The fifth day.
Alicia was reaching her limit.
Her body swayed on the horse like a rag doll. Dark shadows had settled under her eyes, and her once glossy platinum blonde hair was tangled with dust and sweat. Her silk dress, or rather, what should now be called rags, was torn and filthy beyond recognition of its original color.
"How much further do we have to go?"
Her voice was raspy. For five days, she had neither eaten nor slept properly. The hard bread and dried meat were now difficult to even swallow.
"There is a village just a little further ahead."
Kyle pointed forward.
Far off, beyond the hill, a small trail of smoke was rising. It was the chimney smoke of a village.
"Let us rest there for a day."
"Really?"
A faint light flickered in Alicia's eyes. It was the first sign of civilization she had seen in five days.
"Yes. I know someone there."
Kyle spurred the horse forward.
The village was small.
It was a rural community of about twenty households. Thatched huts were huddled together, and there was a single well in the center. The villagers watched the strangers approaching from a distance with wary eyes.
Kyle avoided the center of the village and steered the horse toward the outskirts.
At the very edge of the village, bordering the forest, stood a small hut. it was older and shabbier than the other houses. However, smoke was rising from the chimney, and dried herbs hung by the window.
It was proof that someone was living there.
Kyle dismounted and helped Alicia down.
"Please wait a moment."
He approached the door and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock.
After a moment, the door creaked open.
"Who is it?"
Standing behind the door was an elderly woman. Her white hair was neatly tied back, and the wrinkles of time were deeply carved into her face. She looked to be in her sixties.
As soon as she saw Kyle, her eyes widened.
"Master Kyle?"
"Margaret."
Kyle bowed his head.
"It has been a long time."
"My goodness, it really is you, Master! What brings you here?"
Margaret stopped speaking mid-sentence.
Her gaze shifted to Alicia, who was standing behind Kyle.
Disheveled blonde hair. A torn dress. But that face, those eyes...
"That, that person is..."
Margaret's face turned pale.
"Could it be... the Young Lady? Is it our little Young Lady?"
Alicia blinked.
"What?"
She did not recognize this old woman. It was a face she had never seen before.
"You wouldn't know me, of course."
Tears welled up in Margaret's eyes.
"I am Margaret. I was in charge of the kitchen at Valencia Castle, the one who retired one year ago."
"The kitchen?"
Alicia searched her memory.
The kitchen. A place she had never been. A place only servants frequented. There was no reason for a noble daughter to go there.
"I don't know you."
Alicia shook her head.
Margaret gave a sad smile.
"I suppose so. There was no reason for the Young Lady to visit the kitchen. I always worked in the back."
"Margaret."
Kyle intervened quietly.
"May we come inside? The situation is complicated."
Margaret looked at Kyle's face for a moment. She saw his wounds, his fatigue-ridden eyes, and Alicia's wretched state.
She could tell what had happened without asking.
"Please, come in."
She opened the door wide.
The inside of the hut was narrow but tidy.
There was a worn wooden table and two chairs. Dried herbs and onions hung from the walls. A small bed sat in the corner, and a weak fire was burning in the fireplace.
Alicia scanned everything.
It was smaller than the tiniest storage room in Valencia Castle. She couldn't believe a human being could live in such a place.
"Please sit, Young Lady."
Margaret pointed to a chair.
Alicia hesitated.
The chair looked old and rough. She felt as though wooden splinters would prick her dress if she sat down.
However, her legs no longer had the power to stand.
"Hmph."
She sat down reluctantly.
Margaret went to the kitchen and began preparing something. Warm steam rose from a pot.
"I happened to be simmering some soup. It isn't much, but..."
A moment later, she brought over a wooden bowl filled with soup.
Alicia looked down at it.
It was a clear soup with potatoes and onions. No meat was visible. It was a food that even the servants at Valencia Castle would not have eaten.
"What is this?"
Complaints burst from Alicia's mouth.
"No meat? Is this even food?"
Margaret's hand stopped.
Kyle watched Alicia in silence.
"This is too much. I've been eating nothing but that hard bread for five days, and I want a real meal. No meat, and what are these vegetables?"
"Young Lady."
Margaret spoke quietly.
There was sadness in her eyes.
"The times have changed."
"What?"
"This is no longer Valencia Castle. This is a poor hut in a poor village. This is the best I can offer you."
Alicia's mouth snapped shut.
"I worked at the castle once. I made the best food for the Young Lady. But that was a long time ago."
Margaret placed the bowl quietly on the table.
"Right now, you are a fugitive. You are not the Lady of Valencia, but a young girl who must survive."
"..."
Alicia looked at Margaret.
Her words pierced her heart.
A young girl who must survive.
No longer a Lady?
"And I will speak honestly with you."
Margaret continued.
"The Young Lady's arrogant attitude, it was famous among the servants at the castle."
"W-what?"
Alicia's eyes widened.
