IDEFYEM - Chapter 32
Black Man, I'll Do Everything For You Except Marriage!
Fortunately, I fell to the ground where there was a pile of soft grass and saved my life. Because it was a sloped area, my body was constantly rolling down.
This has to stop first...
'I'm dizzy...!!
I screamed, frantically fumbling for everything I could get my hands on.
Among them, I felt a strong tree branch being held in my palm. The lifeline that I finally found. I held on to the tree branch with all my might.
For a moment, I thought my arm would break, but fortunately, I was able to stop rolling.
After trying to catch my breath, I shook my head and took a deep breath.
"Wow, I really almost died... Huh...."
"Enri! Are you okay?"
Kael's voice rang out looking for me from afar.
"Hold on just a little while! I'm going now...."
What are you telling me to hold onto?
Strangely enough, it was only after hearing those words that I came to my senses to look around. The first thing I noticed was that my feet felt empty.
I was floating over a cliff, hanging on to a thin tree branch.
"This is crazy...!"
The difference between knowing exactly what situation I was in and not knowing was quite big. A feeling of helplessness and fear rose up to my chin.
I closed my eyes tightly and looked down once again.
'Wow, that's a relief.'
There seemed to be a waterfall nearby, and I could see water rising up instead of the ground. However, at a glance, the current was very strong, and crucially.
My big problem had just occurred to me: I couldn't swim.
What kind of luck is that?
I cried and closed my eyes again. The tree branches rustled precariously. I thought I could survive this life if I just avoided the Archduke.
Rather than being killed by him, I end up drowning.
The branches creaked once again.
'I'd rather faint.'
It feels so cold and painful to fall there. I shed tears and thought about my last words. Now not only the branch but also my hand holding it was at its limit.
"Hello, world...!"
Finally, with a crunching sound, the branch that was supporting the weight broke.
I gasped and opened my eyes wide from the shock of my body falling backward. At that time, a scene bordering on hallucination unfolded before my eyes.
Kael's face was visible on the cliff. Kael was seen jumping off his horse and throwing away his armor.
Kael, who saw me falling, was seen throwing himself without hesitation. I also saw him stretching out his arms to protect me. Soon I felt someone hugging me in the air.
'Nonsense...'
But the feeling of being touched was too vivid to think it was a dream. A cold body without a heart, and a desperate gaze in contrast. I have deliberately tried to think lightly in the face of the fear of death.
As I was hugged into an unexpectedly stable embrace, I felt like I was going to cry.
Soon, I lost consciousness, just as I had wished for a moment ago.
***
“Enri.”
There is only one person who calls me that.
"... Enri, open your eyes, please."
The voice that penetrated my ears was so earnest that it made me feel wet.
I wanted to open my eyes right away, but my body felt heavy as if a stone had been placed on it.
With a deep sigh, I felt him place his ear on my chest. I saw a dark shadow moving above my closed eyelids.
"Hold on a little longer. You can be as angry as you want later...."
Uh, uh, uh. For a moment.
I came to my senses, but I should say I'm awake...!
A man was approaching me to breathe on my lips. First, the feeling returned to my hands.
I waved my arms behind him and barely managed to open my eyelids.
"..."
Our eyes met in the air.
I thought the distance would soon get shorter since I saw that my eyes were open. However, Kael maintained a breathtakingly close distance.
Blue eyes waved like waves.
Suddenly, Kael hugged me so tightly that it felt like my body would be crushed. The feeling of being held in his wide arms was stable, and his eyes were kind. I felt pain as if I was bruised from the fall from earlier.
"Ugh,"
I moaned softly, and he stepped back as if surprised.
"I-I'm sorry. Other injuries...."
"I don't think there is one."
Water was dripping from Kael's hair and the clothes clinging to his body.
My body was also wet.
"Wow, I'm really alive."
That feeling once again reminded me that what just happened was real.
"How long have I been like this?"
"About an hour."
"The thing about Kael jumping earlier... I didn't see anything wrong, did I?"
The man nodded.
"Why did you do something so reckless?"
"It's all my fault and responsibility that you're in danger today."
