Chapter 36
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 36
Together, we quickly filled the sack with oil-soaked cloth bundles. Echinacea lit the candle inside the lantern, then wrapped it carefully with the folds of her generous sleeves and skirt to prevent any light from escaping. Our eyes met.
"Shall we go?"
"Let's."
Baraha Islaf pulled one cloth bundle from the sack and held it to the candle flame inside the lantern Echinacea was carrying. The oil-soaked cloth ignited instantly.
Baraha hurled it forcefully outside the tent. A low growl echoed as two demonic creatures in front of the tent chased after the burning cloth bundle as it flew through the air. We slipped out of the tent in that moment.
We moved between tents, and whenever demonic creatures prowled near, we lit cloth bundles and threw them. We didn't exchange a single word, yet our movements were perfectly synchronized through mere glances.
The center of the camp was an open clearing. A crimson liquid pooled thickly within it. More than ten demonic creatures wandered inside. Surrounding this area were the tents of the Commander, Vice-Commander, and their squires.
Echinacea's tent lay burned and collapsed. Ian Peletro's body had either turned to ash within it or become a meal for the demonic creatures she'd drawn with the flames. She stared at that spot for a moment, then quickly turned her gaze away.
Baraha quickly ducked into the Vice-Commander's tent, the nearest shelter from where we stood. Echinacea followed. We set down the lantern and sack, catching our breath.
"There are too many demonic creatures in the clearing."
Baraha muttered as if troubled. Echinacea peered out through the cloth. As she observed carefully, Baraha approached from behind and rested his head above hers, looking outside. Echinacea spoke softly.
"Senior, look there."
"Hmm?"
"Above that three-horned creature's head, in the empty space... Do you see it?"
"...Is that it? The starting point?"
A strange mark hung in the empty air—a long, narrow crease like folded paper being unfolded. The crease began above the clearing and stretched far into the crimson-tinted sky. Its edges shimmered like heat haze. It was an eerie sight.
"Aside from reaching that point, is it even safe to touch? The book's contents were just speculation, after all..."
Echinacea asked as if speaking to herself. Above her head, Baraha released a sigh that sounded almost like a groan. Then his large hand came to rest gently on top of her head.
"Staying still won't get us out of this either. We have to try something."
"That's... true."
"Let me see."
Baraha looked around the tent interior and drew his sword. He muttered with a playful expression.
"My apologies, Lord. I'll need to break some things."
"Senior?"
He smashed the camp bed with his sword. Then he carefully stacked the splintered wood onto the bedsheet. Echinacea understood his intention—to create a larger fire using wood, since cloth bundles alone wouldn't keep so many creatures at bay for long.
She helped him gather combustible items and pile them onto the bedsheet. The Vice-Commander's tent soon looked as though it had been ransacked. Baraha bundled the bedsheet full of kindling and hoisted it onto his shoulder. Before he could even speak, Echinacea had already grabbed the oil bottle. Seeing this, he smiled warmly.
"I'm sorry to say this, but... I find myself grateful to the heavens that you're here with me."
"Am I trustworthy?"
Echinacea replied with a smile. Baraha chuckled softly and nodded.
"Of course. But there's something even more important than that."
"What is it?"
"Without you, I might have lost my mind."
"...What?"
I didn't quite understand his meaning at first. Baraha passed by me and added casually.
"If I'd been left alone here. Let's go—we need to set fire to this nearby. Somewhere away from the clearing, yes, Dietrich's tent would be perfect. I've been wanting to burn that man's tent anyway."
Echinacea fell silent for a moment, then followed him. Rather than heading toward the clearing's entrance, we lifted the cloth at the back and slipped out, moving toward our target tent while avoiding the demonic creatures. All the while, I turned his words over in my mind.
'I have the power to fight back and have even experienced the grotesque horrors within the Nodule... but Baraha has no way to survive through combat, and he was dragged into the Nodule without warning.'
I glanced down at my feet. The crimson liquid pooling thickly below looked unmistakably like blood. The intact camp was now submerged in gore, and massive demonic creatures I'd never seen before roamed freely. The sky burned red, and the shadows of soldiers tearing at each other and being devoured looked like madness itself.
If he'd been left alone in such a place with no way to escape and no strength to fight, forced to await death in despair, he truly might have gone mad. So to Baraha, my very presence and the small hope I offered must have been an immense comfort.
And in this situation, seeing how he hid his anxiety and asked her to trust him, to believe he would protect her—I understood just how strong his heart truly was.
'A person who becomes stronger when there is something to protect than when alone.'
In a different sense than Alice, he was someone suited to be a knight. She watched his broad back as he moved ahead. In the erased past, he had died before becoming a knight. This time, she wanted to see him live and become a knight. Like Alice.
'I did well to save him.'
Echinacea Loaz smiled without realizing it.
Dietrich's tent was positioned where it could be seen clearly from the clearing. On the way there, they spotted demons a couple of times, but they skillfully avoided them using the remaining cloth scraps.
