Originally, other ordinary magicians would have been unable to use magic due to interference. However, since Mikhail had a genius talent for magic, he was able to use magic somehow. However, Mikhail, who did not know this fact, felt frustrated and as if he was going to explode because his magic power was not being used as freely as he usually wanted.
"Fuck!"
Finally, Mikhail could no longer bear it any longer and screamed loudly. As if to express his emotions, magical power surged from his entire body like flames and shook violently.
'Is there really no other way than to go around and search around like an ignorant person?'
Mikhail cast a wide range of detection magic around him. However, due to the interference of the contaminated magic, the detection did not reach the desired range. The detection accuracy was also much lower than usual.
"Phew."
Mikhail ground his teeth in frustration.
'Calm down. It's okay for now. She'll be okay.'
Mikhail kept repeating the same thought over and over again. If he didn't do that, he would go crazy with worry, anxiety, and nervousness.
'If the firestone had broken, there's no way I wouldn't have felt it.'
Mikhail closed his eyes and pressed his furrowed brows. At that moment, his detection magic caught sight of a group of knights in northern uniforms in the distance. They had pitched a tent and were resting inside.
'Are the guys who came to rescue Karina just pitching a tent and lying around over there?'
"These pathetic little guys!"
A curse came out of his mouth without his knowledge, but Jeremiah was nowhere to be seen.
'Why can't I see him? Max reported that he went to look for Karina himself.'
He felt even worse when he heard that Jeremiah had gone to find Karina himself, but thanks to that, he remembered it clearly.
'Surely he hasn't found Karina yet?'
Mikhail thought of Jeremiah, who had saved Karina before him during the hostage crisis caused by the escapees. It was fortunate that Karina had been saved, but apart from that fact, he was extremely upset that the Grand Duke had saved her.
"That guy is not qualified."
Mikhail muttered softly, barely able to control his emotions, and searched the surroundings again. Then he discovered a strange situation. There were red bloodstains scattered everywhere, and the corpses of monsters that had been cut down with a single sword were scattered here and there. This strange sight stretched out in a straight line toward somewhere.
'It's as if someone passed by and killed the monsters...'
As he thought about it that far, a guess naturally emerged.
"Ha. No way."
Mikhail furrowed one eyebrow and narrowed his eyes. He didn't like it, but he too was probably headed towards Karina.
"..."
Mikhail hesitated for a moment, then used stealth magic to hide himself and quietly followed the trail.
***
"I... Wake up... Your Highness!"
David woke up to a hand shaking his shoulder and a voice calling his name.
"Your Majesty! Rise up!"
His long eyelashes, shining like gold thread, fluttered and his eyelids opened. His blue eyes, like the ocean within, were revealed.
"I told you to get up quickly."
David squinted his eyes. The morning sunlight streaming into the cave was blinding. He raised his hand to block the light, and his long, graceful fingers stood out. Despite his wrinkled expression and eyes, he looked very attractive even in the morning.
"What's going on?"
He had just woken up and his slightly muffled voice flowed out. He wiped his eyes. with his hand. David looked tired as if he had not slept well.
"Did you have trouble sleeping?'
'Is it because the sleeping position has changed?'
Karina looked at David worriedly.
"Ah. Yes... A little."
'That's right. He slept sitting naked on the cold, hard ground.'
It was so uncomfortable that he couldn't sleep. Or else.
'You didn't lose sleep over giving me your shirt, did you?'
Karina woke up in the morning and saw a shirt covering her legs. At first, she was confused because she didn't know what it was. But then she realized it was David's shirt and was shocked.
'Why do I have Your Highness's shirt?"
When she looked for him with wide eyes, she saw David, wearing nothing on his upper body, sleeping awkwardly, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
'Surely you didn't take it off... Did you cover it because you were afraid I would feel embarrassed?'
Yesterday, Karina was so focused on surviving the near-death experience that she honestly didn't even realize how embarrassing it was to have bare legs or anything. But when she got over the crisis and woke up this morning and thought back, shame and embarrassment came crashing down on her like waves.
"Thank you, Your Highness. Here is the shirt."
Although she was grateful for the consideration, Karina decided to be shameless.
'He's the Crown Prince, so he wouldn't tease or threaten me with something like this. And even if he did, I don't intend to be manipulated either.'
Karina decided to just think about getting out of the Cursed Forest for now.
'There won't be much to see after escaping.'
Rather, it seemed David was more embarrassed.
"Ah..."
