CH 46

Psychke couldn’t follow what Croa was saying. Croa must have mistaken that her brief stay at Lestir’s residence was a lifetime. She was fortunate that she got the chance to correct the misleading misunderstanding, but it was hard for her end.

Then, after having talked to him for a long time did she only have the chance to apologize.

“It’s a little strange here, princess.”

Croa, who was running around, tilted his head uncharacteristically. Psychke, who was walking on the floor, raised her eyes. A five-pronged road that looks similar to what they had seen so far. However, Croa’s words that followed were different from before.

“There’s no way out.”

“Are we going to die now?”

“Mooom!”

When she heard that there was no way out, children behind them burst into tears that they had endure for a long time. She didn’t even get used to the blessing this Crow gave her. Not only she was filled with the cries of the children, but she also took a step back as if her heart would burst into when she heard an echo from somewhere.

She felt nauseous.

Psychke bent slightly and covered her mouth. Surprised, Croa jumped and stared at the children.

“You’re all so noisy. Shut up!”

But the children cried louder.

“Shii-”

Croa, who crumpled his face mercilessly, took something shiny out of his knit and put it on his hand. It was a pair of clothes that were so long that Psychke didn’t know how they were hidden in his tiny clothes.

“What are you going to do?”

Psychke caught Croa while she was vomiting in vain. She couldn’t take her eyes off the anxiety like a child on the beach.

“I have to break it.”

“What?”

“My dad said that. If there’s no answer, break it all down. Then one will come out.”

Duke, what the hell did you teach to this crow? His blue eyes trembled.

“I hate it because my arm hurts, but I can’t help it. Let’s go out and get some medicine, princess. My dad doesn’t like it when the Princess is sick.”

After finishing talking, Croa jumped up. No, she thinks it was more right to say that he flew up as if he had wings on his back. One foot, one foot. The stride was so big that it seemed to be flying, not walking.

Croa ran around the wall surrounded by black energy, appearing like flat ground and cut out like paper. It was a heavy sound of destruction that made the sound of rumbling and crying of a child go away and seemed to tear the membrane apart.

Psychke held on with her ears closed. Then, she clenched her teeth and raised her sword against a stone falling from the ceiling.

“Croa!”

The crow was called, striking out a piece of stone falling on top of the children. While dissatisfied, Croa adjusted the location of the falling debris as Psychke wanted.

“That child was Lestir’s servant.”

It was when she was leaning against the sword, covering her ears, and moaning in pain. She wasn’t sure. She felt like she already got to know Croa by shouting out his name. Stella’s eyes were filled with untimely curiosity.

“So, are you Lestir’s fiancee?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I see. That’s why you were similar to him.”

A certain longing permeated Stella’s face.

“You must have had a hard time because of that kid.”

‘That kid?’

It was before she even thought about who the ‘child’ was. Coming closer, she held her sword tightly. The rough, and calluses hands that resembled the desert.

“I’m glad.”

“…?”

Stella bowed her head apologetically. Psychke was dumbfounded because she couldn’t figure out why she was acting like this all of a sudden.

“What’s wrong-?”

“Look at this! There’s a real guy coming!”

Croa said, as if crying, who was happily breaking the wall. All eyes were turned to one side. A man was walking out of the real road hidden behind the wall, which Croa found. His eyes were unfocused as if he had lost his mind, and he had a long iron sword in his hand.

Standing in front of Croa, he lifted the sword high. He was in an awkward position like a person who had never held a sword before.

“You’re weak.”

The moment Croa saw a light from the other end, this child said

“Daddy!”

Then, a man popped out. Psychke, who understood the situation, frisked.

“No, Croa!”

* * *

Fortunately, the child’s father, who appeared at the other end was not cut in two. Croa, who slammed the claw on the floor, grumbled, but only neutralized it as instructed by Psychke. Parents of other children who appeared later were treated in the same way.

“We fell together, and we couldn’t see the other end, so I wondered where they went. This is how you should use it.”

Stella looked at the aisle that Croa had found with disgust. As if to imply that there was an enemy at the end, the passage was enveloped in deep darkness. It was too gloomy to go with the children. Croa hit her in the back of her head and tried to get away from those parents who fainted.

It was because Psychke was not the one who did it. She then fixed the sword.

“Take care of the children here. I’ll go inside.”

She didn’t know what was inside, but she just couldn’t wait for someone to rescue her. (TN: Raw’s a bit so confusing but remember that Aiden was calling peeps to rescue her.)

“Croa, you–”

“I will follow the princess. My dad told me to protect the princess.”

Psychke nodded to mean to do as he pleases. The children and Stella left behind would be exposed defenselessly, but she didn’t think it would be dangerous for them to come along.

It was because of Stella’s bizarre nonchalance. She must be hiding some last card, she guessed.

“Pillace Astania.”

She turned her head in surprise at the familiar sentence that was not unfamiliar at the same time. Stella remained silent as if what she had just said were hallucinations.

