Chapter 60
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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 60
While she was flustered, the true Shay approached Echinacea Loaz cautiously, pointing to the left hand hidden beneath the girl's skirt.
"Um, sister, that hand... it's hurt, isn't it? I can heal it."
"Oh, this? It's fine. It's not a serious injury."
"Still... does it bother you if I heal it?"
"No, absolutely not."
Echinacea Loaz sighed softly. Then she gestured toward Shay's shoulders. The slender shoulders were visibly trembling. As if exhausted.
"That power isn't something you can use indefinitely. You're already tired now. No matter what, there's always a price to pay, isn't there?"
"Um... it just feels like I've been running for a long time."
"See? Shay, conserve your strength. I'll ask you to heal me later."
It wasn't her right hand but her left, and it wasn't an urgent wound either. There was no need to exhaust the already tired Shay further. Once Shay recovered some stamina, it wouldn't be too late to ask then. I shook my head firmly and retrieved the Amethyst I'd thrown earlier, sliding it back into its sheath. Shay gazed at my left hand with lingering reluctance in her eyes, but she couldn't bring herself to insist further.
As I secured the sword, I glanced toward the unconscious Old Man. Thinking he was one of the villagers who had accused Shay of being a witch, I felt no inclination to care for him. I wanted nothing more than to abandon him here in the Nodule and let him die, but if I actually left him behind, that kind-hearted child would cry. Seeing the mud giant wandering around, it was clear he'd die if I simply left him here.
I sighed and approached the Old Man. Since I wasn't in the mood to treat him kindly, I kicked him without mercy.
"Hic."
Shay was startled by the force and hiccupped. I paid no attention and stomped on him several more times with my boot heel until he awoke. Before long, the Old Man stirred and opened his eyes. I confirmed he was awake and lowered my foot.
"Get up and walk."
"Ugh...? What, what is this!"
"If you want to live, walk and follow us. And be grateful to Shay."
The Old Man, unable to comprehend the situation, floundered about. I left him with those words and took Shay's hand.
"Let's go, Shay. First, we need to find that Shelter."
"Y-yes!"
Shay glanced back at the Old Man as I led her forward. After a few steps, I turned to look behind us.
"Aren't you following? You might die if you don't come along."
The Old Man, who had been dazed by the bizarre surroundings, jolted to his feet as if struck by a whip at those words. Confirming he was moving, albeit awkwardly, I continued walking. This time, I left marks on wooden pillars each time we reached a fork in the maze.
'If it were Yurien de Harden Kirie, there'd be no danger for him in here.'
Separate from my concern for him, I knew his abilities. In fact, aside from myself, there was hardly anyone who could threaten him. It wasn't for nothing that he was the commander of the Changtian Knights and the owner of Giosa. A mud giant or a fire maze wouldn't be enough to injure or kill him.
'Then, it would be better to destroy the Nodule without meeting him.'
Before Shay, who knew nothing of swordsmanship, and the villagers, I could reveal my abilities moderately while hiding my status as a Master. Just like now, infusing a bit of mana into my sword each time we reached a fork to leave marks on the pillars. But if I reunited with Yurien de Harden Kirie, I couldn't do that.
'Find the Starting Point. Then ask Shay to use Elgiosa to destroy the Nodule, and Yurien will be able to return safely.'
My resolve hardened. I quickened my pace. And before long, I discovered a problem. Shay's stamina.
"I'm... I'm fine..."
Shay shook her head while breathing heavily. Her face was flushed, her entire body drenched in sweat. Her eyes had lost their focus. The Old Man following behind was also panting with his tongue out. It was impossible for someone with the stamina of an old man and a child to continue wandering the maze. The heat from the flame leaves and fires scattered throughout made them tire more easily.
[Ugh, this is all so bothersome. Can't we just kill them and leave?]
The Demonic Sword grumbled. I ignored it and surveyed the surroundings. It seemed better to search for the Starting Point alone, leaving Shay behind. Was there anywhere safe enough to leave them, even temporarily? I needed a safe place even if the mud giant appeared. But the maze offered no such location.
If there's nowhere to be found, I'd have to create one.
"Step back for a moment."
I moved away from Shay and the Old Man and secretly used my sword energy to fell a tree. When I'd been searching for Shay and cutting down trees earlier, I'd noticed something. I lightly pressed my already burned left hand against the cross-section of the felled tree.
"As I thought, the heat disappears once you cut it."
I rolled my feet on the ground several times, then suddenly leaped into the air. Behind me, the Old Man gasped in terror at the sudden movement.
Reaching a height the mud giant's outstretched arms couldn't touch, I swung the Amethyst horizontally in a wide arc. Simultaneously, two trees fell, creating a space where one could sit. Thanks to the extremely compressed mana, the faint light characteristic of sword energy was barely visible.
