TISND Chapter 145

Chapter 45

The ground trembled.

Was it an earthquake?

A woman, sweeping the yard with a broom, lifted her head in surprise.

In the distance, knights clad in black robes rode at full speed. Their robes concealed their armor, making it impossible to determine which order they belonged to. However, she recognized the man leading the charge.

The infamous Duke Frantor.

Had war broken out?

Why were they racing so fiercely?

There was nothing but the harbor in that direction, nowhere near the border.

Meanwhile, Caligo was in a hurry.

At last, he had discovered Helena’s whereabouts.

Salizar, consumed only by revenge, seemed to care little about covering his tracks.

Thanks to that, it was possible to track him down—but another sense of unease crept in.

His last known location was an armory.

He had purchased weapons there.

Caligo gripped his reins tighter, his chest swelling with tension and anxiety.

Ever since he decided to live as a lord rather than a warrior, life had been dull. Everything followed a preordained plan, moving according to logic and duty. His days were peaceful, almost to the point of boredom.

But for the first time in his life, he had found something he wanted.

Something he desired yet should not possess.

He had tried countless times to erase her from his life, but it was impossible.

In the end, he realized—

The fool who had judged her with prejudice was none other than himself.

He had to beg for her forgiveness.

The road to Horion stretched endlessly, like a horizon that never seemed to draw closer.

Even as he rode day and night, pushing himself past exhaustion, he never seemed to reach his destination.

Helena felt further away than ever.

It was as if he were riding toward the underworld rather than a harbor city.

And then—

“…Impossible.”

He had followed her traces from Horion, tracking her into the mountains.

And finally, he found her.

Their gazes met in midair, her tear-filled eyes colliding with his.

Though it was a dire situation, time seemed to stop.

Helena was here.

The cold that had seeped into his body during the climb dissipated, replaced by warmth.

His vision, blurred from his relentless ride, suddenly became clear.

Caligo took a deep breath.

The air around him felt different.

And at last, he understood.

How had he ever thought he could erase her from his life?

How dare he?

How could he even consider it?

Every nerve in his body, dulled from long dormancy, suddenly came alive.

His sight, his hearing, even his sense of smell—

Everything was consumed by her.

‘It’s not too late.’

‘She’s alive.’

He struggled to find the right words, but before he could speak, Helena’s eyes widened slightly.

Only then did he realize how close he had gotten to her.

“Duke Frantor? How are you here?”

By the time he had climbed the mountain, he had already taken care of most of Salizar’s men.

It seemed Salizar had spread his forces thin, leaving men stationed in Horion and scattered throughout the mountains.

The remaining ones were likely outside the cabin, still engaged in battle.

The sound of fierce combat outside darkened Salizar’s expression.

He must have realized he was backed into a corner.

But he refused to surrender.

With a final, desperate scream, he raised his sword and charged.

Yet, against a seasoned warrior who had spent most of his life on the battlefield, the fight ended almost too easily.

Was this feeble man truly the one who had threatened Helena’s life?

Still, a man who had accepted death could be unpredictable.

Salizar, who had been wildly swinging his sword at Caligo, suddenly twisted his body—

And turned his blade toward Helena.

His sword came down from above.

At this rate, it would cut straight through her chest.

He had fought so hard to find her—

He couldn’t lose her so easily.

He had to protect her.

Before he could think, his body moved first.

Faster than even the sword he had wielded all his life.

“—!”

Caligo raised his arm—

And took the full brunt of Salizar’s sword with his own body.

Cold steel tore through his muscles, splitting his skin as blood spilled.

From behind, he heard Helena’s faint gasp.

“You—You madman!”

Even with the sword embedded in his arm, Caligo’s face remained impassive.

Instead of showing pain, he only gripped harder.

Blood dripped steadily from his wound, but his expression did not change.

Then, he raised his other arm—

The one still holding his sword.

Just as Salizar had done moments ago, Caligo brought his blade down in a sweeping arc.

“AAAHH!”

Salizar screamed as his chest was cut open.

He collapsed to the ground, writhing.

Caligo had deliberately not struck too deeply.

As much as he wanted to kill him, he knew—

For Salizar, living would be a far worse fate than death.

“Your Grace…”

Helena’s pale face turned toward him.

“Your wound…”

“This is nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

Truly, it didn’t matter.

All that mattered was that she was safe.

He turned his focus entirely to her.

She was as pale as snow, no doubt from wandering the mountains just as he had.

Even in the summer heat, she must have been freezing.

And though she was standing, she seemed dazed—

Still shaken from everything that had happened.

But thankfully, she didn’t appear to be seriously injured.

However, she looked utterly exhausted.

His gaze landed on the cane lying on the ground.

‘She can’t even move properly without it anymore…’

“Your wound is deep.”

Finally regaining some clarity, Helena rushed toward him.

Though she still looked shaken, the sight of his bleeding wound seemed to snap her into action.

As if everything between them had never happened, she immediately focused on treating him.

The blade had cut deeply—perhaps because he had exerted force while it was still lodged in him.

Helena pulled out bandages and emergency medicine, hastily dressing his wound.

She muttered that the wound was too severe and would need stitches.

But he didn’t care.

Right now, he only felt one thing—

The overwhelming relief of having saved her.

“My Lord!”

Moments later, the subordinates who had been handling matters outside returned to the cabin. They immediately restrained Salizar, who lay wounded on the floor, binding him tightly.

Meanwhile, Helena, who had been wholly focused on treating Caligo’s wound—pouring bandages and medicine onto his injured arm—suddenly froze when she saw the blood-soaked bandages. Her eyes widened as if something had just occurred to her.

Then, she urgently turned to him and asked, “Did you… did you see anyone else while climbing the mountain?”

She was stammering—something completely unlike her.

She looked even more distraught and terrified than when Salizar had pointed a sword at her.

“Jane. She was with me when we climbed the mountain, but we got separated along the way. I’m sure she was injured. We need to find her quickly. If you have time, could you help me search for her—”

“Miss!”

At that moment, Jane burst into the cabin, panting heavily.

Helena, who had been scanning the room in disbelief as if she had heard a hallucination, finally laid eyes on Jane.

And then, she laughed through her tears.

A broken sob escaped her lips as she threw her arms around Jane.

“Oh my god, Jane—I thought you were dead.”

Helena wept bitterly.

Jane cried too.

The two women clung to each other like lifelines, sobbing uncontrollably.

“I told you, I wouldn’t leave your side,” Jane murmured.

“But you ran away and left me behind.”

“I had no choice.”

“You’re such a fool, Jane. A coward like you… how did you manage this?”

Even as she held Jane desperately, Helena trembled—still unable to believe that she had found her again.

If only Caligo had never left her alone, none of this would have happened.

There were so many things he wanted to say to her.

But he decided to wait.

She was still overwhelmed.

And now that he had found her again, there would be plenty of time to talk.

Yes. There would be time.

First, he would ask for her forgiveness.

Of course, earning it wouldn’t be easy.

But he would try.

That was why he had come to Horion in the first place.

And while they spent time together, he would find a way to cure Asehimmo—no matter the cost.

Even if the poison had no known antidote, he refused to give up hope.

And after that…

He would work to restore their relationship.

No—he hoped to grow even closer than before.

Jeremy and Joshua, too.

Yes, things would turn out that way.

Just like in Frantor—where they had worked the fields together, shared their days, and built something meaningful.

They would go back to that.

Caligo believed it without a doubt.

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