Chapter 67

With a powerful push against the surrounding air, Carlos soared toward Dianta at a fierce speed.

His eyes, sharp like a hawk’s, scanned the ground as he flapped his outstretched wings menacingly.

As someone who owned the glory of the sky, the wind that brushed past him was friendly, gliding smoothly through his feathers and wrapping around his body, providing him with propulsion.

Like an arrow shot forth, his momentum caused the birds in flight to disappear, allowing him to monopolize the vast blue sky.

Two mountains could lead to Dianta, which is inland and surrounded by plains.

One was Mount Aeron, known for its complex terrain, and the other was Mount Kashiban, filled with ferocious beasts, making it uninhabitable for anyone.

Among these, Aneta was located on Mount Aeron.

Recalling Vernon’s information about an old noble’s villa somewhere in the mountains, Carlos bypassed Mount Kashiban nearby.

He carefully surveyed the skies above it, but all he could see were bare trees.

Arriving at Mount Aeron, Carlos scanned the forest with his eyes. His head, with its original black hue, moved from side to side.

Fallen leaves obscured the winding mountain path, only revealing its rough shape from a bird’s-eye view.

‘It’s impossible to find any tracks.’

There were too many obstacles to trace any signs. As he realized this, something finally caught Carlos’s eye.

On the steep mid-slope of the mountain, two carriages were blocking a narrow path. Carlos didn’t need to lower his altitude to inspect the carriages’ forms.

One was a freight carriage, and the other was a personal carriage.

A noble family undoubtedly owned the latter. Its size, exceeding the standard regulations, was proof that it belonged to more than just a wealthy individual.

In the Empire, only those of high social status were allowed to own private carriages, and even the size was restricted for those who were not nobles. As soon as he recalled this fact, Carlos soared higher.He had found conclusive evidence that Aneta was here.

Flapping his wings, Carlos quickly ascended to the mountain peak. He intended to perch on the highest summit.

However, a sudden gust of wind made Carlos abruptly change his course. He sensed the scent of blood carried by the wind.

Eagles are known to have an excellent sense of smell and are capable of detecting blood from kilometers away.

This animalistic trait, absent in humans, applied to Carlos in his transformed state with the power of the sky.

Using his heightened sense of smell, Carlos followed the trail of the blood scent.

As expected. It wasn’t long before the mansion, cleverly hidden below a cliff, came into view.

Carlos discovered not only the mansion but also the source of the blood scent.

Reflected in his widened pupils was familiar golden hair fluttering within his sight.

‘Aneta!’

The owner of the blood scent guiding him was none other than Aneta. A piece of cloth torn from her dress was wrapped around her injured hand, stained red.

For reasons unknown, it seemed she was attempting to escape on her own.

Aneta moved cautiously, wary of her surroundings, paying careful attention to every movement.

Suppressing the urge to fly to Aneta and embrace her, Carlos assessed the positions of the mercenaries.

The entrance, covered in dark green moss, was guarded by two people paired together. One guard stood at the forcibly broken main entrance, another near the ancient tree to the west, and yet another in the overgrown rear garden filled with dried plants.

Although Carlos wanted to slaughter them all immediately, he had other priorities.

Carlos turned his gaze toward Aneta. Thankfully, she was keeping her distance from them.

‘If I approach Aneta now, it shouldn’t cause any major issues.’

Having made his decision, Carlos quickly descended while concealing his presence. The twisted ancient trees helped hide him from view.

In an instant, Carlos was right next to Aneta. He stepped out in front of her and finally called her name aloud.

“Aneta.”

As soon as he called her name, her shoulders jerked up, as she looked around anxiously.

Aneta, who almost screamed at the sudden appearance, let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the familiar figure.

“Carlos.”

The moment she called his name, Carlos returned to his original form. He quickly ran to her and wrapped his arms around her, enclosing her fully within his embrace.

Only after holding Aneta close did Carlos finally feel a sense of relief. He felt her warmth, buried his nose in her neck, and inhaled her scent.

But more than anything, the mere presence of her in his arms brought him stability.

During Aneta’s absence, Carlos had been plagued with anxiety and fear that something terrible might have happened to her.

Carlos thought he would rather drink the poison of Minoshi with his own hands than go through such an ordeal again.

Carlos felt more afraid of the danger that might occur to Aneta than of his death.

Aneta seemed to sense his feelings, leaning against him without any resistance.

