In the vast clearing of the forest, there were only three shadows left.
Me, Ceria, and Shi-en.
The trees and rocks that should have filled the clearing had long turned to dust and scattered. The ground was in such a dreadful state that anything standing on it was bound to crumble.
Of course, we were not entirely unscathed either.
First of all, I had been running so urgently that my breathing was uneven. Since reaching the High Expert level, I had rarely experienced such rough breathing.
Moreover, my body was covered in wounds from battling the retinue of vampires. With my appearance drenched in blood, anyone would conclude I was not normal.
However, even this was nothing compared to the Imperial Princess.
Shi-en’s limbs had no part left uninjured. Blood was dripping from the penetrating wounds on her arms and legs, and the intense pain had caused her grey eyes to lose focus and appear blurry.
She was a girl who carried the blood of a dragon.
She must have been treated with utmost care since childhood. At the very least, she would not have faced such a gruesome tearing of her skin and muscles.
How much pain must she have felt?
A cold sensation passed through my chest. The only one left unscathed here was my junior.
Though I questioned whether I could still refer to her as my ‘junior.’
I forced a calm smile onto my face.
“The atmosphere has changed a bit, Ceria.”
“Senior…”
Ceria’s attitude toward me was complicated.
She stared blankly, then startled, looked down at her hands and eventually sent me a fiery gaze as time passed. It contrasted sharply with her previously cold expression filled with despair.
Soon, a faint groan escaped her lips.
“Senior, senior, senior… Ugh, ah… What, what did I…?”
“Ceria?”
In the vacant gaze of my staggering junior, a flicker of light shone like a flame. The more that happened, the more Ceria’s face filled with confusion and fear.
Something was wrong.
I had already suspected that Ceria was not well, but she had never possessed such a violent tendency.
To leave penetrating wounds on the limbs of an innocent girl.
Even when killing enemies, Ceria preferred to do it cleanly. Given her vacant gaze, it was rational to assume she had fallen into some kind of hypnotic state.
However, unexpectedly, that hypnosis might not be very deep.
Just the fact that she was confused upon hearing my voice suggested so.
I carefully took a step forward, harboring a faint hope. If it were up to me, I would have run forward and embraced Ceria, but there was the incapacitated Imperial Princess nearby.
If I provoked her carelessly, the princess’s life could be at risk.
So, I started calling Ceria’s name as cautiously as possible.
“Ceria, Ceria? Are you okay?”
“Ah, ugh, ah… This, this is Senior Ian…”
Finally, my name was mentioned.
Encouraged by that fact, I took a few more steps forward. Ceria trembled as she looked at me with fear-filled eyes, but she showed no signs of rampaging again.
Could it be ending like this?
Her mumbling voice stirred my dim hope.
“What, what am I… supposed to do…?”
“Stay calm, Ceria… You haven’t done anything.”
Her trembling gaze testified to her unstable mental state.
Her fragile hands would tense and relax repeatedly. As a skilled swordsman, I could quickly sense what the movement of those muscles meant.
Should I swing my sword?
I could see through Ceria’s hesitation clearly. Her muscles were showing frank movements to that degree.
Then I decided to ramble on about memories that came to mind. Perhaps it would help Ceria regain her senses.
“Ceria, do you remember the first time we sparred?”
“Sp-Spared?”
“Yeah, you used to follow me around after that… Do you remember what I said then?”
Suddenly, Ceria’s expression darkened sharply.
The girl, who had lowered her head, began muttering to herself. From her developed hearing, it seemed she was uttering fragmented sounds that might not even constitute language.
Soon, a dangerous glint flickered in her blue eyes.
I broke into a cold sweat and stopped in my tracks. The feeling was ominous.
So, I had no choice but to prepare.
It would take a little more time until Ceria’s mumblings formed coherent language.
“Me, memory… memory, memory… m-memory…”
“Right, will you remember?”
Thus, silence descended.
Thump, thump.
In the stillness of the clearing, only the sound of my heartbeat echoed in my ears. My hands holding the axe were damp with cold sweat.
