CH 64

[You have gained the power of the sorcerer Radun.] 

Floating, a dark space all around her.

Serdel was relieved when she saw the status window floating in the air.

‘It wasn’t stolen!’

She finally got it. 

As a result, the original story was twisted one more time.

To her, who had only been screwed over until now, the feeling of screwing up a major plot point didn’t feel bad at all.

‘By the way, is this place a dream?’

Just because Radun’s power was gained, did not mean it was immediately available.

She had to train in a world beyond consciousness since the knowledge he had accumulated as a sorcerer was so vast.

‘I inherited the roots, but I still can’t use them properly.’

Just in time, the crow man appeared with a white fog.

‘So make it completely yours.’

After saying that, the crow man stretched out his hand and released his power. 

A spell ran from his fingertips with the light, wrapping itself around him and her like a rope. 

As if reacting to that, the bloody airflow and mist rising from the floor circulated around them, slowly expanding.

Startled. 

Even though it was only in a dream, it was like being trapped in a huge pillar of fire, the feeling of intimidation was no joke.

Whoo. 

For some reason, it felt like she could feel heat and pain like her flesh was burning.

‘Follow me.’

Serdel’s eyes changed.

*****

It feels like she stayed in a dream for quite a long time.

Serdel raised her head and saw the date and time displayed in the air.

It’s been exactly four days.

As she lowered her gaze, she could see the status window that appeared above the crow man who disappeared like smoke. 

[You have gained the power inherited from the sorcerer Radun through intense training.]

[Sorcerer class goes up to A]

[Lucky Points increase to 10,000

▷ Total points: 20,000]

Her body was overflowing with energy.

The crow man had completely disappeared, and the status window disappeared as if there was nothing more to say.

After a brief silence, as if the carpet was being rolled up, flashing began from the edges of the dark landscape. 

She knew it was the process of waking up from a dream. Serdel closed her eyes.

A clear smell lingered in her nose along with the sensation of being pushed out of space.

Also, her mind was refreshed.

She slowly opened her eyes when she realized that she had returned to reality.

“….”

Shadows fluttering over her knees.

In the meantime, a ray of sunlight shone as if revealing its presence.

There were green leaves in front of her, and small branches stretched out over her head. 

Above the branches, a clear blue sky could be seen through the open space.

For some reason it felt pretty close. 

This time she looked down.

“….!”

The ground was terribly far away.

It felt like her eyes were spinning at an unexpected height. 

Only then did she find out that she was up high on a large tree branch, she felt arms around her and looked back expecting to find Blenn or her brother.

Startled. 

Instead she saw a sleeping Falden.

Serdel’s eyes grew bigger.

What kind of situation is this?

Her eyes rolled around.

‘Why am I in his arms?’

She couldn’t even move her body well, that was how strongly he held her with his solid arms. 

“Hmm—”

He lowered his head as he exhaled heavily. 

If she hadn’t avoided his face in a hurry, his lips would have passed gently over hers.

‘It’s a relief that he didn’t.’

Instead, his nose pressed the skin of her neck.

A hot breath penetrated her thin shirt and poured down her body. The heat that hit her made her back stiff and her cheeks burn. 

“Hmm.”

He seemed pretty tired.

Falden rubbed his face.

His slightly rough lips brushed her soft skin mercilessly.

“….”

She was embarrassed and tried to move away from him.

That one rebellion was about all she could manage.

She wanted to move more, but she couldn’t.

‘Should I headbutt him?’

At least he would wake up now. 

But, still, he’s a Prince. 

She couldn’t possibly do that.

In the end, he eventually raised his head up, then lowered it down and turned to the side without realizing it.

“….”

“Ah—”

When he came to his senses, his eyes met her eyes. 

He looked terribly drowsy since he was still leaning his head on her shoulder and looking up at her. 

She couldn’t take her eyes off the golden eyes that contrasted with the red hair. It’s a shame they were in such a dangerous place

His eyes were very pretty.

“Are you awake?”

