Rattle-Rattle-
Inside the resonating carriage, Kraush was massaging his healed arm.
It felt like it was no longer an issue.
He had managed to acquire a suitable sword, so combat shouldnt be problematic either.
Such an idiotic brute.
Kraush cursed Mary as he lifted his head, and up front, he could see the coachman known as Number 15, driving the horses.
Kraush was currently inside a carriage.
And not just any carriage, but one made of bone.
Snore-snore.
Beside Kraush, Ebelasque was snoring away in sleep.
She was, in fact, the owner of this carriage.
Pushing away her head, which kept trying to lean against him, Kraush gazed outside.
Ever since they beca fugitives of the empire.
Ebelasque had no choice but to head to another kingdom.
Hence, after much deliberation, she decided to follow Kraush.
Reminding him that he took her out and thus should take responsibility, Ebelasque had been insistent until Kraush knocked so sense into her and clicked his tongue.
The carriage was a smooth ride, yet he had no particular wish to keep Ebelasque at his side.
How troubleso, this girl.
Knowing her personality too well, the type to strut the mont given an inch, Kraush was contemplating whether to drop her off sowhere when suddenly, the crow sleeping on his knee shot up.
When Crimson Garden possessed another species, her crow form tended to fall asleep like this.
It seed that Crimson Garden had returned.
Child.
Im here.
Responding to Kraush, Crimson Garden turned her head, and her crow form displayed a rather displeased expression.
It seems so trouble has arisen.
What kind of trouble?
The kind that concerns your fiance.
Suspicion dawned in Kraushs eyes.
His fiance could only be Bianca.
Explain in detail.
A man called the Butcher has snuck into Hardenhartz.
Kraushs body tensed up.
Berkman, the Butcher, a madman who committed massacres in the empire and escaped.
Although Kraush knew he was hiding in Starlon, the ntion of Hardenhartz had him springing to his feet.
Bianca?
Thats where the problem is. She went missing after entering the mountain where the Butcher was rumored to have hidden.
Ebelasque!
Huh, eh?!
Kraush yanked on Ebelasques clothes alongside him, forcefully waking her up.
Drooling in her sleep, Ebelasque was bewildered as Kraush shouted at her.
Turn the carriage towards Hardenhartz now!
That day marked the first ti in a while since Kraush had raised his voice since returning to the past.
* * *
The day Bianca returned to Hardenhartz seeking the The White Snow Hot Yang Spore at Kraushs request.
Bianca received a cold reception as expected.
It was a familiar treatnt.
She was the cursed daughter.
The most worthless daughter in Hardenhartz.
Whispers and hushed conversations from servants and maids about her were part of her daily life.
Being the youngest daughter of Hardenhartz was more like a curse to her.
Its been a while.
She hadnt felt it when staying at the Balheim Pine Song Residence.
Now that she was experiencing it again, Bianca realized how comfortably she had lived at the Green Pine Residence.
There, maid Ellie and butler Aliod treated her without whispering anything about her curse.
They cared for her ticulously, never concerned about her being cursed.
Of course, that makes sense.
More than her own treatnt, it was Kraush who received worse treatnt.
In Balheim, it was not the curse but a lack of talent that dragged him into the abyss.
Bianca lifted her head to look out of the window.
Who would have thought she would find the confines of Green Pine Residence more welcoming than her own ho?
Life was truly unpredictable.
I want to go back quickly.
She began to miss Kraush.
Click-clack-click-clack-
At that mont, footsteps were heard approaching.
The sound was familiar to her because it belonged to soone in the family who despised her the most.
A woman three years her senior and now 16 years of age.
Jenica Hardenhartz.
She was none other than Biancas sister.
The instant she saw Bianca, Jenica contorted her snow-white eyebrows.
As if she had seen sothing unpleasant.
Why did you co back?
Jenicas venomous words echoed at the sa ti.
Seeing this, Bianca finally understood why she had felt more at ease with Kraush.
I was the sa as Kraush.
A sense of kinship was there.
The treatnt Jenica gave her was strikingly similar to how Kraush was treated by his siblings.
