Chapter 35
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 35
Translation: godsn
If they came only for her, she might have let it slide. But if they dared to harm those around her, she would never allow it.
'I'll draw my sword as many times as needed. Losing people around me once was more than enough. From now on, I won't lose anyone.'
Echinacea gazed coldly at Ian's corpse before turning away. There was no regret, no pity. This hadn't been an act of vengeance—she'd simply eliminated what could no longer be left unchecked. Nor had she been driven by the Magic Sword's bloodlust.
Her desire to keep her new life bloodless paled in comparison to her resolve to protect those precious to her. The years she'd spent trying to save them had been anything but easy, and this second chance was her only one.
Her retreating footsteps carried no hesitation.
She picked up the sword she'd thrown earlier and grabbed a nearby lantern. Next, she took out flint and a bottle of lamp oil. Having once been her own barracks, she knew its layout well. After dousing the entire interior with oil, she lit the candle inside the lantern.
Then she lifted the cloth entrance and scanned outside. The number of Shadow Soldiers had dwindled significantly. The monsters had now grown so large one had to crane their neck to see them fully. Baraha remained exactly where he'd been earlier.
She steadied her breathing and activated her Mana Core. Soundlessly, her body slipped out of the barracks. Simultaneously, she hurled the lantern toward the structure. Glass shattered noisily as flames instantly engulfed the barracks.
Kiiiiiiii!
Nearby monsters turned toward the clamor and blazing fire. Screeching like nails on metal plates, they lumbered toward the flames. Using their distraction, Echinacea moved across the marsh undetected.
Baraha's barracks wasn't far. Upon reaching it, she entered without hesitation. The moment she stepped inside, a large hand seized her collar and slammed her against a support beam. A sword flashed toward her neck before jerking away in shock.
"...Echinacea Roaz?"
Yellow eyes widened in recognition. Though she could have evaded, Echinacea had allowed the capture and now greeted him calmly.
"Hello, Senior Baraha."
"Why are you—"
"Could you let go first?"
"Ah—sorry."
Muttering distractedly, Baraha startled and released the arm pinning her. Echinacea straightened her crumpled collar while studying him.
"Are your injuries alright?"
"Just scratches. Wait—how did you know?"
"I saw it happen before my eyes."
"Ah, right... More importantly, why are you in here?"
"I got swallowed accidentally. Senior Ian came in too, but I don't know where he is."
She lied flatly. At Ian's name, Baraha bared his teeth in a vicious grin.
"Who cares if that bastard lives or dies... No, forget it. Don't waste thought on him, Eki. He'll manage. We've no time to search."
"Understood."
Baraha was no saint—he'd hardly go looking for the man who'd stabbed him into the Node. Echinacea nodded obediently. Rubbing his mouth thoughtfully, Baraha spoke slowly.
"Anyway... stay hidden here for now. From what I've observed, we're relatively safe until the Shadow Soldiers get fully consumed."
"What about you?"
"Nothing edible here. I'll search other barracks. We'll need provisions to last."
"Have you ever been inside a Node before?"
"No. But I know that if we can just hold out here until the Node disappears, we'll be able to get out."
Baraha spoke bluntly while looking outside, then suddenly turned to face Eki. He took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing in a firm tone.
"Don't worry. We'll survive and make it out of here alive."
Though his words were confident, tension was etched across his face. He didn't show his fear. Instead, he gave her a reassuring smile. Eki silently studied him for a moment before asking quietly,
"Do you really think we can endure inside here?"
"Of course. If you're anxious, just trust me. I can protect one little junior like you."
Baraha spoke cheerfully as he lightly ruffled Eki's hair. His hand was surprisingly large and warm.
[Does that bastard even realize who'll end up protecting whom? How naive.]
The Magic Sword grumbled, but Eki faintly smiled in spite of herself. She was grateful for his kindness.
"Thank you, senior."
"Don't mention it. Just wait here without worrying. I'll be back soon."
Baraha nodded with a smile and began rummaging through the barracks for a sack to carry provisions. As she watched him, Eki pondered.
'Now then, what should I do?'
In the past, she had simply cleared out the interior of the Node and waited until it naturally dissipated to escape. Later, while researching Nodes, she had found clues about possible ways to break free from them. Of course, those were merely theoretical methods—whether they'd actually work remained questionable.
'Come to think of it, I remember reading some speculation about the conditions for a Node's formation in those documents. Hmm, I'll think about that later.'
"Senior."
"Yeah?"
Eki called out to Baraha, who was preparing to leave the barracks. Hesitantly, she continued,
"Actually, I've been quite interested in Nodes. So I read some books about them before."
"Oh? Do you know something useful?"
Baraha brightened at her words. She nodded.
