The Survival Strategy of the Contract Duchess - Chapter 104

Still, the thought that she might be using monsters as bait to lure him out did cross his mind. Even if she hadn’t carried her in her womb, she was still his blood-related daughter. If she had sent his own daughter to call him, he figured she might want to talk about the monsters.

Well, after that, he imagined all sorts of bad scenarios, like, “It’s unfortunate, but sacrifice yourself for the sake of everyone,” or “You’re a cursed child!” and a whole lot of yelling, but anyway, he had information he wanted to get too, so he had followed Elina out.

“Does she really not need to have any affection for her daughter?”

From the start, her actions, which disregarded human decency, had turned all his previous imaginings into mere bubbles.

Lost in thought, Sasha let out a deep sigh, regardless of whether a monster appeared next to her or not. Thump, the monster’s foot moved toward her again.

There was no sense of tension, no holding of breath as it waited for the right moment to pounce on its prey. The monster, which she glanced at briefly, was small in size, and it wasn’t wary of her at all; it seemed surprised to have found her and was hesitating.

And that feeling Sasha could sense it.

It was a strange feeling. Like when she first met Kyler, she felt that it was a scary being, but she didn’t feel any immediate, life-threatening tension.

Trusting that feeling, Sasha slowly turned her body and faced the monster that was approaching her. The only differences from the previous ones were that it was a little smaller and had a gray body with no hint of brown.

Its glossy eyes were fixed on her without blinking.

“Um! Hello, I’m Sasha.”

Sasha spoke in a low voice. She bit her lip, feeling like she might burst out laughing at the conversational style, as if she had opened the first chapter of a foreign language textbook.

But as time went on, it was full of wonders. Even with a monster in front of her, she didn’t feel any life-threatening tension or fear, and she was even about to laugh after asking a question in front of it as if reciting the first sentence of a foreign language textbook.

Even the monster was the same. Even though there was a human in front of it saying strange things, it only tilted its head and stared at her.

Kee-!

The monster made a small sound as it tilted its head back and forth. It came across to Sasha quietly, as if it were a sound to start a conversation, not a beast’s roar.

“I don’t know what you’re saying. Do you understand me?”

She could only feel it, but the exact meaning wasn’t being conveyed. When she had shouted “Stop!” before, the monster had actually stopped attacking, so it seemed like it understood her, but with that level, it could probably move like that just from the feeling of the shouted word.

Kee, kee-!

The monster made a low cry and nodded its head.

“Oh my goodness!”

Sasha stared at it with a dumbfounded expression.

Why am I doing something that has never happened before in this world, in a place where I didn’t even live, where there was no such power or existence at all? She was bewildered, and a little amazed.

Keeik.

The monster made a sound, and Sasha, who had been lost in thought, raised her eyes.

“I wish I could understand what you’re saying.”

They were still only looking at each other, unable to get close. What was the real purpose of calling me here? Could it really be, that they’re after my life?

The monster turned its head and looked at the sky. Sasha also moved her head, following its gaze, and saw steep cliffs rising before her eyes. She hadn’t noticed when she came in, but it seemed that this was the border between the forest and the mountain range.

“Is that, the mountain range?”

Keeik.

She chuckled because she kept hearing answers from the side every time she spoke.

She had wondered why they had come here instead of the usual forest entrance when they had said they were going to the forest. Perhaps the real destination wasn’t the forest but the mountain range.

If so, it would explain why Elina went back first at the entrance, but the purpose of calling me ultimately means they’re after my life.

“Are they really going to kill me?”

Even when she had encountered a monster in the Uhalin Forest with Kyler last time, the atmosphere wasn’t this comfortable, but she definitely had a strange conviction at that time.

That’s why she had followed Elina without resistance when she heard her say they were going to the forest.

She was also curious about what they wanted. Honestly, the biggest reason was that she was tempted by the words that Marquis Ivern wanted to see her.

If there was anyone who could explain her identity, she wanted to grab them and ask.

If they insisted on doing it in the forest, she was willing to comply. No matter what happened next, the monster that they thought was the biggest threat wasn’t a problem for her.

