Chapter 7

"I will protect you, Ham-chan!"

She, surrounded by knights, hugged Aleksey tightly while trembling. Although she was not afraid of the beast, she was terrified of humans. The disdainful gazes that pierced her like dirty objects were unbearable.

Still, she desperately tried to protect Aleksey from the knights.

"Why hasn't this beast been destroyed? It should have been annihilated by the holy light!"

A young knight shouted upon seeing her. His voice made Aleksey flinch, and she clutched him even tighter in her arms.

Then, an older knight with a beard approached and scrutinized her from head to toe.

"There are beasts that even holy light cannot kill."

He muttered this, then drew his sword and struck twice.

In the next instant.

Her green arms fell to the ground, but the sword skillfully did not harm Aleksey, who was in her arms.

She fell, and was immediately surrounded by the knights.

The knight who had swung the sword knelt before Aleksey, who stood there in shock.

"Your Highness, I have come to escort you."

Aleksey, unable to comprehend the sudden turn of events, shouted.

"What are you doing to Pai!"

The older knight in front of him looked puzzled.

"Your Highness, did you give a name to the beast? Did you make a contract with it?"

"What are you talking about! Pai is human! She's the one who helped and raised me! Why are you doing this?!"

Aleksey cried as he pleaded.

"Your Highness, even if it is not a beast, with such an ugly appearance, it cannot be human."

Seeing the blood flowing from her body, Aleksey's intense anger exploded.

"Don't hurt Pai!"

Aleksey released the magic power sealed within his body and let it run wild. He blew away the knights around him one by one with his wild magic power and rushed to the fallen woman.

"Pai! Pai! Don't die!"

He clung to her chest, which was lying on her back, covered in blood.

"…Don't cry… Ham-chan… I wanted to hug you one more time…"

"No, don't die!"

"Ham-chan… Ham-chan… thank you…"

She lost her arms and bled profusely, then breathed her last.

"Aaaaaah! Pai, Pai, Pai…!"

She died with a smile on her face.

Aleksey fervently prayed that she would be brought back to life.

If the power that had brought him back to life could save her, he wanted to save her.

Then, Aleksey felt the sense of the immortal blessing given to him by his mother transferring to her. However, she did not come back to life.

"I'll give you my life. I'll give you everything, so please come back to life! Please, come back to life!"

Aleksey clung to her body and did not let go, further unleashing his magic power, which toppled the trees in the forest, making it impossible for anyone to approach for a while.

After a tenth of the Demon Forest was turned into a wasteland by Aleksey's magic power, he continued to call her name until he lost consciousness from the depletion of his magic power.

"Pai, Pai, Pai…"

When Aleksey woke up next, he was not in the cave in the Demon Forest where he had spent time with her, but on a bed.

"How are you feeling, Your Highness?"

A middle-aged man with a round face and a shiny bald head called out to Aleksey.

"Where is Pai? Where is Pai?"

Aleksey asked in a small, whisper-like voice. His body felt as heavy as lead, and it was a struggle to speak.

"…Your Highness, this is the castle in the capital. Do you remember me? When you were young, you used to pat my head."

Aleksey remembered the shiny head and nodded slightly.

"I am Georgy Bazarov. I am now serving as the Chancellor."

Aleksey did not respond to Georgy but looked around the room. There were about ten adults in the room, and among them, he found the knight who had knelt before him in the Demon Forest.

"Where is Pai? Where is Pai?"

His body was extremely weak, and he could not get up, but his gaze was fixed on the knight.

Seeing Aleksey's furious expression, the Chancellor decided to question him about 'Pai'.

"Your Highness, does the leader of the Imperial Black Knights, Abalkin, know about the 'Pai' you mentioned? I have not received any reports about it. What is this, Donato Abalkin?"

The knight called Donato Abalkin by the Chancellor frowned and replied.

"Chancellor, I judged that it was not necessary to report."

"That is not for you to decide. I am in command of this operation."

"…Pai is not human. She was holding Your Highness captive, so I killed her."

Upon hearing these words, Aleksey's body, which could not move, trembled, and he shed tears.