Chapter 110

“Shaterian…”

The figure strode boldly forward, unbothered by the sword, closing the distance between them.

It was the narrator who felt flustered instead.

“D-Don’t come any closer…!”

In an instant, he bypassed the sword and pulled her into a firm embrace.

The scent of morning dew on grass clung heavily to him.

Even though the wooden sword brushed against his side, there was no groan of pain.

Unlike the cold body embraced in the nightmare, warmth radiated from him.

“Shaterian.”

The way he exhaled her name with a sigh of relief was irresistibly sweet.

“Oh…”

Her eyes darted around.

Before she realized it, her left hand was already stroking the taut muscles of his back.

The tangible sensation confirmed that the person before her was indeed Eched.

“Eched.”

She gently pushed him away. Though he obediently stepped back, he didn’t completely let go of her.

That was fine. She only needed a little space.

Slowly, she scrutinized Eched’s face.

To be honest, his condition was far from good.

His face, body, and clothes were all in shambles, as if he had wandered the forest for days.

She fought back a surge of anger, suppressing it with effort.

First, she needed answers.

“Why are you here?”

“Of course, I came to find you…”

“For how long?”

Eched glanced briefly at the darkening sky before answering.

“Today makes four days…”

“Four days? That long?”

She had just woken up this morning, but apparently, so much time had passed.

She couldn’t tell whether she had been unconscious for a long time or if time had moved differently after meeting the World Tree.

“Ha…”

Suddenly, Eched sank to the ground with a quiet sigh.

“Eched?”

Startled, she quickly knelt down beside him.

Eched, now on one knee, shook his head as if trying to clear dizziness.

She reached out to him, her hand brushing against his bare skin.

“Are you hurt… You fool.”

She immediately realized what was wrong with him.

A lack of divine power.

Eched was suffering from the absence of divine energy.

Before they had parted, she had given him more divine power than he could possibly need.

But in the four days she’d been gone, he must have wandered the forest fighting monsters, depleting his reserves.

‘There’s no other way.’

She set down the wooden sword beside her and knelt on the grass.

Eched seemed too preoccupied with his pain to notice her actions.

Though she felt a bit self-conscious, she knew what had to be done.

This was part of the treatment.

“Eched.”

When she called his name, he slowly raised his head to look at her. His eyes were contorted with pain.

She leaned in to transfer divine power to him through a kiss.

But Eched stopped her with his hand, leaving her staring blankly at him.

“You might collapse again…”

“You’re right.”

It seemed Eched still didn’t trust himself to control the flow of divine power.

She straightened her posture.

Even though she understood his reasoning, she couldn’t entirely hide her embarrassment.

“Then, your hand.”

Even then, Eched hesitated.

She grabbed his hand firmly, interlocking their fingers so he couldn’t pull away.

Divine energy began to flow into him.

As expected.

She had suspected it when he collapsed in pain, but more divine power than usual was being drawn into him.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Ha. You must’ve been in pain all this time. How did you manage?”

For someone who suffered so much without divine power, he had certainly used up a lot of it.

Eched wasn’t the type to admit to pain, so he simply stared silently at their joined hands as the divine energy flowed into him.

“If you’re in pain, say so.”

“You should heed your own advice.”

She didn’t recall ever hiding her pain.

Eched, removing his gaze from their clasped hands, began examining her condition just as she had done to him earlier.

“Are you hurt anywhere? Does anything hurt? Why were you in such a dangerous place alone?”

“You’re not in a position to worry about me right now.”

It was absurd how he cared so much about her while neglecting himself.

“And you’re overreacting.”

Not just him, but her entire family was overly sensitive about her well-being.

It was as if they thought she was a fragile dandelion that could be blown away with a puff of air.

But she was much stronger now.

“What’s that sword?”

“Oh, that?”

She glanced at the wooden sword she had set aside.

“I found the World Tree.”

Eched’s eyes widened.

‘Cute.’

She smiled and lowered the hand she had raised to her chest, though she didn’t release his hand.

With her free hand, she picked up the sword and held it out proudly.

