Chapter 9
Startled by the loud noise that suddenly rang out, I hurriedly looked outside.
I had planned to distribute the Munochot to the monsters and leave the warehouse as quickly as possible, but I couldn’t tell where the sound had come from.
However, thanks to that sound, the monsters who had been staring at me turned their gaze elsewhere. That alone made me feel like I could breathe a little easier.
‘If the monsters were all staring at me when I entered the warehouse, does that mean they’re capable of thinking?’
The question popped into my mind, but I quickly shook it off.
Even if they could think, there was no way I would know, and right now, the priority was to distribute the Munochot to the terrifying monsters and get out.
I resumed what I had been doing. I took a shovelful of Munochot from the sack and placed it in front of the iron cages where the monsters were locked.
While my movements were awkward, I continued scooping the Munochot when I suddenly heard a strange, eerie voice.
“Wasn’t that sound a bit odd?”
I instantly recognized it. The voice reminded me of something I had heard recently during the procession at the Kamar Academy when I saw the parade of the Teansis.
‘Who was that? Was there someone else here with me?’
I instinctively turned toward the direction of the voice.
“Ah!”
I was so startled that I almost dropped the shovel in my hand.
There, in front of me, was the large monster that had attacked me not long ago. Its arm, cleanly severed by Teansis, had yet to receive proper treatment.
Facing the monster that had etched into my mind just how terrifying they could be, my body started to tremble involuntarily.
Although it hadn’t been long since the attack, the memory was still vivid in my mind.
—Normally, that leg should have been broken.
I recalled the words Teansis had said when I woke up after fainting.
Just as I froze in fear, another loud explosion rang out.
Boom! Boom!
This time, the shock was so strong that the entire warehouse seemed to shake.
“Ah!”
The tremor made me lose my grip on the shovel, and I collapsed onto the ground. It was impossible to steady myself in such a situation.
Everything was happening so suddenly.
Before I could even wonder what was going on, the pillar supporting the warehouse cracked open.
In an instant, the pillar collapsed, creating a gap in the iron cage that had been holding the monsters.
“Krugh! Krugh!”
“Kiiing!”
The sounds of many monsters crying out, almost like animal noises, filled the air at once.
Last time, I was attacked by only one monster, but if I were to be in front of so many now, I’d be as good as dead.
My heart pounded wildly as fear surged within me.
Then, at that moment, I began to hear the monsters’ voices as if they were speaking a language I could understand.
“The warehouse is going to collapse soon!”
“…We must protect her.”
It was beyond amazing. It was like their voices had changed into something I could understand, like human speech.
‘The warehouse is going to collapse?’
If that was true, I needed to leave immediately. But none of the monsters seemed to be thinking about escaping. Instead, they all kept repeating that they had to protect something.
‘What are they trying to protect?’
I couldn’t understand what it was they wanted to protect.
But something was strange. The monsters were all staring at me.
“We will protect! Our Queen!”
At that moment, all the monsters rushed toward me.
The sight of dozens of monsters charging at once was nothing short of overwhelming.
I froze, caught in a mixture of shock and disbelief.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
Crack!
Finally, the roof of the warehouse collapsed.
Meanwhile, Fabian tried to stop Teansis as they watched the warehouse explode.
“It’s already too late, Duke.”
“Move.”
But Teansis didn’t listen to Fabian’s words. Just as he tried to walk past Fabian, the latter grabbed his wrist.
“Please reconsider. No matter how skilled you are with aura, it’s too dangerous. This isn’t just a regular explosion. The bombs are specially made to pierce through the monsters’ steel-like skin.”
“I know.”
Teansis brushed off Fabian’s hand and continued walking toward the warehouse without a second glance.
Fabian, worried, once more voiced his concerns.
“Now that the explosion has already started, the chances of anyone surviving inside are slim.”
At this, Teansis turned his head slightly, and his perfect profile was revealed.
“If there’s even the smallest chance, I won’t give up.”
He turned back to face forward and continued, his voice low:
“That’s the destiny of the Akruez family.”
Fabian bit his lip but didn’t stop Teansis. Instead, he bowed his head, showing respect for the man’s decision.
Inside the warehouse, the scene before Teansis was not at all what he had imagined.
In front of him was a mountain of monster corpses. But what was odd was that the monsters hadn’t tried to escape like they were expected to. They were all gathered together, as if they had committed suicide.
And in the middle of this chaos was a woman.
Her green hair was stained with the monsters’ blood, but despite the horror of the situation, her pale skin and silver hair made her look delicate and innocent. It was someone Teansis knew all too well.
This was the same woman who had been attacked when they brought the monsters to Kamar Academy.
“…Ugh.”
In the midst of the monster corpses, Belia was crying.
“Please… don’t die because of me.”
She was standing in front of the monster that Teansis had severed the arm of earlier.
But something strange happened. The monster, which seemed to be dead, stretched out its hand toward Belia.
‘No!’
In the blink of an eye, Teansis realized the danger, and he quickly drew his sword and rushed toward the monster. But it was too late to react fast enough.
The monster’s hand was almost on Belia, and if it touched her, she would be crushed.
But something unbelievable happened.
The massive monster’s hand, the size of a child, gently stroked Belia‘s hair.
“…Krrgh, Krrrng.”
The monster was muttering something that Teansis couldn’t comprehend, but Belia seemed to understand. She responded as if she was having a conversation with it.
Could the monsters actually communicate?
Teansis was stunned. He had never heard of such a thing. He, the head of the Akruez family, had studied monsters extensively and had never come across this idea.
When the monster finally died, its hand dropped to the ground.
Belia burst into tears.
