Chapter 44

“Come to think of it… if you’re here, that means Raymond must have returned as well, right?”

Just as their real conversation was about to begin, Bow asked as if he had suddenly remembered something. Woojin nodded.

“Yes. He probably went to report to Sir Roland.”

“Is that so? Since I’m thinking of it, I should head over there. You two have a proper talk.”

Bow rose from his seat without hesitation.

It seemed he considered any further involvement unnecessary. He had arranged the meeting; the rest was something the two of them had to resolve on their own.

As Bow walked out, Woojin found himself sitting face-to-face with Cindy alone.

“Now that things have turned out this way, let’s speak openly today.”

“…All right.”

After reaching that agreement, Cindy did not hesitate to bring up what had just happened.

“Looking back… it seems Sir Jin knew my identity from the very beginning. From the moment you accepted my invitation and had a meal with me.”

“That’s right. I did.”

“How did you figure it out? I was quite thorough in hiding who I was.”

Woojin answered honestly.

“I heard it from Derek and Cedric. Somehow, I ended up connected to the two of them.”

“…My brothers told you? Why?”

“I don’t know.”

It wasn’t a lie. After consuming the inner core, fragments of Derek and Cedric’s memories had transferred to Woojin. He had no idea how such a thing was even possible.

“When, and where, did you hear about me?”

Cindy pressed him persistently. Since it involved her deceased family, she clearly couldn’t let it pass.

But Woojin also had his position.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t talk about that part. It’s… a difficult matter to put into words. Instead, I can tell you something else.”

“What is it?”

“Information about the murderer who killed your family.”

The moment he said that, Cindy’s green eyes took on an even colder gleam.

“Tell me.”

“Fine. But there’s a condition.”

“It concerns my family… can’t you just tell me?”

Woojin shook his head firmly.

“No.”

He had no intention of yielding on this. Cindy seemed to realize that and stepped back.

“All right. What’s the condition?”

“That witch is my prey. I’ll accept your cooperation, but you must not act on your own. Swear that you won’t break this.”

Cindy made a slightly displeased expression.

“…Do I really have to swear?”

“You must.”

“Please give me a moment to think.”

Cindy fell into thought.

In truth, Woojin’s attitude was rather forceful—almost a unilateral demand. But it was a necessary step.

Derek and Cedric had known their younger sister well. Cindy was intelligent and had the makings of a capable strategist. But she still lacked experience and was overly emotional.

‘That foolish girl… she’ll use her own life as bait to lure the witch out.’

The moment Cindy judged that she had gathered enough information about her enemy, she would spread rumors that the youngest daughter of the Golden Maggot was active in the demonic realm.

What would follow would be a gamble with her life at stake—either she would die, or she would hunt the witch.

‘But the odds of that gamble are far too low.’

Cindy was only fifteen years old.

Compared to Woojin’s life, she hadn’t even finished middle school yet. For someone that young to survive against a witch would be exceedingly difficult.

After a short while—

“…May I come back later?”

Cindy asked cautiously.

It wasn’t the answer he had hoped for, but it wasn’t a bad response either. It meant she was seriously considering his demand.

“Come when you have time.”

“Thank you for saying that kindly.”

With the conversation concluded, there was no reason to remain in this gloomy training hall any longer.

The two of them stood up without delay. Sitting on bare stone without even a cushion had been quietly uncomfortable.

‘Not the best place to receive a guest.’

Next time, he should at least borrow a reception room from the Order’s Alliance. Thinking that, Woojin headed toward the exit of the training hall.

At once, the wolves waiting near the entrance stared at them with curious eyes. Most of their attention was fixed on Cindy. It seemed they had grown interested upon spotting an unfamiliar person.

Woojin instinctively stepped in front of Cindy and gestured for the wolves to back away.

“Stay back. Farther. Even farther—”

The wolves retreated, their noses twitching. They seemed disappointed that Woojin had driven them off when they wanted to remember Cindy’s scent.

After sending them away…

He turned to check behind him. Cindy had sunk to the ground as if frightened, staring up at him with wide eyes.

“…Oppa.”

Who was she looking at?

When Woojin tilted his head in confusion, Cindy, visibly flustered, hurriedly stood up.

“I-I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Cindy disappeared as if fleeing.

**

Memories from childhood often evaporate easily, but among them there is usually at least one trauma that can never be erased—like a burn scar.

Cindy had carried such a scar from the moment she was born. Her mother had died while giving birth to her. Life and death had crossed paths in the same house, on the same day.

‘A cursed child.’

When a mother dies in childbirth, it is considered an ill omen. The way people looked at her was far from kind—even the family she lived with.

Can one person ever truly fill the void left by another?

It didn’t seem so. What her two brothers needed was not a younger sister, but their mother. And what her father wanted was not a daughter, but his wife.

On her eighth birthday, Cindy was suddenly seized by a dark thought.

‘Everyone became unhappy because of me.’

