CH 50

*******

Canaren opened her eyes with a feeling of exhilaration. She slept soundly without ever waking up. Her body was as light as flying.

“Wow… I don’t like to be on night watch…. I’d rather kill you…….”

Roana was asleep on the sofa, with a blanket loosely over her body, drooling as she mumbled in her sleep. Canaren took the blanket, covered Roana, and went to the window.

She wiped the white fog with her sleeve, revealing the world that was still covered in snow.

‘There seem to be a lot of people walking around these days.’

Canaren tilted her head slightly. In addition, those in sight were equipped with some degree of armament. That’s right. They’re here to deal with the barbarians. The fact that Yulif and Roana were not at all different from usual came to her realization suddenly.

“Oh, you woke up early. Today I was going to get up first.”

“Good morning? If you are tired, sleep more.”

“No. I slept well. Ahhh…”

Roana yawned loudly and smiled mischievously. Canaren spoke to Roana as she combed her tangled hair roughly with her hands.

“If it’s okay, I want to go for a walk… Just a moment.”

“Oh, you’re doing it again. Canaren, if you want something, just tell me. Please repeat. Hey! Let’s go for a walk! Follow me!”

“Er, I don’t want to… I can’t.”

“Then what about this? If you don’t follow me, I’ll die!”

“Why would you say that?”

Roana quickly put a coat on Canaren, who was about to get really angry, and went outside.

The morning air that passed through the snowfield was colder and sharper than yesterday. She should walk a little bit.

Canaren, who was walking on the snow where there were no footprints of hers embedded, suddenly stopped her steps.

‘Just what? I think I heard a strange sound…’

“Miss Canaren.”

Roana called her in a stiff voice. Canaren instinctively clung close to her.

“I’ll just shoot this and take you back inside.”

Roana briefly chanted a spell and stretched her hand towards the sky. The magic that she had shot flashed like lightning in the sky and disappeared.

Canaren noticed that the light was a signal to someone. And that someone would be Yulif.

“What about Yulif?”

“First, go inside. It’s urgent. Hurry up!”

Roana urged Canaren with a smileless face. With countless quick strides, Canaren fled into the castle.

An ominous feeling spread like goosebumps all over her body.

*******

There were three men, including Derek, who left with Yulif at dawn. Anyway, the core of the operation was Yulif, and the rest were nothing but spectators, but Derek vehemently opposed it, saying he couldn’t be alone.

Because of this, a significant number of knights and wizards remained in Robelheim. Roana was deeply grateful to her own superior for his wise judgment.

Perhaps the lord had even anticipated such a situation? She thought about it for a moment, but Roana immediately gave up those thoughts. If he had expected it, Yulif would never have left Canaren’s side.

“Miss Roana, what happened?”

Canaren’s voice and gaze were agitated. Roa forced her stiff facial muscles into a smile. But instead, a dark effect came on, and her complexion became even worse.

She was as sensitive as she was delicate, and her five senses were more developed than normal humans. What she didn’t say, what she didn’t want to say, she quickly noticed. She was genuinely concerned, wondering if there was anything she could do to help.

Roana could understand a little bit of Yulif’s feelings for Miss Canaren, to the point he treated her fragile glass.

“It’s nothing. They seem to be wandering around looking for something to eat.”

“…Really?”

“Really. When did I ever lie to Miss Canaren?”

“You did. many times. You were supposed to have brought tea last night too, but Yulif took your place…”

“I was in a hurry to go to the bathroom. If a grown-up excuses himself on the floor, uh-huh, what kind of thing is that? Just imagining it is terrifying.”

As Roana shivered, she nudged Canaren into her room. Now without Yulif or Derek, she had to command the forces and build the defenses.

Fortunately, there was a barrier around Robelheim Castle. It was impossible to break in from outside by magic, so only by preventing any physical intrusion, Canaren’s safety could be secured.

