Chapter 20: Visions of the Future
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 20: Visions of the Future
Herdin and the knights scanning the path ahead hadn't noticed a thing.
"Her—"
But before Blair could even call his name, a massive hand shot out toward them.
Crash!
With a deafening roar, trees splintered and snow erupted from the branches in a blinding flurry, obscuring all sight.
"Blair!"
The first thing Blair saw when she came to her senses was Herdin’s worried face hovering over her.
A split second before the attack landed, Herdin had sensed the danger, pulling Blair into his arms and rolling them both across the ground. Their horses were nowhere to be seen, having bolted in terror.
"Your Grace! Madam!"
The distant voices of the knights drifted through the thick, swirling snow.
Shaking off her daze, Blair checked on the sable in her arms. She had instinctively shielded it with both hands as if protecting a child, and the small creature was unharmed.
"Can you stand?" Herdin asked.
Instead of answering, Blair tried to push herself up. Sensing her stumble, Herdin steadied her and helped her to her feet.
As the snow began to settle, her vision gradually cleared. A one-eyed giant emerged from the haze. It was a Cyclops, a humanoid magical beast.
The moment Blair locked eyes with that massive, singular eye, she froze. Having spotted them, the Cyclops reached out to crush them.
Herdin coated his body in aura, scooped Blair into his arms, and leaped away to dodge the blow. His agility far surpassed the limits of a normal human.
At that moment, the knights finally caught up and began firing their bows at the Cyclops.
The sharp whistle of arrows cutting through the air rang out in rapid succession. However, the volley did little more than distract the beast, failing to inflict any real damage.
Herdin used the distraction to regroup with his men. The knight commander rushed over to them.
"Your Grace! Madam! Are you alright?"
"We're fine. Kyle, take Unit One and escort the Duchess from the forest. Unit Two will stay with me and hold the beast back."
"Understood."
The knight commander hurried off to relay his orders.
Herdin unclasped his cloak and draped it over Blair's shoulders.
"Hold this for a moment."
Blair stared at him blankly. There wasn't a trace of fear on his face. For a man who had fought on the front lines and spent his life in the beast-infested North, such composure was only natural.
But Blair was different.
If things play out like they did in the past, Herdin won't be in any danger, but…
The monster before her was terrifying, but the mere possibility of him getting hurt was worse. Even though she knew a future where he survived unscathed, the nagging fear of "what if" began to consume her.
Instinctively, Blair reached out and grabbed Herdin's arm as he turned to face the Cyclops. She felt like she had to say something, anything, but her mind went completely blank.
All she could do was look up at him.
Herdin glanced down at her hand clutching his arm, then at her terrified face, and let out a soft chuckle.
"Do you think I'm going to die?"
Handing Blair over to the knight commander, who had just returned, Herdin stepped toward the Cyclops. A brilliant blue aura enveloped his body and his sword.
"Madam, we must go," the knight commander urged Blair, who remained frozen, staring at Herdin’s retreating back.
She knew. She knew that staying here would only make her a burden. And yet, she couldn't move her feet, nor could she tear her eyes away.
Herdin ran up the attacking Cyclops's arm and leaped high into the air. He immediately channeled his mana to cast a chain spell, but in that instant, he realized something was wrong.
The aura-coated blade he aimed at the Cyclops's neck was blocked by the beast's hand. Normally, the strike would have sliced clean through the hand and severed the neck in one motion.
My mana…
The amount of mana he could channel was significantly less than usual. While still far more than an ordinary person possessed, the unexpected deficit threw off his calculations and created a critical opening.
"Graaaagh!"
Enraged by the deep gash on its hand, the Cyclops swung its massive arm wildly at Herdin.
Though caught off guard by the anomaly, Herdin swiftly dodged the blow. Regaining his composure, he formulated his next move.
He darted beneath the thrashing beast and slashed at its leg, crippling it to prevent its escape.
Next, the arm.
Having already wounded its right arm, he now targeted the left.
But the moment he severed the left arm, the Cyclops's wounded right arm shot out and grabbed him. A crushing pressure squeezed his entire body.
"Herdin…!" Blair screamed. She had just mounted a horse, about to flee with the knight commander.
