A sigh rolled out my lips as I headed for the inn to get our luggage.

Why did I react like that?

Kari’s sister... Annabelle was it? She was just a child worried about her brother, her family. I shouldn’t have gotten all worked up just because she called me a witch. I’d been called worse things.

Besides, it was probably my fault. I didn’t have a good grasp of the common tongue, so I sometimes offended people when I spoke. Talking itself was a pain, so I never really practiced my second language. Of course, there were times I intentionally insulted people for various reasons, but that was another matter.

I passed by the innkeeper and walked up the stairs to the second floor. After unlocking the door, I entered the double room I rented for Felix and myself. He had been unexpectedly surprised when I asked for only one room. Why was that? Saving coins was important when traveling, or so Kari said.

Then again, I shouldn’t really complain about being irrational. I had rejected the idea of going with Kari for some reason. He had looked disappointed. I hadn’t meant for that, but… I just didn’t want to stay alone in a room with him. I wouldn’t have been able to relax.

The reason… didn’t matter. Resting whenever possible was critical for survival.

I nodded to myself as I picked up our bags. Half of our luggage was still with Sabre, so weight wasn’t really an issue. However, carrying bulky things still made it difficult to move quickly because they tended to swing and bounce all over the place.

After jogging down the stairs, I headed straight for the inn exit.

“Hey!” The red-faced innkeeper shouted at me, her fist trembling on the counter. “Where are you going with all that luggage!? You haven’t paid yet! Even if you just checked in, you need to pay the day’s rent before leaving! I turned away other guests because you rented that room, you know?”

Liar. Several rooms upstairs were vacant. I didn’t have a reason to pay this greedy hag anything. Even if I wanted to, Kari and Felix kept the coins. I ignored the innkeeper’s screams and left the building.

Her heavy footsteps chased after me, but they vanished the moment I affixed a sword to my waist. I didn’t really consider the grumpy old lady a threat, but if those Arthas dogs were in this city, I needed to be prepared for anything. Wandering outside without my sword had been more than careless.

Thinking about it, when did I become so complacent? Surviving meant I could never let my guard down, but I had done just that. Why?

The reason… didn’t matter. All that mattered was never repeating the same mistake.

I made my way to the eatery where Kari and the others were, or at least should have been. An unexpected scene greeted me outside the building.

“Let me go!” Annabelle desperately tried to unshackle herself from an Arthas soldier.

The soldier kept a firm grip on her wrists, easily keeping her in check. “Stop struggling!”

“I need to go after my brother!”

“You’re not going anywhere.”

It didn’t make any sense. Why were Arthas soldiers attacking Kari’s sister?

I quickly took cover behind a stack of grain sacks. Upon seeing my odd behavior, the merchant manning the stall tilted his head but soon returned to his business. He probably wanted to avoid trouble by not attracting the soldiers’ attention. Typical money grubber. I felt thankful for that this time, though.

Careful not to expose myself, I peeked from the corner of the sacks. A tall knight in matte black armor approached Annabelle. He was the man who interrogated me in the Arthas dungeon and faced off with Violetta in Portus. Seeing a formidable enemy, I instinctively reached for the hilt of my short sword and sharpened my senses to their maximum capacity.

The black knight slapped Annabelle’s face. Her pitiable squeal pierced the air, making me wince.

“Calm down.” The knight looked down at the much smaller girl, like a bear standing over a newborn fawn.

“I have to go after them! T-They took Lucius... And Kari is under some kind of spell!”

“That’s not what my men reported. They said your brother declared he was acting out of his own volition, and he decided to abandon you. You’ve lost your value as a hostage, and your attachment to him makes you a liability. You even got in Lucius’s way when he tried to engage Karius.” He glanced at the knight restraining Annie. “Tie her up and toss her in a carriage.”

“Mother will never forgive you for this!”

“Says the runaway brat.”

Did he say hostage? Was Annabelle brought here against her will to be used against Kari? In that case…

In that case, what?

Their family problems were none of my business. While I had said Kari was my companion, my goal still took priority. In fact, I welcomed companions because they would aid in achieving my goal. Meddling in this situation risked my capture. I couldn’t do anything. I shouldn’t do anything.

However, if Kari found out that Annabelle was abducted, he would definitely go save her. Then he would get captured. His magic stood no chance against the black knight.

Then I should just leave him behind. He had become my companion because he wanted to travel with me. If that had changed, and if my goal no longer aligned with his, then it was time for us to part ways.

