Chapter 127: Portents
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 127: Portents
"Go to the Harvest Festival?"
Blair, who had woken late and was eating breakfast alone, widened her eyes at the maid's suggestion.
"Yes, today is the last day of the Harvest Festival. On the final day, shops sell high-quality goods at low prices, and there's so much to see with everyone out enjoying the end of it."
As the maid spoke, she recalled the instructions she had received from Ruth that morning.
‘Take Madam out to see the festival.’
In truth, the suggestion had come from Ruth.
Quick-witted as he was, Ruth had realized just by looking at Herdin's expression last night that things had gone sour between the two again.
Though he didn't know the exact details, Ruth understood Blair's feelings.
She had run away because she hated being by Herdin's side, only to be dragged back by force; it was only natural that she would resent him.
Yet, thinking realistically, it was a hundred times better for her to remain with Herdin now that she was carrying his child.
If they were going to live together anyway, wouldn't it be best to ease Madam's heart, even just a little?
It was with that thought in mind that he had made the suggestion.
Of course, it would have been ideal if Herdin could accompany her, but he seemed to have other business today. Above all, forcing the two of them together right after a fight might only make things worse.
That was why he had suggested the maid take Blair to the festival instead.
"Besides, a festival in a seaside town is quite different from the ones in the Imperial Capital, isn't it? It won't be easy to get another chance to see Nerha's festival, so I think it would be wonderful if you went out to enjoy it."
Blair fell into thought. She was already troubled by what had happened with Herdin the day before.
‘If I stay in the annex, I'll only end up thinking about Herdin anyway...’
After a brief hesitation, Blair nodded.
"Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Let's go together."
After finishing her meal, she prepared to leave and went downstairs with the maid. There, Blair encountered an unexpected face.
"Hello, Madam. Have you been well?"
Seeing Caligo greeting her so warmly, Blair's eyes wavered with deep agitation.
When she abandoned her name and status to leave the Empire, she had thought she would never cross paths with him again and had naturally forgotten about him.
Since they shared no emotional connection, his act of killing her in the past must have been solely for his backer's goals. Now that she was no longer the Imperial Princess or the Duchess, her life shouldn't be worth such an effort.
But against her will, she had become the Duchess once more, which meant she had to risk facing Caligo again.
Suppressing a tremor in her voice, Blair asked as calmly as she could, "Sir Caligo? Are you here as well?"
"Ah, I was investigating another matter His Grace entrusted to me, so I have only just arrived."
"...I see. You've worked hard."
After exchanging formal pleasantries, Blair wanted to end the conversation there. The more decent Caligo seemed, the more uncomfortable she felt for having to suspect him.
Unfortunately, her wish was not to be granted.
"I've been assigned as your escort today. I hope that's alright."
Blair hesitated at Caligo's smooth, casual tone.
Though she was uncomfortable around him, she couldn't reject him to his face.
‘It's not like we'll be alone, and the plaza will be crowded. Surely it will be fine?’
Blair instinctively wrapped her arms around her stomach as if to protect it, replying with forced composure.
"Then I shall be in your care."
"It is an honor to serve you, Madam."
Caligo helped Blair into the carriage.
Once inside, Blair watched through the window as Caligo and several other knights mounted their horses.
It was then that she caught a faint red glow reflected in the glass, right around her collarbone.
‘...A magic circle?’
Suddenly, she remembered seeing something like a magic circle in that exact spot the morning after their first night together.
As Blair blinked and touched her collarbone, the maid, who was boarding the carriage after her, noticed the gesture and looked at her curiously.
"Is something the matter, Madam?"
"I think... there's something on my collarbone."
The maid tilted her head as she examined Blair's collarbone.
"Hmm, I don't see anything... Is it uncomfortable?"
Looking back at the window after hearing the maid's words, she saw nothing this time. After rubbing her collarbone for a moment, Blair shook her head.
"It's nothing. I must have been seeing things."
Soon, the carriage set off.
* * *
The plaza was in full swing, buzzing with the lively atmosphere of the Harvest Festival's final hours.
After taking in the sights for a while, Blair stepped into a shop on one side of the plaza.
Inside, various delicately crafted glass ornaments sparkled brilliantly as they caught the light. Glassware was, after all, one of Nerha's famous local specialties.
"Oh, they're so beautiful..."
While the maid was completely captivated by the glass crafts, Blair picked out gifts for Lina and Meli. She wanted to give them something that symbolized Nerha.
