Chapter 53: Merleen, Fenrir, and Arthur (3)

Arthur's Point of View

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After reaching for the light, everything stood still in my eyes. It was as if time had stopped before me, with the dark environment my only company. My brain refused to think, and my body never reacted to my instructions.

But within a few seconds, all the numb feeling changed. There was a tingling sensation around my fingers, and my legs jerked. The air surrounding me entered inside my body, with my lungs and mouth gasping for oxygen. The feeling was like I climbed and ran up the mountain's top and all the air that I could grasp left me.

The panting sound became audible in my ears, reminding me of the value of life in this world. There was also something pressing my knees. But I paid that weight with no concern, since I remembered something before coming to this place.

"I'm alive?!" I instinctively shouted, while I peeled my eyes open and sat from where I slept.

The stony soil kissed my hands, and the leaves wrapping around me hugged my shoulders tight. As I panned my eyes around, the walls made of bamboo shoots and vines sheltered me from the skies above.

"Where am I?" I asked, and raised my hands.

I remembered everything that had happened to me. The events started when I tried to give up on the screaming sounds in the forest. But my heroic deed backfired when those people I met were mercenaries.

And then, I lost my left arm while facing them… I even saw Merleen charging straight in my direction, desperately reaching out her hands for me.

"MERLEEN! W-Where are you!" I shouted, and raised my hands.

Upon looking skywards, my eyes widened in shock. I couldn't believe what covered my vision. It almost felt like a dream, but I knew this realm was the real deal.

"My left arm… is it back to normal?" I tilted my head, questioning everything I saw.

But that was not the end as I slid my eyes to the right side of my bed. A figure of a girl welcomed my eyes and used my abdomen as a make-shift pillow. She remained still on my side while silently snoring in the dream world.

"Merleen?" I whispered, and caressed her head.

Her puffed out hair was like cotton candy in the garden. Merleen had a smell of roses filling the air, soothing my nerves and mind. She was an angel in disguise,

Despite my screaming earlier, the girl never woke up or felt alarmed. I could only guess that my voice calmed her senses instead of disrupting her mind.

"Thank god you're okay," I exclaimed.

I couldn't help but grin at my current condition. My left arm returned to my body as if it was a normal thing to do. There was no amputation inside the game. And I could only guess that some magic made it possible for my upper limb to regrow.

Merleen, too, became the blessing in disguise. The figure of her single-handedly fighting against those mercenaries was the last spitting image I saw before my consciousness faded away. I wanted to help Merleen fight, but my body could not move a muscle.

I let her defend me, which became a liability for her while clashing spells with the other mage girl. I dragged Merleen to my problems, since I was the one who charged straight in this direction.

But I regretted doing nothing to help others. Those mercenaries shone a different light. I thought I was about to protect them. It turned out, the wolves needed my protection.

The tiniest details of wounds on Merleen still covered her face. There were also signs of bruises and whatnot from the girl's shoulders. I just hoped that those injuries did not leave a scar, considering that Merleen was still a girl around my age. 

If those darkened marks ruined her beauty, I would get really mad against those mercenaries when I would see them for another day. But for now, what mattered most was our well-being.

"That reminds me… where the heck are we?" I mumbled, while gazing at every direction.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't place my finger into the puzzle. I could not determine the place surrounding these walls. And this house was not the work of man. It almost looked like other creatures provided us a shelter to rest for the time being.

I gingerly nudged Merleen's head and moved her to the side. Although this girl had already created bonds with my legs, discovering this place became my utmost priority. If I wanted to protect Merleen, I had to learn about my environment.

"I'll be back for you, Merleen," I whispered, and gave her a brief kiss on her forehead. 

I had never known that I had the guts to do that. But I did. I had never dreamed of kissing a girl, let alone a beautiful work of art.

Just as I planned on searching the place, sounds coming outside awaken my senses. Those footsteps did not belong to any humans or creatures I knew. It had four thumping sounds belonging to a four-legged animal. A growl followed afterwards, with the sound coming close in my direction.

My heartbeat reached over a million as I sensed the incoming danger from the other side. I glued my eyes at Merleen and lightly slapped her cheeks, hoping for her to wake up. Fortunately, my actions bore fruit and opened the eyes of the slumbering girl.

However, things had gotten worse, when Merleen woke up. She first looked at me with disbelief as she slowly widened her mouth.

"A-A-Arthur?!" 

Before she could even shout for more words, I went beside her and covered her mouth. Our eyes met for a few seconds before I told her about our situation.

"Merleen, you need to listen to me first… I don't know, but there's something lurking out there. It sounds and looks ominous. On my signal, we should run away, got it?!" 

Merleen wiggled her body and shook her head, hopelessly trying to convey her words. However, I knew how she felt. Just look at her struggling against that monster outside of this frightening room.

"You must have been scared, Merleen. Don't worry. I'm right beside you," I said, and held her mouth tighter than I ever could.

But Merleen refused to calm down, even kicking my legs. Despite those efforts, I did not let her go. Every time I thought about leaving Merleen alone in this world, I would become frail and emotionless.

I would do everything within my power to save and help Merleen. And I would love to talk about how Merleen carried me to this place. But the two of us were in a tight spot to do just that.

"I guess I'll leave our conversation for next time," I grumbled, while pulling my Clarent in my direction.

I shrugged my shoulders and expected the arrival of the eerie beats. As soon as the creature appeared from the door, I prepared my sword. 

The monster moved like a turtle with fangs as my eyes could only witness its terrifying shadows. I could not form the beast's lay-out. But I knew that shape would send a chilling shiver down to my spines. 

Within a few seconds, the creature emerged from the shadows and revealed its true identity to me. The ray coming from outside basked the figure, revealing the mother wolf I saved before getting my assed saved to this place. 

Merleen and I came face to face against a horrifying hound. That wolf bared its teeth as its eyes followed my hand reaching out for my weapon, with my other hand still covering Merleen.

However, the strain coming from my left arm was still fresh in my mind. I did not know if that sensation came from my phantom pain, but that excruciating agony hindered me from moving. It also exhausted my right arm, which I used to cover Merleen's mouth.

As I freed her from my shackles, Merleen stomped her feet and yelled at me like a child asking for a toy.

"A-ARTHUR! I TOLD YOU SO MANY TIMES THAT THIS WOLF SAVED OUR LIVES! AND YET YOU REFUSED TO LISTEN TO ME! YOU EVEN COVERED MY MOUTH WITH YOUR HAND! I KEPT WIGGLING AND WIGGLING, BUT YOU NEVER BUDGED! YOU IDIOT, ARTHUR!" 

It was the loudest sound I ever heard since I accidentally placed my earphones on with maximum volume. If I had not been careful to protect my eardrums, I might have lost my sense of hearing. I was still fortunate enough to keep my ears intact despite witnessing such a horrible fate.

And upon hearing Merleen's words, I lowered my sword and asked, "What do you mean by saved?"

Although I did rescue the wolf from the mercenaries, that hound also attacked me. I even had an inkling feeling that this wolf tried to kill me with its fangs and nails! And yet, here I was with Merleen, listening to her absurd stories.