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Chapter 5
On the twenty-fifth day after being locked in the attic, I was released.
I returned to my room, took a bath, and changed into new clothes.
It was finally time to say goodbye to the clothes I had worn every day, soaked in sweat, washed, and worn again.
For the past twenty-five days, I had devoted myself entirely to exercise.
Thanks to that, my muscles were still far from perfect, but they had become fairly firm.
As I ran my hand over them, I found myself thinking that I might actually miss this place a little.
“I should at least be able to run now, right?”
With this body, it would be difficult to handle the sword or gun I had used before.
Besides, this world only had swords and bows.
Tsk.
If I had come here with my old body, I might have been able to beat all the monsters to death.
What a shame.
I would have to keep training and build up my strength.
Still, I felt like I should at least carry a dagger.
“Lady Rosanna, the Duke has summoned you.”
I nodded.
The long, flowing dress I was wearing for the first time in ages felt extremely awkward.
It had clearly been chosen according to the Duke’s taste.
From the memories of Rosanna that had seeped into my mind, the Duke was a terrible control freak.
He forced his preferences on his daughters and tried to control them according to his own wishes.
Rosanna’s insistence on wearing dresses and making a fuss throughout the entire expedition probably came from that obsession.
As soon as I left, I was going to throw all these dresses away.
“Can I go in now?”
“Yes, Lady Rosanna.”
I might as well go in and hear what he had to say this time.
I entered the study where the Duke was waiting.
It looked no different from the scene I had seen right before being locked in the attic.
“You seem to have been doing well, Rosanna. It looks like you’ve gained some weight.”
The Duke pointed it out sharply.
It wasn’t fat.
It was muscle.
But there was no need to provoke the Duke right now.
“I’ll make an effort to control my weight from now on, Father.”
I casually gave him the answer he wanted, and the Duke nodded.
“Good. Considering the future, that is only proper. Tomorrow, you will attend the inauguration ceremony of the Golden Lily. Do everything you can to secure a place beside the Crown Prince. Who knows? Perhaps he really will succeed and return.”
The Duke gave a sinister smile.
“Stay by his side throughout the entire expedition. Do whatever you can to attract his attention. Well, having a child would be good too.”
What a disgusting bastard.
No, how could someone like that possibly be a father?
I really felt sorry for Rosanna.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, Father. I’ll dress nicely as you said and stay by the Crown Prince’s side.”
I answered without emotion.
The Duke nodded happily.
“Good, Rosanna. I’ll put my trust in you.”
The Duke continued with several other lectures, but there wasn’t a single useful thing among them.
He talked about everything from how to seduce the Crown Prince, to what kind of clothes men liked, to how I shouldn’t neglect maintaining my figure even during the expedition.
He even warned me not to associate with low-class people.
I endured that torturous time while silently singing the Korean national anthem in my head.
Hey, mister.
You’re the most low-class and vulgar person here.
It was quite a sight to see the Imperial Palace’s Grand Plaza packed with people.
It seemed people had come from all over the empire to watch the inauguration ceremony of the Golden Lily Expedition.
And it made sense.
The fate of the empire depended on the Golden Lily Expedition.
If the expedition succeeded and safely recovered the sacred relic, they would be able to defeat the monsters.
If they failed, however, the chances of becoming food for the giant wyverns would only increase.
Even now, the southern regions were suffering because monsters were attacking human settlements.
The Emperor stood on a huge platform, with nobles lined up below him.
In front of them stood the expedition team that would be setting out today.
There looked to be at least a hundred people.
There were knights and mercenaries, but quite a few nobles had also been pushed forward as representatives of their families, just like me.
The sky was gray, and a cold wind was blowing hard.
Well, it was exactly the kind of weather that suited a ruined world.
I stood on one side of the plaza wearing a dress embroidered with both the Ardena family crest and the imperial crest.
Among all the people wearing armor, I stood out like a sore thumb.
That crazy Duke had made such a fuss about forcing me to wear a dress that the Crown Prince would like, and this was the result.
At least the dress was so full that I could hide the leather pouches I’d prepared.
They were packed with jewels I’d secretly taken from the estate.
I regretted not being able to bring more.
I’d cleaned out both my own dressing room and the Duke’s dressing room, but I was really disappointed that I hadn’t managed to raid the wardrobes of my other two siblings.
