Blood-red markings surfaced on the back of Fatenai's hand. The Gathering Mark created a massive vortex of mana. In her eyes, the mana in the air was rapidly drawn away, then poured into Darwin's body.
The energy that sustained a summoner's skills came from mana—the mana that had appeared in the air of this world. This had changed the original arrangement, in which summoners needed to draw on Fatenai's mana to use their skills. Unfortunately, mana was thinly distributed throughout this world, so summoners usually couldn't wield their full power.
The Gathering Mark drew in mana from the surroundings and infused it into a summoner, greatly increasing the amount of mana they could use. It could even push their skills beyond their original limits. Hermes's attributes hadn't been strong at first, and he'd only managed to escape the Royal Palace thanks to the Gathering Mark.
Of course, the Gathering Mark had its drawbacks. For example, the markings on the hand took several days to recover after each use.
At that moment, Fatenai wasn't planning to use Darwin's skill. She was just exploiting a loophole...
"Huh?" As the Gathering Mark activated, the female mage stared in surprise as the fireball in her hand went out without warning. This meant she couldn't use mana at all. "A chant interruption... Damn it!"
She had no idea what Fatenai had done. All she could do was watch as Fatenai darted out of the cabin at an astonishing speed.
By the time the female mage realized she couldn't use mana, Fatenai had already fled beyond the cabin. She didn't dare look back. All she could hear was the wind rushing past her.
Though she was a mage, Fatenai believed that without mana, the woman was just an ordinary lady. She only hoped the woman wasn't someone who trained in both magic and physical combat.
Fortunately, the female mage really didn't follow.
The trees seemed to rush past her. She didn't even have time to marvel at how fast she was running, something she'd never done before. Naturally, she hadn't had time to think about where she should go, either. She was running blindly.
"Pant... pant... ha..." Fatenai didn't know how long she'd been running. When she finally couldn't go on, she staggered over to the nearest beech tree and stopped, leaning against its trunk as she gulped in air.
The hound had stayed by her side the whole time. It hadn't recovered, either. Its tongue lolled out as it paced around her, never stopping. As for Darwin, Fatenai wasn't worried about the old gentleman. No one else could possibly see him.
Maybe she'd have to wait for Darwin to find her.
At last, Fatenai caught her breath. She waved to the hound, then started walking in a different direction. She didn't dare stop. As she walked, she sighed and said to the hound, "It looks like we really need to keep ourselves safe first. Only then can we think about what's happening to Wickel."
The hound was deeply worried about its master's safety, but the female mage had made quite an impression on it. After hearing Fatenai's words, it didn't object.
Looking at how badly the hound wanted to rescue Wickel, Fatenai felt so dejected that, for a moment, she thought that simply keeping herself out of the mages' hands might be the best help she could give him...
As the thought crossed her mind, she berated herself for being useless—for being unable to do anything.
"Let's find somewhere safe first..." Fatenai said to the hound. She felt even more helpless than she had when she'd encountered her mother.
Fatenai couldn't enter a town. The knights of the Wisdom Family had already entered the Eisole Forest, and within the territory of a lord under the rule of the nobles, it would be much easier to find Fatenai Wisdom. Her wanted posters must have been plastered everywhere.
Somewhere safe... It seemed there was nowhere safe.
Fatenai and the hound pressed on, and she wandered deeper into the forest without knowing which way she was going. She noticed the trees' colors deepen, their trunks grow thicker, and the earth beneath her feet grow softer. The air was thick with the scents of dew, mist, and plants.
The girl and the dog could only wander aimlessly.
Fatenai clenched her hand into a fist, her palm slick with sweat. Everything had gone off course, and she still couldn't escape the troubles spiraling out of control.
Leaving behind the life of a noble was incredibly dangerous for someone who'd never left her family's territory since birth. It was like being reborn. At the same time, the events that had followed Fatenai's escape had left her, someone who'd always lived a sheltered life, unable to react as well as she should have.
This world still exceeded her imagination, leaving her utterly flustered.
"Cough, cough..." Fatenai walked on, her nerves still on edge. Suddenly, she heard someone coughing. Startled, she reacted as quickly as she could, snatching up a dagger and holding it across her chest.
It was a little ridiculous, but Fatenai felt she couldn't take another fright.
"Who's there?!" Her voice turned stern despite herself.
