Chapter 33
The wagon rocked gently beneath me.
I remained hidden beneath the sacks, trying not to move too much.
Every part of my body hurt.
My wrists throbbed where the shackles had been, and the pain in my fingers was almost unbearable.
I closed my eyes and took a slow breath.
I was out of the dungeon.
That was all that mattered.
But I had no idea where I was being taken.
The wagon continued down the road for what felt like hours.
Eventually, the wheels slowed.
Then the wagon came to a stop.
I heard the driver climb down from his seat.
A moment later, the rear cover opened.
"My lady?"
I slowly pushed the sacks aside.
The man looked to be around Duke Theon's age, with short, dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a faint scar running along his left eyebrow.
The man extended his hand toward me.
"Come on. We're here."
I hesitated before taking his hand.
He carefully helped me down from the wagon.
I looked around.
We were surrounded by trees.
A small old house stood quietly in the middle of them, its walls weathered and covered in vines.
I frowned.
It reminded me of Uncle's house.
"Where are we?" I asked. "Are we still in Solaris?"
The man glanced toward the house.
"Yes, my lady," he answered. "We're still in Solaris, in a place the Duke used to stay."
I looked at the small, old house again.
"Duke Theon?" I asked, surprised.
The man nodded.
I stared at the house in disbelief.
The Duke had lived in a small house like this?
It was hard to imagine him living somewhere so modest.
The man gently supported me as we walked toward the house.
"He wasn't a duke back then," he explained.
I looked at him curiously.
"What was he doing in Solaris?" I asked.
"He had been given a mission to infiltrate Solaris," the man replied.
I stopped for a moment.
"Infiltrate?"
The man nodded.
He opened the door and stepped inside.
I followed him slowly.
The house was quiet and dusty, as though no one had lived there for years.
The man walked toward the sofa, which was covered by a large white sheet.
He grabbed the edge of the sheet and pulled it away, sending a small cloud of dust into the air.
I coughed softly and covered my mouth.
"Sorry," he said, glancing at me.
He quickly folded the sheet and set it aside.
Then he walked back toward me.
"Careful," he said as he gently supported me.
I let him help me toward the sofa.
My legs still felt weak, and I struggled to keep my balance.
He carefully lowered me onto the sofa.
I leaned back, letting out a quiet breath as the exhaustion settled over me.
"Wait here. I'm going to get some clean towels," he said gently.
He turned and disappeared through a doorway at the back of the house.
I looked down at my hands.
My fingers trembled slightly.
The sight of the missing nails made my stomach twist.
I quickly looked away.
A few minutes later, I heard footsteps approaching.
The man returned carrying a basin of water and several folded towels.
He placed them on a small table beside me.
"It's a good thing the well hadn't dried up," he said.
He dipped one of the towels into the water and gently wrung it out.
"Pardon me," he said, looking slightly hesitant. "There's no one else here to help you, and you're in no condition to do this yourself."
I nodded weakly.
"Thank you."
He carefully began wiping the blood from my face and arms.
I winced whenever the cloth passed over a bruise.
"I'll be as gentle as I can," he said apologetically.
"It's fine," I whispered.
He continued cleaning the blood from my skin, carefully avoiding my wounds.
When he reached my injured fingers, his movements became even more cautious.
I clenched my jaw as the damp cloth touched them.
"Those need proper treatment," he said.
"I know," I replied weakly.
After he finished cleaning me, he stood and looked at my bloodstained clothes.
"You should change," he said. "I'll find you something to wear."
He walked toward one of the rooms.
A moment later, he returned carrying a folded set of clothes.
He placed them beside me.
"These belonged to Duke Theon," he said. "They're old, but they'll have to do for now."
I stared at the clothes.
The thought of wearing something that once belonged to the Duke felt strangely unsettling.
But I had no other choice.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
The man nodded before stepping outside, giving me privacy to change.
I slowly stood from the sofa and picked up the clothes he had left for me.
My fingers still hurt badly, making even simple movements difficult.
I carefully changed out of my bloodstained clothes and into the clean ones.
The clothes were a little loose on me, but they were comfortable.
Once I finished, I walked toward the door and opened it.
The man was waiting outside.
"You can come in now," I said.
He nodded and stepped back inside.
I slowly returned to the sofa and sat down.
The man picked up the basin and the bloodied towels.
"I'll get rid of these," he said.
He turned toward the door.
"Wait," I called.
He stopped and looked back at me.
I hesitated.
"How long are we staying here?" I asked.
He looked at me for a moment before answering.
"I'm not sure, my lady," he replied. "The Duke only instructed me to bring you here and keep you safe."
I nodded slowly.
The man stepped outside, leaving me alone.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
I tried to use my divine power.
A faint warmth spread through my body.
