Chapter 38

* * *

The only time she could safely return after fetching fresh water was the very first time.

Doha occasionally glanced at the situation outside the passage while taking care of Damian, but she couldn’t avoid the watchful eyes no matter which direction she faced.

Men clad in black were setting up camps outside, cautiously searching the interior after deploying people at each passage.

It was evident that they were aware Damian had sustained serious injuries and couldn’t move easily.

‘He won’t back down easily….’

It was troublesome.

Besides the assassins they directly encountered, there seemed to be quite a few lurking around.

Although the exact number couldn’t be determined because they were all dressed alike, there were at least fifty of them.

‘Isn’t this too many?”’

It seemed like they intended to overwhelm with sheer numbers, whether it was assassination or something else.

Their firm determination to take Damian’s life was palpable. However, it didn’t affect Doha in the slightest.

She was confident she wouldn’t be captured under any circumstances.

‘As long as they don’t come out in force….’

As there were no more scrolls of movement left, Doha had no choice but to continue hiding like this.

There was no way to move with a patient with abdominal injuries. They had to endure.

“Why?”

Doha lightly touched Damian, who woke up as if touched by a ghost.

“It’s cold.”

“What?”

“I feel like I’m freezing to death.”

Naturally, there was no insulation in this impoverished underground tunnel. On the contrary, the temperature was lower than on the surface, and it felt chilly at night.

However, they couldn’t make a fire, so they had no choice but to rely on each other’s body heat and sleep huddled together.

Doha stretched her arms wide and spoke to Damian, who was backing away.

“Why are you sneaking away like that?”

Doha stubbornly bit her lip and tilted her head as she watched the boy retreat.

“Do you want to freeze to death together?”

Damian’s lips were as blue as those of a person who had just emerged from the water. The other side also seemed too cold to the point of freezing.

‘Even in a life-threatening situation, he avoids getting close.’

Perhaps it was because he was still a child.

Doha wrapped her hand around his palm, interlocked their fingers, and then showed him her palm.

“I’ve extended your lifespan, so you should be responsible for keeping yourself alive. So, no more nonsense, just cuddle up.”

After saying so, Doha hugged Damian firmly.

Both of them seemed smaller than their peers, perhaps because they hadn’t been well-fed. Yet, Damian was slightly bigger, probably because Bunny was older.

Doha hugged him carefully, making sure not to touch his wounds.

Damian’s entire body stiffened as he nestled into her embrace.

“….”

It’s warm. Cozy and soft.

This was the warmth of a living person.

‘The radiant sun that will embrace all people….’

Isn’t that you?

From the moment Damian heard Doha’s words, he was puzzled by her embrace.

Although he was a prince, he was the most insignificant prince who had inherited the blood of the emperor. It was strange for this boy to willingly extend his hand.

She couldn’t understand what he was thinking, and all she knew was that he was a fast rabbit from the slums.

What prevented her from even suspecting was that her outstretched hand was so warm.

The warmth emanating from her fingertips was so warm that it seemed to melt even the frozen body.

Not knowing where to place his hands, Damian cautiously wrapped his arms around her back.

Then, Doha felt the slight relaxation in her trembling body due to the cold.

It was a truly strange feeling.

Sharing body heat to avoid freezing to death. Sharing warmth with others.

Realizing that such warmth existed within oneself.

* * *

“Get up, wake up!”

Mixed with coughs, the shouts echoed in her ears, and soon pieces of wet cloth blocked her mouth and nose.

“Ugh, what… cough!”

Startled, Doha was about to retort without realizing it, but she quickly covered her nose and mouth as rough coughs shook her awake.

A pungent smell pierced her nostrils. The space was filled with hazy smoke.

What’s going on? Is it… fire!

No, this is insane!

Doha was about to curse out loud, but she quickly covered her nose and mouth.

Then, she looked toward Damian. Fortunately, he was also covering his mouth and nose with a cloth.

But at the same time, he was desperately trying not to lose consciousness while sweating coldly and with a pained expression.

It seemed he realized the situation before Doha did and forcibly woke her up.

