Chapter 34
“Th-that… what is that?”
“This just got troublesome.”
“I-I’ve never seen such a huge monster before.”
“You could say it’s half magical beast, half bandit chief. He offered his own body, after all.”
“A-a chief, then…?”
“Yes. The very bastard I told you about back then.”
Rosalie’s gentle eyes flashed sharply.
A hazy scene flickered past her mind—running away on horseback, clutched tightly in her mother’s arms. Her small hand gripping the bow tightened instinctively.
The fire lizard stopped roaring and violently swung its tail, thicker than ten trees put together.
Kwa-gwa-gwang—!
The piled-up crates shattered, spilling out gold coins, jewels, and other valuables that looked extremely expensive. Even in this chaos, Rafaela clicked her tongue regretfully.
“Oh, come on. Do you know how much all that’s worth? We have to do something before that thing destroys everything.”
The fire lizard, which had been glaring at Rafaela, opened its mouth.
[Grk… Princess… grrr… I’ll kill you… Kraaah!]
Hearing the familiar voice coming from its mouth, Rafaela tilted her head.
“Huh? You’re still conscious? Usually, once your body gets devoured, you lose your sanity. You’re one stubborn bastard.”
[You… bitch… grrr…]
The fire lizard opened its jaws as wide as possible. Heat surged out from its throat, and soon a blazing red fireball formed inside.
Sensing the attack, Rafaela grabbed Rosalie and rolled sideways.
“Your Highness!”
William rushed over and shielded both Rafaela and Rosalie.
Fwoosh—!
A mass of fire slammed into the spot where Rafaela had been standing just moments earlier. The scorched ground turned pitch black. Even the edges of William’s uniform, which had wrapped around the two women, were charred.
Rafaela hurriedly helped Rosalie—who was crouched down clutching her bow—back to her feet.
“Rosalie. Can you shoot that again?”
“Th-the stone?”
“Yeah. There’s an especially bright red scale on that thing’s neck.”
“Y-yes. I can see it.”
“That’s its weak point. I’ll draw its attention, so aim for that in the meantime. Don’t get too close—it’s dangerous.”
“B-but… as you saw earlier… I-I’m terrible at aiming.”
“It’s fine. Just try. Focus and put as much strength as you can into it. That scale’s pretty tough.”
“I-I can go all out?”
“Of course. It’s just the three of us here right now. Go wild as much as you want.”
“O-okay. Sis—ah, no, Princess. I’ll try.”
“Just call me sister.”
“…Yes. S-sister.”
Rafaela smiled wryly and affectionately patted Rosalie’s flushed head.
“Send it flying with everything you’ve got.”
“Yes!”
Rosalie looked around, searching for stones.
Rafaela lightly tapped the duke’s shoulder beside her.
“Duke, looks like we need some exercise.”
Having heard Rafaela’s words to Rosalie, William answered by firmly adjusting his grip on his sword.
The fire lizard had already begun forming another fireball in its mouth. This time, unlike before, it launched several smaller ones in rapid succession.
Rafaela and William ran as far away as possible from Rosalie, who was picking up stones, heading in the opposite direction.
“Your Highness, I will serve as the decoy. Please, stay somewhere safe.”
“Can’t you see that thing is only focused on me? I’m the one who should lure it.”
“You’ll get hurt again!”
“You’ll protect me, won’t you?”
“……”
“Won’t you?”
“…Yes.”
As they moved, small fireballs rained down continuously along their path.
Ku-kwak-kwang—!
Dust billowed thickly, obscuring their vision. Using that moment, Rafaela dashed straight toward the fire lizard’s hind legs, with William close beside her.
Rafaela swung the spirit-tree club with all her strength. Crack! One of the fire lizard’s rear claws snapped off. However, the flesh covered in hard scales remained uninjured.
[Kraa!]
Enraged, the fire lizard lashed its thick tail like a whip toward Rafaela. Anticipating the movement, William wrapped his left arm around Rafaela’s waist and pulled her in.
“Ugh!”
The pain from her wounded side made Rafaela stiffen, and William quickly leapt backward with her still in his arms.
As dust swirled like a gust of wind where the tail struck, William raised his arm to shield Rafaela’s face.
Inside William’s embrace, Rafaela felt flustered.
