It's said that there are three main factors that determine a person's life.
One is what kind of environment you were born in.
The other is what kind of experience you have.
And the last thing is… what kind of people do you meet.
By that standard, Ophelia had always thought her life was full of misfortunes.
She was born in a miserable environment where she didn't even know her parents' faces. As an adventurer, she had to struggle only to survive, and had to face countless deaths.
In addition, the types of people she had met were those who courted death. They were people who were trying to kill her, or those who approached her for the purpose of fulfilling their own personal desires.
All of them were people who regarded her as a mere tool.
But… in her life, which was considered full of darkness. One day, light started to seep in.
For the first time, she encountered a person who saw her as a living human being, not as a tool.
From the moment she first met him, he recognized her efforts that no one else payed attention to.
He complimented her for the first time.
For the first time, he let her know the warmth of a person.
Her "Lord" had planted a precious flower in her heart, which had been desolate until now.
Bahamut Fernandez.
Recently, whenever she thought of the man's face, Ophelia's face blushed red without realizing it.
'What is it? This feeling… I've never felt it before…'
Ophelia realized for the first time that just thinking of someone could make her so happy.
Even at the moment.. when she was laying down on her bed, that person's face kept coming to her mind, and the thought of wanting to see that person's face fills her heart.
'Couldn't it be… is this… that… the feeling of love…'
Feelings that she thought would have nothing to do with her. However, Ophelia herself knew best that there was no other way for her to express these feelings.
But at the same time, recognizing that fact began to awaken another emotion in Ophelia.
A painful and conflicting emotion called sadness.
It seemed contradictory, but in fact it was natural.
Ophelia, who was an adventurer, was of low origin, who in fact didn't even know her origin.
For her, it was safe to say that there was absolutely no possibility of being associated with Bahamut, who owned the city's top level merchant companies. The difference between the two people's status was so far that she dared not even measure it.
Therefore, her love could never come to fruition.
'A woman like me… no matter how hard I try, I'll never be able to unite with Lord Bahamut. All I can do is… hold up my sword and stand by his side…'
Thinking that was the only way she would be able to express her love for him, Ophelia slowly closed her eyes, feeling deep fatigue.
In order to wake up early tomorrow morning, she should get a good night's sleep.
At that moment…
"…?"
Ophelia, who had just fallen asleep, sensed the presence of something and stood up.
"What is it? Who at this hour…"
The sun had already set and the surroundings were extremely dark.
However, she was basically trained as a warrior, and her senses had become more sensitive due to that. Therefore, she succeeded in detecting signs movement in the dark.
'Could it be… is it a thief?
As soon as that thought came to mind, Ophelia immediately rose from her bed and raised her sword.
Then, Ophelia started to move towards the place where the presence was felt.
Concealing her presence to the extent that it would be difficult for an ordinary person to notice, she began to move cautiously. Then, a faint light began to appear in front of her eyes.
Watching the light move faster than expected without much hesitation, Ophelia continued to stealthily follow it, considering the possibility that the other party was either a novice thief who had no sense of caution, or a strong person who did not even feel the need to do so.
***
She was lying on the cold floor, in the room devoid of light.
Isolda looked at the locked iron door with blurry eyes, feeling that it was difficult to even breathe.
It's been a week since she stubbornly refused to eat.
Now, as if her stomach had recognized that no matter how much pain it sent, it would have nothing, she no longer felt any pain.
However, instead of pain, another sensation dominated her body.
It was terribly lethargic.
A terrible feeling as if her life was slowly burning out, leaving her with no energy to even lift a finger.
In the terrifying silence, Isolda felt as if the god of death was beckoning to her. She even began to think that she would rather die as soon as possible.
At that time…
Kikiiik!
"…!"
The next moment, the iron door started to open with a sharp sound.
The moment she heard that, Isolda's life, which had been dying out, suddenly started to burn as if oil had been poured into it.