Luna poked Salem on the cheek as if to bring him to his senses. Salem looked up in surprise and realized that Ray had landed on soone’s head.
He was a knight wearing armor with the emblem of the Royal Knights.
“He’s still alive?”
Salem, who had been blankly staring at the scene, suddenly ca to his senses.
Salem rushed to the knight and felt his pulse. He felt a steady heartbeat. His breathing was also even and steady.
“He just fell asleep?”
Salem, flustered, hurriedly checked the others.
Most of the fallen were simply unconscious and did not seem to be in danger of dying.
Salem stood up again and muttered in confusion.
“What on earth…”
Even those who had suffered serious injuries were sound asleep, showing no signs of pain.
“Could this be Lord Lexion’s magic?”
At Salem’s murmured words, spoken almost to himself, Luna shook its head firmly.
“What? No? So there’s another cause? And you don’t know exactly what it is?”
This ti, Ray circled around Salem’s head, as if to say yes.
Salem stood there dumbfounded, lost in thought.
It was clear that sothing unusual had occurred within the palace. However, there was no way to confirm it at the mont.
“…”
It would already be chaos outside the palace, so it seed pointless to go out now and report this to soone.
Because everyone who could move was tied up in battle.
Even the Supre Commander, Laius, seed to have taken part in the battle, so it seed like it would be difficult to save anyone right away.
Besides, if they left their post, there was no telling what might happen in the anti.
Salem swallowed dryly as he reached his conclusion.
“…I guess it’s okay to explore for a bit.”
Since he was the one who decided to set foot in this place, he had to carry out the ‘role’ he chose properly.
It was what Arendt sotis said in passing.
Just as he was about to move on, Salem glanced back at the peacefully sleeping wounded with a look of lingering regret.
Though their faces looked peaceful in sleep, crimson blood was still gushing from their severe wounds.
Salem found himself torn once more.
‘What would Sir Arendt have done?’
That thought naturally ca to him.
He was a cold, rational person, he might have turned away without a second thought, saying that everything has its priorities.
But that didn’t an he would just let them all die. He’d probably find a way.
Swallowing dryly, Salem gave orders to the spirits.
“You guys, look around the palace and see if there’s anything suspicious. So… if you find a hidden space, a suspicious person, or an object that gives off a strange vibe, let know. I’ll be here providing first aid.”
Luna and Ray nodded and flew away. Salem imdiately rolled up his sleeves and turned back to the people who were lying on the ground.
The scene was a ss, with people lying down, corpses, and injured people all tangled together.
‘First, separate the bodies from the injured…’
If he used all his elven senses, it shouldn’t be difficult to distinguish between the dead and the living.
He decided to boldly give up on those who seed hopeless, and leave those who seed like they could endure to so extent without treatnt.
Salem briefly wondered whether it was right to dare to judge life and death on his own, but he tried to shake off the thought.
‘This is the best I can do.’
Salem, steeling his resolve, drew his sword and began to tear and gather the clothes of the surrounding corpses.
He intended to use them as a substitute for bandages.
Drip. Drip.
Water dripped from the ceiling.
The stench of stagnant water stung his nose. The filthy water, rising up to his calves, soaked his clothes, but Arendt silently continued walking behind Stellar.
The black dog was also moving forward, wading through the dirty water.
Rider, unable to bear the long silence, finally asked.
“What on earth is that guy’s deal? I know he’s Lord Lexion’s errand boy, but still.”
“What else? He’s just a mutt that he’s raising.”
Arendt responded coolly.
“I doubt he’s an ordinary dog, but whatever. Ask him yourself later, I don’t really know either.”
“…I’ve been wanting to say this for a while, but you’re pretty much the only one who can talk to a dragon so casually. Well, maybe soone eccentric like Count Stadler could too.”
“I’ve told you plenty of tis, it’s just that my seniors are cowards with no guts.”
At the sullen reply, Rider shot Arendt a sharp, disapproving glance.
“Honestly, you’ve got no manners.”
“I won’t exactly deny it, but wouldn’t it be more unsettling if I suddenly started being polite? Want to show you so manners, if that’s what you’re after?”
“…”
Rider just kept his mouth shut.
It was because he had a strong instinct that if he talked more, he would be the one being hurt like always.
In the midst of all this, Stellar continued to move forward slowly as if he hadn’t heard anything.
Thud. Kuuung.
Occasionally an earthquake-like rumble would be heard, causing ripples in the stagnant water.
It ant that there were terrifying beings fighting overhead.
Rider felt a little dizzy.
‘Dragons are fighting in the sky…’
On the ground, a hero and his adversary were engaged in a life-or-death battle.