"The little Young Lady is pretty but has a difficult temper; she gets angry no matter what we say, she won't even make eye contact... There were many such stories."
"T-that's...!"
Alicia's face turned red. It was unclear whether it was from anger or shame.
"How... how dare the servants talk about me...!"
"Even so, we loved you."
At Margaret's words, Alicia stopped.
"Because you were still young. Because personalities can change. We believed that one day you would become a fine lady."
"..."
"Martha felt the same way. She would say, 'Our Young Lady is originally a good child. She is just spoiled because she received too much love.'"
Martha.
At the mention of that name, tears welled up in Alicia's eyes.
The head maid had collapsed in front of her. The person who had tried to protect her until the very end.
Had that person had said such things about her?
"In this moment, what the Young Lady needs is not pride."
Margaret said softly.
"It is to survive. That is all."
"..."
Alicia could no longer speak.
It felt as though something was collapsing. The things that had supported her until now, her pride as a lady and her dignity as a noble, were slowly cracking.
"No one... cares anymore."
A small voice escaped her lips.
"No one cares who I am anymore."
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I have no father, no mother, no castle... I am nothing now..."
"Young Lady..."
Margaret approached quietly.
She then carefully embraced Alicia.
"You are not nothing."
Her voice was warm.
"You are just a small girl who must survive. That in itself is impressive enough."
Alicia cried in Margaret's arms.
For the first time, she cried sincerely.
Forgetting her face as a lady and her pride.
Simply as a child who had lost everything.
Night came.
Margaret gave her bed to Alicia and laid out a blanket for herself in front of the fireplace.
Alicia lay in bed, but sleep would not come.
She had eaten the soup, washed with warm water, and changed into clean clothes. They were old but clean clothes that Margaret had kept.
Her body felt better, but her heart was still heavy.
"..."
She quietly got out of bed.
Looking out the window, she saw Kyle sitting in front of the hut. It seemed he was standing guard through the night.
Alicia opened the door quietly and stepped out.
"I cannot sleep."
"Young Lady."
Kyle turned his head.
"Please stay inside. The night air is cold."
"Just for a little while."
Alicia sat down beside him. Kyle hesitated for a moment before taking off his cape and draping it over her shoulders.
"..."
"You must not get cold."
Alicia nodded and looked up at the sky.
It was full of stars. So many stars that could not be seen from Valencia Castle.
"Kyle."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Pardon?"
"Why did the Marquess of Castel attack our home? You mentioned power earlier, but I don't think that's all."
Kyle remained silent.
Alicia looked at him.
"You're hiding something, aren't you?"
"..."
"Tell me. I have the right to know."
Kyle said nothing for a long time. Then, he slowly opened his mouth.
"Young Lady... have you ever heard of the Dragon Soul Stone?"
"The Dragon Soul Stone?"
Alicia blinked.
"What is that?"
"It is an ancient mana crystal. It is extremely rare and extremely precious."
Kyle continued while looking up at the sky.
"A mage's power is determined by the size of their mana vessel and the speed of their mana flow. Usually, when a person awakens to magic, their rank is fixed somewhere between 1 and 7."
He paused, gathering his thoughts.
"Most people awaken at rank 2, and that's if they're lucky. The talented awaken at rank 3, and geniuses at upper rank 3. I've never personally met someone who awakened directly at rank 4, but they exist of course, perhaps you'll meet one someday."
Kyle's expression grew distant.
"As for rank 7... it's a rank that fewer than the fingers on one hand have ever reached. The last known rank 7 mage has disappeared—no one knows their fate. And ironically, this rank that is humanity's ultimate dream was nothing but a joke to the ancient dragons, who reached it upon reaching adulthood. Magic for them was as natural as breathing is for us."
Alicia's eyes widened at this revelation.
"The Dragon Soul Stone raises that rank," Kyle said.
"If used within three months after awakening, it can pull up the mana vessel and flow speed by one or two ranks."
"One or two ranks?"
"Yes. It means that a person who awakened at lower rank 2 can advance to middle rank 2, or if they are fortunate, to upper rank 2. In extremely rare cases, they might even reach lower rank 3."
Alicia's eyes widened even further.
"Isn't that something amazing?"
"It is. That is why the Dragon Soul Stone is a treasure that only royalty or high nobility can possess. Just having one can change the fate of a family."
Kyle caught his breath for a moment and continued.
"A few months ago, the Count gave me a secret mission. He said a Dragon Soul Stone had been found in ancient ruins."
"A secret mission?"
"Yes. Four other knights were dispatched to recover the Dragon Soul Stone from the ruins and return."
"..."
"The mission was a success. We found the Dragon Soul Stone."
Kyle's eyes darkened.
"However, we were attacked on the way back."
Alicia's breath hitched.
"They were soldiers of the House of Castel."
"!"
"It seemed the information had leaked. They knew about the Dragon Soul Stone and were waiting for us. There were many of them, perhaps 50 soldiers. They also didn't seem sure whether the stone was actually with us or in the castle."
