(198) Even without me, always
As Theodore had predicted, when the leader fell, the enemies briefly showed a weakness. Wild beasts ran wild here and there, attacking their own side, and terrified elephants ran around in confusion.
Cyrus and Theodore did not miss that opportunity.
Since it takes too long to kill an elephant, they concentrated their attacks on wild beasts and humans, who could be dealt with more quickly.
As Louis continued fighting, she spotted Shini entering the belly of the dead elephant. She approached Shini while cutting off the leg of a charging lion.
“Shini, what are you doing?”
"The master is in danger."
Shini fearlessly entered the elephant's torn belly.
Louis knew what Shini was trying to do, but she couldn't stop her. The situation on her side was also bad, so she didn't have the strength to go help Ariana.
Even if she went to help Ariana now, it was clear that she would end up in a situation where she had to face enemies from both the front and the back.
Sini held her breath, dug deep into the elephant's body, and found the heart. She tore off a massive chunk of flesh, bit into it without hesitation, and chewed loudly as she crawled out of the elephant's belly.
Sini, covered in blood, had only her eyes shining golden. Although the sight was extremely grotesque, Louis did not avoid her and approached her.
"Will you be okay alone?"
Shini took another bite of the heart, which still had a lot left.
"I'll be going. Please take care."
Shini ran toward where Ariana was.
She once had such a thought.
Could she possibly not be a Paganus? Could she be a race with golden eyes living somewhere unknown to people?
And today, she realized that she was Paganus.
Shini felt a boiling power inside her from the moment she swallowed her heart.
It felt as though she would lose her human reason amidst the storm of immense power, too much for her small body to handle. Paganus creatures typically start with small beasts and gradually become accustomed to them before consuming the hearts of large ones; this was precisely to eliminate such side effects.
Her vision repeatedly blurred and then cleared. She couldn't tell if the sensation of the ground thumping was real or an illusion.
Even so, Shini ate the heart again. She shoved the remaining heart into her mouth without leaving a single piece behind and chewed it slowly.
A power that was not hers took over her heart and blackened her mind. She felt the pain of her insides burning from the unbearable force.
The moment she thought she wanted to let go of everything, a vivid blue illuminated her vision.
Shini's vision became clear.
'My good weather.'
The storm raging in her head subsided.
Shini knew what she had to do.
The little woman drew her sword and charged toward the enemies, emitting strength like an elephant.
Geor looked as if Shini was burning up her life.
He was worried, but there was no time to stop it. He couldn't miss the opportunity Shini had created.
Geor and Lanster moved to clear a path. Although Shini had gained the power of an elephant, so had the enemies. Paganus, who had eaten the hearts of elephants or other beasts, along with a real elephant, was blocking their way.
Geor and Lanster fought frantically. They slashed, tore, and leaped over charging enemies to slash again. Shini did the same.
The enemies who realized that Shini was Paganus concentrated their attacks on her. The elephant's strength made her skin hard, but it was not as hard as a real elephant's.
Shini's flesh was torn and gouged. Blood spurted and flowed from the open wounds. Her clothes were stained red, and her face was a wreck, but Shini did not stop.
It was a situation where three of them had to face over thirty Paganus, elephants, and wild beasts. It was only natural that they would run out of energy before they could kill them all.
There were more living enemies moving around than dead corpses lying around.
Geor glared straight ahead with blood-stained vision and gripped his sword tightly.
'Is this the end?'
"No. I can do more."
Geor tightly gripped the staggering Lanster's arm. Even though Lanster's whole body was torn apart, his eyes shone brightly.
“What about Ariana?”
"She ran away."
"Yes."
When Shini disappeared, Ariana spoke secretly to Geor and Lanster.
"Shini will be back soon. She'll probably cause a commotion. Then I'll run away. It's better to fight without me."
Ariana spoke firmly to Geor, who was telling her not to and to stay by his side.
"I'm going to pull my cloak over my head and blend in with the crowd. I'll get out of here somehow. So, fight with peace of mind."
