Chapter 65

The flames grew increasingly vivid.

The fires on several trees did not spread to the surroundings but burned brightly and fiercely.

As if representing someone's emotions.

When Ian ran to the vicinity of the flames, the first thing he saw was the face of a caravan guard who looked like he had lost his mind.

He had fallen off his horse and was running with his back to the flames.

"There's a demon—there's a demon—"

Kwaah!

A dazzling pillar of fire engulfed him right after.

By the time Ian arrived, the pillar of fire had subsided, and a charred corpse collapsed from within.

Beyond it, Lucy's face, sitting on the ground, was revealed.

Her rough cloak.

Her hair sticking up in all directions.

Her eyes swirling with yellow and orange.

And her face twisted with sorrow and anger.

It was not difficult to understand why the usually expressionless girl had such a look.

"……"

Right in front of her, Miguel lay sprawled out.

The surroundings were drenched in blood.

His arm must have been severed.

Lucy was desperately clutching Miguel's left arm, which had been cut off below the elbow.

Perhaps trying to stop the bleeding.

"……!"

Lucy's gaze turned sharply toward Ian at that moment.

Her eyes flickered spasmodically.

Chilled by the subsequent eerie feeling, Ian lunged forward.

Kwaah—

A pillar of fire shot up right behind him.

The heat was so intense that he could feel it.

Ian rolled on the ground, regained his composure, and looked at Lucy.

Her eyes wavered.

"Mr. Ian…?!"

"Yeah, it's me."

"What have I done…"

The pillar of fire dissipated instantly, and the flames burning the surrounding trees lost their strength.

Lucy's lips trembled as she spoke.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…!"

"Don't apologize. It's fine."

Ian stood up and approached.

He had no intention of holding her responsible for actions taken reflexively in such a situation.

Besides, something else was more important right now.

"Miguel, Miguel…!"

Lucy finally burst into tears and exclaimed.

Without even glancing around, Ian approached and checked Miguel's condition.

His left arm had been cleanly severed from the middle of the upper arm.

His leather armor was torn from his left shoulder to his chest, and blood seeped through the gaps.

Miguel's eyes opened slightly at that moment.

"…Brother."

"Don't talk."

"Didn't go according to plan…"

"I could tell just by looking."

Miguel mumbled, on the verge of losing consciousness.

Ian looked at the severed end of Miguel's arm that Lucy was clutching.

Blood was still flowing.

The only way to stop the bleeding and prevent infection was clear.

"I'm going to cauterize your arm. Don't try to endure it; just pass out."

Ian ignited a fireball in his palm and said.

Miguel's pale lips barely moved.

"Damn…."

Ian immediately moved the fireball to Miguel's severed arm.

"……!"

The smell of burning flesh. Miguel, who had been trembling, soon slumped. It was probably better that he passed out.

Ian carefully handled the fireball to avoid excessive burning and then casually threw it away.

Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped.

"Keep holding it."

"…Yes."

Lucy nodded, tears streaming down her face as if she were in pain herself.

Ian stood up and approached the overturned carriage not far away.

The carriage was flipped over, but because of that, what was underneath was mostly unharmed.

Ian searched under it, picked up a backpack, and returned.

"Keep holding it."

Ian rummaged through the backpack, pressed a cloth against the burned end, and began to wrap it tightly with bandages.

He then nodded.

"Wipe the blood off his body with the cloth."

Lucy moved quickly.

Her hands were already covered in blood, but she didn't care as she wiped the blood from Miguel's chest.

Only then did Ian notice that Lucy was holding something in her hand.

It wasn't important at the moment.

Ian finally examined the wound on Miguel's chest.

Fortunately, it wasn't deep, and the blood was already clotting.

He must have fallen after blocking the attack with his arm.

Though he lost his hand, it was a better outcome than being cut in half.

"Heaven was on our side."

While removing Miguel's leather armor, Ian added.

"Was it Oleg?"

"…Yes."

"What about him?"

Lucy turned to look behind her.

Only then did the large, charred lump not far away catch his eye.

Oleg, along with his horse, had been completely burned.

He must have died while trying to escape.

The only thing that retained its form was the magical equipment he was wearing.

The charred corpse was not the only one.

Burned horses and human corpses were scattered everywhere.

"You must have suffered. Well done."

Ian added a cloth to Miguel's chest wound. The bleeding had almost stopped, so he just needed to be careful about infection.

While bandaging the wound, Ian continued.

"So, why didn't you follow the plan?"

"It was… the state of those people was strange."

Lucy said with a somber look.

"They came running and overturned the carriage. They were screaming and shouting, cursing wildly. Miguel said they were out of their minds."

"Out of their minds?"

"Really. Blood vessels were popping in their eyes, and their eyes were glowing."

"…They were intoxicated by contaminated magic."

Ian recalled Oleg and the smoke screen, and the contaminated magic that had spread.

They must have absorbed the contaminated magic throughout their bodies while passing through the barrier before it was completed.

Contaminated magic could cause various abnormal states depending on the type.

Fear, delirium, frenzy, and so on.

The crazed face of the man he saw earlier wasn't just due to fear of Lucy.

"He shouted at me. It's all your fault. He said he would just kill me. I tried to draw my dagger, but Miguel stopped me. And…."

Lucy took a deep breath, looking at Miguel's pale face.

It seemed painful to recall.

Just as Ian was about to say it was enough, her voice continued.

"You were right, Mr. Ian. I'm too young to wield a sword. He gave me this."

Lucy wiped the object in her hand on her cloak and handed it over.

It was a palm-sized talisman inscribed with ancient script.

The condensed magic within could be felt.

"He said this would send me far away. He told me to hide in a safe place and wait for morning. He said you would come looking for me. He said he would buy time, and to place my hands on both sides of the talisman and apply force. Then he walked forward."

