One Regret Is Enough

This was my choice, and it was the answer I had been looking for since I left the capital. At first, I thought I'd just stay in my old house, but then I thought about the people here.

The emperor didn't like me among his warriors. No, he didn't even like me to open my mouth. Debron didn't like me to go out because he didn't want me to cause a ruckus, so I kept myself inside the manor as much as possible. When I did go out, I was confronted with twisted rumors, and all kinds of disturbances happened. Regardless of whether I caused it or not. As my grandmother's mobility deteriorated, I gave up the few outings I had and stopped going out of the residence myself.

'And the emperor was pleased with the situation. At least that's what I heard from the butler.' Whether the butler's story was true or not, it was clear that the emperor wasn't happy with my presence.

'Would the emperor allow me to live away from the capital? What would happen to the villagers?' That thought went crazy, so I reached a conclusion. 

I smiled thinly.

"I think I'll leave Yorkben and go to another place."

The truth was, I didn't want to leave. This was where I had lived since I was a child, I had memories of my grandmother, and the villagers had welcomed me with open arms. I wanted to live here. However, if I settled in and became a danger to the villagers, I wouldn't be able to forget myself.

The old woman's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I have money," I said, "I brought some treasures from the dragon's lair."

After grandma died, I cleaned up and sold off the treasures I'd brought from Aktail's lair. I didn't get properly paid for it because I sold it under the butler's watchful eyes, but I still made a decent amount of money. With this, I should be able to leave without any problems.

At my words, she bit her lip, and tears formed again in her already reddened eyes from crying.

"Where will you go?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"Okay, I see."

With that, she pushed herself up.

"You're not going to leave right away, are you? You... can eat something before you leave. I'll make sure it's delicious. You won't have strength if you're hungry."

As she finished speaking, she stretched her hand and stroked my hair. It was a warm touch that comforted me, just as it had when I was a child.

"Oh, and this. I found it on the floor of your house earlier, you seemed distracted, so I took it."

With that, Marge held out some pocket money. It was a pouch that contained a few gems I'd set aside for emergencies and the scroll Feriel had given me. I had kept it separate from the pouch containing the money, but I must have dropped it while changing clothes.

"Thank you, auntie."

"Of course. Don't stay out too late. You know, it's dangerous here since it's close to the forest."

"Yes, don't worry too much. There are knights from Astorf now."

True to my word, the knights who had escorted me from the capital to the village stood nearby. The old woman nodded at my answer, glared at the knights, and went down to the village. 

Only I remained in front of my grandmother's grave. As I straightened my hair, which was disheveled in the wind, I opened my mouth to call out to her.

"...Grandma."

There was no answer.

"My grandmother."

Again, no answer. I bit my lips tightly. What the hell did I expect?

"Grandma, I'm leaving."

I reached out and stroked my grandmother's name on the tombstone. Cold rushed from my fingertips, like touching winter snow.

"So I don't think I'll get to see you much; I apologize."

I'm sorry. Those words brought the tears back.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry, grandma. I'm just sorry for everything, grandma.

My apologies didn't come out as words; they just poured out in sobs and screams. I could feel the Astorf knights looking at me with pity. But the tears wouldn't stop, and I sank again and cried for a long time.

When I finally stopped crying, night had already begun to spread across the sky. It was dangerous to stay. It was time to return to the village since this place was closely set on the border of the forest.

"Before I go… I'll come again one last time."

With those words, I picked myself up and strode toward where the knights were waiting. 

And then,

"Kuuugh!!"

Suddenly, a scream began to echo through the graveyard.

'What's this?'

The sudden scream made my body slowly stiffen from the tip of my toes. My heart began to pound furiously. The screams clogged my ears, and my nose was filled with the smell of blood I hadn't smelled in a long time.

I could barely turn my head when I saw the knights who had followed me fighting something unknown. As if in consideration for me, the knights had stood near the back of the forest, a short distance from me. Close to the shade, something had come out of the woods and attacked them. With the sunset gone, I couldn't tell by the light of my lantern what they were fighting.

'What is it?'

What was attacking? I unconsciously bent down and picked up a branch that was lying beside me. It was long and sturdy—not quite a sword, but it appeared to be capable of striking something.