Kyle stopped speaking for a moment. His hand unconsciously clenched into a fist.
"My comrades died. One by one... eventually, I was the only survivor."
"..."
"When I barely managed to return to the castle, everything was already over. The Marquess's soldiers were surrounding the castle..."
"So..."
Alicia said in a trembling voice.
"The reason my family died... is because of that stone?"
"It is not only because of the Dragon Soul Stone."
Kyle shook his head.
"Of course, the Dragon Soul Stone must have been one of the big reasons. However, Marquess Castel had been eyeing the Valencia territory for a long time. The Dragon Soul Stone might have just been an excuse."
"An excuse?"
"I heard that the Marquess's son, Lord Roderick, recently awakened to magic at lower rank 3."
Kyle said.
"lower rank 3 is a decent rank, but it is insufficient for a successor of a high noble family. However, if he had the Dragon Soul Stone..."
"He could raise it to advance to middle rank 3."
"Yes."
Alicia clenched her fists tightly.
"So... because of that one man's son... my whole family died?"
"Young Lady..."
"Because of such a ridiculous reason?!"
Tears rolled down her face. However, this time it was not from sadness.
It was rage.
"My father... my mother... Martha... everyone... for that reason?!"
"..."
Kyle did not answer.
He could not answer.
The world was originally such a place. A place where the powerful took what they wanted, and the powerless suffered. No matter how justly one lived, it meant nothing in the face of someone's greed.
"Someday..."
Alicia grit her teeth.
"Someday, I will definitely... get my revenge."
"..."
"Whether it is Marquess Castel or his son... I will definitely make them pay the price."
Her eyes shone under the moonlight. Instead of the innocence of a child, they contained a sharp resolve.
Kyle watched her quietly.
And he thought of the small box in his bosom.
The Dragon Soul Stone.
There was something he had not yet told her. That the stone was currently with him. And that it was originally intended for her.
The Count's final command.
"Give the Dragon Soul Stone to Alicia. When that child awakens to magic, use this to increase her power."
However, now was not the time. Pursuers might still be following them. If it became known that she possessed the Dragon Soul Stone, the danger would become even greater.
Until they reached the Estelle Duchy. Until safety was secured there.
Until then, he had to hide it.
"Young Lady."
Kyle said softly.
"For now, survival comes before revenge."
"..."
"Once we reach the Estelle Duchy, it will not be too late to think about it then."
Alicia looked at him for a moment.
"I know."
She nodded her head.
"I know I have no choice but to do that for now. I am not an idiot."
"That is a relief."
"But I won't forget."
Her eyes sparkled.
"I will never forget this rage, or this sadness."
"..."
Kyle nodded silently.
He did not deny her rage. Because that could become the power that allowed her to live on.
He only hoped that the rage would not consume her.
The night grew deep.
Alicia eventually fell asleep beside Kyle. Wrapped in his cape, she leaned against his shoulder.
Kyle looked down at her.
Thirteen years old.
Still such a young age. However, she had already experienced too much.
"Count."
He muttered lowly.
"I will definitely protect her. This child."
The Dragon Soul Stone glowed faintly in his bosom.
As if responding to that oath.
The next morning.
Margaret prepared breakfast. It was the same simple food as yesterday, but Alicia did not complain at all.
"Thank you."
She said quietly.
Margaret blinked as if surprised. Then she smiled warmly.
"Enjoy your meal, Young Lady."
After the meal, Kyle and Alicia prepared to set out again.
"Here it is."
Margaret held out a small bundle.
"It is food and water. It isn't much, but..."
"Thank you, Margaret."
Kyle bowed his head.
"Be careful, Master. You too, Young Lady."
Margaret said as she wiped away her tears.
"Please, arrive safely."
Alicia looked at Margaret.
A person she couldn't even remember until yesterday. But now...
"Margaret."
"Yes, Young Lady."
"Thank you. And... I am sorry."
Margaret's eyes widened.
"When you worked at the castle before... I must have made things very difficult for you. I haven't seen you directly, but you know my personality. It must have been hard."
"Young Lady..."
"But you said you loved us anyway. Thank you."
Alicia bowed her head.
Margaret could not speak for a while. Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"The Young Lady has really grown up so much."
She said in a trembling voice.
"In just five days... this much..."
Alicia gave a bitter smile.
"I can't help it. If I don't grow, I die."
"..."
"Let's go, Kyle."
Alicia walked toward the horse.
Kyle bowed to Margaret one last time and followed her.
The horse began to gallop.
The small hut gradually grew distant. The sight of Margaret waving her hand became smaller and eventually disappeared.
"..."
Alicia did not look back.
However, tears were welling in the corners of her eyes.
The first village.
And the first farewell.
How many more farewells would there be in the future?
Alicia did not know. She only moved forward.
To survive.
And to one day reclaim everything she had lost.