Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The Daughter Has Returned from Hell
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"Well, bon appétit!"
In the shabby inn room, the young maid cried out happily. The starving child Uni had started eating before even the Young Lady, and Lena watched her for a moment before turning her eyes to one corner of the room.
"Thank you, Mr. Rin. For going out of your way like this."
The person Lena was thanking was the owner of this cramped room. It was the young man who had helped her and Uni earlier—Rin. He sat on the worn sofa with his legs crossed, watching the two of them with an awkward expression.
"...I really didn't think you'd actually follow me."
"Huh?"
When Rin spoke as if it were absurd, Lena looked back at him in surprise.
"Didn't you say to follow you if we had nowhere to go...?"
"That doesn't mean you should just follow a stranger..."
"We introduced ourselves, though..."
"Knowing just a name means we're basically still strangers..."
The two mumbled to each other, both wearing troubled expressions at the difference in their thinking. As Lena said, it had been Rin who told them to follow. He couldn't just leave the girls who had nearly been kidnapped, he couldn't trust the useless guards, and besides, night was falling, so he'd told them to come along for now. Even so, he was inwardly flustered that Lena had actually followed. On top of that, the place he was staying wasn't even a regular home—it was an inn. When Rin made a dubious face, Lena murmured in a voice as if the sky were falling.
"If you're telling us to leave again..."
"No, that's not it."
As Lena's voice started to quiver, Rin hurriedly waved his hands.
"I just meant it was unexpected. Don't feel uncomfortable."
"You're the one making us uncomfortable, then telling us not to."
"Uni, shh."
Uni had been chattering away but quieted at the Young Lady's rebuke. Even so, she glared at Rin defiantly while chewing her bread. Since it was a fair jab, Rin meekly backed down and changed the subject.
"You said you're the daughter of Marquis Rubel?"
"Yes."
"I've never heard anything about the marquis having a daughter."
When Rin spoke as if he knew something, Lena paused and set down her bread. Then she smiled with a wounded expression.
"Officially, yes, but people in the know would know. That the family has a daughter."
Rin's brow furrowed at Lena's confession.
'An unofficial daughter—illegitimate?'
Why would such a daughter show up in these times? Thinking it strange, Rin asked again.
"But why are you alone? Didn't the marquis send anyone with you?"
"Well, my father doesn't even know I'm coming to see him right now."
Rin was at a loss for words at Lena's answer. An illegitimate daughter—not even a normal one—going to see her father uninvited? In these times, no less? Rin wondered if he'd understood correctly.
"You're going to meet the marquis even though he didn't call for you?"
"Yes."
"Who gave you permission?"
"Permission?"
Lena blinked at the word permission, as if she had no idea why it would be needed. Thanks to that, Rin fell into deep thought. He couldn't tell if the marquis's lady in front of him was real or fake, but one thing was certain. This young lady was hopelessly naive. Going like this, she'd obviously be turned away at the door. No, if she was just turned away, that'd be lucky. The marquis might try to bury his sudden embarrassment for good. Half-doubting, Rin asked again.
"Do you even know where the marquis is right now?"
"He should be at the imperial palace. The founding anniversary is soon, after all."
"Then where are you headed right now?"
"To the imperial palace, naturally."
At Lena's shy answer, Rin felt an indescribable dizziness.
"...How about going back home?"
"Huh?"
"You might be one thing, but that little one is pitiful."
"Huh?"
Uni looked up with her spoon to her mouth as her name came up. Rin, seeing her innocent face, made up his mind and spoke.
"I don't know the details, but the capital is way worse than here. Even if you luckily make it to the palace, there's no guarantee the marquis will see you, and the palace isn't exactly...kind either. The same thing that happened earlier could happen again there."
"Y-You don't need to worry that much. We've managed fine so far."
"You have some secret weapon?"
"Not really, but I think it'll be okay. No matter how rough the world is, there are more kind people than bad ones."
"So in the end, you're saying you'll rely on others' help—and that's even more dangerous."
"More dangerous how?"
"Because you stand out, you."
Lena tilted her head. With a face that knew nothing. So Rin, after hesitating, said it straight.
"You're pretty."
"Oh..."
Lena's cheeks flushed at the blunt assessment. But Rin wasn't complimenting her beauty.
"Because of that, you draw attention easily, become a target easily, and could be sold for a high price easily."
Rin's voice remained low and quiet. But at those sharp words—especially the part about being sold for a high price—Lena's eyes wavered. Rin continued without caring.