And now, right before his eyes, was an absurdly monstrous apprentice knight junior, walking with the dragon’s minion at his side.
Every single thing about this situation was completely absurd.
The most unrealistic part was that he could have a stupid argunt with Arendt in the midst of all this.
Rider’s eyebrows furrowed.
‘More than that…’
Was he really alright?
His glance directed at Arendt who was walking ahead carried a flicker of unease.
The faint scent of blood and the cold air he felt from Arendt kept getting on Rider’s nerves.
‘It’d be better if he just kept joking around like usual.’
If not, he couldn’t put his mind at ease because Arendt’s was such a vicious bastard that he didn’t even groan once until he was about to die.
After walking for so ti, the water pooling beneath their feet began to recede, and soon they were t by ground filled with mud.
And soon after, the black dog at the very front stopped walking.
“You’re saying you can’t go any further from here?”
Arendt asked, frowning.
As if to say yes, Stellar turned and approached Arendt.
Cloudy eyes stared up at Arendt.
He seed to want to go back to Lexion right away, but he also seed reluctant to leave Arendt behind.
Arendt clicked his tongue after reading the aning without difficulty.
“Enough. Just get lost already. Don’t just stand there like a lost mutt. I’ll handle this myself. Who do you think you’re treating like a kid right now?”
“…”
Stellar still looked at Arendt with a look of discontent. But that was only for a mont, and he began to walk away from the two without any regrets. After a while, the figure of the large dog disappeared as if lting into the darkness.
Rider who was looking at Arendt absentmindedly added a word.
“I guess you really are just a kid after all.”
“This is the best age. If you envy my youth, just say so.”
“…”
Rider looked up at the cobwebbed ceiling for a mont.
“Haaah…”
He knew full well that this wasn’t the situation to be feeling this way, but he couldn’t help but feel the irritation boiling deep inside him.
Arendt glanced at his senior and started to move forward again. Rider, who suddenly ca to his senses, quickly followed him.
“Co with , you bastard. Do you even know the way?”
“You dull-witted senior might not have noticed, but the wind is blowing in from over there.”
Arendt answered coolly.
“There’s no way Stellar would’ve left us in the middle of a sewer. The exit must be nearby.”
“Can you please leave out the word ‘dull’?”
“What’s wrong with calling a dull person dull?”
The sound of another argunt filled the narrow waterway.
In the midst of all this, Rider suddenly thought.
‘I feel like there’s a chilling presence sowhere…’
At so point, the noise coming from above stopped.
Gurrrrrr!
Arthur and Richt simultaneously raised their heads at the sound of thunder that was getting closer. Ain and the enemies also stopped moving without realizing it.
“What the hell…”
Arthur sighed. The sky was in a strange state. Black magic swirled like dark clouds, and lightning flashed through the gaps.
The overwhelming magic power made his stomach churn and his breathing difficult. The wind that swept around him was also gradually getting stronger.
“Senior, isn’t this dangerous?”
“They say that the fight between dragons can cause natural disasters…”
At Arthur’s words, Richt muttered.
A priest also felt a sense of crisis and quickly approached Ain.
“Lord Ain, the situation is not good. It seems that Lord Nikephoros…”
“I’ll wrap this up as quickly as possible and join Lord Roger.”
Ain, who had given such instructions, gripped his sword.
Arthur and Richt, who noticed this, were about to get into a battle stance again.
Boom!
“Cough!”
A priest flew in from sowhere and crashed into the wall, screaming.
“Senior Richt, Arthur!”
Then Glenn’s shouting could be heard from across the street. Arthur turned his head reflexively.
Glenn and the others were running towards them. Ain’s face hardened under his hood when he had discovered the sa thing.
At this rate, it seed they had almost no chance of winning.
“We need to get out of here right now…”
But before he could give the order, thud!
An arrow flew and pierced the head of the priest standing right next to him.
“…!”
Thud. The priest collapsed without even being able to let out a scream.
Ain quickly checked his surroundings. However, it was impossible to capture the figure of the elf archer who had deliberately hidden themselves with his own eyes.
“Where are you going, bastard?”
Arthur gripped his sword tightly and growled fiercely.
Before they knew it, knights of the Third Order were approaching slowly from behind, radiating murderous intent.
Even if they tried to turn around and ran away, they would definitely get their heads pierced by the hidden elf archers.
“…We are surrounded, Lord Ain.”
The surviving priest reported calmly.
“Do not worry. The darkness is with us.”
Ain, with a hardened face, gripped his sword tightly.
“In the na of Lord Chernion, let us drag the seeds of filthy light into hell.”
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