{Chapter Twenty-Four} The Lie of the Road
Amid the filthy sewers,
Leona and Nayvi walked behind Edward, who was still carrying Anas as they moved forward.
Everything… hurts. But I can't abandon him after he saved us. Damn it, when will we arrive?
Edward thought as he limped, pain spreading through his entire body.
A familiar voice cut through his thoughts.
"Um, Edward… do you know where we're heading?"
Edward turned to look at his sister, shaking his head.
"I don't know. I thought you did."
Leona sighed.
Nayvi glanced between her and Edward.
"Well, I was following the trail of blood from the dead soldiers that idiot had been controlling, but…"
"But what?" Edward asked.
Leona looked down for a moment, then raised her head with a tense smile, her voice lowering.
"But I lost the blood trail a few minutes ago."
Edward stopped walking and shouted, "What?! Have I been walking for nothing all this time?! Don't you realize how dangerous this place is? And we're already in terrible condition—one small mistake could destroy us!"
Leona lowered her head further, whispering so softly it was barely audible.
"I… I'm sorry."
Edward sighed while Nayvi said quietly, "Shouting could attract attention too."
Edward opened his mouth, then closed it again.
"You're right."
Edward carefully set Anas down on the ground and leaned him against the wall. Then he stretched, though pain shot through his body.
He stood there in only his undershirt.
Nayvi approached him and extended a piece of black cloth toward him.
Edward stared at the girl wearing his shirt in confusion.
"What is this?"
"It's the shirt of that idiot Anas killed. I took it from him, along with his sword. I thought it would make up for the shirt you gave me." Nayvi said, extending the cloth-wrapped sword closer to Edward.
"Take it. It's yours."
Edward hesitated for a moment. A faint redness spread across his face.
But he finally accepted it and put on the black shirt.
What truly caught Edward's attention was the sword. Despite its simple design, it was sharp.
It had two edges and a guard that protected the hand.
Edward swung it twice to get used to the weight, then hung it from his belt and looked at Nayvi.
"Thank you, Nayvi."
Leona looked at her brother with a smile.
"Ohhh, it seems my little brother now dresses like a high-ranking noble. Hehe."
She laughed lightly, then her voice softened slightly as a sad smile appeared on her face.
"You really resemble him… He would have been proud of you if he saw you now."
Edward, who had been smiling from the praise, felt sadness wash over his face.
"Do… you mean Father? I… thank you."
Nayvi sensed the change in atmosphere and said, "Sorry to interrupt, but… don't forget Anas isn't well."
The sadness vanished from Leona's face as she turned toward Anas.
She saw him panting, sweat pouring down his forehead. Her eyes widened and she rushed toward him.
She placed her hand on his forehead and felt intense heat.
"My God… he has a severe fever."
She looked at Edward and Nayvi.
"Maybe we should hurry."
Edward looked at his sister.
"But which way should we go?"
Leona bit her lower lip nervously, gripping the edge of her white dress tightly.
Then…
She felt something in her pocket.
Her eyes widened as she thought:
Yes! There must be something in this notebook. I hope that man wrote something useful!
Leona quickly pulled the worn notebook from her dress pocket and opened it.
Edward tilted his head as he saw the nearly tattered brown notebook in her hands.
"What is that?"
"I don't know. Maybe the diary of that soldier who caused our survival."
She exhaled.
"I hope we find something about the road."
Leona read the first page.
A moment later…
Her eyes widened. She collapsed onto the ground as if her knees could no longer hold her weight.
She covered her mouth as a gasp escaped her.
"I can't believe it."
"What? What's wrong?" Edward asked.
Leona looked at him, trembling.
"No… there is no city here. The city was only a lie meant to lure the weak, to give them hope so they could be captured and turned into slaves… or worse."
Nayvi gasped and stepped back.
"But… what will we do now? We're surrounded from every direction."
She looked at Anas.
"And Anas is in terrible condition. This is really bad. What do we do?"
While everyone stood in shock—
Tap tap tap tap.
The sound of many quick footsteps filled the space as they approached.
Edward turned and drew his sword, ready to attack.
But…
Instead of what he expected, a girl appeared.
A girl with red hair and green eyes.
She stopped, staring at him.
Her eyes soon widened when she saw Edward holding a sword and wearing good clothes despite their dirt and the bruises covering his body. Something about him caught her attention.
There was also the blonde girl with blue eyes and a white dress, another girl wearing a long shirt… and a black-haired boy leaning against the wall, breathing rapidly.
Another girl emerged and bumped into the red-haired girl from behind, holding her nose as she complained,
"Caroline, why did you suddenly stop?"
The pink-haired girl stopped when she saw the strange group.
"Heeey? Are you some prince or knight or something?"
The red-haired girl elbowed her.
"Sorry, sorry. I was joking. I just… didn't expect to see a noble this close."
Behind them, three more girls appeared, including one with long black hair.
Everyone stared at each other in silence.
Nayvi moved closer to Edward, gripping a dagger in her hand.
Leona stood in front of Anas, her blue eyes scanning the girls.
And suddenly—
"Whoever you are… as long as you have a heart pumping blood through your body, as long as you eat, drink, and breathe…"
The voice grew sharper.
"…I will kill you."
Everyone froze and looked toward the source of the voice.
Anas had stood up, raising one hand forward. His breathing was shallow, his eyes almost clouded.
But he quickly staggered and nearly fell.
Leona rushed forward and caught him.
She almost called out to him to wake up and hold on—
but then she remembered the girls.
I won't show weakness in front of anyone. I won't. I must take care of everyone. I'm the eldest here.
Leona thought as she bit her lower lip, facing the group of girls with her back.
In an instant, she rearranged her expression and a smile appeared on her face.
Leona, remember what Mother taught you. This is the time to act.
Controlling one's expressions was one of the most important things nobles learned—especially noble girls.
Leona finally turned toward the girls, her expression perfectly composed, and spoke in a calm voice:
"Are you enemies… or allies?"