Chapter 68: Where Is This Path Leading?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 68: Where Is This Path Leading?
The carriage rolls on.
Arasen’s head throbbed, her thoughts a tangled mess.
Before departing for the nearby dungeon from the walls of Dakuren, Arasen—who had been waiting nearby—had watched with wide eyes as Alto’s party emerged alongside Diane.
What is this?
Why is that woman with Lord Alto?
Did he forgive her?
A flurry of questions swirled in her mind.
Arasen had finally learned exactly who Alto was.
The No. 1 National Merit Recipient, Alto Bertrand.
She had suspected he was someone extraordinary ever since he carved up the Serpent back in Massa Village. A man who actively engaged in combat with monsters was already far beyond the realm of ordinary.
As it turned out, he was the very man who had slain one of the Four Heavenly Kings single-handedly.
When she first learned this at the northern border of Lukart, her first reaction was pure awe—followed immediately by crushing despair.
Her boyfriend, Fran, had been foolish enough to join his friends in a salon and insult that man’s lover.
And that lover, Rene, turned out to be Airune Dakuren—the daughter of Vanguardier Dakuren, the Great Lord of Hus and one of the Four Heroes.
It was enough to make her lose her mind.
Arasen had been utterly terrified, especially after seeing how Yarismal ruthlessly handled Mirei’s party from Lukart once their history of cheating on Alto came to light. It wouldn’t have been strange if she or Fran ended up in the same state at any moment.
Even now, the memory of the bloodbath involving the veteran Yobeste made her shudder.
“Now that is a real man…!”
No one could disagree when Yarismal had let that exclamation slip unconsciously while watching Alto charge forward, intent on cutting Yobeste down with his bare hands.
Even Resin, from Mirei’s party, had stood there with her mouth agape, staring blankly as Alto’s dagger sank into Yobeste’s shoulder.
As a side note, the reason Resin had become so obsessed with Alto—aside from anything else—was largely because she had fallen for him all over again after witnessing his savage, masculine side, which was so starkly different from other men.
In any case, once Alto sheathed his blade, he returned to being the remarkably kind person she knew, but Arasen could no longer treat him the same way. Her arms trembled, and her legs felt like jelly.
After returning to Hus—with Diane trailing behind on a rope as they fled the massive explosion triggered by Yobeste’s death—Arasen had entered into an exclusive contract under what felt like semi-coercion.
Exhausted and unable to work that day, she had trudged back home, only to find Fran waiting for her for once.
Arasen was moved. She thought perhaps he had come out of concern because she had driven her carriage to a place where a murder had occurred.
She wanted to hold him, to embrace him, and tell him everything. She wanted to tell him how much had happened.
That would have been enough.
She couldn’t give him all the details, but she wanted to express how difficult things had been and how happy she was that he was there.
However, as Arasen approached with a tired smile, Fran also smiled—and immediately got to the point.
“So, Arasen? Seeing you smile, I guess you got us forgiven!”
“…Huh?”
“My friends and I aren’t getting kicked out of Dakuren, right? That’s great! I’ve got to go tell everyone right away!”
You weren’t waiting for me?
“Those bastards… I’ll finally be able to hold my head up high in front of them. Good job, Arasen!”
How could he act so bold when he didn’t even realize the magnitude of the trouble he’d caused?
“…I haven’t even brought it up yet, Fran.”
“What?”
His handsome face twisted into a hideous scowl.
For the first time in her life, Arasen looked at Fran’s handsome face and felt nothing but disgust.
“What did you say? Did I hear that right?”
It was pathetic to see him clinging to his lover, Arasen, after he was the one who caused the mess.
In contrast, Alto had rescued Eris from the Serpent’s clutches in Massa Village and had taken the lead in the battle to take down Yobeste at the border.
“You were out there for days, and you couldn’t get a single word out in all that time?!”
“Fran, that place was crawling with killers. And men! It was a fierce battlefield where men were clashing against men. How could I ask for forgiveness in the middle of that? Men were trying to kill each other with spears and daggers. There were traps set by a murderer spitting fire, and a rain of spearheads. People were dying right before my eyes!”
“How dare this bitch talk back to me!”
Slap!
“Ugh…!”
Arasen collapsed to the side from the sudden blow.
Fran didn’t miss the opportunity; he kicked her in the ribs and stomped on her back, grinding his heel down.
“Your man is in a crisis, and you’re talking back? Talking back? You dare talk back!”