“This is a gift from the World Tree. A sword made from its branches.”

It was more practical than just a branch since it had been shaped into a sword.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to use it?”

She tried to hand it to him.

But she couldn’t.

Not only did Eched refuse to take it, but he physically couldn’t touch it.

It seemed the sword was protected by some kind of barrier, preventing him from grasping the hilt.

Since he couldn’t use it, Eched spoke firmly.

“The World Tree gave it to you, so it’s yours to wield.”

“Hmm…”

She felt a bit uneasy.

Everything a deity did had a purpose.

If the World Tree had crafted a sword only she could use, it must mean there was something only she could do—something she had to do.

‘Wasn’t the World Tree’s goal to destroy the dark sorcerer?’

Anyone could eliminate the dark sorcerer, as long as the job got done.

And Eched, not her, seemed more suited for the task.

He was better at wielding swords and had superior combat instincts.

Despite her musings, she couldn’t decipher the World Tree’s intentions.

She decided to leave interpreting the deity’s purpose for later.

“Dawn will break soon. We should move then.”

“Get some rest before we go.”

“You should be the one—”

“There you go again. You need to stay healthy for me to stay safe.”

She had her reasons.

“…Ah.”

Eched seemed to accept her logic, nodding in agreement.

Although the divine power had alleviated his fatigue, there was no substitute for genuine rest.

Eched lay down, resting his head on her lap.

If he was going to do this anyway, why not just comply earlier?

As a reward for his cooperation, she patted his forehead twice.

Eched, evidently exhausted, fell asleep almost immediately.

While he slept, she found herself with nothing to do but watch him.

From above, his stretched-out body seemed even longer, and she marveled at how even exhaustion couldn’t diminish his handsomeness—it merely gave him a different kind of allure.

After a few minutes, she began to regret it.

Her legs were going numb. She shouldn’t have let him use her lap as a pillow.

If he needed something to rest on, she should’ve offered her bag instead.

It felt like a lot of time had passed, though it probably hadn’t been that long.

She didn’t dare move her legs for fear of waking him, so she endured the discomfort.

Eventually, her feet began to tingle as if electrified, and then they went completely numb.

She figured she wouldn’t be able to move them for a while.

When Eched woke up, she planned to ask him to warn her before getting up so she could prepare for the inevitable cramps.

She was lost in such trivial thoughts when Eched suddenly sat up.

Had I moved and disturbed him?

But no, Eched seemed focused on something else entirely.

Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, the ground began to tremble.

The once-still surface of the lake rippled, then turned into waves.

A sound of something slicing through the water grew louder.

And then it emerged.

A massive aquatic dragon burst forth from the water.

The creature, known as a Nucker, resembled a giant snake due to its lack of wings.

Nuckers typically lived in water and caves, though they could survive on land as well.

If the aquatic environment proved disadvantageous, they would be forced onto land.

Eched taunted the Nucker, striking its face with his sword before retreating repeatedly.

Enraged, the Nucker roared and spewed venom.

The Nucker fell for Eched’s provocations perfectly.

It extended its head onto land, followed by its forelegs, and then half of its body.

Eched, experienced as ever, severed the Nucker’s tail and body with little difficulty.

Chunks of its body fell to the ground, still twitching.

But as expected of a dragon, its vitality was remarkable—or perhaps it was just relentless.

Even after its neck was severed, the Nucker used its last strength to release a final burst of venom.

The thick, dark purple liquid, almost black, spread rapidly.

The venom flowed like molten lava, killing everything it touched.

She ran to avoid the spreading poison.

For a moment, she considered whether the sword that had blocked the Lindworm’s fire could also block this venom. But if she tried, she would end up trapped in the middle of the poison.

Unlike fire, the venom would leave a deadly residue.

Unfortunately, the Nucker’s head had fallen in her direction, and the venom was spreading too quickly for her to escape.

Just as the venom was about to reach her feet, Eched grabbed her hand and pulled her away.

Thanks to him, she was safe.

But Eched was not.

At some point, the venom had touched him, and the fabric near his left calf had already melted away.