CHAPTER 17:
A Sly Bastard
Asilia glared at Kretes. But he didn’t seem to care—in fact, he looked pleased to have caught her gaze.
Which only made Asilia’s face contort even more in frustration.
“Your Majesty the Empress, if you make it that obvious how much you dislike him, even His Majesty the Emperor might feel hurt,” Adrian said.
“…Not my concern,” she replied coldly.
Did Kretes hear that? For a moment, it looked like his shoulders sagged slightly, but she said nothing further.
“We were originally going to travel on horseback… but with His Majesty here, I suppose that won’t be necessary, right?” Adrian asked, hopeful.
Kretes, who had looked annoyed, slowly nodded.
“I can’t make Asilia walk such a long distance.”
How exactly were they going to get to the far edge of the continent without walking?
Asilia looked at him, filled with doubt. Kretes raised his hand.
“Close your eyes. You might get motion sickness.”
But she didn’t close them. Trust him? As if.
She continued to stare at him, making her distrust clear. Kretes approached and reached out his hand.
With his large palm, he gently covered her eyes and whispered:
“I would never do anything to harm you.”
“…”
“You don’t have to believe anything else—but you can believe that.”
Beneath his hand, Asilia kept her eyes open for a moment, lips pressed tightly together.
And then, finally, she closed them.
As soon as her sight was enveloped in darkness, Kretes snapped his fingers.
Snap!
A sharp sound rang out, and reality twisted around them.
The gentle breeze turned sharper, ruffling their hair.
The buttery scent that had been carried on the wind slowly faded—until it disappeared entirely.
The murmurs of people, the warmth of sunlight on skin—all of it changed.
“You can open your eyes now.”
His gentle voice flowed in, and the hand over her eyes disappeared.
The moment she opened her eyes—
“Uugh…”
Adrian was clinging to a tree, retching.
Had he not heard the warning to close his eyes?
“I thought you two were just talking… Uurrgh!”
Asilia and Kretes clicked their tongues in unison.
While Adrian suffered off to the side, Asilia took in her surroundings.
Strong wind, dense trees, rugged mountains—definitely not near the capital.
“How is this… possible?”
It hadn’t taken all night of travel. Just a gesture.
As far as she knew, teleportation spells were incredibly difficult, even for high-ranking mages.
Even in the magical empire of Hypolios, I heard it requires a specialized device…
Yet Kretes had moved not just one person, but all three of them, with a snap of his fingers.
As much as she didn’t want to admit it—she had to.
He might really be a god.
Even if he’s not a god… he’s at least something out of legend.
Asilia swallowed hard and looked at Kretes.
He had been watching Adrian with mild disdain, but when he felt her eyes on him, he smiled.
She turned away from his gaze and patted Adrian’s back as he dry-heaved.
“Enough. Guide us.”
“I’m not doing this for fun, you know… Uuurgh!”
“…This is getting us nowhere.”
Asilia clicked her tongue and looked around.
Only the three of them stood amid the dense brush.
But she could sense something moving in the distance.
“To confirm if the person mentioned in the oracle is me… I have to kill a monster myself, don’t I?”
“We could attack from a distance and… Ugh!”
Asilia sighed again. Kretes, who had been quiet until now, leaned against a tree and spoke.
“It’s enough to land a clean hit from afar to confirm it.”
In other words, she still had to attack.
Asilia swallowed dryly, slightly tense.
She was used to war between people—but not fighting monsters.
“It’s been nearly ten years since I faced one…”
There were no monsters in Revilla anymore.
Or rather—not anymore.
Revilla had a long tradition of hunting down monsters. After more than a decade, they had finally driven them to extinction.
Asilia had participated in those hunts herself…
“Get it together! If we fall here, we all die!”
“There! Over there! Someone—there’s someone—!”
“Run!!”
They weren’t pleasant memories.
In wars between humans, at least you could struggle, fight back.
But against monsters—beings so vastly different in scale—it was nothing short of a massacre.
Countless people died.
It was more horrific, more brutal than war.
She never wanted to face one again if she could help it.
“Asilia?”
“…”
“Asilia!”
A sudden hand gripped her shoulder. She flinched, eyes flying open in surprise.
Her body trembled, almost like a seizure. Kretes looked at her, concern all over his face.
“If you don’t want to do this, then don’t. My power is still enough to hold them back.”
He meant it.
He had managed up to now. He likely could continue to manage for a while longer.
But even so, preventing all damage was impossible. He hadn’t been able to kill the monsters—just restrain them.
“I’m fine.”
It wasn’t pity for Moria. And it wasn’t because she wanted to help Kretes.
It was just one simple thing.
The feelings she had during the monster hunts still lingered in her heart.
I just… I just don’t want anyone else to die to something like that.
That wish alone remained.
“Asilia.”
As she steadied her breath, Kretes snapped his fingers again.
A cluster of light appeared, gathering in the air—until a sturdy-looking bow materialized.
“You don’t need to get close to the monsters. A hit from afar will suffice.”
“…”
“I won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.”
His words were full of sincerity.
Asilia stared into his eyes, then looked at the bow he offered.
You really like to shake people, don’t you.
She had resolved not to be swayed—but when she saw that expression and heard those words, she couldn’t help but wonder.
What if… what if his words weren’t meant to tie me down, but were truly sincere?
“I’m not being forced.”
Asilia steadied her breathing and took the bow.
She wasn’t doing it for the sake of the people here—not really.
The reason was clear.
This was a deal.
“I’m doing it because I want to.”
She would fulfill her end of the bargain—and find a way to leave Moria.
That was all.
“Since Sir Monic is in that state, he can’t tell us where the monsters are. Will Your Majesty show me?”
At that, Kretes sighed, as if troubled.
Then, as if resigned, he raised his hand and pointed beyond a large tree.
“There are three over there. Big and fast. The moment you shoot an arrow, they’ll come charging.”
“…”
“And… about five minutes’ walk to the left, there’s one. Yes, that’s the better option.”
With that, Kretes began walking. His actions radiated a desire to protect Asilia.
Following his direction, it wasn’t long before the ground began to tremble.
…A monster.
Sensing it, Asilia hid behind a tree to determine its exact location.
Shooting from above will be best.
Until she knew how the monster attacked, staying hidden was safest.
With the bow in hand, she climbed a tree and took a deep breath.
The creature before her was truly monstrous.
A long snout filled with razor-sharp teeth, bony limbs, and massive white wings extending from its thin body.
If I don’t kill it in one shot, it’ll fly straight at me.
Asilia glanced below. Kretes was still watching her with a worried face.
If something went wrong…
If he truly meant to protect her…
He’ll do something. Run with me, or act somehow.
She knew she shouldn’t trust him—but right now, she had no choice.
She aimed at the monster’s head and pulled the bowstring taut.
The moment the arrow flew—
“KIEEEEEE―!”
The monster’s death cry rang out, and her head throbbed violently.
Nausea hit her. A sharp headache followed.
She felt like she might vomit if she moved even slightly.
As she tried desperately to regain her balance, her vision blurred, and she began to fall.
“Asi—Asilia!!”
As the ground rushed up to meet her—
The last thing she heard was his desperate voice calling her name.