"Some might demand payment for helping you."
Payment for help—he'd said it too vaguely. But he couldn't say outright in front of the child that they might demand her body. Still, Lena seemed to understand perfectly. Her face stiff, she thought for a moment, then looked back at Rin and asked.
"Then, Mr. Rin, will you demand payment from me too?"
"No."
Rin denied it firmly. But it wasn't enough. Lena already looked scared.
'Damn.'
Rin regretted it too late. He'd been thoughtless. To that lady, he was a strange man, and she'd followed him smiling all the way to the inn—he hadn't minced his words. Rin tried to deny it again but closed his mouth. With her guard already up, saying no wouldn't help. But leaving it like this would make the night uncomfortable. Rin agonized, then stood from the sofa. He saw Lena flinch, but pretended not to notice and approached casually. Then he unfastened the dagger at his waist and placed it on the table where Lena sat.
"What's...this?"
"A safety measure."
Lena's eyes widened at the unexpected words. As she stared blankly, Rin added.
"Use it if you need to."
"...How?"
"Stab me if I come near."
Rin answered clearly and returned to the sofa. Lena looked back and forth between the dagger she'd taken almost reflexively and Rin, who had put distance between them. A smile gradually spread across the hesitant lady's lips. Only after confirming her fear had faded did Rin relax. Lena, who had been smiling secretly, said softly.
"You too, Mr. Rin."
"What are you talking about?"
"That you're pretty."
Rin's expression turned strange. But Lena didn't back down.
"You're pretty too, Mr. Rin."
"What the..."
Rin was at a loss for words. Pretty out of nowhere—why was she suddenly saying such odd things? Rin stared at her in bewilderment, but Lena's eyes remained purely innocent.
'Is she a bit slow?'
Rin thought unconsciously and was shocked. Because his guess was too plausible. Otherwise, how could a grown lady be this clueless about the world and so naive? At that heavy hypothesis, Rin's gaze wavered. But Lena seemed utterly unaware of his thoughts—or even her own situation and position—and simply smiled prettily.
. . . By the time Lena and Uni finished eating, it was already night. As it grew dark outside, Rin took off his outer coat and said.
"I'll sleep on the sofa, so you two take the bed."
"Won't that be uncomfortable for you?"
A worried voice came back, but Rin didn't turn that way. It was because of Lena in her white nightgown. It had long sleeves, but Rin felt uncomfortable seeing her like that. So he pretended not to notice, dimmed the lantern, and stretched out on the sofa. As the room darkened, Lena and Uni rustled into the bed. A while later, in the darkness, Lena's whisper came.
"Mr. Rin, are you asleep?"
Rin didn't answer. But Lena whispered on regardless.
"Thank you so much for today."
"...Enough."
"I was a little surprised. You're the first person to help without demanding anything in return."
Rin started to reply half-heartedly but stopped. He felt a cold weight in Lena's confession. If this was her first taste of help without strings, had she always paid a price before?
"There were a lot. People who approached thinking I was just naive. But the truly naive ones are people like that."
It was a detached voice. As Rin stayed silent, Lena changed her tone and whispered.
"More than that, Mr. Rin, helping just anyone like this is dangerous for you."
"This isn't the time to worry about me..."
"You really are pretty, Mr. Rin."
Lena whispered with a laugh, and Rin finally let out a chuckle. As Rin laughed, Lena asked even more gently.
"What do you do, Mr. Rin?"
"Just this and that."
"You seem to be staying here temporarily— are you heading to the capital, by any chance?"
Lena's guess was spot on. This city was the gateway to the capital, so it wasn't a hard inference. Rin paused without answering, then subtly drew a line.
"I'm telling you now, I can't take you with me."
"So you are going to the capital.... You don't need to take me. We're going the same way anyway, right?"
She must mean she'd follow on her own. Rin swallowed a wry smile at her bold ambition.
"Sorry, but I have business here."
"Business?"
"...It's late. You must be tired—go to sleep."
Rin grew a bit embarrassed at the string of questions. Unable to reveal his identity, he cut the conversation short. With that, the talk ended, and the night fell silent again.
. . . And in the deeper night, Lena, who had been lightly asleep, opened her eyes at a rustle.
"Shh."
A man was looking down at her from right in front. It was Rin. Lena saw him close up in the darkness and asked softly.
"Should I stab now?"
"...No."