He was anxious, but Ariana's way was right.
Fighting against them while protecting the defenseless Ariana was difficult. It was also dangerous for Ariana.
It was a relief that Ariana wasn't here.
'At the very least, I should buy Ariana time to run far away.'
The rampaging elephant has finally reached the end of its life.
Shini, who had been fighting the elephant alone while being kicked by it and attacked by wild beasts, collapsed first, but the elephant's massive body was also tilting.
Shini stared blankly up at the sky.
She bled too much and used too much strength. The muscles, having used unfamiliar force, were completely torn apart, and her internal organs were twisted into a mess. Blood poured out from her pounding heart and flowed out through her torn skin.
She didn't feel any pain.
'Nice weather.'
Even though the world was a mess, only the clear sky caught her eye.
It was always like that.
After meeting Ariana, a blue sky always stretched out before Shini. So Shini always stood in good weather.
It was the same even now.
Even at this moment, when it was clear she was dying, Shini's weather was truly good. Good enough to make her want to cry a little.
"Shini!"
A sharp shout was heard.
Louis saved Shini from being crushed by an elephant. Shini blinked her eyes and looked up at Louis.
“How dare you try to kill yourself! If you die, the Princess Consort will grieve for the rest of her life.”
It was just as Louis said.
Shini knew that her kind and gentle master would not be able to overcome her death.
However, there are moments when it is unavoidable. Moments when, no matter how much she wishes for her master's happiness or desperately desires it, there is nothing she can do.
Just like now.
So Shini smiled brightly.
Unlike someone whose life was fading away, she smiled brightly to look like good weather.
"Please give this to my master."
"No, you tell them."
Louis said as if there was nothing more to hear.
Her always stern master wore an expression as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
So Shini gathered her last remaining strength and raised her sword. The sharp blade pierced the nape of the neck of the lion that had attacked Louis from behind.
Blood poured out.
Louis's tears also mixed with the blood and fell onto Shini's face.
"Always, even when I'm not there."
Shini closed her eyes.
"It's nice weather."
Louis hugged Shini. Even though she knew it wasn't the right time, she couldn't let go of her limp body.
It was only natural for people to die on the battlefield. Louis, too, had lost many comrades while traversing countless battlefields.
But Shini was different.
This clear and pure woman had to live a little longer and enjoy better weather than now.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Louis's scream surpassed the roar of the beast.
Geor beheaded Paganus as he charged at him.
Lanster limped over and stood beside Louis with a somber expression. His hand was placed on Louis's shoulder.
“We must act, Louis. The war is not over yet.”
Ariana ran among the people.
She didn't want to run away alone, but it was an unavoidable choice.
'They will definitely chase me. Half of them will probably follow me.'
She didn't tell Geor, but that was the bigger intention.
The 'so-and-so' Martina mentioned was probably Victoria. It was surprising that Western Lord still hadn't abandoned Victoria, but this wasn't the time to be shocked by such things.
Martina decided to take Ariana alive as instructed by Victoria, and Ariana escaped the scene amidst the chaos.
Martina was keeping an eye on Ariana, so she would soon find out about her.
So, she had to run as far away as possible. She had to run very far so that even if they caught her, they wouldn't even think about returning to the capital.
She left the city gates mingling with the refugees. Although there were Paganus in front of the gates as well, they did not notice Ariana, who was wearing a hood.
The people who came out of the castle gate scattered in all directions. Ariana turned toward the direction where most people were going.
'They must be planning to take the mountain path.'
When you enter the mountains and scatter in all directions, you are less visible than when running on flat ground. This was the reason why refugees used mountains when fleeing to other countries.
'Everyone will be safe. They will finish fighting soon and come looking for me, so I need to hide somewhere Cyrus will recognize.'
Ariana rummaged through memories of her past life to recall if there was a place to hide on the mountain she was about to enter.
'There was definitely a cave. It was small, but in an inconspicuous place...'
The pace of the refugees fleeing the capital gradually slowed. Ariana also slowed her pace to match theirs.
