/
Like a cat lurking atop the tree, she stood on a branch and looked down.
The number of monsters was higher than she thought.
She pulled a handful of poisoned arrows from the dead goblin’s quiver. Then, she held it tight as she infused it with mana.
Boom, boom, boom!
It was her first time infusing mana into arrows, but the effect wasn’t all that bad.
She shot as many as she could, but because her aim was terrible, most of them were shot to the ground. Several goblins could be seen grabbing their foreheads as their shoulders quivered.
They might not be able to fight for a while because they were shot with poisoned arrows.
Radis looked at her sword.
Red flames burned through it as though it was a wooden rod on fire.
The way she infused mana into the arrows was also a test to see how much mana she could push out.
‘I don’t feel like I’m running out of mana.’
With her swordsmanship reaching this level because of the training she had undergone in her previous life paired with rich mana that seemingly had no end to its supply, Radis herself couldn’t guess just how she was.
“Then just once, I’ll have to use as much as I can.”
Radis took her sword right away.
The flames surrounding the iron sword burned scarlet red.
Then, she jumped right in the middle of the fray of demonic monsters.
Although it’s said that goblins weren’t afraid of fire, the flame in front of them was different from a torch.
Even far from them, their skin burned even before it touched them.
Instinctively sensing this danger, with a squeal, the goblins tried to retreat.
However, Radis had no intention of letting these guys do that.
The sword’s burning blames spread out into several parts. The monsters burned starting with their faces, and soon, their flesh and bones melted.
With terrible screams of agony, the scarlet flames bloomed as they devoured their black blood.
The dance of flames ended only after all the visible monsters had died.
Radis staggered down and sat on the ground, breathing heavily.
She intended to use up her mana until it ran out, and it certainly felt that way now.
“I extended it everywhere, so if I was still full of mana, I’d be nothing but a monstrous freak.”
Using the iron sword that was about to crumble, she dug through the scorched flesh of the goblins, where she could still feel demonic energy.
Today’s harvest was plentiful.
Goblins were a little intelligent and, proportional to the difficulty of hunting them, the quality of mana stones that could be taken from them was quite good.
Radis enthusiastically filled her pants and coat pockets with the mana stones she took.
And when she walked while feeling the mana stones clinking together, she felt proud.
In her previous life, the mana stones she had only passed through her pockets, but now, these mana stones were going to be her own funds.
“And
”
She recovered the remains of the victims in the corner of the outhouse.
Tragically, some of the bones appeared to have belonged to children
She was heartbroken about the fact that she was too late.
She picked up a crude sword that was left on the floor, dug the grounds shallowly and buried the remains.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you.”
Radis stabbed the iron sword, which was already about to crumble, into the ground to serve as a tombstone.
After that, the shattered wooden fence was burned up.
Drenched in the black blood of monsters, Radis sat on a boulder and watched the burning outhouse, muttering to herself.
“Right
 The full-fledged subjugation. It hasn’t started yet.”
As far as she knew, the imperial subjugation started during the year 495.
So Robert wasn’t the subjugation squad’s commander yet.
‘It’ll be three years later.’
The current imperial subjugation squad without Robert was famous in itself.
Around this time, hunting monsters were solely up to each territory’s own independent subjugation squad.
Naturally, subjugation squads formed in this way prioritized protection and monster eradication in their own territories and the surrounding areas, so outhouses like this and small villages in the outskirts were at the brunt of danger.
After confirming that the embers swallowing up the monster corpses had subsided, Radis stood up.
Well, she also didn’t want to catch a cold, so she headed to the place she found the other day.
It seemed to be a rest stop built by the villagers to stay in while they were travelling back and forth, but there was even a heater, some firewood and a small tub, so she could take a quick soak here.
The horse she had ridden from the Marquisate was also tied here.
After Radis boiled some water, she was lost in thought while waiting for the sticky monster blood to be washed away.
‘If this second life continues, I should do more than before. If I become even stronger
 Can I change the future?’
Radis rubbed her skin to wash away the dried blood.
Then, smooth skin could be seen.
Radis was amazed after seeing this, and she looked around her body.
“Did I get immune from demonic energy? Is that even possible?”
