Chapter 228 - The Mysterious Attacker

Faustina was feeling like she was in a reverie. She was warm, and cozy, as if she was in someone's arms. The scent she sniffed belonged to someone who made her heart flutter, but she doesn't exactly know for herself who it was. She felt comfortable, wanting to fall into a deep slumber.

But then…

'I'll kill you.' A woman's voice.

A lick in her ear.

'Soon.'

Faustina woke up with eyes wide open—and that's when she saw just on her side fangs that belonged to a snake with green and purple color; whose mouth was wide open, ready to kill. Faustina froze on the spot, as the snake fell to the ground and bled. 

--

The king noticed her trembling body.

She was awake.

"Faustina." The king then buried Faustina's head to his chest. "Don't look."

The king was warm. He was ambling slowly; Faustina could feel his muscles tense and move as he uses his magic to kill the snakes that were continuously coming to them. Faustina could now hear them fully—their hisses sent shiver down to Faustina's spine, and she felt more afraid than ever. 

How did it come to this?

"Y-your majesty…"

The king didn't answer for a while after. There seemed to be no end to the snakes, given how the king continuously uses magic to kill them.

"Don't move." The king exclaimed. "One bite from them and you'll die."

The king had no staff, for he is an Opus user. Faustina couldn't help but think about death. The king was fighting even with his current state. It would be a matter of time before he wears out—Faustina had to do something—

And that's when Faustina realized. 

She was the one whose mana can be absorbed by the king. The more she can provide, the lesser the chance his body would take worse repercussions from overexerting his magic.

Faustina clenched her fist, commanding herself.

Her body.

Her mana.

Faustina shut her eyes tight, hoping she would miraculously be able to supply the king with more mana.

The king tightened his grip around Faustina.

"I told you to stay put, didn't I?"

The king's voice was a bit croaked, as if he was struggling. Faustina lifted her head to meet his eyes—and that's when she saw how pale he was.

"Your majesty!"

The king held her tightly, still continuously using magic.

The king is still in a weakened state. He is using the Opus—the blade that accompanied Nightmare. And being a double edged sword, it clearly has taken a toll on him. Faustina's brown eyes shut tight as she clenched her fist.

She had to provide him mana!

Faustina then gasped as the king fell—but he was able to support his fall by having one knee into the ground as a support. He was still holding Faustina into his arms.

He used magic.

The snakes were unending, attacking them with large fangs and slit, hostile eyes. 

Faustina closed her eyes.

Break the seal.

She had to give the king mana.

The king needs mana!

A crack in a certain lock then sufficed, as Faustina's eyes widened.

"Faustina…?" 

**

He could feel it.

Overflowing mana coursing through his veins, filling all the emptiness in his body. It felt like golden ichor, and he felt as if he was being replenished—all the pain which accompanied his compromised body, now began to fade. His dimming gaze grew clear, and his movement became sharp. He was able to stand again, and use his magic—which was five times stronger than before?

What was happening?

The king then glanced at Faustina, whose eyes were shut tight, hands clasped together as if to pray. 

And then—it happened.

Faustina's body then began to glow a golden color—no; it wasn't that her body was glowing—it was the thick gust of mana escaping from her veins. It was too concentrated that it created a glow of a golden sheen, like the light coming from the sun.

And this golden sheen had attracted more of the snakes.

The king cannot narrow down their den, as if they were just placed in the path—and this was no natural recurrence.

Someone had set this up.

The king now easily obliterated the venomous snakes. Soon, he was able to get out of the woods—they were now into an isolated part of the mountain path, with a bridge leading towards the main town. The bridge was clearly not sustained; it had moss sprawling across the rails, with the cobbled floor which should have been white, had a hint of rust into it. This place wasn't frequented—that is for sure.

This means that someone followed them here without him knowing.

But who?

The king stared, eyeing the vicinity. There was no one else he could detect—and it was either they had escaped, or they possess the same abilities as Abe.

Only an Albino can escape the king's ability to see presence.

The king held Faustina tightly, feeling a strange and heavy pressure. 

This isn't over.

Underneath the bridge was a lake water that had lotuses and mangroves. It was strangely silent, a contrast to all the attacks from earlier. And the king knew the pressure wasn't coming from his imagination. 

Years of training, and conquering a dungeon, had made him able to sharpen his senses. He managed to make up for his compromised health with strong training. But now that Faustina was continuously replenishing all the empty spaces—he felt as if he would be able to protect her fully.

Alexander Octavius IX held Faustina tightly.

The force that from that pressure was now becoming more evident at every passing second. The king turned towards the vibrating bridge; te small rocks then begun to move as the bridge shook from the pressure—

And that pressure came from underneath!

The king then summoned his sword, which then appeared into his hand. He gripped his transparent, crystal blade as he fixated his eyes into the lake. 

Slowly rising from underneath was a large creature with eyes narrowed into slits. It bore fangs that were large enough to cut through anyone else.

The bridge crumbled from its large body which harbored a green color that faded into purple. Its forked tongue was large enough to struck a person's entire arm—

The moment its eyes found its way to the gleaming Faustina, it struck its forked tongue to their direction. The king was quick in his reflexes to avert the attack. The snake's tongue landed to the ground, which left a mark. 

"Ignis!" The king chanted, making the sword of Feuersturm gleam crystal-red. Threads of flames then surrounded him, protecting both his body and Faustina.

Before, he had a hard time using this magic, as it drains his mana. But now, he was overflowing with it. 

The king then charged into the snake, and then rotated to swing his blade; the sword of Feuersturm cut through the snake's scale, which caused it to hiss loud. The hiss then sent acid-like liquid falling down; the acid found its way to the king and Faustina. His sapphire blue eyes watched how the acid stopped mid-air, and dripped down.

The barrier he had conjured earlier was able to stand the venomous acid.

The snake had scales that were hard enough not to be damaged by only simpler magic.

Whoever had set this up knew the king's abilities—and he does not intend to kill. The king thinned his lips, holding Faustina tight.

Who was trying to provoke him?

The king then held the sword vertically, closing his eyes.

"Ignis. Glacies." The king conjured, mixing elemental magic. "Naturalis malum."

A mix of type one magic, fire, and the branch of aquatic magic—ice. He mixed them together, forming a magic akin to a natural disaster.

The magic then flowed into his sword.

He ought to end this sooner before the snake would cause more problem in the town.

The king then calmly sauntered towards the snake, and then even with a considerable distance, he swung his sword mid-air; a slash formed with the color of purple then dashed towards the snake—and without any minute later, the large snake's body was cut into half, with is head falling back to the lake. The ground shook as the lake water splashed from the fall of the large creature.

The king then turned to Faustina.

And that's when he noticed it.

Her impossibly pale face, with expression agonized in pain. Her lips had no color, and she had dark circles under her eyes. The king blinked.

"Faustina!"

What was happening to her? She couldn't've got bitten. He paid close attention to protect her. The barrier was impenetrable. He couldn't have made a mistake!

Is it her mana leak? No… it's different.

The king gritted his teeth.

"Come out." He exclaimed darkly. "What did you do to her?"

Coming out from his hiding in the dark of the forest was a hooded man with a smile in his face. He held a staff that had the design of two snakes in them.

Slowly, he pulled his hood.

Paper-white hair, and red eyes.

The king's eyes widened.

"…Abe?"