It is my Destiny to be the Savior of the Protagonist

“That, that, that…”

Leda’s face turned white. As she rolled her eyes to and fro, she breathed lightly.

“It hurt terribly. Terrible, terribly. It was so terrible, it hurt enough to want to die just like that.”

Leda, who continued to mumble, stumbled. The Countess hurriedly supported her. And Ariadne waved her hand in surprise.

“If you’re having a hard time, you don’t have to tell me.”

“Sorry. A little, a little… I think it will take some time. Now, I can’t…”

Leda cried again. She cried so much that her tears seemed to bruise her eyes. She was in no condition to speak properly. It seemed like there was so much trauma that it was hard to recall right away.

Ariadne was well aware of how the Duke conducted experiments. So she felt very sorry for her.

‘I must have been impatient for no reason.’

“I know how you feel. Sorry to rush you, madam.”

“Yes, yes… sorry…”

“Later, after you feel better, you can let me know slowly. Get some rest for the time being.”

Leda smiled hard.

“Thank you.”

* ♦ ♦ ♦ *

Leda took her time off under the care of the primary care physician. In the meantime, it was time for the subjugation team to depart. In this subjugation, everyone, including the Marquis, Marquise and the Archmage, were scheduled to leave. It has already been over 15 years since the Great Labyrinth appeared. The frequency of strings in the labyrinth and the momentum of the monsters increased as the years went by. Thanks to the appearance of the Elixir, humanity was in a state of enduring without being pushed back. If it hadn’t been for that miracle potion, the situation would have been much worse. However, the cursed land was a problem that could not be solved even with Elixir. Since the Great Labyrinth was constantly spitting out pollution, no matter how much they tried to purify it, it was useless. It was like trying to scoop out a flowing river with a bucket. This year, the cursed land has swallowed even the Ruoma Mountains that separate the eastern and western parts of the continent. People living around the Ruoma Mountains have already fled. And that was the problem. The highlands where Blizzard Castle was located belonged to the Milo Mountains, which branched off to the west from the north-south Ruoma Mountains. Because all the people who lived west of the Ruoma Mountains had evacuated, the land became a monster’s den. In addition, the demonic spirits pouring out of Ruoma began to cross the mountain range to the Milo Mountains. If left unattended, weaver becomes dangerous. In this situation, Weaver had to do his best in subjugation. The Marquis and the Archmage hesitated until right before they left. Now that Leda has fled to Weaver, the Duke of Eldeer may be up to something. If anything, the punitive force would be reduced and one of the three would remain, but the situation was not easy.

“Erich, don’t believe anybody.”

“Veronica, take good care of Aria.”

“If the Eldeers come, never let them inside.”

Eventually, they made a promise to them and departed. Only Veronica, who had to protect Erich and Ariadne, the lord’s agent, was left at Weaver. Erich released someone to keep an eye on Duke Eldeer’s movements. Ariadne had sent Simon to Axel’s side, intending not to leave the blizzard castle until this winter was over.

The tenth day since the subjugation party left. Leda brought the news that she was determined to tell Ariadne.

* ♦ ♦ ♦ *

Ariadne entered the room with Erich. Leda Picaro had already arrived and was waiting. Perhaps thanks to a good rest and recuperation, the sickness on her face disappeared. 

She put the small package on the table with a flushed face.

“Hey, Aria, before we talk, can you take this first?”

“What is this, madam?”

Erich slipped in. Leda hesitantly replied.

“That is… It’s a spirit lamp. It turned out like this, but anyway, I’m going to be Aria’s mother. She has no lamp yet, so I made it once…”

“You made the spirit lamp yourself?”

“Oh, it’s not that great. I asked the craftsman of the castle to make the lantern, and I made only the knotted string herself. In fact, it may be something that is not enough to give to the princess…”

Leda blushed and lowered her head.

Ariadne carefully unpacked the package. Unwrapping the wrapped paper revealed a dainty silver spirit back. It was filled with white spirit stone powder, and a knotted string made of blue and white threads hung like a necklace. The knot on the spirit lamp was in the shape of a delicate flower. There was a hint that it was a well-made item.