At the end of a moment’s silence.
“I-I can’t remember!!”
With a shout that burst forth like an attack, a blood-red aura surged from the sword Ceria held.
It was several meters high.
The momentum Ceria regained, restoring the monster’s ferocity, was far more intense than before. Even I felt a momentary doubt about the outcome.
Primarily, the overwhelming amount of that magical power was the trickiest part.
The lion’s roar that erupted around Ceria pounded my heart like a wave. The mere sound felt like my insides were tangling, and even the blood-red aura exploded, creating a surge.
If it continued like this, someone would die.
Not me, but the Imperial Princess lying right next to Ceria.
If I hadn’t been prepared, it would have been disastrous.
The whole world was dulling to grayscale.
As everything lost its color, it began to gradually lose momentum, ultimately losing all power. Only I was racing through this monochromatic world.
It was only a few seconds.
No, even less.
I had already stopped time several times while fighting against the vampire bloodline. And unless I was a superhuman who had reached Master level, it was impossible to use such powerful force indefinitely.
The accumulated fatigue further shortened the duration of the stagnant time. This meant I had few options.
Therefore, my goal was singular.
As the halted time started to flow again, the Imperial Princess had ended up in my arms, rolling on the ground. I swiftly plunged the axe into the earth, channeling the method of resolution.
Thud!
The sound echoed like a tidal wave crashing against a breakwater, and the blood-red wave began a struggle with my silver barrier. The moment I struck the ground, the barrier surged high.
It was a level of skill that was incomparable to before.
Of course, there was no costless method.
The impact knocked my body hard. Momentarily, my consciousness blurred, and unfamiliar scenery almost unfolded before my eyes.
The barren wasteland.
As the scene of corpses sprawled across the ground registered in my retina, I bit my lip to regain my senses.
The acrid smell of blood restored my lucidity, the faint breath against my chest as well.
The princess muttered with unfocused eyes.
“Sir Ian…”
“Are you okay, your Highness?”
In my voice, which I tried hard to sound calm, a droplet of dew flowed down from the princess’s eyes.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… I’m so inept… and burdening you…”
“You’ve done all you could.”
I declared firmly, using a strong tone intentionally. It was to assure her that her efforts were not wasted.
In fact, the princess had done her utmost. Despite the clear disadvantage in strength, she had held her ground well until I arrived.
Therefore, I felt I had an obligation to make her efforts meaningful.
“You’ve endured well until now. The remaining tasks will be handled by me.”
“Yuridina-senpai…”
As I pulled out a healing potion from my pocket, the princess suddenly spoke.
Her panting breaths sounded weak. Nevertheless, she continued to speak to me.
“She isn’t normal… there’s no hesitation in her using violence. She even seemed ready to tear me apart, saying she craved blood, so I suppose she has very little reason left.”
“I know.”
“Can you… do it?”
With a worried expression, the small hand of the girl gently grasped the hem of my clothing.
Our gazes met in the void. She looked very troubled.
Even though she herself was not unscathed.
“Can you strike Yuridina-senpai, Sir Ian?”
I didn’t deliberately dodge the question.
Because I, myself, didn’t know yet.
Strike Ceria with my own hand?
It was a question I had never even contemplated. Ceria had always been my comrade, and I had never faced real combat where blood and flesh splattered.
However, one thing was certain.
I could never bring myself to kill Ceria.
It was doubtful whether I could even inflict an injury, let alone a fatal one. Moreover, the other was in a state where she could harm me without hesitation.
It was an incredibly disadvantageous condition.
But I didn’t have much time to ponder.
Bang, the blood-red wave completed its final assault and exploded. And beyond the swirling dust, a shadow began to tread lightly.
In the air, an ominous blue light hovered.
“Senior Ian… are you going to let your guard down again?”
Hearing the eerie question, I pulled the axe stuck in the ground and attached it to my waist. Instead, what was now in my hand was a sword.
For a swordsman, conversing with a blade was customary.
I hadn’t anticipated that it would become this serious of a duel.
I couldn’t help but smile wryly along with my cold sweat.
