Chapter 15: Let Her Live

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

Chapter 15: Let Her Live

A woman, and she appeared in this wilderness. Could this be some kind of test arranged by my father?

“Little Bear, come with me.”

I summoned Little Bear, who was lying on the ground, and walked towards the opposite bank of the stream.

Whether she is Father’s test or a pure passerby, the truth would be revealed after we meet each other.

“Aah ooh~”

Little Bear stood up excitedly and ran in front of me.

The opposite bank of the stream was different from the dense forest here. Not far out, there was a cliff.

I looked at the cliff in front of me. The woman’s aura came from a cave on the cliff.

“Aah ooh~”

Little Bear cried out and looked at me. He nudged his nose upward, obviously also catching the aura above.

I patted his head to show that I knew. My gaze returned to the cliff.

Having set my course, I began to climb the cliff.

“Ooh ooh~”

The anxious cry of Little Bear came from below. I turned around and looked at him, who was spinning in circles. I gestured for him to rest assured. He immediately lay down quietly and stopped crying.

I seemed to have discovered another use of the contract. The ability to connect with the other party’s mind was greatly enhanced.

A few minutes later, I stood in front of the cave on the cliff face. Fresh charcoal ashes and human excrement wrapped in them at the entrance. Clearly, there were traces of human activity.

“Is anyone in there?”

I called into the cave.

“Yes, is it Sir Will?”

A weak female voice came from the cave.

The moment I heard my name, I was certain that this was also a test arranged by my father. However, I still didn’t understand why my father would tell her my name.

“It’s me. May I come in?”

“Please come in.”

With permission, I stepped inside.

The cave was not too small. After turning a corner, I saw a pale woman sitting in a corner with an unextinguished bonfire in front of her.

The woman looked to be in her twenties. Her entire body was wrapped in gray gauze. Her lips were colourless, and her eyes were bloodshot. She seemed to be having a fever and looked like she would collapse at any moment.

“Hello, ma’am. It looks like you could use some help.”

“Haha, Sir Will, did you notice? I got injured climbing up here, but now, it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m a person who deserves to die. It’s better to die here than to die after suffering humiliation in prison.”

The woman smiled weakly and lifted the veil covering her legs.

Her calves were slender and white, but there was a serious injury on one of her knees. The surrounding area was already inflamed. This should be the reason why the woman was so weak.

“Madam, wait a moment. I’ll go find some herbs for you.”

I turned around and walked out of the cave. I returned to the bottom of the cliff and summoned Little Bear to go into the forest with me to find a few herbs that could reduce inflammation.

I didn’t expect the medical knowledge my father taught me to come in handy so quickly.

There seemed to be a lot more to the woman’s words. This should be the test my father had given me. My top priority was to keep her alive.

An hour later.

I returned to the cave and crushed the herbs I had found together before applying them to the woman’s wound.

Then, I brewed a pot of medicine with an iron pot and made her drink it.

“Thank you, Sir Will. This dying person has troubled you.”

“You’re welcome. Can you tell me what crime you committed?”

I sat down across her and asked.

Since they were the test subjects arranged by his father, they should all be people who had committed crimes.

“I killed someone. Baron Dominic.”

The woman was very calm. There was even a hint of relief in her eyes.

I didn’t know who Baron Dominic was, but I knew the laws of the Kingdom of Freld.

Civilians had to pay with their lives for killing nobles.

This meant that she must die.

Then, what was Father trying to test by arranging such a person for me?

I fell into thought.

“Sir Will, did you know? Five months ago, I also had a child your age. He wasn’t as capable as you, but he was as cute as you.”

The woman in front of me looked at me and smiled. Her eyes were filled with love.

“I’m sorry, ma’am.”

This child was probably dead.

I didn’t know how to comfort her. This seemed to be all I could say.

“Sir Will, I can tell that you’re also the son of a noble, but why is there such a huge difference between nobles? You’re so humble and polite, but Baron Dominic from my hometown is a scumbag who won’t even spare a seven-year-old child.”

The woman shed tears as she recounted the past.

It was probably because she saw me that she remembered the sad past of her deceased child.

I was silent. The woman continued.

“My husband passed away a long time ago. I gathered camellia for a living. All I had was my mother and my seven-year-old son. That day, because I was busy with the collection, I asked my son to send fresh tea leaves to Baron Dominic’s house as a form of tax. At night, I received news of my son’s death.

“They told me that my son was in a car accident and was trampled by the horses pulling a cart. When I saw my son’s corpse, I saw obvious traces of abuse. Boohoo…”

At this point, the woman was already sobbing uncontrollably.

I didn’t need to hear any more. I could already guess what happened next.

As Baron Dominic’s subject, the woman in front of me, having failed to obtain fairness through legal means, had taken the most extreme method to avenge her son. Moreover, she had survived.

But because of the laws of the Kingdom of Freld, she had to pay for her feudal lord’s life.

“I’m sorry, Sir Will, for letting you hear such unhappy things.”

“It’s okay, ma’am. You don’t have to apologize.”

“No! Sir Will, I took advantage of your kindness. In fact, I was ordered to come here to tell you about this. The lord who asked me to come said that if I told you about this, he would give my mother a large sum of money as my last act of filial piety to her.”

The woman wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and struggled to get up, wanting to apologize to me.

“Madam, I’ve said it before. You don’t have to apologize to me. I think if you want to be filial, you should be filial to your mother personally.”

“Sir… Sir Will, w-what do you mean?”

The woman’s eyes widened.

“Madam, can you tell me your name?”

“C-Cerens.”

“Mrs. Cerens, personally, if you only killed Baron Dominic, I don’t think you’ve done anything wrong. I even admire your bravery. Your mother still needs care You’re still young. Time will fade this pain.

“I’ll tell Father to bring your mother to our territory and give you land so that you can build a new home. But for now, you need to recuperate.”

I understood my father’s intentions. He wanted me to decide the fate of this woman.

And my choice was.

Let her live.