Our Family Has Fallen

But she understood that such defiance was powerless, because she lacked the courage to abandon it all; her attachment to her father was both a bond and a shackle.

Actually, her father treated her very well, complied with her in everything, and showered her with affection. He even refrained from getting a stepmother for the sake of her feelings, which shows that he gave her everything he could.

The only conflict between them was because she was a girl.

As Margaret gradually grew older, Lawrence’s worries became more apparent and intense.

It wasn’t unprecedented for women to inherit titles; there was even a famous Duchess in the Empire at that time.

But the problem confronting Lawrence was that once his daughter married, the family estate he left to her could be taken away, which was unacceptable to him.

He figured it was better to secure better conditions for her now than to simply give the estate away later. So, he approached Count Bastia, which resulted in the marriage agreement. Yes, Lawrence himself had taken the initiative.

Regarding all this, Margaret actually understood that her father was paving the way for her. He was considering how to provide her with a better life and even how she could avoid being bullied after he died.

There was no doubt that in Bastia, aside from the Heir Bruce, Alvin was the most suitable.

But this kind of respectable arrangement wasn’t what Margaret wanted, and that’s why conflict arose between them.

Among the Nobility, there were many young ladies who wanted to escape their circumstances, and Margaret clearly had more resolve to act than they did.

However, what drove Margaret to despair was her inability to leave this environment.

Because Lawrence had long anticipated this. Weren’t people always following her whenever she went out?

At the slightest disturbance, Knights would be dispatched to find her immediately. Even the Eagle Flock would be mobilized because it involved the Earl’s family’s honor; no matter where she fled to in the Empire, she would be discovered.

She wasn’t the kind to act rashly on impulse; for a hunter, patience was very important.

But with all resources in their hands, it was as if her hunting grounds were constantly shrinking. When a hunter encountered a more powerful enemy, they would become the prey.

Under the oppression of society and her environment, Margaret’s resistance seemed particularly weak. Her enthusiasm waned, she began to simply get by, and would probably still have to marry that Alvin in the end, falling into the despairing life of a noblewoman.

But that scene at the tournament, even if just for a moment, made her consider changing her situation.

What was that?

Why could only I see it?

She was certain it wasn’t an illusion; that overpowering pressure was almost driving her mad.

The unusual behavior Margaret exhibited after her return was mostly due to her pondering the astounding scene she had glimpsed.

What is the truth of this world?

Why am I alive?

What should I do?

She wanted to find the truth, to find the reason for her earlier mistake. Such contemplation led to today’s stunning news.

It was like a lurking hunter finally catching a trace of its prey.

That fellow Alvin, leading an entire Order of Knights, had been defeated and captured by Hamlet. Even her father, who had always seemed invincible in her eyes, was caught up in it.

This inevitably gave her some interesting ideas.

Alvin is truly useless.

And it shows that Father is not unbeatable.

She also grew increasingly curious about the miraculous land of Hamlet, as described by the maids.

If glimpsing that scene had sparked her longing for freedom,

then today’s news had given her direction.

She wanted to visit this place called Hamlet...

「...」

The rising sun cast its rays on the farmers in the fields. Looking at their thriving crops, they were unconcerned with any turmoil among the upper Nobility; such matters were not for them to ponder.

And in the castle, a maid carrying breakfast encountered the stern-faced Butler.

”Later, hold your tongue. You should be clear on what to say and what not to say.”

”Yes.” The little maid lowered her head, not daring to say more; after all, she was a servant.

The Butler let her pass only after seeing her compliance. If it weren’t for the young miss, this clueless servant would have been replaced long ago.

Carrying breakfast to the door, the maid called out for a good while but heard no response from the young miss. This was strange, since the young miss would usually be awake at this time.

She tentatively pushed the door and found it was unlocked. It opened directly. However, the scene that followed left the maid momentarily stunned.

The room was in full view, but there was no sign of the young miss—only the window, wide open to the morning light.

”The young miss is gone!”

「...」

Inside the pitch-black Beast Lair, where no sunlight penetrated, humans had their ways—Lance drew out his pocket watch.

Clocks had appeared in this world, but due to their mechanical construction and the quality of their mainsprings, they weren’t very accurate and had a relatively large margin of error. However, they were fine for a rough estimate of the time.

He had purchased this one from Totnes, along with a batch of other clocks that were set up around Hamlet: in schools, squares, military installations, and other places.

The concept of time was originally monopolized by the Church or the Nobility. Common folk could only guess the approximate time by waiting for the chimes of the church bells.

But Lance gave this knowledge back to them.

To foster development, it was necessary to enlighten the people. This was a detail so minor that hardly anyone noticed, yet it showed that Lance never stopped pushing forward.

”Six hours.”

He checked the time by the dying embers of the campfire. The group had had enough time to recover.

Though Wang Cai, transformed into a Spiritual Body, still looked dazed, it had undoubtedly completed its duty as a night guard with great loyalty.

Despite the absence of a night attack, Lance himself had not fallen asleep.

It was partly due to the surroundings, but more so because of his unease with the current situation.

Hamlet seemed to be flourishing now, but in reality, it was being propped up by him alone—a slight misstep could lead to a fall.

He didn’t know whether his decision to bring Hamlet into the public eye was the right one, nor did he know what kind of attention it might attract.

But to develop, it was essential to rebuild Hamlet’s reputation, to tell the world that it might have decayed once, but now Hamlet was standing tall again!

To Lance, this task seemed even more difficult than killing the old ancestor; destruction is always simpler than construction.

The damn old ancestor!

First thing in the morning, curse the old ancestor.

Lance got up. His slight movement woke Amanda. Their eyes met briefly, and it was evident that she hadn’t slept either.

But that was to be expected; in an environment with the constant possibility of an attack, such a reaction was normal, not to mention this was her first time with the team. For someone used to being a lone wolf, feeling out of place was natural.

Lance didn’t show his own emotions. Instead, he smiled and nodded reassuringly at Amanda.

Amanda was quite responsive to this; the trace of unease she felt upon waking quickly dissipated.

Lance’s rising acted like a switch, and the rest of the group gradually awakened. Alhazred was in meditation, appearing not to need sleep, and showed little change. Boudica, however, had clearly recovered her energy and was very spirited.

The food was quickly heated over the dying embers of the campfire, and soon everyone was prepared for the next battle.

”The Pigmen transport the meat here with a meal cart. Now we need to follow these traces to find the source of their meat,” Lance said.

A night of contemplation had allowed him to plan the next steps in detail. He always liked to be prepared.

The team set out with Boudica leading the way and Lance bringing up the rear, keeping the two Spellcasters protected in the middle.

The filthy environment of the Beast Lair now provided them with clear clues; the distinctive tracks left by the wheels rolling over waste were evident.

They had expected to encounter interference along the way and were prepared for combat, but strangely, there was a complete absence of Pigmen activity.

As they followed the traces deeper, they soon sensed something odd ahead...