She had told him to protect her, but she hadn’t meant this. She’d expected them to swing their swords together, watch each other’s backs, block a few attacks. This was…
The feeling of being treated like a fragile glass marble was unfamiliar—and deeply unsettling.
Feeling oddly ticklish, Rafaela quickly pushed away the duke’s arm from her waist.
“Ahem! I could’ve dodged that, you know?”
“I know.”
“Don’t act all smug and dramatic about it.”
“I’m not.”
Clearing her throat, Rafaela took another step away from William.
“Let’s split up. Duke, you go that way.”
“No.”
“Splitting up is more efficient!”
“There’s something more important than efficiency right now.”
“And what could be more important in a situation like this?!”
“You, Your Highness.”
“…!”
“Your safety is my top priority.”
Rafaela stepped even farther away from him, narrowing her eyes.
“What’s wrong with you?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“No… never mind.”
At that moment, as the dust gradually settled and their vision improved slightly, they heard something cutting through the air.
Sseeek! Thud—
[Grk…?]
The stone Rosalie had thrown bounced off the fire lizard’s front leg and fell uselessly to the ground.
Flustered, Rosalie quickly grabbed another stone and fired again. This time it hit the neck—but it was still far from the red scale.
As Rosalie continued gathering and throwing stones, Rafaela and William ran back and forth, drawing the fire lizard’s attention. The massive tail slammed down countless times, and fireballs large and small were fired without pause.
The interior of the cavern was reduced to utter chaos—like a battlefield.
Because of the thick dust, Rosalie’s aim drifted farther and farther from the red scale. Hitting a single small scale on a constantly moving massive body was like trying to thread a needle by throwing the thread.
“W-what should I do…?”
Holding another stone, she stared in frustration at the scales.
Then, irritated by Rafaela’s constant evasion, the fire lizard snarled harshly.
[Kraaah! You bitch and that other girl too… anyone who gets in my way… grrr… I’ll chew you up and spill your guts!]
Those words—those exact words—pierced Rosalie’s ears like a blade.
“Th-this is….”
She dropped the stone and clutched her head.
Forgotten memories came flooding back vividly, as if forcibly replayed before her eyes.
The violent shaking of a galloping horse. Her mother’s desperate expression as she gripped the reins. Her frail arms holding Rosalie tightly. Even the sharp sound of arrows slicing through the air.
Rosalie’s mother, Countess Sester, had been fleeing with her daughter. Rosalie couldn’t remember where they had been coming from. She only knew they were riding through rough mountain paths, not proper roads, without any attendants. She could only assume their guards had already been killed.
The countess dodged arrows as she rode frantically. But the pursuers were relentless, and soon they reached a dead end—a cliff.
Young Rosalie couldn’t remember the men’s faces. At nine years old, she should have—but her mother had held her so tightly that all she remembered was her mother’s grim face above her, and her mother’s scent.
There was only one other thing she remembered clearly—the vile voice she had heard.
“You damn bitch. You’re annoyingly persistent. Just get caught quietly. Otherwise, I’ll chew out your daughter’s guts too. Ah, of course, after my boys have some fun with her. Hehehe.”
Upon hearing that, the countess leapt off the cliff, clutching her daughter, with a desperate prayer offered at the cost of her soul.
“God, please. At least let this child grow strong. Let her survive. I beg you, grant us mercy. Please… please… please….”
“Aaaah! M-mother!”
Rosalie collapsed to the ground, clutching her head as her shoulders trembled violently. Tears welled up at the forcibly revived memories she had long forgotten.
She didn’t even have time to wipe them away before they fell to the ground in heavy drops.
[KRAAAAH!]
Kuuung—!
Even then, the fire lizard continued swinging its tail, scraping the cavern ceiling. Part of the wall collapsed, and rocks came crashing down.
As a result, the space Rafaela and William had to maneuver grew smaller and smaller.
Panting, Rafaela wiped the sweat dripping down her chin and glanced toward Rosalie. The dust made it hard to see clearly, but the already small Rosalie looked even smaller, curled tightly in on herself.
“Maybe overcoming it all at once was too much. She is still young.”
Taking advantage of the brief lull as the fire lizard paused its attack, Rafaela grabbed the tattered hem of her dress and ripped it clean off.
William’s eyes widened instantly. He jerked his head away, his neck rapidly turning red.
“Y-Your Highness! Wh-what are you—!”
