TWMP 39

Chapter 39

“A Change in Thinking”

“From Delphian Zeros’ sharp blade, crimson blood dripped steadily. He looked down at Carriaire’s lifeless body with an unreadable expression.”
— Excerpt from White-Horse Zeros

I remembered that line from the novel White-Horse Zeros, though not clearly anymore.

Carriaire, who kidnapped Heidi, was eventually killed by Delphian, who came to rescue her.

At the time, I read that scene without any emotion.

Carriaire was just a fictional character to me—just another passing villain.

I didn’t care why he kidnapped Heidi, nor did I want to know.

Or maybe, I didn’t want to know—because to me, Carriaire had to remain nothing more or less than a villain who endangered innocent protagonists.

But last night, when I left my room to confirm how badly my plan had been twisted, I realized something:

He was just a normal person like me, unable to forget someone, and his plan was born from a desperate attempt to sever a pain that wouldn’t go away.

“…I shouldn’t have gone out last night.”

Was I being punished for trying to use him to save myself?

“Damn it… seriously.”

Was it already too late to change anything?

I bit my lip, then shook my head quickly.

I closed my eyes and slowly reviewed the situation.

Wizard Laperre.

When Laperre first told me that Delphian wouldn’t be able to come here by tomorrow morning, I couldn’t bring myself to fully believe him.

Sure, he’d helped me, but that didn’t mean everything he told me was the truth.

But as I recalled Carriaire’s words from last night, I realized something:

Laperre might not always tell me the truth… but he also had no reason to lie and say Delphian wasn’t coming if he actually was.

The truth was, I just didn’t want to believe him.

Because if Delphian couldn’t come, it meant my plan had failed—and I would have to continue living here under a false identity.

“Of course I wanted to believe Delphian would come tomorrow morning…”

But now wasn’t the time to cry about it.

If Laperre was right and Delphian really wasn’t coming, then I needed to make a new plan.

“…Alright. Let’s organize this.”

In the novel, when Delphian came to rescue Heidi, Carriaire died—or was at least gravely injured.

Because Delphian would never forgive the man who kidnapped and endangered Heidi.

But what if Delphian didn’t come?

“Then my death isn’t guaranteed, is it?”

I thought about the respect and affection the castle’s servants seemed to hold for Carriaire.

They had those feelings because of the way he treated them.

If Carriaire had been truly cruel and evil, there’s no way they would care for him sincerely.

“Right… unlike Carriaire, it’s not inevitable that I’ll be killed or hurt.”

Of course, if Laperre was right and it really was Delphian who killed Zion, then things might change…

“I’ll think about that later.”

Just imagining it dried my throat. I swallowed hard and slowly sat up.

“So, what’s the most important thing I need to avoid right now?”

“Letting Carriaire find out that I’m not really Heidi.”

Carriaire wasn’t the kind of person who would forgive someone who ruined his years of planning by lying to him.

And I couldn’t expect him to “understand” just because I hadn’t known about Zion.

I let out a heavy sigh.

Whether it was lucky or unlucky, I realized that I’d bought myself some time.

The conclusion I’d reached after thinking all night was simple:

“I’ll keep Carriaire pleased and leave before Delphian arrives.”

If I told Carriaire the truth while leaving—that I wasn’t really Heidi—then when Delphian eventually came, Carriaire could at least defend himself.

And since I was the only one in Esperos Castle with purple hair, cutting some of it could even serve as proof.

“…If that’s not enough, I could ask Laperre to help—”

I shivered as the image of the destroyed room came to mind and rubbed my arms.

“I’ll think about that later too.”

I stood up from the bed.

Outside, the sun had already risen, bathing the castle in warm light.

It was late spring when I’d left Zeros, but because Esperos was in the north, the air still held a cool breeze.

The sunlight and breeze felt almost too fresh.

“…The weather’s nice.”

I tugged the cord by the bed, and a knock came at the door almost immediately.

“Good morning, Lady Heidi. Did you sleep well last night?”

May peeked in carefully. I nodded and gestured to my tangled hair.

“May, can you fix my hair?”

What was the best way to keep Carriaire pleased?

“It’s simple: stay out of sight.”

That was the safest method.

I couldn’t avoid the tea times after dinner, but…

“At least, if I’m not seen the rest of the day, it’s better than wandering around.”

“…Not seen?”

“Hmm?”

May’s puzzled question startled me.

I forced an awkward laugh and clapped my hands.

“Oh, I just meant… doesn’t it seem like there are fewer servants around today?”

“…”

“I don’t see the people I usually do. Is something going on?”

It was a smooth change of subject, but May’s awkward smile made me suspicious.

“N-no, nothing’s wrong.”

“Really?”

It sounded more like something was wrong, but I decided not to push it.

I wasn’t really curious, and they weren’t about to share everything with an outsider like me anyway.

“Ah, May. Until dinner, I’ll just—”

“A-actually!”

Her sudden voice cut me off mid-sentence.

May sighed quietly and explained:

“Because of the severe drought this year, there’s a concern that the wheat we stored from last year won’t be enough. So a few servants are checking the remaining supplies in the warehouse with the butler.”

“Wheat?”

“Yes. Normally we plant wheat in spring and autumn, but Esperos is too cold for the autumn planting.”

I recalled reading about Esperos’ climate and crops in a book not long ago.

“Ah, right. I read that it’s hard to grow crops here because the temperature is so low.”

“Yes, exactly.”

May nodded quickly and added, hesitantly:

“In Esperos, food shortages often lead to outbreaks of Kocheer disease.

Before May, when the weather is still cool, if children can’t eat properly, their immunity drops, and they sometimes get sick.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. Young Master Zion also suffered from Kocheer disease around this time of year…”

Her voice trailed off, and when I turned, I saw May pressing her lips together, clearly regretting saying it.

“I-I shouldn’t have said that.”

“No, it’s fine. Thank you for telling me.”

“…”

“Really. It just shows how much you love Esperos and care about the people here.”

I gave her a small smile and started walking again.

May silently followed behind me as I headed to the library.

When we arrived, she told me she would come get me before dinner.

And without thinking, I stopped her.

“Hey, about Kocheer disease…”

“Yes?”

“I read in a book that it’s not an incurable disease. There’s medicine, right? Although, even if you take it, it’s hard to treat if you don’t have mana.”

May blinked, not understanding my point.

I continued:

“If the problem is that people might get sick because they don’t have enough food this month, then isn’t the solution just to make sure they can be treated?”

“…What do you mean?”

“Make a lot of medicine and treat the sick.”

May sighed.

“But like you said, medicine is useless for people without mana.”

“Esperos has plenty of Remstones, though.”

“…What?”

I smiled at her confused expression and added:

“If we infused Remstones with mana and gave them to people, wouldn’t the medicine work for them too?”