ISDM 25

Chapter 25

I decided to move quickly before Dad, who was leading the group, noticed me. After all, everyone around was a tall adult, so I could easily hide myself.
“Shh-shh, breathe like this.”
“Shh-shh… ugh!”
“Don’t throw up! Keep your lips tight!”
“Tight! Ugh!”
“Should… I just throw up? Oh my. Your pale face has turned blue. Kate! Kate!”

The carriage door opened.
Kate, looking shocked, ran over. Elisa explained the situation.
Before jumping out of the carriage, I mustered courage and hugged Elisa tightly.
“Grandma!”
“Again… grandma?”

Then, stiffly, I slipped a protective magic tool into her handbag.
I had placed two under the carriage, and I wanted her to carry the remaining one just in case.
“I hope Grandma lives for a long, long time! Really, really!”
So that Dad won’t resent the world! So he won’t turn dark! Please!
“You…”
“I’ve thought that way since the first time I met you! I’m serious!”

After shouting that, I dashed out of the carriage.

From here on, it became a race against time.
Kate, the maid who was following us, offered to take me back to the mansion, and I pretended to rest in a nearby park, claiming I felt like I was going to throw up.
Then, while she went to buy a drink, I snuck out of the park.
“Huff, huff.”
I ran like crazy, recalling the city map I had memorized in advance. After memorizing the parade route so many times, it was now etched in my mind.
Besides, I had often followed the maids on their errands outside, so finding the way was easy.
Being small, I could easily slip through narrow gaps. I took a shortcut and stopped at a spot where a building scheduled for demolition was diagonally visible.
“Good.”

The procession hadn’t reached this point yet.
I slipped into a nearby alley to hide. It was dark and cluttered, perfect for hiding someone my size.
“From here, I can see the building clearly and activate the protective magic tool.”

Following the tree’s advice, I linked my magic to the seeds inside the protective tool.
It was as if the magic tool and I were connected by invisible threads.

[The magic linked this way can be activated according to your will. Especially with your magic, even more so. Of course, only within a certain distance.]

‘Remote control with my magic…?’
I stared blankly, peeking around the corner.

Then it happened.
“Ahhhhh!”
I heard people screaming from afar. The air suddenly sharpened, and a strange gust of wind blew.
Boom, boom. Explosions followed.
“Ugh…”
I squeezed my eyes shut and shoved in a makeshift earplug made from crumpled tissue.
Still, the ground shook from the deafening noise. It was like thunder.

‘Scary…’
I was afraid of loud sounds: thunder, explosions, or the shouts of yelling men.
My body would stiffen, my judgment clouded—if I had stayed in the carriage, I would have panicked.
‘At least I’m a bit away from it.’
It’s okay, it’s okay.

I steadied myself and focused.
The procession fell into chaos. The knights swung their swords as someone shouted for people to evacuate. The usually calm streets were filled with panicked people scattering in all directions.
At that moment, a scream rang out: “Elisa! No!” and the runaway carriage tumbled forward.
Elisa’s carriage broke away from the procession and barreled toward us. As expected.

‘Of course, it’s strange that only Elisa’s carriage is runaway.’
The staff must have checked everything carefully, so who did this? How?
I continued to wonder, but saving Elisa was the priority.
I hid in the alley and watched the unstable building. It was lucky no one was inside since it was scheduled to close.

Rumble, rumble!
The carriage rolled forward, and the windows of the cracking building shattered.
‘Not yet, not yet.’
The coachman tried to pull the reins, but the recoil only made him fall. The carriage wheels spun faster.
Not yet, not yet!

Then, a heavy surge of magic and black smoke erupted in the distance. Simultaneously, the ground trembled.
The damaged building collapsed with a crash.
I bit my lips until they bled. I had the illusion that Elisa’s carriage filled my vision.
“Now!”

A green magic circle appeared under my feet. It flooded the dark alley with light.
‘Wow, this is power…!’

At the same time, the same magic circle appeared under Elisa’s carriage. It was brief due to falling debris, but it was enough.
I could tell.
“It worked…!”

Through the debris, something sprouted and grew: a sturdy tree trunk. The seeds inside the protective magic tool sprouted instantly, becoming sacred wood.
The thick branches intertwined to form a solid shield, completely surrounding Elisa and the carriage.
‘I did it!’

People who had frozen in shock began running toward us.
I looked at my tiny hands and blinked.
‘Wow. I did well.’

I protected Elisa. I changed the future.
I had lifted one of Dad’s sorrows.
‘No time for this. Let’s run!’

Before anyone could catch us, I turned and dashed the other way.

[There’s a cost.]

But something strange happened. The more I ran, the weaker my legs became.
“Huh?”
Why is this happening?
I can’t fail. I have to make it back to the mansion safely.

“What’s the cost?”
[The power you were born with—your life force.]

I widened my eyes, but my vision kept blurring.

[Using it will probably make up for the missing magic.]
“Life force?”
[Yes. It’s embedded in your body.]

‘What…! You didn’t say I’d use the magic in my legs!’
But I was helpless. My body wobbled.
The ground seemed to rush up at me.
The tingling in my neck burned away. Ah… Dad might be a little upset when he remembers. I liked it, though.

Then, a familiar scent reached me.
…Rin!
Ah, a dream.
I suddenly felt moisture under my nose, as if a whirlpool had appeared in my mind. The world spun.
“Ririn!”

It’s a dream.
My amnesiac father doesn’t call my name anymore.
“…Dad is an idiot.”
He said I was everything.
Who loses everything?
I closed my eyes tightly.

It was hell.
People screamed and fled. The horses cried out, metal clanged, chaos everywhere.
“Protect the people first!”
Ruska shouted.
The Winterwald knights, momentarily stunned, followed his orders and defended efficiently.
“The parade is quite… intense, Ruska.”
Kalek muttered through clenched teeth, drawing his sword.
“A celebration for your return. Perhaps even the beasts came to congratulate your succession.”
Ruska swung his sword at a charging beast, adjusting his glasses.
“They seem to love you too. Congratulations.”
“You don’t even know your place.”

Kalek coldly lifted his lips, lightly jumped from his horse, and said:
“Go protect your mother.”
“Yes, sir.”

Even amidst the sudden labyrinth, Kalek remained calm.
The dark void torn through the air. Beasts that emerged from it had already ravaged the surroundings.
Unfortunately, the beasts couldn’t advance beyond the reach of Kalek’s sword.
A black aura slid along his blade, freezing the air, scattering snowflakes like midwinter.
His sword, wrapped in destructive magic, cut through enemies mercilessly.

The labyrinth posed no serious threat besides the sudden appearance.
All the monsters were mere minions. Kalek dispatched them with just a few sword swings.

Then it happened.
“Elisa!”
A loud shout came from behind. Turning, I saw Elisa’s carriage breaking through the defenses, racing away.
“Why aren’t you chasing her immediately?!”
Ruska shouted. Kalek drove his sword deep into the labyrinth, destroying the core. After closing it completely, he hurriedly mounted his horse.
“Move aside, useless ones.”

What is this? What’s happening?
Kalek felt an unexplainable unease. A veteran of countless wars, he instinctively sensed it:
The unmistakable scent of unavoidable death.

It wasn’t until he saw Elisa’s runaway carriage that he realized the danger was right under his nose.
‘I’ve never experienced this before.’
Something was going terribly wrong.
He gritted his teeth and was about to charge when he heard a name he should never have heard here:
“…Rin! Ririn!”