After a brief moment, Carlos, who had been clinging to Aneta as if she were his lifeline, calmed down enough to step back and assess her condition.

Seeing no significant issues, his gaze naturally shifted to her blood-stained white hand.

“What happened to your hand?”

“I got this wound while resisting during the kidnapping and deliberately reopened it. I thought you might be able to smell the blood from afar. It was kind of a marker.”

Aneta’s words of relief that her attempt had worked made Carlos feel as if he was dying of anxiety as he held her injured hand. His expression was sorrowful as he caressed the cloth wrapped around it.

“There are no other injuries, right?”

“This body is fine, but I’m not sure about the other one.”

“What do you mean by the other body…? Don’t tell me…?”

Carlos suddenly remembered the person he had forgotten. Serce Raphaeli. Thinking of the glory he possessed made Carlos’s facial muscles stiffen.

“Yes, your suspicion is correct. This body is a doppelganger made with Serce’s glory.”

Unfortunately, Aneta’s words confirmed his suspicion.

“You didn’t escape with your real body?”

“Due to the restrictions of the glory, I could only send out a doppelganger. But as a result, I ended up having to drink the poisoned wine. It’s obvious that both glasses contain poison, but if I choose the one without, they said they’d spare Serce and Chris.”

Aneta added that she had spilled the wine in surprise at his sudden appearance, and Erez Bauter had threatened her after witnessing it.

“That poison is Minoshi. Erez Bauter reportedly acquired it from a guild on the outskirts of the capital.””If you know the name of the poison, you must have the antidote too, right?”

“I brought it just in case, but taking it doesn’t mean it won’t cause any harm to the body. So, don’t drink it and wait for me to come back.”

“No. I’m going to drink it.”

Aneta firmly refused. Carlos gripped her shoulders with a look of despair.

“Aneta.”

“Looking at me like that won’t change anything, Carlos. The moment you go further inside, the power of the skies will be sealed. Even if you draw your sword, the situation will only worsen with the hostage here. So it’s better if I drink the poison and make Erez Bauter let his guard down. I’ll find a way to deactivate his power, and when I give you the signal, you come in.”Any change in the doppelganger’s body also affects the original body when the ability is deactivated. If she drinks the antidote with the doppelganger’s body and merges back with her original body, the antidote will take effect over time.

Aneta had calculated this and informed him of her location.

However, no matter how optimal the plan was, Carlos couldn’t agree. Who in the world could stay calm when their loved one steps forward to drink poison?

He vehemently tried to dissuade her, but Aneta didn’t heed his desperate plea.

“I’m sorry, Carlos. I’ve already drunk it.”

“You…!”

Carlos’s face turned as pale as if he had drunk the poison himself. It felt like his heart was being thrown off an endless cliff.

Frantically, he fumbled inside his coat, took out the antidote, opened it, and pressed it into Aneta’s hand.

His hands, uncharacteristically trembling, showed how worried he was about her.

“Drink this and go back. Right now.”

“I’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much.”

Her pallid face contrasted with her dark hair. Seeing her quivering lips, Aneta reached out and caressed Carlos’s cheek.

Then, without warning, Aneta stepped forward, and rose onto her tiptoes, and her soft touch on his lips stunned him.

In the brief moment when Carlos’s face, filled with resentment, went blank, Aneta stepped back as if nothing had happened.

Only then did Carlos come to his senses and bring his hand to his lips. It was a fleeting moment, but he couldn’t believe Aneta had kissed him first.

“What in the world…? ”

While Carlos was at a loss for words, Aneta drank the antidote she received from him. Once the bottle was empty, she handed it back to him and said,

“See you in a bit.”

Before he could say anything else, Aneta disappeared after leaving those words.

As Aneta deactivated her ability, Carlos, left alone, temporarily set aside his surprise at her sudden action and transformed back into a black eagle.

Since he couldn’t yet approach the main building, he decided to take down the mercenary guarding the ancient tree and wait for her signal there.

For Carlos, silently taking down a mercenary was a simple task. The mercenary noticed Carlos landing behind him, but it was too late.

Carlos covered the mercenary’s mouth with his large wings. Breaking his neck at the remembered angle to knock him out came next.

As the wings retracted, the limp body was unceremoniously dropped onto the dirt floor. As dust rose, Carlos cleared it away with a gust of wind and readied himself to respond to Aneta’s call at any moment.