Chapter 96

Belinda walked past the two men as arrogantly as possible and got into the carriage. She got a whiff of the humid and musty smell of the old carriage as soon as she set her foot on the rickety interior.

Thud.

The carriage door was closed shortly after.

“Haa.”

Only then did Belinda exhale her shaky breath.

The carriage set off again. However, unlike before, it was moving carefully. They tried to reduce the jolting and rattling sound by moving at a slow speed. Giving an order while throwing jewels at them seemed to be effective, in the end.

If they keep going with this speed, it’d be possible for Aymon to catch up to us.

Belinda rubbed the spot where the jewel used to be and took a deep breath. Her fingertips trembled as anxiety swallowed her whole.

“I’m scared, Aymon. Hurry up…”

The bold and cheeky Princess was nowhere to be found. There was only the figure of a fragile Princess with trembling shoulders, earnestly waiting for her beast-lover to come.

*****

Aymon was running without stopping. He was out of breath all the way down to his lungs. Whether it was anger, anxiety or fear, this indistinguishable emotion took his breath away.

“Aymon, come on! Hurry up! Hurry! Hurry!”

Mazetto hung over Aymon’s head by clasping his feet to Aymon’s fur. The sparrow’s little body bounced as the leopard ran wildly.

Aymon’s running speed was way faster than Mazetto can ever be, so the small sparrow held on for dear life as he guided Aymon to Belinda.

“Now turn around the cliff up ahead, aghh! Aymon! Ackk!”

Mazetto, who was guiding the way, flapped his wings in shock. It’s because Aymon jumped down the cliff all of sudden. A screeching sound came out when the claws scratched the cliff surface. 

A cloud of dust arose as the rocks were cut ruthlessly, and Aymon arrived at the bottom of the cliff.

He picked up the speed again, body covered in dust. He knocked down the trees when he sprinted across the valley, literally clearing up the path. 

How much did I run? Letting out a strained grunt, Aymon stood on the road.

“Mazetto and Belinda separated here!”

This is the end of the road Mazetto knows.

From now on, he had to track Belinda down purely using his instinct. Aymon began to run again as there was only one road ahead. But soon he stopped in front of the crossroad.

“I don’t know where they went! What should we do? Huh? What should I do? Where did Belinda go?”

Mazetto couldn’t stop running his beak restlessly, voicing out his worry. Aymon ignored him and brought his gaze to the ground. There were carriage marks carved sporadically on the soil ground.

It was not clear which of them belonged to the carriage that left with Belinda.

“Hurry! Hurry find Belinda! Hurry!”

The anxious Mazetto kept whining and rushed Aymon.

Aymon closed his eyes and calmly tracked the smell of wind. It smelled like Belinda, but the direction was ambiguous because the wind blew from all directions.

After a while, Aymon started running again.

“Did you find her? Hmm? Did you find where Belinda went?”

The black leopard kept moving his feet without a word. He left clouds of dust behind as he ran along the dirt road. He seemed to be getting closer to her. As a proof, his heart began to palpitate so hard like it was broken.

She’s still alive.

Aymon calmly suppressed his anxiety.

Anxiety was a poison that blocked one’s vision and distracted one’s mind. Although the anxiety ate him away, he kept running with all his might.

Am I making the right judgment? 

Soon, her smell spread even stronger. 

Aymon stood in front of a tree, gasping heavily. A white lace fabric was swaying in the gentle breeze. It was tied up by Belinda.

There were traces of her getting off the carriage, taking a breather, leaned on the tree and left the fabric on the branch. It was to tell him the direction. 

Aymon overcame his heart splitting open with concern and started running again. Worrying is just a waste of time right now.

He sprinted all the way down the road. From a distance, he began to see the tail of an old and shabby carriage. 

That’s it. 

He was certain that Belinda was in that carriage. 

As the distance between him and the carriage narrowed, a sudden rush of blood pumped up his whole body. 

“Aymon! Over there! Over there!”

Aymon kicked the ground and leaped through the wind.

The carriage was running slowly. 

