The Journey to Reclaim
Daphne was whisked away by Arien for treatment the moment she returned to De Pruna. The procedure continued in Gruon's office, with strict orders that no one was to be admitted, ensuring complete privacy once the interruptions ceased.
"Before we begin, I need your consent," Arien stated.
What kind of treatment required consent? Daphne couldn't help but feel uneasy. She steadied her trembling heart and glanced at Gruon, who had been watching over her. Honestly, it was Gruon who needed to give permission more than she did.
"Can you explain what the treatment entails?" Gruon asked, understanding Daphne's feelings and wanting to hear the details himself.
"Lady Daphne sealed her own throat due to the trauma of her dark past. The reason she still hasn't recovered her voice is because she doesn't want to overcome it herself."
"Then it's simply a matter of changing her mindset?"
"Even so, she cannot do it through her own strength alone. She must have tried her best all this time, but the fact that she still cannot speak proves it. That's why she needs guidance."
"So that's the core of this treatment."
Gruon could roughly guess what the treatment would involve. It would help Daphne sever the collar she had chosen not to remove since that day.
"What do I need to do?"
"In truth, there is nothing for Lord Gruon to do. If anything, your encouragement would be helpful."
Gruon didn't fully understand what Arien meant. But as she continued, he was struck by a realization.
"If she takes this drug, she will experience hallucinations for a moment. She will relive the most painful moment of her life. But there is no need to worry. She will retain her current memories."
Both Gruon and Daphne eyed the drug in Arien's hand with suspicion.
"Hallucinations? What if something goes wrong...?"
Gruon raised his voice, but Arien cut him off with firm conviction.
"Arien's drugs will never put the user in danger. This is a pure hallucinogenic substance with no toxins whatsoever, so please rest assured."
"...Understood. If it weren't you, Arien, I wouldn't believe it, but given the treatment so far, you must have a plan."
Gruon accepted it quite easily. For Daphne's sake, he was willing to do anything. Now all he could do was trust and wait.
"Then I'll take that as permission and begin."
Everyone nodded at her words. Arien handed the hallucinogenic drug to Daphne and had her drink it. Fortunately, the medicine didn't taste bitter or unpleasant as its name might suggest. It was like drinking plain water. After gulping it down, Daphne found herself in a new world.
***
The dark basement of Urvurt Castle in the past. It was the space where Meldin Urvurt raised his slaves. The word "raised" might not seem fitting, but since he viewed slaves as lower than livestock, it might have been appropriate.
Drip! Drip! Seeing the water droplets falling in succession, it might have been raining outside. The roof wasn't waterproof, so they had barely managed to avoid the leaking water.
"Sister, I'm hungry."
At that moment, a familiar voice came from nearby.
"Me too."
They were her younger siblings who followed Daphne like pups clinging to their mother. Seeing them again, Daphne couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
"......"
Daphne held back her sobs and tried to speak. But unfortunately, no voice came out.
It's all right. If we just hold each other's hands and endure, someday God will watch over us.
She wanted to say that. Just like always.
Daphne didn't believe in God. But in that situation, there was nothing else to rely on. Could she rely on food given only once every two days, or on torches that barely lit the basement and seemed ready to go out at any moment?
Yes. If there was anything to rely on, it would be each other. Thinking that, she embraced her siblings. After enduring like that for dozens of minutes, the outside became noisy.
"Doesn't the amount seem a bit much this time?"
"Lord Meldin ordered it this way, so what can we do?"
"Well, if they die, it can't be helped."
The voices sounded as if the death of slaves was nothing unusual. Finally, after finishing their conversation, a soldier entered the basement.
"Eat up. I brought a lot on purpose, so don't fight over it."
The soldier spoke as if the generous amount was thanks to his own kindness. It was laughable. Because the current Daphne knew all the facts.
