Chapter 43
The merchant kicked the cage with his foot, and the baby monster inside let out a sharp shriek, scratching at the metal bars.
“Don’t worry! The cage was made by a magic tool maker. It’s strong! And it comes free with the monster!”
Melody stared down at the rusted cage and said,
“…The magic reinforcement formula is wrong. The cage won’t last long.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means we need to kill that monster right now. If we don’t…”
She didn’t get to finish.
With a sound like fireworks exploding, a horrible noise echoed through the air—followed by a scream.
“AAAGH!!”
In an instant, the monster pierced the merchant’s chest and sent him flying. Blood splattered onto the ground.
Then the cage burst open, and the monster shot out into the air.
“You have to get out of here!”
“AAAH!!”
“It’s a monster!!”
“Somebody help!!”
The guards shouted urgently, but the narrow alley was already packed with people running in all directions.
“Your Highness!!”
The monster, its eyes black and wild, locked onto Ryan—and dove straight at him.
‘Damn it.’
He couldn’t move. His body froze, and he just stared as it flew toward him.
But then—CRACK!
Something slammed into the monster’s side, sending it crashing into a wall with a screech.
In the rising dust, Ryan saw Melody, hammer in hand.
“You… you saved me… A commoner saved me…”
Ryan mumbled, still in shock.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
“…Of course. I’m fine. Do you think the Crown Prince would be scared by something like this?”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“…Your eyes… they’re green. Deep green, like emeralds…”
Ryan muttered, wiping black monster blood off his face. His hands were still shaking badly.
Melody ignored him and scanned the area. Just before the monster could get up again, one of the guards drove a sword through its head.
SHRIEK!
The monster twitched—then went limp.
“You’re safe!”
The guards struggled to get them out of the black market. Suddenly, Ryan’s aide appeared out of nowhere and shouted:
“Your Highness!”
“You coward—you left me?!”
Ryan gritted his teeth, furious.
“You’re mistaken, Your Highness! I just got caught in the fleeing crowd—”
“You were the first to run! And that commoner—she protected me with that small body!”
He turned to point at Melody and froze.
“…She’s beautiful.”
He muttered before he could stop himself.
“I was shocked too,” the aide said. “To block a monster for you… That’s not something anyone can do without loyalty or love.”
“Love?”
Ryan’s eyebrow twitched.
“Well, she didn’t fall for you at first sight. You held a sword to her throat the first time. Lost miserably to the Duke in that bidding war the second time. And today, you told her to go alone into danger…”
“Silence. You’re not allowed to speak anymore today.”
“I’m just relieved Your Highness is safe.”
With that, the aide finally shut up.
The guards arrived late and began clearing the area around the black market. Meanwhile, the merchant who sold the monster was dragged in and forced to kneel before Ryan. He confessed everything without resistance.
“I-It came through a crack… in the barrier…!”
“A crack?! In the holy barrier of the capital?!”
“It’s small—but the babies can get through!”
“Did you make the crack?!”
“H-How could we break the barrier?! We don’t have that kind of power!”
Ryan thought for a moment, then narrowed his eyes.
“…Couldn’t it be done with magic tools?”
Melody shook her head.
“Not impossible in theory—but to break the barrier, the tool would need to be as big as a barrier stone. That size would definitely be noticeable.”
Whatever the cause, this wasn’t something that could be ignored.
Ryan turned to his aide.
“Have it investigated. Tell the High Priest, and return to the palace immediately.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“And… contact him.”
Ryan ground his teeth as he spoke again, his voice rough and gritty.
“Who do you mean?”
“Deonis. He’s in charge of monster hunting, isn’t he?”
As he said the name, Ryan glanced at Melody. Her eyes glimmered, then dimmed with worry.
“We’ll deliver the herbs and return to the palace.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
A wave of irritation rose inside him. The look on her face when she thought of Deonis… it bothered him more than he expected.
They returned to the slum tent where the sick boy lay. Melody knelt and crushed the dark herbs between stones.
“Normally, I’d dry and grind them first, but there’s no time.”
She mixed the juice with black crystal powder, added a few more herbs, and stirred it all into warm water. She handed it to the child.
“Bitter…”
The boy made a face.
“You’ll need to drink this for a week. Don’t skip a single day.”
Melody smiled gently and stroked his hair.
From the entrance of the tent, Ryan watched her. A smile tried to form on his lips—but he quickly straightened his face and crossed his arms.
“By the way… how do you even know how to make that kind of medicine?”
The herbs she used weren’t common. Melody’s eyes flicked to the side as she thought up a reply.
“Uh… I saw it in a town I used to live in.”
“You lived somewhere else besides here?”
“Yeah. I moved around a lot.”
“Hm.”
From magic tools to medicine… Ryan gave her a long look. He couldn’t figure her out at all.
Back home, Melody stared down at a puppy sleeping curled up on the grass. Ever since she returned from seeing Ryan, she had been deep in thought.
“You skipped another meal. Is it because you saw the monster?”
Anna cleared away the leftover bread and asked.
“Huh? No. I was just thinking… maybe everything I’ve learned so far isn’t the full truth.”
“What made you think that?”
“It was written in a book.”
Melody flipped to a marked section of the book in her lap.
“Monsters feel more pain than humans within the holy barrier. That’s why they avoid it. It’s God’s punishment.”
“I thought monsters couldn’t enter unless the barrier was totally broken,” she said. “But maybe I was wrong.”
“They got in anyway?”
“The merchant said small ones were sneaking in through a crack in the barrier.”
And more concerning—those monsters didn’t try to return outside the barrier.
They were attacking anything that moved.
Hmm, UNLOCK SOON?~