Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Jenica's Inner Feelings, Bianca's Sudden Move
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People grow as they age.
And people are always two-faced.
They might torment someone mercilessly in their youth, only to feel guilt later, wondering why they ever did such things.
On the other hand, unwilling to admit that guilt, they might lash out even more fiercely.
Jenica was sixteen this year.
The world called her an adult, old enough to marry, but she was still immature.
So she didn't fully understand her own heart right now.
In the year Bianca had been gone.
Tormenting Bianca had been her daily routine, but once Bianca disappeared, Jenica gradually began to change.
Just as love fades when bodies grow distant.
So too does hatred fade with distance.
Jenica had vaguely hated Bianca ever since childhood, due to the pain of losing her mother—who had died giving birth to Bianca while under a curse.
But when that vague target of her hatred vanished, her emotions lost their direction.
Directionless hatred soon turned to emptiness.
And that emptiness quickly became self-loathing.
She was at an age now where she could step out from her parents' shadow.
An age to reflect on Bianca's circumstances rather than blindly hating her.
As she mulled over all the things she'd done to Bianca one by one, Jenica finally realized it.
How pathetic she had been, and how she'd hounded Bianca just for lacking emotions.
In her immaturity, she was beginning to recognize her mistakes as she matured.
Then, suddenly, Bianca returned.
Jenica, who hadn't yet reached true maturity, carelessly spat out words at her without thinking.
"Why did you come back?"
Jenica had always treated Bianca that way.
She knew she'd wronged her, but she couldn't suddenly speak kindly.
"Oh, I get it. That halfwit from Valheim dumped you, huh? Well, who would accept a creepy girl like you anyway."
So she showed her venomous side to Bianca.
Even though she knew full well she was in the wrong, she couldn't stop herself.
Deep down, harboring disgust for herself, she ended up repeating the same old behavior.
She was still going through that immature phase.
"I'm going to find the Whitesnow Yang Mushroom."
Hearing Bianca's words, Jenica tried to ignore them, but they stuck with her.
The Whitesnow Yang Mushroom had long been used in scams.
Because there was the Whiteflower Snow Mushroom, which looked almost identical.
Even merchants often couldn't tell them apart.
There was no way Bianca could.
'She's probably going to buy some fake stuff.'
No matter how she thought about it, it irritated her needlessly, so Jenica sought out the trading caravans.
And by secretly finding the Whitesnow Yang Mushroom before Bianca could, she managed to obtain a genuine one.
The problem was, it was the only real one.
All the other "Whitesnow Yang Mushrooms" at the caravans were fake Whiteflower Snow Mushrooms.
"Tell all the caravans not to sell Whitesnow Yang Mushrooms to Bianca. They'll know what that means."
So Jenica sent her attendants to warn the caravans.
She'd turn a blind eye to them scamming others with Whiteflower Snow Mushrooms, but they weren't to sell them to Bianca.
But her usual sharp tone caused a misunderstanding.
The attendants, seeing Jenica warn the caravans, were convinced she was sabotaging Bianca again.
After all, that's what she'd always done.
In truth, Jenica had gone around with only her most trusted butler to avoid being caught obtaining the mushroom for Bianca, so the attendants had no idea.
And naturally, Bianca misunderstood when the caravans refused to sell to her.
Since Jenica had tormented her her whole life, she assumed it was her doing again.
'What do I do with this...'
But Jenica, who had actually secured the Whitesnow Yang Mushroom, sat holding it, lost in thought.
Why was she going this far for Bianca?
After much deliberation, the conclusion she reached was Bianca's current status.
She was Valheim's fiancée.
"That Valheim halfwit... He said he's not a halfwit. He needs that youngest one! That's why, right."
Jenica nodded to herself, satisfied with her reasoning.
Though guilt over her past actions lingered in her heart, she deliberately ignored it.
'Just shove it at her quick and send her packing.'
With that thought, as she set out to find Bianca.
"Lady Jenica!"
She tilted her head at the sight of the attendant rushing toward her desperately.
"What? Something happen?"
"Lady Bianca went up the mountain alone!"
"What?"
Jenica's eyes widened round.
Then she belatedly understood why Bianca had gone to the mountain.
'She couldn't find the Whitesnow Yang Mushroom.'
So she'd gone searching on foot herself.
