Boom, boom!
With consecutive explosions, debris from the cave ceiling rained down.
“Your Highness Ilaria!”
The soldiers who were chasing after Ilaria called out to her repeatedly. Ilaria glanced back, dispersing the dust.
“Don’t stop!”
Ilaria shouted and started running again.
“The gate might collapse! This doesn’t look good.”
“If you’re scared, turn back and leave.”
Haltbin, mocking Ilaria’s hesitating soldiers, pulled his skelsword out of a monster’s neck. (TL: previously translated as Skele Sword, short for Skeleton Sword)
“Hey you!”
A soldier bristled, but Haltbin ignored him and closely followed Ilaria.
They couldn’t waste a moment to catch up with the disappeared Elise, Uls, and Karan.
If there were monsters blocking the way, they cut them down. If a gap opened up, those behind would rush forward. If even that wasn’t possible, they ran while being chased by monsters.
This was only possible thanks to Karan who had somewhat cleared the path.
“Your Highness, perhaps we should stop here and regroup!”
“Stop nagging and run!”
Ilaria cut off the advising soldier mid-sentence.
On the way back, they saw the corpses of magicians strewn about. It meant the situation inside the gate wasn’t good.
To think Elise had passed through here.
‘Was she even capable of wielding a sword?’
She had heard about her exploits in the hunting festival, but it seemed she had overcome crises with wisdom rather than combat.
‘If something were to happen to her…’
A part of Ilaria’s heart ached. This pain was due to personal affection.
And her head throbbed. This was a danger signal as the princess of Magnus.
‘Karan might go berserk.’
She had to prevent such a situation at all costs. That’s why Ilaria couldn’t stop.
Even if the soldiers behind her became stragglers unable to keep up, even if those soldiers were in mortal danger.
‘We can’t stop with thousands what can be stopped with ten.’ (TL: it is inefficient and impractical to use an excessive amount of resources to achieve something that can be done with far fewer resources.Suggests that sometimes a well-coordinated, smaller effort is more effective than a large, uncoordinated one.)
So please, Elise, let’s meet alive.
****
Thud!
Karan embraced Elise. Above them, a pile of rocks came crashing down. The rain of debris couldn’t harm Karan and Elise.
Thanks to Karan’s reflexive deployment of a shield.
The rocks falling from the ceiling slid down to the ground along the shield that enveloped the two.
The sound of debris hitting the shield continued for a while. When the noise slowed and finally quieted, Elise, who was in Karan’s arms, raised her head.
“Your Highness, your body…”
Elise’s voice trembled slightly.
Karan, who had buried his face in Elise’s neck, lifted his head slightly. Squinting one eye, he barely managed to raise the corner of his mouth.
“Elise… I think we need to run away.”
The reason his light words didn’t sound light was because his body was as hot as a fireball.
“Why did you use magic? Why!”
Elise helped Karan sit on the ground. He leaned against the pile of rocks stacked like a bird’s nest. Elise rummaged through the small bag she was carrying.
There was a fatigue recovery potion made by Leber, though not as effective as a regular potion.
Perhaps due to her urgency, she couldn’t grasp the bottle.
“Why can’t I see it? It was right here!”
Elise frantically searched the bag and eventually turned it inside out. Her frantic hands showed her anxiety.
Karan grabbed her hand.
“Calm down, Elise.”
“Do I look calm? Your Highness…”
Elise looked up at him and closed her mouth. Despite occasionally frowning in pain, Karan’s eyes were full of pride and satisfaction.
“You think…you protected me?”
Elise’s voice turned cold. Karan didn’t respond because it was true. That’s why he even welcomed the pain.
For him, as long as Elise was safe, that was enough.
Honestly, Karan was more satisfied with the current situation because the battle with Iris had been difficult.
For a moment, he recalled the brief but fierce battle with Iris.
Iris’s indiscriminate attack magic, Karan having to dodge with his bare body, Uls helping him from the side.
Thanks to that, he had the chance to close the distance and inflict a fatal wound.
Karan threw a dagger to cut off Iris’s retreat and stabbed her lower back with his skelsword as she turned.
The sound of flesh tearing was heard through his hand and ears.
It was the moment he gained the upper hand. Iris aimed for the cave ceiling.
Iris realized that to shake off Karan, it was better to attack Elise than to attack him.
It would have been better if she had known from the beginning, but she realized it late because she thought it was absurd to value someone else’s life more than one’s own.
Would Karan pass up the opportunity to kill her and run towards Elise?
