Chapter 21

At that moment, Rupert knew that his future was nothing but a cursed hell.

In the past, the will of his mother suddenly came to mind.

[Grow up to be the worst human being ever, Rupert.]

I will never go your way, Mother.

[Be a covetous person and increase your notoriety……]

I will rise to a position that everyone admires, and I will save as many humans as possible.

[……drop the good name of your family, defile them, and destroy them]

At any cost, I will deny your words.

Kyaaaaaaaa—!

“Someone please help me. Please……!”

In the distance, the howl of the gargoyles along with the screams of people calling for help could be heard. In the meantime, his subordinates seemed to have arrived.

“Damn it, take the injured first and get out of the way!”

Rupert took heavy steps.

It was his own fault for being momentarily shaken in the beginning.

For a child’s smile or time spent with his wife.

You foolishly did something like that.

‘Forget it.’

He focused on the burning building, smell of blood, and screaming voices. This was the place where he belonged.

This was the only place in which he can prove to be useful.

His complicated brain became cold.

‘As always, I will do what I have to do, rationally.’

***

I ran out of breath as I tried to find Leah.

“Leah! Where are you? Leah!”

In the past, I did not visit the estate often. Even the downtown view of the city, very close to the mansion, was unfamiliar to my eyes.

However, I somehow felt a strange sense of familiarity with the buildings that were gradually collapsing due to the gargoyle attacks.

Almost as if I had been wandering around here the last few days.

I was more familiar with this chaotic scene than with the intact street. It was strange.

‘I had only seen one collapsed building recently.’

It was in a lucid dream that I had a while ago.

I’ve been trying to forget about it all along, and yet, it was a dream I still haven’t forgotten.

‘No way.’

From a young age, I had no magic or other talents, so I was neglected by my parents.

Did I really foreshadow the future?

Not wanting to believe it, I quickly continued looking around. The scene in my dream was imprinted in my mind. It wasn’t difficult to compare the two.

“Ah!”

At first glance, I saw a place similar to the scene where Leah was found.

It’s not broken yet, like it was in my dream.

I ran with all my might.

I was scared. In the dream, Leah was crushed by a pole.

‘If that dream comes true……’

I didn’t even want to imagine it.

Groaaaah!

Then, a huge shadow fell from the sky with a sharp screech. It was a gargoyle.

“It’s coming down!”

“Shoot the wings! Stop them from flying again!”

I saw the knights struggling not that far away. The Raven Knights and the soldiers.

I wanted to ask them for help in finding Leah, but they were busy fighting the monsters and evacuating the people.

At that moment, I could only turn to the side so as not to get in the way.

“Madam?”

Someone grabbed my arm.

He was a member of the Raven Knights. I’ve never had a direct conversation with him, but I’ve seen him face to face a few times.

“Sir Hillis?”

He corrected it.

“This is Hillis.”

At the same time, Hillis hurled something into the sky. It is a green flare.

“I have heard about the circumstances. We will guide you to a safe place, Madam.”

It seems that Rupert had given orders and sent him to me.

‘The flare just announced that you have found me.’

I should have stopped him, but it was already too late.

“Sir Hillis, I need to find Leah!”

“I understand how you feel, but not right now. It’s too dangerous!”

It would seem reckless from his point of view. I’m looking for a kid who doesn’t know where she is in this big city.

‘You wouldn’t believe me if I said that I had a premonition.’

I’m going to be called a completely weird woman.

“Sir Hillis, it is a dangerous situation but I have to find my daughter. So……”

Looking straight at him, I spoke firmly.

“……this is an order. Put the flare out right now.”

When our eyes met, he paused for a moment. But he immediately responded with a strong attitude.

“……I respect you, Madam, but I can’t follow your order in this situation.”

“Even if I’m wrong, you won’t be held responsible. So let me go.”

Hillis looked absurd.

“Do I look like I’m blocking you out of fear of punishment?”

Then, a loud cry rang out.

“It got hit by the wing!”

We both turned our heads. The scene of a gargoyle that had fallen and staggered against the exterior wall of the building came into view.

