“Celine, let’s go. Huh?”

“No! Mom, come with us!”

While the mother, smiling as she tried to stand amidst the debris, refused, what she handed over to Celine was a necklace.

“Come on, Celine. Take it quickly.”

“What is this?”

“If you wear this necklace around your neck, even the wolves won’t harm you. So…”

“Mom!”

As flames surged fiercely, the building collapsed. The last image of her mother was handing over the necklace, and the necklace became the last item her mother left behind.

“Here, catch!”

They ran to avoid the flames. Although they escaped from the fire pit, disasters continued throughout the village. A scream, as if torn apart, echoed every time the knights clad in armor swung their swords. Even if she covered her ears, screams still resounded from all directions.

“Ugh…!”

The vision gradually blurred with acrid smoke and pouring tears. Amidst that, one thing was still clearly visible. It was a man standing behind the knights.

“!”

The wind blew off the man’s hood. Amidst the flames rising everywhere, only the blond hair and blue eyes of the man standing in the center were clearly visible.

However, in stark contrast to his flamboyant appearance, the man’s eyes, watching the scene of slaughter, were incredibly cold. That was the last memory of that day.

“Mom, Dad…! Lena! Gio!”

When I regained consciousness, what I felt was not a sense of relief at being alive but a profound sense of despair at being left alone. The village had completely turned into ashes, and everyone, from family and friends who laughed and chatted together until yesterday to neighbors, had all died.

Why did they suddenly kill us? What did we do wrong?

Even as I desperately ran away, I felt unjust, angry, and sad.

I could tell that the man with blond hair and blue eyes had orchestrated everything.

However, I didn’t know the man’s identity or the reason why the village was suddenly attacked.

Although I was alive, it didn’t feel like living. The village had disappeared without a trace, but I couldn’t escape from there. I spent time alone, picking up the remaining food and sleeping alone in the corners of the buildings that had turned into ruins.

“Well, they burned it down really ruthlessly.”

It was not until not long ago that I would meet a man there.

“My lord. You should leave now. You need to move your body diligently to meet the schedule for the reincarnation festival.”

“Yeah, yeah. Wait a minute. They said the whole village was burned down because of treason. Isn’t this interesting? I’m sure there’s a feeling of something fun here.”

At the mention of treason, my body trembled involuntarily. However, it was only for a moment, as the man who sensed my presence hid behind the building discovered me.

“What? There’s a living one?”

“…!”

Although his voice was lively, the atmosphere was not. Instinctively sending a signal to run away, unfortunately, my two legs, which had already lost their strength, wouldn’t move.

“Hmm? But the face…”
The man cleared his disheveled hair from his face and stared at me as if trying to see through me. At the same time, a playful smile appeared on the man’s face, reminiscent of when he saw the village.

“Look at this. A very familiar face, isn’t it? Do you have a family?”

“……. ”

“Can’t speak?”

The man, who had been tilting his head, soon noticed the necklace hanging around my neck. As his hand approached the necklace, my body finally moved. I stepped back a few paces from the man. However, the man, after seeing the necklace, raised the corners of his mouth.

“What? Is it real? A real heirloom?”

Heirloom?

Although I was confused by the man’s words, I had to protect the only memento left by my mother. Then, my voice came out.

“Don’t, don’t touch it. It was given by our mom.”

“Yeah, yeah. Mom’s, huh? Honestly, who would have thought that the Grand Duchess was still alive?”

The man seemed not to have the intention of taking away the necklace. He approached me a little more, bent his knees, and leveled his eyes with mine. Smiling, the man pointed at the necklace.

“Mom said she gave it. So, do you know what this is?”

“……. ”

“It’s the crest of the Helfire Grand Duchy.”

Grand Duchy?

Living in a rural village, I didn’t bother to learn about nobility or titles. However, I knew that the Grand Duchy held a very high rank.

“Is your mom’s name Marion?”

“No, it’s not.”

“Well, really? Anyway, she probably used a pseudonym.”

“……. ”

“But no matter how you look at it, you look so much like Helfire. Even a stranger would recognize it at a glance.”

Helfire, Grand Duchy, Marion. The man’s words, whose identity and the reason why the village was suddenly attacked were unknown, made my head spin. As if reading my mind, the man neatly organized the information for me.

“So, your mom is from the prestigious Helfire Grand Duchy, and you’re her daughter.”

“……. ”

“It doesn’t feel real, does it? So, how about this? Aren’t you curious why your village burned down?”

“!”

“All gone due to treason. The entire village.”