“Don’t rush in blindly—we should assess the situation first.”
Ray said this while stroking Athena.
“I’ve set up a hideout over there. Let’s go.”
The “hideout” Ray had created was on a nearby hill overlooking all of Arhad.
Spreading out a map on the table, he spoke calmly.
“Here.”
It seed that while we were traveling to Arhad, he had been continuously gathering information here.
“This is where Lord Yuta is being held.”
“...What?”
“Look. You can see it from here.”
I hurried over to the window.
Squinting, I could see a prison located high up. And inside, there was a person bound by both hands and feet to iron bars.
“Ah...”
I couldn’t make out the facial features because it was too far, but my knees buckled as I caught the glint of golden hair in the sunlight.
“Ahh...”
When Zahid left, I hadn’t ruled out the possibility that Yuta might be captured.
But I kept clinging to the hope: “He must’ve escaped sohow, right?”
[Just in case, I’m telling you—don’t worry about . When it cos to Aietar, no one knows him better than I do.]
Even if he was in danger, I believed Julian would rescue him. We hadn’t co without preparation...
So now, seeing Yuta with my own eyes made my heart tremble.
“They’re blatantly using him as bait.”
Ray explained calmly.
“I’ve been watching for a while—they’re giving him just enough food and water to keep him alive.”
Zahid asked in a devastated voice,
“What about Liri?”
“I don’t see it. Seems the Holy Knights are combing through the brush. It probably ran away.”
I couldn’t say anything—I just collapsed into a seat.
[I’m acting only within a range where no one would suspect , so don’t worry.]
Only then did I understand what the note ant.
Seeing that Liri wasn’t there... Yuta must have known everything. That he would end up like that.
‘Again... again...’
I wiped away my tears and took a deep breath.
‘Yuta oppa... again...’
[At twenty-one, he’d grown so beautifully. I wish I could’ve just stroked his hair once.]
Even while expecting it all, what must he have felt writing that letter?
“What about Aietar?”
Zahid asked calmly in my place, since I couldn’t speak.
Ray pointed to another spot on the map and said,
“He’s buried here.”
“...Buried?”
“Yeah. I haven’t seen it myself, but I barely got the info through agents disguised as tourists.”
Ray’s calm voice continued.
“They say only his face is left exposed—he’s buried underground for days. Surrounded by priests and Holy Knights.”
“...Ha.”
Zahid’s face clouded deeply with worry. The ritual to absorb Arhad’s divine power was already underway.
“There’s... supposedly no way to stop it.”
At Zahid’s words, Ray furrowed his brow.
“What?”
“From what I overheard, that’s what they said. Of course, I hope it’s not true.”
Ray’s expression darkened instantly. He had assud vaguely that once we arrived, we could stop it sohow.
He began biting his fingernail, looking troubled.
“Then how long is he going to stay buried like that? How long does it take?”
“No idea. He probably doesn’t even know himself.”
Zahid answered, eyes deep in thought.
Finally calming my trembling breath, I asked,
“But why hasn’t oppa co yet? If he knew what happened to Yuta oppa, he would’ve co running first.”
“Dunno.”
Ray tilted his head.
“That’s puzzled too... Why hasn’t Julian Noart co imdiately?”
At that, I suddenly began worrying about Julian as well.
There hadn’t been any ntion of Julian in the Emperor’s personal letter...
Did sothing happen? Is he sick?
I swallowed my unease and asked,
“Um, anyway—right now, is there really no way we can save Yuta oppa?”
“They’re using him as bait, so of course they’ve left a path ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) open. They’ve blatantly left the back gate wide open...”
Ray pointed to the map as he explained.
“There’s a bunch of Holy Knights there, including Payton. They’ve got so many priests that even if we charge head-on, we’d have no chance. The Holy Knights will recover the mont they’re injured thanks to the divine power.”
Divine power was an energy activated through contact.
So no matter how much divine power I had, there was a limit to how many people I could heal at once.
In this situation, the side with more priests had the advantage.
“Hm.”
Staring hard at the map, Zahid finally spoke.
“How about this? Rosie, you hide here where it’s safe. anwhile, I’ll take Fire and head to—”
Just then—
“Uwoooooooong!”
