What captured Edwin Kabelheider’s attention soon became a special value. This unconventional nonsense was the truth and an unchanging law in his estate, August. In fact, the world in his eyes, which was special from his birth, was full of boring and stupid things. He was born into the world in dark days when he couldn’t even remember, and from the moment he burst out his first cry, he grew up enjoying a luxurious privilege that no one else could imagine. For the first time in his life, he felt ‘private interest’ to a shabby woman in the dump. How should he take this?
It hurt his pride. The first person he was interested in was this vulgar commoner. But to God’s credit, even it was the first time, the attraction that crushed his pride was intense. A woman who did not know his name was staring at Edwin persistently. It was as if she had read the feelings of that moment that sparkled in Edwin’s eyes. The eyes tenaciously staring at each other without even knowing the common name were like destiny.
Edwin, who was staring at the woman, slowly reached out and beckoned her to come closer. Then the woman got up from her seat and quickly approached the wall. She was 15 meters below. If he shouted out loud, his voice may reach, but Edwin didn’t want to exchange words with the woman that far.
“Help me.”
Edwin looked down at her with curious eyes and stared at the woman yelling for help. Then he opened his mouth without making much of a sound.
‘What?’
“Families are dying of starvation. My mother and my younger brother… I don’t have anything to eat. I need something to eat, please.”
The woman looked as desperate as those gathered under the wall. But looking at her up close, she exuded a strong divine power. Unlike others, she did not smell of unpleasant and disgusting plague. In addition, she had everything that could trigger sympathy. Small height, thin body, big and clear eyes, and plump lips.
However, Edwin did not agree. Unfortunately, he was a person who wouldn’t shed a drop of blood even if he was stabbed. His life had always turned to public interest rather than private interest. It was natural. He was a businessman running a manor, and he always acted with every situation under scrutiny. Right now, he has a lot on his back, and full of things that need his attention in his estate. His relationship had always been either a necessary relationship or an unnecessary one. The circumstances around him made him that way, and Edwin adapted to that life too. Unfortunately, his sympathy was not so cheap as to distribute it to a poor woman.
‘You are an obvious woman.’
“I will do anything. I need something to eat. My mother and younger brother are starving to death. I’ll do whatever you ask. Help please.”
Even the answer was a luxury. After all, money is the purpose. Edwin was now disillusioned with those who have impure purposes and approached him for a specific benefit. In the end, it was right that the woman had to be turned away by Edwin from the moment she let out her most inner thoughts.
“I want to live. Help me.”
His feet did not move. Of course, the gaze that was fixed toward her was the same. The first interest seemed to be such a frightening thing. Edwin looked at the woman with cold eyes.
‘Should I help you?’ He debated.
The deer-like eyes seemed enough to make the viewer feel sorry, but Edwin thought about what he could gain by helping the woman, rather than pitying her right now. A lowly woman who lives outside the wall. He looked at her and thought through the eyes of a thorough businessman. About what he can get by helping her. The calculation didn’t take long. His rational thinking intuited that the deal he could do with that innocent woman now would be the best deal he could never have again.
A special woman with divine power who he met in the current terrible situation, at an amazing timing. The value she had was something that Edwin was looking for for so long. Edwin stared at the woman and slowly opened his mouth.
“Name?”
It was a small voice so it could not be heard all the way down, but the woman just looked at his mouth and understood Edwin’s words.
“Asaya! I am Asaya Lubedoa.”
Edwin slowly chewed on a strange name ‘Asaya’ and turned around. Despite seeing clearly the disappointment in Asaya’s face, Edwin had no hesitation in turning around. That short meeting ended.
This land, where only those who were abandoned in the country gathered, was harsh and ferocious. None of them were unspoiled. There were not just a few people dying of lung diseases due to pollution of the air, and water was also contaminated and could not be drunk. No matter what was planted, it did not sprout in this land filled with the energy of plague.
‘I’m hungry.’
Asaya sat down while grabbing her stomach. She didn’t eat anything! There couldn’t be anything to eat. All she could see on the roadside was the corpses of dead people and animals. People struggling with hunger also were making their way to the decayed bodies. If only food could be obtained, if only the famished belly of the family could be filled, it seemed that she would do anything.
She would not hesitate to sell her body or soul to the devil. Hope was only beyond the wall that divided the world. Asaya looked up at the huge wall in front of her.
‘I’m going to get there somehow.’
At least Asaya didn’t want to die miserably here. She would have to persevere. Even if she died, at least she wanted to escape from the land where there was no answer. She would somehow go over the wall. Her determined eyes flashed like a lightning light.
********
After a brief meeting of that day, Asaya went to the wall every day like a person was possessed by something. She waited for him every day at the place where she met him. Knowing that vain hope is a luxury, it’s true that she didn’t even expect it in the first place, but her mind continued to remain at that time and place.
He was a man with a strange atmosphere. Even though he was just standing still, there was a daunting feeling. At a glance, Asaya could see that he was a different kind of person from the people who sat on the wall and flirted while looking down. She was far away, so she couldn’t see his face in detail, but the atmosphere she felt was very cold.
Was that so? A man with dark hair looked very well suited to be like a creature from winter in the quiet dawn. In the loud cry of people gathering under the wall, only his presence was still. As if only he existed, she could only see him.
