“I’m screwed.”
“I’m really screwed.”
“I’m in big trouble.”
“I must be doomed…”
Perhaps the only silver lining was that I wasn’t trapped in the alleyway itself.
Every time I entered an alley to try and return to the central fountain, I strangely ended up right back where I started. I hadn’t gone deeper into the backstreets, but I kept returning to the entrance of District Four. The shabby sign indicating the district was half-torn and creaking.
The people who went out in the morning for a day’s labor wouldn’t return until sunset, but it seemed about time for the children to crawl out to beg.
The place with a sign hanging out front was so dilapidated it looked ready to collapse at any moment, and the other buildings weren’t much better.
Ah, the sky was so blue, as if blue paint had been squeezed right across it!
‘No, let’s think positively.’
I forced a smile.
Calm down, just calm down!
Whew. Hooo.
Right, at least there isn’t anyone threatening me right now. I just need to find the way before the sun sets.
“But how am I supposed to find it…?”
Should I leave markers in the alleys? While I was weighing various options, a woman with a dark complexion appeared at the end of the alley.
I raised my head stiffly, keeping my expression as blank as possible. The woman walking from the far end disappeared into the opposite alley. Fortunately, she didn’t spare me a single glance. My stiffened shoulders ached.
She probably thought I came here on purpose, right?
If she knew I had wandered in by mistake… No, am I being too prejudiced against this street?
But then again, no one knows what a person pushed to their limit might do. I had to be careful, truly careful.
I kept my “positivity circuit” running at full throttle, but I didn’t let my guard down. A cold sweat broke out.
“It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Am I trembling right now…?
My clasped hands were shaking.
Why…?
Is it because I’m acting differently than I did before my regression? It was only a few days ago that I was shivering in the carriage; had I become so overconfident that I thought I had adapted already?
Suddenly, I regretted everything I had done.
‘No! Don’t regret it!’
I had done enough regretting before I died!
I slowly lifted my head, which had been hung low.
‘Things are going to change, so incidents like this are bound to happen.’
It’s inevitable that consequences follow actions. I just need to get out of here safely.
‘But how?’
First, let’s find the path calmly. No matter how much of a first-timer I am here, I’ve wandered the capital’s central streets plenty of times. I have a bad sense of direction, but if I try hard enough, I can escape this district. Once I do, there will be carriages nearby, so I just need to find the road where carriages travel.
‘Plants don’t grow at random. They all choose a place that suits their habits. Even if a single flower blooming by the roadside looks like it grew there by chance, many factors are actually at work. That’s why you can find your way just by looking at one plant. They say bards find their way by looking at the stars, right? Botanists can find their way by looking at just a few trees and flowers.’
The words of Professor Ternum, my botany major advisor, flashed through my mind like a bolt of lightning!
‘Right, the practical training was awful, but… I was perfect at theory.’
I had a perfect score in my theoretical subjects.
‘My eye for identification and my memorization skills were excellent!’
I knew exactly what the habits, forms, and colonies of plants meant. Confidence surged within me.
To think the major I had considered a burden would be helpful like this…
“This feels strange.”
I slowly scanned the area, examining the surrounding vegetation.
I checked the soil on the ground, picking it up to feel it. I scanned the nearby flowers and trees, even the weeds. I didn’t even need to look at the plants closely. I could recognize them at a glance.
The plants I had once passed by without a thought now seemed to rush toward me, radiating vivid colors and scents. It was an exaggeration, but the street looked completely different, as if a blind person had suddenly opened their eyes.
“It’s amazing… to the point where I wonder why I didn’t notice before.”
I muttered to myself without realizing it.
I felt a surge of joy and emotion, like meeting an old lover.
Was it a love-hate relationship?
Hmph! To think that majoring in botany would be helpful in this way. I’ll admit it. It wasn’t that I hated botany. If I could just do well in the practicals, it would actually be a subject I loved!
I made excuses to myself.
There were Tauli trees with sharp, saw-toothed leaves, and sturdy Haesal trees that spread out like thick, overturned round caps, resistant to pests. There were even Haishan plants, scattered here and there, their tiny fingernail-sized leaves forming spirals that trembled in the wind.
I looked at them deeply, filled with a sense of welcome.
Because of this, I wasn’t afraid!
It was an unfamiliar street, but there was no need to be afraid. If I followed the familiar plants scattered everywhere, finding the way wouldn’t be difficult.
It felt as though I had come out for a botany field study.
Haishan only grew near the capital’s central streets. The fact that Haishan was growing in any given area was proof that the central street was nearby.
This meant that if I looked carefully and chose the right alley from here, I could escape!
As long as I didn’t repeat the mistake of picking the same alley, I would be able to get out quickly.
There were about 4 hours left until sunset; that was plenty of time.