But she never expected that they would call her just to abandon her like this, without anything.

“No gains.”

Keeik keeik keeik—

At that moment, the monster took another step toward her and spoke. Only after thinking that did she feel that something was subtly off. Ah, yes, the funny part was that she was now naturally thinking that it was talking.

Keeik-!

She fixed her gaze on the monster, which seemed to be trying to say something, and watched it for a long time as it seemed to be moving its head busily. Gradually, she saw consistency in its movements.

“Could it be, are you telling me to go to the mountain range?”

Keeik!

The monster made a sound and moved its head up and down. It was nodding, right?

“Hey, there must be a lot of monsters like you if I go there, are you telling me to go there?”

When she asked in a soft voice, the monster moved its head up and down even more vigorously. She didn’t feel any negative reactions or eerie energy from the creature at all.

If she had to put it into words she even felt a bit of the innocent feeling of a young individual.

Sasha turned her head again and looked up at the cliff.

I have to go back soon, Kyler must be worried.

She remembered his face when he had tried to take her out again after going to the Uhalin Forest together. And his reaction when he was frustrated that he couldn’t confirm her identity.

She was dealing with it calmly, but she could tell how frustrated he was. If only the monsters disappeared, Kyler would be so much more comfortable.

“You’re going to send me back home, right?”

Keeik!

The monster was now moving its head up and down so much that she didn’t know if it was answering or doing something else. She was about to smile when the monster waddled and stood with its back to Sasha.

Could it be?

“Are you telling me to get on here?”

She burst out laughing at the absurd movement. But the monster seriously cried out again, “Keeik.” Really? I’m really going to end up riding on a monster’s back.

Sasha stopped laughing and seriously approached the monster’s back. She carefully climbed onto its back, and the monster lowered its head slightly and spread its wings wide to both sides.

“Wow, woah!”

Then it kicked off the ground with both legs and flapped its wings greatly.

“Kyaa!”

She remembered the monster landing as if it were pouring down. The takeoff was so powerful that she was about to lose her mind, just like the landing.

How it had climbed up that steep cliff was a question that had briefly crossed her mind, but it was quickly resolved on the back of this monster.

She didn’t have the courage to look around. Sasha quickly grabbed the monster’s wing bones with all her might, afraid of slipping.

Keeeeeik!

She couldn’t cover her ears even though the monster’s roar in the air was deafening. Ugh, I think my fingers are going to break!

Sasha couldn’t come to her senses because of the dizzying speed and height, and even the sound that was bursting out.

She was probably flying in the blue sky. Hoping to return to the ground as soon as possible, she put more strength into her hands and closed her eyes tightly.

–

The meeting with Lydian continued, but there were no gains. The wizard couldn’t stop being slippery, which eventually made Kyler draw his sword.

Fortunately, he had some reason left, so he drew it with the scabbard on, but it was enough to subdue the wizard.

Judging that there was nothing more to gain, he sent him back to the magic tower and Lydian even apologized to him separately.

“I can see it. How impatient you are.”

Sasha had vaguely noticed it, but Kyler had been impatient lately. Half out of curiosity, half out of a desire to protect Sasha, he had called for monster subjugation. And that was something that could be resolved, even if it took time.

But the problem wasn’t that. The fact that Sasha’s actions were related to the appearance of monsters, and even that she was able to communicate with monsters to some extent, was what made him impatient.

What was her identity, and perhaps because of her abilities wouldn’t she be bound by something like him?

Lydian wasn’t manipulating him, but it was clear that his life hadn’t been free because of this ear.

“I’m asking around in every way. If you wait a little longer. I’ll bring you the answer.”

Lydian also knew that fact, knew why he was being so impatient and was someone who supported Kyler’s heart with all his heart.

And Kyler also knew that his heart was sincere. He got up from his seat and bowed to Lydian, who was full of worry.

“I have to go quickly. I’ll come again.”

There was no reason to stay here any longer. With the thought that he had to return to where she was as soon as possible, Kyler immediately turned around and left the audience chamber as soon as Lydian’s permission was given.

“…”

And he ran right into Midiena, who was standing right in front of him.

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