Chapter 98
Toma sniffled, saying the other bandits were probably all dead now. He had seen torches lighting up the mountainside before bringing her into the cave—likely the knights searching for her. Roseline finally let out a breath, reassured. Though she hadn’t seen him herself, the circumstances suggested Valen was unharmed.
“Wait. I heard the infected—so it was bandits?”
“P-people get scared when we bring infected around… they pay up faster that way…”
“…Good grief.”
“P-please don’t kill me! Sob—I, I have little siblings… hic… waiting for me…”
So it’s fine if I get sold off, but you can’t die?
Between sobs, Toma launched into a long explanation of why he’d become a bandit and why he needed the money—losing his parents to the plague, fleeing the city with his siblings, having nowhere to go, no way to survive except turning to banditry in the mountains.
“Where are your siblings now?”
“A-abandoned house… d-down the mountain… B-but—! Y-you healed yourself?”
Toma’s eyes gleamed. It might have just been the tears still welling up, but something about it sent a chill down Roseline’s spine. Having roughly pieced together the situation, she delayed answering and fell into thought.
What exactly is this kid planning?
If this was human trafficking targeting a Manifestor, the buyers were most likely from outside the empire. Overland transport would be too long—so the answer had to be a smuggling ship. No, whether by land or sea, to sell her off, he’d have to take her down the mountain first. Wouldn’t it have been easier to keep her unconscious? And yet, this kid had waited for her to wake up.
Unless…
If he hit her again before she fully healed, she might die—so he was probably waiting for her self-healing to finish before knocking her out once more. The realization made her skin crawl.
“How old are you?”
“M-me? N-nineteen.”
“Nineteen.”
Roseline nodded deliberately and pushed herself up. Though her head throbbed dizzily—likely from the blood loss—it wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t move. But a bigger problem than her aching skull was figuring out how to escape this cave. If there was only one path out, fine—but if it branched into multiple routes, things would get complicated.
“O-only I know the way out!”
Toma suddenly cut in, reading Roseline’s searching movements.
“You said you have four siblings?”
“N-no, three.”
“Ah. How old are they?”
“Twelve, ten, and seven.”
“They’re all so young.”
“…Y-yeah. Why… why d’you ask?”
“Then you’d better behave.”
A faint grin curled in the darkness as Roseline held out her palm—light blooming above it. The moment Toma’s pupils dilated, the gathered light surged over him like a wave. Then, as the glow shrank, so did Toma’s form—until a small field mouse sat where he had been.
Squeak! Squeak-squeak!
The long-tailed mouse scurried in frantic circles, disoriented. This was her first time using transformative magic on a person, but it had worked perfectly—no unconsciousness, no nosebleeds.
“Alright. If you want to see your siblings again, guide me to the exit.”
Squeak!
The mouse-Toma stood on its hind legs, hopping indignantly.
“Me? I can afford to wander around lost for a while—but you? Not so much, you little brat.”
Squeak! Squeak!
“Keep refusing, and I can always turn you into a bug instead?”
Only when Roseline gathered magic in her palm again did the mouse finally scurry ahead in earnest. Squeak-squeak! Following the intermittent cries and faint rustling, she walked for what felt like ages before finally spotting light. As the cave entrance neared, the ceiling gradually lowered until the passage became so narrow she couldn’t even stand upright—she had to crawl flat on her stomach to squeeze through. No wonder my whole body aches. They must’ve shoved me through this tight space and dragged me like a sack.
Squeak!
The moment they emerged, mouse-Toma darted about frantically as if demanding she keep her promise. Squinting against the harsh sunlight, Roseline suddenly clapped her hands. “Oops.”
“I never learned how to undo this spell?”
Squeak!
“It’ll wear off soon. Till then, watch out for mountain predators.”
In a fit of fury, Toma chomped down on the toe of Roseline’s boot. But when she raised her glowing palm again, he fled tail-first back into the cave as if nothing had happened. Brushing dust off her clothes, Roseline surveyed her surroundings with slow, deliberate steps.
But where exactly am I… and which way should I go?
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