The Guardian Knight of Affection-Starved Young Ladies

32 – Hiatt (04)

033.

At the entrance of Mount Hiatt, knights in armor were gathered.

“Probably… they’re up there.”

It was Cradus who broke the silence.

The words, uttered with a deep sigh, made the atmosphere even more somber.

The monster cleanup began early in the morning.

No matter how big Mount Hiatt was, there were nearly a hundred skilled knights.

If they set their minds to it, there was nothing they couldn’t do.

The reason they couldn’t leave the mountain until this late was one.

Because Celacia Hiatt had not yet escaped from the mountain.

“Damn it, I should have been closer.”

Cradus muttered, suppressing his frustration.

He noticed the strange fog in the midst of the monster hunt.

The fog stood like a wall separating the other cities of the Claire Empire and the north.

There were no warning signs, and by the time they realized it, it was too late.

Even if they tried to go over the middle of the mountain, they were stuck in place.

They would end up back where they started.

After that, they gathered the knights and reorganized, but it seemed certain that Lady Hiatt was trapped above the fog.

“…Don’t worry too much. Isn’t that boy with her?”

“That’s what worries me more. He’s not from the north, so in an urgent situation, would he prioritize the lady?”

“That’s true.”

Makbel nodded quietly at Cradus’s words.

His gaze eventually turned to somewhere beyond the fog.

In fact, he hadn’t planned this.

There was no one who could use such magic.

No, he wasn’t even sure if it was magic.

Is it right to call something that doesn’t apply any physical force and doesn’t let you pass through it magic?

The original plan was to ambush them while they were hunting monsters.

Taking advantage of their distraction with the monsters, they would use their superior power to force a surrender, and it would be easily resolved.

But the sudden appearance of the fog ruined all the plans.

In the meantime, Prince Thorn even tried to show himself without any sense.

Makbel fiddled with his short mustache and sighed.

The first thing that came to mind was the abnormal monsters of Mount Hiatt.

He had never heard of monsters using magic, but that was the only thing that seemed related at the moment.

“It would be better to set up a temporary camp nearby and take turns keeping watch, waiting for the lady to return.”

It was too late.

It seemed best to end it without taking any action.

Mackbell muttered so and naturally commanded the knights.

The old man was dreaming a new dream.

*

The trembling was severe.

The captured arm was held so tightly that blood could not flow.

At the same time, what was felt was a severe trembling.

“Miss.”

“…”

Breaking through the top to avoid the monsters was, in the end, the right decision.

I don’t know if the fog is moving.

However, the fog that stayed in the middle was gradually expanding towards the upper stream.

As if urging them to go up.

The monsters increased that much.

It was to the point where Kallen could no longer handle it alone.

In the end, it was difficult to handle with ignition, so he used the second-level natural attribute magic, Frost Wind, a little while ago.

Kallen remembered Blamia’s advice, but staying still would have made them the monsters’ prey.

Moreover, the most important thing was not to let Selassie discover his talent.

That seemed to be something he didn’t particularly need to worry about.

Because the situation was serious enough to create problems other than monsters.

“Hoo… Haa…”

She, who was always ahead, stood a little behind Kallen.

Holding her left arm desperately, she was trembling pitifully.

Rough breaths were constantly felt from her forearm.

As the fog expanded.

As the monsters poured in from all directions.

Everything pointed to one fact.

The ‘monster cleaning’ was a trap set by Mackbell.

That was enough to touch something in Selassie.

That day, what would have happened if Kallen hadn’t gotten angry?

Selassie, who was barely holding on, couldn’t possibly answer that question.

Even if she thought otherwise, she was still a liar.

Unconsciously repeating those words, she had come to rely on them at some point.

A precarious person needs something to lean on.

Even though she had vowed to herself to become a strong person,

Selassie was still nothing more than a fragile girl.

She was afraid of what would happen if she let go of the arm she was holding onto, so she held on tighter.

The place she was holding onto had turned dark as if blood wasn’t circulating, but her body wouldn’t listen.

She knew she had to let go.

If she was of no use other than barely holding on, she knew she had to let go of the arm so the boy could fight comfortably.

But she couldn’t do it.

The more she tried, the stronger her grip became.

“Sorry… sniff…”

Because she was holding onto the boy’s arm, she couldn’t wipe away the tears streaming down her chin.

Even so, she had enough shame not to lift her head proudly.

