Chapter 76
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Chapter 76
The monsters tightened their encirclement by the second, while the very person I needed to protect treated me like a beast.
In that instant, the irritation I'd been suppressing since tea time erupted.
"Fine then, I'll die here!"
The moment I turned away, the creatures whose presence I'd sensed all around revealed themselves.
"Gasp..."
The Countess's Daughter's face drained of color as she beheld the monsters surrounding us.
The hostility she'd directed at me moments before had vanished entirely.
I was about to ignore her and push past when I stopped after just a few steps.
'If I leave her like this, my nightmares will be unbearable. I'll help her this once.'
The first and last time.
I turned back and roughly seized the terrified Countess's Daughter's arm.
"W-what are you―"
"Stay still. Unless you want to become their snack."
As the distance between us closed, Blackie above swallowed us whole.
Then we swiftly escaped that location.
Yet monsters swarmed the path to the Assembly Point as well.
'Surely there aren't monsters gathered at the Assembly Point too?'
And my ominous premonition proved disturbingly accurate.
"Ahhhhh!"
"Protect the carriages!"
The Assembly Point was already overrun with far more monsters attacking and surrounding people.
The Imperial Hunting Grounds forbade private soldiers, and since all the men had departed for the hunt, only women remained here.
Against the sudden monster assault, they could only retreat helplessly.
Among the few Imperial Palace knights, only one woman stood fighting the monsters.
The Imperial Princess alone.
I evaded the attacking monsters and immediately joined the Imperial Princess's group.
"Imperial Princess!"
"See? I told you, Vivian. The peace of the Empire rests on our shoulders, doesn't it?"
"...You're joking at a time like this?"
Despite my reproach, the Imperial Princess merely smiled and focused on maintaining her protective magic.
Yet exhaustion was plainly written across her face.
I first distributed my mana to Blackie at maximum capacity to eliminate the monsters, then assessed the situation.
The Noblewomen and Countess's Daughters huddled inside and around the carriages, trembling with fear.
Seeing them, I made a suggestion to the Imperial Princess.
"Shouldn't we evacuate them outside the Forest first?"
"Already tried. It failed."
The Imperial Princess gestured with her eyes toward an overturned carriage.
That very carriage was already surrounded by monsters.
In short.
I was completely surrounded.
Only then did I realize that the injured people in the carriage were those who had been hurt during the chaos.
But moving all of them would make it difficult to maintain the protective spell.
Magic wasn't my specialty, so I didn't know all the details, but I'd heard that it required intense concentration and was difficult to use while moving.
Especially for area-based protective magic.
"...Then I just need to hold out until the Emperor notices the situation here and returns―"
As I spoke, I belatedly realized something and fell silent.
This place had already become a monster's den, so there was no way nothing would happen deeper in the Forest.
It was highly likely that area had already been devastated by monsters as well.
And waiting for outside reinforcements was futile—everyone knew the Hunting Festival was taking place here today.
Ordinary chaos wouldn't alert those outside to a problem here.
Especially since this was the Imperial Hunting Grounds.
Who would imagine that monsters could appear in the Imperial Hunting Grounds, which the hunting wardens managed so strictly?
Even I hadn't anticipated it.
That left only two hopes.
Either the Emperor, having escaped the Forest quickly, would send a request for reinforcements, or we would have to go request help ourselves.
Waiting for reinforcements when I didn't know how things were unfolding with the Emperor was a hope without end.
Breaking through this chaos swarming with monsters and escaping the Forest was nearly impossible.
We didn't even have enough troops to protect the Noblewomen and Countess's Daughters, so dividing our forces was out of the question.
But if things continued like this... everyone here could die.
The moment I thought that.
A final method to break through this situation came to mind.
"I just need to hold out until His Majesty escapes the Forest and sends reinforcements. So―"
"I'll go."
I cut off the Imperial Princess's words and spoke.
There was only one person who could break through this chaos alone.
The Imperial Princess's eyes trembled violently, and then she grabbed my wrist.
"No. That's reckless."
Of course I knew.
Kamang would protect me, but that wasn't absolute.
If I was cornered, I could die too.
But....
"It's something only I can do."
Even if I'm afraid, even if I want to run, I can't.
"If things stay like this, we might all die here together. You and me, Your Highness."
"Vivian."
"I want to live, Your Highness."
"...."
"There are still so many people I haven't met. Curtis Rohan, my best friend I parted with long ago, and also...."
In that moment, I remembered the gift box I'd placed in the drawer beside the bed—the one I still hadn't given.
"...I haven't even given you a gift yet."
So there's no way I can die here.
Steeling my fear into resolve, I spoke to the Imperial Princess as calmly as I could manage.
"I'll be back soon, so please hold on just a little longer."
The moment my words ended, another wave of monsters surged forward.
After struggling to hold back the creatures, the Imperial Princess finally opened her lips, which had been pressed shut.
"Don't rush. Make your top priority getting out of the Forest safely without injury. Understood?"
I nodded vigorously and called to Kamang, who was still engaged with the monsters.
"Then Kamang, I'm counting on you."
"Meow."
With me inside, Kamang immediately began weaving through the monsters and cutting a path through the Forest.
I wished I had flight abilities, but unfortunately, only the wind spirit possessed such a gift among all the spirits I commanded.
'Still, at this rate I should be able to escape the Forest quickly―'
But the moment hope kindled within me, wooden vines came hurtling toward me from somewhere.
In that direction loomed an enormous tree-shaped beast.
Judging by its terrifying size, it seemed to be a magical beast of quite high danger rank....
'Now even a magical beast appears.... What on earth is happening?'
Kamang, protecting me, moved swiftly to evade the attack.
Crash! Bang!
But the wooden vines attacked relentlessly, and the missed tendrils destroyed the surrounding trees and rocks so violently that I couldn't gather my wits.
Finally, one vine I couldn't avoid came flying and struck us down.
"Ugh...!"
From that impact, separated from Kamang, I tumbled across the ground.
Before I could even catch my breath, a vine that came flying wrapped around my ankle.
"Ah!"
The magical beast dragging me wrapped my body tightly with its tendrils and opened its enormous maw.
As if to swallow me whole.
"Let go, you monster!"
My struggles and Kamang's attacks proved useless.
Meanwhile, the vines squeezed with crushing force. My breath caught, and my consciousness began to fade.
'Is this how I die...?'
Suddenly, the original story flashed through my mind.
In the original, Vivian was ostracized by the noble ladies, wandered the Forest alone, and nearly died encountering a monster.
It was Allen who saved Vivian then.
But the original story had changed.
In this moment, there was no one who could save me but myself.
'I... don't want to die like this.'
I forced strength back into my weakened hands, clenching my fists with all my might.
And at that same moment, powerful mana surged from my entire body.
Brilliant light flooded my vision.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org