As Lena grabbed the dagger by her bedside, Rin quickly denied it.
"Hide under the bed."
The moment Rin said something incomprehensible, a creaking sound came from outside. Footsteps on the hallway floorboards.
"Hurry."
Rin shoved Lena and the still-sleeping Uni under the bed. Right after, the door burst open roughly.
"Where are they, you...!"
The shout cut off abruptly, replaced by dull thuds. Thump, thud, crash, crunch. Rin had charged the moment the door opened, and the intruders were beaten senseless in the dark.
"Stop, you bastard! Before we burn this place down!"
Suddenly, the room lit up. They must have hurriedly lit a hidden lantern. In its light, the identities of the nighttime visitors were as expected. It was the thugs who had approached Lena earlier today. Rin sighed at their persistence and warned them.
"Get out while I'm asking nicely."
The men, already roughed up, ground their teeth.
"Hand over the woman."
"What woman?"
"The woman you took!"
"You're talking in your sleep."
As Rin clicked his tongue, the leader-like man gnashed his teeth.
"You'll regret this, you damn bastard."
The man drew his dagger. Rin stepped back, but he didn't pursue. Instead, he deeply slashed his own palm with the blade. At the unexpected action, Rin's eyes widened in shock.
'No way...'
While Rin recoiled, bright red blood dripped down. With it came a foul sulfur stench. Soon, thick smoke billowed, and within it, some shape rapidly grew. Realizing what was happening, Rin raged.
"You idiots!"
But the men just cackled. It was laughter oddly heightened to hide their fear. Amid the surging ominousness, an unfamiliar being revealed itself. It stood on four legs. At a glance, it looked like a crouched human, but closer inspection revealed something indescribably grotesque—like a dog's body with a human head.
"Urk!"
Rin gritted his teeth at the lava-like smell stinging his nose. Fools—they had opened the path to the grave. Just to take one woman, they'd sacrificed their blood to summon a wraith from the abyss. Grasping the situation, Rin reached for the sword hanging on the wall. At the same time, the wraith with open eyes lunged. Clang! He blocked with the sheathed sword before he could even draw it. As the wraith shattered the sheath with its teeth, Rin kicked it away with a low sweep. While the wraith was pushed back, Rin righted his stance. As his eyes cooled coldly, the wraith swelled with fury. The men cheered like spectators. That was when it happened.
"Stop it!"
With a piteous plea, a swath of white cloth rushed into the middle of the room. It was Lena.
"Get out of the way!"
Rin shouted at Lena, who blocked his path. But Lena didn't listen.
"Please, don't fight."
Rin felt dizzy at Lena's plea, while the men burst into laughter. Even the wraith growled, and the man who'd shed blood raised a hand to stop it, saying enjoyably.
"Miss, being naive is fine, but you need to read the room. If you get hurt, that'd be trouble for us too."
"You're the naive ones."
"What?"
"Stop now. This kind of coercion and violence won't be forgiven."
"Ha!"
The man laughed as if it were ridiculous at Lena's warning.
"You dimwit, getting all high and mighty because some guy's backing you."
It was more like baring his teeth.
"Shut up and move, before I kill you."
Having opened the gates of hell, the man was gripped by cruel impulses. He thirsted. He wanted to paint the woman in front of him with blood.
"Lena, stop!"
As the man's breathing grew rough, Rin shouted. He'd rather have dragged her away himself, but he couldn't move rashly with the wraith right there.
"I can't let you get hurt because of me."
"Now's not the time to worry about...!"
"Fine, I get it—so both of you die!"
The man couldn't hold back anymore and yelled. At the same time, the wraith kicked off the floor.
"Lena!"
Rin lunged, but he couldn't be faster than the four-legged wraith. In the end, the wraith pounced on Lena. Her white nightgown rippled as black blood droplets scattered into the air. Feeling chilling terror, Rin desperately reached out to catch her. But then, the shaking nightgown didn't crumple—it rose again. Like rain-soaked grass blades springing back, supple and vigorous. Instead, something dark poured down. The wraith's severed head. Rin caught it reflexively, then recoiled in horror and threw it away. He looked up. Lena Rubel was shaking the blood from her dagger. Bathed in moonlight, tall and unbowed. Rin stared at her, breath held. Everyone else did the same. As gazes poured in, Lena said in an embarrassed voice.
"You're all so surprised."
Then, smiling, she added.
"Really, you're all so naive."