That was what I thought.

It should have been.

Then why did I rush towards Kari’s sister?

“Enemy attack!” shouted one of the knights.

I swung my sword at the forearm of the knight restraining Annabelle. A loud clang erupted in front of me, followed by a powerful impact. The gale-like force tossed me into the air, but I twisted my body and landed safely about twenty paces from the clash. The cloth covering my hair had unraveled midair. It slowly drifted to the ground between me and the black knight. Annabelle, along with the knight restraining her, cowered behind him.

I had not forgotten about his sword’s ability to manipulate invisible forces. Even so, I had thought I could at least free Kari’s sister before he could react. Instead, I had ended up getting blown away like a feather and holding a cracked short sword. I cursed my arrogance.

“Let her go,” I said while pointing my chipped sword at his chest.

The black knight raised an eyebrow. His lips flattened to a thin line as we made eye contact. Shivers ran down my spine. I knew that look. That was the same face Kari made whenever he read deep into my soul.

The knight waved his black longsword sideways and held the blade inches away from Annabelle’s restrained arm. “Drop your weapon and surrender. If you fight or run away, I’ll chop off her arm.”

My body stiffened.

Weren’t they from the same country? How could he be so cruel to his own?

Visions of my torture in Arthas surfaced in my mind, including the abuse the black knight himself inflicted on me. According to Violetta, I had received lenient treatment because of my anima. He was certainly capable of extreme cruelty. Moreover, I didn’t know anything about Annabelle aside from being Kari’s kin. She could very well be disposable to these mongrels. Considering the circumstances, the black knight’s threat couldn’t be ignored.

But surrendering was not an option. I would never go back to that dungeon. Never.

I tried to look for an opening to get past the black knight. “I refuse.”

“So be it.” Without an ounce of hesitation, the black knight raised his sword and swung at Annabelle’s arm

Nothing could stop the sword’s momentum at that point. Annabelle shrieked in terror. Before I could even rethink my strategy, my fingers lost strength. My short sword fell to the ground with a dull clunk.

The black knight’s sword cut into Annabelle’s sleeve but didn’t draw blood. He had used his sword’s enchantment to stop the blade a hair’s breadth from her skin.

“...I surrender.” I kicked my sword away and knelt on the ground.

“...Karius is even more formidable than I thought,” muttered the black knight as he took Annabelle’s arm from his subordinate. “Don’t try anything funny, witch. You two, tie her up and gag her. Make sure she can’t chant spells.”

A creeping fear gripped my heart as I was pushed to the ground under his frosty gaze. I remembered Kari used to call the black knight his master. Is this monster the reason why Kari occasionally looked so terrifying?

Annabelle stared at me with a confused, almost panicked, expression. “Hilde… Why..? Why would you do something like this!? Why go so far to save me!?” Her ferocious roar delivered her fury clearly.

Why was she so angry?

Tears fell down her face. I didn’t understand her feelings at all. Why was it always like this? I never understood anything important.

“If… If you do something like this… then I have no choice but to accept that Kari betrayed us! That he betrayed me!!!”

I finally understood.

She was angry at me for leading her brother astray. And she had every right to be. My blood, my curse, had caused all this.

“You’re wrong… Annabelle,” I said.

The knight binding my hands behind my back pushed my face into the ground. “Shut up!”

I twisted my neck to the side so I could move my lips. “Kari didn’t betray you.”

“W-What do you mean?”

“Don’t listen to the witch, Annabelle,” said the black knight.

I spat out the sand in my mouth to clear my voice. “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be fine.”

Those weren’t empty words.

I had a plan.

I would use Ensis Cor to cut the ropes binding me and then rescue Annabelle. If I only summoned one sword, I should be able to do it without chanting.

Annabelle continued to stare at me, a mixture of hatred and disbelief on her face, as the black knight dragged her away.

I endured her piercing glare. Now wasn’t the time to move. I needed to wait for a good opportunity. Then we would escape and regroup with Kari and the others.

Huh?

Why was I putting this much effort into traveling together with them? More importantly, when did I start to call them “Kari and the others?” Why would I think of them like that?

The reason... didn’t matter. I had more important things to worry about.

“You’ll never escape again,” said the knight as he bound my wrists to my ankles, stringing me up like wild game. “You’ll be tortured until you give up on living. Then you’ll be executed in the city plaza for everyone to see, barbarian whore.”

Like why his face flashed in my mind just now.