Kael said, rubbing his head as if he was in pain. Suddenly I realized that there was bright red blood on his clothes.
"Wow, the blood...."
"It's not mine."
It was a voice filled with a bit of shyness.
"When you were hanging on the cliff... The group came closer. I'm sorry I couldn't go a little faster."
"No. In the end, you saved me. If it weren't for you, I would have died."
Now that I think about it, I couldn't even say thank you. While searching for the right words, Kael continued his explanation.
"When I checked the face under the mask, I saw that it was one of the first Prince's entourage."
"Yes? Why is the Prince targeting you?"
"Because I am one of the forces that support the second Prince, not him."
If he was the second Prince... He's the male lead from the original who goes crazy over the romance with the female lead, Sophia.
Kael supports him?
I was a little surprised and raised my eyebrows.
"There have been occasional checks since last fall, but I had no idea it would become such a big deal."
But it's also strange to be on the side of the first Prince, who immediately sends assassins to support his brother...
I quickly understood and nodded. Then I felt like I was forgetting something important.
"Wow, monster!"
Then, a slightly embarrassed look appeared on Kael's face.
"There have already been casualties, right? Should we go quickly and tell the story right now?"
"I think that would be impossible."
I raised my head and looked around when I saw Kael's eyes telling me to look around. For some reason, it had an unfamiliar atmosphere, unlike the forest I first entered.
"Due to the strong current, I had no choice but to be swept quite far away. This is not a hunting banquet area."
As I realized that I had fallen into an unknown place, a shiver ran down the back of my neck.
"Can we go back?"
This time, Kael looked a little embarrassed by those words.
"Did you think you would have to live here for the rest of your life?"
"No, whatever. Depending on the situation..."
When I answered hesitantly, the calm atmosphere eased a little.
"Then shall we do that? It doesn't sound like a bad offer."
"Is now the time for jokes?"
"It takes a day to walk back slowly to get back."
Kael said, laughing lightly.
"I will somehow deal with the monsters on the way. I heard the approximate appearance and size, so if I find it before a long time passes, there will be no problem."
"Is that possible?"
"If anything, there are knights of the Count's mansion over there."
I thought about Hayden's quickness and Sasha's arm muscles. Then I felt a little more relieved than before.
"Then shall we leave before the sun sets?"
"Can you walk?"
Kael asked worriedly. I stood up and stretched my body as if I were doing gymnastics as usual.
"Ugh, ugh."
A helpless scream, like that of an old man, burst out of my mouth. It hurt like my muscles were going to break, and my stomach was filled with water and I was very bloated.
Kael, who seemed to understand my condition at a glance, once again had a heavy expression on his face.
"It's okay, don't do that. I will carry you."
"Yes?"
"Even if it's uncomfortable, please be patient."
"It's not that kind of problem!"
I was raising my arm as if to wave my hand in refusal. As I was looking behind Kael, a strange light flashed in my vision.
'What is that?'
Before I could even move my lips, Kael pulled the sword out of its scabbard.
"I'm moving backward."
"Why, why?"
As soon as I could ask, I heard the sound of leaves rustling in the grass.
The sight that was soon revealed was as shocking as anything I've ever seen in my life. There was a large, strange creature that was twice my height.
It had a creepy appearance, like a combination of a fish and a dragon. Black scales protruded from its body, and saliva dripped from its open mouth.
"Thank you for saving me the trouble of finding it."
Kael muttered and sent me backward. I felt like I wanted to stop him because he said he was going to deal with it alone.
There was no way to remain isolated like this. I was backing away with the thought of grabbing my ankle or not.
The appearance of the monster reflected in my eyes looked a little strange. It walked unsteadily as if it couldn't figure out its direction, and most of all, even after spotting us, it showed no signs of approaching and attacking us.
It was strange for a monster to show such great hostility towards ordinary people.
Kael seemed to be thinking the same thing, as his eyes were quietly scanning the monster.
"..."
The moment when the tense tension calmed the air. Something happened behind me that I didn't pay attention to because I was distracted by the monster in front.
Suddenly something appeared behind me and grabbed me by the back of my neck.
“Kek, kolok... !”
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