CH 59.2

Julia’s breathing suddenly trembled, albeit slightly. Legion was staring at the crackling bonfire when he eventually looked upwards.

“Julia, do you know what I’m feeling right now?”

“…”

“I know I shouldn’t be saying it in a situation like this, but I was thinking about what it would be like if only we were four years younger. I would be sixteen and you’d be fourteen.”

His memories slowly went back to the time when the two of them still had simply been a couple of ordinary boys and girls—before he was eventually taken to the battlefield.

“In winter, we would finally succeed in escaping the palace. We managed to break through the strict security of the Imperial Capital of Abeldishim before we made our way straight to the border port of Vestra. We would have to flee to a foreign country by boat, but the situation was not going that well, so we eventually decided to hide in the mountains and oversee the situation for a while instead.”

“…”

“Oh, look—we could see an army marching down over there. Looking at the flag, it appeared just like those of the Imperial Guard. They must have come to look for us, right? Even so, they wouldn’t be able to find us at all.”

He spread his palms over his eyes and began to move his head from side to side. Just like it was truly a reality, Julia unknowingly became immersed in the situation that he was currently talking about.

“After a few days like that, the guards, who eventually got tired and nervous, wondered if they actually missed something in the run. They had looked down on where we could go if we ran away since both of us were just children anyway.”

“Then?”

“They started dispatching their troops here and there and the place was encircled quickly. Of course, we got lucky. We escaped very nicely without missing a single moment and eventually succeeded in sneaking away.”

He looked into Julia’s eyes and coolly raised the corners of his mouth.

A what-if world that would have never actually happened. But it was something that Legion had always been dreaming of. Julia seemed to understand why he was really strong. While he kept on replaying his regrets all along, Legion still risked his life to make this ‘what-if world’ a reality.

“So, what we’re going through right now is kind of an ordeal for us to be happy. And who knows? There might be a wonderful reward awaiting right after we finally escaped the mountain safely?”

“……Yes, Legion is absolutely right. I won’t be thinking weakly.”

“Good girl.”

“Am I a kid to you?”

When Julia gave a faint smile, Legion’s eyes suddenly turned fierce. He kicked down the bonfire and put it out before he took Julia’s hand as they proceeded to hide behind a large rock.

“Legion?”

“Shh.”

Julia, who was dragged away in surprise, tried to open her mouth, but even before that, Legion pressed onto her lips tightly. And only after a while did Julia finally be able to realize why Legion was trying to hide themselves.

“Grrrrr.”

Beyond the chilling wind, a beast’s angry howl of breathing emerged. And it was not just one, but a lot of them and both Julia and Legion were already being surrounded.

Legion’s eyes glared at the horde of demon beasts before they sank coldly. He had been avoiding battles all along for Julia’s safety, but the current situation had given him no choice at all.

He pressed Julia’s head firmly as he forced her to hide amidst a crevice under the rock. The hole was small, but Julia’s body was even slender than that, so she could definitely fit in without much difficulty. Legion then got down on one knee and made eye contact with her.

“Close your eyes and count to a hundred.”

“Are you really going to fight? Please don’t. There are too many beasts out there and above all, your wounds…”

“I didn’t tell you for fear that you would get worried, but I’ve been through a lot worse than all of this.”

“Legion.”

“I promise. I will never die without you.”

He disappeared from her sight before Julia could even catch him. The sound of footsteps kicking off the ground, the excited howls of those beasts as well as the rattle of sharp objects clashing against each other had made the night air appear even more chilling.

Julia held her breath and sharpened her nerves. Every time she heard a ghastly scream, she became worried if Legion was the one who might have gotten hurt and her heart began pounding like crazy.

“Ku-uhk, how dare you…!”

“Kiiiieeekk!”

“I’ll never let you go!”

The beasts’ ferocious howls mercilessly pierced into Julia’s eardrums. The distance of the battle sounded much closer than before. It felt like the fight was right behind her back between those rocks.

“Kyaaaaak!”

Julia’s shoulders flinched whenever she heard a loud noise. She could already tell without looking at herself that her face was all pale and her hands were also trembling.

The battle did not fade over time, but rather, it became more and more intense. The hundred seconds that Legion said before had already passed a long time ago. Julia was worried about the situation behind her, but she still couldn’t bear to go outside. She knew that if she were to do that, she would become a burden to Legion instead.

Boom—!

Her eyes instantly widened in shock. A gigantic beast that was emitting some black demonic energy stood right in front of her. Its eyes, which shone with such bright yellow, were staring straight down at the fragile, white creature who had been hiding in the cleft of the rock.

“JULIA!!”

“…!”

Legion belatedly noticed the situation and cried out madly. However, it was already too late. The beast’s huge claws were right on top of Julia’s head at that moment.

She gritted her teeth. She instinctively wanted to avert her gaze, but she still had many reasons to persevere. All because she never wanted to die in vain like this……!

“Command. Item!”

A bright effect immediately appeared on her hand and an item window popped up. Julia quickly snatched the black object that appeared right in front of her eyes.

[▷ Magical Dagger

A dagger that had been imbued with the powerful magic of Grand Duke Agares. Number of usage left: 1.]