Chapter 4: 4

Not long ago, the two-story brick house, filled with Louie's laughter, was in ruins in just a few days. Only the wind remained and shook the half-broken door. The condition of the blacksmith's shop next to it was similar.

Eluana looked back at Khazar and said.

"I'll be right back.”

Khazar nodded lightly, agreeing to wait.

Eluana pushed the rattling door inside and stopped for a moment. The state of things inside was more disastrous than outside.

There was no decent furniture left, and the shattered pieces of furniture and fairy tale books were cluttered around the floor in quite a mess.

Eluana passed by the table where her mother Stella would like to take a nap and all eat together. Then moving to the wall containing the display case which held the picture of Dad Ron, and came to arrange the chair that was upside-down.

When she pressed the six bricks on the wall, the brick in the middle protruded. After she pulled out that brick, a small space appeared.

Eluana took out a wooden box engraved with lavender patterns along with a small satchel. She opened the box and what came into view is a golden necklace. It was an heirloom left by her mother. She took it out and hung it around her neck.

When she hid the necklace over her clothes and opened the satchel, there were about 30 gold coins inside including a small brooch. Eluana took out ten gold coins, tossed them roughly into the wall, and blocked them with bricks.

'20 gold coins should be enough to survive in hiding.’

The payment of the sword she received from the auction was deposited in the capital bank, but she would have to surrender it. You won't be able to use the money if you find yourself and Louie inside a prison again.

Eluana grabbed the satchel and opened the medicine cabinet. She put the herbs for fever relief in her mouth and chewed it, however, there was no ointment for her wounds. When working in a blacksmith's shop, she often gets burned, so only disinfectant alcohol and ointment for burns were properly equipped.

Eluana put the ointment inside the satchel with a regrettable look. Since your back seems to burn anyway, burn ointment will probably work.

'It's better than nothing.’

All right, next up was a task that required determination.

Eluana stared at the disinfectant. She took off her dress, vowing to finish it quickly because time is of the essence. A piece of cloth stuck on her back came off and she immediately felt immense pain. She swallowed a lot of air, bracing herself before pouring alcohol on her back. She couldn't see it, so she poured it like having a bath, and she was instantly wide awake.

Cold alcohol scoured her skin, but her back became more unbearable. In order to resist screaming in pain, she quickly attached a cloth sticking out of the closet to her back and bandaged it.

She was trying to change into a dress that was easy to move but her head was suddenly spinning. Staggering, Eluana managed to hold onto the closet.

'No, I can't fall down yet.’

Pulling herself together, she packed Ron's and Louie's clothes. She went out, tying her hair up so that it wouldn't touch her roughly bandaged back. After she handed the clothes to Khazar, she hung the small satchel around Louie's neck like a necklace.

"You're not too tired, so Louie, take care of this."

"Okay."

When Louie answered vigorously, Eluana turned to the blacksmith's shop and said.

"You two change, too. I won't be gone for long."

As Eluana entered the blacksmith's shop, she couldn't help but sigh. There was not a single long, painstaking sword left. Instead, two swords in a pail were the only swords she could find. Worse, those were incomplete swords, so they were left behind. It would have been a good sword if she repaired it a few more times.

Eluana packed the two unfinished swords and tied them with a belt.

She looked around the blacksmith's shop for one last time before taking a step outside. It was time to leave the place where she was born and raised.

***

Khazar helped Louie change into new clothes. The satchel Eluana hung around his neck was tucked inside his clothes so that it wouldn't fall off.

"Is there anywhere you feel uncomfortable?”

Khazar was worried because it was his first time changing a child's clothes.

"No, and thank you. Hey."

Louie held out his brackish hand. Khazar held the hand and stared at the lavender field behind the brick house.

There was a family that came to mind when he thought of lavender. House Spess, from a family of Dukes.

'Is she really related to the Spess family?’

Alchemy abilities are not available just by learning. It was an ability that could only be acquired when the blood of the Spess family and a Genius were combined.

It was said that Ron Vita was away.

"Where's your mother?"

"My mother is in heaven. Louie was born to devour his mother."

"Who said that?"

"Jeanne."

"Are you friends?"

Khazar sighed quietly seeing Louie nodded.

"A real friend wouldn't say that. Don't play with him anymore."

"Huh, my sister also said so.”

Khazar, who swept his face, turned his head immediately after he felt a presence. As soon as he turned around, a sword was sticking out in front of his face. The unfinished black sword unexpectedly had a perfect balance. It would be amazing to obtain even this incomplete sword.

'There was a reason why Ron Vita is so popular.’

After admiring the sword he received, he turned around to see Eluana wearing a belt with a sword hanging on her waist.

"Did you learn swordsmanship? If you've never hit something with that, put it down. You'll get hurt by accident."

Having a weapon isn't necessarily a good thing. This was especially the case with swords that have sharp edges on both sides. If you lack the strength in your arms, you might cut yourself if you wield it.

Eluana replied, strapping her sword tighter to her belt.

"I've caught a boar with my dad using a sword."

"A boar?"

"Sometimes wild boars come down from the Northern woods and destroy the crops."

Khazar's mouth was slightly wide open. He had never heard of a noble young lady catching wild boars.

"Aren't you a noble?"

"For now." Eluana said, smirking at him while dusting her hands off. Khazar noticed her hands were full of calluses. 

