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Chapter 6
Emilia took a public carriage and arrived at the neighboring territory.
It was the only place nearby that had a train station.
Standing in front of the ticket counter, Emilia swallowed nervously.
It’s expensive…
She had only seen Cedric off at the station before.
She had never actually ridden a train herself.
Well, the trains run on magic stones, so it makes sense that they’re expensive.
“Excuse me, miss?”
The station employee called out to her, and Emilia smiled awkwardly.
“Ah… Could I have the earliest ticket that’s still available?”
“Of course. Please wait a moment.”
A little later, after listening to the employee explain a few things, Emilia left the ticket counter.
She looked up at the large clock tower in the center of the station.
There’s not much time left before departure.
She walked into the waiting room and sat down on a long bench.
She wanted to rest for a while until the train arrived.
But then…
She felt a strange, sticky atmosphere filling the room.
What’s going on?
Emilia naturally looked around.
“…Mmm… Honey, stop…”
A couple was sitting closely together in the corner of the waiting room.
“What if people see us?”
The woman shyly pretended to push the man away.
“Come on. What’s the big deal?”
Instead of moving away, the man leaned in even closer.
Emilia quickly looked away in embarrassment.
What are they doing in a public place?
Smack.
Smack.
The embarrassing sounds made her face turn red.
If no one else had been around, they looked like they would have gone even further.
“Ahem! Ahem!”
Just then, a middle-aged man sitting nearby loudly cleared his throat to show his disapproval.
But the couple didn’t care at all.
“Tsk. Young people these days…”
Unable to watch any longer, the middle-aged man walked out of the waiting room.
As he passed by, he even glared at Emilia.
Wait… Why is he looking at me?
She felt wronged for being treated like she was with them.
Meanwhile, the couple became even more affectionate after the “interruption” was gone.
Emilia finally decided she had enough and quickly left the waiting room.
She shook her head, trying to erase the embarrassing scene from her mind.
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!
Fortunately, the sound of the arriving train echoed through the station not long afterward.
People had already formed a long line in front of the platform.
Emilia quietly stood at the end of the line.
As she waited for the line to move…
She heard people murmuring somewhere near the front.
What’s happening?
She stretched her head to look.
The noise was coming from quite a distance away.
A child was grabbing onto a man’s sleeve.
The child’s appearance immediately caught her attention.
The robe was so oversized that it completely covered the child’s face.
The hem of the robe was covered in dirt and dust, as if the child had been rolling on the ground.
Because of that, the man looked at the child with disgust.
“What are you trying to say? If you’re begging, go over there! Everyone here is busy!”
The man waved his hand impatiently and chased the child away.
The child looked around before reaching toward another passerby.
But no one paid any attention.
After seeing what had just happened, everyone seemed to think the child was only begging.
Emilia carefully watched the child.
It doesn’t seem like the child is begging…
Did they get separated from their parents?
She stepped out of the line and walked closer.
Then she realized something.
The child was desperately trying to say something.
“[Please help!]”
But…
The child wasn’t speaking the Imperial language.
This is…
Among all the languages she remembered,
Emilia quickly recognized it.
It’s Hifri.
The Holy Kingdom of Hifri was located at the edge of the continent.
Because it kept itself isolated, it rarely had any contact with the Empire.
That was why no one understood what the child was saying.
As for Emilia…
She had started learning Hifri years ago.
I learned it while trying to find an easier way for Cedric to memorize legal terms.
Long ago, the Holy Kingdom of Hifri had once dominated the surrounding nations.
Because of that, many legal terms had their roots in the Hifri language.
Emilia walked over to the child.
“[What’s wrong?]”
Her Hifri wasn’t perfect since she had never studied it properly.
Still…
Hearing a familiar language,
The child’s tear-filled eyes grew wide.
The child quickly turned around and looked up at Emilia.
Filled with hope, the child asked,
“[You can understand what I’m saying?]”
Understand… words.
Emilia roughly understood the meaning.
She quickly nodded.
The child’s face immediately brightened.
Excitedly, the child began speaking all at once.
“Wait a moment!”
Emilia bent down and gently stopped the child.
“I can’t understand if you speak that fast…”
Then she remembered.
“Ah… [Slowly. Slowly.]”
Thankfully, the child understood and nodded.
After thinking for a moment,
The child spoke in single words instead of full sentences.
“[Medicine! Treatment! Wound!]”
At the same time, the child pressed both hands against their stomach and frowned.
Oh… Is the child asking for medicine because of a stomachache?
“[You… sick?]”
The child immediately shook their head.
Then what is it?
Growing frustrated, the child stomped their feet.
After thinking hard,
The child pointed at themselves,
Then crossed both arms into an X.
Ah…
So it’s not you.
Someone traveling with the child must have been injured.
“[Together… person… hurt?]”
“[Yes! Yes!]”
The child tightly grabbed Emilia’s clothes as if she were the only lifeline left.
In truth…
Before losing consciousness,
The child’s companion had given one last warning.
There was a dangerous person on the train.
The child had been told to stay hidden and never move.
But…
The child was too worried that the companion might die.
After struggling with the decision for a long time,
The child secretly got off the train when it stopped.
Determined to find someone who could help.
But none of the people outside the train understood the child’s language.
Everyone had been cold and indifferent.
Even though so many people were around,
Not a single one had listened.
Then, like a miracle…
The child heard Emilia speaking.
“First, calm down a little…”
Emilia gently held the child’s trembling hand and knelt down.
Just then,
The child moved their head,
And the hood slipped back slightly.
Wait… those eyes…
Emilia froze.
For a brief moment,
A suspicion crossed her mind.
“…Excuse me for a moment.”
She carefully let go of the child’s hand and slowly pulled back the hood.
“Ah…”
Emilia let out a quiet gasp.
The child’s eyes were a bright golden color,
Almost like pure gold.
Such eye color was extremely rare in the Empire.