"You idiot. You don't take the Hardenharts mountains lightly."
She made an exasperated face.
How could she be so impatient and act so recklessly?
Suppressing her growing anxiety, she hurriedly summoned knights.
'If Bianca dies, it'll ruin ties with Valheim!'
Repeating that excuse in her mind, she began climbing the mountain as fast as possible to find her.
Fortunately, Bianca wasn't far.
Seeing her fully prepared for the trek was almost comical.
"I made sure they wouldn't sell it to you."
And she understood why Bianca had decided to head straight up the mountain.
'That's not!' The excuse rose to her throat, but she barely swallowed it.
She knew full well her sharp attitude and past behavior were the problem.
She should have just told her from the start that she'd secured the mushroom.
But the words that slipped out were harsh ones again.
"Hah, you think I brought knights because I like you? If Valheim's fiancée gets lost and dies, it severs ties between Valheim and Hardenharts!"
Sharp words burst from her mouth.
This mouth of hers didn't know how to speak kindly.
"Sister Jenica, why did you come yourself?"
But the next question left her speechless.
"You don't usually care much about family matters. You could've just sent a search party."
She couldn't respond.
Because, as Bianca said, sending a search party would have been fine.
The excuses she'd clung to stirred up the guilt in her heart, pounding at her chest.
She bit her lip hard, her embarrassed face twisting into an angry scowl.
"Mind your own business. That's my heart."
Bianca just looked at her with an incomprehensible expression.
To the emotionless Bianca, Jenica's changes were a mystery.
Emotions aren't one-sided; they're multifaceted.
But that complexity was beyond the grasp of emotionless Bianca.
So Bianca could only perceive Jenica's feelings as anger and resentment.
"J-Just follow me. I don't even want to look at your face. I'll give you the Whitesnow Yang Mushroom and send you back quick."
Thus, pierced to the core, Jenica could only snap sharply at Bianca.
It was a defensive reaction from the shame of her secrets being exposed.
"I see."
In the end, the two descended the mountain in silence.
The quiet unnerved Jenica.
She wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come.
And she figured Bianca had no desire to talk to her anyway.
'Yeah, this is our relationship in the end.'
What was the point now, after all she'd done?
She lifted her head, despising herself.
They'd climbed quite high, but by dusk, they'd reach the bottom.
Once back, hand over the mushroom, tell her to leave, and done.
That was the moment.
"Can I join you ladies for a bit?"
A voice echoed from behind the knights.
As one knight sensed danger and reached for his sword.
Splat!
A flying axe cleaved his head in two.
A brief silence fell.
The man who had instantly crushed a knight's skull yanked out his axe with a sly grin, eyeing the three.
His head wasn't human-shaped but dog-like.
A pitch-black snout protruded, fangs bared between.
Yet with human ears, he was monstrous.
A minion of the World Erosion who had massacred imperial figures and fled.
The Butcher Hound Bergman.
"Hello, pretties."
A phenomenon born from contracting with the World Erosion.
"Ladies, run now!"
One knight shouted urgently, drawing his sword and charging.
Clang!
"What? What?!"
The clash of sword and axe rang out, sending Jenica into panic at the sudden murder.
She'd been raised delicately, never exposed to World Erosion.
Death and injury were commonplace for soldiers and knights, but a first for a sheltered lady like her—so her panic was natural.
Thud!
In that instant, faster than anyone, a girl seized her hand.
It was Bianca.
Like Jenica, raised as a greenhouse flower, but Bianca felt no paralyzing fear.
So with the clearest judgment, she grabbed Jenica's hand and decided to run.
"Run!"
And she shouted to snap Jenica out of it.
Jenica came to her senses at Bianca's cry, straightened up, and bolted.
She didn't know what was happening.
But she knew this situation was extremely dangerous.
Her mind had cleared only momentarily; it was still a mess.
"Just focus on running."
Bianca led her, saying that.
Jenica bit her lip, seeing the much younger Bianca guiding her.
Regardless, she was the older sister.
She started running on her own feet, no longer being pulled.
"At this rate, he'll catch us."
It was a surprise attack, but he'd felled a knight in one blow—a true expert.
The other knight had told them to flee, meaning he couldn't handle it alone.
Once he defeated that knight, the two untrained women would be caught in no time.
"Any ideas?"
Bianca wasn't familiar with the Rokal Mountains' terrain.
