Chapter 19
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Chapter 19
* * *
I was straightening my hair in preparation for the Orphanage when shocking news made me bolt upright.
"A landslide on the south side of Agil Mountain?"
Agil Mountain was located in the southern part of Rockton Territory, and beyond the long road that wound beneath the mountain range lay the Bellomen Duchy.
"Rockton Territory is right above the Duchy. So it seems the damage has reached our lands as well."
"If the damage extends all the way to the Bellomen Duchy, the landslide must have been quite severe."
"Yes. The Rockton Territory has requested assistance, saying they lack enough workers for the recovery efforts."
"What about injuries? Are there no casualties?"
"There was so much rain, you see. Since everyone avoided going out, there haven't been many people harmed, or so I've heard."
"'Not many' means there are still people who were hurt, doesn't it?"
"Yes. A carriage traveling on the road beside the collapsed mountain was buried in earth. But that carriage was...."
Riley shook her head as if to say this was tragedy of the highest order, then opened her mouth.
"It belonged to House of Agris."
"What?"
My thoughts froze in an instant. Who was in that carriage right now?
"House of Agris. Well, for some reason, the Marquis of Agris has been traveling throughout the Empire since last year. He acts as though staying in his own territory would bring some great calamity."
Riley added something more, but her words didn't reach my ears.
The Marquis of Agris, who hadn't even bothered to reply to my letters, why of all times....
"Oh no, surely... the Marquis wasn't actually in that carriage, was he?"
Could he have been coming to the Duchy to fetch Amelia? So eager he didn't even have time to write back?
"Is that why he's gathering soldiers?"
"Gathering soldiers? What are you talking about?"
"Sir Gillian seems to be urgently assembling soldiers. He says the carriage must be rescued no matter what. Now that I think about it, unless the person in that carriage is the Marquis of Agris himself... Oh my, Miss. Are you alright?"
Riley caught me as I lost my balance and swayed.
"How could this happen...."
We'd only just begun to meet. Now only happiness should have awaited us.
'It's because of me.'
Because I sent that letter. If I hadn't sent it, the Marquis of Agris wouldn't have come to the Duchy on such a terrible day.
I should have let things unfold as they did in the original story, even if it meant waiting longer.
How could I ever face Amelia now?
I recalled Amelia's bright face. Amelia, who had cast aside all suspicion and believed in me.
'No time for self-recrimination, Lucella. Think instead of Amelia, who must be anxious and alone right now.'
I shook my head vigorously, casting off the negative thoughts.
"Riley, is the Marquis of Agris safe?"
"That hasn't been confirmed yet. The fortunate thing is that the rocks seem to have rolled away from the carriage...."
"Then there's a chance?"
A chance that Claude Agris is alive.
"Pardon?"
I dashed out of the room, leaving Riley tilting her head in confusion.
No matter what happened, I had to save the Marquis of House of Agris.
* * *
I immediately boarded a carriage and headed toward the site of the landslide.
Fortunately, the rain had lightened by then, allowing me to reach my destination without difficulty.
"We've arrived."
As the coachman announced our arrival, I stepped down from the carriage and couldn't help but gasp.
"Good heavens...."
The wide road—broad enough for two carriages to travel side by side—was completely buried under collapsed rocks and earth.
Gillian and the soldiers, who had arrived at the scene early, were shoveling through the debris and setting up reinforcements to prevent further collapse.
"We must rescue them quickly before the rain intensifies!"
Gillian, who had been shouting orders to the soldiers, turned his head as he sensed my presence.
"Miss Rilprey, what on earth are you doing here!"
Upon spotting me, his face twisted in dismay.
"As if things weren't chaotic enough—"
"Move aside."
I pushed past Gillian, who stood in my way, and stepped forward.
Beyond the soldiers working frantically, there was a mountain of earth and splintered wood. The carriage had vanished without a trace—I couldn't even fathom how much had collapsed.
"They can be saved, right?"
I asked, my voice trembling. But Gillian's expression as he looked at me was filled with irritation.
"Stop getting in the way and step back."
"Answer my question! Can they be saved or not!"
"...."
Gillian's gaze, which had been regarding me as an obstacle, shifted. He seemed to have detected something unusual in my demeanor.
"We're doing everything we can."
"I see...."
