* * *
“We’ve captured a total of forty-three individuals,” one of the knights reported, bowing.
“They admit to eavesdropping on the guild we contacted. They claim their goal was purely monetary.”
Felix made no visible reaction as he approached the archer.
“It’s not just about money, is it? Maybe the small fry don’t know, but you should.”
He stared down at the archer with quiet certainty.
“Who spread the dark magic?”
But the archer, now regaining his arrogance, let out a derisive laugh.
“Done with your little love show? It was pretty entertaining, watching you panic over a scratch.”
“Is that all you want to say before you die?”
Felix didn’t even blink at the provocation.
“Judging by that dark magic, you must be the infamous Duke Felix. The one born half and cursed.”
The knights bristled at the insult, but Felix held out his arm to stop them.
“Soon, a god will descend upon this land. Maybe even you will be saved then. You’re so ignorant, it’s almost pathetic.”
“I wonder how much longer I should let you keep talking.”
“You think I fear death?”
At the childish question, Felix’s expression didn’t flicker even slightly.
“On a battlefield, death is everywhere. What’s truly terrifying is being unable to die.”
The more he spoke, the colder and more detached his voice became.
“Let’s start with a finger, shall we?”
Felix’s blade dug into the archer’s finger.
“I’ve prepared for that, too.”
Despite being tied up, the archer grinned grotesquely and began muttering incomprehensible words.
The eerie, snake-like cadence of the spell made it obvious—he was casting a curse.
“Get away from him!”
Sensing danger, Felix immediately raised a shadow barrier around himself and the archer.
“Felix!”
Lowell panicked and tried to run to him, but Tia and Charis grabbed him, holding him back.
At the same moment, Felix and the archer vanished behind a sphere of shadows.
As Lowell stared at the black sphere in stunned horror, a deafening roar shook the forest.
Dormant beasts hidden within the woods exploded into the sky with a deafening cry.
Lowell despaired in silence, unable to even cry out.
The black sphere that had engulfed Felix slowly dissipated along the ground like a creeping shadow, filling the forest with acrid smoke.
Sensing the change, Lowell crawled forward from where he had collapsed.
Even as the smoke from the explosion cleared, horrifying images from that instant still flickered vividly before his eyes.
“Are you… are you okay…?”
Half out of his mind, Lowell couldn’t wait for the smoke to clear.
He fought against the collapse of his own heart.
But even then, his vision didn’t return properly, so he slapped his own cheek.
The slap was so hard that his cheek burned and throbbed red, but the pain helped him pull himself together.
Forcing strength into his trembling legs, he pushed himself upright.
“My lord Lowell! You must fall back for now!”
Tia grabbed Lowell’s arm, but seeing the hollow emptiness in Lowell’s eyes, his grip faltered.
Lowell, who didn’t even have the strength to shake Tia off, staggered forward.
At that moment, the smoke around Felix scattered rapidly.
Felix emerged, bearing small cuts along his left arm, but otherwise completely unharmed.
“Felix! Are you okay?”
Seeing him safe, Lowell rubbed his eyes with his sleeve.
‘This isn’t an illusion.’
Lowell, fueled by a strength he didn’t know he had, immediately sprinted toward Felix the moment he realized he was alive.
Felix, who had been inspecting the scorched remains of the archer with a grave expression, caught Lowell mid-sprint and effortlessly lifted him onto a horse.
‘How are you unhurt? Are you really okay?’
The questions tangled up inside Lowell, too thick to speak aloud.
Felix, aware of Lowell’s turmoil, didn’t say a word.
His actions were swift and unhesitating, as if unwilling to waste even a single moment.
Mounted together on the horse, Felix held Lowell even tighter than before.
“We have to get out of here immediately.”
It was an uncharacteristic choice for Felix, who usually prioritized calming Lowell’s fears.
The knights, recognizing this shift, immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
“The one who set the explosive magic is elsewhere. They’ll realize the spell was triggered and assume something happened here. They’ll send stronger forces to investigate. We can’t afford to delay reaching the capital any longer.”
They had to move before they were tracked, before Felix’s route toward the capital was discovered.
‘Right. What matters now is that he’s safe.’
Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Lowell straightened his back.
It was his own judgment to move now, believing it to be the best timing—but as the danger escalated, a flicker of regret surfaced.
Maybe he had chosen the wrong path.
He had convinced himself that taking risks was necessary, that avoiding them would waste their only chance.
Even so, he couldn’t help but feel a growing unease.
“Pull your hood lower and hold on tight. We’re going full speed.”
Felix spoke gently, cradling Lowell’s tense body against his own.
Holding the reins with one hand and securing Lowell firmly with the other, Felix urged the horse into a gallop without hesitation.
As he had warned, their speed was unlike anything before.
“We’ll be taking a detour—stay sharp and follow closely!”
Felix visualized the map he had glanced at earlier.
He chose a lesser-known route—one unlikely to show obvious signs of movement and rarely used by those heading to the capital.
This quick terrain-mapping was a rare skill Felix had honed on the battlefield.
Felix and the knights pressed on, driving their horses with astonishing quietness given their speed.
As they moved swiftly, the sun dipped lower, dyeing the sky a deep red.
The beautiful, tranquil scenery was almost entrancing—but there was no time to admire it.
Instead, they urged their horses on harder, desperate to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall.
“We’ll spend the night in a nearby cave. Hurry.”
With barely a chance to drink even a mouthful of water, Lowell’s stamina was nearing its limit.
The only reason he hadn’t toppled off the horse was because Felix was there, supporting him the entire way.
“Just a little more, Lowell. Hang in there.”
Unlike his usual commanding tone, Felix now spoke as though soothing a small child.
Lowell couldn’t tell whether he was on the verge of falling asleep—or simply losing consciousness—but Felix’s voice anchored him, helping him endure a little longer.
“Your Highness, a cave up ahead!”
“Scout the surroundings first.”
The sun had completely vanished by the time they reached their destination.
Thanks to their unpredictable route, it seemed they had managed to avoid pursuit.
“You need to drink some water before you sleep, Lowell.”
Felix, arriving first at the cave entrance, carefully helped Lowell down from the horse.
Blinking drowsily and swaying, Lowell nodded weakly in Felix’s arms.
“I’ve prepared blankets.”
Tia had laid down multiple layers of blankets, creating a makeshift bed for Lowell.
Felix knelt and gently set Lowell down.
“I’ll get some water.”
As Felix rose to fetch the canteen left with the horses, Lowell weakly clutched the hem of his cloak.
At that moment, Felix’s hand—still gripping the horse’s reins—came into view.
What had at first seemed like minor scratches were now revealed to be shrouded in dark magic.
“What is this…?”
A spark reignited in Lowell’s fading consciousness.
Strength he didn’t know he had surged into his fingers, tightening his grip on Felix’s cloak.
Taken by surprise, Felix clenched his teeth.
Seeing this, Lowell’s mind sharpened.
“You’re hurt, aren’t you? You need treatment…!”
“It’s just pressure to stop the bleeding.”
“Why did you hide that you were injured?”
Even as he spoke, Lowell already knew the answer.
By Felix’s standards, the wound wasn’t serious.
Survival came first; everything else could wait.
* * *