To Jenica, Bianca was a child born after causing the death of their mother during childbirth.
Despite that, possessing a curse that left her unaware of sorrow, she would just look at Jenicas accumulated hatred and anger with her unpleasantly expressionless face.
Therefore, Jenica despised her.
The girl, who doubted whether she was even human due to her lack of emotions, might just be the curse her mother left behind after all.
Now that she had returned, there was no way Jenica would leave her be.
Ah, I see. You were abandoned by that half-witted fellow from Balheim, werent you? Of course, how would soone as unsettling as you be accepted?
As was her habit, Jenica spat out her venom.
However, to Jenicas surprise, the usually silent Bianca turned to face her for the first ti.
He is no halfwit.
The words uttered by Bianca were completely unexpected.
What?
Kraush is not a halfwit. And I will be returning soon.
Jenica looked at Bianca incredulously, as if she were talking nonsense.
But Bianca was as expressionlessly indifferent as always.
That fact only aggravated Jenica more.
Ah, is that so? Then go right now! This isnt a place where you should be!
I cant go yet.
Hearing her outburst, Bianca objected.
I will go once I find the The White Snow Hot Yang Spore.
The White Snow Hot Yang Spore? Why do you want to find that?
Jenica stared at her in disbelief.
The mushroom, used for raising body temperature, was a natural ingredient of a miracle elixir that could fill ones body with heat for an entire month after just one bite.
Why would she need such a thing?
A mont of consideration allowed Jenica to catch on to one possibility.
You need it for that halfwit, dont you?
For so reason, Bianca was helping Kraush Balheims youngest.
Although the purpose was unknown, everything Bianca did was distasteful to Jenica.
Ah, look for it if you must.
With that, Jenica snorted and spun around, leaving.
The malicious smile on her face was sothing the emotionless Bianca could not quite comprehend.
And so, Bianca looked everywhere for the The White Snow Hot Yang Spore that Kraush had asked her to find.
But no matter how much she searched, she could not purchase it.
The reason was simple.
Firstly, the The White Snow Hot Yang Spore itself was so rare that very few had collected it.
Secondly, it was none other than the sabotage of Jenica.
Unlike Bianca, Jenica, with her eldest brother, was set to lead Hardenhartz.
Her influence within Hardenhartz could be said to be the strongest.
Which is why she instructed the rchants to never sell the The White Snow Hot Yang Spore to Bianca.
It was a truly spiteful act.
Im sorry, Miss Bianca. We dont have any The White Snow Hot Yang Spore in stock.
Therefore, Bianca blinked in surprise as she was turned away from the final rchant.
The two servants following her exchanged uncomfortable glances, knowing all too well what Jenica had done.
For that reason, the two servants who followed Bianca had been instructed by Jenica herself to report everything Bianca was doing.
Is it not available here either?
Bianca was just as troubled.
She had promised Kraush to bring The White Snow Hot Yang Spore, but now it looked like she would return empty-handed.
Having returned to the mansion, she sunk into deep thought.
It seems like Jenica might have interfered.
It was a mistake to have ntioned The White Snow Hot Yang Spore to her. Hoping that Jenica would rather help find it to hasten her departure, it turned out she might have hated Bianca more than expected.
In that case.
Bianca started scouring the books of Hardenhartz.
After pulling out several volus and learning about The White Snow Hot Yang Spore, she nodded to herself.
Hardenhartz is the oldest family in the north.
As such, even the detailed distribution areas of The White Snow Hot Yang Spore were docunted.
Perhaps the rchants didnt disclose the exact location to maintain the price, fearing that the value would drop if everyone knew where to find it.
It might be easier to find than I thought.
With that in mind, Bianca quickly gathered her clothes and belongings.
If no one around her would help, she would simply have to do it herself.
Such a decision was undeniably naive, characteristic of a child.
No matter how mature she was reputed to be due to her scarce range of emotions, she was still only 13 years old.
Her thought process was inclined towards the simplest solution.
Ill find it quickly and co back.
