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~Chapter 29~
Under the moonlight, the cold sound of clashing steel rang out.
Deon swung his sword at the poachers charging at him.
Nearby, Eric used his shining white holy sword against their enemies.
Sophie and I stepped back, watching them fight.
Damn. There are too many.
Eric had already taken down many.
But the poachers were like wild beasts. No matter how many fell, more kept coming with all kinds of weapons.
They held on for now, but it was clear they would tire soon.
We need a way out…
Then I saw it.
Behind Deon—who was fighting an axe-wielding enemy—another poacher crept up.
“Deon, behind you!”
“Ugh!”
Too late. The long blade slashed him.
Clutching his arm, he fell to his knees. Blood seeped through his torn clothes.
My heart sank. Without thinking, I rushed to him.
“Deon, are you okay?”
“…Milady.”
Sweat ran down his face as he looked at me.
Up close, the wound was worse than I thought. Deep and bleeding heavily.
I needed to stop the bleeding…
I tore a piece from my dress to bind it, but Deon grabbed my hand firmly.
“I’ll manage. Please, run. I can handle this place.”
“Even if we run, we all run together! How can you handle this alone?”
For a moment, regret stabbed me.
Maybe Sophie was right—this was meddling.
I should have just traveled quietly. Who did I think I was, driven by misplaced duty?
I didn’t want to leave Deon or Sophie behind. I didn’t want to lose them.
At that moment, Eric cut down the men rushing toward me and hurried over.
“Step aside.”
“Eric—”
He knelt by Deon, pressed his hand to the wound, and whispered something.
Pure white holy power flowed from his fingers. It seeped into Deon’s arm, and the cut closed smoothly.
The announcer and the “Boss” watched with interest.
“Well, well. I thought it was strange when he suddenly drew his sword. A holy knight, huh?”
“Indeed. And he has healing powers.”
“Could be useful…”
Greed shone in the Boss’s eyes. He snapped his fingers.
“Ugh!”
A snare shot out from somewhere—it was used for catching bears.
It snapped around Eric’s arms. He grimaced, staring at the rope digging into his skin.
“Eric—! Kyah!”
I tried to rush to him, but thugs grabbed Sophie and me by the neck from behind, pulling us away.
“Milady!”
Deon, barely standing, was disarmed and forced to his knees.
In an instant, everything was over.
Eric trapped in the snare.
Deon kneeling in defeat.
Sophie and I struggling in our captors’ grip.
“Eric! Deon!”
I thrashed with all my strength, but it was useless.
Even Eric, who fought bravely, couldn’t break free this time.
The harder he pulled, the tighter the snare became.
“Phew…”
Catching his breath, Eric looked at me and gave a faint smile.
“Milady. I’ll find a way. Don’t worry—just run.”
“No! How can I leave you behind?”
I bit my lip hard.
Running was impossible. Even if I could, I couldn’t leave them.
I have to find a way out…
“A holy knight could fetch a good price. Hmmm.”
“True. It’d be wasteful to kill him. I wonder if we could take his healing power without killing him.”
The announcer and Boss studied Eric like hunters, arms crossed.
One thug bowed.
“Boss. What about the others?”
“Ah.”
The Boss looked at us and said casually:
“Kill them all. Useless.”
After thinking, he pointed at me.
“No—leave the woman. She looks highborn. Might get a ransom.”
“Yes, sir!”
The thugs forced Sophie to kneel beside Deon.
Thick butcher-like swords were raised high.
The moonlight gleamed coldly on the steel.
No. At this rate… they’ll really…
“Stop!”
I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed.
In that instant, I felt something surge inside me.
What…?
My body shuddered. My heart pounded wildly, unnaturally fast.
It felt like something I couldn’t hold had burst free inside me.
Instinctively—I knew what it was.
Magic.
The very magic that cursed Irene with a fatal fate.
I clenched my eyes tighter.
Fine. Then let it burst. If this is all I can do—
Boom!
The ground shook like an earthquake.
A huge power erupted from me.
It spread outward in waves, spilling from my heart and sweeping across the clearing.
“Everyone, get down!”
Sensing it, Eric shouted at Sophie and Deon.
Freed at the right moment, Deon grabbed Sophie and rolled them behind a boulder.
But the thug who raised his blade to their throats—
“…!”
He took the blast head-on.
He froze, stunned by the unseen force.
A moment passed.
Clatter.
His sword dropped to the ground.
“…Kuh.”
He clutched his chest, coughed blood, and collapsed.
“Ugh…!”
He wasn’t the only one.
All around, those hit by my magic screamed in pain, clutching their chests before falling.
By the time I realized—
The campfire was out.
The grass around me was dead and flattened.
The thick trees had withered, their life gone.
And the poachers who attacked us—
Lay scattered, motionless.
Even the Boss and announcer in the distance were down.
“…Haaah.”
My breath came ragged. I stared around in disbelief.
What… what did I just do?
The unbelievable scene spun before me.
Silence. Only my heartbeat roared in my ears.
The wild power that erupted was already fading—
But my heart still raced.
“Milady!”
I turned at Sophie’s voice. She ran from behind the boulder toward me.
“Sophie—are you all right? And Deon?”
“We’re fine. Sir Deon got us out just in time.”
She pointed.
Deon was freeing Eric from the snare.
Eric, still bound moments ago, seemed spared by my outburst—shielded by the Boss and announcer.
“But milady—are you all right? What just happened…?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Good heavens… Milady!”
The tension broke. Relief washed over me as I saw they were safe.
Darkness swallowed my vision.
Sophie’s frantic voice was the last thing I heard—
Before I lost consciousness.
