanks to the Prince. So, I’ll make you remember everything.”
“Ah!”
Her head snapped to the side as he struck her, blood dripping from her split lip.
Tenua let out a cackle, then his expression turned nostalgic as if reminiscing old memories.
“Reminds me of the old days. Those were the times, especially when you begged me for your life. It was thrilling.”
“…”
“But how could you forget? Even if the Prince treasures you, that’s no excuse.”
Tenua grabbed Leticia by the collar and lifted her.
“Don’t delude yourself, Leticia. No one in this world loves you. Not even your own mother who abandoned you.”
“……”
“It was your mother who left you in my care. She wanted me to show you hell, your mother, Josephina!”
Tenua burst into maniacal laughter. Struggling to breathe, Leticia finally collapsed, unable to hold on any longer. Tenua frowned in annoyance.
“What, dead already?”
After putting his ear to Leticia’s mouth to check her breathing, he smirked.
“Still alive.”
Then, he licked his lips in anticipation.
“Without holy power, she can’t heal. What to do.”
He turned to Anna, who was holding onto Mano, with a bright smile.
“Since we need her awake, bring me some stimulants and painkillers.”
Anna gasped for breath.
“Why, why painkillers?”
“It’s no fun if she faints again, is it?”
Anna’s face fell as she looked down at the collapsed Leticia. Mano was crying her heart out.
“Okay, I understand.”
Anna signaled to another merchant. The other merchants, who had been helplessly watching, rushed over to embrace Mano.
“Baby! No, baby! Baby!”
“Madam Mano, please, sob. Please, hold on.”
Shortly after, Anna returned with the medication. Her hands trembled as she lifted the collapsed Leticia. Silent tears flowed from Anna’s eyes.
“Miss, please, try to wake up.”
Leticia was in a terrible state. Her face, shoulder, and even the shoes Anna had sold her were stained with blood.
And at that moment.
Leticia’s hand, thought to have lost consciousness, gently grasped the hem of Anna’s clothes. Anna flinched. Leticia’s lips moved slightly with her eyes closed.
‘Just a moment, buy me some time.’
Anna, momentarily frozen, then hugged Leticia closer and raised her voice.
“She’s lost consciousness and can’t take the medication.”
“What?”
“We might need something to grind the medicine.”
“Ah, really making this complicated.”
Tenua, annoyed, ran his fingers through his hair. As he turned to issue an order to fetch the tools, water pooled on the ground suddenly surged up and rushed towards Tenua.
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