Behind the trunk of a large, old, moss-covered tree, a pale-faced man leaned against it, breathing heavily. Cold sweat trickled down his temple.
"Go away, you bastards..." he whispered faintly, his voice barely audible.
Not far from where he was hiding, the sound of horse hooves and the clinking of iron armor shattered the silence of the forest. A dozen fully armored soldiers, led by an imposing horseback rider, could be seen riding around with furious expressions.
"Where the hell did that bastard go?!" the troop leader barked as he pulled on his horse’s reins. "There’s no way an ordinary human could run that fast!"
One of the soldiers unfurled a parchment bearing a wanted poster. "The picture on this poster isn’t helping at all, Captain! The illustration looks nothing like the rumors!"
A name was written on the poster: Evan John. An experienced criminal known for his cunning, slipperiness, and habit of deceiving nobles.
This time, his latest victim was the Cheep Family, one of the most influential noble families, which had now mobilized all of its knights just to capture a single man.
Evan held his breath tightly. Both hands gripped the thick leather pouch against his chest. The jingling of gold coins inside sounded like the most beautiful and most dangerous music in the world right now.
Thinking about how easily he had fooled those arrogant Cheep nobles, Evan felt like bursting into laughter. But, of course, now was not the time.
For the next five hours, Evan could only sit rigidly, blending into the darkness of the night until the sound of horse hooves had completely disappeared into the distance.
Once he was certain the situation was safe, Evan let out a relieved sigh and stood up. A wide grin spread across his face. He tossed his pouch of gold coins into the air and caught it again with practiced ease.
"You’ll never be able to catch a legendary criminal like me," Evan sneered toward the empty road. "Consider this a justice tax. I’m the world’s kindest criminal, stealing from the greedy rich and giving it to the poor... namely, myself."
Keeping to the shadows between the trees, he began walking away.
"It’s been years since I transmigrated into this chaotic medieval world," he muttered softly, remembering his misfortune. "I woke up in the body of a starving orphan, forcing myself to learn how to steal and commit petty crimes just to survive. Who would want to live like this? But well... this is the only way I can avoid dying like an idiot."
After walking quite a distance through the morning fog, his eyes caught sight of a settlement. A small village stretched out before him.
"I need to hide from the outside world, at least for the next few months," Evan thought hesitantly. "The Cheep Family must have already spread my wanted posters throughout the major cities. They might even hire top-class mercenaries."
Evan shuddered at the thought. "I’m just a weak criminal who can only hide and attack from behind. Close combat? No, thank you."
As he entered the village, Evan immediately pulled his hood down to cover half of his face. Although the drawing on his wanted poster was terrible and looked nothing like his real face, staying cautious was the key to living a long life.
The village was small, but its roads were fairly crowded with sweat-smelling hunters and mounted travelers coming and going. Along the dirt road, merchants shouted as they sold smoked meat, vegetables, and even secondhand goods.
"I should probably look for a cheap house around here..."
Evan’s steps came to a halt when his gaze fell upon a large wooden cage at the corner of the market. A slave cage. People had gathered around, bidding on servant slaves and laborers, but there was one cage in the corner that no one paid any attention to. Inside, a woman sat weakly.
The thick-mustached slave trader standing nearby let out an annoyed sigh. When he saw Evan passing by, his eyes immediately lit up with hope.
"Hey, you! The young man in the hood! Are you interested in her? Why don’t you just buy her? I’ll give you a fifty percent discount just for today!"
Evan stopped and folded his arms across his chest, staring skeptically at the man. "I’m not actually looking for a slave. But... why hasn’t that one sold at all?"
The seller waved his hand lazily. "Who knows? My luck’s been terrible. She has a witch’s mark on her wrist. Those cowardly villagers don’t want anything to do with witches."
In this world, witches were considered bringers of disaster. If one was discovered, the death penalty by hanging awaited them. There were indeed certain types of witches who were recognized and worked for the Empire, usually called Mages, but to common folk, ordinary witches were synonymous with curses. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for ordinary women who knew nothing about magic to become victims of false accusations and meet tragic ends.
Evan stared at the woman inside the cage. Her long hair was dull and messy, her clothes were tattered, and her skin was covered in bruises. A rare sense of pity suddenly welled up inside a criminal like Evan.
"??????????’?? ???? ?????????????? ?????????? ???????? ???????????? ?????? ???? ?? ?????????? ??????????????," Evan thought. "??????????????, ?????? ?????????? ?? ???????? ?????? ???????????????????? ?????????? ???????? ???????? ???????????????? ???? ?? ???????? ???????????"
Evan cleared his throat softly. "So, how much?"
"Just 30 silver coins! Very cheap!" the seller quickly replied.
"Come on, man. Don’t squeeze a poor adventurer," Evan bargained lazily. "20 silver coins. How about it?"
"20 silver coins?!" The slave trader looked furious. "That’s already dirt cheap for a Witch! You can use her body for anything you want, and she’s still a virgin! Other people don’t even dare touch her because they’re afraid of being cursed!"