David took the shirt from Karina's hands, turned around, and quickly put it on. His back and waist were tightly woven with solid muscles, like a white leopard. His smooth white sides were visible through the fluttering white shirt. His upper body, stretching from his shoulders to put his arms in, drew a graceful curve. He quickly buttoned up the shirt and put it on, then turned his eyes and glanced at Karina.
'Huh? Are you embarrassed to show your naked body?'
Since the shirt was a perfect fit, his body lines were still visible to some extent even without him taking it off.
'It may only be a difference of one shirt, but the person involved may think it is a world of difference.'
Karina wanted to pretend not to know, so she deliberately threw out a light joke as if she was joking.
"You are sensitive to sleep, Your Highness."
"Yes?"
"Is it because you're so physically fit? I was so tired yesterday that I fainted right away."
"What are you talking about? What did I do yesterday..."
David's mouth, which had been speaking as if it was unfair, closed.
'I couldn't sleep because of someone.'
Words that could not be expressed lingered inside him.
"Ahem. It's nothing."
David cleared his throat and changed his words.
"By the way, you must have had a hard time yesterday, but you woke up early today."
"Oh, yes! Come here!"
Karina's face brightened and she led David inside the cave, telling him to come quickly.
"Look here!"
David turned his gaze to where Karina was pointing.
"...?"
"I found the waterway!"
It was a proud voice. Karina was excited that she had finally done her part. When she woke up in the morning, she was sitting there blankly, holding onto David's shirt, when she heard the sound of water from somewhere. She went inside the cave to find the source of the sound, and the sound of water was louder than she had expected from beyond the small hole.
"Do you see this pile of dirt?"
On the floor of the cave, there was a long pile of dirt running along the wall.
"This fell from the impact we made when we both fell into the cave yesterday."
Then Karina picked up a flat, sharp rock like a shovel head from the ground and started hitting the wall with it. Then, with a loud thud, the wall began to crack and a hole opened. When the hole became big enough to fit a fist, Karina gestured for him to look over it.
"...!"
When David looked inside, water was pouring down like a waterfall. Karina and David looked at each other and without saying a word, they began to dig into the cave wall diligently.
***
David and Karina dug a hole in the cave wall large enough for one person to pass through. David, who was looking closely at the water pouring down like a waterfall and the water flowing down, pointed to the right side with his finger.
"I see the current flowing quickly over there, so I think there must be a place where the water drains out somewhere over there."
Then he looked at Karina.
"Jump in and swim as far in that direction as you can."
Karina took a look at the water whirlpool and swallowed nervously.
"Yes, I understand."
Karina answered with determination. But in fact, Karina had never been swimming before. Even so, she couldn't say she couldn't do it in this situation.
'There's no other way anyway.'
Karina braced herself. She had seen people swimming in lakes and rivers from outside the water, so she decided to imitate that memory. Karina took a deep breath. Then, without hesitation, she jumped into the water.
Splash!
With the feeling of hitting the surface of the water, Karina's body plunged into the water. As soon as she fell into the water, Karina tried hard to get up onto the surface. However, her body did not rise as she had thought. Instead, she was swept here and there by the current, so she couldn't come to her senses. Let alone knowing where to go, it was difficult to even open her eyes underwater. Karina struggled with all her might, but it wasn't enough.
"Gulp."
The breath she was holding escaped against her will. The more she struggled to escape, the faster the breath she was holding escaped.
'I can't breathe!'
Soon, she felt suffocated and water entered her nose and mouth, causing her pain. The current was fast, so Karina was swept away by the flow. At that moment, when she was short of breath and sinking into the cold water, she thought she would die. Suddenly, she felt a strong force grabbing her wrist. Karina's body was pulled up to the surface in an instant.
"Phuha!"
David pulled Karina out of the water, breathing heavily.
"Grand Duchess! Breathe! Breathe!!"
"Cough! Huh!"
Karina couldn't even open her eyes properly and kept coughing and spitting up the water she had swallowed.
"Cough! Cough! Whoosh, gasp, gasp."
She was busy coughing and trying to catch her breath.
"Are you in your right mind?"
David patted Karina's back as she lay on the grass, panting.
"Ugh! Yes... Yes. I finally got out."
Unlike Karina, who was relieved that she had overcome another difficult time, David's expression was frighteningly hardened.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Yes? What?"
"Why didn't you tell me you couldn't swim?"
"..."
Even though she was soaking wet, David's gaze upon her was sharp and fierce, like a sharpened blade.
"Ah... I'm sorry for bothering you."
Karina was really embarrassed. Even though she tried not to be a burden, in the end, she was the one who received help in every situation. It wasn't intentional, but she had unintentionally caused trouble, so she had nothing to say even if she had ten mouths. David's expression hardened even more than before at her answer.
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