I wasn’t afraid of getting caught.
I was leaving soon anyway.
“Ah, this is so heavy. How am I supposed to fight wearing something like this? I’ll be the perfect target for a monster to tear apart with its teeth.”
I muttered while touching the dress.
With all the lace and frills, it looked just like a wedding cake.
I couldn’t believe people actually wore things like this every day.
I wanted to put it on that crazy Duke.
The noble young lady standing beside me looked at me with a pale face.
“M-m-m-monster teeth?”
She was trembling all over.
But she wasn’t the only one.
They were all wearing armor and clutching swords, yet most of them had probably never properly held a sword in their lives.
There were even young noble ladies who looked like children.
There was no need to say more.
Most of the people the nobles had sent to represent their families were merely for appearances.
They were treated as little more than spare lives for their heirs.
That trembling young lady was probably another one of those sacrifices.
At least families that sent mercenaries or people who had some experience with a sword were somewhat respectable.
“Ah, don’t worry. We won’t die. Our expedition will succeed.”
I was being sincere.
According to the novel, we would definitely succeed.
I clenched my fist and said,
“So be brave! Fighting!”
“H-how can you be so, so certain? Lady Rosanna, d-did you hear something? D-did someone tell you?”
I hadn’t heard anything.
I’d read it myself.
But there was no way I could explain that.
I quietly shook my head.
“Not exactly…… But we have to believe we’re going to succeed. We’re not going there to die, after all. By the way, I should check the price of iron ore when we pass through the northern region.”
Our first destination was the north.
If my memory was correct, the northern region was rich in iron ore.
If I could get my hands on even a few mines, I’d make a fortune.
But I didn’t have nearly enough money to simply buy them at their current prices.
Fortunately, though, this was around the time when mines and land would start appearing on the market for dirt-cheap prices.
Actually, it would be even better to buy a gemstone mine rather than an iron mine.
There were more gemstone mines the farther south we went.
“Good.”
Pleased with my perfect plan, I nodded.
The young noblewoman looked at me blankly and asked,
“……What? What did you just say?”
Booooooong!
Just then, the sound of a trumpet rang out.
It was the signal that the Emperor had arrived.
Immediately afterward, the Crown Prince and commander of the expedition, Kael, stepped onto the platform wearing black armor.
The armor flashed brilliantly under the sunlight shining through the clouds.
Wow.
He really does look like a male lead.
The plaza instantly fell silent.
Everyone stared at him without even daring to make a sound.
Kael looked over the plaza from the platform, and I could feel his gaze stop on me.
What?
Why is he looking at me?
No.
If I were him, I’d look too.
I was dressed like this, after all.
For some reason, I felt like Kael was looking at me as if I were pathetic.
“People of the Empire!”
The Emperor’s booming voice echoed across the plaza.
At least his voice is impressive.
But this Emperor was corrupt too.
“Today, we depart carrying the fate of the Empire on our shoulders! To protect this land from the threat of monsters! To protect the dignity of humanity! To protect our families!”
Crying broke out among the crowd.
They were probably people sending their family members off to the battlefield.
Seeing them made my heart beat even more heavily.
‘Let’s survive somehow and make it back alive!’
My chest swelled with emotion.
I’d been sent on countless missions in my previous life, but I’d never felt this kind of tension before.
Back then, I had faced humans and disasters.
This time, I was facing monsters.
If I made even one mistake, my entire body could be torn apart in an instant.
My palms grew sweaty.
I kept wondering whether I had prepared enough, what else I needed to do, and what might happen from now on.
Just thinking about all of it made my head feel like it was going to explode.
No.
You just need to do your best.
The male and female leads will take care of everything else.
I imagined myself surviving until the end and living a rich, carefree life.
At the Emperor’s gesture, Kael stepped forward.
When he raised his sword, golden aura rose along the blade.
“Woooooaaaaah!”
The enormous cheer that shook the entire plaza instantly raised the knights’ morale.
Kael knew this and deliberately increased his momentum.
It was all a performance meant to boost the knights’ morale.
“Do not be afraid! We will definitely win and return!”
The elite members standing in formation behind Kael also raised their weapons.
Spears and bows, swords and axes.
Golden aura rose from the various weapons.