Baraha Islaf threw the firewood he'd carried into Dietrich's tent. Echinacea Loaz poured oil over it. She found every oil bottle in Dietrich's tent and doused everything. Then they slipped out of the tent, hid elsewhere, and hurled a lantern toward the structure.
With a boom, flames erupted violently. The demons nearby visibly flinched. They began creeping toward the tent, now blazing like a massive bonfire.
Echinacea Loaz and Baraha Islaf didn't miss their chance. They ran in silence. With each rough stride, crimson liquid splashed beneath their feet, drenching their bodies, but there was no time to hesitate.
They reached the clearing. It was empty. They had successfully lured the demons away. But time was running short. Demons were drawn to fire because humans were likely nearby, and once they confirmed no humans were present, they would lose interest quickly.
The starting point was high in the air. Baraha Islaf quickly seized the flagpole standing at one edge of the clearing. A flag embroidered with a hawk spreading four wings hung from its end. He extended the flag-bearing end toward Echinacea Loaz.
"Climb on! I'll lift you up!"
He was going to lift a flagpole with a person hanging from it without even using mana? Echinacea Loaz turned to him in confusion, but the moment she saw his forearms, she understood.
Instead of answering, she immediately climbed onto the flagpole. Baraha Islaf took a deep breath and lifted the pole straight up. The flag unfurled, and the Changcheon emblem fluttered. His muscles bulged as if they might burst. From her elevated vantage point, Echinacea Loaz could see the camp's layout clearly. The demons were still rummaging through the burning tent.
"Be careful! Don't touch it with your hand—try touching it with your sword first!"
Below, Baraha Islaf shouted and adjusted the pole. The starting point of the Nodule drew closer. Echinacea Loaz gripped the pole with one hand, stretched her upper body, and drew her sword. The scabbard fell with a splash below. She thrust the blade's tip into the empty space that looked like a fold.
The moment she thrust, a premonition of something going wrong struck her.
Kyaaaaaaaa!
Grrrrgh, grrrrgh!
Demons shrieked in unison from all directions. Every demon turned its gaze toward the starting point. Hundreds of eyes—bloodshot, hollow, twisted, or bulging—stared at her simultaneously. Even for someone as composed as Echinacea Loaz, it was a sight that sent chills down her spine.
Below, Baraha Islaf realized something had gone wrong. He immediately lowered the pole. After dropping it partway, he spread his arms toward Echinacea Loaz.
"Echinacea!"
Understanding the signal, she leaped toward him. Baraha Islaf caught her. Her dress skirts billowed dramatically before settling. Echinacea Loaz gripped his shoulder and spoke anxiously.
"Senior, this doesn't seem right."
"Let's run first."
Baraha Islaf cut her off and began running while holding her. Heavy footsteps thundered from all directions—boom, boom, boom. The liquid on the ground rippled with each vibration. The earth shook. Over his shoulder, Echinacea Loaz saw the massive demons surging toward them. At least hundreds. Every one of their eyes was fixed on him and her.
"Put me down!"
"You're slower than me. It's fine, we can hide somehow, and then—"
Baraha Islaf answered breathlessly. Echinacea Loaz alternated her gaze between his arms holding her firmly and the demons charging forward, shaking the earth and trampling the tents. Crimson liquid surged like waves before the demons' advance. Though Baraha Islaf's speed was remarkable for a non-Master human, the demons' single stride covered more distance than his five. It was only a matter of time before they were trampled.
Echinacea Loaz closed her violet eyes tightly, then opened them. Her gaze had deepened.
'I'm sorry, Senior Baraha Islaf.'
After apologizing silently, she brought the edge of her hand down on the back of his neck with enough force to knock him unconscious instantly.
"Ugh..."
With a short groan, Baraha Islaf's body went limp. The moment his grip loosened, Echinacea Loaz leaped down and caught his falling form. Despite bracing herself, her arms nearly buckled under the impact. She couldn't help but grumble.
"Ugh, damn, he's heavy..."
[Well, he's huge. All muscle, so he'd be heavier. But Master, what are you planning?]
"What else?"
Echinacea Loaz hoisted the unconscious Baraha Islaf onto her back. The height difference was so great that his feet dragged along the ground. There was nothing she could do about that.
She began running. Mana erupted explosively around her. Despite carrying a man far larger and heavier than herself, she moved at a speed far exceeding what should have been possible. The distance between her and the demons widened. She would have preferred to escape cleanly like this, but she knew all too well that was impossible.
Echinacea Loaz, having left the camp behind, suddenly stopped.
[Is this the edge of the Nodule?]
"Yes, it's a wall."
The Nodule was a sealed space. It naturally had boundaries. Echinacea pressed the tip of her shoe against the empty air, testing it. The invisible barrier held firm, unyielding.
"This works. We won't need to watch our backs from here."
She settled Baraha Islaf against that invisible wall, then turned to face the direction from which the demons were converging. Gauging the distance with her eyes, I tucked the cheap longsword I'd been holding into the folds of my dress.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org