“Let’s take a short break.”

I nodded and leaned against the carriage for a moment, opening my pocket watch to check the time. It was almost time for Nigella and the maids to arrive in their carriage from Ferrarium.

Alongside my exhaustion, my mouth was parched.

We had left the capital, Elkard, and entered the outskirts of Pyronthe.

We had already changed carriages three times and used two teleportation scrolls. Although we were intentionally taking multiple short trips, I had known that Elkium was vast, but I hadn’t realized just how expansive it was.

I could now fully appreciate why teleportation scrolls were so expensive.

Despite our efforts, we were still far from our destination. We were aiming for Devosh, the town located at the southwesternmost point of Pyronthe. My anxiety grew with each passing moment, and I tried to think positively.

“Oh! Annie, did you know that there’s a giant stone statue of a bear in Devosh?”

“I think I’ve heard of it. I heard that there’s some kind of large statue.”

“They say that a giant bear demon appeared in Devosh long ago, and a hero killed it and built the statue to commemorate the event. It’s said to be as tall as three people stacked on top of each other. We have to go see it.”

“Yes, we do. Oh, and did you know that Devosh is famous for its brandy? I once drank a few bottles of brandy from Devosh and woke up the next day with all my money gone. It’s that good.”

“That’s quite the reputation.”

“It’s more than a reputation. I once dated a guy who turned out to be a con artist, and he cleaned me out before disappearing. Ugh, it still makes me angry just thinking about it.”

Annie shook her head and clicked her tongue. I chuckled at her words.

“Shall we get going again?”

She pulled hard on the inner reins, and the carriage wheels began to roll once more.

After changing carriages two more times, we decided to stop at a small village to get something to eat. In truth, my mouth was so dry that I didn’t think I could eat anything, but Annie insisted that I eat something to clear my head.

“Eat up. Don’t skip meals just because you don’t feel like it. There’s a difference in how your mind works when you’ve eaten and when you haven’t.”

“Yes, I know.”

I nodded and placed the damp handkerchief next to me. My hands had been sweating profusely, and I had been gripping the handkerchief so tightly that it was now damp. It seemed that my nerves were even worse than a chicken’s. Would Noah have noticed by now? He must have arrived in Ferrarium by now. Had he already released the others?

We had to reach at least the middle of Pyronthe by nightfall, and we couldn’t afford to be caught before then.

“Oh, look at me.”

Annie took a sip of her soup and rummaged through her large bag.

“What is it?”

“See? I knew I’d think of this when I was eating. I should have given it to you in the carriage, but I forgot.”

Annie handed me an envelope. I untied the string that held the documents together and saw a name that I had never seen before.

Levian Nishitar. Age: twenty-five, female. Born in the Castalt region.

It also listed the academy she had attended, her major, and her work history after graduating. It even included her brief employment history at a restaurant. It was a complete profile.

“Levian…”

I would have to get used to this name now.

The name Hazel Love, which he had called me dozens of times a day, was gone as of today. It didn’t matter since I wasn’t familiar with the Hadid surname I had never known anyway. I shook the papers and smiled.

“It’s cute, like a rabbit’s.”

“I put a lot of thought into choosing a pretty name.”

“But it’s not a real person, is it?”

“It used to be someone’s identity.”

I asked in surprise.

“But her eyes and hair color are the same as mine? Look! It says here that she has golden eyes and reddish hair…”

“I took everything into account when I created it. It’s not a non-existent identity, but it’s not currently in use.”

“Hmm…”

“Annie?”

“Yes?”

“From now on, call me Levian.”

“Okay, Levian.”

Levian, Levian Nishitar.

This was my name now.

* * *

“….”

The carriage carrying Kairos came to a stop. The gate was right before his eyes. He had about thirty minutes before Hazel arrived.

The waiting time was far from boring.

Kairos’s mind was abuzz with plans. Perhaps they could spend the weekend at their villa, or they could go on a trip. Hazel never left Ferrarium for work, so any trip they took together could be as long as they wanted.

As he waited patiently, a misty light appeared around the gate as if fog had gathered.

Soon, a magic circle lit up, and a carriage emerged. The carriage that had passed through the gate had remained still for five minutes. Even the coachman who had gotten inside the carriage as it moved through the gate had not come out.

It wasn’t just Kairos who felt something was amiss.

“Maybe they’re having a conversation. I’ll go check.”

Sid, who had also been waiting for this day, couldn’t help but fidget.

What could they be talking about that was so interesting that they didn’t even notice passing through the gate?

They must have seen the carriage he was riding in a while ago, so it was possible they were hiding to play a prank on him. Hazel loved playing pranks. In fact, she would sometimes hide behind the door and jump out as Kairos entered or pretend to be dead, collapsing on the bed.

What kind of prank was she trying to pull this time?

A smile crept across Kairos’ lips.

“I’ll go.”

If Hazel wanted to play a prank, he would naturally play along.

“Yes.”

As Sid hurriedly got off and opened the door, Kairos moved his long legs towards the carriage where Hazel would be riding.

He thought he caught a glimpse of her shadow for a moment. The carriage was strangely quiet even as Kairos approached. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he saw Nigella and the maid sleeping soundly inside.

Kairos let out a chuckle. It seemed Hazel was pretending to sleep on the other side.

That was when he felt something was odd.

With each step he took, he could see more of the inside of the carriage. The number of people was wrong. His eyebrows twitched.

He grabbed the doorknob and swung the door wide open.

“….”

Sid, who had been following close behind, sensed something was wrong as he looked at his master’s stiff back. He couldn’t see it right away because Kairos’ upper body was blocking the entrance, but his face turned pale as he stepped aside.

Kairos took a step back.

Seizing the moment, Sid grabbed the door and entered the carriage, shaking Nigella and the maid awake.

“Hey, wake up! Come to your senses! Where is Lady Hazel!”

Sid gulped as he felt Kairos’s gaze on his back.

Nigella groaned and opened her eyes as he shook her shoulders roughly. The maids and coachman also opened their eyes. They struggled for a while to regain their senses, but their eyes soon cleared.

“Sir Sid?”

“Nigella! Where is Lady Hazel? Why isn’t she in the carriage?!”

“Yes? Who… are you talking about?”

Nigella frowned, looking as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

“What are you talking about? Are you saying you don’t know the superior you serve? Where is Lady Hazel?! You’re supposed to be riding together!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who is that person…”

Nigella, who belatedly saw Kairos behind Sid, straightened her shoulders, her body trembling. The maids also remained silent despite Sid’s urging, their expressions blank. They looked like they had no idea why they were there, and the coachman was no different.

“What the hell…”

Sid got out of the carriage, his face a picture of incomprehension.

Nigella, the maids, and the coachman all got out and stood there, trembling in fear. Their expressions were all blank, filled with nothing but terror. No, it seemed as if they hadn’t gotten in the carriage in the first place. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have happened.

Everyone surrounding the carriage had their thoughts erased.

Hazel Love had disappeared.

“My lord, I don’t know what happened. Did something happen in the capital…”

But as he looked at Kairos’ cold face, something clicked in Sid’s mind.

No way. Had she figured something out? Otherwise, how could she have disappeared like this? Judging from the fact that Nigella and the maids’ memories had been erased, this was clearly no ordinary matter. Could it be that…

“….”

Kairos’s jaw dropped.

In that instant, Sid thought, ‘I’m f*cked.’

—