I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 119

“I told her to run north if she survived, and I also told her that this is Wellesley, south of the capital.”

“North? Yes, right, thank you!”

Killian immediately turned around to run north, but the mercenary man stopped him.

“A- and this……”

In his hand was the ruby necklace he’d bought Edith one day.

“I paid a companion of mine to give it to me, but when I found out who she was…… I couldn’t bear to sell it, so I kept it. I’ll give you this, so please forgive me for once.”

Killian felt like he was on the verge of tears for the man he didn’t know.

Taking the ruby necklace, he ripped off all the gold buttons on his uniform and forced it on the reluctant man.

“My wife must be alive. She’s not usually a weak woman. But you must be the reason she’s alive, so you deserve this.”

Then Killian gathered the knights scattered about the Wellesley estate and rode north.

‘If I head north, I’ll reach the main street, and there will surely be other knights who can help.’

Surely, Edith will be safe, Killian thought with a mixture of hope and anxiety while riding at full speed.

It was hard for the knights who followed him to work from dawn to dusk, except when it was pitch black, but they could hardly complain when they saw his eyes getting grimmer with each passing day.

“We took a break at the mansion, but Young Master Killian hasn’t been able to rest since the territorial war, has he?”

“Yeah, well. He must really love Lady Edith to be so desperate to find her.”

“But is she still alive? If a woman in a dress was walking down the street, she would surely have fallen prey to muggers……”

“Be careful what you say. If the young master hears, he won’t let you go.”

There was some chatter among the knights, but Killian was focused solely on finding Edith.

“It’s almost night. Please get some rest!”

The oldest of the knights tried to talk him down, but he refused to listen, muttering strange words like a man in a daze.

“She must be badly injured…… she has no money and no water with her…… and wild beasts or robbers might show up after dark……”

It had been days since he’d searched for Edith. Even without listening to what the knights were saying, his mind was already playing out all sorts of “worst case scenarios”.

And with each passing day, regret and guilt took over Killian’s heart.

‘It’s all my fault. I should have hired a mercenary to protect Edith……’

No one had expected the Duchess, Lizé, and Edith to attend the Count Windham’s banquet. That’s why he had only gotten Anna to protect her in the mansion, but now that it was happening, he could only think that he had done everything wrong.

‘Edith…… I did it wrong, I…… I did everything wrong, please stay alive. Please……’

All the way back to the capital from the territorial war, Killian hadn’t been able to rest much, as he had to take care of the knights.

He’d been on the move for days, and his steely stamina was inevitably wearing thin.

Still, he couldn’t stop searching.

‘Edith must be out there somewhere, wounded and starving, shivering, desperately waiting for me.’

Killian blamed himself so much for not being there for her in her greatest fear and pain that he would have rather stabbed himself in the chest.

[Killian!]

In his dazed state of exhaustion, he could hear Edith’s voice calling out to him.

“Edith? Edith!”

“What’s the matter, young master!”

“Just now, I heard Edith’s voice, she’s around here!”

“Yes?”

If a woman’s voice could be heard in the quiet night outdoors, there was no way the other knights couldn’t have heard it.

Seeing their master daze and then suddenly look around and call out for his wife, they were worried he was losing his mind.

And just as they were beginning to wonder if their fears had been realized, a messenger from House Ludwig came to Killian.

“The knights sent by Young Master Cliff have found Miss Edith.”

The news was like a bolt from the blue, and Killian was already on his horse without much thought.

He had to hurry and protect Edith before anything happened to her.

***

It was early in the morning when I was captured, but it was well after noon when I reached the Ludwig mansion, my pace slowed by my poor physical condition and lack of stamina.

Nevertheless, I was grateful for the knight commander’s consideration in not rushing me.

The Ludwig mansion, which I had not fully explored, was quite large.

Behind the mansion was a training ground, behind that a forest, and within the forest were mysterious buildings.

One of them was a dungeon and execution ground.

I had always wondered what it looked like, as it was where Edith met her end, and now I finally got to see it.

Since it was execution day, the area around the dungeon was heavily guarded by knights and soldiers.

