Chapter 82
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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Chapter 82
It was clear that I had snatched the communication artifact from Melissa.
-Are you planning to become Wyvern's meal? We'll handle Wyvern together, so come back quickly! Miss Rilprey's role is reconnaissance, not combat!
"Do you know how potent Wyvern's venom is? One hit from its tail means instant death!"
-So you're saying you'll die in place of the unit members!
"Why would I die!"
I will never die.
The sorrow of living without parents is immeasurable. I will never abandon my Lucian and perish alone.
-That's exactly why you need to come back!
His voice grew louder through the artifact, more intense than anything I'd heard from him before.
But it was already too late to turn back. The Wyvern that had been distant was now close enough that its form became distinctly visible.
So I cried out to the only person who would listen to me.
"Ahin! Quickly!"
There was no sound from beyond the artifact. But I could feel the flow of wind enveloping my body shift.
And just before the Wyvern's savage breath touched my feet.
"Hah!"
My body flew through the air with a powerful gust of wind.
* * *
"Miss Rilprey, Miss Rilprey!"
Claude called out to Lucella through the communication artifact several times.
But there was no response.
The artifact emitted a crackling sound before going silent. It seemed the one Lucella had taken was damaged.
"Damn it!"
Claude spat out a harsh curse. His fierce gaze immediately turned toward Ahin.
"What did you do to Lucella!"
"I sent her far enough that Wyvern's reach couldn't touch her."
"Who gave you permission!"
Claude finally lost his patience and grabbed Ahin by the collar.
"I am the commander of the Subjugation Unit! How dare a member defy the commander's orders and make unilateral decisions!"
"Then should we just leave her? She'd become Wyvern's meal."
"I ordered her to return to the Military Camp!"
"If she did that, not only Lucella but all of us would die meaningless deaths!"
"Sigh...."
I knew Ahin was right. As commander, I should have made a choice that benefited the majority.
But when it came to Lucella, rational judgment eluded me. I wanted to prioritize her above everything else.
"This isn't the time for us to argue among ourselves."
The one who stepped between the two hostile figures was Melissa.
"First, we need to return to the Military Camp and report about Wyvern's existence. Once the situation is clarified, we can go search for Lucella."
"...Understood."
Claude answered, enduring the mounting anxiety within him.
"Ahin, which direction did you send Lucella?"
"Westward from here."
"You don't know the exact location?"
"You know as well as I do. Freely manipulating mana in this place isn't something ordinary."
The Monster Forest was a land saturated with mana. If I poured out too much mana for precise control, the spell could be severed just like last time.
"Besides, the distance was quite far, so I couldn't even see Lucella's form. The best I could do was make an educated guess and send her flying to a place as far from Wyvern as possible. At a speed faster than Wyvern's flight."
"Then we'll have to search everywhere we can guess at."
Melissa let out a heavy sigh.
Claude quickly passed the two of them and headed straight for the Military Camp.
"Commander, what's happened so suddenly?"
The knights asked with startled expressions as Claude suddenly began arming himself.
"Wyvern has been spotted at the eastern edge of the forest."
"Wyvern, you say?"
The knights murmured among themselves.
"We haven't seen a single flying monster until now...."
"We probably never found it because we had no reason to venture to the forest's edge."
"It would be best if we launched a surprise attack before it discovers us."
After exchanging words back and forth, the knights quickly began arming themselves and followed Claude.
"Leave only minimal personnel at the Military Camp. The 1st Squad goes east with the vice-commander. The 2nd Squad follows me to the western forest."
"The western forest, sir?"
Doubt crossed the faces of the unit members at Claude's order.
"Didn't you say Wyvern was spotted at the eastern forest?"
"...."
Claude bit down hard on his lower lip. The words he was about to speak were far too terrible to utter.
"Miss Rilprey is...."
Just as he was about to part his lips to explain Lucella's situation, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from nearby.
"Are you all heading out to fight again?"
"...Lucian."
"Then I guess this youngest one needs to step up and purify things again!"
