MLBR 40

chapter 40

As I clenched my molars and pulled at the door, all sorts of thoughts ran through my head.

I’ve been a homebody for over ten years. In this body, I’ve barely begun living an outside life, so I practically have no muscles. Beating someone outside with brute force would be close to impossible.

‘This won’t do!’

Somehow, I had to stay locked inside this warehouse until Heraith arrived.

“…?”

I loosened the grip I’d been using. Even after letting go of the doorknob, the door didn’t open.

There had definitely been someone there. Was I imagining it? I retraced my memory when—bang, bang! A violent knocking that seemed like it would break through the door erupted.

“Hey, in there!”

Startled, I bit my tongue when I almost instinctively answered. Despite the sting, I grabbed the doorknob again.

Bang, bang, bang! The person outside knocked even harder.

“Don’t you dare pretend you’re not there! I saw you go inside, Filena Light!”

“…”

“I lured you here and secretly followed you, Lady Light! You really fell for the trap!”

Trap? I clicked my tongue without realizing.

My memory is good. This man’s voice was completely unfamiliar, which meant he wasn’t impersonating Heraith. Even if, hypothetically, he had mimicked Heraith’s handwriting, he’d have to be someone close to him.

Besides, Heraith would never use a third party without warning.

The person outside must’ve stumbled upon me by chance and was trying to rescue me—or maybe take advantage of me.

“What’s this… a naïve lady who knows nothing of the world? Aren’t you scared? Why aren’t you answering? Or do you need me to teach you how to respond?”

I figured if I didn’t react, the person might open the door anyway. I raised my voice.

“Yes, I answered!”

Now please, just leave.

If Heraith showed up like this, it would be a problem.

“Why is your reply so damn slow! Do you want to rot and die in here?!”

“Yes, I’ll stay here!”

“…W-what?!”

I had no obligation to explain my situation. My goal was to drive him away. Since he was trying to rescue me, I had to show clear refusal.

“If I leave, you’ll be trapped here, suffocating in the dark without food or water, dying, dying—do you understand? You still want to stay?”

“Oh, thank you for worrying, but I’ll stay. And, by the way, since my spending’s gone up lately, I don’t have much money to give you anyway, so going your way might be more profitable.”

Silence. Then, click—the door locked.

It seemed the person outside had no intention of coming in. My face brightened with relief.

“See! Do you get it now?! You’re trapped!”

The more I listened, the more I worried about this person’s mental state. Did they want to be a hero, or a lowlife? I couldn’t tell.

He definitely seemed unstable. He probably didn’t even know what he wanted himself.

“I don’t mind being alone. Don’t feel guilty; you can leave.”

“…W-w-what?! I locked this, you know? I just locked it! I have the key! Whether or not I open this door even if you beg me is up to me!”

“Oh, you don’t have to waste time and energy unlocking the door again. It’s late, so I’d recommend leaving the forest. It’s not a danger zone, but it’s not exactly safe either.”

Heraith would come save me eventually, but wasn’t the forest scary at night? This person outside might collapse, so I thought I should at least warn them.

I didn’t need anyone but me and Heraith making the headlines.

“…”

Silence again.

Only much later did the person outside speak hesitantly.

“S-so. I’m not! I’m not going to open this door. I’m going straight to the Marquess of Gas!”

“There’s no option of going to no one?”

“…Are you insane? N-no, anyway, I’m the only one who knows you’re here, so I’m going to the Marquess of Gas to ransom you!”

“You’re planning to waste your time.”

I nodded in satisfaction. That much was fine.

By now Whistler was either already on the way to the Gas estate with Mille, or had just arrived.

Even if this person tried to see Whistler, it would be late at night or tomorrow morning. It wasn’t an issue for me at all.

“I’ll extort land, gold, something precious to the Marquess of Gas! S-so if he rescues you, it’ll mean he made a great sacrifice for you!”

“That scenario’s close to impossible, but I’ll let it go. You really shouldn’t delay any longer.”

“…”

“However, if you could do me one favor before you leave…”

“W-what is it?”

The voice cracked, curiosity piqued. I shook my hands calmly as I spoke.

“When you leave the forest, please erase your footprints. And absolutely, do not come back to rescue me. I’m supposed to be here alone.”

The air chilled. Thud, thud—the door made strange sounds. It felt like trembling hands kept brushing against it.

Then—bang! Something slammed hard against the door, followed by a scream.

“Aaaaagh!”

Tap-tap-tap. Quick footsteps faded into the distance as I exhaled in relief. One problem solved.

Now I just had to hide in the corner and wait.

“I should brag about this too.”

Without panicking, I’d pulled at the door that might’ve opened and protected our plan. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I crawled into the corner.

“Hmm…”

In the darkness, I let out a small moan. After a long silence heavy with worry, I pursed my lips and made another sound.

“Mmm…”

How much time had passed?

It was hard to tell exactly, but it felt like at least three hours. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if it had been four.

With nothing to do, the time felt even longer as countless thoughts and worries washed over me.

At some point, I came to a cautious conclusion.

“I don’t think the note was from Heraith.”

If it were Heraith, he wouldn’t have left me in this darkness for so long. He would’ve rescued me immediately. Excluding him and reviewing the situation, everything fell into place easily.

Whistler didn’t know that I’d seen his fake side. That man earlier said he had lured me here. He also said he’d extort money from Whistler, and hinted that Whistler might save me once he found out.

There was only one answer.

“I was actually locked up, wasn’t I.”

This wasn’t a setup for a Heraith-style surprise. For some reason, Whistler had hired that man to lock me up.

Whistler might still come to rescue me, but the man’s unstable state worried me. He’d screamed and run away.

I really could starve to death and shrivel up here.

I, Filena Light, could.

This is a novel world—what happens if I die like this? Does the Filena Light from before the remake disappear? Or does it have no effect, like a parallel world?

Thinking through these possibilities, I hesitated, then stood up. In the past, maybe, but now—I couldn’t die like this.