"If it were someone outside the carriage, I couldn't say, but if it's the Marquis of House of Agris who was inside, there's a chance he may be unharmed."
"Please, let it be so...."
I stood in the rain, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.
I desperately wanted to help, but it was clear that my involvement would only hinder their efforts.
"...."
Gillian stared at my face, but I had no capacity to concern myself with such things.
There had to be something I could do.
After my panicked mind raced frantically, I finally managed to think of one viable solution.
"Where is the nearest village from here?"
"At the end of this road. It would take about ten minutes by carriage."
Upon hearing the answer, I immediately climbed back into the carriage.
"Miss? Where are you going all of a sudden?"
I had no time for explanations. I urged the coachman forward, heading straight toward the village at the end of the road.
* * *
"Ugh...."
Claude Agris opened his eyes, his head throbbing with excruciating pain.
Even with his eyes open, the surroundings remained pitch black—as if his eyes were still closed.
Before long, he managed to recall what had happened moments before.
"A landslide."
The debris from the collapsed mountain was plummeting toward the carriage at a terrifying speed.
Witnessing this, Claude immediately opened the compartment door built into the carriage floor.
The small chamber beneath the carriage was designed as an emergency refuge—a precaution against unexpected attacks or accidents. Thanks to it, Claude had managed to save his life.
The fact that he had no memory of what came after suggested he'd lost consciousness briefly.
"Worth every coin."
Though it seemed he'd injured his head somewhat.
Claude attempted to touch his throbbing head but gave up. The space was far too cramped to move his arms freely, and his muscular frame only made matters worse.
Thinking it best to escape this suffocating compartment, Claude pushed open the door connecting to the carriage interior.
However, the door refused to budge. Waterlogged earth, heavy and dense, blocked it completely.
"We were almost there...."
Once past this stretch, he would reach the Bellomen Duchy. Even accounting for the rain, he'd expected to reach the Büsnie Orphanage by today.
Yet here he was, trapped—with no idea how much time had passed.
"Amelia...."
Claude thought of Amelia, waiting for him at the orphanage.
The child who would have become an orphan had I lost my life.
The thought filled him with gratitude for being alive. Time might pass, but as long as he lived, he could always see Amelia again.
'The question is when I'll be rescued.'
If they knew the person buried beneath the earth was the Marquis of House of Agris, rescue would proceed swiftly. Yet he couldn't guarantee how many hours it would take.
Or perhaps it would take days.
An ordinary person would have panicked, but Claude was not ordinary. He possessed the mental fortitude and physical constitution to remain unbroken even in darkness.
With his eyes closed, he hoped time would pass quickly, while keeping his attention trained outward in case he heard voices searching for him.
When the wait felt unbearably long, he thought of Amelia. He also offered prayers for the coachman and servants who had likely perished due to his urgency.
Yet no matter how many times he repeated this cycle, no voices came searching for him. He couldn't even sense a single ant crawling nearby.
"Sigh."
Claude exhaled slowly.
Trapped in this confined space for so long, oxygen was running thin. On top of that, muscle soreness he hadn't felt before now crept in—the result of rolling around in this cramped compartment.
And it was the depths of winter. There was no escaping the cold that seeped up from the ground.
'If only a bit more air could get through, I could endure this.'
But no matter how hard he pushed or how forcefully he struck with his fists, the door wouldn't budge.
'So I'll meet my brother before I ever find Amelia.'
He sensed that the end of his life was drawing near.
"Woof!"
A presence made itself known not far away. The sound of earth crumbling mixed with the cry of a beast.
'Could it be.'
Has someone come to rescue me?
"Woof woof!"
The moment I thought that, I felt a presence again.
"Over here! This way!"
Claude struck the ceiling with his fist as he shouted.
"Are you alright?"
The voice that came back was a woman's. For some reason, her voice was thick with moisture.
I briefly wondered why a woman had been mobilized for the rescue operation, but Claude raised his voice again.
"Yes. I'm fine!"
"Just wait a moment!"
As soon as the voice cut off, the sound of earth being shoveled returned. A dog's barking could be heard intermittently.
The sound of salvation drew closer to me.
Just a little longer, just a little longer. I repeated this to myself several more times.
As the door in the ceiling opened, dazzling light streamed through.
"Found you!"
Along with the face of a woman whose eyes were glistening with tears.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org