Arasen curled into a ball to protect herself.
It was a familiar routine. Fran was always particularly aggressive with her.
He even acted this way in front of other women he kept around or the Four Handsome Heavenly Kings. Even when Arasen came to hand over the money she’d earned, if she looked disappointed while hoping for a compliment, he would slap her before she could even react.
Then, whoever was with him would marvel.
Look at Fran, he’s got his woman on a tight leash.
Even a guy like Fran.
Fran never realized the true meaning behind those words; he just felt proud and satisfied, thinking he was being respected. He remained oblivious to how he and Arasen were actually perceived.
“I already bragged to my friends! What are you going to do? Are you going to go apologize in my place? You ruined everything!”
Arasen had always been devoted to Fran, regardless of the circumstances.
Because he was physically weak but had once been attentive and kind, Arasen had stepped up for him. When the Final War broke out, she was the one who enlisted in the army for rear-support. Afterward, she was the one who gathered the capital to start a business and earned money as a carriage driver. She was the one who cleaned up after him every time he caused trouble.
She had heard that Alto had also been devoted to Mirei’s party.
His devotion started with participating in the final battle of the Final War. After the war, he had handled all the administrative work and chores, even using his personal funds for the party. He was the one who created an environment where they wouldn’t get into trouble and solved their problems when they did.
And yet, even someone like Alto had left when Mirei’s party cheated on him and looked down on him.
Fran was also bringing in more women every day and treating her with contempt.
Even though she was the only one actually bringing home money.
Tears began to fall.
Was it right to be treated like this?
The more Fran acted this way, the more her heart leaned toward someone else.
Arasen tried to deny that leaning heart.
She knew how Alto generally treated women. He was kind and maintained a comfortable distance.
She knew how dearly Alto cherished his lover, Airune. The incident where he held and comforted Airune while she was crying and making a scene in the salon was still being talked about.
The only man who would actually tolerate a woman’s whining.
That was what Arasen had wanted from Fran. Even if he couldn’t fully indulge her, she just wanted him to care for her in his own quiet way. She always thought that she, at the very least, deserved that much.
“Huff… huff…”
With his weak stamina, Fran soon grew tired and began to sweat profusely. He stopped kicking her.
However, when Arasen slowly stood up from her curled position as if it were nothing, his pride seemed wounded.
“You little—!”
He raised his arm to threaten her again, but his movements were slow and clumsy.
Arasen looked Fran straight in the eye and spoke.
“I signed an exclusive carriage contract with the Lord’s Castle this time.”
“So what? I’m about to be exiled!”
“The adventurer Rene is also under the Lord’s exclusive contract. We’ll be working together from now on, so it’ll be easier to find a chance to bring it up.”
“Really? Well, that’s good! Finally doing your job, Arasen!”
Despite his bluster, Fran felt a sense of unease at Arasen’s flat, toneless voice.
“Hey, then maybe if the timing is right, you could put in a good word for me with Rene…”
“Fran, she’s Count Dakuus’s adopted daughter.”
It was a lie she made up on the spot, but it sounded plausible. It was the perfect explanation for why she acted so haughty despite her cute appearance.
Sure enough, Fran froze where he stood.
“The Count is very angry right now, which is part of why I couldn’t bring it up. Plus, she’s Lord Alto’s woman. Give up on her.”
“Haah…”
Fran smacked his lips regretfully until the very end.
“Is there really no way?”
“……”
Snap.
The sound of something breaking echoed.
Only Arasen could hear it.
And so, with a face devoid of any expression, Arasen stared intently at Fran.
“Tch, fine. I get it.”
He deliberately turned his head away with a click of his tongue, mimicking the behavior of one of his short-haired friends.
Arasen was disappointed.
She was disappointed that he was the kind of man whose spirit broke just because a woman stared at him.
“Do you want to eat before you go?”
“Forget it. What’s the point of eating when nothing’s been solved?”
Arasen was disappointed.
She was disappointed in herself for being unable to easily leave a man like this.
But even if she left him, all that would await her were false rumors—labels of being an adulteress or a woman who bled a man dry.
A woman could not leave unless the man discarded her.
Was that why she was living like this? Unable to leave, yet never discarded.
“Hyah!”
The carriage rolls on.
Arasen’s heart was heavy with sorrow.
The carriage was racing toward the dungeon of Hus, but she had no idea where her heart was heading.