The soldier threw down the food and left the basement. Clang! Clang! The sound of chains echoed everywhere as her siblings rushed at the food like wolves. They were starving beyond measure. But someone approached the food faster than anyone else. It was Daphne.
There's poison smeared on the top of the food.
Though it wouldn't be visible in the dark basement, she could tell that poison had been applied to the food with a wide brush.
That's why I survived—because I always ate last.
Daphne had always given way to her siblings during meals and taken the remaining food last. So she was always hungry, but now she realized that was the only reason she had survived while all her siblings died.
She immediately reached into the bowl and scooped out the top layer of food, throwing it where her siblings couldn't reach it.
"Sister! Why are you throwing the food away?"
"Sister... Let's eat together."
"No. You must have been the hungriest, Sister. We'll endure too."
Her siblings scolded or justified Daphne's actions according to their own thoughts. But soon Daphne set down the bowl without taking a single bite. She had grown accustomed to enduring hunger. She only felt sorry that the amount had decreased because she had removed the top layer.
Chomp, chomp! As expected, her siblings ate first, excluding Daphne. They picked at the rice with dirty hands and filled their starving stomachs. The sight pained Daphne deeply.
If only I had tried a little harder.
Even that thought crossed her mind. But no amount of effort would have changed anything, as she had thought. How could a frail girl escape the Urvurt territory? Especially escaping with her siblings would have been nearly impossible. Even with her now-tempered spirit, her body was no different from back then, so she wouldn't be able to fight properly.
Above all, there's no way to break the chains, and no shield.
Strangely, the moment she returned to the past, Daphne's first thought was of escape. If it had been the past Daphne, she would have resigned herself and lived on, but because she knew this situation was an illusion, not reality.
I don't know how to escape from here, or how to regain my voice.
Daphne was lost in such thoughts. Then—
"Here, Sister, you should eat too."
A sibling who always thought of her brought the bowl. The reason they ate first wasn't because they wanted to eat everything themselves. It was simply instinctive action driven by extreme hunger. So they always left enough for Daphne to eat. Nodding quietly, Daphne accepted the bowl. She too was starving, so she chewed and swallowed the food little by little.
***
Watching Daphne, who still hadn't woken up after several hours, Gruon grew anxious. Though he trusted Arien, he hadn't expected her to remain unconscious for so long.
"What's going on? Why isn't she waking up?"
"Everything depends on Lady Daphne's will. Since she locked her own throat in the most extreme situation, when she faces that situation again, she will have to choose what to do. If she overcomes the fear of that time and decides to make a sound, she will surely return."
"Is there no way to help her? Do we have no choice but to wait?"
Gruon was so restless that he had bitten all his fingernails. Seeing his state, Arien had only one thing to say.
"Yes. It's best to trust and wait completely. If we intervene unnecessarily, she might come to rely on someone else."
"Understood."
Gruon still couldn't hide his anxiety, but he followed Arien's words. Though he was worried, it was because he believed in Daphne. Of course, he never imagined this would take more than a day. So when Bagan came to the office the next morning to greet him, Gruon welcomed him with a tired face. Arien explained the situation to Bagan, who didn't understand what was happening.
"Lady Daphne's treatment has entered its final stage, and we were waiting for the process to conclude. Lord Gruon stayed up all night waiting for her, as you can see."
After lightly greeting Bagan, Gruon no longer showed any temper and simply waited. He even had his eyes closed with his hands clasped in prayer. It was impossible to tell which god he was praying to. Finding the sight curious, Bagan had no choice but to join in. In the current situation, he couldn't even ask Gruon about the war.
"Let's wait too. Until she wakes up."
With that, Bagan sat in a chair and gazed at the unconscious Daphne.
***
Whenever Meldin went for a walk or when another lord visited the territory, he personally handled the slaves to show them off. It was because he claimed that slaves were a noble's right. He was a typical noble among the noble faction.
