The Fake Madam Disappeared
Vol. 1 - Ch. 84

📢 New Novel Launch!

Chapter 84 

A sharp breath escaped his lips. As the familiar northern wind pierced through the gaps in his clothing, Damian knocked on the carriage window. It wasn’t long before Baroness Nouvelle opened it.

“How is my mother?”

“She’s doing better than earlier, thankfully.”

In just a few short hours, the baroness had grown noticeably pale. Having to tend to Daphne alone in the rattling carriage, exhaustion was inevitable.

“Now that we’re in the North, we’ll arrive in half a day. Just hang in there a little longer.”

“This is my duty. Please, don’t worry about me. And… are you all right, Young Lord?”

It was the first time the baroness had seen Damian since confessing everything to him. Understanding the true meaning behind her question, Damian gave a slight nod, a beat late.

“…I’m fine.”

He spoke before she could say anything more.

“It’s cold.”

“…Yes.”

The window shut once again. Damian stared straight ahead.

“Faster!”

Even inside the carriage, the northern cold was inescapable. Given Daphne’s fragile condition, like glass on the verge of shattering, it was more efficient to arrive quickly than to endure the journey slowly.

As the pace quickened, an inexplicable unease crept into Damian’s chest. He urged his horse closer to Alec.

“Alec. This isn’t the season for monsters, is it?”

“No, sir. The subjugation ended not long ago, and with the harsh weather approaching, any surviving monsters should be lying low.”

“I have a bad feeling.”

“Shall I send out scouts?”

“That would be wise.”

Alec promptly selected a few men and dispatched them. Yet despite the precautions, Damian’s unease only grew. Sensing this, Alec began preparing to send additional scouts.

“Wait.”

Damian raised a hand. Everyone halted, holding their breath.

Whiing—

The biting wind howled loud and sharp. Then, faint but unmistakable, another sound began to rise. As Damian’s eyes shot open, Alec shouted. 

“Monsters!”

An uncountable swarm was racing toward them at breakneck speed.

“Ride!”

The coachman quickly turned the carriage and cracked his whip, but the monsters were closing in, far too fast to outrun. 

Still mounted, Damian reached into his coat, pulled out a mana stone, and crushed it. As the familiar, repulsive energy surged into him, he slashed clean through the nearest monster’s torso.

How long had he been fending off only the closest ones?

Alec came to a halt, eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching mass. Damian, having just shattered his third mana stone, followed suit.

“Alec, what are you doing?”

“Young Lord, at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before they catch up.”

Alec dismounted and drew his sword. The other black knights were already in position.

“Please protect the carriage. Any further use of mana stones will take a toll on your body. We’ll hold them off.”

“Alec…”

“Go, now.”

He turned his back to Damian.

“Go!”

With a sharp kick to his horse’s flank, Damian left them behind. The remaining knights rolled their shoulders and cracked their necks as the monsters thundered closer.

“Let’s go wild for once.”

“Don’t get hurt!”

“Don’t worry, Captain!”

Veterans of countless battles, they’d faced worse odds. As they prepared to clash with the oncoming horde… 

“…?”

The monsters vanished.

Alec blinked, dumbfounded, before a strange realization snapped his head up. One of the creatures had leapt high into the air, soaring right over them. Staring after its disappearing form, something dawned on Alec.

“…The carriage.”

Only one target lay in that direction.

“After it, now!”

The monsters’ target was the carriage. 

* * *

Thanks to a knight well-versed in northern terrain, Damian managed to bring the carriage near the fortress. As things calmed, the carriage began to slow.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes… yes, I’m fine. I’m not hurt. But what happened just now?”

The baroness spoke with clear tension in her voice. Understandably so, she had no explanation for why the carriage had suddenly bolted at full speed.

“There was a monster attack.”

“A m-monster?!”

“The knights, Alec among them, are handling it. There’s no need to worry.”

Just then, the carriage stopped.

“Young Lord.”

At the sound of the coachman’s voice, Damian stepped toward the driver’s seat. They had reached a fork in the road.

“Which way, sir?”

One path was faster, but passed through the Winter family’s ancestral graves. The other took longer. Damian didn’t hesitate.

“…Take the fast route.”

The carriage resumed its journey. But the moment they passed through the entrance… 

“My lady? My lady!”

The baroness’s urgent voice sent Damian rushing to open the door. Daphne’s body was trembling violently, frozen stiff.

