EIITAB - Chapter 62 I Don't Like It
Even if it is Trampled and Broken
Hestia didn't look particularly surprised. After quickly wiping the corner of her mouth, she folded her handkerchief backward to hide the blood that had seeped into her cloth.
'It's tough.'
Hestia swallowed her sigh again. In inverse proportion to the strengthening of her divine power, her body was rapidly deteriorating.
'I keep falling asleep.'
No, she didn't exactly have the strength to keep her eyes open. She would rather lose her mind so she could forget the pain she was feeling now. However, her consciousness barely continued and she could not help but feel the pain in her body, which was unbearable.
Still, she could not reveal her physical condition to her companions. She cured Jerome. Now, the knights' hostile gaze towards her has softened a little. But what if he finds out she's sick?
It seemed as if the friendly atmosphere that had barely been established was about to come to naught.
'The knights might think I'm trying to show off...'
Although she knew very well that she was overly negative, her situation made it impossible for her to think positively.
"Ha..."
Hestia sighed quietly and rested her bean head against the wall of the carriage. Even breathing was a bit difficult for her.
'I'll have to stay undetected until the end.'
Throughout the journey that followed, she faked hemoptysis by coughing, and kept her bloody handkerchief hidden in her bosom, sometimes taking it away when the carriage stopped or burying it in the snow. was holding on.
'Let's try a little harder!'
Judging by the stories the knights were talking about, she thought she would soon arrive at the Dukedom of Kalathi.
Hestia pulled up her fur blanket and closed her eyes.
***
"It's a big deal."
Aslan, who was examining the sky, muttered softly.
"It's never been this warm."
It must have been very cold for Hestia and Angela, who had always lived in the south, but not for Aslan and her knights. The temperature was definitely higher than usual. Moreover, Kalathi Castle was located in the northernmost part of the territory. It's not surprising that there's a snowstorm every day, but there wasn't even a sign of it during the entire trip.
"... Strange."
Aslan's stern expression did not ease at all. Before he knew it, Dean, who was close behind Aslan, spoke vaguely.
"Your Excellency, if we continue like this, we will arrive soon. Of course...."
Dean glanced back toward the carriage and added a small word.
"If we had set out on our own, we would have already been inside the castle."
"Dean, it's not a good habit to add unnecessary information. Unless you have a different intention."
"Keuhumhum!"
When pointed out, Dean cleared his throat loudly and looked away, scratching the back of his head as if embarrassed.
"What about me? Why are you taking such a leap again? I'm just saying that's the way it is."
Aslan took a deep breath, looking as if he had heard all the nonsense.
After Hestia purified Jerome's poison, the knights' attitudes had become significantly worse. In the first place, he had no intention of mediating between them, but he still thought it worked out well. Then he paused and wrinkled his eyebrows.
'You're crazy.'
Now, really think about everything. What does it matter to him whether she is comfortable or not?
Aslan shook his head for a moment as if he could not tolerate himself for thinking such a thing. He consciously cheered up his mood and spoke loudly to the knights.
"Let's rest for a while."
"Yes! Power stop! Let's move on after resting!"
Aslan turned towards the carriage where Hestia and Angela were riding.
'First of all, I feel uncomfortable, so let's not put it off any longer and say what I have to say first.'
When he opened the carriage door, he immediately saw Hestia. Within a few days, her complexion became paler. It was something that he couldn't help but worry about.
"We will rest for a while and then leave."
Although it was okay for his subordinates to convey these words, Aslan insisted on doing them himself. This was because there was something that could not be put off any longer that had not yet been delivered to Hestia.
Hestia, without even guessing what Aslan was thinking, asked with her face.
"Then, can I come down for a moment?"
"However much."
Hestia inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at Aslan's slow response.
'Thank God.'
Her stomach was already churning like crazy. She held back and pursed her lips for fear of making Angela suffer, but she was reaching her limit.
At that time, she could no longer swallow the sour food and almost vomited it up. She thought it was fortunate that Aslan opened the carriage door. Cold but clean air came inside in an instant, and Hestia inhaled it in abundance. It happened in such a short moment that it could be said to have been a split second.
As the new air filled her lungs, her bad stomach calmed down as if it were a lie. Still, he thinks it would be better to take a little walk outside.
Hestia stood up as soon as Aslan gave permission. Then he stretched out his arm towards Hestia. His outstretched arms made her look at Aslan with startled eyes.
Her purple eyes seemed to be asking what he was doing now. Aslan cleared his throat awkwardly and added in a barely audible voice.
"Either grab it or get off."
