Dusk approached, dyeing the sky a golden hue like ripe wheat.
Silver migratory birds sliced across the horizon, drawing nearer and nearer before brushing past the canopy of the carriage, then suddenly flying away again.
A slightly luxurious-looking silver-white carriage, emblazoned on its side with the Church’s cross emblem, rumbled along amid the vast ranks of the Demon Lord Army.
This was the border of the Theocracy of Saint Margaret.
A vast and beautiful expanse of green plains stretched out.
For Finihiya, the prisoner’s “journey” was unbearably arduous.
Three months had passed since the Church’s crushing defeat, and now she was being escorted as a captive of the Church to the Demon Race’s territory for imprisonment.
Thud!
The carriage wheel crushed a large stone, causing the entire vehicle to jolt violently.
Exhausted and nauseous from sitting and the rough ride, Finihiya closed her eyes in agony inside the silver-white carriage.
Her delicate face was tinged with a pallid, sickly hue.
The harsh jolting of the carriage startled her awake from her faint sleep.
“Pphh…”
A painful moan slipped from Finihiya’s pale cherry lips.
Her eyelids fluttered open slightly; she rubbed her temples with her index finger as she slowly sat upright.
She had always been intolerant to motion, whether in the distant past or now.
Even the previously smooth and stable carriages had been difficult, not to mention this one with practically no shock absorption.
A stiffness spread across her shoulders.
Instinctively, she reached out to relieve the tension, but her pure fingertips touched something cold and hard.
Through the dim reflection on the carriage’s glass window, her slightly tilted gaze fell once more upon the specially made black collar around her neck.
This collar was crafted from a special material, embedded with several enchantments cast by senior magicians.
Its primary function was to prevent prisoners from using magic to escape.
When wearing this collar, if the prisoner dared to use magic, the collar would detect the intense flow of magic within the wearer’s body and automatically activate the spells embedded within it.
The resulting powerful electric shock would cause nearly every wearer to faint instantly.
This device was designed specifically for prisoners who could use magic.
***
As her drifting thoughts settled here, a trace of wistfulness flickered in Finihiya’s eyes.
The iron collar was excessively heavy, pressing down so heavily she could barely catch her breath.
Even after nearly three months of wearing it, she had yet to grow accustomed.
To be honest, Finihiya felt the Demon Race had no need to be so excessively wary of her.
Because of the unique nature of her magic, she was practically incapable of offensive attacks.
Just as she was thinking this, the drooping carriage curtain beside her was suddenly pulled back.
“Human Saintess, would you like some water?”
Outside the carriage, a woman with slightly darkened skin and two horns resembling those of a black mountain goat atop her head rode on horseback as she asked Finihiya inside.
The woman’s attitude was far from friendly; her tone was laced with disdain and mockery.
Finihiya didn’t know which officer of the Demon Lord Army this woman was a close subordinate of.
She only knew her name was Atena and that she enjoyed a decent reputation within the Demon Lord Army.
Atena was responsible for supervising Finihiya during this escort to the Demon Race’s territory.
Finihiya ignored Atena’s mocking tone as she had before, simply responding with a polite social smile and bowing slightly toward her.
“Thank you.”
“Tch! Here’s your water.” Atena snorted coldly before tossing a leather water pouch into the carriage. “Such a boring human.”
Finihiya silently picked up the water pouch thrown inside, saying nothing.
After delivering the water, Atena didn’t leave immediately. Her slender eyes seemed to be appraising the carriage before a trace of dissatisfaction appeared in them.
“I don’t even know why the Demon Lord agreed to let you ride in a carriage like this.
“You’re just a prisoner from a defeated nation. A mere captive, yet you get to ride in such a fine carriage.
“We don’t even have carriages to ride, but you do. People who didn’t know would think you’re some honored guest of us Demons, haha~”
No one knew how long Atena kept up this seemingly complaining monologue, but Finihiya remained silent throughout, revealing no change in emotion.
Under someone else’s roof…
She was fully aware of her situation now, so she wouldn’t lose her reason and say things that might displease her captor.
Otherwise, the one who would suffer in the end would be herself.
The reason she was allowed to ride this carriage bearing the Church’s exclusive cross emblem was because the Church had specially requested the Demon Lord Dalinan on her behalf.
They had thought such an absurd request would be denied, but to many people’s surprise, Demon Lord Dalinan had truly agreed.
She, a prisoner being escorted for imprisonment in the Demon Race’s territory, was indeed permitted to ride such a luxurious carriage.
A breeze blew in through the window Atena had opened, rustling the pure white curtain.
In the distance, the summer lake shimmered under the setting sun, its surface glittering like scattered jewels.
A silver migratory bird traced an elegant arc across the lake.
The western sunset filtered through the gap in the curtain, casting a faint tea-colored glow upon Finihiya’s delicate profile, just like the lake scene before her, as if bathed in the light of dawn.
Gazing out at the distant lake, Finihiya’s sapphire-blue eyes darkened with a hint of melancholy.
A hazy, suffocating whisper, tinged with dryness, slipped from her cherry-like lips.
Though the scenery was so beautiful, deep within her heart a shadowy emotion stirred—an obscure feeling awakened by the distant memory of a similar lakeside scene.
That memory dated far back in time.
A place where she had lived sixteen years ago, in a different civilization, a different era, with a different identity.
Staring at the deep blue lake before her, that “self”—dim, submerged by the passage of time, and fading further away—began to surface once more.
The distant past was like a strange foam, reviving together with almost bitter memories.
Forcing the tangled, dry recollections from her mind, Finihiya withdrew her gaze from the distant view.
In short, sixteen years ago, she had come to this place.
The civilization here might only be at the level of the 13th century in that other place, but it possessed incredible magic.
When she realized this, she was surprised and stunned for a long time.
However, because of the uniqueness of her magic, for a long time she was like a muggle—completely unable to use magic.
Back then, she had even struggled to raise money to test her Magic Attribute.
Because it was an extremely rare attribute, the Magic Orb didn’t even light up.