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Chapter 5 - Toward home

A battered, ramshackle carriage was moving among the lush trees on a morning that felt like it had passed through a battlefield. Its right-side door was missing, its windows shattered, and its walls covered in soot. All its former luxury was gone.

The carriage was pulled by a large black stallion with red eyes and white pupils. The horse looked extremely fierce, as if it would mercilessly trample anything that stood in its path.

Sunlight streamed through the broken window, illuminating the face of a little girl with blonde hair that reflected the sunlight. Slowly, her eyes opened, revealing two beautiful gemstones that seemed to shine under the sun's rays.

The sleeping princess had finally awoken. Marie yawned lazily, then sat up and let out a soft sigh.

"I'm thirsty."

"Please be patient a little longer. I can already sense millions of human souls ahead of us."

A friendly voice was speaking inside her head. This was one of the abilities granted by the tattoo resulting from their contract. A contract made unilaterally, to be more precise. Now she could communicate with Morgrath even if they were thousands of miles apart. So she could summon him to her side anytime, anywhere. It sounded amazing, but she still didn't like having another voice in her head; it made her feel like she was crazy.

Right now, Morgrath had transformed into the majestic black stallion pulling this carriage, a task that usually required four horses.

Now he was her servant and would do anything for her. She had asked him to cancel the contract, but it was impossible because the contract stated it could not be dissolved unless both parties agreed to cancel it. But Morgrath didn't want to. She could probably order him to do this and that, but she couldn't control his will. The contract system was more about punishing the servant for disobedience than making him completely submissive.

A cruel system. Morgrath didn't seem worried at all that she might order him to commit suicide or do other terrible things. Not that she wanted him to kill himself; he had saved her life, so Marie thought she would treat him well in return. Besides, she wasn't that cruel.

The tattoo on her right hand could also be made invisible, and only appeared when Marie wanted to summon Morgrath.

Fortunately, Marie was not burned at the town square.

Suddenly, the carriage shook, causing Marie to be thrown slightly from her seat. She instantly snapped out of her reverie.

"Whoops."

"Are we there yet?" Marie asked irritably.

"I can see the city walls now. Just a little further."

Eden was the name of the city where she lived. A magnificent city surrounded by thick walls 30 meters high. Those walls had stood for hundreds of years, protecting millions of souls within. They were protected not only by the walls but also by trained knights under the leadership of four generals, ready to sacrifice themselves for humanity.

And now she was going to let an incredibly powerful demon enter those walls. She felt incredibly guilty, to the point where being hanged wouldn't be an issue. But she also didn't want to die. In the end, she could only ask the Goddess for forgiveness.

***

Under the heat of the morning sun, a knight guarding the fortress responsibly carried out his duty of watching over the city wall. He meticulously observed the vast field in front of him, ready to inform his comrades if there was any sign of a monster attack or anything else endangering the humans inside the walls.

Suddenly, he saw a small dot heading towards them at a relatively slow speed. He took his telescope to observe more closely.

"Did you see something?"

He ignored his watch partner's question and observed carefully.

"I think I see a nearly destroyed carriage being pulled by a large black horse. Damn, that horse looks really majestic."

Without warning, his partner quickly snatched his telescope, even though he had one hanging from his own belt. "Let me see."

Suddenly, he swore. "You IDIOT!! That's the carriage ridden by Miss Marie!"

"What!! Really? That carriage looks different from the last time I saw it. It looks like it was attacked by a giant demon goat."

"WTF?! Quick, open the gate, damn it!"

"YEAH, yeah." He instantly turned around to head for the gate. To his great surprise, he saw his superior standing there.

There stood a beautiful woman with red hair, gazing into the distance with her golden eyes. Her eyes were filled with longing and worry, and also a little anger.

Immediately, the soldier saluted and hit his friend to turn around as well.

"Don't open the gate yet," his commander said. Then she walked past them and jumped into a free fall.

"WTF??!!"

***

For a moment, Morgrath thought he was seeing a falling star in the middle of the day. But it turned out to be a woman falling from a great height. Her feet emitted flames aimed at reducing her falling momentum.

Even so, a loud crash was heard when the woman hit the ground, forming a cloud of dust. Suddenly, a heat blast dispersed all the dust, revealing a red-haired woman enveloped in blazing flames.

Her golden eyes stared sharply in his direction.

'Looks like my disguise has been discovered.' Morgrath halted his steps and called Marie out of the carriage.

Small feet stepped out. Marie, like a princess from an old tale, walked slowly across the grassland. Her golden hair was dazzling under the sunlight, while her eyes shone like gems.

Behind her, the majestic horse showed strange movements, its muscles contorting. Its body shrank, its head shortened. The horse transformed into the figure of a man in his early thirties. His body was muscular, radiating an aura of authority, with short, dark purple hair combed neatly back. A long scar stretched from his neck to his left cheek, leaving him with a fierce and intimidating aura, as if reminding anyone who looked at him that this man had been through countless battles.

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