‘This doesn’t deviate from the original story at all. Even if I were to be caught one way or another, how could it be exactly on the day of the Riegelhoffs’ execution?’

I smiled weakly and stumbled along behind the knights who had brought me in, when suddenly someone ran up from the other side.

“Edith!”

It was Lizé.

She turned pale and tried to cling to me, but Cliff, who had followed, fortunately caught her.

“Edith! Why, why did you do that?”

“What?” I asked back, not really knowing what she was asking

Cliff glared at me fiercely. “You can’t seem to figure out if she’s asking if you helped Shane storm the mansion from the inside or if she’s asking if you helped with the kidnapping.”

I was dumbfounded.

I thought Cliff had left me at the villa after seeing what I looked like, but apparently, he hadn’t even bothered to come down there to look for me.

And yet, somehow, he still believed that I had helped Shane.

“It’s really the same as the original……”

“What?”

“No, nothing.”

It reminded me of my early days in this world, when no matter what I tried, the episodes would still play out like the original story.

I thought it had changed a bit in the meantime, but in the end, but it’s back to square one.

‘It doesn’t matter anymore.’

I am tired of refuting the bottomless pit of suspicion and accusations.

Just as I was about to ignore Cliff and move away, Lizé came forward again.

“For God’s sake, Edith, say it was a mistake, say you’re truly sorry! Killian has a big heart, he’s not going to ignore your begging!”

Lizé clung to me desperately, as if we were family.

She looked desperate, as if it would be a big deal if I died.

“I can’t do that, Lizé. I am innocent.”

“If this is a misunderstanding, explain that it is a misunderstanding!”

“I think I’ve already been labeled a sinner, so who will believe me?”

“No, Edith! Don’t give up!”

Just as Lizé was getting frustrated, Cliff tugged on her arm.

“Lizé. She’s not worth your time, and she’s not worth worrying about, so come here.”

Cliff glared at me with contempt, but it didn’t do me any harm.

I was more worried about walking into that dungeon and facing the scornful gaze of Killian, who would slit my throat.

I smirked as I watched Cliff take Lizé away, who kept shouting at me not to give up.

‘Eat well and live well together, the main characters. Don’t worry, I’m going to finish this clean here.’

As I started walking again, I felt momentarily dizzy.

I hadn’t eaten or slept in two or three days, and I was starting to feel my limit.

‘Just hang in there. It’s almost over.’

Soon, Edith’s narrative comes to an end.

In the original story, Edith begs Killian to spare her life as he tries to slit her throat, but I can barely bring myself to look at his face.

As much as I want to see him, I don’t want his face looking at me in disgust to be my last memory of him.

‘If Killian slashes me in one go like he did in the original, the pain won’t be as bad, so don’t be nervous. Let’s not leave a bad image in Killian’s memory.’

I clasped my trembling hands together and moved on to finish my last episode.

***

The Ludwig’s spacious dungeon had never been used since the current duke, Axel Ludwig, began his reign.

But just as a few days of fine weather does not mean that a storm will never break, so the Duke, who had been tolerant of opposition for some time, was not always forgiving of malicious attempts.

Faced with the kidnapping of his own family for nothing else, Duke Ludwig’s anger exploded.

“Bring out all the prisoners.”

He stood on the dais of the execution ground on the second floor of the execution ground and ordered all the Riegelhoffs to be hauled out.

A moment later, the prisoners were dragged out with low groans.

Then Cliff approached and whispered in the Duke’s ear.

“Edith Riegelhoff will be here any minute.”

“So she’s been caught, at last.”

“Killian has just returned after hearing that Edith has been captured. He’ll be this way in a moment.”

At that, the Duke nodded heavily.

Cliff glanced back and forth between the door where Edith was about to enter and Lizé, who was strangely hoping for Edith’s life.

He asked, “Father, what are you going to do?”

“What do you mean?”

“The execution of Edith.”

The beheading of the Riegelhoffs is a foregone conclusion, but the final decision for Edith has yet to be made.

For Killian, whose opinion on her punishment would be essential, has been away, searching for her.

When the Duke remained silent, Cliff said impatiently,