Iris doubted it even as she attacked. But not only Karan but also Uls went towards Elise, and Iris got the chance to escape.
Karan looked towards where Iris had disappeared and then turned his head.
“You were reckless, Your Highness.”
“This isn’t something to be scolded for…”
Karan felt hurt. Elise handed him the medicine bottle she had found but didn’t say thank you.
It wasn’t because she wasn’t grateful, but because she was afraid Karan might throw himself at her again without regard for his own body.
“Elise… look at me.”
It was too painful to see Karan gasping for breath, his strength completely drained, unable to even straighten his shoulders.
“Eli- cough”
Karan’s hand fell away from Elise. Though only the warmth of his hand disappeared, Elise’s body turned cold, almost freezing.
Karan coughed up blood.
“Your Highness, Your Highness…”
Elise called his name endlessly, placing a fallen handkerchief in Karan’s hand.
Though Karan pushed her away, fearing blood might splatter on her clothes, Elise absolutely refused to back off.
She finally brought her face close to his, examining the face she had longed to see.
She patted his back with her small hand until his coughing subsided, watching him with trembling eyes.
Karan felt a fullness inside his ribcage.
He knew he was burning with fever and about to lose consciousness, that he would probably sleep for a long time this time, but he didn’t mind.
He had saved her, and she was looking at him directly.
‘This is too good.’
Karan’s lips curled upwards. Though pained to see Elise’s worried face, he felt happy. He wanted to see that face a little longer, wanted to…
“…Your Highness, Your Highness! Karan!”
Elise’s voice became distant. Eventually, Karan’s eyes closed.
Elise’s mind went blank.
But the heavens didn’t give her time to be flustered or space to grieve.
White smoke began to rise from the ground.
It was a signal that the master of the 3rd Gate, the Kraken, was coming.
She needed to be alert. Just as Karan had saved her, now it was her turn to save Karan.
Elise looked at Karan once more. His chest rose and fell at an appropriate rhythm.
Apart from the blood on his mouth, judging by his expression and deep breathing, he looked like he was sleeping soundly.
Elise caressed Karan’s cheek.
‘Please, Your Highness. Hold on.’
Elise wiped her tear-stained face and recalled information about the master of the 3rd Gate.
The Kraken, known as the predator of the sea, primarily lived in the ocean. That’s why no one expected it to be the master of the 3rd Gate, which was a cave.
Because of this, many people died, unable to properly respond to the Kraken.
The passage connecting the 3rd Gate, the Kraken’s transit route, to the sea was only discovered after capturing the Kraken at great sacrifice.
The Kraken’s attack was simple. It extended its long, massive tentacles to crush its opponents. The Kraken could freely move its eight tentacles.
With its eight legs, the Kraken would destroy ships, sweep away humans, or wrap around them. Then it would extract and consume the body fluids of its captured prey.
Elise shuddered as she recalled the text describing the horrific state of the soldiers who had died in the 3rd Gate in the past.
She couldn’t die here. She didn’t want to die.
Elise picked up Karan’s skelsword lying next to him. Unlike her own, it was much longer and heavier.
Squeak, grr.
Uls bit Elise’s collar and pulled her back. He was trying to stop her reckless act.
“No, Uls. It’s not reckless. I have you. Can you help me?”
Elise asked Uls. With its fur all puffed up, Uls stuck out its tongue and panted.
Uls was getting excited again. Questions flooded her mind about why Uls reacted to the gate, why monsters avoided it, but Elise focused on the current situation.
“Uls, calm down.”
From deep inside the cave came the sound of water dripping, shh-shh-shh. It was the sound of the Kraken coming ashore.
“We’re going to do this, okay?”
Elise pulled her discarded skelsword and activated the communication magic circle.
Hum, the skelsword vibrated slightly, connecting Elise and Uls’s minds.
Elise soothed the angry Uls and explained her plan. As soon as she finished that part, the connection broke.
The skelsword, which had been used as a medium for magic multiple times, shattered with a crack.
It was the sword Karan had made for her, and Elise felt very regretful, but she set the broken sword aside.
“We only have one chance, Uls.”
Grr, Uls responded and offered its back to Elise.
They had to take down the Kraken before it adapted to land.
There was no time to collect themselves, make grand resolutions, or encourage each other’s bravery.
Elise buried her face in Uls’s mane.
“Uls, run.”
At Elise’s command, Uls started running.
In the distance, the master of the 3rd Gate raised its long, thick tentacles.