No one followed them until they entered the mountain. Ariana walked without letting her guard down, then spotted a path from her memories and headed in that direction.
The path used by small wild animals was hidden by bushes.
After confirming that there was no one around, she quickened her pace. At first, she walked as if hurrying a little, but later she ran.
The stifling forest air stifled her breath, but she did not stop. She had to run as far away as possible. Even if her lungs burned out, she had to ensure that she did not interfere with her people's war.
Ariana wondered how long she had run like that.
Just as her legs could no longer hold on and she was screaming, she tripped over a protruding stone and fell forward. She instinctively reached out and braced herself, leaving a cut on jer palm.
Ariana sat there blankly, looking down at her palms mixed with dirt and blood.
'I wonder if everyone is safe?'
Ariana had never been in the middle of a battlefield.
The war unfolding before Ariana's eyes was more chaotic, violent, and ferocious than she had imagined. It was difficult to see each other's whereabouts because they had to keep an eye on the enemy, and it was easy to lose track of enemies swarming from all directions because they had to deal with the foe right in front of them.
'But everyone was fighting well.'
Despite being outnumbered on one side and outnumbered on the other, Ariana's party fought well. They fended off beasts and Paganus attacking from all directions while eliminating the enemies in front.
So it will be alright. They will be safe.
Even as she repeated those words to herself, she could not stop her heart from tightening with anxiety.
Memories of the past came flooding back. The emotions she felt when she became Russell and experienced Geor's death were vivid.
'Geor...'
Geor appeared to have suffered deep internal injuries from the unexpected blow of Paganus, who possessed the strength of an elephant.
'Shini...'
Shini must have eaten an elephant's heart. Since she is a child who would do anything for Ariana, she certainly must have done so.
Her vision blurred. But now was not the time to cry.
Let's run away. As far as possible. So as not to disturb my people.
Ariana stood up, steeling her trembling legs from the violent movement. Just then, a voice was heard from the tree next to her.
"Have you finished struggling?"
It was a voice she didn't want to hear.
As Theodore had predicted, when the leader fell, the enemies briefly showed a weakness. Wild beasts ran wild here and there, attacking their own side, and terrified elephants ran around in confusion.
Cyrus and Theodore did not miss that opportunity.
Since it takes too long to kill an elephant, they concentrated their attacks on wild beasts and humans, who could be dealt with more quickly.
As Louis continued fighting, she spotted Shini entering the belly of the dead elephant. She approached Shini while cutting off the leg of a charging lion.
“Shini, what are you doing?”
"The master is in danger."
Shini fearlessly entered the elephant's torn belly.
Louis knew what Shini was trying to do, but she couldn't stop her. The situation on her side was also bad, so she didn't have the strength to go help Ariana.
Even if she went to help Ariana now, it was clear that she would end up in a situation where she had to face enemies from both the front and the back.
Sini held her breath, dug deep into the elephant's body, and found the heart. She tore off a massive chunk of flesh, bit into it without hesitation, and chewed loudly as she crawled out of the elephant's belly.
Sini, covered in blood, had only her eyes shining golden. Although the sight was extremely grotesque, Louis did not avoid her and approached her.
"Will you be okay alone?"
Shini took another bite of the heart, which still had a lot left.
"I'll be going. Please take care."
Shini ran toward where Ariana was.
She once had such a thought.
Could she possibly not be a Paganus? Could she be a race with golden eyes living somewhere unknown to people?
And today, she realized that she was Paganus.
Shini felt a boiling power inside her from the moment she swallowed her heart.
It felt as though she would lose her human reason amidst the storm of immense power, too much for her small body to handle. Paganus creatures typically start with small beasts and gradually become accustomed to them before consuming the hearts of large ones; this was precisely to eliminate such side effects.
Her vision repeatedly blurred and then cleared. She couldn't tell if the sensation of the ground thumping was real or an illusion.
Even so, Shini ate the heart again. She shoved the remaining heart into her mouth without leaving a single piece behind and chewed it slowly.
