บท 78: Chapter 37. In Mortal Peril
White flakes of snow fell from the sky, large and soft as goose down.
The youngest daughter of the head of the astrological order kept running forward, escaping the pursuit of the monsters. Finding herself in an unfamiliar area, the girl could only see trees, leaves, rocks and mountains. There was nothing else.
— Ha... — Gardenia's body twisted painfully with cold.
Not anticipating that she might find herself in a place like this, she didn't have any warm outerwear with her. And the light cloak that was thrown over her shoulders could not protect the girl from the harsh northern winds.
At one point, tripping over a thick tree root that happened to be under her feet, Gardenia Daehsin slipped and fell. She could have easily rolled down the snow-covered slope if she hadn't been grabbed by her arm at that moment.
— My Lady, hurry up and get up! — The personal maid who had accompanied Gardenia on this trip and now found herself here with her, cried out excitedly.
'Oh...'
Blinking, Gardenia focused a blurry gaze straight ahead of her. After a few seconds, she made out trees with snow caps on them and the face of her maid. The woman with a frightened face continued to tug on her arm.
— Mistress, please get up quickly...
Eventually Gardenia forced herself up and even though her head was still a little dizzy, she had no time to recover.
The cold wind that was whipping across the girl's skin, the coldness of the snow pervading her body and several monsters running towards them at once. All of this horror was the direct reality of Gardenia right now.
The youngest daughter of the Daehsin family was scared to death, but right now she had no choice but to keep running forwards. Although... Where, in a place like this, could they even find shelter?
Even though it was only the end of summer in the rest of the empire right now, but the ground in the northern region was already covered by a thick layer of snow. The cold to the point of breaking was penetrating the bones. In the instant Gardenia almost crashed into the tree in front of her, but managed to distinguish it in time, tears covered her eyes. Either from the cold wind or from the feeling of her own helplessness. Right now, the girl was feeling angry with herself.
After all, after all, this whole situation was her fault.
The reason why the youngest daughter of the supreme astrologer, and in addition her maid, were on the outskirts of the region of eternal winter, was that on Gardenia's initiative, the crew had chosen to take a different route.
On behalf of the Astrological Order, Gardenia Daehsin was to attend a charity event that the central tower of Glencia traditionally held in honour of its founding anniversary.
It was a rare opportunity for the common people of the Empire and the underprivileged to have their natal chart drawn completely free of charge. More often than not, orphanages, hospices, and other such organisations were chosen for such purposes. This was a gesture of 'mercy' on the part of the astrological order, which had only a positive effect on the reputation of the cult. One could say that it was an additional cost to maintain the overall image.
Normally, a senior astrologer, or another dignitary from the central tower, would be sent to participate in such a charity event. But for the past few years, the youngest daughter of the cult leader had volunteered to take part in organising such events on her own. All because Gardenia also wanted to prove her worth and be useful to those around her.
Gardenia Daehsin was well aware of what her life looked like from the outside to other people. It was what was called a state of 'extreme comfort'. As the youngest daughter, Gardenia never had to bother with her studies or the affairs of her family.
She didn't have to study all night long and lose sleep in order to get her father's attention like her older sister. She also didn't have to shoulder the enormous responsibility from her childhood, for Gardenia was not the successor of the family, nor was she given any special expectations from the beginning.
All she had to do was lead a happy life and enjoy her position.
However, the girl had actually always been saddened by this fact. She didn't want to be a person who lived without any aspirations. Was there any point in such an albeit comfortable, but nevertheless empty life?
Especially when Gardenia had seen from her childhood how hard her older sister worked every day. So even if she couldn't contribute as much as Liana Daehsin, but at least she also wanted to do her part for the common cause.
Gardenia had to beg her father for a long time before he gave his approval to this girl's venture. Khalias Daehsin had been reluctant to the last minute to let Gardenia leave the central tower, much less travel so far away to participate in charity events. But in the end he couldn't resist his daughter's earnest pleas. Gardenia Dehsin was the only person who could make the ice of even someone like the head of the astrological order 'crack'.
Therefore, Gardenia eventually managed to get the cherished consent.
Since then, for the past few years, Gardenia had been visiting various institutions for the needy every year, with the aim of conducting a charity event there.
This year, the girl was to visit a small village in the western region. For the last one year, the western region had been experiencing terrible floods, as a result of which a lot of humanitarian aid from the capital had been sent there. And a charity event from the astrological order — was also part of this general programme of support.
Gardenia Daehsin intended to visit the refugee camp there, which was overcrowded because of the many people who had suffered and lost their homes in the natural disasters.
The usual journey to the western region usually took quite a long period of time. Gardenia, on the other hand, really wanted to make it back to the capital in time for her father's birthday. So when the girl learnt that there was another, shorter route to the western region, she immediately chose it. And despite the fact that that road lay directly next to the border of the northern region, but at that moment, Gardenia was not the least bit embarrassed by it.
Sure, the North itself was undoubtedly a threat. But, after all, it was just a border that they weren't even going to enter. What could possibly go wrong?
Thus, they set out on the road, and at first, the journey was quite bearable. Except that no one could have foreseen in advance the occurrence of the unforeseen situation that happened to them. Suddenly, the crew of the youngest daughter of the supreme astrologer was attacked by brigands descending from the mountains.
The area near the border of the northern region was poor not only because of the harsh conditions, but also because of the remoteness. Most people had no reason to stop by here, and thus the rare visitors became the first target for the local brigand gangs that lived here away from civilisation. Simply put, they were cannibalistic brigands.
