The notoriety of Blackmore does not stem from its environment, but from the people.
A realm amongst realms of magic.
And among these, Blackmore, where an unusually high number of disappearances occur, is so vast that it attracts wanderers and fugitives from across the entire continent.
What does that mean?
It means that those who have lived ordinary lives would not willingly come to Blackmore.
“Suicide?!”
That woman, at a glance, is a noble young lady born into the empire’s upper echelons.
For such a woman to crawl all the way here just to attempt suicide suggests that, regardless of which house she comes from, there must be chaos within it.
Certainly, a missing person report will be filed.
And then an official search will begin.
Were it to end as a simple disappearance, it would be fortunate, but what if her body were ultimately found in Blackmore?
As its nominal overseer, I…
Could I truly escape blame?
“Impossible.”
Knowing this fact, my course of action was glaringly obvious.
I must stop her immediately.
But how?
She’s about to fall if she takes just a few more steps in that direction.
“——”
Ssshwooo——
The sound of the waves crashing against the cliff beyond was intense.
The woman’s hair, standing at the edge, was whipped fiercely by the wind.
At that moment, she smiled.
Our eyes met.
Her gaze was like that of a person who had fallen into a trench of utter despair, a swirling darkness devoid of all light.
Something…
Something is about to happen.
I closed my eyes tightly.
“NO!!”
When I opened my eyes, I had already realized I was running, alone, towards her.
“!!!”
Through the violently shaking vision, the woman’s startled face came into blurry view.
Her eyes were fixed directly on me.
Most of all—
‘She stopped!’
The woman, who had been on the verge of jumping, had ceased her motion.
Her expression revealed sheer astonishment.
It seems my unexpected appearance caught her off guard.
My heart felt as though it was about to burst out of my ribcage.
My breaths were heavy and rushed as they tore through my throat.
Running, and running.
And then…
The distance between us narrows.
“Who…!”
The moment I reached out to her with my right hand, an overwhelming pressure weighed down on the very fabric of time.
Everything was excruciatingly slow.
The wind blew her hair, dirt scattered, and my extended hand moved, all with deliberate slowness.
I could follow every single one of these moments with my gaze.
“Caught…!”
Just as my hand was about to touch her, the startled woman swiftly turned her body away.
“???”
Eh?
Hold on. Wait a second.
Did she just… evade me?
Which means I—
“…?”
All of a sudden, my center of gravity scattered.
At the same time, my body began to tilt in the direction of my outstretched arm.
And…
The thing that lay in that direction was none other than—
“!!!”
…an endless abyss.
“Ah.”
Damn it.
This is just ridiculous.
*
Shuffle, shuffle.
With her silvery hair now disheveled and flying wildly, the girl moved her feet listlessly forward.
Whoosh—!
She briefly looked around.
The sinister fog settled oppressively.
The sheer cliffs.
The densely packed trees.
Ah, it’s just as I’ve heard.
I wouldn’t be able to find traces of people in a place like this, it seems.
“…Hmph.”
Her lips twisted in a disturbing manner.
Her blurred gaze leaked unrestrained madness, and a ferocious smile spread across her expressionless face.
How did I end up like this?
She closed her eyes and methodically recalled the past.
Ludine Carlyle.
The second daughter of the Carlyle Count House, one of the three great guardian families protecting the Northern Continent.
And…
A halfblood.
It’s not really a special story.
One day, the master of the house impulsively engaged in relations with a commoner maid, which resulted, unplanned, in the birth of a girl—just another of those all-too-common tales.
From birth, her name was branded with the label of illegitimacy.
——”My my, how could Lord Count even consider bringing a halfblood into the house?”
——”Oh, poor Countess…”
——”How dare a halfblood of common descent cling to the count’s house as if she has the right!”
No one welcomed Ludine.
Her very existence was considered an unforeseen ‘accident.’
The choices left for her were limited to one.
Either be chased out of the house and wander the streets.
Or endure endless bullying and ostracism to remain within the house.
Ludine chose the latter.
Or rather, she was chosen for it.
She was far too young to make any decisions, and her mother desperately wished to remain within the house.
From then on, Ludine transformed.
She hid herself behind a mask and relentlessly disciplined herself, pushing forward.
She refrained from easily giving her heart to anyone and tirelessly worked without a single day of rest to earn the recognition of her family.