They weren’t as powerful as Kael’s, but they shone like brilliant sunlight, as if lighting the way to hope.
“Woooooaaaaah!”
Another great cheer erupted.
The young lady beside me also raised the sword she had been given for the expedition with her bony hands, tears streaming down her face.
I watched everyone else for a moment, then raised my sword too.
The other expedition members raised their weapons as well.
“Golden Lily Expedition! Hope of the Empire! Set forth!”
When the Emperor’s declaration ended, the expedition began marching in formation.
After leaving the plaza, they headed toward the gates of the Imperial Palace.
The crowd waved them off while scattering flower petals.
I joined the formation and walked along with them.
Every time I moved, the pouches hidden beneath my dress made a jingling sound.
Oh, crap.
I quickly grabbed the pouch.
Actually, I’d also helped myself to the Duke’s safe.
The lock had been much weaker than I’d expected, and after applying force a few times, the metal had bent.
I had been so nervous that the noise might wake someone in the early morning.
There was no way I could get caught here.
Just as the formation was passing through the city gates, an old woman shouted through her tears,
“Please come back alive!”
The crowd continued scattering flowers along the road we were taking.
They were golden petals.
The Golden Lily, which bloomed all year round, in every season.
It was the symbol of the empire and the symbol of hope.
I stepped on the petals and smiled brightly.
Inside my pouches, gold coins and jewels clinked against each other.
That was my only hope right now.
Ah, what a shame.
I could have brought more.
On the second day after the expedition set out, we arrived at Rainford Village, our first place to stay.
A campsite was set up in a large open area near the village.
Many of the expedition members had probably never walked such a long distance before.
Even the young noblewoman who had raised a sword with her bony arms was now covered in sweat, dragging her feet along.
“Huff, huff!”
“Are you okay?”
“I-I-I’m okay.”
You don’t look okay at all.
Her face was so pale that she looked like she might collapse forward at any moment.
I handed her some water, and she gulped it down.
Judging by the fact that I didn’t recognize her face from Rosanna’s memories, she was probably from a provincial family.
“What’s your name?”
“I-I…… I’m Vanessa. I came here representing Count Keston’s family.”
Ah, Count Keston.
So she was another girl they’d brought in by paying money.
It seemed they had paid to bring in the daughter of a fallen minor noble family.
She still had the speech and manners of a noblewoman, but her rough hands and repeatedly mended clothes clearly showed the poverty she had lived in for a long time.
I remembered that Count Keston had only one son.
They had clearly adopted her into the family as a substitute sacrifice.
The girl rubbed her forehead with a trembling hand.
Then she gave me a faint smile.
“A-are you okay, Lady Rosanna?”
“Me? I’m fine.”
Other than the dress getting in my way, I really was fine.
It was all thanks to the fact that I’d spent the past month eating nothing but chicken breast and building muscle.
“Still, we’re camping here tonight, so get some rest while you can. Hmm, your muscles must be pretty sore, so taking this before you sleep should help.”
Before leaving, I’d taken more than just the contents of the safe and the dressing rooms.
A noble family as wealthy as the Duke’s would naturally have at least one personal physician.
Of course, I wasn’t about to leave the medicine cabinet untouched either.
I’d taken every useful medicine I could find.
Some of them were especially effective for muscle soreness.
I untied one of the pouches hanging beneath my skirt and handed her the medicine.
Vanessa looked surprised.
“Thank you.”
I smiled slightly as Vanessa accepted the medicine without hesitation and swallowed it.
You should get a good night’s sleep tonight.
Since we were sharing the same tent, I needed her to be deeply asleep if I wanted to sneak away without being noticed.
There was somewhere I absolutely had to go before dawn tomorrow.
Sleep well.
The next dawn.
Kael entered Rainford Village with two accompanying knights.
A market was held in Rainford every morning at dawn, and it had just opened.
A black market.
A market where they sold almost anything, except the things they didn’t have.
He had heard a rumor that an item he was looking for would be available there.
Since the black market mainly catered to mercenaries, he had heard that dangerous people dominated the place.
Moreover, in times like these, banned goods and stolen items of unknown origin often appeared there.
The sword rumored to be appearing this time was no different.
The expedition was a complete mess, filled with people who couldn’t even march properly.
And among them was one woman wearing a dress that looked like a wedding cake.
