1456화
“There!”
After the gigantic fire magic fell on the Crown Prince’s mansion, the kingdom soldiers, under the orders of the third prince, were heading towards the mansion.
The mansion was still burning fiercely. A soldier pointed to it and shouted.
“Hurry! Until we find the Crown Prince’s corpse…….”
His words could not continue.
Boom!
As the bushes shook, a dark figure suddenly appeared before the soldier. By the time he regained his senses, his head was already trapped between someone’s legs.
“?!”
Suddenly, his vision soared to the sky.
With the sensation of his body floating, his gaze spun around the starlit night sky before eventually colliding with the armor of his comrades.
With a crash, the formation of the soldiers collapsed.
“It’s an enemy raid!”
The kingdom soldiers tried to sort out their formation with their weapons drawn, but quicker than that, the black figure had circled behind them.
Thud! Thud!
Dull and rhythmic impact sounds echoed as the soldiers fell one after another. The startled soldiers in dark surroundings swung their swords wildly but only harmed their allies.
“Get out of the way!”
The palace necromancers fluttered their robes and raised their fingers. But even faster than they could unleash dark magic, an ally soldier thrown by the assailant collided with them.
“Guh!”
A necromancer, who had fallen, grit his teeth and raised his magic circle again. At that moment, the light from the magic circle brightened the surroundings, revealing a woman in a black hood diving down from the air.
Thud!
Her backhand precisely struck the necromancer’s nape.
Immediately following her landing, she spun her body and swept her legs, sending soldiers flying like dust swept by a broom.
“Over there!”
The necromancers unleashed curses, but the assailant elegantly escaped through the gaps between the soldiers. Poor allied soldiers were petrified or doubled over vomiting from the curses.
“There’s only one necromancer from the Matuk faction!”
“Stay calm and keep an eye around!”
As the kingdom soldiers stirred, the woman who had ambushed them hid back into the bushes, keeping watch over the situation.
‘I can’t use my powers here.’
Lorraine pulled her mask up deeper and stared at the burning mansion.
‘Simon, may you safely escape with the Crown Prince!’
She initiated the magic circle prepared in her palm.
The ground magic circles that had been pre-set exploded in succession, plunging the surroundings into utter chaos.
* * *
Meanwhile, Simon, wearing the lich’s bone armor, was running while carrying the Crown Prince.
After blocking the powerful fire magic that had burned down the mansion, Simon had not faced any attacks while fleeing.
‘……Isn’t Lorraine too competent?’
Even though it was night, he hadn’t expected that she could perfectly draw the enemy’s attention with just Matuk and simple tools.
“What—what is happening?”
The Crown Prince, with a pale face on Simon’s back, asked. Simon hesitated slightly before answering.
“I’ll explain after we get out of here.”
“A—what about my father? Is my brother safe?”
Being royalty, he understood the dynamics of political relationships. Since his father and brother were safe, they wouldn’t dare target him, nor would they have any reason to do so. He seemed to have guessed that something had happened to the two of them.
“……I’m sorry.”
That was all Simon said, and the Crown Prince realized everything and burst into tears.
Simon kept his words to himself as he quickly passed through the sparsely populated residential area.
Ahead, the walls of Sagittarius could be seen. Once he crossed the walls, he could finally catch his breath and escape from the city.
“……Please put me down.”
At that moment, the Crown Prince’s feeble voice was heard.
“Pardon?”
“I have lost everything.”
He squeezed his eyes shut.
“There’s no meaning in living anymore.”
It was a voice that seemed completely crushed.
Simon paused for a moment, then truly set him down from his back.
Turning his body to face him directly, he said.
“If he were an ordinary person, he wouldn’t have dragged someone who had given up on life. But you are different.”
“…….”
“You must now become ‘king’.”
At those words, the Crown Prince’s pupils shook violently.
‘I never imagined I would end up saying such things, like in a storybook.’
As Simon thought for a moment, he steeled himself and spoke.
“The one who instigated the rebellion is the third prince Henrik. You are now the only one who can succeed to the throne of this country. If even the royal family, which should be a pillar during such chaotic times, is gone, Baldwin will truly fall into the hands of the First Army.”
Simon’s eyes sparkled.
“Do you still think there’s no meaning in living on?”
The Crown Prince breathed deeply, letting out a bubbling sound from deep within his chest.
Then, as if resigned, he lowered his head, and Simon said, “I will keep going,” before lifting him back onto his shoulders and running again.
There was no pursuit.
There were no eyes around.
His identity had not been revealed.
If they could escape Sagittarius amidst the turmoil Lorraine had created, it would be perfect. Although he worried a little about her, he believed that Lorraine could escape even from the worst situations.
As the walls drew nearer.
[Hehe!]
He heard the sound of Pier’s laughter ringing in his head. Knowing why Pier was laughing, Simon opened his mouth.
“Please press your head tightly against my back, Your Highness!”
As Simon said this, he kept running while lowering his body’s balance. He bent down like an ostrich, lowering his chin almost to the ground.
And right above.
Swoosh!
He felt something terrifying pass by. Perhaps the Crown Prince felt it too, as he trembled slightly.
‘This.’
Simon clicked his tongue and quickly stopped his steps, leaning his body to the side while still carrying the Crown Prince. This time, a terrifying dart shot past in a straight line again.
‘Fast!’
His nape was drenched in sweat.
As Simon sensed the next attack, he straightened his back and released the arm carrying the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince fell onto the ground with a startled “Ah!” sound, and Simon properly took a defensive stance with the lich’s staff drawn from the space.
Clang!
At that moment, a sword collided with him.
A fierce impact erupted, sending sharp sparks flying.
[Where do you think you’re rushing to?]
Clang!