As soon as Ash located the core, he raised his weapon without hesitation.
At that moment, the Laikios’ pupils contracted as if struck by lightning. It was probably an instinctive response to survive. Before Ash could swing his sword, the monster bounded toward the other side at lightning speed.
It was incomparably faster than before. Ash almost fell from its body, losing his balance. He barely managed to avoid falling by sinking his sword into the torso of Laikios.
The monster rushed forward, crashing into whatever was in front of him. Whether a tree or fence, with a swipe of its head, everything was swept away. It was the beasts desperate struggle. Like an animal being chased by something and running away, it ran like crazy. It seemed the only option left in the beast’s brain was ‘run away’.
And on the road he was heading down was the villa, where the survivors were taking refuge.
If things continued like this, the people inside would be swept away, along with the villa. There was no time to debate, Ash immediately jumped down and blocking the path of the snake, raising the sword in his hands toward the snake.
Clank!
The sword collided with a canine larger than his height. Ash who had taken on the weight of the snake as well as its acceleration, was pushed back, digging deep grooves into the ground. His back hit the pillar of the villa hard.
Kwung!
At the same time, Ash pushed hard against the fang, but it grazed his forearm, causing blood to splatter out.
“Your Grace!”
Elaine witnessed this and screamed. It had happened so quickly there was no time to react. This was largely due to the fact that she was so far away and the Lamia were still surrounding her. Elaine, now in a state of shock, leapt over the swarm of Lamia and rushed to Ash.
Meanwhile, Laikios, who had been blocked by Ash, screamed and turned in the other direction. He then moved his heavy body and quickly ran into the forest. Ash quickly tried to chase after, then noticed the wound on his forearm and stopped in place.
Laikios’ fangs were poisonous. First aid had to be administered before the poison could spread. He tore off a portion of his uniforms hem with the help of his sword and wrapped it around his upper arm, tying tight enough to stop the flow of blood.
“The wound…!”
Elaine approached in a hurry. The color drained from her face.
“Quickly, we must find a doctor!”
“Alright, calm down. Ill take care of it. You go after…”
He had tried to tell Elaine to go after the monster that was running away, but as he was about to open his mouth, his vision started to spin. Ash frowned and touched his forehead. Elaine grabbed his arm anxiously.
“Your Grace?”
At that moment, fresh blood dripped down onto the ground by his feet. With that, Ash’s body trembled and collapsed.
The moment happened so slowly, she had thought time stopped. She embraced his falling body, not understanding what was happening.
Like ink drops on white paper, red was leaking out of the corner of his mouth.
‘I’m sorry… It’s all… my fault…’
Over Ash’s pale face, which was now turning red, the last words of a woman who resembled him overlapped.
The nightmare and sensations from that day came back vividly, and an insane fear raced through her body. Elaine, now as pale as Ash, traced his cheek with a trembling hand.
“Ah…”
“Your Grace! Are you alright?!”
At that moment, she heard the other knights running toward them, shouting in surprise. The shouts brought Elaine back to her senses, as if she had been hit by freezing water. Sophia, who had run ahead, asked urgently.
“The wound on his arm…! Could it have been caused by the fang?”
But Elaine ignored her. She jumped up, draped Ash across her back, and ran as fast as she could down the forest path, dodging the approaching knights.
The knights chased after her from behind, still shouting at her, but she didn’t stop. No, she couldn’t stop. It was like the warmth behind her would disappear without a trace the moment she slowed down. She’d lose him forever.
Now, all Elaine had left was Ash. If she lost him, she would have nothing to live for anymore.
‘If I lose him too…’
She felt all of the blood in her body freezing. She barely held onto her senses, which were on the verge of collapse, and ran toward the mansion.
‘Please be a doctor there who can save him.’
***