'An animal? A…bear maybe?'

I put strength in my hand. The Granden Forest was dense and dangerous for humans, and it wasn’t uncommon for forest creatures to descend upon the graveside. That's why the chief and the villagers had been saving up to bring in a valuable priest. It was a blessing for the dead, and a divine binding to keep the monsters away, and up until now, things had gone well.

The villagers had worked together to push back the monsters, so why now? 

Kaang–!

The sound of iron clashing pierced my ears. It wasn't a monster the knights were fighting. It was a hostile being. I rushed forward and swung my wooden stick at the figure holding one of the knights. With a thud, something rolled on the ground after being hit in the back of the head, their identity revealed in the moonlight. 

It was a person. Dressed in black and with a cloth covering their face, it was clear at a glance that they was an outsider with a purpose.

An obvious purpose.

'Me.'

I smiled bitterly. After all, this is it. There were many who would not be pleased if I opened my mouth. The four warriors, their families, and the emperor. 

Who could it be? I blinked, and the last of my tears fell.

Who among them wanted to kill me? The Emperor, the one who disliked me the most? Or the heroes' families? Or had it been done by other nobles or people who wanted to be associated with the aristocracy in order to appear respectable to the higher-ups? If not those… then the warriors themselves?

'If… If it really was the warriors... Did he agree to it too?'

I recalled cold blue eyes staring down at me. I could feel my heart throbbing.

I wanted to shout, "Not him!" A lingering regret rose up. But I couldn't find any reason why he wouldn't abandon me. We had lived in the same mansion for over two years, and we had seen each other only a few times. I saw the butler more often than I saw him, and when I did, Debron always left me in a hurry.

I blinked slowly.

Even my grandmother—who he was supposed to take care of in exchange for my status as a warrior—had died, so maybe he agreed.

Slowly, my head began to spin irrationally. 

'Did he really, really do this?'

"We don't need her anymore."

An illusion. It was just a thought, an assumption. But the words in Debron's voice, then Feriel's, Lucen's, and Leonif's voices echoed over and over again.

'No.' I shook my head. Debron couldn't do it. I knew how much Debron treasured his knights. There was no reason for him to sacrifice them just to kill me; he was closer to them than to me.

A smile formed on my lips. 

I burst into tears; I'd been holding back since the capital. And maybe because of it, I was smiling. Yeah… it was just that.

'…It's for the best.'

It was time to go, whether I wanted to or not because it was better for both of us. 

I bit my lips.

"Miss Cornelia?"

It was the voice of the knight I'd helped that stopped my frighteningly spinning thoughts. I turned my head to look at him as he called out to me cautiously. The knight's mouth was wide open in embarrassment. He couldn't believe that I, the carefree, quiet woman they'd known all these years, had saved him.

I cleaned the tears from my eyes as I looked at the knight. For now, the important thing was to get out of this situation.

"If you have a spare dagger, give it to me."

"Yes!"

I said firmly, holding out my hand, and the knight fumbled, pulling a dagger from his belt and handing it over. It weighed heavily in my hand. It was something I hadn't felt in a long time.

"Fight! I don't know what it is, but we can't let them reach the village!"

I shouted at the knights. 

Our village was close to where the monsters came from, so we were well-prepared. There were two guard posts between the village and the forest. But we didn't have any human enemies. Basically, the villagers were less wary of humankind.  The small village was happy to hear from anyone, and their eyes lit up with excitement anytime something fresh came. Even the guard had no experience fighting humans. The methods they'd been taught to keep monsters out of the village didn't work on humans.

'They can't reach into the village.'

Throwing the wooden stick away, I drew my dagger. My hands trembled. It was the first time I'd fought in a long time. The sensations I had grown accustomed to during my journey with the heroes were long gone.

I'm scared. 

Even when I went to look for Aktail, combat was not my forte. When we encountered monsters and battles broke out, I stayed behind, supporting Debron and Leonif. The only swordsmanship I had learned was the self-defense techniques taught by Debron when we had spare time on our journey. 

Nevertheless, I couldn't back down now. And I couldn't run away. 

Not that I had any intention of running in the first place.