And so, she didn’t know what expression Kallen had as he looked at her.

Selassie trembled endlessly as she held onto Kallen’s arm.

‘Is it the shock of Markbell’s betrayal?’

Kallen calmly assessed the situation.

Seeing the trembling getting worse, it seemed that the realization of Markbell’s betrayal was gradually sinking in.

Considering how serious she had been at that time, it was understandable.

But it was hard to move like this.

Having to fight with one arm left him at a disadvantage.

– Crunch!

Kallen tore apart the body of the monster attacking from the side, covering himself in blood.

He carefully wiped off the blood that had splattered on Selassie.

As expected, the color was closer to wine than blood.

“Young lady.”

“Sniff…”

“Miss.”

“Sob…”

In the end, to escape this situation, either the fog must be removed or all the monsters must be caught.

However, considering the number of monsters killed so far, catching them all was impossible.

The only option left was to find a way to remove the fog.

At the very least, they needed to find the source of the fog.

But Kallen’s stamina was also reaching its limit.

It was quite a burden to continue fighting while carrying a person like a lump.

He called out to Selassie to bring her to her senses, but she was still out of her mind and wouldn’t listen.

Thud-

“Ah.”

In that moment of distraction, a hot pain surged through his arm.

The monster’s grotesque hand had pierced through Kallen’s right arm.

Kallen quickly conjured a frost wind to kill the monster.

“Sigh…”

No matter how he thought about it, there was no solution in this state.

Thinking this, Kallen gathered his remaining strength and looked towards the mountain peak.

Using up almost all his remaining strength was a considerable gamble.

If nothing changed even after reaching the peak, he would die as it was.

However, the result would be the same if he stayed like this.

So naturally, he had to bet on the place with even a slight possibility.

Indeed.

This was why he couldn’t quit gambling.

Kallen slightly raised the corners of his mouth and once again picked up Selassie.

“You said you were my sister. Stop crying, miss, it’s annoying.”

Kallen took a deep breath and ran forward.

At first, Selassie struggled to be put down.

But soon, she clung desperately to Kallen’s body.

*

“Found it.”

As large as it was, the summit of Mount Hiart was high.

Climbing such a mountain was a daunting task, and climbing it while carrying a person was even more so.

It seemed that the gamble Kallen had taken was failing.

Just as his strength was waning with the summit in sight, something caught his eye.

It looked like the entrance to a cave.

A cave in the mountains was not unusual, but in this situation, it was worth being cautious.

Especially if it was a cave emitting strange mist from its entrance.

There were no monsters around.

An eerily quiet, separate world.

Kallen let out a hollow laugh in disbelief.

His clothes were almost torn to shreds, and his right arm and body were riddled with puncture wounds and cuts.

How had he pierced through such hell, only to find such tranquility here?

The disparity was so abhorrent that Kallen was angry.

If this was a trap set by Makbel, or by Thorn who claimed to follow him, aimed at Selassie.

How could they commit such a cruel act against their own kin?

Kallen felt he could somewhat understand the loneliness Selassie had spoken of.

The retainers always changed their minds in favor of their own interests.

The person called brother was human trash, even attempting to kill him.

The father favored such a brother.

Even the relationship with Makbel, built on the longest trust, was a lie.

Kallen walked silently towards the cave, looking down at Selassie in his arms.

He needed to determine whether this loneliness was a disaster brought upon by herself or not.

Kallen was certain.

No matter what the beginning was, Selassie had struggled to survive.

Surely, her insides must have been turning pitch black.

So now, she trembles in fear, having been betrayed by the trust she had most desperately wished for.

“Miss.”

“…”

“I will not betray you.”

At the entrance of the cave, there was a pattern slightly different from the one seen on Sinat’s wrist.

Kallen engraved it on his retina and continued speaking.

“…”

Selassie tightened her arms around Kallen’s body and spoke.

Her voice was far from the usual gentle and soft tone.

“Liar.”

She uttered disbelief and showed a dependent behavior.

Kallen thought that was Selassie’s true feelings.

Having been abandoned by even Makbel, she could no longer trust anyone.

At the same time, she clung to the only promise made in that final moment.

She wanted him to deny it.

Selassie’s own words that he would betray her.

If that could calm her heart, he would do so.

Kallen whispered quietly.

“I will not betray you.”

The boy holding the girl soon disappeared into the mist of the cave.