The guards that accompanied Junior Lady Daehsin's crew engaged the thugs and were rather quickly succumbed due to being outnumbered. Nevertheless, this allowed the girl to have a chance to escape. Seizing the moment when the bandits were distracted by the battle, Gardenia and her maid were able to escape. But not knowing exactly where they were going, in a fit of panic they just kept on running, wherever they could see. And just like that, the mistress and her maid ended up at the very border of the northern region.
Of course, Gardenia Daehsin could not have known in advance that the enemies waiting for them here would be worse than the forest thugs. The noble lady, who had never encountered or even heard little about these creatures before, had considered them nothing more than fiction up to a certain point.
But... After all, who would have thought that one day she might find herself in a situation like this!
Gardenia felt dizzy. She looked around as she continued to run. All around stretched a vast white world of ice and snow. Cold, prickly air rushed into her lungs, nearly suffocating the girl.
Her beautiful white and pink dress was soiled, her brown hair was dishevelled, and one embroidered shoe was lost somewhere.
However, none of that mattered now, especially when in the next instant Gardenia Daehsin froze in place.
It was because the maid who had been pulling her forward all this time suddenly stopped walking. Her grip on Gardenia's wrist also loosened.
— Irene...?
The maid let go of Gardenia's hand, and as she fell, she heard a scream.
— Aah!
Falling to the snowy ground, Gardenia instinctively recoiled backwards.
The ugly dark creature had clawed its way into her personal maid, piercing her stomach with its claws.
— My Lady, run and don't look back..... — Irene coughed up blood as she spoke.
Gardenia opened her mouth, ready to scream, but the maid stopped the girl from screaming with her voice:
— Please run...
— ...!
The youngest daughter of the supreme astrologer was gulping for air. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word as the lump in her throat was blocking her throat.
The maid, meanwhile, continued to speak:
— Please, lady... you... must... run...
The woman's quiet cries became faint, and then became completely silent.
They were replaced by the sound of a terrifying monster eating her body.
The young mistress survivor flinched.
Gardenia Daehsin still couldn't take her eyes off the shocking sight, but still, she managed to rise to her feet by grasping onto the dangling branches of the tree.
'Irene, please forgive me...'
Gardenia forced her dazed body up, and then ran without looking back.
— Hu... — Gardenia also suppressed the tears that were threatening to break through.
Because of her weakened legs, she kept stumbling and falling after a few steps, but clenching her teeth, the girl didn't scream or moan.
— Faster... Ahem...
She ran and ran, and when her breathing became intermittent and her lungs constricted painfully, the girl switched from running to stepping.
She couldn't stop.
Not even for a moment.
Because if she stopped, there was a good chance that the next person to repeat her maid's fate would be her.
Gardenia trudged heavily through the snow, barely breathing. A sharp pain in her leg kept her in a state of half-remembered sleep. It had happened when she had rolled down the slope a few minutes ago and sprained her leg as a result. Looking down, Gardenia found her ankle swollen, but although the pain was almost unbearable, she continued walking, realising that the monsters were stalking her and could catch up at any moment.
If they discovered her now, the position of the youngest daughter of the cult leader would be unenviable. At the mere memory of what had happened to her maid, an uncontrollable shiver ran through Gardenia's body.
Nevertheless, even after using all her willpower, the girl's abilities were still not limitless.
At some point, after travelling all this way, Gardenia became exhausted. Her eyes blurred, barely distinguishing the path in the vast snowy wasteland, as suddenly her legs finally failed her and the girl collapsed into a snowdrift. Even though she wanted to keep walking, Gardenia simply didn't have the strength to get up.
At this moment, Gardenia also recognised a monster that was running towards her.
'... Oh, no...'
It was three times the size of an ordinary bear, with crocodile-like skin.
— Grrrrrr! — The sharp claws on the paws raised by the monster flew towards the girl.
Gardenia instinctively twitched her whole body. This time she managed to stay unharmed only by a miracle.
Boom!
A second before the monster's sharp claws landed on Gardenia's body, she managed to roll away. However, the monster had no intention of stopping there.
— Ha... Ha...
The second blow was inevitable, so the girl clenched her eyes tightly.
Suddenly, a gust of wind struck again.
However, instead of tearing pain, Gardenia heard the sound of tearing flesh.
- ?! — the girl opened her eyes in amazement.
— Garrrrrrr! — came the monster's loud menacing cry.
It was so loud and scary that Gardenia's shoulders shrank in on themselves. Then Gardenia cautiously raised her head and looked at the monster. It was thrashing with all its might, and traces of thick black blood could be seen everywhere.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that the youngest daughter of the supreme astrologer noticed that a man with a cloak fluttering in the wind was standing in front of her. Someone with monstrous strength that sliced the monster into meatballs.
The warrior silently swung his sword, shaking off the black blood from it, and then turned around.
— Ha... — Gardenia Daehsin covered her mouth with the sleeve of her dress.
She remembered that it was a woman she had seen once before.
Her silver hair and mesmerising amber eyes stood out brightly against her white skin. This woman was very beautiful, but she was surrounded by an atmosphere of menace and danger that made people keep their distance from her. This woman was none other than the master of these lands. Lord of the North.
Gardenia's breath involuntarily caught. All because this scene had awakened certain fantasies in her that didn't seem quite appropriate to the situation at hand.
'Isn't this woman like a beautiful demoness who kidnapped a princess from a fairytale kingdom because she fell in love with her at first sight?'
Gardenia Daehsin, who had just been reminded of a love novel she had read at leisure, suddenly came to her senses and blinked absent-mindedly while looking in front of her.
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