Chapter 84
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------
Chapter 84
Upon discovering the Hydra, I stumbled backward, my feet faltering beneath me.
'I tried so hard to avoid this...'
As I tumbled down the slope, the mana radiating from the creature pressed against me with suffocating intensity. Yet there was no way to stop my body from rolling helplessly across the ground, my center of gravity lost.
'I have to run.'
But my body, already battered and broken, refused to obey my will as fear gripped me entirely.
Cold sweat drenched my skin. Goosebumps erupted across the nape of my neck, and my heart hammered wildly against my ribs.
Sssssss—
The Hydra, its six tongues flicking in anticipation, drew closer to me.
As if already aware that its prey was cornered, the creature advanced with leisurely confidence.
The thought that I might be devoured here and now sent tears streaming down my face.
'Sister.'
I longed to see my Sister, who had departed from this world long ago.
Whenever I woke crying from nightmares, she would hold my hand and tell me there was nothing to fear.
The Hydra, now within striking distance, opened its maw wide. Fangs dripping with venom gleamed in the light.
'This is where it ends for me.'
Sensing death's approach, I squeezed my eyes shut.
'I'm sorry, Sister.'
I would not be able to keep my promise to look after Lucian.
"Lucella!"
A voice calling my name echoed from the distance.
My eyes snapped open. The Hydra's six heads turned in unison toward the source of the sound.
It was Claude.
"Haaah!"
Sword raised high, Claude plunged without hesitation into the Swamp. In one fluid motion, he severed one of the Hydra's heads cleanly from its body.
Shrieeeek!
The Hydra recoiled, its body thrashing backward from the severed neck.
Claude seized the opportunity and rushed toward me.
"Are you unharmed?"
I could not answer his question.
I could not tell if this was reality or if I had already died and was witnessing the afterlife.
Claude, seeing me frozen in shock, dragged me out of the Swamp.
Shrieeeek!The Hydra's thrashing subsided briefly, but the wound from the blade sealed with horrifying speed. From the severed stump, two new heads erupted forth.
Only then did I finally regain my senses.
"You mustn't sever its heads. It only multiplies them."
"I am aware."
I merely swung my blade to catch it off guard.
Claude wiped the blood spattered across his face, then immediately activated his communication artifact.
"Melissa, Ahin. I have located Miss Rilprey."
-Is that so? Then where is the location?
"Southwest from where we split up. We're currently engaged with the Hydra, so I can't explain in detail."
-The Hydra?
Claude cut off the communication device after saying only that much.
I watched the Hydra approaching us once more and spoke.
"It would be helpful if we had fire."
Like the mythical hero who defeated the Hydra, if I could cauterize the severed portions to prevent the heads from regrowing, it would work.
But it was utterly unlikely that we had anything like matches on us now.
And even if we did, they would surely be too wet from the swamp to be of any use.
"Please step back. I will do whatever I can."
Claude repositioned his sword and hid me behind his back.
But our opponent was the Hydra—a creature that did not die easily. It would not be simple for Claude alone to face it, let alone multiple of them.
Screech!
Claude swung his blade at the charging Hydra. It seemed his plan was to avoid the heads and attack the torso.
But attacking the torso was not an easy task.
The seven heads that had now multiplied gave him not a single opening.
Clang! Clang!
The sound of the blade meeting the Hydra's fangs continued relentlessly.
"Haah, haah."
Claude exhaled roughly, then sheathed his sword and struck the Hydra's head with the scabbard. It seemed he intended to kill it through impact rather than by cutting.
The struggle continued. My heart burned with the desire to help him, but my body would not move due to the wounds I had sustained from rolling on the ground.
All I could do was pray that Claude would not be injured.
'Sister....'
I hoped this person fighting for my sake would not be hurt.
I wished she could return home safely.
I repeated these prayers over and over in my heart.
"Aunt!"
At the loud voice from above, I lifted my head. Then a bright face that bore a striking resemblance to Sister came into view.
"Lucian?"
Lucian was floating and hovering in the sky above.
"I finally found you!"