Lucian's eyes, with fists clenched tightly, swept across the knights who had taken up their weapons.
"Huh?"
After wiping his dirt-covered hands on his pants leg in preparation, Lucian tilted his head, sensing something amiss.
"But where did our aunt go?"
"...."
"I definitely saw her leaving with the commander earlier."
The child's eyes, clear as crystal, turned toward Claude.
"Sigh...."
At this, Claude opened his mouth, overwhelmed by tremendous guilt.
"Your aunt... went missing while fleeing from Wyvern."
* * *
"Ugh, that hurts."
I rubbed my throbbing backside and pushed myself upright.
It seemed I'd collided with something during the landing—my legs and rear end ached, and there wasn't a single part of me that didn't hurt.
'At least I don't sense any magical energy.'
A small mercy in an otherwise unfortunate situation.
'Wyvern must have gone somewhere else, right?'
Since I'd been thrown in the opposite direction from where Wyvern was, it seemed unlikely I'd landed anywhere near the Military Camp.
"I managed to escape safely, so now I need to get back to the Military Camp...."
I'd only taken a few steps before I stopped in the middle of the forest, lost in thought.
"Which way should I go?"
The Military Camp was positioned slightly toward the center from the Southern Forest. So if I headed south, that should do it....
"But which direction is south?"
Unfortunately, all I had on me was a telescope around my neck and a communication artifact.
"Ahin, Melissa! Can you hear me?"
I called out desperately into the artifact, but no response came. It must have broken when I fell.
"What do I do? Should I just wait for them to come get me?"
Considering that my path might cross with theirs, staying put seemed like the better option.
But the problem was that they didn't know my location.
All they'd know was that I'd flown westward into the forest.
"Hmm...."
After deliberating, I made a decision.
"Let me start moving."
The Monster Forest was a place where sunlight barely penetrated. If the sun set and the temperature dropped, I wouldn't be able to endure it.
And if I happened to encounter a monster....
"Ugh...."
I shuddered.
Don't think negative thoughts. Just move without overthinking.
Having made up my mind, I headed toward where tree stumps were visible.
I'd read about this in a book once. You could determine direction by looking at the growth rings carved into a tree stump.
'Narrow rings mean north, wide rings mean south, right?'
Searching my memory, I headed toward the side where the rings were wider.
Since the entire Southern Forest had been purified, I figured I wouldn't be in danger even if I couldn't find the Military Camp.
'This isn't as difficult as I thought.'
Relief washed over me at the thought that if I just walked south by the rings, I might make it back to the Military Camp before sunset.
Then suddenly, every hair on my body stood on end, and an unsettling aura swept past me. Magical energy.
Fortunately, the magical energy was originating from a location quite far from where I stood.
The distance was considerable enough that I wouldn't be attacked by a monster, but the problem was that the magical energy was wafting from the south.
If I continued south to return to the Military Camp, I'd end up face-to-face with a monster.
'What do I do?'
I stopped in my tracks, my mind churning with worry.
I had fallen in the Western Forest, so if I walked eastward, I might be able to return to the Military Camp.
However, unlike the Southern Forest where the subjugation had been cleanly completed, the Eastern Forest was still in the midst of ongoing operations.
Moreover, the Wyvern I had seen earlier was also in the east.
'It seems I have no choice but to wait until they come looking for me.'
I exhaled a long, heavy sigh.
My ankle throbbed after walking just a little. My shoe felt as though it were squeezing my foot uncomfortably.
With that, I settled onto a nearby rock.
As I removed my boots, which were laced tightly, my swollen ankle came into view. It appeared I had twisted it during the fall through the air.
"I didn't even realize I was injured."
I must have been far too flustered.
I touched my swollen ankle and glanced around the surroundings.
I wished there were a Spring nearby. All I could see were dense trees and rocks.
"Please come quickly...."
I tilted my head back and gazed up at the sky.
Still, if I had wind magic, I could fly through the sky. Surely they could find me without difficulty?
I forced myself to maintain hope and slipped my feet back into my boots.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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