Besides, that persistent gaze. It was the eyes of a beast waiting for prey, hiding in the dark. She was convinced by seeing the eyes dotted with a brief possession, interest, and obsession. She could have a chance to get out of this hellish place. But he never came again. Asaya was exhausted, rose up and returned home. It was her mother whose mind fluctuated after her father’s disappearance, who welcomed her as soon as she returned.
“Asa, are you here? Come on and eat first.”
Seeing that her name was properly called, it seemed that her mother’s mind was fine today. As soon as she entered the house, Asaya was confused by the appetizing smell.
“Where did you get the meat all of a sudden?”
“I found a ring that I had lost in the past. So I sold it and bought meat. I don’t think we have to worry about eating for a while.”
“That’s grandfather’s ring!”
“I can’t? What’s the point of keeping it? We can’t even eat it. I had to sell it. Your brother’s losing his nerve. You too…you should eat well.”
“What about Leah?”
“I went out for a while, I don’t know where Leah went. Come on, eat it because it will taste bad when it cools down. The rest of the meat is dried and made into jerky. Then it will last quite a long time.”
Asaya and her family did not live on this land from the beginning. Asaya’s father once lived under the title of Count. But the year she turned nineteen. Gassée wasn’t just declined, it was completely broken. Asaya and her family became sinners and all their property was seized and they were driven out of their territory. She didn’t know what kind of crime her family had committed. They claimed to be falsely accused, but no one believed them. The trial took place rapidly and the case was closed without proper investigation. Her father knew everything, but he didn’t say anything about it, and he suddenly went missing two years ago.
“How long will it last to live like this?”
“Mother is sorry. … I am a sinner.
“Don’t say that, mother. It’s not our fault.”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
Asaya’s mother sobbed uncontrollably. Asaya looked at her mother with a mixed feeling and shut her mouth. As she watched the crying mother, her emotions were built up full. She wanted to cry so much, but she couldn’t cry. Asaya couldn’t show her weakness. It seemed that if she cried along, she would collapse. So she held back her tears as much as she could.
“I’m sorry, mother. I said something useless. So don’t cry.”
How did it happen? How long must a life with obsession with food and crying sadly continue? Asaya remembered the days when her family was unjustly kicked out of their home from time to time, she was suffocating and upset. What did they do so wrong?
The helplessness that had been stigmatized and expelled as a sinner without even an opportunity to reveal the resentment was a shiver of shame. It was scary. The weight of the life they endured and lived day by day was so heavy that it was difficult to even breathe freely. Sometimes she got tired. At the same time, she was also afraid. Asaya was afraid she would struggle in pain watching her dearly beloved family die slowly.
“What is the point of eating right now?”
It was no different from the last supper. Finding the lost ring and selling it to the merchant meant that there was really nothing left. Will the money sold off of the ring last a month? Stealing someone else’s goods and taking food, raiding the merchant’s shop to steal things, or blasting the upper wagon. There were limits to picking up discarded food waste and to steal things from expeditions or subjugation groups out of the wall. There won’t be anything or any food to steal anymore. This was really over. Even if they go to another area, the vicious cycle will only repeat itself.
‘Why did he ask for my name if he wouldn’t help? Why did he stare at me as if he was so obsessed with something. Should I even hope?’
Rich people inside the wall always screwed poor people around this way. It’s always been the case in the past and now. Asaya became depressed and buried her face in her knees. She thought that she would never see him again, so she decided to give up hope. She just has to wait for other nobles to stand out. It was when she thought to take another chance.
Exactly a week after meeting Edwin, a man inside the wall came to see Asaya.
“Asaya! Asaya!” Leah came into the house in fright.
Asaya blinked and fascinated as if she had seen what she could not see.
“Who is it? What is it? Is everything alright?”
“A person inside the wall has come,” Leah said worryingly.
“…?”
“It was a man who was neatly dressed. It was neat enough to know that he was from inside the wall.
Leah grabbed the sword without hesitation. Her eyes filled with alertness flashed sharply. It was the look that was only visible when dealing with the matron boats who were always trying to take away what they have. It would mean that she considered an unfamiliar uninvited guest who suddenly came as an enemy. Asaya restrained Leah, who seemed so agitated.
“Keep calm, Leah. I think it’s my guest.”
Someone from the inside of the wall. As soon as Asaya heard what Leah said, there was a man who suddenly came to her mind. He was the man Asaya had been waiting for. It was a man who is constantly being portrayed in her memories every night. It must be that man. The man who she didn’t even know his name and was just passing by. Her heart started beating like crazy. The fringes of that blurring time became clear again.
“Your guest? I don’t know what you mean, but if he is suspicious, I’ll kill him right away.” Leah protested.
Asaya nodded and opened the door. She saw a man walking towards this place. The man had a bright appearance and was full of elegance so she could tell he was from the inside of the wall. The silk clothes he was wearing were very luxurious, and he was a man with straight shoulders and a very neat look. The mysterious man reached out to Asaya and greeted her.
“‘I am Marshall Atlan. I am from August estate.”
The person inside the wall came with a shocking letter that would shake her life forever.