I almost bumped into him and looked up, startled. The large body of the holy knight was collapsing toward me.

Just before I was crushed, the wolf pulled me into his arms.

[Sorry, but I can’t let you go. You are a very important key to achieving my goal.]

Thud.

I heard a heavy sound behind me.

I froze and closed my eyes tightly.

Though my mind was still a mess, I knew one thing for sure.

This really wasn’t Iscallion.

No matter how violent he was, he would never do such a thing in front of me. The reality of the crisis finally hit me.

[Oh dear, did I scare you? But since he died instantly, it wasn’t such an unfortunate death.]

“D*mn it!”

The Crown Prince threw his sword at the wolf. The wolf caught the rapidly approaching sword with one hand.

But the Crown Prince’s goal wasn’t to attack him.

When the wolf’s attention wavered for a moment, Gined swung his shield, causing the wolf to release me.

“I’ll handle this, take Lou and get out of here!”

“Understood.”

Gined quickly ran, holding me, who was still stiff.

The sound of clashing blades and the shouts of knights filled the air.

[Even if you have divine blood, do you really think you can stand against me? Still, your courage is commendable.]

Contrary to his confident words, the wolf was struggling against the Crown Prince.

Though the Crown Prince’s skills were exceptional, it seemed the wolf was having trouble controlling his unfamiliar body.

In the meantime, we almost escaped the underground prison.

I regained my senses belatedly, but Gined was running so fast that I couldn’t ask him to put me down.

Instead, I clung tightly to his neck. Falling from here would mean at least a fracture.

I felt a sudden wave of sorrow.

I was once trained by Iscallion to escape from monsters, and now I was running away from him.

Despite running up several flights of stairs with me in his arms, Gined’s breath remained steady.

It was already bright outside. The sunlight on my cheeks was as warm as ever.

And far off, the wolf, who had managed to evade the Crown Prince, stood in the shadows, watching us.

“Why isn’t he chasing us?”

“He’s been trapped in Tartarus for too long and isn’t used to the light. That’s probably why he’s struggling against the Crown Prince.”

Gined’s explanation ended there, but I could guess what he left unsaid.

When the wolf gets used to the light, we will be at a disadvantage.

The wolf seemed to know this too, as he watched us calmly from a distance.

[Run as hard as you can. Night will come soon enough.]

Like playing a game of tag, he waved lightly at me from the shadows.

* * *

We headed to the city’s treatment center first. Lucia’s condition was worsening.

As soon as we entered the city, the Grand Duke greeted us. In just a few hours, he looked ten years older.

“You arrived sooner than expected. But, where is Grand Duke Iscallion…?”

Confirming Iscallion’s absence, he asked anxiously.

“Grand Duke Iscallion is with the Crown Prince. I’ll explain everything later. Please take care of these people first. Their condition is not good.”

“Sir Roengreen! Lady…!”

At that moment, High Priest Dominique came running frantically, losing his composure.

He was overjoyed to hear that the missing people had been found, but that joy was short-lived. Upon hearing from Gined about High Priest Emmanuel’s death, his face turned somber.

Following that, Margarita and other priests took Lucia, Seren, and the other missing people away.

Once the immediate crisis was handled, I began to worry about myself.

If the Crown Prince couldn’t defeat the wolf, the next targets would undoubtedly be Gined and me.

What’s especially troubling was the wolf’s mentioning me of being a key.

‘I can’t stay in the village like this.’

I couldn’t drag innocent citizens into this dangerous situation.

But I didn’t know of any suitable place to go.

I anxiously looked up at the sky.

Could we find a safe place before nightfall?

“Don’t worry. I will stay by your side, lady.”

I looked up at Gined. Of course, it was reassuring to have him stay, but I also felt guilty.

After all, Gined was also a victim caught up in this absurd situation.

Even if he decided to return with the Holy Kingdom delegation, I had no reason to stop him.

“Thank you. But we can’t hide in the village. Innocent people must not get hurt.”

Gined agreed with me.

But he also didn’t know where we should go.

Moreover, the monsters wandering around the city made it difficult to find a suitable place immediately.

“Lady.”

The Grand Duke, who had been listening to our conversation, quietly called me.

“Follow me.”

He led me to the building where I had recently followed the priestesses for medical volunteer work.

Once inside, the Grand Duke muttered something. Then, a large magic circle appeared on the old wooden floor that had previously been empty.

“W-What is this?”

Instinctively, I tightly grabbed Gined’s hand beside me. Having been through so much, the sight of a magic circle now made me nervous.

Gined answered in his stead.

“It’s a teleportation circle.”

I was quite surprised.

With the disappearance of the transcendent beings and the decline of magic, teleportation had become almost unused, even to the extent that I, a ducal lady, had never used it.

The principle was not much different from other summoning circles, and the cost was similar.

To avoid offering a sacrifice, a significant amount of magic stones had to be consumed.

‘So, the cost outweighs the benefit.’

But in Pontos, rich in monsters and magic stones, the situation seemed different.

“Where does this take us?”

“With the magic stones we have, it won’t take us very far. But if we move to the farthest village first and then keep moving to the next village, we can leave Pontos within three days.”

“Then can we completely escape from Leon, no, that guy?”

“I can’t guarantee that.”

Well, that was to be expected. We still didn’t know the extent of the wolf’s power.

Assuming he had abilities similar to Shahar, we’d likely be caught within a few days even if we ran. I had no intention of running aimlessly until I died.

I clenched my fists as I looked at the teleportation circle.

“I’ll just return to the castle. We should use the teleportation circle to evacuate the citizens.”

“No!”

Gined opposed firmly.

“We don’t even know where to go.”

“…If Lord Shahar returns, he can stop the wolf. I’ll buy as much time as possible until then.”

“Do you want us to wait indefinitely without knowing where he is or when he’ll come?”

I glanced out the window. It didn’t seem like much time had passed, but the shadows had noticeably lengthened.

“But—”

“There is still hope. As much as I hate to admit it, the Crown Prince is very strong. Also, although there are some limitations, I have an ally that you don’t know about. If we combine our strengths, we might have a chance.”

Gined didn’t respond. It was understandable; after all the trouble of getting me out, it was absurd to suggest going back.

But there were too many things weighing on my mind to just run away. Leaving Iscallion and even the Crown Prince behind felt wrong.

Regardless of my grievances, they too were innocent victims caught up in this mess. If they died, I would never sleep peacefully again.

“Thank you for everything. I won’t hold you back. Please return safely to the Holy Kingdom.”

I bowed to the Grand Duke and turned to leave.

“I will go with you.”

Gined followed me naturally.

“Huh? Why?”

“Didn’t I say I would stay by your side, lady?”

His eyes were sincere as he looked at me.

I had no reason to refuse his help. With two main characters, it might actually be a winnable game.

Having made my decision, there was no need to delay.

We rushed back to the castle where the wolf was.

* * *

Pinion ignored the pain and dodged the wolf’s attacks.

By now, all the knights had fallen, and the only ones standing were Pinion and the wolf.

‘No, he’s not human.’

[In truth, I have little interest in you. If you bring that girl back, I might let you go unharmed.]

“Are you telling me to sell out the woman I love to save my life?”

[If you don’t like it, forget it. It’s just a matter of time anyway.]

Pinion gritted his teeth.

Unlike at the beginning, it became increasingly difficult to deal with the wolf as time passed.

The wolf was quickly learning how to handle his body, and the sun was setting.