‘Did I hear that wrong?’

Psyche handed the feldspar for the children. And headed for the aisle with Cro.

“Be careful.”

Stella and the children who were left saw them off.

* * *

“I didn’t catch it well as I thought. What should I do?”

“That’s why you just had to draw attention as I told you to raise the doll moderately.”

“No, I didn’t know it would get that big. I’m screwed.”

It was a narrow room with a high ceiling. Unlike other places, the floor was stone. People wearing strange masks gathered around the huge magic circle in the center.

Psychke, who hid behind the wall, couldn’t take her eyes off the blood from young animals in the magic camp.

‘If the magic was used with animal blood… then forbidden magic? Is this what made this place weird?’

“Can’t we catch these things at a different event?”

“I made this magic circle, but it won’t work. They said this was also hard to generate.”

“But why women? Why did you fall in where only kids could only fall?”

“I don’t know. The coordinates must have caused an error, well.”

“Should I have just killed him? Oh, I feel uncomfortable. I should ask him when he comes.”

“Yes, I think it’s about time he comes.”

Forbidden magic worshippers began betting on when he would come. Psychke looked at Croa hiding across the street. Croa mouthed silently.

‘Is it him or something, are we going to wait until he comes?’

‘Wouldn’t it be better to wait and fight at once?’

Croa nodded as if he understood. But they had to revise the plan shortly after,

“The signal is here.”

It was because the red light suddenly blinks three times to fill the room. The forbidden magic worshippers had straight faces.

“I’ll bring the things I’ve locked up.”

The man stood up and was approaching where the two were hiding. Psychke and Croa exchanged eyes. Before they were even discovered, Psychke hit his abdomen, and Croa cut his throat.

Thump.

The body that had left its soul fell to the floor. The eyes of the wizards inside turned to the entrance.

“What? How?”

“You said possession of weapons was prohibited!”

Those who were in a hurry soon came to their senses and shouted a spell. The young animals on the magic camp rose to tremble. Their red eyes were the same fake masquerade as seen at the auction house.

“I’ll go to the left. Don’t get hurt.”

Croa left her side, telling her not to get hurt. It seemed to be an active effort. Her heart fluttered with unnecessary worries. Responding to his warning, Psychke overpowered the enemies one by one. They were so weak that she didn’t get to use her sword.

“Why are you so strong?”

“Is there anything else left?”

“No! This is all!”

The worshippers raised themselves again by chanting a spell whenever a monster fell. However, as the mana ran out, the ferocity became weaker. In the end, he couldn’t attack and almost collapsed as soon as he woke up.

It seemed to be sorted out smoothly like that.

“Tell me if you don’t want to die. How do I get out of here?”

It was time for her to cut the last trick. When he had dealt with one side, Croa threatened the wizard by putting her hand on the neck. The wizard teased with a blue face.

“I, I, do you think I’ll tell you that?!”

“Goodbye.”

“The Magic Circle.”

The blade that was digging into the skin stopped. A trembling finger pointed to a wall in one corner. If one doesn’t look carefully, there was a magic circle that was so small that you might think it was a pattern and was assimilated with the surroundings.

“Th, that thing, you can activate it in reverse.”

“Try it.”

“I… am unable… He is only the person who can do that…”

“Who is the ‘He’ you’re talking about?”

The blade was red. The blood ran down from the wizard’s body. However, the wizard did not open his mouth until the end, even though he had a horrified face. Psychke shook her head to say stop. They need to save at least one person to catch the main body. Croa, who made an impression, struck him in the back of the head and knocked him out.

“What should we do?”

“I am not sure.”

Psychke moved and carefully examined the magic circle drawn on the wall.

‘If I break it, it will be destroyed, but I don’t know what kind of reaction it will have once I hit it.’

She couldn’t stop Croa from hitting the wizard, who was also lost in thought.

“When there was no answer, the only way is to break it. Let’s break it down first! Let’s go! Aaaahhhhh!!”

As soon as the blade touched, a dark red spark splashed on the magic circle. Psychke was surprised and stepped back. Croa, who was flapping under the current, fainted for the first time with a crow-like scream.

“……. “

It was a truly an ignorant act. Still, it was helpful to know what a reaction was. To be sure, Verndia’s power from Croa felt weak as the magic circle were slightly damaged. The twisted coordinates seemed to return to their original state. But it was obvious that doing the same thing would make her look like a stupid crow, the same as Croa.

‘Is there any better way?’

It was time to move the fainted Croa to one side and agonize.

“I wondered what this fuss was about.”

She didn’t feel any movement for a while but there is something moving. It was same feeling when she encountered the beasts in the alley. She reflexively took her sword out and turned her back.

“It’s you again.”

A creepy voice like scratching a wall with fingernails. A man dressed like those fallen wizards stood at the entrance. A black mask with a black robe covering his whole body. Even his eyes were black.