The jolting of the carriage was more terrible than Lina had thought. Secretly mixed with the people being mobilized for construction, Lina’s whole body was screaming.

The mud road had become sludgy like mire due to the incessant rain, and thanks to the holes here and there, the body jerked up intermittently whenever the carriage jolted.

“I might die before even arriving…….”

At first, she asked her assigned maid to leave her alone for a while, and not to come into the room, but she would realize soon that she could not be on her own.

‘I should return to the mansion first.’

Because there were many carriages going back and forth between the capital and the river for supplies and manpower, her plan was to return to the mansion before the Duke at the right time.

“I don’t know if I’ll succeed.”

Though she had followed somewhat without a plan, this was the best way at present. Only a minimum number of people were left at the mansion, and all had come here.

So it would take quite some time to notice that Lina, who should have been in a corner of the room, was missing.

‘If only I hadn’t recalled the faces of the village people from long ago….’

The memories of that time kept coming up, and she couldn’t just sit quietly in the room. Lina sighed briefly and laid her body down in the carriage.

With the neighing of the horses, the carriage seemed to have reached its destination and stopped.

“Come on, everyone get down quickly. There’s no time to rest!”

A man hurriedly hit the carriage, urging people. Lina, who had gotten off the carriage, quickly looked around while straightening her crumpled clothes, and then took a deep breath.

‘They said the damage was severe.’

The disaster site, which she had only heard of in words, was more gruesome than she thought.

Where there should have been crops with green leaves, the moist land was emptily vacant.

Trees had been uprooted here and there because of the flooded river, and even nearby houses had lost their intact forms, leaving only the grounds.

Looking around with sunken eyes, a man approached Lina and asked.

“Hey. I’ve never seen your face before. Who are you?”

He seemed to be the manager here, checking a list of names with a bundle of papers.

“Ah, I am…”

As she opened her mouth to come up with a suitable excuse for the man’s question, another voice came from behind her.

“How many support personnel have come out now?”

A voice she had heard somewhere before. An unknown anxiety was poking at the back of her head.

‘This voice, somewhere…’

As she quickly glanced at the man’s face who had walked past her to approach the manager, she took a breath.

‘Damn.’

With dark blue hair, a face mixed with fatigue and irritation. Although she had only encountered him once or twice, the man was someone she knew well.

His name was Lawrence, wasn’t it? One of the vassals who had come with the Duke when he returned from the battlefield.

‘I couldn’t possibly not know him.’

Because he had always shot her a disapproving look whenever she was by the Duke’s side.

Worried that the man might recognize her, Lina quickly bowed her head.

If she were caught, without even having a chance to use magic, she would be treated as the Duke’s foolish government employee and be chased back to the mansion.

“When the rain stops for a moment, we need to make more progress, so pick out only five adult men and send them to me.”

“Yes. Understood.”

But contrary to her worry, he did not look at Lina once and left the place immediately.

‘Was I not caught?’

Well, he probably couldn’t even imagine that a woman who was the Duke’s official would be here.

“Phew[Dash].”

As the receding footsteps sounded, Lina let out the breath she had been holding. Then, the male manager, seeming as if it were too bothersome even to check Lina’s identity, pointed towards a makeshift dining area and spoke.

“You see where people are gathered over there? You go there and help make food.”

She peeked at where he was pointing. Hot steam was continuously rising under the temporary tent.

“Yes. Understood.”

As Lina approached, she saw women handing out soup and bread to people.
Looking at the people dining, they seemed to be the laborers mobilized for the repair work and the villagers who had lost their homes.

“I’ll help you.”

“Who……?”

She spoke with a smile to the woman who was on guard against the suddenly appearing little girl.

“I’ve come to help from Count Harlen’s mansion. If there’s anything you need, just tell me.”

Then, the woman, whose face had relaxed, began to order her this and that as if all was well.

“Oh, this is perfect timing. Can you clear that table over there?”

“Yes!”

She had safely arrived here, but she needed to know where and what kind of magic was needed in order to help.

She couldn’t simply grab a passerby and ask what magic was needed, so Lina decided to observe the situation while helping with menial tasks.

It was when Lina was rolling up her sleeves, tidying up the empty spaces where people had eaten. Voices from those dining nearby reached her ears.