Lucian's voice was thick with emotion.
"You...!"
And you're afraid of heights too!
My small fists, already clenched tight, trembled uncontrollably. My face had turned pale as well.
Screech!
That was when the Hydra targeting Claude changed its objective.
It seemed the creature thought I would be easier prey than Claude, so it began crawling toward me.
"Miss Rilprey, dodge!"
The Hydra lunging at me was fast.
"Aunt, no!"
In that instant, Lucian let out a piercing shriek. Simultaneously, a dazzling light erupted from the child's body.
The radiance enveloping Lucian's form spread outward in all directions. It was the power of purification.
The Hydra, which had boasted such ferocious fangs, crumbled into a handful of ash and vanished.
Yet the Hydra was not alone in being purified.
The Wyvern, which had been lashing its tail in the distance, could not withstand Lucian's power and began to purify as well.
The Swamp that had drenched my body and the miasma that had saturated the earth were both cleansed completely.
"This can't be real...."
I gazed upward, rendered speechless.
A brilliance unlike anything I had ever witnessed poured forth from Lucian's body.
Though others might not perceive it, I—one who could sense miasma—understood it with absolute clarity.
The concentration of Lucian's purification had changed.
Not only had it grown far more potent than before, but the reach of his power had expanded to a scope that defied estimation.
"An awakening... is that what this is?"
I stared at the radiant Lucian, suspended weightlessly in the air.
Against the darkening evening sky, the child's silhouette resembled a sun rising in the night.
"Aunt, are you all right?"
"Yes. Thanks to you, Lucian, I'm safe."
"Thank goodness...."
Lucian murmured softly, then closed his eyes. The child's small body went limp and still.
"Lucian! What's wrong! Lucian!"
I called out desperately, my voice breaking. But Lucian did not open his eyes.
"What's happened!"
Just then, Ahin and Melissa came rushing toward us.
"Please set Lucian down on the ground! Quickly!"
At Melissa's plea—almost a prayer—she hastily withdrew her magical power. In an instant, the small, soft body settled into my embrace.
'He's warm.'
With trembling hands, I brought them beneath Lucian's nose.
"Shnore."
Lucian began to snore.
"He appears to be sleeping..., doesn't he?"
Melissa spoke carefully, gauging my reaction.
"Haa...."
My legs gave out, and I collapsed to the ground.
It seemed his stamina had been depleted from the explosive use of his power. Children do fall asleep quickly when exhausted, after all.
Floating in the air, then awakening. A little one who startled me dozens of times in a single day.
'Still, I'm grateful.'
I pressed my cheek against the sleeping Lucian's. Black mud smeared across his pale cheek.
"Oh."
Right. I'm absolutely filthy right now.
I handed the sleeping Lucian to Ahin.
"I'm sorry, but would you mind holding Lucian for me instead? As you can see, I'm rather filthy."
Ahin nodded and cradled Lucian in his arms.
"Mmm... Aunt..."
With his face buried in Ahin's shoulder, Lucian had even begun to talk in his sleep.
"What happened?"
I asked Melissa to explain everything from the beginning.
"The moment Lucian heard that a Hydra had appeared, he threw a fit. He kept begging me to send him to his aunt."
"But Lucian has a fear of heights."
"He said losing his aunt was far more terrifying than heights. So I had no choice but to take the risk and send him flying."
She explained that a Wyvern's magical output is formidable. Being noticed by the Wyvern was dangerous, but the collision of magical forces might have dispelled the spell.
"He kept insisting it wouldn't work, but Lucian cried so pitifully. He said he couldn't live without his aunt."
"I see..."
I gazed at Lucian's angelic sleeping face and nodded.
"I owe my life to Lucian."
That tiny little thing had braved his fear and danger to save me. The gratitude and guilt overwhelmed me, and tears spilled from my eyes.
"Let's save the rest of the conversation for when we return to the Military Camp. The night air is cold."
"Yes."
I tried to push myself up.
But unfortunately, my legs refused to obey.
Between spraining my ankle and rolling across the ground, it was only natural that I couldn't stand easily.
---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------