Magical Girl

Chapter 4

Marlene shuddered and quickly gathered up the things in her hands.

Carl staggered closer to Marlene, saying, "That b***h Mirian lied to me when I asked her where the ring went. She said she lost it, but it was hidden here all along. Give it to me."

There was no way Marlene was going to hand it over. She clenched the ring in one hand and held onto a pair of scissors in the other.

She silently told herself, "Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Carl is drunk. He can’t do anything to me."

Carl raised his huge hand, and Marlene immediately ducked to avoid the blow. Carl, still reeling from the alcohol, missed his strike and, thrown off balance by Marlene’s push, fell to the ground.

Marlene was a bit shocked. This was the first time something like this had happened. She was so frail that even when Carl was drunk, she’d never been able to move him before. But this time, she had actually pushed Carl down! Although it was mostly because Carl was severely intoxicated, it stirred a sudden surge of courage within her—she was fifteen, after all!

Taking advantage of the moment, Marlene tried to escape, but Carl grabbed her ankle.

Even though Carl’s body was weakened by alcohol, he was still a strong adult, and he held her tightly. Marlene couldn’t break free.

Would she have to wait for him to sober up and endure yet another beating?

In that instant, Marlene didn’t care anymore. She picked up the scissors and stabbed them hard into the back of Carl’s hand.

Pointless resistance would only anger Carl, which was why she had never openly fought back before. This was the first time Marlene had truly resisted, and she was determined it would also be the last.

Numbed by the alcohol, it took Carl a moment to react. After two seconds, he let out a painful scream. Hearing Carl’s cry of pain only made Marlene more alert. She raised the scissors and, like a madwoman, stabbed Carl with all her might.

Marlene frantically stabbed Carl over a dozen times, and when she finally stopped, gasping for breath, she saw under the dim light that Carl’s hands and face were covered with wounds, making him look terrifying. In truth, the scissors weren’t very sharp, Marlene wasn’t strong, and Carl had been shielding himself, so the wounds were only superficial.

Marlene didn’t have the courage to kill; she just wanted Carl to let her go. But he didn’t. Not only did he hold on, but through the pain, Carl’s eyes grew clearer.

Marlene thought, "This is bad. Once Carl sobers up, I’m finished."

“You filthy b***h, you’re asking for it,” Carl growled and lunged at Marlene.

In that moment, Marlene displayed agility she never knew she had. She slipped under Carl’s arm like a mouse, dodging his attack.

Her heart pounded wildly as she scanned the room. There were no useful tools in sight; the only thing within view was the dim kerosene lamp. Marlene didn’t have time to hesitate. She picked up the lamp and hurled it at Carl with all her strength.

Her throw was too weak and missed its mark, causing the lamp to smash in the middle of them. A sudden burst of flames erupted between them, nearly singeing her hair.

Both took a step back involuntarily. Through the flames, Marlene could see Carl’s furious and twisted face. In that instant, she knew this was her chance. She turned swiftly and fled the house.

Behind her were Carl’s roars. Marlene quickly pressed her body against the door, holding it shut. She frantically looked around and spotted a bundle of hemp rope hanging on the wall, used for tying firewood. She grabbed it, her hands fumbling as she frantically tied the door shut.

She knew that with a wooden door like this, Carl could break through it with his fists once he realized what was happening. She wouldn’t be able to hold him for more than a few minutes. Marlene darted into her room, grabbed her small bundle of belongings.

The sky was covered with clouds, and darkness blanketed the outside. Without looking back, Marlene dashed into that darkness.

Marlene ran blindly in the dark, her feet moving swiftly. She kicked something, sending a jolt of pain through her toes as if they were broken. She didn’t dare stop. Stumbling, she regained her balance and kept running.

She didn’t look back, so she didn’t see that the small house where she had lived for fifteen years was slowly catching fire. It grew from a weak flame into a raging inferno.

Marlene only knew that she had to escape. She had no time to wait around to see if there was a passing cart to hitch a ride; she had to rely on her own two legs. She found the road leading to the town and kept walking along it.

By dawn, a torrential downpour arrived, and in the rain, Marlene’s tears fell silently. Her tears, mixed with the rain and sweat. If there was a hell on earth, it would be Auderin, she thought. She had been trapped in this filthy mire for fifteen years.

Today, she—Feng Ling, or Marlene—was going to leave it forever. Either she would leave, or she would die trying!

-

Marlene was drenched by the rain, soaked to the bone like a drowned rat. As the sky slowly brightened, her energy was also gradually drained.

In this heavy rain, perhaps no one from the village would come to town, which could be both a blessing and a curse. Carl might not catch up to her for now, but at the same time, she might also die from exposure in this downpour.

Maybe fate had not abandoned her entirely, because in the midst of the rain, Marlene heard the sound of hooves.

Through the blurred rain, she saw a carriage coming toward her.

Marlene rushed forward and shouted, “Wait, please wait.”

As soon as she opened her mouth, she realized her voice was hoarse and torn. She had been tense all night, her lips tightly sealed without uttering a word, and hadn’t noticed that she’d lost her voice.

Her weak voice was easily swallowed by the sound of the rain. Even she could barely hear herself, let alone the person inside the carriage. The carriage brushed past her in the rain, splashing dirty mud onto her already battered body.

But she couldn’t give up hope. She waved frantically, trying to force a sound from her chest. She wanted to scream, to shout.

—Finally, at the carriage’s retreating figure, she let out a wild, beast-like scream, “Ah—!”

The sound of her scream pierced through the rain and finally reached the ears of the carriage driver. The carriage came to a stop.

-

“Oh, poor child, just look at you. May the goddess bless you,” said an elderly woman sitting inside the carriage.