But Hestia hesitated, unable to grab his arm. There seemed to be something unfamiliar about receiving Aslan's favor. Aslan became impatient and embarrassed for no reason.
"... If you don't like it, leave it alone."
Aslan muttered in an uncharacteristically calm tone. He was about to withdraw his outstretched arm, thinking that he had done something for nothing.
"I don't like it."
At that time, Hestia grabbed his arm as she quickly walked away.
"Thank you."
With a grin on her face, she carefully lowered herself to the floor, relying on Aslan's arms to support her. Hestia thought that he would turn around and leave her behind, but unexpectedly, Aslan remained steadfast. He seemed to hesitate for a moment and then made a suggestion in passing.
"Do you want to walk? Together."
It was an unexpected suggestion. However, there was no reason to refuse, so Hestia quickly nodded and agreed.
"Great. It just happened to be stuffy."
She stood next to Aslan. She thought he would go ahead and she would just follow, but no. For some reason, Aslan was slowly moving his steps to match her pace. Hestia was extremely grateful for that, and her heart felt tickled.
Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.
A cute sound was heard every time she stepped on the hard snow. Hestia found making footprints fun, and she quickly became obsessed without even realizing it. She was walking a lot more than usual and then she heard a loud noise nearby.
Hestia, who had been walking while looking only at the floor, quickly lifted her head up. Her shoulders were very narrow.
"Oh, it's a bird...."
Hestia, who was on guard, saw the bird flying into the sky and then let out a long sigh of relief. Aslan glanced sideways at her and muttered softly as if to scold her.
"You're so scared."
Hestia cleared her throat awkwardly. He tried to call her bluff, but she quickly relented. In any case, even if she were to brag in front of Aslan, who was called the Black Lion, she would be nothing more or less than a laughing stock.
Her cheeks blushed and she opened her mouth as if she was ashamed and embarrassed.
"Compared to you, yes. It's hard for me to protect myself..."
Then she nodded her head loudly as if Aslan agreed.
"It's a good response. If you can't win, it's better to avoid and protect yourself."
After catching her breath again, Hestia asked cautiously.
"But this time I did it because I thought the devil had appeared again. It was just a few days ago. What if there are some remnants left?"
Her voice became quieter as he went behind her. Hestia scrunched her neck and looked around her. Although she was pretending not to be, there was a hint of fear in her purple eyes.
The corners of Aslan's mouth slightly turned up because she looked cute that way.
'You're crazy!'
He covered the corner of her mouth with his large hand to stop it from moving uncontrollably. At the same time, he opened his mouth to reassure Hestia.
"We're the only ones here."
Only then did Hestia let out a sigh of relief and ease her tension.
"I've stepped up the guard. For now, you can't be seen around here, so you can rest assured."
"What a relief. I'm the only one in the carriage, but if I have to deal with you and the knights every time, my stamina will be exhausted."
"That day was a bit unusual."
Aslan, listening to Hestia's concerns, added as if making excuses.
"Normally, demons don't appear below Kalathi Castle. There's a wall right below the snow mountain. That is our cordon. If that area were to be breached, not only the North but also the South would come to an end in an instant."
Hestia glanced at him. This was because she thought that he was a man who had a knack for casually talking about a scary and terrible future that he was wary of and difficult to even assume.
Aslan's story continued a little further. Where do people in the North stay to escape the ongoing winter, what do they do, what do they usually eat, etc. Although it may not have been a very interesting story, Hestia listened intently to the stories Aslan told.
Suddenly, Aslan swallowed his sigh as if his heart was feeling heavy just thinking about the demonic beast. He lightly shook his head and spoke in a flowing tone.
"Well, it has absolutely nothing to do with you, as you have no reason or need to go to the snowy mountain."
That's not true. Hestia gently curled her lips and asked.
"... Okay."
Hestia answered with a sigh, trailing off his words. For some reason, his reticence was taken to mean that he was drawing a line that she didn't need to know. So she couldn't even ask why he thought that way.
Meanwhile, Aslan tried to conclude the cursory conversation, assuming that she had overheard most of his own story. But at that time, Hestia, who had been thinking about something, looked up at him with her serious face and asked a question.
"So the demonic beast is coming down from the snowy mountain?"
He nodded.
"That's right. It's clear. I have witnessed it myself several times."
When Aslan stopped walking, Hestia also stood up. His expression suddenly became scary, and his golden eyes were looking into the distance. Hestia knew full well that he was not measuring physical distance or looking at something.
However, she felt like she should also look in the same direction now, so she didn't ask anything and just looked where Aslan's eyes were looking.
A high mountain covered in permanent snow came into view.
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