I Kidnapped the Hero's Women-Chapter 198: Guilt and such (15)

"Everywhere, the guards are spread out."

"This is bad. We should have left before the Emperor's sister arrived."

"Emperor’s sister...?"

As we left the inn and looked around, the chaos was apparent.

Guards and even palace guards had gathered, filling the streets.

It seemed the emergency had been declared due to the Emperor's sister running away.

It appeared that they were detaining every passerby, questioning them.

Questioning itself wasn’t the issue.

The problem was wasting time with the questioning, and in the meantime, the crack could be discovered.

If the guards kept searching like this, it was only a matter of time before the crack was found.

I should have left before meeting the Emperor’s sister when she was still a child.

Although I thought about that, meeting her had helped me adapt to the Spirit King’s eyes, so it wasn’t all bad.

‘Could it be that the Emperor’s sister’s deep affection for children came from me...?’

I hadn’t even imagined that.

I had thought her love for children was just a setting in the original game.

But now, it seemed like it might have been influenced by my return to the past.

My head was starting to ache.

Maybe what’s meant to happen will happen, after all.

Contact with the Emperor’s sister was inevitable, but now I truly needed to be cautious.

"If we wait for the guards to disperse, it will never end."

"So, what do you suggest?"

"Let’s break through."

"..."

"What do you think?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

For a moment, I was lost for words at Sylvia’s outrageous suggestion, but then I realized it was the only option.

We couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

Considering Sylvia’s physical ability, breaking through was the fastest and most likely successful strategy.

"Let’s go."

"Yes, Master!"

In an instant, Sylvia scooped me up and dashed off.

"Hey! The girl carrying an adult man! Stop!"

"Stop right now and respond to the questioning!"

Guards yelled angrily from all directions.

Ignoring them, Sylvia passed by and turned down an alley.

I could hear the sound of the guards chasing after us, getting louder.

The guards’ panting breaths faded, but the palace guards seemed to be getting closer.

At this rate, they’d catch us.

"Sylvia! Jump straight into the crack!"

"Yes!"

At the end of the alley, a dead-end, I noticed the crack was still wide open.

We needed to get rid of it before it was discovered.

Following my orders, Sylvia didn’t slow down and ran straight into the crack.

...

"Where did they go?"

"Did they jump over the wall?"

"They’re not here!"

"They’re not here either, Captain!"

The palace guards arrived at the dead-end after chasing us, bewildered.

The adult man and the girl carrying him had been right in front of them.

But after turning a corner, they had disappeared completely.

"Did we see things...?!"

Had they fallen for an illusion spell?

It seemed like the Princess had done something to distract their attention.

The captain clicked his tongue and turned around.

"Find the Princess quickly! If we don’t, it’s death for us..."

"Captain! The Princess has already returned to the palace!"

"What...?"

She had returned before we found her?

The Princess had run away from the palace, wandered around the outskirts, and returned to the palace, while we hadn’t even found her?

We’re dead.

The captain and his men turned pale.

"We’ve arrived, Master."

"..."

"Master?"

I clearly remembered crossing through the crack, but no matter how I looked around, I couldn’t find Aslan.

Did we get separated while crossing over?

Just as Sylvia’s breathing became heavier,

"Ah!?"

I felt something stir underneath me, and jumped up in surprise.

Only then did I notice Aslan emerging from under Sylvia.

Had I been sitting on top of him...?

He would probably complain about how heavy I was and how unnecessarily big my butt was.

Sylvia’s face turned bright red as she tightly shut her eyes.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"Ah? Yes?"

"It looks like you’re fine. That’s a relief."

"..."

Aslan quickly scanned Sylvia’s body with his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief.

He was such a caring Master.

Even after a month, it was still hard to get used to his treatment.

"Ha..."

Aslan reflected on the feeling of Sylvia pressing against him, looking around.

It was definitely a wasteland.

Even someone insensitive to mana would feel suffocated by the mana concentration here, and the entire land was barren, with not a single plant in sight.

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"This place... is not far from the fortress city."

