[IFITAOAMV] Chapter 11

When I recalled all the ones who were murdered in the desert, I jumped up and lifted my head.

‘No, I can’t let it end like that.’

Trying to cool my head, I sorted through my thoughts one by one.

In a fantasy novel, the first step in magic training is to feel the flow of mana.

So, I can apply this to the jewels, right?

Suddenly, a scene from a martial arts movie came to mind.

When martial arts masters practiced ki, they started by refining and clearing their minds.

I quickly sat cross-legged, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath.

‘I can feel the energy within me. I can feel it… I can feel it…’

“Excuse me, Madam?”

“Yes?”

When I heard Jenny’s voice, I lifted my head, and her scarlet hair came into view.

“If you are tired, please rest comfortably in bed. If you sleep in that position, you’ll get muscle pain.”

‘Did I fall asleep?’ 

I tilted my head and patted the corner of my mouth as something damp came in contact with my hand.

‘Damn it.’

How can I be sleepy when I haven’t dealt with my major life-or-death situation?

“Do you feel unwell?”

As I hung my head in shame, Jenny shuffled her feet, as if she didn’t know what to do.

‘No, it’s just that… I’m so pathetic….’

I sighed heavily.

* * * * * * *

The next morning.

As soon as I finished eating, Edwin suddenly announced we were going out and took me out of the room.

“Where are we going?”

“The Mujas Desert.”

“Why are we going to the desert?” I asked with a trembling voice.

The word ‘desert’ reminded me of the scene of the slaughter I witnessed on the first day.

‘You’re not planning to bury me in the desert because I haven’t awakened my abilities, right?’

It’s only been a day!

I looked at Edwin anxiously as he draped a robe over my shoulders and pulled the hood over my head.

“Because it was the home of the Jueri.”

Oh, that’s right.

My shoulders, which had hardened with tension, slowly relaxed.

“If you go there, maybe your memories will return.”

He smiled at me, and I smiled vaguely in return.

This isn’t simply a case of memory loss, there is now a different soul in this body.

Meanwhile, Edwin had already carried me outside and was in the process of putting me on his horse.

Frightened by the unfamiliar height, I grabbed the saddle tightly, and immediately afterward, Edwin climbed behind me.

Only then did the tension in my body relax.

‘I can’t believe I feel at peace in the arms of a madman.’

I was amazed but also bitter because it reminded me of the reality of the situation I was facing.

Edwin directed his horse into a gallop and several knights followed behind us.

After a while, we arrived at a gate just as my hips started to tingle.

“From here on, we have to ride a camel. I don’t mind walking, but my bride is vulnerable.”

As we got off his horse, Edwin gestured toward a nearby camel.

Sitting with its legs bent, the camel looked calm, but as we got closer, the smell was no joke.

Edwin grinned and sat me on the camel as I gently covered his nose with a robe.

“As expected, my bride is sensitive.”

His teasing left me with a feeling of resentment, but I didn’t trust myself to speak up, so I stuck out my tongue instead and gave him the grumpiest face I could muster.

Edwin laughed as he tapped my nose.

Startled by his touch, I quickly straightened my face.

“Is our destination far from here?”

“We have quite a bit of distance to go. So, endure it even if it’s boring.”

When I nodded calmly, he patted my head as if he were praising me.

‘I wish you would stop treating me like a child.’

While complaining to myself, the camel began to move.

“Call the land where the Jueri once lived is known as Ambria.”

“How do you know so much?”

I knew Edwin didn’t like questions, but I was very curious, so I asked carefully.

“Because their clan had resided in my family’s territory for many generations.”

Fortunately, Edwin explained it smoothly without any signs of displeasure.

“When I was young, my father told me many stories.”

When he mentioned the previous duke his blue eyes darkened for a moment, and then returned to their original state.

According to the novel, the previous duke died while subjugating the monsters that suddenly appeared after the annihilation of the Jueri.

‘I had a feeling that the imperial family was involved with his death.’

There was no detailed explanation in the original, but it briefly mentioned that the emperor deliberately incited the demons to run wild, which led to the previous duke’s death.

The Emperor used the demons because he had no way to defeat the Crawford family’s monstrous strength and martial arts skills.

When Edwin later found out the truth, he kidnapped Lillian out of revenge as she was the woman the Crown Prince loved. She also happens to have white hair.

‘Still, I’m sceptical. No matter how much the monsters ran wild, a Crawford shouldn’t have collapsed so easily.’

If Edwin learns the truth about the death of his father, my chances of survival will increase. With his hostility directed at the imperial family, he won’t allow them to take me away from him.