CH 35

He thought he could hear the sound of water from somewhere, and indeed, a small lake appeared. It seemed to be a small lake created by a stream flowing from Lake Nice.

There were so many traces left by the other animals living in the forest, it was difficult to pick out only Canaren’s.

He was upset. If it had been daytime, he could have looked for her in the sky, but since it’s nighttime, that was impossible.

Yulif let out a sigh, and his face changed in an instant.

There was a white thing floating in the middle of the lake. The pale moonlight covered it.

Wings. It was wings

A pair of blood-stained white wings were slowly sinking into the lake. The ripples caused by the wings were scattered without reaching the edge of the lake.

“What can a flightless bird do without wings? Should I use it for decoration? It’s a waste to just leave it alone.“

Deltinus’ voice echoed in his head. The white wings that adorned the wall behind the throne rose like a nightmare.

“Wings… Yes, I’m fine now. The wounds are almost healed. I can’t get out of the Imperial Palace anyway… It’s nothing to worry about.”

He couldn’t understand the smile on her face that seemed to have resigned even after her wings were torn.

It wouldn’t be good to speak ill of the emperor, but why did she say it’s okay?

As he thought of the bloodless face, his anger surged for no reason.

Yulif got angry, not understanding her. ‘Don’t stay still, isn’t the emperor treating you like a pushover?’

Damn it.

Actually, he wanted to say something else.

He wanted to tell her to ask him for help, to tell him that she wasn’t well, to say she wanted revenge on the emperor.

Yulif knew now. At that time, he knew that even the words he had stored in his heart were not correct.

He should have asked her if she was really okay. He should have said he didn’t want her to feel unwell. If she asked why, he should have said it was because ‘I love you.’

It was not that he’s not going to crush Canaren’s heart when she says ‘it’s okay’, just in case she was worried.

Yulif’s reason, which had already been closed, was cut off.

“Canaren!”

Yulif exclaimed with blood in his eyes. At the same time, a tremendous amount of mana radiated from his body as if exploding. The impact broke the surrounding trees. It was like a hurricane scratching past.

Yulif approached the lake shore and reached out his hand. With a single gesture, large and small columns of water rose gently from here and there on the lake. Yulif was looking for Canaren in it.

“…Ha, ugh!”

Yulif grabbed his chest and leaned forward. He fell to the floor and coughed up blood. A lump that was closer to black than red was vomited out.

“No, now… Not now.”

‘Please, Canaren. I don’t want to lose her again. I can’t lose her now that I’m here.’

Yulif staggered to his feet. The excruciating pain continued as if the entire intestine was twisted. He wiped the dripping blood with the back of his hand.

Columns of water scattered and rain poured all around. Looking at the calm lake, Yulif thought about it.

Because of the side effects of his regression, he could not use his magic. There was only one way to determine whether the Canaren had fallen into the lake or not.

Going directly into the water.

If Deltinus had someone else ripped off Canaren’s wings and threw her into the lake. If he really did so.

He clenched his fist with all his might. This was no time to stand and ponder or think about it.

He threw himself into the abyss-like lake. Cold water wrapped around him like ropes.

Yulif couldn’t move his limbs. The phobia engraved on his body as a child undoubtedly bound him. Bubbles burst out of his gaping mouth.

‘Canaren… I need to save her.’

He was dragged down to the bottom of the deep, cold lake without a single rebellion.

*******

“Hah.”

Canaren sat on a thick branch and breathed in the cool air.

Even while she was resting, she was flexing her wings. If she let go of control, she would unconsciously flap her wings. She was moving from tree to tree in an attempt to escape without leaving a trace, and she would surely be in trouble if she dropped feathers.

The forest was dark as the sun had set in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, she knew how to read the airflow, so she was confident she wouldn’t get lost in the dark.

If she went straight to the south, she could go to Cisinaro, the capital, and if she went down to the southeast, she could go to the village.

Canaren gauged the direction and thought about where she was going.

It was only a matter of time before they realized that she had run away. Especially when the emperor finds out about it, he would surely send people to the village. He would take the villagers hostage and threaten her to return.

That’s why, all the more so she has to go to the village.

Arriving before Deltinus or Yulif took her hand, she had no choice but to take the villagers and hide in places they did not know. If they continue to live there, the number of Hwira people being hunted would only increase.

The villagers didn’t really know how cruel the emperor was, and how many people wanted to make them slaves. She has to let them know that they have to abandon the village.

‘Let’s find out where we came from.’

Canaren flew off the branch. From above she would come down with only rough terrain.

But not far away, a white pillar soared. Upon closer inspection, it was a column of water. Her head moved spontaneously in the direction of Lake Nice. It was in the opposite direction to where the column of water sprang up.

Then she remembered the small lake she had found along the way. Although not quite as deep as Lake Nice, the deep indigo water still seemed quite deep.

Contrary to her guess that it would not be a big deal, several more water columns formed. A pillar that seemed to shoot all the water from the lake into the sky suddenly fell.

The wind was calm and the sky was clear. There was no sign of a typhoon coming. In other words, that column of water was not a natural phenomenon.

‘Is it Yulif?’

It was a thought that immediately came to her mind, but there was something strange. It was natural for him to search the forest to find her. Why was Yulif doing that at the lake and not among the thick trees?

Canaren shook her head. Whatever the reason, it didn’t matter to her. She wasn’t even sure if the one in the lake was Yulif or not.

‘Whatever it is, let’s go now.’ Hardening her mind and going down again to the branches, a strange sound caught her ear this time.

“Keurrr.”

The low-pitched sound was definitely that of an animal. Behind her, long, narrow silver pupils stared at her in the darkness. There was animosity in the growling sound.

Canaren spread her wings, ready to take off at any time.

“Owwwww!”

The howl of a wolf shook the night forest. Its pupils, which had been glaring at Canaren, quickly changed direction. The sound of footsteps running on the dirt continued.

The wolf was not alone. It was running with its pack to the same place. Her sensitivity for smell caught the faint scent of blood mixed with the wind. There seemed to be a wolf who got caught up in Deltinus’ hunting and was injured. They might be taking collective action for revenge.

Phew. Breathing a sigh of relief, Canaren was about to step forward when her eyes widened.

The direction in which the wolves disappeared was towards the lake where the column of water came from.

At that moment, the image of Yulif, who was drenched in a cold sweat, looked faint.

His pale complexion that seemed as if he would collapse at any moment, his poorly cracked and chapped lips, and his cheekbones, which were particularly prominent due to his sunken cheeks, were clearly etched in her mind as if a picture was painted.

‘Why do I think of that scene when I am pressing down on my heart now?’

Reason rebuked Canaren. Yulif was a wizard. He could subdue a pack of wolves like that with just one finger.

Then, sensibility drove Canaren.

‘What if Yulif is sick and unable to use magic properly? What if the wolves attack him, who is weak? If you don’t do anything, Yulif might die. Do you want him to die? Do you hate him that much? But how many times has he saved you?’

‘Wait. It may not be Yulif.’

Canaren clenched her fist. She clenched them so hard that she felt a stinging pain as her nails dug into her palms.

Once again, her emotions whispered.

‘Yes, maybe it’s not Yulif. Then you’re lucky. You can relieve your conscience without getting caught. You don’t even need to get close. Just check to see if he’s there or not. If it’s really Yulif, it’s a chance to pay off your debts. Just like how he saved you.’

The hesitation did not last long. It was an absurd self-realization. She admitted it. Yet she turned her body and ran to the place where the wolves had gone.

The wish that it was not Yulif, and the wish that nothing would happen to him, swirled inside her.