Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Puppy
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Boom! The ground shook again, caving in once more. Rubid stared anxiously into the thick clouds of ash. Standing at the entrance to the audience chamber, he had no idea what was happening before the throne. As Lena approached Hiems, flames suddenly surged forth, and thunderous roars echoed endlessly from within, as if they were locked in battle. Then the fire died down, sending up a plume of black ash, and now the palace floor was vibrating continuously, as though the entire structure was about to collapse.
*What the hell is going on!*
Rubid searched frantically for Lena amid his growing unease. Then, in an instant, his field of vision shifted strangely. It rose from below to above, climbing higher and higher. His eye level changed, and his loose-fitting clothes suddenly clung to his body. Sensing the transformation, Rubid looked down at his palms.
*I'm back?*
His shrunken hands had returned to their normal length. His clothes fit perfectly now. It wasn't his imagination. He had truly reverted to his original form. But why so suddenly? As Rubid checked his condition, Lena's words flashed through his mind. She had said that if Hiems Grasha died, he would return to normal.
*Then...*
Was it over? Rubid focused his eyes on the flying ash and smoke. At that moment, someone emerged from the black pile of soot. It was Lena Rubel.
"You..."
Lena was covered head to toe in black ash, staggering as if enduring some immense strain. In her unrecognizable state—impossible to tell if she was unharmed or injured—she descended the stairs. She wobbled as though she might collapse at any second and thrust something toward Rubid.
"Promise..."
It was none other than the crown. Lena shoved it against Rubid's chest and muttered.
"...keep it."
With those words, Lena collapsed. As she toppled toward him, Rubid instinctively dodged. Thud! She hit the ground with a loud crash, and the swirling ash gradually settled. The now-revealed throne stood empty. Rubid's gaze moved in sequence: the vacant throne, the fallen Lena Rubel, and the crown she had just handed him. Right before entering this place, Lena had made a promise. If he kept her secret, she would hand over Hiems Grasha's heart.
*So this is...*
As Rubid looked down at the crown, a boom rocked the palace. Having lost its master, the structure began to crumble. Rubid gritted his teeth, eyeing the collapsing pillars and ceiling as he searched for an escape route. His gaze fell back on Lena. Covered in ash, Lena Rubel lay completely unconscious, as still as death.
...
An intangible force tore through the crumbling walls. Debris from the walls scattered in all directions, creating a gap, and through it tumbled two figures. It was Rubid, who had carved an escape path with slashing strikes, carrying the unconscious Lena.
*Damn it, why the hell am I...!*
Panting heavily, Rubid dumped Lena unceremoniously onto the ground. He was thoroughly irritated by the situation of having to look after her while she was out cold. They had nearly been buried alive when the path blocked midway. He desperately wanted to abandon her, but having dragged her out alive, Rubid grumbled curtly at the unconscious Lena.
"Debt's paid."
It was then, as Rubid shook the ash from his clothes, that a low growl rumbled.
"Grrr..."
He had barely caught his breath when the beastly breathing reached his ears.
"What now...!"
Rubid snapped his head up irritably, only to scowl even more fiercely. He was surrounded. Grotesque beasts with human faces and sharply protruding horns crowded the walls, glaring down at Lena and Rubid.
*When did these bastards show up?*
Those horns, those human faces. They were the minions of the King Who Caged the Lion, who had devoured the West. Hiems Grasha had judged that Lena Rubel, acting as the emperor's proxy, offered no chance of victory. So he had made his choice. Unable to win with half a force alone, he would borrow the power of the other half. Lure Lena Rubel with ash and leave her to the King Who Caged the Lion. This too was part of Hiems Grasha's scheme, though Rubid had no way of knowing it. Struck like lightning from a clear sky, Rubid gripped Lena's whip and counted the number of wraiths.
"Shit."
Curses were all that came to mind. The wraiths, fully committed to the hunt, had sealed off every direction without a single gap, drooling as they eyed their prey. Amid them, Rubid racked his brain. Fighting head-on was suicide. He needed to take out a few and slip away. But to do that... Rubid glanced at Lena, collapsed at his feet, his face twisted. From the way things were going, the wraiths were after Lena Rubel. He didn't care. Besides, he had more than repaid his debt by dragging her out of the palace. He had no obligation to die with her.
But...
"Damn it...!"
But if he abandoned her, this vicious woman might come hunting for revenge. With that excuse in mind, Rubid stepped in front of the fallen Lena. The wraiths charged. Rubid lashed out with the whip, severing the legs of the lead one. The ones behind trampled and stomped the fallen beast as they surged forward more ferociously. One leaped at Rubid. Crunch! He barely blocked its teeth with the whip's handle. The human face baring fangs made it all the more repulsive. After a brief struggle of strength, Rubid kicked the trailing whip hard. It whipped about, and needle-like slashes shot from the densely embedded iron barbs. Slash slash slash! The wraith fell riddled with holes, but no sooner had one been cleared than another pounced. Rubid smashed its face with the handle and spun to kick it away. Then he blocked another claw with his arm.
"Hey! Get up!"
Rubid stomped the ground while fending off the wraith. Dirt splattered onto Lena's face, but she didn't stir.
"This is driving me insane, for real!"