A power that was not hers took over her heart and blackened her mind. She felt the pain of her insides burning from the unbearable force.
The moment she thought she wanted to let go of everything, a vivid blue illuminated her vision.
'Nice weather...'
'My good weather.'
The storm raging in her head subsided.
Shini knew what she had to do.
The little woman drew her sword and charged toward the enemies, emitting strength like an elephant.
***
Geor looked as if Shini was burning up her life.
He was worried, but there was no time to stop it. He couldn't miss the opportunity Shini had created.
Geor and Lanster moved to clear a path. Although Shini had gained the power of an elephant, so had the enemies. Paganus, who had eaten the hearts of elephants or other beasts, along with a real elephant, was blocking their way.
Geor and Lanster fought frantically. They slashed, tore, and leaped over charging enemies to slash again. Shini did the same.
The enemies who realized that Shini was Paganus concentrated their attacks on her. The elephant's strength made her skin hard, but it was not as hard as a real elephant's.
Shini's flesh was torn and gouged. Blood spurted and flowed from the open wounds. Her clothes were stained red, and her face was a wreck, but Shini did not stop.
It was a situation where three of them had to face over thirty Paganus, elephants, and wild beasts. It was only natural that they would run out of energy before they could kill them all.
There were more living enemies moving around than dead corpses lying around.
Geor glared straight ahead with blood-stained vision and gripped his sword tightly.
'Is this the end?'
"No. I can do more."
Geor tightly gripped the staggering Lanster's arm. Even though Lanster's whole body was torn apart, his eyes shone brightly.
“What about Ariana?”
"She ran away."
"Yes."
When Shini disappeared, Ariana spoke secretly to Geor and Lanster.
"Shini will be back soon. She'll probably cause a commotion. Then I'll run away. It's better to fight without me."
Ariana spoke firmly to Geor, who was telling her not to and to stay by his side.
"I'm going to pull my cloak over my head and blend in with the crowd. I'll get out of here somehow. So, fight with peace of mind."
He was anxious, but Ariana's way was right.
Fighting against them while protecting the defenseless Ariana was difficult. It was also dangerous for Ariana.
It was a relief that Ariana wasn't here.
'At the very least, I should buy Ariana time to run far away.'
The rampaging elephant has finally reached the end of its life.
Shini, who had been fighting the elephant alone while being kicked by it and attacked by wild beasts, collapsed first, but the elephant's massive body was also tilting.
Shini stared blankly up at the sky.
She bled too much and used too much strength. The muscles, having used unfamiliar force, were completely torn apart, and her internal organs were twisted into a mess. Blood poured out from her pounding heart and flowed out through her torn skin.
She didn't feel any pain.
'Nice weather.'
Even though the world was a mess, only the clear sky caught her eye.
It was always like that.
After meeting Ariana, a blue sky always stretched out before Shini. So Shini always stood in good weather.
It was the same even now.
Even at this moment, when it was clear she was dying, Shini's weather was truly good. Good enough to make her want to cry a little.
"Shini!"
A sharp shout was heard.
Louis saved Shini from being crushed by an elephant. Shini blinked her eyes and looked up at Louis.
“How dare you try to kill yourself! If you die, the Princess Consort will grieve for the rest of her life.”
It was just as Louis said.
Shini knew that her kind and gentle master would not be able to overcome her death.
However, there are moments when it is unavoidable. Moments when, no matter how much she wishes for her master's happiness or desperately desires it, there is nothing she can do.
Just like now.
So Shini smiled brightly.
Unlike someone whose life was fading away, she smiled brightly to look like good weather.
"Please give this to my master."
"No, you tell them."
Louis said as if there was nothing more to hear.
Her always stern master wore an expression as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
So Shini gathered her last remaining strength and raised her sword. The sharp blade pierced the nape of the neck of the lion that had attacked Louis from behind.
Blood poured out.
Louis's tears also mixed with the blood and fell onto Shini's face.
"Always, even when I'm not there."
Shini closed her eyes.
"It's nice weather."