The middle-aged man driving the carriage was her son, and they were on their way to the town to attend her granddaughter’s wedding, rain or no rain. The carriage was quite shabby, with wind and rain seeping in through the gaps, and Marlene huddled into a ball, shivering in the corner.

The old woman looked down at the spot Marlene had dirtied, a hint of displeasure on her face, and she frowned.

Marlene quickly said, “I’ll pay! Double.” If she were thrown out now, she really would die in the rain.

The old woman still didn’t look entirely pleased but reluctantly said, “Alright, for my granddaughter’s sake.”

Though Marlene was exhausted and cold, she didn’t dare let her guard down. She forced herself to stay alert and engage the old woman in conversation. She needed to please her, but she couldn’t fully relax either. People from Auderin had hearts as hard as stone. They wouldn’t hesitate to sell even their own daughters without batting an eye. She had to be cautious.

Finally, as the rain began to subside, they arrived at the town.

Upon reaching the town, Marlene used a silver chain as payment for the ride.

“This silver chain is worth at least two silver coins. You owe me some change,” she said.

“Oh, this piece of junk? If you took it to the pawn shop, they wouldn’t even give you a single coin,” replied the old woman.

“You can’t do this. My friend is nearby, and he’ll be here soon to pick me up. He’s a big guy. He’ll sort this out for me,” Marlene insisted.

The old woman grumbled, “You’re just taking advantage of an old woman. You know I’m in a hurry…”

After much grumbling, the old woman finally gave Marlene one silver coin and five copper coins.

Worried about missing the caravan to Jetugara, Marlene took the money and left without arguing further.

-

By now, the sky was fully bright, and it was nearly the time Bess had mentioned.

Marlene couldn’t afford any delay and ran toward the other end of town. In the distance, she saw a large caravan. There were over ten wagons, surrounded by busy adults who were loudly organizing their goods.

Marlene took a deep breath and cautiously approached.

A man dressed as a mercenary stopped her, eyeing the wet, stick-thin girl in front of him who looked no older than twelve. He frowned and said, “This is no place for kids. Get lost.”

With her hoarse voice, Marlene said firmly, “Excuse me, I’m here to find Bess. I arranged to meet her.”

“What? Who’s Bess? Stop messing around and leave,” he replied.

Marlene persisted, “No, I really did arrange to meet her. Please, let me see her.”

Just then, Marlene spotted Bess, who was carrying a bundle and getting ready to board a wagon. Excitedly, she called out, “Bess! Bess! It’s me, Marlene!”

Bess was startled by Marlene’s rough voice. When she came closer and got a good look, she shrieked, “Oh my god, Marlene, what happened to you? You look like a plucked chicken!” She found her description amusing and burst into laughter.

Marlene said, “Bess, please, take me with you. Take me away from Auderin.”

The mercenary scowled, “You’re going to cause us trouble, aren’t you?”

Marlene quickly said, “Please, I’ll give you all the money I have. I can help with the laundry. I worked as a maid in Lord Rod’s house—I can wash clothes and cook. I won’t cause any trouble, I promise. Please, take me with you.”

The mercenary glanced at the pitiful handful of one silver coin and a few copper coins in Marlene’s hands and sneered, as if she had said something amusing. He slapped her hand away and said, “Get lost now, or I’ll show you what real trouble looks like.”

“I also have this,” Marlene said, pulling out the small ring from her pocket and offering it to the mercenary. “It was my mother’s. It should be worth a bit. Please, sir, I beg you.”

Marlene didn’t expect the ring to impress anyone. She just couldn’t bring herself to give up hope. But to her surprise, when the mercenary looked at the ring, his eyes lit up.

“Where did you get this ring?” he asked.

“It was my mother’s. I haven’t had a chance to pawn it yet. If possible, I’d like to use it as payment for my passage.”

The mercenary took the ring from Marlene’s hand, examining it with some suspicion. After a moment, he said, “Wait here.”

He took the ring and walked away toward the front of the caravan.

As soon as he left, Bess angrily scolded Marlene, “Miserable Marlene, troublemaker! Look at what you’ve done! You’re going to drag me down with you!”

Marlene wasn’t concerned about Bess’s complaints; she was more worried about her ring. Although the ring wasn’t worth much, it was the most valuable thing she had. She asked anxiously, “Do you think he’ll just take it and leave?”

She vividly remembered these mercenaries’ rowdy behavior at Lord Rod’s estate and didn’t dare to put any trust in their honesty.

Bess rolled her eyes and said, “That silver-plated ring of yours—you actually think anyone would want it? These mercenary lords have seen it all. They won’t care about your little trinket from the countryside.”

Out of sight from Marlene and Bess, the mercenary handed the ring to their leader.

The leader, a particularly burly middle-aged man with a scar across his nose, took the ring and examined it.

“A ring from a country girl, but this stone looks like a magic stone,” the mercenary said.

Their leader inspected the ring and replied, “It’s a red Emberstone. Small and low purity, but in a place like this, it’s probably quite valuable.”

“That country girl wants to go to Jetugara. She said she’ll use this as payment for her fare.”

The leader thought for a moment before saying, “Take her with us. We charge four Yamanron gold coins for the fare. This ring could fetch at least ten in Jetugara. Why not?”

He held the ring up to the sun, where the red gem gave off a faint, fiery glint.

“A magic stone… Who would’ve thought there’d be something like this in Auderin?”

Soon, the rain stopped, and the caravan set off.

Marlene lay in the simple wagon loaded with hay for the horses. The wagon rocked back and forth, and her small body sank into the hay, gradually drifting off to sleep.