The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 104: One-hundred-three

Another day passed, Jannah and Jeriel are now overseeing the preparation and building of the training equipment inside the newly built wall at the back gates.

Actually, no, the back gates don’t exist anymore.

Jannah had covered a certain space outside the back gates for the training ground so the back gates are now the gates of the training ground.

Arthur, Polo, and Duke Eulicies were all excited at the thought of having their own training ground— designed by Jeriel and outlined by Jannah— with the people of Philipia working together to make the other training equipment.

The two blacksmiths of the town have been busy since yesterday, making swords for the knights and while the hunters made arrows after arrows for the marksmen.

Some of the knights— Alejandro, Loren, and Dante— are making wooden swords to use it for practice.

Jannah had told them to create two swords for each person in the town, adamant of having them taught how to defend themselves and how to kill a zombie just in case they get attacked or raided while she’s out scavenging.

Her steel resolve and determination have made the Duke’s knights admire her even more.

How could they not? Not only did she built a wall around the town to protect everyone, but she also gave everyone she trusted an ability suited for each person which means that trust them to keep the people under her protection safe.

She trusts them so how could they not admire her?

It’s not everyday that you could see a noble trusting their henchmen with protecting their territory. Above else, a single mistake would lead their people getting killed off by the said noble.

How cruel is that?

"Lady Jannah! Ma’am!"

Jannah hummed, perking up when she heard someone calling out her name. She looked around, the clipboard in her hand getting set aside and given to Kirie as her eyes looked for the person who wanted her attention.

The familiar sight of the little girl who was caught stealing came into her view, running at full speed with a large grin plastered on her freckled face.

"What’s wrong, Aria?" Jannah asked, crouching down to get on the little girl’s level when she stopped in front of Jannah.

"I’m done helping mister Leonardo with the seeds!" The little girl informed her, her eyes shining with an expectant look, as if she was waiting for something, "He told me I can go back to you because we’re done planting for today."

It has been almost a week since Jannah had killed Aria’s mother and the little girl doesn’t know about it.

Well, Jannah could tell that Aria knows that her mother died, but wasn’t aware of who did it. She was rather happy not talking about her mother and would get excited to help around the town instead.

I guess this is her way of grieving? The Countess thought, her eyes trained on the little girl’s shining eyes.

"Good girl." Jannah said, giving in to the little girl’s puppy eyes and reaching out to give Aria a pat on the head, "You can do what you want now. Play with your little brother or play with the other kids."

Since Aria was found guilty of stealing and feeding a prisoner, Jannah had told every person she registered in the system about her crime and told them about the little girl’s punishment— being an errand girl for whoever for five days.

Of course, despite the little girl being a literal child, the knights, the women from Rye, and the nobles didn’t hold back.

They sent her around the town with things that she have to do, making her help with cooking, lifting something, pushing the carts, delivering certain things to someone, and making her run around with only a ten minute break in between.

However, despite the harsh work given to her, Aria did everything as she was told without a complaint.

She did everything clumsily yet diligently.

She looked rather excited and happy whenever she receives new work from one of Jannah’s people which kind of throws them off.

With Aria’s punishment officially ending today, Jannah has decided that she can be a child again.

"No!" Aria exclaimed quite loudly, earning her looks from the knights around them and getting stared at with a look of disbelief that says who are you to yell at our lady?

Jannah blinked, "What? No?"

The Countess felt confused as to why the child before her would refuse to play with other children. Does she not want to play with them?

"I don’t want to play around with other kids." Aria said, her voice getting low and quiet when she realized that she had raised her voice at the person who has been generous to her, "I want to help instead. I can do more work. I can still work so please give me something to do."

Oh. Jannah stared at the little girl, the look on Aria’s face was a mix of self doubt, hate, and frustration— all that seemed to be pointed at herself.

"Why?" Jannah couldn’t help, but ask.

Aria is still young and deserves to play like other children as much as possible. Working and helping the knights or anyone under Jannah with a heavy workload is something that a child shouldn’t do.

"Because.." Aria trailed off, her body growing stiff.

".. Because?" Jannah hummed out, her tone light and quiet, not wanting to put pressure on the child.

"Be.. Cause.." Aria’s voice got quieter and started to fidget on the hem of her top, shifting her weight from her right foot to her left foot.

Jannah let out a sigh, standing up and holding out a hand on the child, "Come on. We’ll go somewhere private and you can tell me there. How does that sound?"

The little girl stared at her hand before she looked away and nodded her head, accepting Jannah’s hand.

Jannah smiled, held Aria’s hand then turned to her little sister and Kirie who were watching the interaction silently, "Take over for now. I’ll come back as soon as I’m done."

"Suit yourself." Jeriel stated, turning away and going back to counting the crates inside the wagon.

"I’ll continue where you left off, my lady." Kirie assured Jannah, smiling softly as she clutched the clipboard tightly to her chest.

Jannah nodded her head at them and led the little girl out of there. They walked towards the nearest house, borrowing a room from the family— which she received a happy acceptance and had the family walk out of their home that made Jannah feel bad— and proceeded to bring Aria inside.

Jannah made Aria sit on the bed while she used her skill, elemental wall, to create a small wall and sit on it.

"Now, you can tell me." She said to the little girl, trying to make her face as friendly as possible, "Don’t worry, I won’t be mad."

"But you need to be mad." Aria interjected, a frown settling on her face.

"Why?"

"Because what I did was wrong.. I stole bread and potatoes then fed them to a person who was a monster." The little girl murmured, the look of self loathing and resentment resurfacing as she clenched her hands into a tight fist.

"Aria, you can’t call your mother—"

"No." Aria growled with so much hate, accidentally cutting off Jannah as she glare at the floor, "She killed my friends and have my aunts get treated like that.. She’s a monster. Just like my father. They are not people, they are both monsters!"

Jannah stayed quiet, listening to the child attentively and letting her vent what she was feeling.

Though, the little girl’s eyes are starting to gloss with tears and makes Jannah want to hug her to offer some comfort, but she starts talking again.

"I trusted her. I trusted my mother.. She told me that she didn’t know anything about what my father did or why he did those things to my friends so when she told me she was dying of hunger and thirst, I stole some and gave it to her! All because I thought she was innocent, but she lied! She used me and called me those bad words—"

Aria cut herself off when she felt a pair of hands touch her, her eyes shutting close as she let out a sob.

Jannah couldn’t stomach the sight of the little girl crying and shaking from the overwhelming feeling of being betrayed, making her unconsciously reach out and embrace Aria.

The little girl continued to cry in her arms and even returned the embrace, hugging her torso tightly.

"Mama said she loves me.. Why did she call me that..? Am I really bad?" Aria asked, her voice muffled with her tears getting Jannah’s shirt damp faster than expected.

"That’s why.. I deserve to be punished.. Let me work, if I don’t, I will forever feel bad.. I helped a bad person.. I helped a monster." Aria cried out, the hiccups shaking her body, her cries getting harder as she gripped Jannah’s coat tightly in her fists.

For the first time, Jannah doesn’t know what to do.

The child felt so bad for what she did and wanted to be punished for it, but Jannah thinks that the little girl had been pushed to do laborious work.

She let out a sigh as she kept rubbing the child’s back.