So when she asked for alternatives, Jenica scanned the surroundings.
"This way."
She turned and ran that direction; Bianca followed immediately.
"The Rokal Mountains get heavy snow, so there are plenty of crevasses—natural caves hidden under ice and snow that look just like regular snow."
She seemed to know the lay well, explaining as they dashed through the woods.
"We have artifacts to run on snow, so no problem for us. But not him."
The ice would shatter under an adult's weight, dropping him below.
Heading that way would make pursuit difficult for him.
"It'll make the path longer, but there's an area full of them."
"Let's go there."
No other options.
So Jenica and Bianca bolted straight that way.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Footsteps echoed from behind almost immediately.
Snow leaves clear tracks unless it's falling.
That's why he was tracking them swiftly after killing the knight.
Jenica grew anxious as the steps drew nearer.
What if they got caught?
Would she die like the knight?
Such thoughts flooded her mind.
Meanwhile, they'd reached the crevasse-ridden snowy area.
Crack!
Ice shattered behind them, snow cascading down.
Jenica's face lit up at the sound.
Thud!
But footsteps resumed.
This time, leaping vast distances as if he could see every crevasse.
Jenica's face went pale.
He could escape crevasses at will and even pinpoint them.
This had only lengthened their path uselessly.
"Because of me..."
"This way."
Realizing her mistake, she squeezed her eyes shut as Bianca spoke calmly again.
Bianca turned; Jenica followed instinctively.
"Wait, this direction!"
"It's fine. This is right."
This led opposite from Hardenharts territory.
But it was too late to change course.
The pursuing footsteps were right on their heels.
"Hey, ladies! I said let's talk. You ignoring me? I'm getting mad."
His loud shout rang out.
As Jenica's face drained of color, Bianca slowed down.
"We're here."
"Here? For what? This place?"
Hearing Bianca, Jenica's eyes widened.
Because it was the edge of a sheer cliff—nothing but void.
"What are you—!?"
Jenica whirled to Bianca and yelled.
Crunch—
Snow crunched behind them, followed by a voice.
"Not used to running on snow."
It was the Butcher Hound Bergman.
"But man, am I lucky. Getting to hang with pretty girls like you."
True to his words, he was lucky.
Fleeing the empire, he'd hidden in the Hardenharts mountains and stumbled upon their voices while wandering.
Eavesdropping, he learned they were Hardenharts daughters—one even Valheim's fiancée.
Perfect hostages.
"Come here now. That edge is dangerous."
As he approached, Bianca and Jenica backed away slowly.
But behind them was only the cliff.
Jenica couldn't fathom Bianca's plan.
No matter how she looked, she couldn't see why lead here specifically.
"Get ready."
"Huh?"
"To jump."
Jenica's eyes bulged.
What nonsense was this?
Jump to suicide?
But they were already at the precipice.
"Hold on, you're not really gonna jump, right?"
Bergman looked baffled, trying to stop them.
But too late.
Bianca pulled her rear foot back, Jenica gripped in her arm.
"Kyaaaaah!"
In a flash, screams echoed as the two plummeted off the cliff.
"Ah, shit!"
Bergman cursed and leaped after.
Valuable hostages.
He had no intention of letting them die; he'd catch them.
The moment he vaulted from the cliff.
His eyes widened round.
The two hadn't fallen far below his massive leap.
Instead, Bianca and Jenica stood on a slight overhang at the edge.
Jenica trembled, face ashen; Bianca glared straight at him.
"Huh?"
So that's what she saw?
That's why here?
Amazed, he spun his axe.
Smart kids, but...
"You underestimated me too much!"
His axe swung whoosh toward the other side.
The air parted, wind gusting, altering his trajectory.
Even Bergman couldn't avoid falling now.
But he could grab one.
As he smirked slyly at that thought.
Bianca's arm whipped through the air.
Splat!
A snowball slammed into his eye.
"Guh?!"
One hand outstretched, the other gripping axe.
Even his trained body had no time to block the surprise snowball.
Just vision obscured, though.
As he reached with his extended hand to grab them, something hard hit his head.
When he blinked through the melting snow.
Bianca was there, having used his head as a foothold to leap.
"Whoa!"
"Bianca!"
Bergman and Jenica's cries crossed as Bianca and Bergman plummeted together.