His former fiancée, whom the Duke of Ardena had forced into the expedition.
The woman he didn’t even want to look at, let alone think about, kept drawing his attention.
Because of her ridiculously elaborate dress that was completely unsuitable for marching.
But was Rosanna the only problem?
The expedition was practically a mob of amateurs.
He had to succeed in this expedition while dragging along people who couldn’t even properly hold a sword.
They weren’t useful forces.
They were burdens he had to protect.
Before reaching their first destination, Kael planned to find a way to send about half of them to the rear as support personnel.
Once the unnecessary members were removed, he would be able to clearly determine which of the remaining people were actually useful.
Kael intended to invest the extra resources gained from reducing the unnecessary personnel into good weapons and equipment.
In times this chaotic, all kinds of items poured into the black market.
Some of them were even legendary weapons.
Many people were selling everything valuable they owned so they could leave in search of a safe place.
Kael was now on his way to acquire those items that had been sleeping in deep vaults before finally making their way onto the market.
Just as Kael arrived at the entrance to the market and was about to go inside,
he spotted a familiar dress.
‘Rosanna?’
Kael frowned.
Why on earth was that woman here?
Had she come to buy jewelry?
At a time like this?
In this situation?
It was absurd.
Kael clenched his teeth.
That woman was also included among the burdens he absolutely had to protect.
Unfortunately, he was the Crown Prince of the Empire, and he had a duty to protect all the people of the empire.
Kael gradually closed the distance between himself and Rosanna.
At this rate, he would catch up to her soon.
But the moment he turned into an alley, Rosanna’s figure vanished from his sight.
Kael stopped walking and looked around.
She had definitely come this way, but there wasn’t even a trace of her.
He blinked while reaching out and grasping at empty air.
What just happened?
A pretty decorative dagger wouldn’t even stop a monster’s claw.
I needed a weapon that was actually useful.
I pulled my hood down deeply and headed toward the back alleys of the village.
According to the information I’d seen in the original novel, Rainford was near the border, so smuggled goods were traded there in large quantities.
Naturally, I should be able to find some good weapons too.
Besides, this was where Kael would encounter the greatest weapon of his life.
Since he would need that weapon to save the world, I’d leave it for him.
Instead, I needed to find another decent weapon for myself.
Even though it was early morning, the black market was crowded with visitors.
I hope all the good stuff hasn’t already been taken.
After buying a weapon, I also needed to get some clothes suitable for the expedition.
Because we’d left in such a hurry, I hadn’t even prepared a proper change of clothes.
The expedition would leave immediately after breakfast, so I had to return before then.
I went through alley after alley, heading toward the deepest part of the market.
I remembered how the original novel described it:
‘Hersen’s Weapons Shop, at the very back of the black market, at the end of a dead-end alley.’
I thought there was no way it would actually be here.
But it was.
At the end of an alley where no one ever seemed to come, there was a shabby blacksmith shop without even a sign.
The only thing faintly engraved on the firmly closed doorframe was a small sword emblem.
Hersen’s Weapons Shop.
According to the original novel, every weapon in Hersen’s Weapons Shop was quite good.
Kael had also purchased several weapons here.
I remembered that he had kept one for himself and given the others to his closest allies.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary blacksmith shop that was closed for business.
In reality, however, it secretly dealt in weapons whose origins couldn’t be revealed and arms that were banned from trade in the empire.
“Customer, what are you looking for?”
The shabby shopkeeper asked.
I lowered my voice as much as possible and answered,
“Something for actual combat. Strong and light. I’m mainly looking for daggers.”
I’d mostly used guns or daggers in my previous life, so daggers felt more comfortable to me.
As I explained what I wanted, I took out a gold coin.
I was showing him that I had enough money to pay even for a valuable weapon.
The shopkeeper’s eyes lit up.
“In troubled times, you need a dagger more than a dress. This way.”
I followed the shopkeeper deeper into the store, and a variety of weapons hanging on the walls came into view.
I slowly looked them over.
Then I stopped in front of one dagger.
This is it.
It was about the length of my forearm, but its balance was perfect.
The beautiful blade had a faint bluish tint and looked more than capable of cutting through a monster’s hide.
I swallowed hard.
My soul was telling me.
I absolutely had to buy this.
