I couldn’t confirm it properly as half of the face was covered, but the firm voice was unfamiliar. It was a message that the person wasn’t someone I knew.

“It seems right when looking at your face.”

“…….”

“Let go.”

“…….”

“Surely you don’t want to make a scar on a beautiful face?”

I didn’t release the tension in my hand, even in the face of the knife aimed at me.

Even with the handkerchief covering it, a faint smell wafted. If I were to smell it directly, it would undoubtedly be dangerous.

“If you don’t listen, there’s nothing I can do. I can only show you a real example.”

The attacker had little patience. Rather than a planned disposition, an impulsive nature was more evident.

Without much hesitation, I quickly scanned the attacker trying to come into the carriage.

Unlike someone who boldly drew a sword, the attacker’s hand was trembling, and the whites of the eyes were yellow, and blood vessels were visible. At a glance, it didn’t seem like a normal person.

Still, the assailant knew me and attacked my carriage. And above all…

I stared blankly into the attacker’s eyes.
Covering the face was futile. Despite having lost its original color and turned yellow, the attacker, seen up close, had eyes that reminded me of someone I knew.

The moment I realized that, my hair stood on end.

Although I had never seen this person before, I felt like I knew the identity of the attacker.

“…Is it you?”

Even with a knife at my nose, why did joy feel stronger than fear?

I smiled at the attacker, who had eyes of the same color as Margaret.

“What?”

With an expression of discomfort, the approaching attacker’s eyes trembled even more. Even though I covered my nose and mouth with a handkerchief, at this distance, it was enough for them to notice that I was smiling.

Just like I could perceive the attacker’s surprise, not expecting my reaction.

“The one who tortured my daughter was you.”

“What are you talking about? Your daughter, what…”

“I remember.”

“Shut up. I’m the one asking questions, not you!”

The attacker hastily adjusted the sword again. However, the confusion was evident.

“You dare to show up in front of me after messing with my daughter.”

“Even if you shout, you’re the hostage.”

“Making me a hostage?”

Mocking, the attacker’s sword shook even more when I laughed.

He rolled his foot a few times, then pointed the sword at me again.

“Where’s my daughter?”

“Your daughter?”

“Margaret, I mean! Margaret!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the laughter that was as obvious as a simple attack.

What Margaret was hesitant to mention, because the attacker in front of me was her father.

“You attacked me to find your daughter?”

“Don’t play dumb. I know everything since I came prepared.”

Although he tried to speak forcefully, the tip of the sword trembled.

The attacker was struggling even to hold the sword.

It wasn’t just a slightly dimmed gaze. The eyes, which couldn’t properly focus due to being dilated, looked blurry. The attacker was not in their right mind.

Well, a sane person wouldn’t carry out such an act on the main road.

“Tell me where my daughter is!”

“Your daughter?”

“She’s dead.”

“What?”

“When you mess with someone else’s child, you should be prepared for your child to be treated the same way.”

The shaking pupils stopped for a moment, shocked.

“Ah, what about the child?”

“I left a filthy bloodline.”

“Did you…?”

“Your child is dead.”

“What?”

“I didn’t kill her. I just scared her! But why did you kill my daughter?”

Whether it was insane nonsense or not, I knew that he was making absurd lies to deny his own guilt.

Even knowing that, my heart sank like a heavy weight.

I couldn’t simply ignore the words that passed by briefly.

“…I didn’t kill her?”

“What?”

“I didn’t kill her! I just gave her a fright! But why did you kill my daughter?”
“I must not kill. However, I have to find a way to silence them. In case of such a situation… Oh, so, they’re dead. They’re gone. Poof.”

“…….”

“But it shouldn’t be. If my daughter dies.”

“…….”

“I should have promised something that I can only get if I have a daughter. What was it…?”

Like a rusty, malfunctioning machine, the man blinked his eyes slowly.

He was no longer in a state to think properly.

In fact, I was probably not much different, having lost my sanity as well.

I felt the ground with the hand that wasn’t holding the handkerchief. The proximity to the attacker wasn’t the only reason I pressed against the carriage wall.

In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, the carriage had a separate device installed.

The first was a flare for signaling emergencies.

Beep, bang!

The surroundings brightened for a moment, and the attacker pursed their lips in the darkening surroundings. It seemed like they were trying to comprehend the situation they were in, but in their incomplete mental state, it was not an easy task.

I didn’t miss that opportunity and lowered my body, manipulating the floor.

There was an arrow mechanism inside the carriage that fired automatically.

“Ah-ah-ah!”

Although I couldn’t use it on the intended target, I was actually glad it was being used like this.

Not only did it save me the trouble of searching, but it would also inflict more prolonged suffering on the enemy of my daughter.

I activated the arrow mechanism once again.

I wanted to shoot as much as I could, but even if I wanted to shoot more, the space inside the carriage was limited, so I could only shoot twice.

But even that was enough to inflict sufficient pain.

The specially crafted arrowhead, designed to make it difficult to pull out forcibly, had a separate paralysis potion injected into it.

As a result, I could use a larger amount compared to simply applying it to the arrowhead, and it could penetrate deeper into the body.

Considering it was enough to bring down a giant bear without much effort, there was probably no way they could escape unscathed after being hit by so many arrows in this situation.

“Ah, it hurts! It hurts! It hurts!”

The attacker writhed in pain, appealing for mercy. I lowered myself to avoid the rampaging attacker, but the passage to escape within the narrow carriage was limited. It was better to stay hidden in a corner until the paralysis potion took full effect than to move unnecessarily.

However, that was a story for when there was fear of injury.

Injuries were no concern to me.

I only saw the sword the attacker dropped on the ground.

Together with the gradually stiffening figure of the attacker.