No matter how low-ranked the monsters she encountered earlier, since she had been so covered in their blood like this, she should have felt some symptoms of its toxicity. But she felt no such thing.
“Is it because I’m eating and resting properly?”
Radis had no desire to suffer from demonic energy poisoning in this life.
That’s why, if necessary, she thought of selling her mana stones and going to a temple to receive a purification ceremony.
However, strangely, she couldn’t feel any adverse effects of the demonic energy.
“Certainly, it should be because I ate and rested well.”
Sitting in the tub, Radis smiled happily.
Then, she recalled Berry last night, hinting at today’s snack.
“But what’s a banoffee pie?”
Brendon’s desserts were all so new to her, but what they all had in common was that everything was delicious, to the extent that rationality would disappear.
After emptying a plate and following it with a cup of black tea, it felt like she’d been born again.
Perhaps sweet desserts were as effective as a priest’s purification ceremony.
Not being able to stand it any longer, Radis jumped up from her bath.
“Ah, I can’t anymore! I’m hungry
!”
After meticulously drying herself off and dressing back up, she climbed on the horse’s back and headed back to Marquis Russell’s estate.
But then again, when Yves Russell heard that Radis had taken another night stroll unaccompanied, he burst out into a raging fit. However, Allen blocked the Marquis from going to her, saying that he shouldn’t wake up Radis.
·
·
·
9.Tragedy & Comedy
“Goodness, goodness!”
Early one morning, Yurhi woke up suddenly, startled by the sound of agonized sighs from the other room.
“Mom?”
Yurhi gently opened the door to the couple’s bedroom.
In her nightgown, Margaret was sitting blankly at the edge of the bed.
Her hair was a mess and her nightcap was off to the side. All the while, her mouth was gaped open. Her eyes weren’t focused.
Seeing her mother’s appearance like this, Yurhi felt her heart plummeting to the ground.
“Mom!”
Yurhi ran straight to Margaret’s side and hung on her lap.
Because Yurhi plopped down with such force, Margret’s jutted chin was quivering, and Yurhi was shocked to see this. But—no, that might not be the cause.
“Mom, mom! What’s wrong, Mom?!”
“
That man
”
“Mom?”
“That damn man took the money again
!”
Margaret wrapped both her hands over her face.
“That rotten man! AAHH, that man should have broken his neck, not his leg in that accident! Damn Tilrod! No use to anyone at alllll!”
Hearing her mother’s outburst, Yurhi was so shocked that it almost felt like lightning had struck her. Yurhi was also a Tilrod.
If Margaret had even an ounce of rationality right now, she would have seen Yurhi’s expression.
However, Margaret was so out of her mind with anger that she didn’t see how she broke her daughter’s heart.
Without any reason left, her mouth shot off and poured out one curse after another.
“It’s a perfectly hopeless family from the beginning. Nothing but dogs given the honor of being a contributor to the empire’s founding. This f*cking house that has nothing else but pride! That scoundrel Jade is the same. He can’t even use both legs, but what, he’s living in two houses? Immortal love, my a*s. Just get hit by lightning!”
Margaret’s unfocused gaze then slowly shifted to Yurhi.
And, she finally said something that should not have been said.
“If it weren’t for you
!”
Shaking at the words, Yurhi just collapsed right there.
Yurhi’s lips were quivering and tears silently poured out of her green eyes.
Just a little, Margaret came to her senses after seeing her daughter’s tears.
However, it wasn’t enough for her to raise the child to her feet, to say sorry, or to take back her words.
This was because, at this moment, she sincerely wished that she had no children.
“I shouldn’t have given birth to you. When I noticed that flower shop b*tch, I should have returned to the Cowen family back then. AHHH! If it weren’t for you children, I wouldn’t have done that!”
Margaret tore her own hair as hard as she could.
“You ruined my life! YOU shackled me to this disgusting Tilrod family!”
Yurhi started to bite her fingertips.
“’M sorry, ‘m sorry, please fo’give me, Mom
”
After hearing Yurhi’s broken pronunciation, Margaret looked up from being so crouched.
And seeing how her daughter was sobbing while chewing her fingertips, she pulled her daughter into her embrace.