Erich picked it up first and gently inspected it with magic.

‘It’s just an ordinary spirit lamp.’

There were no other spells. It’s just that it’s borderline. He cleared his throat as if embarrassed and put down the spirit lamp in front of Ariadne. As she watched it silently, Leda looked at her and said,

“At Pikaro, mothers tie a knot they made themself to the child’s spirit. It is a talisman made in hopes of living a long and healthy life… It’s the first time I’ve made it, so it’s uh, clumsy, right?”

“No, it is pretty.”

Ariadne smiled lightly. Despite claiming to be her legal stepmother, she had no intention of treating Leda as her mother. She decided not to regard the Duke as her father, so she could not regard the woman who married the Duke as her stepmother.

‘By the way, this person seems to be like that.’

She felt complicated. So she smiled a little brighter and added.

“It’s really pretty. Thank you.”

She lifted the lamp and put it around her neck. Leda’s face brightened.

“Thank you for accepting it, Aria.”

“No. I should be grateful for this special gift. I will cherish it.”

“It’s such an honor to be valued by the princess.”

Reda replied with blushing cheeks.

* ♦ ♦ ♦ *

Ariadne set her spirit lamp down on the bedside table and lay down on her bed.

“Have a nice dream, my lady.”

“Sleep well, Lucy.”

Lucy turned off the lights and left.

The twilight moonlight seeping in from the window was cast on the spirit lamp above the bedside table. Ariadne stared blankly at the glowing spirit stone powder in the glass while lying down. After giving her the lamp, Leda quietly explained what had happened to her.

A room at the top of a tower closed with an iron door. A chair with shackles… It was the same content as the memory of the study room that sometimes appeared in her nightmares.

‘The only difference is the color of the liquid. She said it was transparent.’

Was the Duke thinking of making another potion to replace the Elixir? Another human experiment? She gripped the blanket tightly.

‘He is trash. A seed worse than the devil.’

She wanted to kill him. How nice it would be if she could just kill him.

‘If Leda testifies, will she be able to send the Duke to the gallows? No, it would be impossible to just try to experiment on a human body.’

She fell asleep while thinking about what to do with the Duke.

The big eyes that had been blinking closed, and the sound of small breathing spread through the room. As the night deepens, the moon slowly wanes. An owl cried out in the dark.

Whoop, whoop, whoop. It was a strangely regular rhythm.

Suddenly, Ariadne rose from her seat. She looked out of the window with surprised eyes, then lazily got off the bed.

Whoop, whoop, whoop.

A certain rhythm continues. Ariadne staggered toward the sound. She passes Veronica’s bedroom right next to her room, and she tumbles down the stairs barefoot. The owls were coming from the greenhouse. The girl walked among the flower bushes as if possessed. A tea table where we sat and chatted during the day. Leda, who was sitting on a white chair and playing a small flute, greeted Ariadne with a bright smile.

“Welcome, Princess. Are you unable to sleep?”

The owl stopped when she put down her flute. As soon as the sound stopped, Ariadne stumbled.

“Oh, you fell asleep again.”

Leda hugged the girl as if she had been waiting. She cradled the sleeping child lightly, and drew a black cloak over her platinum feet, which stood out in her glitter. The greenhouse had a door leading to the outside. The door was tightly locked and enchanted, but it was easy to open from the inside. Outside the greenhouse was a snow-covered garden.

Leda Picaro took Ariadne and went out into the garden.

Her lips twitched. A hum-like whisper lingered quietly. It was a magic spell.

A gentle breeze blew and lifted her body into the air. The footsteps of Leda Picaro, which had been engraved in the white snow, suddenly cut off in the middle of the garden.

* ♦ ♦ ♦ *

The next morning, Lucy, who went in to wake Ariadne, screamed.

“Miss!”

Veronica, who had been half dozing outside the bedroom and waiting, hurriedly jumped inside.

“Miss!!”

Her eyes widened when she saw the empty bed. During the night Ariadne disappeared as if she was smoke.