Canaren grabbed the doorknob and let go of it. Roana’s actions were not casual. It meant that the situation was urgent. It wasn’t the time to hold onto her with useless conversations.

“Be careful.”

“Yes. I’ll be back soon. The lord will also come soon.”

Finally, the door closed with Roana’s grinning face.

A heavy silence rose up in an instant and weighed on Canaren. She took a deep breath in and exhaled, but her breathing was tight. She clenched her hands and paced around the room, sitting idly on the sofa, but the anxiety didn’t go away.

Eventually she went to the window and saw black figures from afar. The black horde drew closer at a rapid pace. When it became a distance where her bare eyes could tell what it looked like, Canaren was astonished. Not because of the barbarians who were covered in fur, but because of the monsters they wield.

The monsters looked different, but they were all bizarre and ferocious. Some had six arms, and some had a spider-like body with two long necks.

The number of barbarians was not very large, and there were only four monsters, but she did not think that it would be easy to subdue them.

Has Yulif ever dealt with something like that? Alone?

Canaren hurriedly took off the dress and started changing her clothes.

She must be ready to run away at any time. So that at least she wouldn’t be a hindrance to Roana.

*******

Rawr!

There was a deafening roar. The watchtower collapsed after being hit by the breath fired by a monster with horns on its head.

Roana gathering her exhausted magical powers and cried out, 

“Abandon the castle! All those who survived run away!”

There was no response. How many guys have survived? She might be the last.

Roana entered the castle holding her broken left arm.

After killing three of the four monsters, her allies were almost annihilated. The barbarians with monsters at the fore were still alive and well. It was a battle that had already been decided. It was impossible to prolong the time until Yulif arrived.

Roana made a quick decision; she would take Canaren away while the walls were collapsing.

“Miss Roana!”

Canaren screamed when the door opened and revealed Roana’s appearance. Roana, covered in blood, blinked her eyes with difficulty.

“Sorry for being late. I thought I would win, but they pushed me with numbers. Shamefully.”

“Do not speak. It looks like it hurts so bad! First, treatment…”

“Follow me. You will go out through the back door.”

“How are you going with this body? You’re bleeding so much…!”

“You must go!”

Canaren clenched her teeth. Roana is a wizard. She would have been able to escape if she ran off alone. Nevertheless, she returned because of her. Dragging her body, it looked hard for her to even stand.

Roana might want to let Canaren run away while she would die here. No, Canaren would not let that happen.

Canaren smashed the vase placed above the chest of drawers. She then took a sharp piece and drew a long line on her forearm. Her eyes narrowed instinctively at the sharp pain that cracked her delicate skin.

She threw the water out of her water cup and dripped the blood that was flowing from her wound into it. She held out the cup containing some blood to Roana.

“Miss Canaren, what the hell…!”

“Please keep it a secret from Yulif. If you drink it, it will heal your wounds. It will be hard to drink, but just one time.”

“Wait. To hear that my wounds heal, rather than that, how can I use Miss Canaren’s blood…”

“We do not have time. Under such conditions, both of us will be captured.”

Speaking imperial gibberish, Canaren forced the cup into the hands of Roana.

Roana looked at Canaren and the cup alternately with her eyes shaking madly, then shut her eyes tightly. She must have lost so much blood that she had gone insane, and Canaren was right.

‘My lord, I’m sorry. Please don’t kill me.’’

Roana tilted the cup.

‘…How can blood taste like this?’

There was no fishy smell characteristic of blood. For the first time in her life, blood smelled sweet and fragrant. She wouldn’t have had the slightest thought it was blood if she hadn’t seen Canaren cut herself right in front of her eyes.

Roana put down the cup with a puzzled expression. Meanwhile, Canaren wrapped her forearm in a handkerchief and prepared to leave.

The two ran down the hallway. Canaren saw Roana’s complexion gradually returning to normal, and sighed in relief inside.

The floor shook as there was the sound of something shattering, breaking, and popping everywhere. The castle was collapsing.

“We are almost there! Stay strong!”