Echinacea Loaz landed gracefully. The hem of her dress billowed before settling. She ignored the Old Man's gaping mouth and turned to address Shay, whose eyes had glazed over.
"I'll place you up there, so wait for me. Don't touch the trees on either side under any circumstances. They're extremely hot."
"Y-yes...."
She lifted Shay onto the severed log, then grabbed the Old Man by the scruff of his neck and tossed him up beside her. As she set him down, Echinacea Loaz issued a warning.
"You wouldn't be foolish enough to lay a hand on Shay while I'm gone, would you? I'm choosing to believe you're not that stupid."
The Old Man, having witnessed her leap and the way she'd cleaved through that iron-like tree trunk, turned a sickly pale and nodded vigorously. What she'd demonstrated seemed impossible without mana, but he could dismiss it easily enough. With only an ignorant old man and a child as witnesses, he could always claim they were exaggerating.
"I'll be back."
Echinacea Loaz smiled reassuringly at the worried Shay and began sprinting into the maze. Without anyone to protect, her speed became extraordinary. Thanks to the marks she'd left on the pillars, the area she had to search grew progressively smaller. She encountered clay giants several times along the way but passed them without engaging.
'Once the Nodule collapses, I'll return unscathed anyway.'
Knowing these were villagers who'd tried to kill Shay, she felt no compulsion to help them. They should be grateful she wasn't killing them. She laughed coldly as she outpaced the giants.
Time lost all meaning within the Nodule, but judging by her hunger, she'd been wandering for well over half a day. After an exhaustingly long search, Echinacea Loaz finally discovered the Shelter. Around it, burning oil had pooled in a perfect circle—clearly an intentional boundary. Inside, two villagers lay sprawled about, bearing various wounds.
'Those people... could it be.'
Echinacea Loaz leaped over the wall of flames and entered. All of them were unconscious. The wounds, treated just enough to keep them alive, bore the unmistakable marks of blade cuts.
'It's Yurien.'
When Yurien de Harden Kirie encountered the clay giants, he must have gone through a similar process and discovered people trapped inside them. That's why he'd gathered them here. The moment that realization struck her, she felt a familiar presence.
Echinacea Loaz turned toward the source of the presence. Yurien de Harden Kirie was approaching, carrying an unconscious Young Man on his shoulders. Upon spotting her, he froze mid-step. His breathing hitched, his expression wavered. Then his pace quickened as if he were running.
Echinacea Loaz didn't flee—she waited for him. Yurien de Harden Kirie crossed the flames and hastily set down the Young Man before approaching her. She gave him a quick once-over. As expected, he bore no injuries. She'd anticipated as much, yet an unconscious worry had gripped her, and now relief flooded through her.
But when Yurien de Harden Kirie examined her, his face twisted. His gaze fixed on her left hand, hastily wrapped in cloth.
Echinacea Loaz felt a pang of regret. She should have asked Shay to treat it, even if it meant pushing herself. By her standards, it was truly a minor wound, so she'd left it to be healed later once they were safe. She hadn't considered that he would worry. He was her Lord, after all—his concern was only natural.
More precisely, it had been far too long since she'd fought while considering that someone might worry about her. Her priority had always been resolving the situation or obtaining Giosa, never her own condition.
As long as she didn't die, that was enough. She had confidence in her abilities, but the years when no one remained to worry about her had stretched on too long.
She tried to pull her hand back, but he caught it. His eyes trembled as he saw the seepage soaking through the cloth. Startled, she yanked her hand away again, hiding it within her skirts as she laughed.
"It's nothing, my Lord."
"...Why do you always—"
His voice rose. Echinacea Loaz's eyes widened in surprise, and Yurien de Harden Kirie swallowed the words tumbling out, as if suppressing something surging within him. He swept back his disheveled hair with one hand. After steadying his breathing, he asked in a voice grown quieter.
"Why did you enter the Nodule?"
"Pardon?"
"Why did you enter the Nodule? You had plenty of time to escape."
His tone was clipped. His expression toward her was equally rigid. He was angry. Echinacea Loaz had never seen him angry before. Even when she'd met him before that mountain of corpses, he hadn't been angry. She fumbled for an excuse.
"I apologize. I intended to escape, but somehow...."
It was a lie. She'd entered deliberately because she was worried about him and Shay. Of course, she couldn't tell him the truth. How could a mere cadet squire deliberately enter the Nodule out of concern for her Lord and Master? It was madness.
Yurien de Harden Kirie gazed down at her with those pale blue eyes. Then he closed them tightly before opening them again. As if that had quelled the roiling emotions within him, his expression became somewhat calmer. She glanced at him cautiously before speaking quickly.
"My Lord, I found the owner of Elgiosa. I've left her in a safe place for now. I have a theory about how to escape the Nodule...."
Yurien de Harden Kirie said nothing. Echinacea Loaz swallowed once and continued, offering the excuse she'd prepared beforehand.
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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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