I resolved to snap out of it and focus.

Just as the male lead said, things had gotten considerably tangled.

The ritual performed by the Second Prince not only increased the number of monsters but also enhanced their power.

“Duck!”

Whoosh!

With the sound of the wind, his sword tore through the monster’s mouth.

I clutched my heart and looked up at the sky.

‘The sun has completely disappeared.’

Accustomed to the bright nights of the city, I was not adapted to complete darkness.

The night in this world was very dark.

Unlike the empty night sky of Seoul, thousands of stars began to reveal themselves.

“Your Highness, it’s too dark around us. Shall we light a fire?”

It was too dark to see the male lead’s expression.

“A fire?”

He asked as if wondering what I was talking about, and I rummaged through my bag hastily.

‘It should be here somewhere.’

I felt two small stones inside the bag.

Since there were no lighters in this world, I brought flint and a lamp just in case.

I packed all sorts of camping gear in my luggage, just in case.

Of course, I don’t know how to start a fire with flint. I think I saw it once on YouTube.

“Your Highness, please wait a moment.”

I relied on the dim light of the blade and fiddled with the flint earnestly.

‘Tap, tap!’

Sparks flew a few times onto the wick inside the lamp. The flame was bigger than I expected, which was surprising.

“Your Highness!”

Yes! It worked!

Unable to hide my joy at success, I looked at the male lead with an excited face.

His face, reflected beyond the lamp, seemed to barely conceal his astonishment.

“I wondered what you had brought…”

“I prepared it just in case.”

Regardless, I took the lamp and looked around. The real danger was starting now.

“Monsters are weak to light, so…”

At my words, the male lead chuckled.

Then, straightening his sword, he said,

“For a maid, you’re quite useful.”

I nodded vigorously without the male lead noticing.

Yes, of course. I’m a major in this field!

“I will try to be of even more help to Your Highness.”

“Then you’ll have to work on your damn stamina.”

Teasing me, he then drew the dagger from his waist and threw it powerfully behind him.

Squeak!

A scream different from that of monsters echoed.

“Darn. I can’t even take off my pants.”

Looking at his blood-stained pants, he spoke.

Has this guy gone mad?

“Should we start running?”

* * *

It was to be expected.

Even if the male lead was incredibly powerful, he couldn’t possibly handle monsters attacking in groups of ten at a time.

His sword had lost its shine long ago. It looked like we were really going to die.

“Dodge!”

He pushed me, and I fell to the ground.

“Ughhhhh!”

A dark monster that had taken my place just moments before gnawed on a rock at its feet, mumbling.

‘Crazy. I almost died!’

It was too dark.

The darkness surrounding us seemed to swallow the faint light emitted by the lamp.

The male lead caught his breath roughly and wiped the sweat off with the back of his hand.

I closed my eyes tightly and then opened them. We had to do something.

What should we do?

The male lead was sweating heavily, and his rough breathing was mixed with a metallic sound.

Fighting anymore was really too much.

‘Oh, please, think, think!’

A thought flashed through my mind, but I hesitated.

‘The diary.’

I brought it with me, just in case.

But would the diary be of any help? I hadn’t opened it since feeling uneasy after the confession drug incident.

“Ugh!”

“Your Highness!”

Startled by the sudden scream, I ran to the male lead.

He grimaced in pain, and a very finely crafted arrow was embedded in his shoulder.

I quickly covered the male lead’s mouth and turned off the lamp.

“It’s a person.”

It’s definitely the work of a person.

Who could it be?

The First Prince, the Second Prince? Or if neither of them, the Third prince?”

We had to get out of here. There were too many people who wanted the male lead dead.

It would have been better to deal with a monster with no intelligence.

Rustle.

I heard footsteps. My mind went blank.

Blood was streaming from the male lead’s shoulder, soaking my clothes, and if he didn’t receive proper treatment, he would die from excessive blood loss…

No.

It’s the male lead, so he won’t die. But I can’t be sure.

Will he really not die?

I felt like crying.

“It’s okay, Your Highness. Just hang in there a little longer.”

