Can We Become a Family? - Chapter 26

……”

Navia held her breath with a nervous face. If anyone was guarding outside, they could have come inside after hearing the sound. But nothing happened. There seemed to be no one guarding outside.

“…sigh.”

Navia let out a long sigh and began to check her surroundings more actively. However, it was practically empty. Navia felt boxes stacked up, confirming that she was in a warehouse.

‘I’ll find something useful if I keep searching.’

There was no law against death under any circumstances. Navia grit her teeth from the cold, but got a hold of herself and checked the items in her hand.

How long had it been?

Navia found a ray of light shining through a very small crack in the wall.

The sound of grasshoppers crying at dawn couldn’t even be heard.

Chirp, chirp!

Instead, the familiar chirping of sparrows in the morning were heard.

When Navia saw the light, it felt like a star was twinkling in front of her eyes, pointing her to the correct path.

Grumble.

‘Ah… come to think of it, I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday morning.’

Hungry. Navia had been shivering for a long time and her whole body hurt.

She was paying attention to escaping, but her concentration was suddenly broken. She was in a state she had never felt before.

But she kept moving.

If she failed to find any breakthroughs and stayed like this until Wood came…

Clang.

Navia felt something bump her hand and brought it to her nose. It had a small handle and a palm-sized plate.

‘…hand mirror?’

If it’s this shape, isn’t it just a hand mirror? Navia lifted it up to the ray of light. The amount of light shining in the warehouse was extremely little. It was a situation where more light was needed to actually see what was in her hand.

‘Light can be reflected on the mirror to get more light.’

Navia stuck the mirror out to the sunlight shining through the cracks in the wall.

Shine!

The light that flowed in lightly hit the mirror and created a new beam of light.

Navia moved the light to gain a wider view inside. She could see the abandoned cabin covered with dust and spider webs.

It seemed no different from what she speculated all night.

‘Was there a place like this in the Duchy?’

Looking back on her past eight lives, she couldn’t even figure out the purpose for this place.

She was almost surprised that Wood found this place.

Navia was soon able to find out where the door was.

Wouldn’t it be possible to break the door open with force since it’s such an old place?

After a deep breath, Navia hit her body hard against the door.

Slam!

“Euk!”

Even though it was an old wooden door, it didn’t budge with Navia’s strength. Because she was in a starved and cold state, Navia didn’t seem to have any strength. Navia tried to hit the door a few more times with her body, but she collapsed in the corner.

Wood had a very persistent personality. It was clear that he would definitely come to get even with her.

‘Who knows I’m missing?’

Wood knew she could steal magic, so he wouldn’t ever use it.

Even if Navia was in a good state, she wouldn’t be able to beat Wood in strength, but now she doesn’t even have any energy. It was best to get out before Wood came back.

Navia leaned against the pile of boxes, touching the floor with her hands.

“The floor is wet…”

Navia frowned as she looked back, feeling the dampness of the floor with her fingertips.

‘The floor is wet?’

Navia looked at the floor. It was damp near the bottom of the box, but the other places were fine. Why was it only wet here?

‘Thinking about it, it did rain a few days ago.’

If it was the rain that made the floor like this, other places should also be wet. Navia began to clean up the boxes that had been piled up behind her.

‘There’s got to be a reason!’

Perhaps, maybe…!

‘There is!’

When she moved the boxes that blocked the wall, she felt a small hole. Navia fixed the mirror reflecting the light to face the small hole.

‘Could I go through this?’

She reached out and checked the hole. It was narrower than expected. However, since she was skinny, she felt like she could go through it. Navia leaned down and went in. The hole was narrower than what she was able to see.

She scratched the floor with her nails to force herself out. Whether it was her face or clothes, soil was getting everywhere, but it didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered right now was escaping!

‘I can see light!’

Navia clenched her teeth and struggled.

‘Please, a little bit more…!’

Fortunately, her back, which had been stuck, began to slip out.

I did it! I’m finally outside…!

“Huh? Huuh? She’s escaping!”

With a servant on his way to the warehouse, Wood found Navia trying to escape and shouted.

Navia pulled herself out completely and ran.

“Catch her!”

The servant ran with Wood’s command and quickly caught Navia. No matter how much Navia ran, she couldn’t beat an adult man in speed.

But she didn’t intend to remain in custody.

Navia pulled out the pearl hairpin from her hair and stabbed the servant in the thigh.

Stab!

The Pearl hairpin was definitely not a quality item. If it were real silver, it wouldn’t have been able to easily pierce through flesh like this!

“Aahk!”

The servant screamed and let go of Navia when he was stabbed in the thigh.

Wood, witnessing the scene, was upset and went wild.

“You incompetent bug! Can’t you catch a low-life like that?”

‘If we lose the low-life, we’re done!’

The house turned upside down yesterday for many reasons.

First, those who embezzled were being loud, and then Charlotte, who was locked up, was found and created more noise.

The fact that Navia disappeared was quickly discovered by Nikan.

Wood was nervous that the servants may find Navia.

But was the location selected that outstanding? No one came to look.

The search was intensified outside the mansion, suspecting the outside world.

Wood was quietly holding in his breath so he wouldn’t look suspicious to others. He came here before dawn.

‘And I was going to beat you up and threaten you to keep your mouth shut that I kidnapped you!’

He picked up a servant that he could use to make the situation easier to handle, but the servant couldn’t even catch Navia.

“Catch her! I said, catch her! You worthless bastard!”

He had to cover Navia’s mouth somehow.

Navia could steal her opponents’ magic no doubt. But it wasn’t that there was no way to overpower that. She couldn’t be given time to steal magic! It was the way to deal with copycat wizards.

Wood sent a stream of water towards Navia.

“Keut!”

Navia was beaten by the stream of water and fell on the floor. Wood was thrilled that his idea was correct.

“Puhaha!”

His fear of Navia, which loomed in his heart, disappeared as if washed away by his one success.

“This is real power. You stupid low-life. Did you think you could beat me just because you were lucky enough to steal my magic?”

Wood approached Navia with the look of a winner. In the meantime, Navia got up with her trembling arms on the floor and shouted,

“Please save me!”

The helpless cry made Wood laugh louder.

“You should’ve run away earlier like that, idiot.”

This proved that he was stronger.

“No matter how hard you struggle, you’re just a low-life.”

Pak!

Wood kicked Navia without mercy. Navia rolled back on the floor again. She turned her head and glared at Wood.

Wood was in high spirits but flinched at the look in her eyes that were tearing up.

‘It’s okay as long as I don’t use magic. She’s not a wizard anyway, so there’s no other ability!’

“You’re no match for me even if I don’t use magic!”

Wood forgot about the faint fear he felt for a moment and grabbed Navia.

“Die!”

It was then when Navia held his arm reflexively.

Thump!

A big drum rang throughout her whole body. The echo was so great: it was as if her whole body was a bell and someone had hit her body, creating a loud ring.

An unexpected change occurred with the single beat.

The wind stopped.