"Cough, cough..." No answer came to Fatenai's question. The coughing sounded again.
Fatenai fell silent and listened closely. The frail coughing was unnervingly clear in the quiet forest. "Cough, cough... cough..."
"Who's there?" Fatenai pinpointed the sound. It was coming from behind a tree.
At the same time, butterflies fluttered out from behind the tree. Fatenai had never seen white butterflies like these. She stared without blinking until they vanished from sight.
When Fatenai came to her senses, the coughing had stopped, as if the person had noticed her presence.
"May I come over?" Fatenai tried asking.
There was no answer. The coughing began again, as if it couldn't be suppressed.
Fatenai took a deep breath. So many unexpected things had happened to her lately that she'd grown used to them...
Someone else might have fled in terror. But perhaps because the road ahead looked so bleak, Fatenai couldn't help grasping at every possible chance. So, with an expressionless face, she walked behind the tree. A gust of wind blew, and when she saw the person beneath it, she nearly thought she'd traveled to another world again.
It was a black-haired boy. Black hair had been common in her old world, but since coming to this one, this was the first time she'd seen it. His soft black hair made his skin look even paler. Compared to Fatenai's own pale complexion, which came from rarely seeing the sun, his pallor was sickly.
Beneath that sickly pallor, he seemed incredibly fragile. He wore a dark blue coat that hung loosely on his slender frame. His long lashes cast a shadow that trembled with each rise and fall of his chest as he coughed.
Fatenai was reminded of a few oil paintings. Duke Wisdom had once taken her to see works by several famous artists. Apart from peaceful rural scenes, which had interested her a little, she hadn't cared for any of them. For an instant, the boy seemed just like a figure in a painting, sitting beneath a tree in such stillness that time itself might have stopped.
"Um..." Fatenai relaxed, deciding that a boy like this couldn't be dangerous. She walked toward him.
The black-haired boy heard her and opened his eyes, looking at her in a daze. His blue eyes made Fatenai think of a vast ocean. It was a striking contrast: a boy with eyes like that should have been ambitious and full of life.
In truth, he looked utterly frail.
"Hello, beautiful lady." While Fatenai was still marveling at him, the black-haired boy spoke softly, his voice melodious.
Beautiful lady? Fatenai was dazed by his choice of words. Even when she'd still been the elegantly dressed Fatenai Wisdom, instead of a wretched fugitive in the forest, the most anyone had ever said was that she had fair skin. No one had ever called her "beautiful."
She was just a petite girl. Though she was the daughter of Adele Jennel, a celebrated beauty, she had nothing whatsoever to do with beauty herself.
Yet flattery seemed to work on every girl, especially when the handsome boy smiled at her. For a moment, time seemed to come alive again, and the air turned fragrant.
"I..." Fatenai felt as if the scene before her would take her breath away. She'd forgotten what she'd meant to say.
"You seem to be fleeing from something. Relax. Everything will be all right," the boy said. As he spoke, he braced himself against the tree and struggled to stand, but he was clearly having trouble. A hint of strain crossed his face.
"Let me help you!" Fatenai said, walking toward him. Soon, they were standing very close.
"Then..." The boy was still smiling as he gladly held out his hand.
But in the next instant, his hand froze.
Fatenai held a dagger, its gleaming blade pressed against his pale skin. It looked as if it would cut him if she moved it just a little closer.
"What's wrong, miss?" The boy was puzzled, but he still kept smiling.
Fatenai's impassive expression sharply contrasted with his smile. "The coat you're wearing is made of Leliet Wool. That fabric is expensive, which proves you're a noble. But Leliet Wool isn't popular in the Kingdom of Luther. Other countries favor it. I've never heard of a noble with black hair and blue eyes, either. Your family's territory isn't in the Kingdom of Luther, am I right?
"The ungoverned parts of the Eisole Forest are open to anyone, but many nobles never set foot here in their entire lives. So why are you here?
"With all due respect, the forest isn't a suitable place to play the part of a frail invalid. It's far too chaotic."
The boy was tall and upright. Fatenai couldn't mistake his posture. She'd spent a long time training to stand like that in the Wisdom Family.
As Fatenai rattled off her observations, the black-haired boy's smile gradually faded. When he stopped smiling, he gave the impression of being cold, even though he was still coughing. That was what he truly looked like.
Fatenai's heart sank, bit by bit.
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