SM Chapter 67

67. Help Me

 

“What the hell…?”

Jillian shook his head in irritation, feeling as if a triumphant voice was echoing in his ears.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but immediately afterward, the movements of the Grace Worms grew even faster and more violent.

Their reckless assault, completely disregarding their own body, brought down the 6th fortress in an instant.

“Ha…”

Jillian let out a heavy breath.

Several times, the ground trembled with deep, resonant vibrations.

As the thick snow mist from the falling debris settled, swarms of surviving arthropods and tentacled creatures flooded in through the ruins of the collapsed fortress as if they had been waiting.

It was maddening, but there was no time to hesitate.

If they failed to stop them here, those left behind at the 4th fortress would undoubtedly pay with their lives.

Jillian let out a low groan and tightened his grip on his sword.

He could see a Grace Worm slowly slithering toward the 5th fortress, eyeing him like prey, but he didn’t spare it a glance.

He had already given up on the fortress.

A fortress could be rebuilt, but a life lost could never be reclaimed, he understood this better than anyone.

Letting his aura unfurl like a whip, Jillian stood his ground, waiting for the monsters to approach.

‘Will I be able to clear them all before this place collapses?’

His gaze flickered briefly toward the walls of the 5th fortress before moving away.

They were built solidly with thick stones, but he had just watched the 6th fortress crumble so easily.

There was no doubt that his time was running out.

Suddenly, Jillian turned his head toward the 4th fortress.

It had been quite some time since the barrage of flaming projectiles had stopped.

And yet, he found himself hoping.

Hoping that while he was handling things here, someone would hold the Grace Worms back for just a little longer.

Even though it was his responsibility.

For the first time in his life…he wished for help.

“What kind of foolishness is this?”

Jillian absentmindedly brushed his frozen cheek.

For some reason, it itched.

 

***

 

“Got anything left?”

Two fortresses had fallen in the blink of an eye.

At this point, they no longer had the energy to be shocked at every unexpected event.

Their eyes were fixed on Jillian, standing resolute atop the 5th fortress.

Even as the Grace Worms approached, he did not flee.

The reason was obvious—he knew better than anyone who would have to deal with the monsters if he backed down.

So he stayed, holding his ground on the soon-to-collapse fortress.

“The Duke really is terrible at taking it easy.”

Blatt muttered, sniffling, before turning to Killian.

“Seriously, do we have anything left?”

“Nothing.”

“Ugh, so we just have to sit here and watch?!”

At Raymond’s exasperated remark, Killian looked regretfully at the empty trebuchets.

“I thought we finally had something useful…”

The oil-soaked cloth balls they had prepared were long gone.

Despite their shabby appearance, they had been surprisingly effective.

But this was a fortress, not a battlefield, and there had never been an abundance of makeshift projectiles to begin with.

They had only managed to gather twenty. There was no way they had any left now.

“**** it. I’m not going to freeze to death anyway, am I?”

Breaking the eerie silence, a series of metallic clanks rang out.

Raymond had suddenly begun stripping off his armor.

And he didn’t stop there.

One by one, he shed the clothes underneath as well.

His frostbitten skin, now exposed, quickly turned a ghastly blue.

Even as his teeth chattered, he stripped down to nothing but his undergarments, bundling his discarded clothing together.

“Oi. What the hell are you doing?”

“What do you think? We’re going to launch this.”

He expected at least one snide remark.

But instead of mockery, all he heard was the sound of metal clanking.

Armor dropped all around him.

Even Elizabeth was no exception.

With everyone’s clothes combined, they managed to create three makeshift oil bombs.

“If we can take down even one, it’ll be worth it.”

“What, are woodpeckers visiting or something?”

Despite the bitter cold, Killian cracked a rare joke at Raymond, whose teeth were chattering violently.

Everyone was frozen stiff.

The only thing shielding them was their ice-cold armor.

They hadn’t even spared a single cloak exposing their bare skin to the merciless frost.

But they had to endure.

The 4th fortress was their final line of defense.

All the trebuchets were stationed here, meaning this would be their last chance to fire.

“Why is this taking so long to bundle up? We need to launch before we freeze to death.”

Raymond chuckled, his breath already forming frost.

How long had they been waiting?

The piercing wind stung their skin, numbing them further.

Then, finally, the blizzard that had been obscuring their vision began to clear.

Through the thinning storm, the Grace Worms came into sight.

This was the moment they had been waiting for.

The trebuchets, loaded with oil-drenched bundles, were precisely aimed.

Just before launch, Elizabeth notched a flaming arrow onto her bow.

Killian raised his axe high, about to sever the rope holding the projectile…

“Stop!”

Blatt suddenly blocked his swing.

Right in front of the Grace Worm they had been aiming for…

A familiar figure was soaring through the air.

Somehow, he had already cut down the other monsters.

His blade, radiating a dazzling brilliance, cleaved toward the Grace Worm.

“The Duke?!”

In the instant his sword moved and…

The Grace Worm lost its head.