While the family and relatives bowed their heads before her mother’s grave to observe the memorial day, Cindy stood there like a criminal, forced to read the room.

Is it really all right for me to stay here?
…It doesn’t seem like it.

‘Let’s leave.’

Cindy ran away from home.

After leaving a few letters behind, she approached the stone wall surrounding the estate. Beneath it was a small hole she had noticed beforehand.

A passageway usually used by cats. Cindy forced her body through the narrow gap.

‘It’s smaller than I thought.’

The process wasn’t smooth, but after much struggle, she managed to squeeze out. With a small bag slung over her shoulder, Cindy took her first step into the world.

But her luck was poor from the very beginning.

As she walked along the stone wall and turned a corner… a large dog suddenly sprang out in front of her. The surprise startled them both. Just as Cindy froze in shock, so did the dog.

Perhaps her mind had gone blank—she couldn’t grasp the situation. Cindy stood blinking, while the stray dog hesitated, staring at her.

The tense standoff continued…

…and then Cindy turned and ran.

Tap, tap, tap, tap—

With every step she took, the sound of her own footsteps seemed to pound against her ears. Her mind turned white. The rising anxiety made her feel nauseous.

Surely it’s not chasing me… right?

Tap, tap-tap, tap-tap—

It sounded as though another set of footsteps overlapped with hers.

‘No, it’s just my imagination.’

There was only one way to prove it. Cindy cautiously turned her head to look behind her.

The stray dog was chasing her. Its eyes were rolled wide, and its tongue flapped wildly like a flag outside its mouth.

“—Kyaaah!!”

A belated scream burst out. Terrified, Cindy kept running along the stone wall. As a result, the girl and the stray dog ended up circling the same area over and over.

She ran, and ran again…

Thud—!

Exhausted, Cindy collapsed onto the dirt. The stray dog lunged toward the fallen girl.

But at that very moment, a third party intervened.

“Hey!!”

Someone shouted as they stepped between them. It was Derek, Cindy’s eldest brother. The startled stray hesitated—then a stone came flying from somewhere and struck the stone wall with force.

Cedric hurled stones one after another. Frightened by the barrage, the stray dog hurriedly fled.

The two brothers approached their younger sister.

“Hng… h-hic…”

Cindy burst into tears. Covered in dirt, she sobbed uncontrollably. Even she didn’t know whether they were tears of sorrow or relief.

Derek and Cedric watched her with worried eyes, then quietly extended their hands.

“Cindy. Let’s go home.”

“…Okay.”

The younger sister took both of her brothers’ hands.

**

“…Now it’s just a memory.”

Cindy murmured softly. Sitting in a rocking chair, swaying back and forth, she flipped through the diary she had been writing since childhood.

In truth… it didn’t even feel that long ago. It had only been seven years. Derek, her eldest brother, had already been an adult back then.

That day, in many ways, she had been lucky.

For an eight-year-old Cindy, the greatest danger wasn’t a stray dog—it was the world itself. Had she gone farther, she might have disappeared without a trace.

‘Even the stray dog was a kind one.’

She had learned later—

The dog had only been large in size. In reality, it was gentle and fond of playing with people. It had chased young Cindy, excited as if playing tag, not out of malice.

A dog can run faster than a grown adult. The reason Cindy had been able to keep fleeing was because the stray had slowed its pace to match her small steps.

There are kindnesses one only realizes in hindsight. Though young Cindy hadn’t noticed it, the youngest daughter had always grown up surrounded by love.

‘That’s why I must take revenge.’

Cindy rose from the rocking chair.

As she walked slowly, the lingering sway of the chair seemed to remain in her steps, making them look strangely unsteady.

Before the firmly locked iron door of the basement, Cindy inserted a brass key and opened it.

Fwoosh—

After lighting a candle with a match, she surveyed the shadowed cellar. Various kinds of wine hung from wooden shelves. Passing them and walking deeper inside…

There stood a large glass display case. Inside, jewels and precious metals glittered as they reflected the light—rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings.

These were not ordinary accessories.

‘Artifacts.’

Whenever she had the opportunity, Cindy had been buying artifacts one by one.

Ordinary artifacts were unsuitable for combat. They contained low-level spells, but once time passed, their magic would recover, allowing them to be reused.

For that reason, most artifacts were inscribed with spells useful for daily life.

But the items Cindy collected were different—powerful one-use artifacts whose gems shattered after a single activation, along with a few rare relics possessing special powers.

“I gathered them to take revenge with my own hands.”

She had no intention of borrowing anyone else’s strength. Even if she died, she would die alone.

That was what she had believed.

‘But that man… what on earth is he?’

They had met once before, but this was the first time they had spoken honestly to each other.

The more she spoke with Jin, the stranger she felt. The way he addressed her—the tone, the attitude… all of it felt somehow familiar and nostalgic.

‘…It’s like my brothers have come back.’

This feeling was not merely confusing—it unsettled her deeply.

…