It was a grueling time.
Fuelled by the mockery and shame that constantly surrounded her, she burned her life with relentless intensity.
One day, something snapped.
Her patience, pushed to its absolute limit, finally unraveled.
——”Stand up immediately! The sun is already high in the sky!”
Squeal!
The housekeeper entered the room and slapped her cheek.
The housekeeper, as usual, made no effort to hide her nasty sense of inferiority, buoyed by the unseen support of the countess behind her.
——”I shall punish you for missing the morning greeting.”
——”It would be best if you don’t even consider leaving this room for the next week.”
But this is my room.
It’s not a prison.
——”Oh my, aren’t you hungry? Don’t hesitate and start eating.”
——”Although the food has spoiled a bit, it should be fine, right?”
——”This meal has been thoughtfully prepared for you. You must consume it all without leaving any.”
A laugh escaped her lips.
Anger, hatred, hostility—all these sharp emotions shredded her sanity.
An overwhelming urge to tear this annoying woman into little pieces bubbled up within her.
‘Should I kill her?’
What kind of scream would echo if I embedded a blade into her thin neck?
How far into despair would she sink in the face of death?
A distinct voice, like tinnitus, echoed in her ears.
It urged her towards slaughter, resonating like an echo.
——”So this is how the eating manners of a commoner are, is it!”
Ludine fondled the dagger hidden behind her back.
——”Well, that’s just why a commoner is unacceptable.”
Then, without hesitation, she lifted her right hand.
Swoosh!
And at that moment, the unforeseen happened.
The dagger in her right hand pierced the housekeeper’s neck.
——”GAAAAHHHH!!!”
A blood-curdling scream filled the air.
Ludine, with a deranged expression, mechanically cut, tore, and shredded the housekeeper.
Her eyes were filled with hatred and madness.
It was a gaze as dark as midnight.
Slash! Slash!
Torn flesh flew through the air.
The blood pooled at the floor, forming puddles.
Plop!
The grotesquely mutilated housekeeper collapsed, her pale face against the floor.
“Haaah, haaah…”
Ludine panted.
And upon looking at the now lifeless housekeeper, the emotion she felt was none other than—
“…”
Euphoria.
Deep, euphoric joy.
The next day.
The house was entirely turned upside down by the news of the housekeeper’s death.
Murder?
It was an incomprehensible situation that no amount of explanation could justify.
——”Tsk, cursed girl…”
The count spat out a contemptuous remark.
A halfblood murdering a servant out of unbearable torment?
The moment this scandal entered society, it was evident that the prestige of the Carlyle House would plummet to the ground.
Hence, the count swiftly worked to cover up the situation.
Imposing strict controls on the mouths of those who witnessed the incident.
Beginning to erase any and all traces of Ludine remaining in the house.
Quickly.
And thoroughly.
‘Ah, it’s over.’
Ludine bowed her head and laughed before letting out a scream.
A lifetime of effort had vanished in an instant.
All that remained was a deep pit of despair.
The tangled, dark, and sticky emotions spread their roots and bore fruit.
And in the end,
The verdict for Ludine’s treatment was decided.
——”We exile Ludine Carlyle to Blackmore.”
“Hmph.”
As Ludine trudged through the mountain, she let out a hollow laugh.
Her throat felt scorched as if it had been engulfed by fire.
Grind.
The sound of her grinding teeth rang clearly.
Is this roaring voice mine?
Or is it the anger directed towards the trash of the house?
Probably both.
“…”
After walking for a long time, what awaited Ludine was a cliff that seemed to be cut vertically.
The edge of the cliff.
There was nowhere else to advance or escape.
“There’s no way forward.”
Just as she stood there blankly, someone started approaching, no, running towards her, brimming with magical power.
“???”
A man?
What is a man doing here?
He abruptly extended his hand towards her, as if to grab her.
“Who…!”
Ludine was astonished.
The man’s speed was far too fast.
Did he come here from the house?
But his face was unfamiliar, and more importantly, she sensed no hostility from him.
Whatever it was, at the rate she was going, they were about to collide.
Ludine instinctively twisted her body to avoid the collision.
And then—
“Wha—?”
The man who stretched his hand towards her—
“—!!!”
…tumbled straight off the edge of the cliff.
