Chapter 111

The fabric wasn’t the only thing that had melted away; Eched was suffering from severe burns as well.

She initially intended to treat Eched after getting them out of the poisoned area, but the wretched monsters were relentless in their attacks.

It seemed the commotion had awakened the monsters from their slumber.

The nocturnal creatures, sharp-eyed in the dark, charged at them mercilessly.

She slashed at the monsters that came at them endlessly.

The more monster corpses piled up around them, the more their stamina dwindled.

Eched’s breathing grew increasingly labored, likely due to the injuries.

She glanced at Eched, struggling to fend off the monsters.

If only he could hold on a little longer…

“Ugh!”

At that moment, Eched let out a cry.

Her head snapped toward Eched.

A beast-like monster had pinned him down, baring its sharp teeth.

It seemed Eched couldn’t muster strength in his injured leg.

She swiftly cut down the monster charging toward her and rushed to Eched, slashing the beast on top of him.

There was no time to catch her breath.

Without even asking if Eched was okay, she continued to fend off the oncoming monsters to protect him.

Just when she thought she couldn’t hold out any longer, she managed to take down the last monster.

“Haah… Haah…”

It was over.

Of course, it wouldn’t be long before another wave of monsters appeared, but for now, they had a moment to breathe.

She checked Eched’s wounds.

The poison seemed to have spread further, and the injuries had become too gruesome to look at.

She immediately began using her divine power to heal him.

The curse of the dark mage slowed the healing process, but the wounds recovered enough that they were no longer unbearable to look at.

Under the moonlight, Eched’s face appeared even paler.

She wiped the sweat trickling down his temple with her hand and let out a small sigh.

“Eched, are you okay?”

Eched weakly nodded, seemingly too exhausted to speak.

“Okay, my foot…”

She decided to let Eched rest for now.

‘Not here.’

The area, littered with monster corpses, was far from suitable for rest.

The smell of the corpses might attract even more monsters.

“Let’s move to another place.”

Though other places would likely have monsters as well, anywhere would be better than here.

She supported the weakened Eched.

Avoiding the stench of blood and the foul odor of dark magic emanating from the monster corpses, they trudged through the forest.

Where would be a good spot?

Where could we go to find even a semblance of safety?

A place with walls on all sides would be ideal.

‘Like a cave, for instance… A cave…’

She found herself longing for the cave they had stayed in the day she met Eched in the Solun Mountains.

A cave was a double-edged sword, but at this point, she desperately wanted a place where they could sleep comfortably, even for a short while.

As she muttered complaints about how a proper god would help in situations like this, a cave appeared as if by magic.

Whether it was divine intervention or not, she didn’t care.

All that mattered was survival. She hurried toward the cave.

After setting Eched down, she quickly inspected the interior of the cave.

It was clean and showed no signs of being a monster’s nest.

She supported Eched again and brought him inside.

She pulled a robe from her bag, spread it on the ground, and laid Eched on it.

His wounds were healed, and the poison was gone.

However, Eched’s body, drained of energy, couldn’t retain the divine power she had infused into him.

It was like pouring water into a bottomless jar—wasteful.

After confirming that his body could at least hold enough divine power to keep him alive, she withdrew her hand.

“Sha…terian…”

Eched blinked slowly, struggling to focus his gaze on her.

He was barely clinging to consciousness.

There was no need for him to push himself so hard.

She placed her palm over his face, gently covering his eyes.

“Rest for a while. This place is safe.”

Though she said that, she couldn’t be certain.

Her own body screamed for rest, but she resolved not to sleep until she was sure the cave was safe.

It was exhausting, but she didn’t mind.

Eched had always been the one to endure hardship.

So this time, she would endure it for him.

‘This time, I’ll protect you.’

She shared her warmth with Eched, ensuring he could fall into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Eched, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes.

A cold breeze brushed against his nose.

Slowly, he sat up and took in the empty cave.

How had I ended up here…?

It had been so long since he’d slept so deeply that his mind was slow to fully awaken.

But he quickly realized that the one who had shared their warmth with him was gone.

Noticing Shaterian’s absence brought him back to his senses.

He stood abruptly, though a slight dizziness overcame him.

Still, his concern for Shaterian, who was nowhere to be seen, outweighed his own condition.

Leaving the cave, he wandered through the dew-covered grass of the forest.

Unbothered by his dampening clothes, he searched endlessly for Shaterian.

He knew he was likely overreacting.

But he couldn’t help but worry when she wasn’t in sight.

What if she had been attacked by monsters?

Consumed by anxiety, Eched imagined every worst-case scenario as he searched the forest.

After wandering aimlessly for some time, he noticed a marking etched into a tree.

It looked like it had been carved with a stone and served as a guidepost leading to the cave.

The only person who could have left such a marking was Shaterian.

Eched retraced his steps and returned to the cave.

From a distance, he saw Shaterian standing near the entrance, pacing.

The rising sun bathed her in its light.

Without stopping, Eched walked toward Shaterian and pulled her into his arms.

Despite everything that had happened the previous night, he was deeply relieved to confirm that meeting Shaterian wasn’t just a dream.

“Where did you…”

“Are you crazy? How could you wander off in your condition?!”

Shaterian cut off his words with an angry shout.

Her green eyes, darker than usual, betrayed her frustration.

Eched blinked, looking at Shaterian, who had pushed away from his embrace and was scolding him.

“I went to find you…”

When he tried to explain, Shaterian’s brows furrowed deeply. Yet, instead of lashing out further, she only shot him a resentful look.

Eched smiled faintly.

“It pains me to see you look at me like that.”

So please, don’t hate me too much.

He murmured softly.

After a moment of silence, Shaterian muttered under her breath.

“Do you have any idea how worried I was? I only meant to check the area briefly to see if there were any signs of the knight order, but when I returned, you were gone.”

“Is that so? I’m sorry for worrying you. And I’m glad you’re safe.”

Truly, he was.

He was grateful that Shaterian was alive.

Eched took Shaterian’s hand, the one that had held his tightly through the night, and slipped a ring onto her finger.

Shaterian’s eyes widened at the sight of the ring.

“I thought I’d never find this…”

A happy smile spread across her face.

Her ability to express her emotions so openly was endearing.

“You’re lovely…”

Eched voiced his thoughts aloud.

It was the first time he had ever said such a thing, and it filled him with a pleasant flutter.

“What…”

Shaterian’s face turned a faint shade of pink as she averted her eyes.

She was clearly embarrassed.

Eched found her reaction endearing and asked, 

“So, did you find what you were looking for?”

“No…”

With a face full of worry, Shaterian let out a deep sigh.

“There were no traces of anything except the monsters.”

It was disheartening.

Shaterian had desperately hoped to find signs of people.

That was why she had ventured so far on her own.

When she returned, a little late, the patient was gone.

Shaterian placed a hand over her chest, calming her startled heart.

She, too, was relieved that Eched was safe.

“I left a marking, though. One that the knights will recognize as ours, using the imperial crest.”

She had also added a symbol for a cave in the imperial style, making it easier for the knights to find them.

Eched had been in Haltonea Forest for five days now.

Surely, they would encounter the knight order soon.

No matter how vast Haltonea Forest was, there was only one entrance.

With the markings Shaterian had left behind, the search area would narrow significantly, making them easier to locate.

Not to mention, the trail they had left was littered with monster corpses.

Even someone with no tracking skills could find them by following the bodies.

“Well then, let’s rest today and set out tomorrow…”

Shaterian was mid-sentence when it happened.

Boom—!

A deep rumble shook the ground, accompanied by a heavy noise.

A sense of foreboding washed over them.