"Let's go. We need to get out of Aden quickly.” 

Eluana beckoned before turning around to take the lead.

Khazar grabbed her by the arm. It was for several reasons. He didn't even complain about the ridiculous idea of stopping by her house during the escape. However, what they needed right now to escape from the village and in order to survive is money.

"You need to be treated first. Don't you have any medicine at home?”

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"I already disinfected it. I also brought some ointment. No worries. I can get treated outside of Aden.”

"We're going to cross the woods.”

The two individuals' pace was faster than ever. The neighboring forest was a good place for people to hide. Unmanaged weeds graze her and sometimes caught her ankles, but Eluana made her way without delay.

'It's a miracle that I was still able to walk like this.’

Perhaps because she was conscious of her younger brother Louie that she didn't show any signs of pain. It was clear that she was overdoing it as her words also became exaggeratedly cheerful while talking to Louie.

'Frigging back's bothering me.’

After a long walk, the sun finally settled. Eluana was a little relieved as darkness began to sink into the forest. The night in Aden, where more than half of the land is forested, was hard to conduct a search.

On one part of the Imperial villa, the bell began to ring. Her nerves were on edge because of the sound that wasn't usually heard in Aden.

"They must have noticed that we escaped."

"It's later than I expected."

Khazar replied calmly. The party had already entered deep into the forest. Khazar recalled the face of Regis. He'll have a face worth seeing when he finds his servants hanging from bars.

"Wait a minute."

Kazar grabbed Eluana's arm, which was running ahead.

"There's someone in front of us. Hide!"

Khazar, who warned them in a hushed voice, hid in the shadow created by the bushes while hugging Louie. Eluana quickly squatted down, looking for a place to cover.

Flutter. She heard something going through the bushes. Soon after, a man appeared among the bushes.

'Uncle Sam?'

Sam, a hunter, was one of the commoners who came and went freely through the forest.

Surprised, Eluana and Khazar stopped breathing. Louie covered his mouth with his own hands.

"I definitely heard it."

Sam pulled the bowstring and was wary of his surroundings. Sam only wanted to pass through, but he didn't relax. Sam, who also serves as a mercenary, looked at the traces, determined to find the owner of the earlier sound. 

Knowing that he was an outstanding hunter, Eluana became nervous. There was no time to lose here.

Eluana stretched out both of her hands, following her withered body and got out of the bushes.

"Uncle Sam."

"Is that you, Eluana?"

The man's rugged face was a welcomed sight for Eluana even though he was still aiming his bow at her. While Eluana was smiling awkwardly, Sam approached still pointing the bow.

"You and Louie are in prison, and my wife....”

Sam stopped walking, fading the end of his words. Eluana, about 10 steps away, looked different than usual. Her face was pale, and her hair in a ratty mess.

If she had been released from prison, she wouldn't be in the woods at sunset. Moreover, it was quite far from the village.

"Are you alone?"

Inevitably, an unfamiliar-faced lad stood up holding Louie from a distance a few feet away from Eluana. Louie's reddish eyes could be seen.

Sam flipped the bow over his shoulder.

"I, I didn't see anything."

Sam, who spoke bluntly, stuttered away.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Eluana expressed her gratitude looking at his back. The answer was replaced by the sound of footsteps moving away through the bushes.

While Eluana was feeling relieved saying stuff like 'Lucky us' and whatnot, Khazar focused his attention until Sam's presence completely disappeared. It waned further and further until it was completely lost under the sound of the wind and forest.

"Is he trustworthy?”

It's a small village, so they clearly knew each other. But turning a blind eye towards the criminals' escape is another matter. If it turns out you're somehow involved, you'll be another hung head by the walls.

"We emptied food at our house every drought and gave them to the villagers. That's why no one died of starvation in Aden.”

Not a single person living in Aden did not owe their lives to Ron and Stella. Eluana and Louie were treated as special beings by the villagers, parents, siblings, and children, if not themselves. That was why Eluana was able to borrow Ron's name and live by selling swords.

She understood a little bit that Khazar had been shocked by the fact that there's been no crime in Aden. Peace has been maintained because the villagers have decent living conditions.

"Still, you'd better not believe a person too much.”

It's difficult to know the person's intentions, however close you are. The escort, with whom he spent a lot of time together and trusted, eventually chose betrayal.

"It's not a bad thing to believe. It's a bad thing to betray your faith. I believe in you, too.”

Eluana made her way through the bushes again. Khazar hugged Louie without answering.

"Are you going to meet Ron Vita when we get out of here?"

"Huh? Yeah, perhaps."

An awkward answer came back. It was faint, but Khazar did not pry anymore.

How far have they gone? The forest had already eroded into darkness. Because of the darkness that filled the surroundings, Khazar could not see well. He could only feel Louie rustling in his arms.

Eluana pointed her finger at a small hill.

"If we go over there, we'll find our way to the neighboring village."

"But if we go out the streets, we'll get caught."

"Well, then maybe we can just set the course and keep going into the woods."

Unlike before, she had a voice of uncertainty.

"Don't you know the way?"

"I've never been out of the village. I've only heard that other people were going this way.”

"Is that the right direction?”

"Yes."

"Well, I'll take the lead from here on out."

Eluana nodded, and Khazar took the lead. In his arms, Louie caught sight of Eluana's tired face as she was following Khazar from behind. The sound of grass bugs was loud.

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