Evan pulled out a silver coin and casually rolled it between his fingers. "If you don’t want it, then fine. I’m not losing anything. Let’s see how many more months you’ll have to feed this ’witch’ before she dies in your cage."
Checkmate. Evan’s bluff worked. The slave trader gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Tch! Fine, fine! 20 silver coins! Take her and get the hell out of my sight!" he shouted as he roughly unlocked the cage.
Evan smiled in satisfaction. "Pleasure doing business with you."
He tossed over a pouch containing 20 silver coins. When he saw the woman trying to stand, only for her legs to tremble beneath her, covered in injuries, Evan didn’t think twice. Without hesitation, he bent down and lifted the woman into his arms, carrying her bridal style.
The woman jolted in surprise, her body tensing. However, she didn’t resist in the slightest, as though she understood that she was merely a slave with no right to refuse.
As a modern man who had transmigrated and didn’t believe in superstition, Evan wasn’t afraid of any nonsense about curses. In his 25 years of living in this world, he hadn’t even encountered a single genuine witch capable of using real magic.
As he walked along the village streets, Evan glanced slightly at the woman in his arms.
"What’s your name?"
The woman remained silent. Her thin body felt extremely cold and trembled faintly.
"I... don’t have a name..." she whispered hoarsely.
"No name?" Evan frowned. Was this woman suffering from amnesia or severe trauma? "Then how about I give you a name?"
The woman merely lowered her head without responding.
"Silence means yes," Evan said amiably. "From now on... your name is Anna."
Behind the strands of dull hair covering her face, the woman’s eyes suddenly lit up. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. That name... sounded so beautiful to her ears.
"Anna...? I’m... Anna?" she murmured repeatedly, as though afraid the name would disappear if she stopped saying it.
Evan chuckled softly, finding the woman’s reaction incredibly innocent.
"Yes, from now on your name is Anna. It’s a special name because it reminds me of someone very precious from my past."
That name belonged to Evan’s childhood friend from the early days after his transmigration, a little girl who eventually died horribly from starvation in a slum settlement.
A short while later, Evan arrived at a rather large wooden house belonging to the Village Chief. The old man with a thick white beard looked at Evan and the woman in his arms with a doubtful expression.
"Young man, are you sure you want to buy that old house on the outskirts of the forest?" the Village Chief asked to make sure.
Evan nodded firmly. "Of course. Isn’t it the only house for sale in this village?"
"Yes, there aren’t any others," the Village Chief replied while stroking his beard. "It’s cheap because of its remote location. Just 15 silver coins."
"I’ll buy it!" Evan grinned widely. He immediately handed over the money without bargaining any further.
However, before Evan could turn around and leave, the Village Chief’s sharp eyes fell upon Anna. Suddenly, the old man’s expression became tense.
"Wait! You’re going to live alone with this woman?!"
"Yes? Is there something wrong, old man?" Evan asked in confusion.
"Something’s very wrong, young man!" the Village Chief exclaimed with an extremely serious expression. "Judging by her condition, she clearly isn’t your wife! And before that... what’s your name?!"
Evan swallowed. His instincts immediately kicked in.
"My name... My name is John."
"John! You must marry her immediately!" the Village Chief said firmly, his voice trembling. "I can sense an extremely dense dark aura surrounding this woman. If you live with her without a legitimate bond, you’ll be cursed! Would you like me to purify her for you? It only costs 10 silver coins for the administrative fee!"
The tension on Evan’s face instantly vanished, replaced by a blank stare.
"???????? ?? ????????????... ???? ???????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????????? ???? ???????? ?????" Evan thought in disbelief. A professional criminal being scammed by the village chief of some remote village? How ironic.
However, since he was too lazy to argue and wanted to rest as soon as possible, Evan sighed and reached into his pouch.
"Fine, fine. How do I get rid of this dark aura?"
The Village Chief’s eyes lit up happily as he accepted the 10 silver coins. He quickly pulled out a cheap wooden bracelet decorated with a small animal fang. He put one bracelet around Evan’s wrist and another around Anna’s.
The old man then began reciting a nonsensical incantation in an unclear language while mumbling under his breath. Evan could only stand there helplessly with a gloomy expression.
"Done! With this, you two are officially husband and wife in the eyes of our ancestors!" the Village Chief declared confidently.
And without warning, CUDH! The Village Chief spat onto the floor right in front of Evan’s feet as a symbolic gesture.
"Good luck, young man!"
After that, the old man sprinted into his house and locked the door tightly.
Evan wiped his face, which had nearly been splashed, and shook his head in bewilderment.
"If you’re going to scam someone, at least learn how to act properly, old man..."
Evan didn’t take the foolish ritual seriously. To him, it was merely a fee for keeping the old man from asking too many questions. His only goal was to live quietly in seclusion.
With relaxed steps, Evan carried Anna back toward his new home on the outskirts of the forest.
However, unbeknownst to Evan, Anna pressed her face against his chest. A faint, mysterious smile formed on her pale lips. The pupils hidden beneath her bangs glimmered with a dim red light.
The mysterious black mark on her wrist slowly faded away as if by magic.
"??????????????... ?????? ????????, ??????..." Anna whispered in her heart, her gaze impossible to decipher.