Although she felt uneasy about returning to the Delmark Ducal Mansion against her wishes, there was one thing—and only one thing—that brought her joy: the fact that she would see the two of them again.
She felt especially apologetic toward Lina, who must have been hurt by her sudden departure without a word.
After browsing the shop, Blair chose water globes with delicately carved glass figures inside.
‘I hope they like them.’
Gently declining the maid's offer to carry them, Blair held the box containing the two gifts close to her chest as she stepped out of the shop.
"Where would you like to go next?"
"I think I've seen enough. I'll head back to the mansion to rest. If you want to look around some more, feel free to stay and enjoy yourself."
"Oh, really?"
The maid's face lit up at the offer of free time. Blair smiled warmly and nodded.
"Yes. Thank you for coming out with me today."
"Don't mention it! I had a wonderful time thanks to you. Let me escort you to the carriage first."
Because of the heavy crowds in the plaza, the carriage had been left some distance away.
As Blair walked toward the carriage with the maid and the knights, she took in the sights of the plaza. Lovers, families—everyone's laughter painted a picture of a bountiful Harvest Festival.
But that peaceful scene was suddenly shattered by a desperate scream.
"H-Help me!"
Startled by the jarring sound, people instinctively turned toward its source. Blair did the same.
A brief silence fell, and then...
"Kyaaa!"
Another scream pierced the quiet. Soon after, an infant began to cry, instinctively sensing the danger.
Sensing that something was terribly wrong, the crowd stilled, their chatter turning to anxious murmurs.
Caligo and the knights placed their hands on their hilts, forming a protective circle around Blair. At the same time, screams began to erupt from all directions.
As Caligo assumed a defensive stance, the source of the terror finally came into view.
A massive horde of horrific, rotting corpses had appeared and were attacking the people.
‘Undead? Why are there undead here...?’
Undead were created when evil energy or black magic possessed a corpse, so they typically only appeared in cold regions like the North.
In areas with mild climates, corpses decayed too quickly to remain intact enough to rise.
Yet Nerha was a coastal region with a mild climate all year round. It was the last place undead should ever appear.
Caligo brushed aside the questions rising in his mind and immediately drew his sword. Whatever the reason for their appearance, he had only one duty right now.
"Everyone, escort Madam to the carriage!"
The knights surrounded Blair and the maid, beginning to push through the crowd to clear a path.
However, because the crowd was so dense and everyone was scrambling to escape in a panic, making headway was incredibly difficult.
The local knights of Nerha, who had been patrolling the area, began to fight back against the undead. However, having lived in a mild climate and never faced such creatures before, they were utterly outmatched.
No matter how many times they slashed them down, the undead simply rose again.
Caligo shouted to the bewildered Nerha knights, who were panicking at the unkillable monsters, "Fire! Set them on fire!"
Despite the efforts of the Nerha knights, Blair's group was quickly confronted by a pack of undead that had torn through the crowd.
Caligo slashed down a lunging undead and shouted, "Madam, this way!"
Blair had been trembling in terror at the sight of the horrific monsters, the likes of which she had never seen before. But a sudden flutter of movement in her womb snapped her out of it.
‘My baby. I must protect my baby.’
Guided by the knights, Blair pushed through the crowd and made it into the alley where the carriage was waiting.
But that was a fatal mistake.
Another horde of undead was swarming from the opposite side of the alley where the carriage stood. With undead closing in from behind and surrounding the carriage ahead, they were trapped in a pincer attack.
One of the Delmark knights guarding the rear was suddenly thrown off balance by a surprise attack from an undead lunging from the side.
At that same moment, another undead lunged and bit Blair's arm. The impact made her drop the gift box she was holding. The water globes tumbled out and shattered on the ground.
"Ugh..."
Though a searing pain shot through her arm as if it were being torn off, Blair refused to loosen the protective grip on her stomach.
"Madam!"
Caligo, having just cut down an undead in front of him, saw what was happening a moment too late. He violently threw the creature off Blair.
He gritted his teeth at the sight of her wound. The scent of blood drove the undead into an even greater frenzy.
‘If only we had fire...’
But it was still broad daylight, and there was no fire to be found on the streets.
Just as despair was setting in amidst the hopeless situation of being swarmed by undead from all sides—
Above the rampaging horde, the shape of a sword made of pure light materialized and plunged straight down.
‘Magic...?’
Recognizing the attack a moment later, Blair turned to see a familiar figure.
It was Herdin, approaching with murderous blue mana swirling around him.