Athena, who had been at the window, suddenly cried out.
Startled, we all rushed to the window.
“Huh?”
Ray’s eyes widened.
“The Holy Knight Order is moving toward the back gate... This hasn’t happened before?”
He looked thoroughly confused, tilting his head.
Zahid also wore a serious expression, trying to read a pattern in the sudden movent of the Holy Knights.
Watching them, I spoke calmly.
“We’re going too.”
I thought I knew what was going on.
“Huh?”
“‘We’ are?”
Looking at Ray and Zahid, I lifted my chin.
“I don’t know why now of all tis, but I think oppa’s finally here.”
My heart pounded with tension and excitent.
“Oppa and I... just in case, we prepared a contingency plan. It’s urgent—we need to go. Now!”
Unable to hold back any longer, I ran out and leapt onto Fire.
Zahid and Ray chased after a mont later.
“Let’s go.”
I gripped Fire’s soft fur as I said it.
“We’ll be able to rescue Yuta oppa soon.”
This ti, I was going to stand right in front of him, look him in the eyes, and yell at him properly.
How could soone never learn? Why act the sa way twice?
After scolding him thoroughly, I’d let myself pat his head.
Biting my lips, I held back my tears.
“Ruff ruff!”
“Can’t be helped, Fire.”
I whispered into Fire’s ear.
“If I don’t daze him and take the lead like this, Zahid’ll never leave behind. He’ll just fuss like before.”
Just earlier, Zahid had imdiately wanted to leave behind and put himself in danger alone.
He always said things like that, so I couldn’t give him ti to think. I had to take the lead and drag him around before he could react.
“Ruff ruff!”
And with all three of us on his back, Fire began running toward the back gate where the battle had started.
* * *
Splash. Water dripped down with a slapping sound.
Yuta blinked and looked ahead. Despite everything, the water that moistened his lips was welco.
He hadn’t eaten in so long that even his body was deteriorating—his divine power was nearly depleted too.
“A traitor, huh...”
Payton stared at him with a look of contempt.
“With that frail body, you strutted around like so bigshot. Shaless, aren’t you?”
When Payton had first bound him, he’d actually been fairly courteous.
Because of Yuta’s reputation in the Temple, Payton had treated him kindly for the first few days out of habit.
But as the days passed and Yuta remained tied up, unable to do anything, Payton’s attitude gradually changed.
“You’re so hopeless your great Divine Beast probably ran off too, huh?”
Now he was openly abusive and cruel.
“The High Priest said to use you as bait, but no one’s even co looking... Seems they’ve abandoned you too?”
Yuta had been the Temple’s second-in-command, praised endlessly in papers and magazines. Seeing him reduced to this miserable state seed perversely satisfying.
“All the praise you got was nothing without the High Priest’s shine. And you dare betray the Temple? Huh?”
Payton sneered and kicked Yuta in the stomach.
“Keugh!”
Already physically weak, Yuta gasped for breath for a long ti.
A strange sense of triumph glinted in Payton’s eyes as he watched.
“...Keugh, want to tell you... sothing, Sir Payton?”
Yuta looked up at him and spoke slowly.
“If you beco the Temple’s number two... and even if, by so miracle, you beco the Divine Beast’s master... keugh, you still won’t be like ...”
“What?”
“This is... keugh, a secret... because...”
Yuta dropped his voice as if to whisper sothing confidential. Payton, too, furrowed his brows seriously.
He wore the expression of soone expecting a grand Temple secret.
Payton didn’t know much himself—he only followed orders. So of course, a surge of curiosity crept in.
Yuta took in Payton’s expression in full detail and added,
“Looks matter when it cos to popularity...”
“You son of—!”
Payton swung a fist again into Yuta’s face.
Blood trickled from Yuta’s lips as he let out a long sigh.
“You’re still a long way off... If that kind of jab makes you mad, keugh, it ans you admit it...”
Even though breathing itself was difficult, his mouth wouldn’t stop moving.
“Every feature molded by the gods... keugh, has value... You should’ve kept your pride... keugh...”
Just as Payton clenched his teeth and raised his fist again—
“Captain!”
A Holy Knight ca rushing up in a panic.
“An intruder!”
Reviews
All reviews (0)