Louis hugged Shini. Even though she knew it wasn't the right time, she couldn't let go of her limp body.
It was only natural for people to die on the battlefield. Louis, too, had lost many comrades while traversing countless battlefields.
But Shini was different.
This clear and pure woman had to live a little longer and enjoy better weather than now.
“Aaaaaaaah!”
Louis's scream surpassed the roar of the beast.
Geor beheaded Paganus as he charged at him.
Lanster limped over and stood beside Louis with a somber expression. His hand was placed on Louis's shoulder.
“We must act, Louis. The war is not over yet.”
***
Ariana ran among the people.
She didn't want to run away alone, but it was an unavoidable choice.
'They will definitely chase me. Half of them will probably follow me.'
She didn't tell Geor, but that was the bigger intention.
The 'so-and-so' Martina mentioned was probably Victoria. It was surprising that Western Lord still hadn't abandoned Victoria, but this wasn't the time to be shocked by such things.
Martina decided to take Ariana alive as instructed by Victoria, and Ariana escaped the scene amidst the chaos.
Martina was keeping an eye on Ariana, so she would soon find out about her.
So, she had to run as far away as possible. She had to run very far so that even if they caught her, they wouldn't even think about returning to the capital.
She left the city gates mingling with the refugees. Although there were Paganus in front of the gates as well, they did not notice Ariana, who was wearing a hood.
The people who came out of the castle gate scattered in all directions. Ariana turned toward the direction where most people were going.
'They must be planning to take the mountain path.'
When you enter the mountains and scatter in all directions, you are less visible than when running on flat ground. This was the reason why refugees used mountains when fleeing to other countries.
'Everyone will be safe. They will finish fighting soon and come looking for me, so I need to hide somewhere Cyrus will recognize.'
Ariana rummaged through memories of her past life to recall if there was a place to hide on the mountain she was about to enter.
'There was definitely a cave. It was small, but in an inconspicuous place...'
The pace of the refugees fleeing the capital gradually slowed. Ariana also slowed her pace to match theirs.
No one followed them until they entered the mountain. Ariana walked without letting her guard down, then spotted a path from her memories and headed in that direction.
The path used by small wild animals was hidden by bushes.
After confirming that there was no one around, she quickened her pace. At first, she walked as if hurrying a little, but later she ran.
The stifling forest air stifled her breath, but she did not stop. She had to run as far away as possible. Even if her lungs burned out, she had to ensure that she did not interfere with her people's war.
Ariana wondered how long she had run like that.
Just as her legs could no longer hold on and she was screaming, she tripped over a protruding stone and fell forward. She instinctively reached out and braced herself, leaving a cut on jer palm.
Ariana sat there blankly, looking down at her palms mixed with dirt and blood.
'I wonder if everyone is safe?'
Ariana had never been in the middle of a battlefield.
The war unfolding before Ariana's eyes was more chaotic, violent, and ferocious than she had imagined. It was difficult to see each other's whereabouts because they had to keep an eye on the enemy, and it was easy to lose track of enemies swarming from all directions because they had to deal with the foe right in front of them.
'But everyone was fighting well.'
Despite being outnumbered on one side and outnumbered on the other, Ariana's party fought well. They fended off beasts and Paganus attacking from all directions while eliminating the enemies in front.
So it will be alright. They will be safe.
Even as she repeated those words to herself, she could not stop her heart from tightening with anxiety.
Memories of the past came flooding back. The emotions she felt when she became Russell and experienced Geor's death were vivid.
'Geor...'
Geor appeared to have suffered deep internal injuries from the unexpected blow of Paganus, who possessed the strength of an elephant.
'Shini...'
Shini must have eaten an elephant's heart. Since she is a child who would do anything for Ariana, she certainly must have done so.
Her vision blurred. But now was not the time to cry.
Let's run away. As far as possible. So as not to disturb my people.
Ariana stood up, steeling her trembling legs from the violent movement. Just then, a voice was heard from the tree next to her.
"Have you finished struggling?"
It was a voice she didn't want to hear.
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