Chapter 39
Chapter 39
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Rain-Soaked Pursuit
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Swearing, huh?”
“No.”
“Sounds like swearing though?”
“I said it’s not. Anyway, what are you going to do once this is fully resolved? My offer’s still on the table.”
It was the one about coming under him. Rachel held up her index finger and wagged it side to side.
“Clinging like that makes you less attractive.”
“Liar.”
Abyss rebutted Rachel’s words in one breath.
For all his talk, Abyss was an attractive man. He knew a lot, yet he never blabbed carelessly.
Rachel admired wise and intelligent people, and Abyss fit the bill perfectly.
He saw right through it and murmured with a smile in his eyes.
“Not bad.”
Rachel clicked her tongue and strode ahead of Abyss.
Her feet were headed for the secret space. There was an inactive contract circle there, so she thought it might be the altar.
‘Either way, I’ll probably be the last one. They might’ve just buried the token in the newly built castle.’
At that moment, Abyss, who had been following behind, came to a stop.
The moment her stomach churned, Rachel realized Abyss had used a magic tool.
As the pink earring in his ear began to glow, he started speaking in hushed tones.
“What?”
It was a short question, but he seemed quite rattled. His expression wasn’t good. His eyebrows twitched.
The churning in her stomach continued, and his face grew more and more distorted.
“They’ve already set out.”
Rachel pieced together that this fragmented conversation was about Chris and his group, who had left first.
‘What?’
“They won’t give up that easily, huh. My mistake.”
Rachel grew uneasy at his admission of fault. He turned on his heel and bolted down the corridor. Oblivious, Rachel chased after him.
“Got it. We’ll catch up right away.”
The earring’s glow faded. Only then could Rachel finally question him.
“What’s going on?”
“There are people who were getting golden eggs from a goose that lays them, thanks to the owner’s generosity. What do you think happens if that owner changes and they can’t get the eggs anymore?”
“Stop with the metaphors and just tell me straight? My guess is they’d gut you?”
“That’d be the stupid move. They’d kill the goose’s owner and take the goose for themselves.”
Rachel understood immediately.
The goose was a metaphor for the merchant guild. The goose owner was House Emporus, and the golden eggs were funds.
“Someone’s trying to go after Chris?”
“Yeah. Knights directly under the Third Prince have mobilized.”
Abyss went on to explain.
Near the Emporus Barony, where Harfa Castle stood, lay the territory of Baron Sespian of the Third Prince’s faction, along with the lands of Viscount Siebel, aligned with the former Crown Prince’s forces.
The two nobles hadn’t gotten along from the start, but after the Crown Prince’s death, small-scale territorial skirmishes broke out frequently.
There hadn’t been major damage until now—they’d designated fallow land depleted of mana as the battlefield and hired mercenaries to fight proxy wars, so the capital hadn’t cracked down hard.
Private soldiers were limited in number, but there were no restrictions on hiring mercenaries, making it feasible.
“What does that have to do with the knights moving?”
“Three knights from the Third Prince’s faction infiltrated Baron Sespian’s territory. We were late to notice because they took leave.”
A knight of exceptional skill could take on a hundred soldiers. Royal knights were such elites.
Tracking them had been difficult, delaying location confirmation, but according to the urgent report Abyss had just received, the knights on leave had joined the mercenaries hired by Baron Sespian.
“It’s pouring rain right now, so the territorial war’s on hold. What do you think those knights are after?”
“Trying to kill Chris?”
“Correct.”
The Third Prince’s side planned to eliminate Chris, who hadn’t committed to either faction, and swallow his fortune whole before the Second Prince caught on.
“They’ll hide that they’re knights and disguise themselves as a bandit gang for the ambush.”
“There’s the militia...”
“Of course those guys are in on it? They probably sent them off pretending not to know, to take out that eyesore Jesty while they’re at it.”
The militia had moved under Daimon’s influence from the start.
They’d surely picked only those they could sway.
On top of that, Sari was cooperating with them.
Once Chris was dead, the Third Prince’s faction and Daimon would rig it so Mass—who was little more than Sari’s puppet—would inherit, then devour the entire fortune.
The two burst into the room where Evelyn was staying. She looked at them as if she’d been waiting.
“What’s wrong?”
“Father and Chris are in danger!”
“I got info from my subordinates about bandits in the neighboring territory...”
“No need to sugarcoat it, Abyss! Knights from the Third Prince’s faction came down to assassinate Chris! The militia’s probably on their side too!”
Evelyn was already on her feet.
She flung her pen, hitting the sword hanging on the wall, sending it flying into the air.
Before it could fall, Evelyn swiftly snatched it.
As she charged out of the room, Abyss blocked her path at the door.
“How strong are you?”
“Stronger than you think.”
Evelyn answered simply. It was clear she saw even dealing with him now as a waste of time.
In short order, she struck his side, smashed through the wall, and leaped out. Abyss stared blankly at Evelyn’s retreating figure.
“Her physical abilities are superior to what we’d assessed...”
“Now’s not the time to analyze that!”
Rachel grabbed Abyss’s wrist and hurriedly chased after Evelyn.
She had vanished down the far end of the corridor in an instant.
