Apparently, I’m a Poisonous Woman Who Sells One-Night Dreams, but I Ended Up Awakening a Hero’s Devoted Love - Chapter 1.35

The next night, they dropped me off in front of a three-story building at an abandoned mine. I remembered stopping the carriage here before when I came with Jerf.

(Even though we traveled nonstop, we arrived quite quickly. Did they use some kind of shortcut?)

They changed horses along the way and drove along an extremely bumpy road. I think we arrived in nearly half the time it would have taken via the regular route.

The building seemed to have been a dormitory where miners used to live, but now it stood silently blending into the dark night, with the sound of the river flowing behind it unusually loud.

Although the shackles were removed, my chafed ankles were red and sore.

Threatened from behind with a sword, I entered the building following the buzz-cut man at the front.

He seemed to have been here before, as he climbed the stairs to the second floor without hesitation.

The stairs were so rickety they felt like they might give way. Entering the room at the far end of the second floor, he skillfully took a lantern from a shelf and placed it on the large table in the center of the room.

The dimly lit room looked like a dining hall.

When Zach whistled, sounds of doors opening and floorboards creaking came from all directions, and about ten men shuffled in.

(He had these many companions?)

They seemed to be a fairly large-scale theft ring.

“Alright, now that everyone’s gathered, let’s unveil the map showing the treasure’s location.”

The painting was roughly thrown onto the table. As dust poofed up, the men murmured in excitement.

“Mantel, where did you hide the jewels?”

“No need to shout; I’ll tell you. I’ll even give you my life if you want. Just don’t lay a finger on Lady Mariadoll.”

“Got it, got it. So, where is it?”

Zach grinned, his eyes gleaming.

Bishop Mantel pointed to the very edge of the map depicted in the painting. Unfortunately, there was no mark there, and the rest of the painting was hidden by the lady’s dress.

“It should be a bit further ahead. A three-way fork—no, a four-way fork, I think. There were several steep slopes…”

“Hey! That means we only know up to halfway, doesn’t it?!”

A curse flew from somewhere. In response, Zach waved his hands up and down as if to calm them.

“Now, now. That’s exactly why we brought the young lady here. According to Cobalt, the memories should last about two months, right? Even if it’s not drawn in this painting, if you saw the entire situation in the dream, you should know the rest of the map, shouldn’t you?”

“You want me to draw it?”

“Exactly, you catch on quick. No need to color it or anything. Here, we’ve got paper and a pen.”

With a “Here you go,” Zach pulled out a chair, placing a hand over his chest like a knight. Crude laughter erupted from all around.

Mariadoll brushed the dust off the seat with her handkerchief and sat down, then found a spot on the knotty, wobbly table where she could draw and placed the paper there.

“You probably don’t know this, young lady, but there are places in the abandoned mine where poisonous gas accumulates. We plan to have Mantel lead the way when we go for the jewels. Do you understand what this means?”

“…Yes. You’re using him as a canary.”

Mariadoll’s face twitched as she answered.

She was putting on a brave front, knowing that crying or screaming would only fuel the men’s sadism, but her legs under her skirt were trembling uncontrollably.

In a situation where mistakes were not allowed, she focused her consciousness and tried to recall the rest of the map.

(What will happen to us once the jewels are found? If Zach decides we’re no longer needed, we’ll probably be killed.)

The thought made her hand shake as she drew. The carriage had run without rest. Since they seemed to have chosen a very narrow mountain path, they might have taken the shortest shortcut. In fact, a journey that should have taken two days was completed in one, so she was worried whether Jerf would make it in time.

“…I’m finished. This should be correct.”

She handed the drawing she had taken as much time as possible to complete to Zach, who nodded with satisfaction. “Hoh.”

“This is quite a skill.”

“Thank you. If there’s a woman you’d like to meet in your dreams, I can arrange it for you.”

“Unfortunately, I’m the type who dreams in the real world. But the dreams you’d show me don’t seem bad.”

His lewd smile sent a chill down her spine.

Even if they didn’t take her life, her dignity could still be wounded.

“Hey, you. Take Mantel outside. If by any chance the local patrol comes, let us know.”

A small man who Zach suddenly pointed at jumped with a start.

“Y-yes. Um, what are you planning to do with that girl?”

“Hah, worried about her? Don’t worry, you’ll be last.”

A burst of laughter followed.

The small man hunched his shoulders and hurriedly led Mantel outside.

Left behind were over ten men and Mariadoll.

“Now, young lady. If you don’t struggle, we’ll be gentle.”

“My, how unexpectedly gentlemanly of you. By the way, are you aware that I am the fiancée of the hero Jerf Stanley?”

Putting on the bravest face she could with a trembling voice, Zach grinned.

“Ah, of course. Many here are former mercenaries. We fought in the same war, yet one side lives comfortably as a hero while the other struggles to eat. Isn’t that unfair? I don’t think it’s a crime to want to see the face of a hero who’s had something precious taken from him.”

“If Lord Jerf moves, the knight order will move too. If that happens, you’ll have nowhere to run.”

“It’s all calculated. The path we took to get here isn’t marked on farmers’ maps. It’s unmaintained and bumpy, but we arrived in about half the time of the regular route. By the time Jerf and his men get here, we’ll have taken the jewels and disappeared, leaving behind the gruesome sight of the hero’s fiancée. Hah, I wonder what face he’ll make in front of his subordinates. Too bad I won’t be able to see it.”

She had felt something was off when they didn’t kill the Legacies. Keeping them alive meant the kidnapping would quickly reach Jerf.

(So, there was also a grudge against the knight order. They deliberately lured him here to show him my battered state. If it becomes known that the knight order couldn’t protect the hero’s fiancée, their honor will be completely shattered.)

Knights receive rewards and status for their achievements in war, but mercenaries are, so to speak, disposable pawns. In fact, the end of the war meant they lost their income.

It seemed the theft ring had grown with such men joining.

Zach grabbed Mariadoll’s arm as she sat in the chair and forcibly stood her up, then shoved her down onto the table with a thud.

Drawing a dagger, he loomed over her, then thrust the dull-gleaming blade beside her ear. A slight pain ran through her, and she smelled blood.

In the moonlight, against the dim ceiling, several men looked down at Mariadoll. Their faces wore smirking, vulgar grins.

Until just moments ago, Mariadoll had barely managed to keep her spirits up, but now she was pale and her teeth were chattering.

Zach’s hand tore Mariadoll’s shirt.

“N-noooo!!”

A scream flew from her throat—a high, desperate sound she didn’t recognize as her own.

“Stop it!”

Shaking her head, the knife grazed her cheek. Whack—she was struck on the temple, and Mariadoll froze in terror.

“Shut the hell up!!”

This time, a man’s fist came down aimed at her stomach.

—At that moment, the old door was kicked in from outside.