Relief washed over me when I saw my wounds close.
Though I still wasn't strong enough to heal all of my wounds completely.
Still, thank goodness.
I could still use my divine power.
"My lady" the man called from outside.
The door opened, and he hurried inside, a letter clutched in his hand.
"This just arrived," he said, holding out the letter. "A messenger bird from the Duke brought it."
I quickly grabbed the letter and unfolded it.
My eyes scanned the message.
Stay there for now. Duke Cassian will come and get you.
We can't leave the palace yet. The Queen has ordered the gates and borders sealed.
Stay with Rakim. He's a good man. You can trust him.
Burn this letter after reading.
Rakim looked at me expectantly.
"Is he coming?" he asked.
I lowered the letter and shook my head.
"They're still inside the palace," I answered. "Unfortunately, the Queen has sealed the palace gates and all the borders."
His expression tightened.
"I need to take the supply wagon to the northern outpost so they won't become suspicious," Rakim said. "I'll also erase the wagon tracks leading here. You stay hidden until I return."
"All by myself?" I asked worriedly.
What if someone comes here?
I'm still in no condition to fight, and my sword...
Right. My sword.
Damn it.
It's my first sword. The first weapon I ever bought with my own money.
"Don't worry, my lady. No one will come here," Rakim said. "And even if someone does, they won't be able to enter. The Duke placed a protection spell on this house when he was still a teenager."
I looked at him in surprise.
"A spell from that long ago is still working?" I asked.
Rakim nodded and pointed toward the wall of the house.
"See those symbols?" he asked.
I followed his gaze.
Strange symbols were carved into the wall, almost hidden beneath the vines and layers of dust.
I stared at them in amazement.
"They were magic symbols carved by the Duke himself?" I asked.
Rakim nodded.
"Yes, my lady," he answered, then glanced toward the door.
"I'll leave you some food supplies," he said. "Stay inside and keep the door locked. I'll be back as soon as I can."
Rakim walked over to the wagon and returned a moment later carrying a small sack of food.
He placed it on the small table beside me.
Then he gave me a final nod before leaving the house.
I looked down at the letter in my hand.
I needed to get rid of it.
I glanced around the room and noticed an old candle on a small table near the wall.
I walked over and picked it up.
Now, where would they keep something to light this?
I glanced around the room, searching for anything that could help.
My eyes wandered toward an old wooden shelf against the wall.
I walked over and began looking through it.
Suddenly-
THUD!
Something fell to the floor.
I froze.
I slowly looked down.
An old, leather-bound book lay at my feet.
I crouched down and brushed the dust off the cover.
I looked at the strange letters written across it.
"Basics of Ma-"
I paused.
Wait...
My eyes widened.
"Basics of Magic!"
How did I just read that?
I looked down at the letter still in my hand.
The realization hit me.
"I can read."
I clearly remembered that I couldn't read their language before, especially when the Duke confronted me about using the Soul Transfer Spell.
Yet somehow, I could read it now.
Could it be because I've been in Rishima's body for so long?
Maybe I've slowly started to inherit some of her knowledge without even realizing it.
Damn.
I took the book with me to the sofa and sat down.
I opened it and began reading.
The book explained the basics of magic, including how mana was formed and how it could be controlled.
I turned another page.
As I read the instructions on how to control mana, something caught my attention.
It was similar to the way Uncle taught me to control my divine power.
I read the instructions carefully, trying to understand the technique.
Maybe controlling magic wasn't that different from controlling divine power after all.
"Let's try feeling mana," I whispered.
I closed my eyes and focused inward.
I tried to sense something other than my divine power.
But all I could feel was that familiar warmth.
My divine power was everywhere.
It filled my entire body, making it difficult to sense anything else.
I frowned.
"Do I even have mana?"
Or maybe...
"Could my divine power be overwhelming it?" I wondered.
If that was the problem...
"Then what if I suppress it?"
I took a slow breath and began quieting the flow of divine power within me.
The warmth slowly faded.
I kept going until the overwhelming presence of my divine power became almost completely silent.
For the first time, I could feel something else beneath it.
I focused on that faint sensation.
It was different from my divine power.
While my divine power felt warm, this felt cold.
A strange, unfamiliar sensation moved through me.
"Could this be mana?" I whispered.
I carefully tried to draw it toward my hand.
Then suddenly-
"Ahh!"
A sharp jolt of electricity shot through my body.
"What was that?" I gasped.
I stared at my hand, confused.
I hesitated for a moment before closing my eyes again.
Slowly, I reached for that cold sensation and tried to draw it toward my hand once more.
"Ahh, shit!"
Another jolt coursed through my body.
I immediately stopped and thought for a moment.
Could it be because of my divine power?
Maybe mana and divine power were incompatible...