With such fearless determination, she embarked on the mountain hike alone.
Jenica, upon hearing about her actions, wore an incredulous expression.
Is she an idiot? To take the mountains of Hardenhartz so lightly.
She found it incomprehensible.
Its unavoidable for soone born in Hardenhartz to be familiar with the mountains and snow.
However, the mountains of Hardenhartz were not easy places where a 13-year-old child could wander around.
Especially the location where The White Snow Hot Yang Spore was said to exist, deep in the mountain woods.
It was not a place she could reach on her own.
At this rate, the likelihood of her getting stranded was almost certain.
Haa.
Jenica sighed long and heavily.
She wasnt sure why Bianca, who had only ever been interested in reading, was so determined about this.
As much as Jenica disliked her, if Bianca were to beco stranded and die, it would be none the less problematic for Jenica.
She was the fiance of Balheim.
Should Bianca die, causing ties with Balheim to falter, it would be a huge problem.
Tch, Ill just go and fetch her. Assign so knights to .
Yes, understood.
Ultimately, Jenica stood up to go after Bianca, albeit annoyed by the thought of such a troubleso sister.
* * *
In the mountain ranges of Hardenhartz, the Loka Mountain Range.
Bianca was making her way above the snow-covered mountains.
Its quite alright.
She nodded, looking at the shoes she was wearing, which comfortably allowed her to walk over the snow, thanks to being an artifact.
Bianca, with her bag tightly secured, continued moving deeper into the mountain woods.
She intended to find The White Snow Hot Yang Spore before dusk.
Hey!
Suddenly, she heard a sharp shout.
Turning her head, Bianca saw Jenica and two knights standing there.
It seed that Jenica had followed eagerly, as she was exhaling long breaths with a tired expression.
It was because Bianca moved quicker than expected with her short legs.
Due to this, Jenica had to wipe the sweat on her forehead despite the cold winter, breathing heavily.
Are you stupid? You ca into the woods by yourself to find The White Snow Hot Yang Spore because its not available?
She scolded Bianca, visibly annoyed.
But the real surprise was for Bianca.
You stopped the sales, didnt you?
Bianca ca into the woods precisely because Jenica had obstructed the distribution of The White Snow Hot Yang Spore.
It was hard enough to find, to begin with.
With Jenica blocking it, there was nowhere in Hardenhartz to acquire The White Snow Hot Yang Spore.
She had co to find it herself, yet now Jenica was getting worked up over it.
Ah, do you think I ca here out of care for you? If you, the fiance of Balheim, get stranded and die, it would sever the ties between Balheim and Hardenhartz!
Bianca realized this upon hearing those words.
Indeed, in a sense, she was an important figure within Hardenhartz.
A token of the trade between the families.
Bianca herself had not thought that far.
Follow . Ill give you what you want and send you back promptly.
With that, Bianca turned around as well.
She had no intention of taking unnecessary risks, provided she could get The White Snow Hot Yang Spore.
However, there was one thing she wanted to ask.
Jenica, why did you co here yourself?
What?
Jenica wore a confused expression.
Just by looking at her ragged attire and the sound of her heavy breathing, it was clear she had hurriedly co.
To find Bianca, it would have been sufficient for the mountain-savvy knights to form a search party.
Hence, there was no reason for her to climb the mountain herself.
You say you ca for the family, but youre not usually so concerned about family matters. You could have sent just a search party.
Even if she was residing in Hardenhartz, it made no differenceJenica was still just the second child.
Due to the characteristics of male-centric Hardenhartz, the eldest son could worry about the family affairs.
If her eldest brother had co searching for her, Bianca wouldnt have found it strange.
But it was Jenica who ca, the second child.
To Bianca, it was odd that Jenica, who seed to despise her so much, had co in person.
Since Bianca was devoid of emotions, she had struck precisely at the place where Jenica had intruded.
Jenica pursed her lips, montarily troubled by the jab.
Then her face twisted in anger.
What does it matter? Thats just what I felt like doing.
But sowhere deep within Jenica, sothing stung sharply in contrast to that angry face.
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