As Rubid bellowed, another wraith leaped, casting a shadow. Thinking it had suddenly grown dark, Rubid looked up and froze. A wraith with horns like a crown was plummeting down, shadow and all. Both his arms were occupied; there was no way to block. No time to dodge, no path to flee. Unbidden, thoughts of death crossed Rubid's mind. Ping. At that moment, a faint sound brushed his ear. A light breeze followed, gently ruffling his sweat-matted hair. Then came the roar of a downpour. Plop. Thud. Patter patter patter. What rained down with those sounds were the dismembered corpses of wraiths. The ones encircling Rubid were sliced apart and fell. Staring blankly at the wraiths swept away in an instant, Rubid turned around. What he saw was a scene straight out of a dream. Iura Plenus in red attire. Rig-nan Aiterner in black. And countless knights dressed like them.
*Why the hell are those bastards...*
here together?
*Son of a bitch.*
Rubid clicked his tongue briefly. It had to be a dream. No other explanation for those two appearing side by side. As Rubid denied reality, the wraiths surged again. The Eastern and Northern Knights charged to meet them. Knights and wraiths clashed violently. Though the fierce battle erupted, Rubid still couldn't believe his eyes. Even when his exhausted body buckled and someone steadied him by the shoulder, it was the same.
*Is this real?*
Rubid looked at Iura with bewildered eyes.
Iura's face was as stony as ever. Unable to tell if it was contempt or concern, Rubid irritably mustered his last strength and muttered.
"You bastard..."
With that, Rubid collapsed completely. As Iura tended to his insolent younger brother to the end, Lin was rushing to his fiancée.
"Lena!"
Lin lifted the fallen Lena into his arms. He brushed the ash and dirt from her face as he checked her condition.
"Lena, Lena."
No wounds, yet she wouldn't wake no matter how he called.
"Retreat!"
Iura ordered the Northern Knights. The wraiths howled. Blood and flesh sprayed. In the midst of that chaos, Lin desperately clutched the unresponsive Lena.
***
At that time, Uni and Enji were waiting at Do-um Palace for the knights who had entered the rift. As per Lena's request, Uni was under Eastern protection, and somehow Enji had ended up by her side. So the two children sat side by side, praying for everyone's safe return.
"Someone's coming!"
At a knight's shout, a horse burst through the rift. It was Lin and Lena.
"Miss!"
Uni paled at the sight of Lena in Lin's arms and ran over. Enji started to follow but stopped abruptly.
*No.*
I can't go. Judging instinctively, Enji forced himself to halt. He watched as Lena Rubel was carried away, supported by knights as if unconscious. It was confusing. Too much had happened all at once. And it felt like someone had orchestrated it all. Enji gazed secretly at the hypothesis he didn't want to believe. At his father, Marquis Rubel, standing off to the side.
...
About an hour earlier, right after Rubid had brought down Do-um Palace. Watching Lena and Rubid vanish into the rift, Enji clutched his painfully pounding chest in secret. He never could have imagined it. The wraiths pouring out suddenly, Do-um Palace collapsing like this.
*But why did Father...*
Why look after me? As if he knew this would happen in advance. Enji pressed his racing heart and stole glances at his father. He didn't want to believe it. But all the signs pointed to it. His father, Marquis Rubel, had engineered this situation. Just then, his father was issuing orders to the knights. A few knights mounted horses to report to the Northern Duke. And another knight, seemingly given separate instructions, nodded and walked out of Do-um Palace.
*An errand?*
Enji watched the departing knight curiously, then recalled someone slipping out that way earlier and gasped.
*The maid!*
Earlier, Lena Rubel's maid had run outside. Was he going after her? Enji's heart sank again.
*No way. Why would he bother with her...*
Trying to think positively, Enji bit his lip instead. Uni was Lena Rubel's sole maid. The person closest to her. She had plenty of utility. She could be interrogated for information or used as a hostage. As his thoughts reached that point, Enji quietly clenched his fist. Then he slipped out of the palace, avoiding his father's eyes. Moments later, outside, Enji ran while stifling a cough. His throat rasped as he gasped for air, but he endured the pain in search of Uni. Halfway across the garden, he spotted her immediately.
"Hey, let me go!? Hey, you sons of—!"
He heard cursing for the first time in his life from deeper in the garden. Enji hurried that way, breathless. Passing between iron garden gates and pushing through bushes, he saw men with Uni slung over one's shoulder.
*Huh?*
Unexpectedly, they wore blue uniforms. Enji hesitated upon recognizing the Southern Knights, but then flailing Uni spotted him.
"Hey!"
At Uni's shout, the knights turned. Enji flinched but had no choice but to step out from the bushes.
*Why are Southern Knights...*
He had forced himself out, but the situation was still baffling. He had expected Northern Knights—what was going on? Unsure if he should intervene, Enji wavered. Then Uni shrieked.
"This kid's your boss's lackey!"
And Uni's cry flustered Enji more than the knights. He had never told Uni his name or identity.
"Quick, stop these guys!"
Uni yelled again, snapping Enji out of his daze.
"I-I'm Enji Rubel. Please let her go."
As Enji stepped forward and stated his name, the knights hesitated. They seemed to know him, exchanging troubled glances before lowering their voices.
"It's the marquis's orders."
"See? I knew it! You're all dead meat—I'm telling old man everything!"
Uni screamed, kneeing the knight carrying her. The knights' faces twisted at her outburst, and Enji's heart plummeted.
*You idiot...!*
Threatening them like that would never make the knights release her. They might have already decided to silence her for good. And now, they probably wouldn't listen to him either. In a bind, Enji took a desperate gamble.
"Ah, Father!"
Enji muttered with wide eyes. The knights startled and turned toward the sound, and in that gap, Enji kicked the Achilles tendon of the knight carrying Uni as hard as he could.