At that exact moment, a crimson magic circle flared to life on Blair’s collarbone. Simultaneously, a fleeting vision flashed through Herdin’s mind.
A heavily pregnant Blair, looking at him with tear-filled eyes.
What in the world is this…?
Reeling from the sudden, inexplicable vision, Herdin felt his depleted mana surge back to full capacity. He did not miss the opportunity.
He immediately channeled his mana and cast a spell. An explosive burst of energy from within him tore the Cyclops's gripping hand to shreds.
Coating his sword in aura, Herdin simultaneously manifested a massive magic circle. Dozens of glowing blue swords of light materialized in midair, raining down on the Cyclops like a torrential storm.
"Gwaaargh!"
As the Cyclops writhed in agony, Herdin delivered the final blow, severing its neck. The beast finally went limp and collapsed.
Herdin wiped the hot blood splattered across his face with the back of his hand. Only then did a sharp pain flare in his abdomen, causing him to grimace.
His ribs had likely fractured when the Cyclops squeezed him.
Why couldn't I channel my mana properly?
For the past two months, busy with wedding preparations, he had only focused on physical conditioning, neglecting any training that required mana.
But while neglecting his training might dull his control, it should never have affected the absolute volume of his mana. It was as if a portion of his internal mana pool had simply vanished. Yet it hadn't truly disappeared, considering how quickly it had returned to normal.
Mana wasn't something that could just vanish and reappear in the blink of an eye. It was baffling.
"Herdin."
Lost in thought, Herdin snapped back to reality at the sound of Blair's voice.
Looking at her anxious face, the vision that had just flashed through his mind—the image of her, heavily pregnant—overlapped with the woman before him.
What on earth was that?
* * *
The sudden appearance of the magical beast brought the hunt to an abrupt end.
Ivan summoned the keeper of the Imperial hunting grounds to hold him accountable and ordered the Imperial Knights to investigate the incident. The evening banquet at the Imperial Palace was also canceled.
Consequently, the festive mood among the nobles, who had been excited to welcome the New Year, soured into one of tension and unease.
However, they could not cancel the first service of the New Year—a sacred ritual to offer gratitude to the gods and their ancestors. The service proceeded, though it was several hours behind schedule.
Upon arriving at the temple, Herdin and Blair headed straight for the annex to have his fractured ribs treated.
However, there were no clerics available. The priest who greeted them wore a troubled expression.
"Oh dear, what shall we do? It seems all our clerics are currently away…"
Among the clergy, only those chosen by the gods could become clerics and wield divine power. As a result, they were far fewer in number than priests and always in high demand.
"There might be one conducting a class for the initiates. I will go fetch them immediately."
As the priest was about to leave the waiting room, he turned back to Herdin.
"Ah, and as Your Grace knows, internal injuries require delicate treatment. It would be best if you removed your top."
Once the priest left, only the two of them remained.
Herdin began to undress. Blair reached out to take his clothes, but he hung them over a nearby chair instead. She was already so petite; his heavy garments would have buried her.
Unbuttoning his shirt, Herdin asked, "Can you really see the future?"
Blair stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"...I thought you said you didn't believe me."
Her voice was quiet, but a trace of resentment lingered in her tone.
"It's hard to believe, but if things like this keep happening, I'll have no choice but to accept it."
Herdin stripped off his shirt. Confronted with his bare, muscular torso, Blair subtly averted her gaze.
He gently cupped her cheek, turning her face back to meet his.
"Tell me. What else did you see in the future?"
Blair looked up at him. His eyes were still cold, but they no longer held the mockery of the previous night.
But there was nothing she could tell him.
Would he ever believe her if she said she’d been murdered and sent back in time? And that he might have been the one behind it?
Besides, the future he wanted to know about wasn't her personal tragedy; it was likely the truth behind the Empress's Palace Fire Incident. Since she didn't know the truth of that event either, she had nothing to offer.
Blair decided it was best to brush it off as merely an ominous dream.
Just then.
"Your Grace, Madam. We're coming in."
The door opened with the priest's voice, and two people stepped inside.
Blair glanced toward the door, only to freeze the moment she saw the cleric following the priest.
"Greetings, Your Grace. And to you, Madam."
Miella Elias.
The woman who had been Herdin's lover in her past life—and the one destined to become his lover again.