"Hmm...... Ha ......"

A lazy and slightly sleepy voice rang out in the room.

With this voice, a woman who had just woken up from a sweet dream slowly opened her eyes.

She stretched out her white and slender arms, her soft waist was slightly bent, and her elegant legs were straight, stretching her whole body lazily.

"Whew~"

Leah felt a feeling of comfort she had never felt before, and she lay down on the soft cushion, rubbing her eyes gently.

She felt her body, especially her limbs and meridians, fill with a faint soreness.

Leah sat up reluctantly, twisting her shoulders slightly, rubbing her spine.

It seems that this will dispel the stiffness of the body.

This night's sleep felt as if she had slept for a whole century.

It wasn't until her body relaxed for a while that she gradually opened her eyes and looked around.

She found herself in a slightly shabby-looking hut.

The walls appear to be made of sand and clay, and are not even painted, exposing the original earthy brown.

Inside the walls, there are even some dry weeds.

Underneath her, there wasn't even a bed, just a soft cotton-filled mattress.

Compared to the surrounding walls, this mat can be considered tall.

Leah looked around the room with a puzzled gaze, noticing a small iron stove that glowed with a warm fire.

The charcoal at the bottom of the furnace is burned red, and from time to time it emits a subtle aroma of burnt firewood.

The crimson glow illuminates the surrounding walls red, making the whole room look extra warm.

The wooden four-legged table was also set with hot water, bread and jam.

The first impression of this room on Lea was that it was "shabby", and it was very different from the aristocratic quarters she was familiar with.

It's like ...... Slum-like feel.

Leah never imagined that she would have the opportunity to live in such a place.

I even thought that my family was suddenly bankrupt.

But now, it gives her an inexplicable feeling of warmth.

Her gaze finally fell on the jam and bread on the table.

As she watched, her stomach let out a growling sound.

Hearing this, Lia's cheeks flushed visibly.

Hungry.

But as a noble family, or the mistress of the Clavenna family, such a gaffe is really undeserved.

But now she did feel her stomach shriveled, and a strong hunger beat her belly, and her stomach cried out with some displeasure.

Not only that, but her lips were chapped and her tongue felt dry.

It was as if it had been a long time since I had eaten or drunk.

This left Leah a little confused as to how long she had been asleep.

However, despite her hunger, she did not reach for the bread and hot water on the table.

After all, she didn't even know where she was, and Leah didn't dare to eat casually.

She looked at the room, her thoughts becoming blurred, and she couldn't help but think about it.

"Strange...... When did I fall asleep? ”

Leah sat in place, holding her head, stunned, staring blankly at the ground, trying to remember something.

Then, she seemed to gradually recall something.

"It's like ......"

She still remembers that before she fell asleep, it seemed that Victor said something,

Ask Cocott to take her...... A safe place?

Thinking of this, Liya was stunned.

She looked up and revisited the mud house, muttering to herself.

Is that what security is called?

If the house doesn't collapse, thank goodness.

So, what's going on?

Just as she was confused, there was a knock at the door.

= Leah's gaze followed the source of the voice, staring at the wooden door.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and the first thing that caught my eye was a white, soft mass that looked like a ball of light cotton.

Leah's eyes narrowed, and it always felt something familiar.

Immediately after, the cotton-like cloud shrunk its body and struggled to get in through the narrow doorframe.

"Oops."

With this cry, the white cloud burst into the house and crashed into the earthen wall.

Leah was shocked.

And above the clouds, there is a pointy-eared elf.

She covered her head, her features distorted, and rubbed her forehead.

Kocot, who had squeezed into the door frame, glared back at the door frame and muttered dissatisfiedly:

"Really, even if it's a temporary construction, you shouldn't have built a door so low."

Didn't you take into account the elves who sit on clouds like me?

Cocott whispered, and when he turned his head, he saw Leah sitting up.

Leah stared blankly at Kocot in front of her and blinked.

Cocott, who was looking at her, was also surprised, and also blinked his eyes together:

"You're awake."

Leah nodded stunned.

……

Goo-Du –

"Hah!"

After drinking the hot water and rinsing down the bread stuffed in her throat, Lia spat out a breath of hot air with some satisfaction.

She could clearly feel her stomach warm up and her strength gradually regained.

Now, her mouth is finally no longer dry, and she is able to speak comfortably.

Previously, she was reluctant to try these foods easily due to her distrust of this unfamiliar environment.

But when she learned that the food had been arranged by the royal family, she was relieved, and even the bread in her mouth seemed to become even more delicious.

Cocote tells her that the royal family and the Mage Council negotiated to deliver a large amount of food through large teleportation magic.

And with the joint efforts of magic and manpower, in just half a day, many temporary shelters were built near the royal capital. That's enough to keep residents out of their homes for a while.

After communicating with Kocot, Leah also understands the cause and effect of the whole thing.

In general, the entire royal capital, except for where the palace was located, was almost completely bombed into ruins.

"Including your home."

Cocote spread his hands helplessly.

Leah choked on a mouthful of bread and coughed twice.

"Ahem."

He poured a sip of water and washed the bread down.

She couldn't believe what Cocott said, and stared at Cocott with wide eyes.