My chest heaved with excitement.
While I was surveying my surroundings, a woman in a shabby state rushed out.
‘Even if I try not to look…’
My gaze naturally followed her.
The woman with short hair was bleeding from her nose.
‘That’s blood!’
The woman, who had stumbled and fallen, managed to get up and pounded on the front gate of a house at the end of the alley that looked slightly better off than the others.
When a man came out, the woman held out some money. In return, the man handed her something like a white envelope. The woman hurriedly opened the envelope with frantic hands, tore open a small bag, and poured it into her mouth.
Looking closer, the woman’s face was covered in reddish blisters, and her skin was bright red.
“Will this really, truly heal me?”
“What? If you don’t believe me, why did you come? Get lost! I don’t need your money!”
“A-ah, no, no. I understand, I’ll go. Please, please… give it back.”
The woman’s face was covered in a white powder-like substance that she had hurriedly swallowed.
When she spoke words of doubt, the man roughly snatched the envelope she was clutching. He looked incredibly annoyed. It looked like he might hit the woman at any moment.
His muscles bulged beneath his thin clothes.
As the man picked his ear and told her to get lost, the woman shook her head frantically, practically begging him. The man scratched his neck, spat out some phlegm, and threw the heavy envelope at her. The woman scrambled to gather the bags of white powder scattered on the ground. Her hands were shaking violently—not out of fear of the man, but because she seemed to be in pain.
I was reflexively moving toward her.
Just as the man seemed to turn his head this way, someone grabbed my shoulder and spun me around.
‘Should I call Natura?’
I held my breath, prepared to scream. My hair billowed out. Right before I let out a cry, I recognized the face of the person who had grabbed me.
The one who placed a finger over my surprised mouth was Evan. I managed to stifle my voice.
“Shh.”
Evan whispered lowly.
His breath was ragged. The first thing he did was pull the hood of my cloak over my head. He tucked every strand of my stray hair inside the hood. His movements were skillful.
Evan wasn’t alone. Behind him, two men who appeared to be escort knights were staring toward the direction I had been looking with grim expressions.
Ah! Is that woman okay? I instinctively tried to turn my head, drawn by curiosity, but Evan gently gripped the side of my face and stopped me.
“What…!”
“Liana.”
The face of an Evan without a smile was unfamiliar. When I stopped talking, he released his grip on my face.
“Let’s go.”
“Why…”
“We’ll talk as we walk.”
Evan blocked me as I kept trying to turn around.
“Wait… I just want to see for a moment…”
“Shall I send a letter to the Duke?”
“…Fine.”
I shut my mouth.
Evan wrapped his arm around my shoulder, holding me close as he headed toward an alley where a person was standing.
This man also seemed to be an escort knight. The man gave a short bow and then followed behind Evan.
Once we were far from the people I had been watching, Evan pulled his arm away and stopped.
“Don’t you know you’ll be in big trouble if you get involved?”
“……”
I felt a surge of defiance.
Of course, it’s better not to get involved, but was what I saw really that serious?
“Why do you court danger? Why are you being so stubborn about looking?”
Evan frowned.
“Why are you getting angry?”
What does it matter to you!
“Thank you for the help. But even without you, Evan, I could have escaped well enough.”
“You, who even gets confused by the garden entrance?”
Evan snorted.
“…I can recognize things.”
I might not know the way, but I recognize the plants!
Even while talking to Evan, I noticed what species the flowers by the roadside and the grass peeking through the cracks in the alley were. Following the long grass with my eyes, I saw a flower that was both familiar and strange. It was a cluster of red flowers in the cracks of the broken stone wall. At a glance, the flowers looked like insects.
‘Is that…?’
“Stop being stubborn. I happened to be able to come today, but it’ll be hard to do that next time.”
Evan was right.
“I think you’re mistaken about something, but I never asked for help.”
However, no kind words left my mouth.
‘Ah, I can’t help it if I’m being childish.’
I was already offended by being treated like a lost child. Besides, it hurt my pride to receive help from Evan like this after everything.
‘No, I’ve already received a lot of help, but…’
Actually, Magaretta was on my mind.
I didn’t want to walk alone with Evan or anything like that.
“Whew. So you’re saying I should have just left you there?”
Yes, I’d rather you just leave me! Please!
I nodded as if to say please do just that.
“Do that, then. We have nothing to do with each other anyway.”
My voice sounded quite cheerful.
“What? Nothing to do with each other?”
What is there between us? This is ridiculous! I was about to snap back but held it in. Anyway, there were still many things I needed Evan’s help with!
“Ah! The spirit…! I’m truly grateful for that. But Your Highness doesn’t need to help with things like this.”
“Ha… So you’re calling me Your Highness again.”
Evan let out a hollow laugh.