“What’s wrong with my mother?”

“I… I don’t know. She suddenly just…”

Then, a chill ran down the back of Damian’s neck. The fine hairs on his body stood on end, and his spine snapped straight. He descended the carriage steps with cautious, deliberate movements. Sensing something off, the baroness held her breath.

There was a single monster. It had its massive snout raised, sniffing the air. As it searched for its target, Damian quietly stepped away from the carriage. He exchanged a quick glance with the coachman. The baroness, grasping the meaning of it, shook her head vigorously.

“Go!”

As Damian slammed the door shut, the carriage lurched into motion. The monster snapped its head around, locking eyes with Damian. He drew his sword and crushed another mana stone. The energy surged into him, his fourth dose in such a short time. His breath grew ragged. Steeling himself, he faced the creature.

Its grotesque eyes, if they could even be called that, rolled grotesquely in their sockets, then settled past Damian’s shoulder.

The carriage. It had a target.

The monster moved.

Damian dashed toward the carriage.

“Faster! Move faster!”

But he couldn’t outrun it. As the monster leapt into the air, Damian infused his blade with mana and hurled it.

Thwack!

With a cry of pain, the creature crashed to the ground. Damian approached, yanked his sword free from its writhing body, and gasped for breath. His vision blurred, an aftereffect of consuming so many mana stones. As the world faded at the edges, he glimpsed more monsters converging.

He let out a hollow laugh.

By now, the carriage should be safely through the gates.

Wobbling on unsteady legs, Damian raised his sword. He pulled up the last traces of mana left in his body.

“Young Lord!”

A faint voice, Alec and the others must be nearing. Damian planted his sword in the ground to keep from collapsing.

Just as he prepared for one final strike—

“You’ve done well.”

A sudden warmth touched the top of his head. It lasted only a heartbeat, but Damian blinked in surprise. Before him stood a familiar back.

“…Father?”

He spoke the name aloud. In the next instant, dark mist began to rise, and the monsters crumbled into ash, carried off by the wind.

Damian watched, dazed.

“Rest now.”

With those words, his eyes closed and he fell unconscious.

……

T/N: Even when unconscious, Daphne wasn’t given the chance to just take a rest 😿Chapter 84 

A sharp breath escaped his lips. As the familiar northern wind pierced through the gaps in his clothing, Damian knocked on the carriage window. It wasn’t long before Baroness Nouvelle opened it.

“How is my mother?”

“She’s doing better than earlier, thankfully.”

In just a few short hours, the baroness had grown noticeably pale. Having to tend to Daphne alone in the rattling carriage, exhaustion was inevitable.

“Now that we’re in the North, we’ll arrive in half a day. Just hang in there a little longer.”

“This is my duty. Please, don’t worry about me. And… are you all right, Young Lord?”

It was the first time the baroness had seen Damian since confessing everything to him. Understanding the true meaning behind her question, Damian gave a slight nod, a beat late.

“…I’m fine.”

He spoke before she could say anything more.

“It’s cold.”

“…Yes.”

The window shut once again. Damian stared straight ahead.

“Faster!”

Even inside the carriage, the northern cold was inescapable. Given Daphne’s fragile condition, like glass on the verge of shattering, it was more efficient to arrive quickly than to endure the journey slowly.

As the pace quickened, an inexplicable unease crept into Damian’s chest. He urged his horse closer to Alec.

“Alec. This isn’t the season for monsters, is it?”

“No, sir. The subjugation ended not long ago, and with the harsh weather approaching, any surviving monsters should be lying low.”

“I have a bad feeling.”

“Shall I send out scouts?”

“That would be wise.”

Alec promptly selected a few men and dispatched them. Yet despite the precautions, Damian’s unease only grew. Sensing this, Alec began preparing to send additional scouts.

“Wait.”

Damian raised a hand. Everyone halted, holding their breath.

Whiing—

The biting wind howled loud and sharp. Then, faint but unmistakable, another sound began to rise. As Damian’s eyes shot open, Alec shouted. 

“Monsters!”

An uncountable swarm was racing toward them at breakneck speed.

“Ride!”

The coachman quickly turned the carriage and cracked his whip, but the monsters were closing in, far too fast to outrun. 

Still mounted, Damian reached into his coat, pulled out a mana stone, and crushed it. As the familiar, repulsive energy surged into him, he slashed clean through the nearest monster’s torso.