"Huh?"

That's a lot of money!

Leah felt like her heart was bleeding.

And there are so many servants!

"Oh, but you can rest assured, though everything in your house is gone, including my favorite garden."

"But the maids and retainers of the house were sent back to Breston in time."

Hearing this, Leah exhaled and relaxed a lot.

At least, it's not a total annihilation.

After this battle, the reconstruction of the royal capital will undoubtedly take a lot of time.

Leah predicts that many people will choose to take refuge in Breston, which is not far from Wang, and live for a while.

In this case, she herself needs to hurry up and return to Blesson to strengthen management.

Make sure there is no chaos there.

Looks like we'll have to take the time to ask Victor when he'll be home.

Leah looked up as she tore off a slice of bread and asked Cocott:

"Where's Victor?"

"Huh? Victor? ”

Cocott, who was originally very calm, was stunned for a moment as if he was suddenly startled when he heard Leah's voice.

Then, she smiled relaxedly and said:

"He...... He's a mage, so he needs help with repairs......"

Leah swallowed the bread and took another sip of water, before glancing at Coot with a calm gaze.

"Kocot."

"How...... What's wrong? ”

Kocote was slightly stunned, and Leah's voice came from his ears:

"Did Victor tell you that you weren't fit to lie?"

"Huh?"

Cocote was stunned again.

At this time, Lia slowly stood up, regardless of the soreness on her body, took off her clothes from the shelf and put them on.

She fastened her scarf and prepared to go out.

"Eh, where are you going?"

Cocott's curious voice came from behind him, but Leah couldn't hear it anymore.

She stepped out of the doorframe and walked out of the doorway.

Blown by the cold wind, Leah couldn't help but squint her eyes and observe everything outside the royal capital.

Squinted eyes at everything outside the royal capital.

Night fell, and the cold wind that swept across the cheeks stinged the cheeks.

Around the earth, Leah saw countless earthen houses that emitted a faint light through the windows.

They are encased by four straight walls, while the roof is a solid clod of earth in the shape of a cone.

Looking down from the sky above the royal capital, there are thousands of earthen houses of the same appearance standing around countless lands,

The red light that was revealed one after another seemed to be scattered around the royal capital with red hazy sparks.

In the same way, it is like a new prairie fire.

Leah exhaled a puff of white smoke and looked up at the palace.

There, there is a huge gate that reaches into the clouds.

The giant door writhed with machinery, blazing flames between the cracks.

Behind the door, there were steps of burning flames that penetrated into the clouds.

Leah's eyes widened as she looked at the image, and she couldn't help but feel amazed.

Then, Leah slowly raised her arm and looked at the mage's hand on her hand.

It is inlaid with six gemstones that shimmer with different colors, like bright stars of different colors in the night.

Leah took a deep breath and took a firm step, step by step, towards the Gate of Heaven.

As her pace picked up, she began to run.

She crossed the flat, dusty earth, through the surrounding clay houses, and made a beeline for the central square.

Standing on the hard earth, Leah looked up at the majestic Gate of Heaven in the sky.

She was out of breath, and every gasp turned into a white mist, slowly drifting away in the cold air.

In the end, Liya's attention was all focused on the familiar figure under the Heavenly Gate.

And Liya's attention was all on the familiar figure standing under the gate of heaven.

The familiar black trench coat swayed in the air as the man put his hands in his pockets.

I still like to be handsome as always.

Leah took two deep breaths, then walked up the steps in a huff.

She grabbed Victor's arm and said to him:

"Let's go, let's go home!"

However, no matter how violently she tugged, Victor remained motionless like a statue.

Leah tried her best to pull Victor again, but to no avail.

She turned her head and looked at him with anxious eyes.

"Victor! We're home!! ”

There was urgency in her voice, but Victor remained unresponsive and motionless.

Leah's eyes fell on Victor's still back, the corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she was so eager that she almost cried.

An ominous premonition swelled up in her heart, but she desperately didn't want to believe it.

A voice with a little crying slowly squeezed out of her throat, and said eagerly to Victor:

"It's already so late."

"Why are you still standing here?"

Eventually, Leah let go of Viktor's sleeve and slowly approached him.

Weakly fell headlong and hit him in the back.

"Brother......

"Why ......"

Suddenly, Leah felt it.

Victor, who was in front of his forehead, seemed to move slightly.

It wasn't a delusion, because Victor turned around.

She almost fell to the ground when she didn't resist, but she still managed to stabilize her body, unwilling to embarrass in front of Victor.

At the moment when Leah raised her head blankly, a broad chest appeared in front of her.

At the same time, a hand was gently placed on top of her head, stroking her hair.

This kept Leah from looking up.

She couldn't look at Victor's somewhat indifferent, expressionless face.

However, the familiar and reassuring voice sounded clearly in her ears:

"Leah."

As soon as the words fell, a gust of night wind carried a chill from all directions.

The wind blew the hem of Victor's long robe, and it slapped lightly on Leah's back.

Everything around them was silent, only the cold wind and the howling of the night, as if playing a sad parting song for them.

[The Inquisitor's Curse—]

[Countdown: 00:04:59]

"Next, you're going home by yourself."