“We’re screwed.”
“Stop complaining and run. We can catch up on horseback anyway!”
No matter how capable someone was, they couldn’t make a horse gallop at full speed indefinitely.
A poor rider might lag, but on a rainy day like this, that was impossible too.
Rachel believed they could catch Evelyn on horseback.
‘She kept up with Enoch back then! So we can’t fall further behind.’
The two kept sprinting down the corridor until they reached the stairs. Evelyn had long been out of sight.
Abyss gripped the stair railing and spoke.
“Miss, if you regress, don’t kill Baron Emporus.”
The “Baron Emporus” Abyss meant wasn’t Chris, but Paris Emporus. Rachel frowned at the ominous words.
“Words can take root, you know?”
Still, Rachel had considered the next loop. She understood why Abyss was telling her not to kill the baron.
‘Hand him and his house over to the Second Prince’s faction before the Third Prince’s side gets wary, and let them pay.’
Killing Paris Emporus would just repeat this mess.
House Emporus’s wealth was immense—the Third Prince’s faction would never let it go.
“You remember the documents we saw yesterday, right?”
“Of course.”
“There’s some info my past self missed.”
“Got it.”
He hadn’t said much, but he was entrusting her to pass that info on to his future self.
Rachel caught on right away.
The end of the stairs came into view. Their breaths grew ragged, and they paused briefly to catch them.
As they did, Abyss pulled a single sheet of paper from his bosom.
What he showed was a map. A pentagram was drawn on it.
“What’s this?”
“Ask me.”
“I’m asking right now, aren’t I?”
“Ask the me you meet next time. That way, you’ll want to see me again, right?”
“You’re sneakily picky, you know that?”
Rachel let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.
“Fine. Whatever.”
She gave him the answer he wanted and resumed sprinting down the corridor. As Abyss matched her pace from the side, she asked.
“So, what do I say?”
“The Erased Star. Say that, and I’ll get it right away.”
“You’re not gonna pull a sword on me asking how I knew, right?”
Abyss hesitated at Rachel’s question. Her expression hardened.
“Why can’t you say no?”
“Because... it might happen.”
“You...!”
Rachel wanted to grab him by the collar but held back due to the urgency.
He knew his own guarded nature and looked apologetic, but that was it.
“Can’t you teleport like you did a few days ago? You were probably in the capital originally, right? You and your men came to the tavern via teleportation.”
“It’s an ancient relic—only fixed locations.”
Soon, they reached the stables. They encountered the stablemaster, drenched as if he’d been out in the rain.
“Lady Mother was just here?”
“Y-Yes.”
The stablemaster nodded. He’d just handed her a horse and was heading back.
“Lend us some horses. We need to chase her.”
“I can’t just hand out horses to guests willy-nilly.”
The stablemaster shook his head at Abyss’s demand.
Evelyn was currently the acting head of the house.
That’s why he’d given her one, but Rachel and Abyss were merely guests who’d come with the head—he couldn’t carelessly lend out expensive horses.
At the stablemaster’s words, Rachel scanned the stables.
The spacious stables held around twenty horses.
Their coats gleamed with luster, their bodies sturdy—it showed how well he cared for them.
“You got any money?”
“I do, but...”
“Hand it over.”
Abyss clicked his tongue at Rachel’s blunt demand but obediently reached into his bosom anyway.
“Gold coins work?”
As Abyss pulled out a gold coin and asked, Rachel snatched it and held it out to the stablemaster.
“That enough to rent a horse?”
The stablemaster switched attitudes. He bowed obsequiously, saying of course it was.
As he turned to fetch one, Abyss murmured to Rachel.
“Not the kind of idea a properly raised lady would have.”
“I wasn’t raised properly. And who doesn’t like money?”
“Fair enough.”
Soon, the stablemaster led over a horse.
“You know how to ride?”
Rachel answered Abyss’s question by effortlessly mounting the horse.
She gripped the reins firmly and adjusted her posture. Confirming Rachel intended to ride alone, Abyss told the stablemaster.
“One more.”
The stablemaster quickly brought another and opened the stable gate.
“Hyah!”
The horse broke into a gallop.
“I’ll take the lead on direction.”
“Do that. I don’t know the area well anyway.”
And so, the horse carrying Abyss took the front.
The moment Rachel emerged into the open, roofless area, she regretted it.
“Should’ve worn a raincoat.”
She hadn’t thought of it in her haste. Unlike with Enoch, no one was here to shield her.
The thick downpour battered her skin.
Rachel thought she’d bruise, but turning back never crossed her mind.
‘Even a little delay now means regression.’
Not just a slight rewind—back three months.
‘I haven’t even found the token yet!’
Rachel hunched low, taking the falling rain on her back.
Glancing at Abyss, he was in the same boat. For all his artifacts, he apparently had no rain-repelling magic tool.
Rachel narrowed her eyes against the rain threatening her vision and chased after Abyss.
It felt like they’d been riding forever. Rachel shivered in her shoulders.
‘Cold.’
Even summer rain chilled her after prolonged exposure. Her soaked clothes offered no warmth.
‘But I have to catch up to Father and Chris quick!’
Was it her resolve? A blue message window appeared.
```