I gritted my teeth and whispered to the male lead, who was holding back groans, as I struggled to carry the tall man, over 180cm, on my back.

This is driving me crazy. It was hard to even move, but I had no choice.

The moment we were discovered by them, it would be the end.

There was no way I could fight and win against them, who had received professional training.

First, I rummaged through my bag and threw the glass bottle filled with pepper spray as hard as I could in the direction the arrow came from.

“Rooooaaar!”

Led by the clanging sound, creatures darker than darkness itself started flocking toward the direction of the noise.

I gritted my teeth and repeated to myself internally.

‘I’m capable. I’m so capable that I can do anything!’

Strength entered my legs.

I mustered all the strength I had, even from when I was a baby, and moved forward.

I couldn’t see anything, but I still moved forward. I had to stay as far away from the other princes as possible.

“Your Highness, are you okay?”

I rushed forward like mad for about ten minutes.

It was so dark that I couldn’t see anything, but judging by his increasingly faint breathing, his condition didn’t seem good.

I laid the male lead down on a tree stump and felt his lips with my fingers.

His lips were parched.

‘Water, even water…….’

I frowned and looked around. That’s when it happened.

The sound of trickling water seemed to be heard.

Narrowing my eyes, I tried hard to survey the surroundings.

I needed light.

But turning on a lamp could reveal my location.

‘I’m going to lose my mind.’

The male lead closed his eyes and took deep breaths.

“Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will definitely return.”

“Where are you, ah, ugh,”

I shook off his hand that was grabbing the hem of my clothes. And I moved far enough back that I could barely be seen.

It couldn’t be helped. How strange would it look to be reading a book in front of him in this situation?

As I opened the diary, light began to emanate from the cover.

Just like when I first discovered it, a soft golden light spread, illuminating the surroundings.

“Please, anything, help me.”

I prayed desperately in my heart. And I opened the book.

[I met Mr. Mellory.]

As expected,

There was something written.

[Mr. Mellory told me today about the cursed Hamel Mountains.]

I quickly read through the contents written in the diary and thought.

It was quite a lot of text.

Please let it be something useful, please!

[Moricias, who was a god of the Relevon Kingdom, was buried in the ground, and monsters appeared due to the curse, or energy, he emitted.

On the other hand, Mellory said that this is why all sorts of precious herbs, which feed on the land’s energy and mutate, also grow in the Hamel Mountains.]

Herbs? I hastily turned to the next page.

Then, there were sophisticated pen drawings that looked like they were printed out, and drawn along with the text.

They were drawings of herbs.

[As you go deep into the mountains, a small valley appears. Near that valley, there is a habitat for moonlight butterflies.

Following the faint light emitted by the butterflies, it is said that one comes upon a cave.

It is the source of all sorts of precious herbs that only those who are permitted can enter.]

I immediately lifted my head and looked around.

Then, like a ghost, a very faint light was visible.

‘Butterflies!’

I hurriedly ran to the male lead.

I still don’t understand how the diary works, but if what it says is true, there is a herbal cave there.

The diary describes in detail the appearance and uses of the herbs, so it seemed that everything would somehow work out once we got there.

“Your Highness, we must move.”

I struggled to wrap the prince’s arm around my neck.

“You must not lose consciousness, Your Highness.”

He still said nothing. It seemed he could barely breathe.

Damn it.

It must have been a poisoned arrow. I felt like I was going to lose him.

“Your Highness, can you respond to me?”

“Ssh, noi… sy.”

He spoke as if he was crawling.

Fortunately, seeing that his condition was consistently the same, it seemed he was still livable.

I let out a sigh of relief and said to him.

“I’ve found a hiding place, Your Highness. Please hold on a little longer.”

I held onto the male lead tightly and followed the butterfly, moving with difficulty.

How long had we walked following the faint light?

I momentarily forgot to breathe at the sight before my eyes.

As we approached the cave, thousands of butterflies that had been covering the entrance flew up into the air, emitting the light they had kept hidden.

And through that, a huge herbal cave filled with shining crystals hanging everywhere was revealed.