Its massive body collapsed, spilling a waterfall of blue fluid onto the 5th fortress.

Boom.

“Move aside! Move aside!”

At Creta’s urgent scream, the trebuchet was hastily redirected to the farthest, rightmost enemy.

The shot was risky; it was barely within range.

But there was no other choice.

If they hesitated, Jillian would be caught in the blast.

The thick scent of oil stung their noses as the projectile launched.

A flaming arrow followed close behind.

Once again, an explosion bloomed in the sky.

And this time it struck the Grace Worm that had been arrogantly lifting its head.

Boom.

The flaming creature thrashed wildly.

Boom! Boom!

It slammed against the fortress walls, desperately trying to put out the flames.

But the fire, fed by oil, only grew stronger.

The creature writhed frantically for a while before finally succumbing to death.

By that time, two more projectiles were launched, setting another monster ablaze.

Jillian struck down the last remaining Grace Worm at that moment.

But then the real problem arose.

Crash.

The burning beast, in its final throes, flung itself against the fortress.

Not just rubbing against it but slamming into it with full force.

And just like that…

The 5th fortress crumbled.

Without warning.

All at once. Like an ancient tree finally giving way.

“No!!”

“Your Grace!”

A desperate shout tore through the air, calling out to the staggering figure atop the collapsing fortress.

Whoosh.

A massive snowstorm erupted, far greater than any before.

As the blinding white prison lifted, nothing remained.

“Your Grace!”

‘Please, save me!’

 

***

 

Jeremy’s lips twisted as the words of his aid suddenly came to mind.

The man was intelligent enough to be kept around, but he was soft—too gentle. A bureaucrat raised in peaceful times.

When Jeremy had said, ‘Bianca must be dealt with,’ his aid had looked as if he were on the verge of collapse. He had clung to Jeremy, pleading as if his own life were at stake.

‘Is there really a need to kill her?’

Jeremy smiled faintly as he gazed at the blizzard raging outside.

There’s no reason to keep her alive.

Especially not when she’s a Princess, backed by the immense power of Baloch.

The Emperor had erased her from the imperial registry, thinking that was enough.

But that was his problem, not Jeremy’s. Since when did erasing a royal from the records make them cease to exist?

What if, one day, things changed? What if she was reinstated?

That would be a nightmare.

Even if he somehow dealt with Bianca, the issue wouldn’t end there. A child carrying the blood of both Baloch and Termina… nothing could be more dangerous.

Even as a Termina, he had been constantly been compared to Baloch.

Now imagine a Termina with Baloch’s blood.

Would comparisons be the only problem?

Jeremy ground his teeth. Just thinking about it made his blood boil.

**** it.

Why did this have to happen in his time?

‘She’s been erased from the registry.’

Idiots.

They always took the easy way out when it wasn’t their problem.

Jeremy clenched his jaw, suppressing his frustration.

“Hah…”

She has to die.

Once the thought took root, it became an obsession.

“She should’ve died long ago…”

If he had known Baloch would marry her, he never would have let her go.

He should have sold her to the South instead.

She would have fetched a high price, and having the South as an ally would have been useful.

A shame. But it was too late now.

Bianca was nothing but a liability. Even when she had lived in the palace, she had never stopped causing trouble.

Her mere presence had been a constant headache.

Now, she was shaking the entire empire.

Though… perhaps that was convenient.

At least now, he had a justifiable reason.

This time, you have to die, Bianca.

Stop being a nuisance.

 

***

 

Bianca jolted upright in bed.

Her body had been comfortably tucked under warm blankets, yet an icy shiver crawled up her spine.

Had she heard something just now?

Her skin prickled with goosebumps.

She glanced around, uneasy.

“What… what was that?”

“My Lady?”

Julie, who had been dozing on the sofa beside the bed, shot up at Bianca’s voice and rushed to her side.

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought I heard something.”

“What was it?”

“It was like… something calling me. Or maybe… someone?”

“I didn’t hear anything. It was probably just the wind.”

Despite her gentle tone, Julie’s eyes sharpened.

Bianca had never liked having people hover around her at night.

She always shooed her attendants away, telling them to rest early.

But tonight, she had insisted Julie stay close, clumsily masking it with an excuse about loneliness.

She was clearly on edge.

Juliet had noticed the shift immediately.

Could it be… that?

That eerie presence lurking around the manor late at night.

She had sensed something before.

But when she went to investigate, all she had found was a small animal scavenging for food.

Still…

Something about it didn’t sit right.

Had she been mistaken that night?

If so, she wasn’t going to let it slip away again.

“I swear I heard something.”

“If it’s bothering you, shall I check the windows?”

“…Yes, please.”

Julie did not dismiss Bianca’s fears.

This only confirmed her (Julie’s) suspicions.

Something was out there.

‘After she falls asleep, I’ll search the grounds again.’

But for now, calming Bianca down was the priority.

Julie moved without hesitation, heading first to the nearest window.

With a sharp tug, she threw back the heavy curtains.