The Camellia Tattoo - Chapter 154
Crows are unsettling creatures even when there’s just one. Their intelligence and cunning often lead to troublesome situations for humans.
But now, how many of those crows are there?
The sky was darkened by a swarm of crows, which was nothing short of terrifying.
Even Jean, pale-faced, watched the black mass descend, while only two people, Igmeyer and Raphael, remained calm.
Caw, caw!
The flock circled above, creating a whirl of shadows.
One crow, with three legs and three eyes, swooped down, landing on Raphael’s arm.
It was clear that this bird was no ordinary creature.
“So, you’re the leader. I ask you to read my memory and find her.”
The crow cawed as if it understood Raphael’s request.
The sound it made resembled a person cackling with laughter, prompting everyone to frown and cover their ears. The lead crow, seemingly amused, cawed energetically and soared back into the sky.
Could this flock actually find the Madam?
Everyone swallowed nervously and clasped their hands tightly together.
Please, please find her.
* * *
“……Huh!”
How deep had she been sleeping? Or how long?
After hearing the cawing from somewhere, Amber snapped awake, and seeing that it was still dark outside, she sighed in relief.
It didn’t seem like much time had passed after all.
Once her head was clear, she felt she could leave right away.
“Oh, bread… thank goodness.”
She had worried she wouldn’t have food, but that wasn’t the case.
Nicolas had prepared a bag with enough provisions to fill her empty stomach.
As she tore off small pieces of bread to eat, Amber suddenly thought she saw something glimmering in the darkness.
Tilting her head, she leaned back slightly, and the glimmer drew closer.
Startled, Amber froze, but thankfully, the creature was quite small.
“What… what is that?”
It seemed to be some kind of animal.
Just then, a beam of moonlight illuminated the space around her.
Leaning against the moonlight, Amber blinked a few times to focus and finally realized that the creature was a crow.
“Are you hungry?”
Though she was starving herself, Amber loved sharing whatever food she had.
The crow tilted its head as if it understood her question and let out a short caw.
Amber immediately tore a piece of the bread she was eating and scattered it on the ground.
She would have preferred to hand it to the crow directly, but its size made her a bit uneasy.
After they shared the bread, Amber felt thirsty and struggled to her feet. To her surprise, the crow flapped its wings and landed on her shoulder.
“Hmm? Are you trying to come along?”
Again, the crow responded with a caw, as if it understood her.
Amber gently petted its head and cautiously made her way out of the cave.
Fortunately, the horse she had tied to a tree was still there, and Amber grabbed the reins and headed toward the water.
She planned to hydrate and follow the stream again.
‘The moon is waning. It should be dawn soon.’
How much further did she need to go to escape the north?
Perhaps it was her exhaustion, but she felt hazy.
Amber rubbed her belly and closed her eyes for a moment.
Indeed, the greatest desire was to be nestled in her husband’s arms.
Suppressing that feeling was painful.
* * *
“…Ugh.”
A considerable distance from where Amber was, Raphael shielded one eye and staggered slightly.
However, he quickly straightened up and stood tall.
“…I found her.”
“Where?”
“She just came out of a cave. It’s southwest from here, the fifteenth cave in the Krenthal Forest.”
“I know where that is.”
Igmeyer smirked.
This was no joke or exaggeration; he genuinely knew every inch of the northern region.
The problem was not knowing where Amber was, but rather that he could indeed go to find her.
“Don’t let anyone follow. I’ll go alone.”
“Understood.”
With those words, Igmeyer’s form vanished.
He sprinted forward and stopped at the entrance of the forest.
“Whoo.”
At this moment, just before dawn, the entire world was steeped in darkness.
If he was to find Amber now, she would surely be startled. She might even panic and try to flee.
‘That can’t happen. It shouldn’t happen.’
Crack!
The tree he had leaned against fell helplessly to the ground.
Watching this, Igmeyer took several deep breaths and relaxed his grip.
He needed to calm his tense muscles. He had to soften his expression and soothe the wildness in his eyes.
He couldn’t let her run away at the sight of him.
After all, if she did try to escape and stumbled in the process, what would happen then?
‘Please don’t abandon me, Amber.’
Don’t let go.
Though he had an inkling of why she was trying to leave, he fought against the urge to speculate.
He wanted to hear it directly from her.
He wanted to understand the reason behind her gaze when she looked into his eyes.
So he would not jump to conclusions or make assumptions.
