My Ruin to You - Chapter 57

“What do you think I should do?”

The unexpected question caught the captain off guard. He met Valen’s gaze with slight surprise. Valen, who had been staring at the sunset-drenched window, slowly turned his eyes toward him.

“I’m asking for your opinion. I haven’t made up my mind yet. If I let her go, the outside is dangerous. If I correct her, I find myself… reluctant.”

This is insane. The captain’s first thought was irreverent, but it was the truth. While the infected were slower during the day, that didn’t necessarily mean it was safe.

Besides, wasn’t this the same man who had ordered every inch of the area searched for infected corpses just hours ago? And now he was considering letting the young lady—who had returned alive and unharmed—walk free?

“If we must take the risk, it would be better to err on the side of reluctance.”

“Then she’ll just think she was unlucky.”

“……”

“She’ll wait for her luck to change. The moment she gets another chance, she’ll try to run again. But what she needs isn’t false hope.”

His calm gaze fell upon the map, his eyelashes casting long shadows. Tap, tap, tap. The sound of his fingers drumming against the roof of his mouth disturbed the silence. The captain, standing with his hands behind his back, endured the quiet. For a moment, he wondered what the young lady needed if not hope—but the thought quickly faded.

“Once night falls, expand the barrier’s range. Up to here.”

His long fingers tapped a spot on the map—the path leading to the city gates, the farthest Roseline could have possibly gone on foot before sunset.

◇◇◇

Contrary to expectations, Roseline hadn’t gone far.

At first, she had planned to run as far from the stronghold as possible, but that was far too dangerous. If she tried hiding in a random house and stumbled upon infected lurking in the dark, it would be a disaster.

So instead, she targeted a building near the inn. Though the inn itself was surrounded by barrier stones, the presence of high-ranking officials meant security was likely tighter in the immediate vicinity.

Slipping into a blind spot where she couldn’t be seen from the inn, Roseline glanced around. After carefully studying the clustered rooftops, she chose a house with an attic and cautiously slipped inside.

As expected, the interior was in disarray. Several headless corpses lay tangled in the shadows beneath the walls, while severed heads rolled across the dusty floor. She grimaced at the gruesome sight but quickly averted her eyes, tiptoeing up to the second floor.

Creak.

The floor groaned as if wary of an intruder, and Roseline froze, sucking in a sharp breath. Pressing her back against the wall, she strained her ears for any sign of movement before daring to take another step.

After reaching the second floor, she peeked into room after room, searching for the ladder to the attic. In the last cluttered space, filled with an old wardrobe and miscellaneous junk, she spotted a half-open ceiling hatch. The ladder, creaking precariously as if ready to snap at any moment, swayed loosely against the wall.

Climbing up, she finally reached the attic. Thankfully, it had been spared from the carnage below—frozen in time, untouched by the horrors beneath, as if preserving a fragment of ordinary life.

Creak.

Following the slope of the low roof, Roseline crouched and pushed open the window.

“…I’m really doing all kinds of crazy things, huh?”

The moment she looked out at the rooftops, her vision swam with vertigo. But if she wanted to evade both the infected and the knights, staying on foot wasn’t an option. The only blind spot leading safely to the city gates was above—across the rooftops. Given how closely the buildings were packed in this town, it was a feasible plan. As long as she didn’t slip.

Roseline had already crossed several rooftops. Once, a loose tile nearly sent her tumbling down, but she managed to fling herself to safety just in time. Her heart had pounded so hard her palms grew slick with cold sweat. After that, she moved more carefully.