Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Translation: godsn
Marquess Gilifos had written down the last known whereabouts of the two, traced to the outskirts of the slums.
"Your Highness, shall I go and bring this Theo fellow to you?"
Medeia shook her head.
Even in her past life, Theo had harbored deep resentment toward Valdina. If he learned that Neril belonged to the royal family, he might flee.
Moreover, Medeia still hadn't decided what to do with Theo.
As a central figure in the Rebel Army, it would be wise to eliminate him preemptively—but as an individual, his death had been her doing. How, then, should she weigh this debt?
"I must go myself."
Only by seeing him in person could she make a judgment.
Whether to spare him—or to erase him.
The Asylum Street Gilifos had mentioned was the royal capital's most notorious slum.
"This way, Your Highness..."
"......"
Though she had been a fallen noble, Neril had never been driven to such depths before—this was her first time in a slum.
As she stepped out of the carriage, Neril instinctively raised a hand to her nose.
A foul stench assaulted her from every direction, rising from the uneven streets.
Somewhere in the alleys, a scream of agony echoed.
Shrill arguments over scraps of food broke out intermittently.
"This is wretched, Your Highness."
Neril shook her head.
Medeia responded with a pained expression.
"Yes. It wouldn't be surprising if a riot broke out anywhere, at any time. And all the aftermath will fall to Pelleus when he returns."
The two walked through streets where neither the people nor the structures seemed stable enough to last.
Though they wore disguises, their foreign presence still drew stares—they simply didn't belong in this impoverished place.
Neril never let her hand leave the hilt of her sword. She was on high alert, ready to draw her blade at any moment.
So when someone called out to Medeia as they turned a corner, she nearly unsheathed her sword.
Only when she saw that the speaker was a small, hunched old woman in a tattered robe did Neril return her hand to her side.
A meager mat was spread out before the woman, bearing a cracked bead and a single bowl—likely for begging.
At a glance, the old woman seemed little more than a beggar herself.
"Young lady, won't you have your fortune told before you go? I may look like this, but I'm the oldest living tree in this land—you won't regret it."
The crone stretched out a gnarled hand, her voice hoarse.
"No need. I already know."
For Medeia, living her second life, there was no point.
She signaled Neril to toss the woman a few coins before turning away.
"All the more reason to look. If you're living again, surely your fortune has changed?"
From beneath her frayed sleeve, the old woman's wrinkled fingers rolled out a few small crystal beads.
Medeia paused. Slowly, she turned back.
"You've made a wise choice."
The crone cackled as Medeia sat before her.
Clatter. Clatter.
The beads rolled beneath her aged hands.
"Oh dear, oh dear... This life won't be easy for you either. Chaos blocks your path. It still shrouds the star road, trying to steal your light."
The beads scattered asymmetrically across the mat.
But the old woman grinned, unconcerned.
"There is a falling Giant Star. A very dark one. That star will cut through the chaos blocking your way."
Medeia cut her off.
"Whatever it is, I don't need it."
A Giant Star or whatever else—was she to rely on someone else again?
Entrusting her fate to another's hands was the last thing Medeia wanted in this life.
"The greedy ones will still try to drag you down. They'll devour you to fill their own bellies."
"If I'm devoured a second time, then that's as far as my ability takes me. But I'm confident."
The old woman clicked her tongue.
"Tsk, tsk. It'll be hard. Why not take an easier path this time?"
Medeia only smiled silently.
"Have you heard of the Tears of Dawn?"
"The... Tears of Dawn?"
"That mysterious medicine, infused with a goddess's power—it can erase anything in this world. Diseases, memories, even fate itself. Those tears will save the great star."
The crone paused, then continued.
"Young lady, the heavens cherish you deeply. They've pushed aside twelve constellations, filling the sky with your light—they're watching over you."
Suddenly, blood trickled from the old woman's lips. Her small, robed figure swayed unsteadily.
"In your veins flows the blood of one who was once the wisest on the continent, and of one who conveyed the goddess's will. Thus, under this sky, you are the only one who can find the Falling Tears—"
The old woman swallowed the rising blood and smiled.
"Oh dear, the heavens are warning this old woman."
Medeia caught the collapsing woman in her arms.
"You should see a physician. Neril—"
Though the old woman's tattered robes reeked, Medeia paid no mind as she wiped away the streaming bloodstains.
"Your heart remains as kind as ever, my lady. This old woman still has someone waiting for her. My fortune-telling ends here—you must go your own way now."
The crone stubbornly refused Medeia's help. Until the very end, she clasped Medeia's hand and implored:
"Do not dismiss this old woman's words, my lady."
After the strange encounter, Medeia paused upon emerging from the alley.
'This is definitely odd.'
How had that woman known she was living a second life?
"Neril, return to that place and bring the old woman to me."
It seemed she needed to question her further.
But when Neril returned to the alley as ordered, she came back empty-handed.
The spot was completely devoid of any trace, as if their encounter had been nothing but a midsummer night's dream. Even Neril wore a bewildered expression.
"There was no one there. Whether she left or vanished, the entire alley was eerily empty."
Residential area of Asylum Street.
"Saya, you're back now?"
Neighbor Angela called out while sweeping her yard.
"Yes. I took out the trash and got paid."
Saya was returning home with the black bread she'd managed to obtain early that morning.
"Did you come back alone? You should've come with Juni."
Angela frowned with concern.
"These human trafficking rings are getting worse. With so little to eat, they've started abducting people to sell now."
Saya was well aware of the ominous rumors circulating the alleys.
"I have Juni's father, so I'm fine, but you living alone worries me. If only Theo were here, it'd be so much better..."
Angela examined Saya with anxious eyes.
The shabby cabin wasn't a safe place for a young girl to live alone.
"They've established a Veterans' Village near the city walls. Wasn't your father a retired soldier? You should go there. This place is too dangerous."
She prattled on about how clean and safe the Veterans' Village was.
"They say they'll accept entire families if you can just prove your name and status. The rumors say imposters are already appearing—you should move there quickly. However you manage it, it'll be far safer than here."
When Saya hesitated without answering, Angela spoke as if bestowing a favor:
"Are you worried Theo won't find you when he returns? I could tell him you went there."
"Thank you for your concern, but I like it here. I'll head in now—I need to go back out soon anyway."
Despite the warm concern, Saya quickly bid farewell, sensing Angela's eyes darting greedily toward the bread in her arms.
Returning inside, Saya sighed.
"The Veterans' Village... If only I could go. But how can I when Theo struck an officer and fled?"
If Theo returned and his criminal record came to light, he'd be sent straight to prison.
"What exactly am I supposed to do...?"
A single tear rolled down the young girl's cheek.
Their mother had died giving birth to them, and their retired father had struggled with injuries and poverty before passing away.
The siblings, left alone in the world, had no choice but to survive however they could.
Theo had gone out searching for food, gotten into an altercation with someone trying to steal it, and been taken by the guards.
Then he'd beaten the corrupt guard captain who tried to punish him unfairly after taking bribes.
That night, Theo disappeared. Leaving behind nothing but a single note.