Among the knights, other than Elaine, Sophia was the least injured one among the group, so she was the first to complete her treatment. When she was finished, she quickly crossed the hallway and headed to her commanders’ room to check on his condition.
She passed by the soldiers guarding the room and went inside. Ash was the only one present in the room. It seemed like Elaine, who went to look for the licorice root, had not yet returned. Sophia quickly closed the door. She was about to start walking toward the bed where Ash was laying.
Suddenly, he started to cough so violently that his whole body was shaking. He cried out and blood poured out of his mouth.
“…!”
Startled, Sophia hurriedly approached him. Cold sweat ran down her forehead and she bit her lower lip, not knowing what to do.
‘Ugh, what do I do? Doctor, call the doctor, no, calling for the doctor won’t help. There is no antidote. We need to make the antidote.’
In order to do this, they needed the heart of Laikios. However, the other knights are recovering more slowly and aren’t at full strength. If she told them she wanted to go retrieve the heart, they would try to stop her.
At least Elaine was okay, but there was no telling when she would return. She said she was going to go and get the licorice root, but it was unclear of where exactly you could find it on this large mountain.
‘Could I face the monster alone?’
She wasn’t sure. But there was no time to waste. Sophia having made her decision, ran outside. She headed to the eastern forest alone.
It was dark in the forest after the sun had set. She ran past the riding grounds in the direction that Laikios had fled, following the trail left behind. Tracking down Laikios was not difficult. This was because the trail left behind as it fled was very clear.
As expected, any place he passed by was devastated, Sophia thought as she followed the trail.
‘We have to save him.’
Just like he saved her.
She was the second daughter of a wealthy count’s family, before his business had failed. After paying off the debt they owed due to the failed business, all they waere left with was a piece of tiny land and a crumbling house. After five years, monsters attacked the village. Since there was no money to hire knights, there was no one to guard the territory. The village was devastated and her family also lost their lives. When she too was facing death, Ash happened to be passing by, saving her. He also wiped out all of the monsters that were attacking their village.
Her fiefdom was unable to pay the gratuity, but he suddenly left without asking for anything in return.
Ash may not remember her, but she would never forget him. She wanted to return the favor to him. She admired him greatly. So, she tried to join the knights led by Ash. To stand proudly in front of him.
She really tried her best, barely managing to make it through the examinations, able to stand in front of him, and then something like this happened…
She couldn’t let him die like this. This time, she would save him. She would kill Laikios, take his heart and save Ash. That was all she could think about.
Kiee…
A faint sound was heard up ahead. It was a strange groan, like a strangled animal. Sophia moved forward, trying her best to muffle the sound of her footsteps. She carefully raised her head, hiding in the shadows of a tree.
When she confirmed the identity of the sound, goosebumps rose all over her body.
Clatter, crunch, crunch
In the bright moonlight, a huge snake was devouring the Lamia.
“…!”
Lamia corpses were piled up like a mountain. The bloody smell stung her nose. Torn arms and bodies were strewn all over. Spilled organs were pooled on the floor.
‘W-what is that…’
In an instant, bile rose up her throat. Sophia covered her mouth and took a step back. Meanwhile, the sound of flesh and bones crunching reached her ears. She barely managed to stop her retreat back.
‘Are you planning to come all the way here just to run away?’
‘There’s no need to be scared. See, he’s preoccupied with eating right now. I know where the core is anyways. All I have to do is quickly hit him in the neck while he’s still absorbed in his meal.’
While fear was welling up, she also thought this could be an opportunity.
This is it. Sophia gripped her sword tighter. She thought it could be possible as long as she poured all of her mana into the nape where the core was hidden. Sophie decided on her course of action and rushed at Laikios. As he was eating, Laikios’ head was facing the floor. She was able to easily jump onto his head. The nape of the neck was visible, defenselessly exposed, beneath her feet. She flew towards that place with all her might.
The sword energy that shot out split his skin. Then, she tried to throw sword strikes in succession. If she could get to the core, she would destroy it at once.
It was then that something strange happened. The next moment, the wound disappeared without a trace. Just like when trying to cut water. meaning, there was no longer a cut at all.
“…!”
The speed of its regeneration was incomparably faster than it was previously.
How is it so fast? Could it be his regenerative power became stronger after eating all of the Lamia?
Kyaaa!
There was no time to continue this train of thought. Laikios, who had been taken by surprise, screamed and stood up. Sophia hurriedly hung onto the neck.
“Die! Die!”
In desperation, she swung the sword at the nape of its neck again. Again, and again, she cut at the same spot. But compared to the blows she inflicted, it healed too fast.
What remarkable power. No damage was done at all. Even though Sophia attacked until she used the last drop of her mana, she was unable to inflict even a single lasting wound, let alone expose the core.