*****

Belinda felt her heart pounding rapidly. 

Why is my heart pounding so fast?

As if possessed, she opened the window and looked behind the carriage. Her eyes widened in an instant.

With a look of relief and tension, Belinda shouted direly.

“Aymon!”

Aymon is here! 

She had been waiting for him to come, but when he actually arrived in front of her, she felt like bursting into tears.

Surprised by her voice, the horseman pulled the reins.

Neigh!

The carriage rattled heavily along with the horse’s nicker.

The black leopard, which looked like a dot from afar, now was close enough to have a discernable shape.

Belinda held tight to the carriage window and shouted.

“No, Aymon! Don’t kill them!”

Aymon’s eyes were filled with an intense urge to murder. He looked as if he would crush the two horsemen right away.

I have to stop him for now. It’s true that they kidnapped and threatened her, but it didn’t sit right with her to kill them.

Belinda recalled the horseman who aimed a dagger at her with a trembling hand, and how their stuttering voices filled with uncertainty.

“Anyway, I’m scared to death. I really don’t want to follow this order!”

“Be quiet! I’m scared, too! But everyone will die if we don’t do it! Do you want to see your wife die? I don’t want that!”

They are poor people who were unable to defy the orders of the one that had powers over them.

Belinda had witnessed such people in the alley when she was young. Those who were forced to follow orders from evil people in order to live and eventually, faced a tragic death.

Those pitiful people who were foolish but couldn’t be said as completely foolish either due to their circumstances.

In the meantime, Aymon came even closer.

“Argh!”

“Beast! It’s the beast!”

A horseman turned his head back before whipping the horse erratically. 

Come on! Gallop! Hurry! 

But even the horse was frightened. It’s feet were strained by the divine energy coming from behind.

Eventually, the carriage slowed down.

“What are you doing! Can’t you run fast?!”

He was compelling the horse with eyes full of fear, but to no avail. The carriage eventually stopped rattling.

Aymon charged at the horsemen and tossed them away. He went straight to the carriage door and tore it open.

Inside the carriage, Belinda’s blonde hair came into sight. Only then his mind, that had been chaotic and only driven by anger, anxiety and madness since he heard of her situation, finally returned. His madly burning eyes gradually calmed down.

“Aymon!”

Belinda flung herself to the beast’s arms.

“Aymon, Aymon!”

She called and called his name frantically.

Aymon breathed heavily as he identified the woman in his arms.

It’s Belinda. It’s really Belinda.

Even after confirming that Belinda was safe, his heartbeat was still beating dreadfully quick. For a moment, he felt like his whole body was numb with dizziness and the fear that engulfed him whole.

Aymon bowed his head and rubbed his cheek on top of Belinda’s head.

「You must be very shocked. I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner」

It was a low voice as if he never went berserk before. Low and calm, like whispering a lullaby to a sleeping baby.

Belinda broke out in tears.

She was sitting with her back straight, pretending to be confident as she dealt with the horsemen, but her mind was actually foggy with confusion and fear. She was scared. She barely collected her thoughts back together, hanging in the hope that Aymon was going to come. In other words, she had almost reached her limit.

But Aymon really came.

As always, he appeared like a gift and saved her. As she was held in his warm and large arms, she cried like a child in her father’s arms.

Actually, I was scared. I was so scared that I wouldn’t see you again.

The fear she did her best suppressing this whole time began to pour out only when she finally saw Aymon’s face.

“Aymon, Aymon…..”

「Yes. I’m here, Belinda.」

Aymon soothed Belinda, whose tiny body was trembling, with a quiet murmur.

Aymon rubbed his cheek on Belinda’s neck, licked her wet eyes, and soothed her with words. He held her even tighter as the fear emanated from her, embracing every emotion that came from her.

Belinda loosened her body. The warmth and affection from Aymon melted the tension.

She muttered weakly.

“Aymon. It was a Shinsu who attacked me.”

“….I know.”

Aymon replied in a voice that seemed to have been crushed by a stone.

