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chapter 6




After dispatching the imperial soldiers on Canary Road, Olivia resumed her journey to the capital – walking proudly . The people who passed her could only hold their breath upon seeing her . It was only natural because her body was covered in blood .
Seeing such a girl looking like that, it wouldn’t be strange if people were to ask what happened . And a few did attempt to do just that .
But eventually, no one dared to speak with Olivia; afraid to be implicated, they chose to silently look away and ignore her . The reason was obvious . A bloody scabbard hung at her waist in full view of all who approached .
And that wasn’t the only reason .
“How much further until the capital–
Uncaring to their reactions, Olivia untucked the string that tied the hemp bag from her shoulder . She let the bag ground against the ground . Its bottom was stained a blackish red .
“U-n . Its actually not that heavy, but its just troublesome to carry after a while . ”
The idea of throwing the contents of the bag did cross her mind . If she did that, the carnivorous beasts would gladly devour it . Without the extra Luggage, she could use the [Swift Feet Technique] . It was quite exhausting so she had to use it sparingly, but it’d also cut down the time to the capital .
“I really shouldn’t though . ” She shook herself
Olivia was reminded of what Zet told her back then .
“For a long time, Humankind has always been a war-like and cruel creature, who’d never hesitate to kill their enemy . Do you understand?”
“Un, don’t worry . I’ll etch it in my mind . ”
“Good . As an example of their cruel nature, humans tend to take the head of their opponent . ”
“Why? Do they like to eat heads?”
“No . As cruel as they are, humans rarely eat each other . ”
“I see . Then why?”
“The only reason . ‘Proof’ of their valor . ”
“Proof…? Humans are really hard to understand . ”
“Indeed, they are… Simply put, it indicates that you have beaten your opponent . ”
“That’s the reason they took their opponent’s heads . ”
“Indeed, it is . A very cruel race, are they not?”
“Fummm . Any other reason?”
“By taking the head of someone else’s enemy, it can be seen that you want to ally yourself with that someone . You will most likely receive some rewards as well . ”
“Redward? Is it a delicious food? Or maybe a book?”
“About that, even I have no clear idea… ”
Humans like to keep the head of their enemy . That’s what Zet told me . Being attacked by those imperial soldiers earlier might’ve been good fortune for me . I’m not really happy with carrying a severed head around like this . But if I bring it to the people of the Kingdom, surely they’ll be pleased . And then, they’ll hire me as a volunteer .
Olivia clasped her fist . With renewed resolution, she hefted the bag back over her shoulder . Beyond Canary Road was a green plateau that people rarely passed through . Instead, small animals began to appear on occasion .   They were most likely attracted by the stench of blood, but they’d run away in a panic once Olivia laid her eyes on them .
I’m not that hungry yet, so I don’t think I should eat any of them…
Thinking so, Olivia continued to walk through the plateau, along a small river . And after a while, a huge fort could be seen in the distance – one that looked fort surrounded with stone walls .
“Waa, amazing!”
Olivia was amazed by how much larger the fort actually was than the Gate of the Underworld . Looking at the top, a huge flag fluttered majestically . If one looked closer, they’d make out a silver cup supported by a gold lion and a silver lion on each side at its center .
Silver chalice . Golden and silver lions…
Olivia thought that she’d seen that emblem somewhere .
Ah… I remember now! That’s the emblem of the Kingdom! So that fort must belong to the Kingdom…
Olivia was pleased but soon turned to the hemp bag . The foul whiff made its way to her nose in between the fresh air of the plateau .
What to do with this? I wonder if it will last until I reach the capital…
Turning her eyes back to the fort, Olivia folded her arms in thought .
— un, it’s decided! I’ll just leave this on the fort as a souvenir before I head to the capital . If it rotted, then they won’t be able to tell if its an imperial soldier’s head or not .
Olivia nodded to herself elated and eagerly proceeded toward the fort . The sun was still high in the sky . At this rate, she’d arrive at the fort come sunset .