Volume 2, Chapter 16 – The Fallen with Dual Abilities (Part 2)

“Let me say this first—I didn’t poison it.”

Yisi jokingly raised her hands.

But Mary only shrank her neck in hesitation.

“Have… have you eaten already…?”

It seemed she was mindful of the distinction between slave and master.

Back in the Niru diocese, Yisi had witnessed how if she dined late, the servants would have to wait until midnight to eat.

Servants were forbidden from eating before their masters—such was the rule of this world.

Yisi waved her hand dismissively.

“I’ve already eaten. Mary, you don’t need to worry about that.”

“O-okay.”

But curiously, when Mary reached the end of her meal, though her eyes still held hunger, she didn’t touch the two remaining slices of bread in the basket. Instead, she carefully covered them with a white cloth.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look full yet.”

“Ah…”

As if suddenly remembering Yisi was still there, Mary flinched, then slowly reached for the basket again, her movements filled with obvious reluctance.

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“Don’t worry, there’ll be more food later. I own this tavern—this much is nothing.”

Even with Yisi’s reassurance, Mary still nibbled at the bread reluctantly, bite by tiny bite.

Was she not thinking about the next meal but saving the bread for someone important?

Though the thought crossed her mind, Yisi didn’t pry. Instead, she tried to learn more about the girl’s past.

“Mary, are you a Fallen?”

A flicker of hesitation passed through Mary’s purple right eye. Realizing she couldn’t hide it, she answered haltingly.

“Yes…”

“Can you tell me about your abilities?”

“…I know how to use any weapon I pick up.”

“A combat-type gift, then.”

“My former master often had me act as a guard… s-so I might be of use to you, Master…”

Peeking up at Yisi as if gauging her reaction, Mary spoke with extreme caution.

Yisi paid it no mind.

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“Mary, you know your slave status hasn’t been revoked yet, right? Can you tell me about your former master?”

“He was a noble.”

“A noble, huh.”

That was slightly troublesome, but not insurmountable. Though nobles in this world held absolute superiority over commoners, to them, slaves were merely tradable goods. As long as she paid, buying Mary from a noble wouldn’t be difficult.

Choosing her words carefully, Yisi spoke in as gentle a tone as possible.

“If I said I wanted to buy you, Mary, would you stay with your former master or come with me? If I’m not mistaken, the state you were in earlier was because of him, right? I can promise this—if you choose me, you’ll get three meals a day and a monthly salary of one silver coin. In return, you’ll help out at my tavern.”

“Th-three meals a day?”

“Yes, at least as much as what you just had.”

“I—”

Mary’s face brightened instantly, ready to agree immediately. But Yisi raised a hand, signaling her to wait.

“Before that, I need to know the truth about your eye. Since this is a transaction, I must understand everything about you.”

At this, Mary’s expression darkened again. Her fingers clenched the bedsheet, and a sheen of sweat formed on her forehead, as if she were wrestling with something unbearable.

“You can take your time to think.”

“N-no… you’ve offered such generous terms… I can’t hide anything…”

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Not interrupting, Yisi remained silent.

“I’m a Fallen with two gifts. My left eye holds the second one—it lets me see how much life people have left. As long as I have magic, even if it’s injured, it heals quickly.”

When Mary didn’t continue, Yisi pressed further.

“And then?”

But Mary only blinked in surprise.

“Don’t you want to know how much time you have left?”

“No… I meant, does it have any other effects? Like making people sick when you look at them?”

“I don’t know, but nothing like that has ever happened.”

“So aside from seeing lifespans, it does nothing else? Is that it?”

“Yes, but… when people learn how little time they have left, they… change…”

This must be why Mary was called a monster. Knowing death would come someday and knowing exactly when it would come were two entirely different things. Unable to blame themselves, people instead directed their anger at Mary, the bearer of their death sentence. Those unwilling to accept the truth likely saw her eye as a curse and gouged it out.

But the truly cursed one was Mary. Because her left eye would heal even if injured, those who resented her could only torment her again and again. Realizing this, Yisi couldn’t bring herself to ask anything more.

Fate was truly cruel.

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Without thinking, Yisi reached out to comfort her, but Mary flinched away like a startled rabbit—a reaction born from frequent beatings.

A shadow crossed Yisi’s heart. She stood and began pulling out clothes from the storage. She had bought many commoner outfits before leaving. Though they might be slightly loose on Mary, given they were tailored for a count’s daughter, it wouldn’t be too noticeable.

“If you want to keep resting, stay here. Call me if you need anything. Also, what’s your former master’s name?”

“Wells. I only know his surname…”

“Got it. Mary, you’re not to leave this tavern—” To reassure her, Yisi added, “There are many dangerous people outside. This is a second-class residential district, understand?”

“Yes.”

Seeing Mary nod, Yisi’s tense expression softened slightly. Just before leaving, she remembered something important she’d forgotten to mention.

“Oh, I’ve already healed the Fallen mark on you, so you don’t need to worry about losing control.”

“Eh?!”

Even with the door closed, Yisi could hear Mary’s astonished, joy-filled shriek. To her, the Fallen mark must have felt like an ever-present specter of death. Its disappearance was nothing short of rebirth.

A faint smile touched Yisi’s lips as she descended the stairs to the first floor. Camilla was cleaning, and the crisp morning air made Yisi stretch lazily.

“Lots to do today.”

Aside from gathering information about the noble Wells, it was time to start preparing distilled liquor.