Her shoulders flinched at the deep voice mixed with sleep.

Slowly, he lifted his head and gently loosened his neck by moving it from side to side.

“How’s your body? How are you? Are you aware that you’ve been unconscious for 4 days? Oh, you don’t know.” 

While asking and answering alone, he looked over her again. 

“I thought it was wrong. Are you really okay?”

“Sorry for making you worry. I’m fine now.”

“That’s a relief. It’s a problem if the Young Lady is sick.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he sighed.

“With this opportunity, I plan to take a strong position instead of being kicked out of the imperial palace, but it would have all been ruined. Young Lady, you too, would have failed in everything you had planned.” 

That’s true.

“Young Lady’s body is not just yours. Don’t forget that we are partners.”

After a brief pause, he immediately jumped from the tree.

Without any notice to her.

Of course, there was no time to be surprised.

Serdel, who had fallen to the ground, forcibly swallowed her embarrassment and tried to move off of Falden’s body. 

Thanks to Radun’s energy, her body felt very light.

“Young Lady.”

“Wha!”

She narrowly caught what he had thrown carelessly. It was a communication device. 

“Look around.”

“Ah—”

It was quiet.

There was no one but him and her.

The feeling of the forest was quite different.

The air felt deadly and harsh, and the grass and trees surrounding their feet were more poisonous rather than fresh. 

They were not near the cave.

She could see that they had entered much deeper into the forest than that.

“It would have been nice if we could have escaped through the main entrance, but we couldn’t. It was a place like this.”

It was a phenomenon that didn’t exist in the original.

Falden, who gained Radun’s power before, was safely led outside where his subordinates were waiting.

Therefore, he had been trained in the dream for four days under their protection.

‘Is it because I screwed it up?’

Thinking that it wasn’t going to be easy to find their way back, Falden took out a piece of paper from the small bag he was wearing around his waist and unfolded it.

As Serdel was wondering what it was, she looked closely and realized it was a simple map showing the places he had been through so far. 

“Let’s meet them first. Oh, put in communication with Sir Redan.”

She touched the communication device like he told her to.

With a light and a short pause, her brother’s face came into view. 

A moment of awkward silence passed between each other.

[…A, are you okay?] 

“I’m okay. How about brother? Are you not hurt?”

[I’m, I’m okay. Are you really okay? I was told that you were unconscious yesterday—!]

Redan turned his head to the side and bit his lips. His eyes turned red.

His breathing was also shaky.

[Damn it. I thought something went wrong. I had all sorts of thoughts that I might have pushed you to the edge with my wrong judgment for a moment. I thought you were left alone in a place like that—]

Eventually, Redan covered his eyes with his big hands.

“I’m sorry, brother.”

[—You didn’t do anything wrong. Again— it’s my fault for not trusting you in the end. I should have believed you and listened to you more—.] 

If so, Redan would have waited a little more leisurely.

Serdel would not have been sucked into the cave that way either.

With unexpected variables in mind in advance, they must have prepared enough to separate from each other.

But he couldn’t do that this time.

She could tell that it had triggered Redan’s trauma.

He couldn’t raise his face because his emotions weren’t the subject. 

“Brother, I’m fine. I’m sorry for pushing you too hard.”

[—Where are you now? Serdel. This brother—don’t leave this brother alone. Because I’m scared. Serdel, this brother is scared.]

She was frustrated with herself. 

Her chest hurt so much.

When Serdel, who had her lips tightly shut, couldn’t say anything, Falden, who was wiping the back of his head, took away the communication device.

“You should get a hold of yourself now, right? Your reunion is when you meet each other in person. Don’t do it through the communication tool.”

[I, I apologize. Your Highness.] 

“I’ll keep it simple for now. Seeing that the nature of the forest has changed compared to yesterday, Young Lady and I seem to have entered quite deeply.”

Falden glanced at the forest once.

“The characteristics change several times a day.”

As he said that, the energy of the forest became different from before.

It became more brutal.