Today was no different. Having seen sunlight for the first time in a long while with her siblings, Daphne was being dragged along by Meldin with a collar around her neck. Near Meldin was another noble whose origin was unknown. Judging by the fact that Meldin spoke respectfully, he seemed to be a noble of higher authority.
"You seem to be diligently fulfilling your duties as a noble. Guarding the border isn't an easy task."
"You flatter me. Everything is thanks to Count Garios's grace."
"Hahaha, always with the smooth talk. Ah, by the way! I heard your son was admitted second to the Royal Academy Philadel this time!"
"My unworthy son has finally come to his senses."
"Haha, aren't you being too harsh? Second place in a place where the children of prominent nobles enroll is cause for a celebration. I've brought a gift upon hearing the news."
Count Garios took out a bottle of liquor from his robes.
"It's wine for a good day."
"Isn't this the premium Mercury Mountain grape wine that can't be bought even with money?"
"It's the one thing I acknowledge about those orthodox families, even if they're thorns in my side. Let's drink it together later."
"Sounds good. It seems the day has finally come for me to taste this wine."
Watching the filthy nobles' banter, Daphne nearly retched. She realized once again how painful it was to be silently dragged around like this.
I have to do something.
Daphne still didn't know what to do. Then—
Thud! The slave Count Garios had been dragging collapsed unconscious. It was a beastman with dog ears. Daphne remembered that his expression had looked unwell from the first time she saw him. They didn't care about the slaves' health and just dragged them around, only stopping when the slaves could no longer walk.
"How dare this filthy thing slack off!"
As expected, there was no concern for their well-being. Instead of treating them when they seemed about to die, they just yelled at them to die. At times like that, Meldin's slaves had to be even more alert and walk properly. They didn't know what sparks might fly. But Daphne absolutely couldn't do that. No—her body reacted on its own. She approached the dog beastman and touched his forehead.
Whoosh!
"Y-y-you! You crazy wench!"
Meldin was drawn to her like a magnet due to her sudden action, making the situation ridiculous. Count Garios also looked bewildered. It was the first time they had encountered such a case.
The dog beastman's forehead was burning hot. The problem wasn't just his forehead. His entire body was a furnace. Daphne glared at Count Garios. She wanted to say something.
You dragged him around even in this state!
But no voice came out. Perhaps because she thought rebelling against them was wrong. Now she was starting to feel frustrated. She didn't know what she was afraid of, or what she needed to overcome. Though she had lived without speaking for nearly twenty years, she had never felt this frustrated before.
Whoosh! At that moment, Meldin yanked the collars of her siblings who were tied together with her. The sound of leather stretching could be heard, and Daphne was dragged by Meldin's strength. Even with her strengthened mind, she couldn't overcome the strength of a well-fed adult man. Moreover, the current Daphne had a frail body.
If only I had a shield. Just a shield.
The collar she was wearing now wasn't an iron one, so if she had a shield, she could break it. Daphne possessed that level of skill.
"Does this wench want to die!"
Clank, clank, clank! At that moment, soldiers in armor, carrying swords and shields, came running from one side. They were there to take away the fallen slave of Count Garios. Since it was in front of the count, they didn't scold her further to maintain decorum, but Meldin was visibly furious to the core. It seemed difficult to get through the night easily. So Daphne gathered her strength again and reached for a soldier's shield. Her fear had long since disappeared.
I have to do something!
With that thought, as she approached the soldier, Meldin once again pulled on her collar with all his might, but she endured with all her strength and barely managed to touch the shield.
Tap!
Daphne knew best how to remove the shield strapped to her back. She exerted strength against the tightening collar and lifted the shield.
"What the—!"
The soldier was quite startled. Shing! The soldier who had come with him was so surprised that he even drew his sword.
"Kill her! Kill that wench!"
Meldin seemed to have made up his mind not to maintain decorum any longer. Count Garios, who was blinking in confusion about what was happening, was an added bonus.
I'll give it a try.
Thus, Daphne began her battle with herself.