How long had he been fending off only the closest ones?

Alec came to a halt, eyes fixed on the rapidly approaching mass. Damian, having just shattered his third mana stone, followed suit.

“Alec, what are you doing?”

“Young Lord, at this rate, it’s only a matter of time before they catch up.”

Alec dismounted and drew his sword. The other black knights were already in position.

“Please protect the carriage. Any further use of mana stones will take a toll on your body. We’ll hold them off.”

“Alec…”

“Go, now.”

He turned his back to Damian.

“Go!”

With a sharp kick to his horse’s flank, Damian left them behind. The remaining knights rolled their shoulders and cracked their necks as the monsters thundered closer.

“Let’s go wild for once.”

“Don’t get hurt!”

“Don’t worry, Captain!”

Veterans of countless battles, they’d faced worse odds. As they prepared to clash with the oncoming horde… 

“…?”

The monsters vanished.

Alec blinked, dumbfounded, before a strange realization snapped his head up. One of the creatures had leapt high into the air, soaring right over them. Staring after its disappearing form, something dawned on Alec.

“…The carriage.”

Only one target lay in that direction.

“After it, now!”

The monsters’ target was the carriage. 

* * *

Thanks to a knight well-versed in northern terrain, Damian managed to bring the carriage near the fortress. As things calmed, the carriage began to slow.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes… yes, I’m fine. I’m not hurt. But what happened just now?”

The baroness spoke with clear tension in her voice. Understandably so, she had no explanation for why the carriage had suddenly bolted at full speed.

“There was a monster attack.”

“A m-monster?!”

“The knights, Alec among them, are handling it. There’s no need to worry.”

Just then, the carriage stopped.

“Young Lord.”

At the sound of the coachman’s voice, Damian stepped toward the driver’s seat. They had reached a fork in the road.

“Which way, sir?”

One path was faster, but passed through the Winter family’s ancestral graves. The other took longer. Damian didn’t hesitate.

“…Take the fast route.”

The carriage resumed its journey. But the moment they passed through the entrance… 

“My lady? My lady!”

The baroness’s urgent voice sent Damian rushing to open the door. Daphne’s body was trembling violently, frozen stiff.

“What’s wrong with my mother?”

“I… I don’t know. She suddenly just…”

Then, a chill ran down the back of Damian’s neck. The fine hairs on his body stood on end, and his spine snapped straight. He descended the carriage steps with cautious, deliberate movements. Sensing something off, the baroness held her breath.

There was a single monster. It had its massive snout raised, sniffing the air. As it searched for its target, Damian quietly stepped away from the carriage. He exchanged a quick glance with the coachman. The baroness, grasping the meaning of it, shook her head vigorously.

“Go!”

As Damian slammed the door shut, the carriage lurched into motion. The monster snapped its head around, locking eyes with Damian. He drew his sword and crushed another mana stone. The energy surged into him, his fourth dose in such a short time. His breath grew ragged. Steeling himself, he faced the creature.

Its grotesque eyes, if they could even be called that, rolled grotesquely in their sockets, then settled past Damian’s shoulder.

The carriage. It had a target.

The monster moved.

Damian dashed toward the carriage.

“Faster! Move faster!”

But he couldn’t outrun it. As the monster leapt into the air, Damian infused his blade with mana and hurled it.

Thwack!

With a cry of pain, the creature crashed to the ground. Damian approached, yanked his sword free from its writhing body, and gasped for breath. His vision blurred, an aftereffect of consuming so many mana stones. As the world faded at the edges, he glimpsed more monsters converging.

He let out a hollow laugh.

By now, the carriage should be safely through the gates.

Wobbling on unsteady legs, Damian raised his sword. He pulled up the last traces of mana left in his body.

“Young Lord!”

A faint voice, Alec and the others must be nearing. Damian planted his sword in the ground to keep from collapsing.

Just as he prepared for one final strike—

“You’ve done well.”

A sudden warmth touched the top of his head. It lasted only a heartbeat, but Damian blinked in surprise. Before him stood a familiar back.

“…Father?”

He spoke the name aloud. In the next instant, dark mist began to rise, and the monsters crumbled into ash, carried off by the wind.

Damian watched, dazed.

“Rest now.”

With those words, his eyes closed and he fell unconscious.

T/N: Even when unconscious, Daphne wasn’t given the chance to just take a rest 😿

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