If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 230

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

Lehman glanced nervously behind Cain as he spoke. It meant that the matter was unpleasant for Agatha. Noticing this, Cain hurriedly got out of the carriage, and Lehman pointed toward something with a troubled expression.

“That is…”

“Seems already dead. But look at his clothes.”

In the middle of the path stood a large stake driven into the ground, and tied to it, a huge man was bound and hanging.

Both Lehman and Cain recognized him.

A large, black-haired man who had once lived a wandering life with gypsies before settling in Arta.

“Mobishi…”

Cain’s face paled.

The scent of happiness that had filled the carriage vanished instantly. In its place, the stench of death and despair slowly crept in.

Cain said nothing—from the moment he recognized the corpse blocking the path until he finished organizing and reboarding the carriage.

Though they rushed to clear the body, removing the stake deeply embedded in the road was no easy task.

While the knights untied Mobishi’s bound limbs, Agatha saw firsthand the reason the procession had stopped. Despite Liana’s pleas to only see good things for the sake of the baby, it was useless.

No one spoke first. No one knew what to say. Even without words, Agatha guessed that something ominous was unfolding in Arta, their destination.

Mobishi.

Agatha knew him well. During her stay in Arta, Mobishi had occasionally appeared alongside Esther, who attended her.

Though they had rarely spoken, Agatha sometimes thought of Cain when she saw the large man silently doing his duty morning and night. She remembered the mixed feelings of envy and sadness she had felt—how his face would brighten like a blooming flower whenever he saw his wife.

Mobishi was a man who had wrapped Esther, a woman covered in scars, with nothing but love. He seemed the type who would risk his life to protect the wife he adored. Why then had he met such a tragic, solitary death?

And Esther? The others in Arta? Were they safe?

Fear tightened around her throat. The peaceful life she had just begun was shattered in an instant. It felt as if every time she climbed one hill of hardship, a mountain of greater trials awaited her.

Agatha clenched her trembling hands tightly. Noticing her anxiety, Liana gently wrapped her hands around Agatha’s in comfort. Seeing this, Agatha thought:

I have people who will always offer unconditional comfort and reassurance no matter what happens. But Cain…

She looked up at Cain across from her. His expression was unreadable as he stared blankly out the carriage window.

Perhaps his heart was pounding with even greater anxiety than hers. His mind must be tangled with worry and fear. Yet he showed no sign of it, and that made Agatha felt sorry for him.

She remembered the words he whispered to her while she slept—words that were part apology, part confession. The pain of his terrible past, the loss of his family, the years he sacrificed to find them again.

He might lose the sister he had finally found after a lifetime. Or perhaps he already had…

Agatha shook her head to dismiss the thought. She hoped Cain would not have to endure the agony of losing family again. She silently prayed at least Esther was safe though her heart might already be shattered from Mobishi’s death.

Esther, who had shown her endless care and affection simply because she was her only brother’s wife, came to mind. Agatha wished for her safety—and for the safety of all who remained in Arta.

May Mobishi’s tragic death be the first and last sacrifice.

Though she prayed endlessly, Agatha also vaguely sensed that Arta they were about to reach would be very different from the place she had visited before.

The carriage picked up speed in silence. Cain, Agatha, Charlotte, and Liana—all four fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts.

Please, may no one else suffer. May no more blood be shed.

God, please…

Agatha’s lips tinged with the color of blood.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Before reaching Arta, a thick smell of explosives stung Agatha’s nose. The acrid scent of gunpowder felt like the foul odor of death, making her swallow dryly.

They say sad expectations always become reality.

After retrieving Mobishi’s body and traveling without rest for days, the carriage finally came to a slow stop.

From the outskirts of Arta, Kristin’s party faced an unexpected obstacle. The closer they got, the more corpses littered the road.

Mobishi, hanging on a stake as if displayed, was actually one of the lesser horrors.