"…You mean he faced Oleg to save you?"

Ian asked, surprised.

Lucy nodded.

"Yes. He blocked the first attack. But on the second… this happened. I couldn't use the talisman. All I could see was his bloodied axe being raised again. And…."

"You don't need to say more. I can tell just by looking around."

"…What he said wasn't entirely wrong. It is my fault."

Lucy continued, her voice trembling with suppressed tears.

"Miguel is like this because of me. If I had used magic a little faster, this wouldn't have happened."

"From what I can see, this guy is still alive because your magic is stronger now."

Ian said, finishing the bandaging and turning to Lucy.

"Because you didn't run, this guy is still alive."

For now. Ian swallowed the words he would normally have added and then continued.

"That's what I'm saying. Well done, Lucy."

"……"

Lucy's lips trembled, and tears finally burst from her eyes.

The flames on the surrounding trees grew and shrank repeatedly.

Ian didn't comfort her.

He just let her cry, roughly dressed Miguel's wounds, and headed for the carriage.

When he returned, he was carrying several broken pieces.

"Light a fire here. Put out the flames around us. We'll need to stay here until he wakes up."

"Y-Yes…."

Lucy wiped her tears.

Her eyes and hair flickered.

Hwaa, the fire ignited on the debris Ian had gathered.

As he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the flames burning the trees around them subsided.

Her flickering hair calmed down.

'She can do things I can't…'

How impressive.

Muttering to himself, Ian searched the carriage for blankets, cloaks, and other items. Some were covered in dirt and ash, but it didn't matter.

"…You want it?"

Ian asked, seeing Lucy reach out her hand as he returned to the campfire.

Lucy nodded.

Ian handed her the blankets, and she began to wrap Miguel's entire body tightly.

Such dedication.

Ian couldn't help but chuckle.

"Make sure he can breathe. Leave some for yourself."

"I can sleep with him."

"Sure."

Ian's expression turned serious as he noticed something.

He turned his head toward the darkness of the forest.

"……!"

Lucy did the same. Her face turned expressionless as she looked into the darkness.

Then, a shuffling sound came from the darkness.

"…My tail."

It was Charlotte, gripping her twin swords.

She muttered with lifeless eyes, then scowled upon seeing Ian.

"My tail…! Give it back…!"

Her steps quickened.

Just as Lucy's eyes were about to ignite.

"Stay here."

Ian raised his hand to stop her, drew his sword, and stood up.

He faced the approaching Charlotte.

"……!"

Charlotte's eyes, which had been glaring at Ian with hatred, began to waver.

Her steps slowed.

When she was close to Ian, she stumbled as if walking on ice.

"……"

Ian's eyes met Charlotte's, which were trembling.

Her face contorted in fear.

The fear of the one who had cut off her tail was deeply ingrained in her soul.

Thud.

Ian took a step forward at that moment.

Charlotte, who had stopped, trembled.

Her entire body seemed to bristle.

Ian approached her slowly, ignoring her.

Clang.

Charlotte's twin swords fell to the ground.

She crouched, trembling like a mouse in front of a cat.

Fear and humiliation mixed in her eyes.

She finally managed to speak.

"Rather… kill me…!"

From a captive's perspective, it was impressive that she could overcome her fear and speak at all.

Of course, Ian didn't care about such things.

He just stood in front of her, looking down at her terrified orange eyes.

"Before that."

Ian finally spoke.

Charlotte flinched and focused on his lips.

"Bring your employer to me. He just needs to be able to speak. Kill the others and bring their heads. All of them, without exception."

"……!"

Charlotte's eyes widened.

Ian had known from the beginning about the black carriage that was following the trackers at a distance.

He continued calmly.

"Bring the carriage too. We'll need it to travel."

"Then… will you… return my tail…?"

Charlotte stammered.

Ian snorted.

"Your tail isn't worth just that much."

"……"

"Especially considering what you've done."

"Y-You…!"

Charlotte spat out angrily.

But she had no choice but to follow Ian's orders.

She needed to get her tail back.

Crunch.

Finally, Charlotte picked up her twin swords as if to break them.

Despite her angry expression, she couldn't even meet Ian's eyes as she spoke.

"I'll… return… tomorrow…."

Charlotte darted into the darkness as if fleeing.

Ian, having retrieved his swords, returned to the campfire.

"Wh-What was that…?"

Lucy, who had been watching in a daze, asked.

Ian shrugged.

"Cleanup needs to be thorough."

"That's not what I meant… No, never mind."

Lucy shook her head.

It didn't really matter.

Ian chuckled and nodded.

"Sleep. Share your body heat with Miguel as you said."

"Y-Yes… Thank you, Mr. Ian."

"For what?"

"For everything."

With that, Lucy burrowed into the pile of cloaks and blankets.

She settled down next to Miguel.

They looked like a real father and daughter.

Thinking this, Ian looked at Miguel's face.

Still pale.

But his breathing was much more stable.

'At least he won't die right away.'

Thinking this, he reflected on Miguel's actions again.

Self-sacrifice.

Considering his usually timid nature, it was a truly uncharacteristic choice.

Had he grown so attached to Lucy?

Whatever the reason, it was a noble decision.

Especially in a world where the concept of altruism didn't exist.

'He said he wanted to live a long life…'

Ian chuckled and threw a few more pieces of the carriage into the campfire.

Finally, intense headache, dizziness, and fatigue hit him.

His entire body ached as if he had been hit by a truck.

But he couldn't sleep.

Even with a blood oath, he couldn't leave everyone defenseless in the realm of an unknown ancient spirit.

"I'd kill for a cold beer right now, really…."

Muttering to himself, Ian forced a piece of jerky from his backpack into his mouth.

It had been a long day, but the night was just beginning.