The Guardian Knight of Affection-Starved Young Ladies

33 – Selassie (01)

034.

“Don’t go…”

“This is the cave that created that strange mist. We don’t know what’s inside. We can’t go in this state.”

“I said don’t go…”

Their voices echoed through the dark cave.

The long, dark passage of the cave seemed to stretch endlessly.

“Whatever it is, there must be something related to the mist inside. I’ll just check it and come back, so please let go.”

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“You’re my guard.”

Selassie grabbed Kallen’s wrist as he tried to head deeper into the cave.

Then she let go again.

She knew well that they couldn’t handle the pouring monsters if they were trapped in the unknown mist.

But the only person the girl abandoned by the world could rely on was Kallen.

“You’re my guard…”

A voice that lacks self-assurance.

It was a voice that clearly revealed how confused Selassie was.

It was a simple decision for Kallen to leave Selassie at the entrance of the cave and go in alone.

For some reason, the monsters that had been pouring out were nowhere to be seen near the cave.

If only the strange fog could be cleared, there might be a way to find out what was going on and resolve the situation.

Kallen brushed back Selassie’s hair, which was a mess from tears and cold sweat.

“I’ll be back soon.”

That voice was quite calm,

Selassie took in the sight of Kallen, who had been hidden by her hair.

Selassie replied in a suppressed voice.

“…Promise me.”

Those words did not suit her at all.

There is no such thing as trust in this world.

To avoid getting hurt, she always thought of betrayal first.

And yet, she was asking for a promise.

Selassie extended her right hand, thinking of Kallen, who had somehow become her only support.

That pitifully trembling right hand was extended with only the thumb and pinky finger outstretched.

“Promise you’ll come back.”

Kallen quietly looked at the extended hand, then squatted down and hooked his pinky finger with hers.

And then they matched their thumbs as well.

“If you see any monsters, go further inside.”

“Got it.”

Time was of the essence.

Kallen released their intertwined fingers and headed inside.

“Promise…”

Selassie watched Kallen’s retreating figure, then blankly stared at her own hand.

Somehow, she felt a bit more stable.

*

How far did it go?

The passage that seemed endless soon revealed its end.

At the end of it, there was a vast cavity.

Step, step.

Kallen’s footsteps were cautious, but in the silent cavity, they echoed loudly.

From the beginning, there was one question.

The pattern drawn at the entrance of the cave.

Kallen had seen that pattern before.

It was the emblem of the contract that Sinat had made with the spirit called ‘Lord’.

If you look closely, there are some differences.

However, it was hard to think it was unrelated.

‘The Lord said he was sealing something.’

Blamia said that the spirit called the Lord was sealing something.

The unknown monster that attacked him and Sinat must be related to that seal.

Thoughts continued, leading to a quite plausible conclusion.

If they brought that seal to set a trap for Selassia…

“…Altar?”

Kallen finally touched an object placed in the middle of the cavity.

It was a large rectangular shape, resembling what one might call an altar.

And the most important point was the smoke surrounding the altar.

The unknown smoke was spreading from this altar in all directions.

“Monster, altar, magic…”

Was the mist not magic but spirit magic?

Kallen began to examine the altar closely, leaving that possibility open.

When he swept it with his hand, a lot of rusty powder came off.

It seemed to have been neglected for at least a long time.

Standing tall, Kallen began to ponder.

Should he destroy it?

It was certain that the mist started from here.

But he couldn’t be sure if destroying it would stop it.

If destroying it made the situation worse, it would be the worst.

The contemplation was long, but the action was quick.

The situation is already the worst.

Selassia’s condition is not normal, and they can’t live in the cave forever.

Starve to death in the cave, or be caught and killed by monsters.

Kallen sighed, feeling the chill of frost wind at his fingertips.

“If I succeed, I live; if I fail, I die.”

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and a hollow laugh escaped.

Indeed, he couldn’t quit gambling.

Kallen muttered so,

Boom-!

A loud explosion echoed through the wide cavern immediately after.

*

Boom-!

Flinch.

Selassia, who was sitting blankly with her knees drawn up at the cave entrance, shrank at the sudden explosion.

Her head naturally turned towards the dark passage.

An explosion?

The passage is the direction Kallen went.

A loud explosion that could be heard so vividly from a passage so dark that its end was completely invisible.

It was a serious shock to the still unstable Selassia.

“Ka, Kallen…”

Selassia forced her still limp legs to move and stood up.

At the same time.

The outside of the cave began to become noisy.

The cries of monsters, which she had heard endlessly on the way here.