After Belinda disappeared, Aymon found a Shinsu’s claw marks in her palace.

So, the attacker was definitely a Shinsu. Both the traces and smell they left had ascertained his doubt.

It was difficult to catch a clue about this incident. 

Why on earth? Why did a Shinsu do that?

As he was lost in thought, a cruel malice dropped from his eyes. 

*****

Again, presently.

The Imperial Palace was a brutal battlefield. The blades of the swords and the head of the spears clanged noisily, not to mention the rampant screams everywhere. The humans and the beasts’ shouts were intertwined from time to time.

Humans trapped and cornered each Shinsu relentlessly, and the Shinsu were also attacking the Imperial Army going through the battle formation. The injured were everywhere.

The Imperial Palace which once was bathed in beautiful sunlight, was now covered with the remains of violence and became ruins filled with pain and despair.

“Move two Shinsu to attack over there.”

With hands stained with Adelai’s blood, Otoman pointed at the Imperial Army. When Joseph bowed his head to gather his strength, two Shinshu soon charged wildly toward the Imperial Army.

After Adelai died in Otoman’s hands, Joseph completely became Otoman’s hand and feet. According to Otoman’s order, he controlled the two Shinsu needed and began to attack the Imperial Army also with the other Shinsu.

Otoman did not even hide his festering greed. Now that he killed Adelai, he had nothing to be afraid of anymore.

He even smiled, revealing his ugly cupidity.

If I win this battle, all the power will be mine.

And become an emperor.

The desire that he had been hidden when serving Adelai was wiggling and spreading its wings.

“Now! Throw the bola!”

At the command of the knight commander, the knights behind the spearmen came out and occupied specific spots. 

Under the protection of the archer, they swung the balls of iron and threw it toward the Shinsu. Most of the Shinsu could evade the attack, but it also hit a few of them.

In addition, some strings were tied on Shinsu’s foot.

Thump!

When a Shinsu fell down with a heavy sound, the knight commander shouted immediately.

“Spread the net!”

When all the knights who threw the bola stepped back, the knights with nets took over their place.

Under the other squad’s protection, they cast their nets toward the fallen Shinsu. It was a firm net made of compact rope and whale tendon.

The Shinsu that fell because of the bola wrapped around its feet, was now trapped in a net and struggled wildly. When the net was cut off with its sharp claws, other nets were thrown over the first one again and again, until several layers of ropes eventually immobilized them.

Normally, a Shinsu wouldn’t be this weak. However, as the Shinsu were under Joseph’s control rather than fighting in their own free will, their speed and ability were significantly lower than usual.

“Joseph! Hurry up and get the Shinsu out!”

“But the rope is too hard….!”

When Count Otoman pressuring him, Joseph added strength again. A drop of sweat flowed over his forehead. However, despite Joseph’s solid control, the Shinsu could not easily cut off the ropes.

Charged toward the fallen Shinsu, the magician knight shouted.

“Kill it!”

“We can’t even scratch their hard skin with a regular sword or spear! Bring the magic spear!”

“We have to know exactly where their heart is!”

All the other Shinsu didn’t even care to save the captured Shinsu. They only ravaged the area with empty eyes under Joseph’s control.

A monster who had their will stripped off and moved only to orders. Harming humans had become their only purpose, they were puppets, murderous ones.

The magician knight carefully approached the fallen Shinsu under the protection of the Imperial Army. The overpowered beast was struggling hard, scratching the ground with its claws as it was trapped in the net.

The red magic emanated from the spear. The knight tightened his grip as he lifted the spear. The moment when he was about to stab the Shinsu with it, he heard, from a distance, the roar of a beast. 

…..Grrrrrr!

The sound spread through the ground and firmly tied the foot of the human on the battlefield with fear.

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The knights who tried to attack the beasts were frozen in place. Their fingertips trembled as the chill flowed down their spin.

The roaring noise was getting closer and closer. A black beast appeared on the battlefield that was shrouded in silence.

The guardian of the empire, the ruler of the forest, and the king of the Shinsu.

It was Aymon.