Poor Noble Nord’s Adventure

58. Departure

The entrusted letter in its grasp, Newt let out a chirp as if to say, “Leave it to me,” then flapped its wings mightily and took flight.

The deep green figure of Newt gradually grew distant, blending into the pre-dawn darkness.

As Johann watched its retreating figure and lowered his gaze back to the ground, it seemed the evacuation had progressed considerably.

A stablehand approached Johann to deliver a report.

“Sir, we’d like to set the carriage in motion soon.”

“How many women and children from the village are left?”

“Just the young ladies. Once they board, we’ll be ready to depart.”

“I see. Very well. You’ve done well.”

The Obrière family, though aristocrats with land, could hardly be considered wealthy. They did not own the lavish carriages used by major lords, and thus, the Obrière family members had to evacuate together with the villagers in the same carriage.

The carriages were requisitioned from traveling merchants staying in the village. They were cargo wagons, with little more than canvas coverings and no suspension or cushioned seating. A large number of the village’s women and children were packed onto these wagons.

“Alright, Emilia, Aria, hold on tight.”

Johann handed his younger sisters, whom he carried in his arms, to his wife Katia, who was already seated in the carriage. With this, all the women of the Obrière family had boarded.

“Alright, there are no other women or children left… You may go!”

With Johann’s signal, the coachman cracked the reins, and the wagon wheels began to roll with a clatter.

Inside the moving carriage, surrounded by village women and children her age, Aria, the youngest of the Obrière sisters, asked her elder sisters a question.

“Where is everyone going?”

“We’re evacuating because dangerous monsters are coming.”

“Evacuating?”

“We’re going far away for a little trip.”

When her sisters gently explained this to her, Aria, who was cradled in Katia’s arms, played with a hair ornament in her hands and tilted her head again.

“Everyone… but what about our brothers?”

Inside the carriage, there was no sign of their father, Johann, or even their newly acquainted brother, Nord, whom they had met this year.

“Father and Johann stayed back in the village. Nord too… will come later.”

Katia hesitated slightly as she mentioned Nord’s name.

She had overheard the conversations between her father-in-law and her husband back at the Obrière estate.

A powerful monster had taken up residence deep in the forest, forming a pack. It was highly likely that they would overflow from the forest and attack Alba Village.

And among those dangerous woods remained that young man, her brother-in-law.

She understood all too well what that meant—as a knight’s daughter and now a wife.

Suppressing the anxiety that crossed her mind, she unconsciously tightened her hold on her sister.

“Ow, Sister.”

“Oh, sorry, Aria.”

Hearing the voice from her arms, she reflexively loosened her grip.

She was about to ask if she was alright when—

“Kyah!”

“Ah!”

The carriage jolted violently as its wheels hit a depression in the road, eliciting screams from the passengers.

“My hair ornament!”

Before she realized it, Aria was no longer in her arms. Following the sound of her voice, Katia turned to see Aria about to run outside the carriage.

“Stop!”

A scream escaped Katia’s lips. She instinctively reached out, but her hand grasped only empty air.

In her mind’s eye, she saw her sister fall from the moving carriage, chasing after the fallen hair ornament, and felt her whole body freeze with dread.

“Watch out!”

“Ah!”

Fortunately, Aria did not fall from the carriage.

A woman seated at the rear caught her just in time.

Katia hurried over to her sister, thanking the woman as she embraced Aria tightly.

“That was dangerous, Aria!”

“But… my hair ornament…”

Despite the scolding, Aria wasn’t listening, her eyes brimming with tears as she reached for the outside of the carriage.

“It might be best to move the younger children to the front of the carriage where it’s safer.”

“My apologies…”

Katia moved Aria and the other young children to the front of the carriage.

“You need to sit still!”

“But my hair ornament fell… Waaah!”

“Oh, fine. Here, take mine. Just stop crying already.”

To calm the sobbing Aria, Katia removed her own hair ornament and handed it to her.

“This isn’t the same… The one Aria had was from Brother…”

Katia realized it then—the ornament Aria had been holding was a gift from Nord, given during the festival’s eve. Katia’s own was left behind at the estate.

“Franca, do you have the hair ornament Nord gave you?”

“Wait a moment… Here, is this it?”

“Yes…”

Franca, the second daughter, removed the ornament from her hair and handed it to Aria. Finally, Aria stopped crying.

Relieved that her sister had calmed down, Katia sank onto the wagon’s floor, exhausted, holding Aria tightly to ensure she wouldn’t escape again.

As her gaze wandered to the back of the carriage, she saw only the endless darkness threatening to swallow everything.

Aria’s hair ornament had been consumed by that darkness, lost forever.