Her mana and stamina had long since run out.

In a life-threatening situation, the only person she could trust was Kallen.

Selassia forced strength into her trembling legs and walked.

Outside, monsters were coming.

Kallen was caught in an explosion at the end of the passage.

A situation where hope could not be found.

At that moment, when my head was spinning and I felt like I was going to throw up, the only thing that came to mind was the promise I had made with Kallen.

Selassia walked towards the dark passage.

The monster followed a little later.

“Kallen…?”

At the end of the passage, there was a wide cavern.

The ruby, glowing red in the darkness, searched for the silhouette of a boy,

and finally, its gaze landed on a corner of the cavern.

“Kallen!”

Selassia was surprised.

That her legs, which had already given way, could muster such strength.

Just seeing Kallen made her feel relieved.

But the situation was too urgent to think about why.

“There’s a monster outside…!”

Just as she was about to inform him that the monster was heading towards the cave,

Kallen’s dark pupils met Selassia’s.

“The monster…”

“Get out!!”

Kallen shouted at Selassia, clutching his heart.

“Wha…?”

“Run, Selassia!”

A reaction so different from what she had expected.

She had said the monster was coming from outside, yet he told her to leave.

What snapped her out of her daze was the blood Kallen spat out.

Only then did she notice.

The dark cavern.

The strange rectangular object in the middle.

And, the two lights embedded in the ceiling of the cavern.

No, they weren’t lights.

They looked like eyes.

So huge that she hadn’t realized they were a monster.

The two enormous eyes of the monstrous creature.

In an instant, an indescribable fear overwhelmed me.

My legs regained their strength only to collapse again,

and even though I knew I had to run away as Kallen had said, I couldn’t move my feet.

Was it because my legs had given out?

Or was it because I was afraid to run to a place where Kallen wasn’t?

While I was pondering this,

the monster, whose shape was becoming clearer in the darkness, was approaching Selacia.

Seeing something grotesquely twisted, like a hand, reaching towards her, Selacia closed her eyes.

Did my brother and Makbel use such a monster to get rid of me?

Still, it was a relief.

This deeply sorrowful feeling would disappear with death.

The wall of my heart, which I had tried so hard to close, began to crumble helplessly at the end.

I shouldn’t have been born in the North.

I wished I had been the daughter of an ordinary family, even if we were a bit poor, instead of a grand duke’s daughter.

I just wanted to be loved.

Would the knights, who were always ready to turn their backs on me, feel a little sad?

Makbel and Thorn would be thrilled at the thought of eliminating a competitor.

Father… I couldn’t quite imagine what he would look like.

But this is the end.

Selacia resigned herself with her eyes closed.

However, even after what felt like an eternity, she didn’t feel any pain.

Was it because she died too quickly to feel it?

Selacia lifted her heavy eyelids, leaving behind the tears that flowed endlessly.

“I… told you… to run away…”

What filled her retina was

the sight of a boy blocking the monster’s hand, looking towards her.

“…”

“Miss. If you can hear me, nod your head.”

The boy’s body was a mess.

His right arm and side, which had blocked the monster’s hand, were already rotting away,

and there was no part of his body that was intact.

What caught the eye the most was the area around his heart, which had turned black, and the fine line that seemed to be cracking.

He was protecting her with such a body.

Selassie couldn’t help but nod.

“Can you use at least one spell?”

Nod.

“Can you use a second-tier combat spell?”

…Nod.

Kallen, reflected in Selassie’s retina, sighed deeply and looked at her clearly.

“Use that on me.”

…

Selassie froze.

If she hadn’t heard wrong, he was asking her to use a second-tier spell on such a body.

It sounded like he was asking to die.

“I’m at my limit. This is the only way.”

Kallen said in a strained voice.

The way.

He was saying that using a second-tier combat spell on a body like a corpse was the way to solve this situation.

That’s what Kallen was saying.

“Head.”

At the urging words.

Selassie shook her head.

Tears wouldn’t stop flowing from her eyes.

But Kallen grabbed Selassie’s arm and brought it to his body.

“I’m not planning to die, so hurry up.”

The taste of blood was felt on his tightly clenched lips.

How could she refuse?

In a world stained with betrayal, he was the only one who spoke the truth.

If he had the strength to run from the corner of the cave to this place,

he could have abandoned himself and fled.

But what Kallen chose was to protect himself.

Tsszt-

The moment Selassie nodded, the last mana flickered at her fingertips.

And what spread across the wide cave with another explosion,

was a dark world that resembled Kallen’s eye color.