"Then let’s head toward the fortress city. If we’ve come to the right place, a mana storm will hit soon."

"Yes... It seems we’ve come to the right place."

Sylvia looked toward the mountains, her lips trembling.

From deep within the wasteland, ominous clouds were gathering.

It was a mana storm.

But somehow, it seemed bigger and more intense than the mana storm from a month ago.

Maybe it was just my imagination.

Or perhaps it had been reduced in size due to the erosion of memories.

Aslan decided not to worry about it.

For now, he decided to walk toward Aster.

Fortunately, Sylvia was good at navigating and could easily recognize the location with a quick glance.

If she said Aster wasn’t far, we’d be there soon.

"So, how long will it take to walk?"

"About half a day, I think."

"..."

Upon hearing her answer, Aslan’s mind stopped working.

Half a day on foot?

No way.

Sylvia seemed serious, and that only made Aslan more terrified.

For me, if it’s half a day, that means I could walk all day and still not make it.

"Pick me up, Sylvia!"

"No. Again? Please walk on your own this time. You’ll get bedsores."

"Do you think my body can handle half a day of walking?!"

"You’ll have to endure. Consider it a training."

"If training could make me strong, anyone could get strong like you. My body can’t do that."

"Save your complaints, and you’ll walk much faster."

"Ugh, fine."

Just as Aslan was about to protest, Sylvia suddenly gestured for him to hide behind a rock.

"...?"

Without a moment’s hesitation, Sylvia scooped Aslan up and rushed behind a large rock.

What was going on?

From the direction of the fortress city, a cart was slowly approaching.

The cart stopped not far from the rock.

Two drivers got off and began lighting a cigarette.

"Do they have time to smoke? A mana storm is coming."

"Who cares? We’re dropping off the weapon and turning back immediately."

"True. But why are we sending this weapon into the mana storm?"

"Shh. He doesn’t even know it’s a mana storm. He’s been abandoned. The hero project was canceled. It’s better to get rid of these dangerous weapons rather than keep feeding them."

"Ha. How pitiful."

The drivers sighed sympathetically.

‘Weapon,’ as though talking about a living being. What did that mean?

Aslan turned his head, bewildered, only to notice Sylvia shaking uncontrollably, her pupils dilated.

"Sylvia?"

"Ah."

Weapon. Hero project.

These were all familiar words.

Could it be? No, surely not.

As Sylvia shook her head in denial,

the cart’s compartment creaked open.

From the sealed box, a shabby-looking girl emerged.

"Wait. We’ve come to the wrong place, Sylvia."

"Ah..."

"Sylvia. Focus. We’re in the wrong place. This isn’t a month ago. This is much earlier."

"Ah..."

"Shit."

The girl emerging from the box looked exactly like Sylvia.

Long reddish-brown hair, slender limbs.

The only difference was that this Sylvia’s eyes were emotionless and empty.

This wasn’t the past from a month ago.

It was the past from about seven years ago.

Aslan realized the mistake and called out to Sylvia, but she was already lost in thought.

"Arrival, weapon. Just a moment. Number three weapon, right?"

"Is this where I’m supposed to carry out my final mission?"

"Yes, that’s what they said. Good luck. And... I’m sorry."

"Sorry...?"

The drivers, looking grim, got back into the cart and left.

Sylvia, the younger version of her, tilted her head in confusion, then quickly moved toward the mana storm.

"Sylvia. Answer me. Quickly!"

"I... I remember now..."

"Remember what?"

"My final mission... I came to the wasteland for a very important task... I don’t remember clearly, but I do know I was supposed to go deep into the wasteland... At that time, I was just moving forward to complete my mission when someone interfered..."

"..."

As Sylvia spoke, her lips trembling,

her eyes met Aslan’s.

"Could it be...?"

"..."

During her final mission, the younger Sylvia was blocked by Vermont and his hired swordsman.

And after a brutal battle, she was forced to kneel and have a seal engraved on her neck.

Now, Aslan realized who those mysterious figures were.