“Darn it, they set fire.”

She never expected the assassins to go to such lengths to attract attention.

The unspoken rule was to never touch the slums, a law of the underworld.

“Why? Even if she’s the empress, she shouldn’t set fire to the slums so recklessly.”

Anyway, now wasn’t the time for such leisurely thoughts.

She had sensed a strong determination to kill Damian, even if it required using oppressive means.

“I can’t just burn to death like this.”

As soon as she made the resolute declaration to herself, she couldn’t die in front of him.

Supporting Damian by covering his mouth with the cloth he provided, she tried to support him, but somehow, Damian quickly took the lead and walked ahead, making her support him as they went out.

‘The patient with a perforated abdomen is now…!’

Because of the smoke, she couldn’t speak. She couldn’t even open her eyes properly. Honestly, she was completely out of it.

But Damian firmly grasped the makeshift bandage on his bleeding abdomen and moved forward resolutely.

Doha sighed and patted his shoulder, swallowing her breath.

‘That way, not this way.’

Doha guided him towards the passage where the assassins hadn’t been seen.

Just as they barely managed to escape from the smoke-filled labyrinth…

“Desperate to survive, huh? I admire your rat-like survival instinct.”

The two of them were surrounded by dozens of assassins.

Although it seemed like it might come to this, when the situation actually unfolded before them, it felt like their minds went blank.

‘The only remaining magic is illusion, transformation, and ice magic.’

Illusion was only a momentary deception, and transformation only changed hair and eye color.

Ice magic could only momentarily restrain the enemy. Now, completely surrounded, none of these spells were of any use.

“Run.”

“What?”

“You can escape on your own.”

Damian spoke in a monotone voice.

Despite the urgency of the situation, there was no hint of panic or tension in his voice, making it even more eerie.

It was his usual tone.

If one were to describe his usual tone, it meant the emotionless, dry tone of someone who faces death every day and lives with death.

“You… planning to die again?”

After barely saving him from the chaos, Doha bit her lip in frustration at his words.

Yet, inadvertently turning to look at him, she paused. The corners of his mouth were faintly upturned.

“I can barely stand. It’s either we die together this time, or you survive. You have to choose one.”

“Why are you smiling?”

“Just… feels good.”

Damian echoed Doha’s previous statement.

“That’s enough.”

His smile was a sign that he would be satisfied with just saving her.

Inside, Doha boiled with anger.

She had promised to become the radiant sun that would embrace all people. Was she just going to extinguish that flame here?

What angered her most was her own powerlessness in this situation.

“Ridiculous. Who told you to come?”

The assassins seemed amazed by the conversation between the two kids.

Having not found them for two days and then laughing loudly like this was a sign of underestimation.

“You, kid. What’s your identity?”

The assassins seemed quite curious about the subject.

“You seem to know this place well. And your clothes are overly luxurious.”

“This incident has garnered the resentment of many people. Your crimes are deep. We have to take you alive, so if you want to save your life, it’s better to beg quietly rather than making futile attempts.”

They were also unnecessarily chatty.

Their behavior was not at all like that of assassins, indicating that they were underestimating the situation because their target was just a child.

“I dismantled them because they were too arrogant.”

“…”

They believed their arrogance was holding them back.

‘A child without power can never defeat an adult.’

Their arrogance was their own downfall.

“My identity is…”

With that, Doha released her luck and fumbled behind her.

They seemed to be curious about the identity of the kid who had tied their feet for two days, as they paused to listen to Doha’s words.

Seizing the opportunity, she pulled out two artifacts from her sleeve and clenched them tightly, then said:

“My identity is a rabbit, you bastards!”

Then, muttering nonsense, she used illusion magic to instantly obscure their vision.

It was an illusion that blinded them momentarily, as if a hazy fog had descended. And at the same time, she used ice magic to freeze their feet to the ground.

“Let’s go!”

Doha grabbed Damian’s hand and ran recklessly. As they ran, she gritted her teeth and emphasized each word with force.

“You were wrong. It’s either we die together or we live together.”