“Damn it, it collapsed! Watch out!”

Kwaaang! [sfx]

At the same time, there was a loud roar, and Hillis hurriedly pushed me away. It was a very strong force.

“Ouch!”

I lost my balance, fell and rolled a few times. My whole body throbbed.

Dust all over the place. Standing on the floor, I struggled to grasp the situation at hand.

‘Did the surrounding buildings collapse?’

There was a lot of rubble nearby. It was fortunate that it did not fall on me.

‘Thanks to Hillis’ quick push.’

Come to think of it, what happened to him?

“Are you okay?!”

As the dust settled, my vision gradually recovered.

A faint voice was heard nearby.

“Here……”

I quickly moved towards the source of the sound.

Hillis had one leg crushed on the crumbling stone. He was trying to lift the stone using his sword as leverage.

I asked, “Are you seriously hurt?”

“It looks like everything is fine except for my leg……”

I bit my lip in guilt.

Had Hillis been alone, he could have avoided it completely.

It was because of me.

“I’ll do it, if you do it while lying down, your arms won’t work properly.”

“It is impossible with the strength of Madam—”

I grabbed the sword half recklessly. And sticking it in the crevice of the stone, I forced all my strength on it.

Of course, I couldn’t lift it easily.

“……damn it.”

I was pissed at my own helplessness. If I was strong like Rupert, or if I knew how to use magic-

‘No one would’ve been hurt, and Leah could have been saved.’

I hate myself for being this useless.

I grabbed the sword handle once more and gave it a strong push.

‘Move!’

My palm was torn because I applied too much force. Blood seeped out.

‘Please move!’

Click [sfx]

Then, with a faint sound, the pile of stones moved little by little.

“Get it out quickly!”

There was a little bit of free space. My strength was not enough to hold on for too long.

Hillis quickly pulled out his feet.

Boom! [sfx]

The pile of stones crashed in a short span of time.

“Huff.”

“How are your legs?”

Hillis, who frowned slightly, replied immediately and nonchalantly.

“Looks like it’s okay.”

It must be very painful but he brushed it off insignificantly. Rupert as well, do the knights even train to endure the pain?

Losing strength in relief, I let go of the sword and said,

“……I’m glad you’re still safe.”

I didn’t want to see someone get seriously injured or die because of me.

“Thank you, Madam.”

He must know that my image is not good, but he was a good man in many ways.

The dust had completely subsided, and only then was I able to properly look around my surroundings.

“Huff……”

I looked around.

And I realized one new fact.

Now, the collapsed appearance of my surroundings perfectly matched the landscape in my dream.

‘Maybe……’

I got goosebumps at the ominous feeling.

‘Now, there may be little time left to save Leah.’

I got up hastily.

“Madam, where are you going again?!”

In fact, I felt very sorry for him. Because of my mission, he also got caught up in my stubbornness. Nonetheless, he still tried to protect me.

“Sir Hillis, I’m all over the place…… I’m sorry I’m leaving you like this.”

But for now, Leah’s safety came first.

I ran quickly.

‘What the hell was the dream I had?’

In my head, the image of Leah crying alone, trembling in fear replayed endlessly.

Nothing was well understood, but one thing was certain.

I can never let Leah die.

***

Rupert saw flares exploding in the sky. It was green.

It was the color that meant Noel had been found.

One of the knights seemed to have found her.

He struggled to deny the faint sense of relief.

‘The flare for Leah is yellow, but no one has found her yet.’

It was only because of a minimal sense of duty that he informed his men about her and his daughter.

Kyaaaaaah—

It was only for a short time that he cared about Noel. Rupert focused once again on the fight.

“Sir Laurent, I will be the bait, so you aim for its nucleus.”

The man-made gargoyles continued to regenerate unless their nucleus was destroyed.

Laurent, standing by his command, gave him a hesitant look.

“But……is there no way to turn her back into a human again?”

Rupert glanced at Laurent. There was a feeling of guilt on the young knight’s face.

They were the victims as the test subjects. It was not easy for Laurent to make a decision.