"It was only presented as a hypothesis, but... they say Nodes have a Starting Point. When Rakia-giosa cuts through space, it's the origin point of that severed wound."
"Hmm."
"The book claimed the Starting Point is likely where the Node remains connected to the world. Though the Node is separated from reality, it's not completely severed, right? After a certain time, it returns to normal."
"That's true."
"If we consider the Node's restoration as Rakia-giosa's cut healing, then the Starting Point would be the first part to heal. Therefore, the book argued that the Starting Point would be the closest point to the original world."
"...That makes sense. If it heals first, that means it's the first part to reconnect with the world, so then..."
"Yes. If we can locate the Starting Point, wouldn't we be able to use it to escape the Node?"
"That's a great idea. I'm not sure if the Starting Point would be passable, but it's worth investigating. Even if we just hold out, the Node would begin opening from that point..."
Baraha rubbed his chin, murmuring thoughtfully. Eki hoped the book's speculation was correct. Otherwise, they'd have no choice but to wipe out the monsters and endure—which would require her to use mana. With Baraha's abilities, surviving this Node would be impossible.
"The problem is how to find that Starting Point."
"By any chance, did you see how the Node formed?"
"No, by the time I heard the emergency bell and came out, it had already swollen into existence. But it seemed to have started from the air above the camp's center. So then..."
"Then there's a high probability the Starting Point is near that area."
She finished his thought. A spark of vitality returned to Baraha's eyes.
"That's right. Eki, if we get out of here, it'll all be thanks to you."
He gave Eki a light pat on the back. Perhaps too excited to control his strength, she staggered slightly. She could have dodged but chose to take it, and it stung more than expected. When Eki shot him a sidelong glare, Baraha awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
"Ah, uh—sorry. Got a little carried away."
"It's fine. Let's just hurry and find the starting point."
Rubbing her back, Eki headed toward the tent entrance. Baraha alternated his gaze between her retreating figure and his own hand. Her back was startlingly narrow—made even more delicate by the rain-soaked dress clinging to her. And yet, when he had touched her earlier, she hadn't been trembling. Unable to hold back the words rising in his throat, he called out to her.
"Eki."
"Yes?"
"...You're not afraid?"
Eki turned to look at him. She recognized the unease flickering in Baraha's expression. She wanted to reassure him—just as he had tried to reassure her earlier. A faint smile curved her lips.
"You said you'd protect me, didn't you?"
A steady voice. A gentle expression. For a fleeting moment, Baraha's composure faltered. Eki stepped closer, gripping the sleeve of his uniform. Her gloved hand was absurdly small compared to his. Without hesitation, she tugged him forward.
"I trust you, so I'll be at ease. So you trust me too, okay? Let's get out of here together."
Baraha let himself be pulled toward the entrance. He stared down at the soft pink crown of her head, far below his own, still in a daze. Then, quietly, he answered.
"...Yeah. Let's get out of here, Echinacea."
Together, they lifted the tent flap slightly.
By now, the shadow soldiers had dwindled to near invisibility. In their place, massive monsters roamed, wading through the blood-drenched ground. With every lumbering step, ripples spread across the viscous liquid. Guttural growls, the screech of metal scraping, and shrill, almost screaming cries echoed from all directions.
Not a single one of these monsters was familiar to Eki. There weren't even any that looked like the same species. Each was grotesquely unique. Then again, these weren't true monsters—just anomalies spawned by the node's distortion.
Still, they shared two traits: even the smallest was easily the size of a two-story building, and none looked like something two mana-less squires could handle.
"Getting through quietly isn't going to be easy," Eki murmured. "There aren't many shadow soldiers left."
Baraha, who had been staring blankly, snapped back to attention at her words. After scanning outside, his brows furrowed.
"Right. With no prey left, they're just wandering aimlessly."
"Wait a second."
Eki turned back and rummaged through the tent. Though she didn't know whose it was, flint and lamp oil were essentials—sure enough, she quickly found a bottle of oil and a flint box.
"What are you planning?"
"Most monsters react to fire, don't they? Because they know humans are usually near it."
Answering Baraha's question, she yanked off a bedsheet. Drawing her sword, she sliced it into long strips.
"Senior, bundle these up and soak them in oil."
"You're making decoys."
"Yes."
Baraha began gathering the cloth strips, saturating them in oil. To add weight, he tossed in coins and buttons—whatever small trinkets he could find. As he stuffed the bundles into the sack he'd brought for rations, he asked,
"Where'd you learn this?"
"Our family's knights did this when traveling."
"Surprising. Feels more like a mercenary's improvisation."
"Does it? I wouldn't know."
Eki inwardly winced. The truth was, she had picked it up from watching mercenaries. But Baraha didn't press further.