Chapter 98
“This will allow us to get out safely. After all, my happiness is being with Ailen.”
Richard held the glove in his hand as if it were granting him that very happiness.
Seeing that, Ailen nodded.
She felt the same way. Her wish was to always laugh happily with Richard and Adrian.
So they would get out of here safely, no matter what.
‘Is there no way…?’
Heinel needed a way to find them easily. That was what was necessary.
At that moment, a presence was felt outside the cave.
“Damn it. Where the hell did they go?”
An irritated voice came faintly. Both Ailen and Richard tensed.
Fortunately—or perhaps it was a stroke of luck—they didn’t seem to realize that the two were nearby.
“Are you sure they went this way?”
“Yeah. The trail ends somewhere around here.”
“So that means they’re somewhere close by….”
Ailen gripped Richard’s collar tightly at the harshly trailing tone. He drew her close into his arms, reassuring her.
The assassins seemed to be lingering nearby for a while. Perhaps they hadn’t discovered the cave, because their voices could be heard.
“Let’s split up and search. They must be somewhere around here.”
“Alright.”
“Then let’s meet back here.”
The sounds of them moving faded. After a short while, silence fell.
Richard, who had been holding his breath, turned to Ailen. He put a finger to his lips and rose.
Ailen clutched his collar.
‘Don’t go out.’
Her gaze conveyed the warning, but Richard patted the back of her hand.
‘I’ll check quickly and come back.’
Hesitant, Ailen finally let go of his collar. Richard peered cautiously outside the cave, scanning the surroundings.
Luckily, there was no one in sight. He looked back at Ailen and spoke quietly.
“I think it’s best if we hide for now. They will come back here eventually.”
“Okay.”
Ailen tried to grab his hand. But just as their fingertips were about to touch, something dark entered her field of vision.
“Richard, watch out!”
Reacting instinctively, Richard dodged sideways without looking back.
Even in the darkness, the sword’s blade, shining brightly, sliced through the spot where he had been standing.
Ailen hurriedly got to her feet and stepped out of the cave. Standing beside Richard, she finally took in their surroundings.
Figures clad in clothes darker than the forest’s shadows, their faces concealed, had surrounded them.
Richard positioned himself in front of her as if to protect her, glaring at the enemies.
“So you didn’t leave after all.”
“Of course not. That’s how we found you, isn’t it? I’ve been wanting to see you, Second Prince.”
Even though his face was covered, his grin sent shivers down her spine.
Ailen’s face twisted in despair.
‘Are we going to die?’
Heinel hadn’t appeared, and the assassins had already discovered them. There was no other way.
It would be a lie to say she wasn’t afraid. Yet, somehow, she couldn’t give up.
“Richard…”
Ailen looked up at him, her hand tightly grasping his. Even in a situation where the assassins could attack at any moment, he stood firmly, as if to protect her.
Because of that, though she felt fear, she did not feel like giving up.
‘If only Heinel could find us…’
Of course, she didn’t want to drag him into this dangerous situation. But he had spatial teleportation magic. He could safely take them away. So if only she could call him…
Then her eyes caught Richard’s glove. And the hand entwined with hers.
Ailen focused on it and immediately got to work.
“What…?”
“Ailen?”
Richard and the assassins looked at her, sensing something strange.
A violet magical aura swirled around her. Richard realized what she intended to do.
Ailen was about to make a magic stone.
“What is she scheming…?”
One assassin noticed her action and drew his sword, approaching her. Ailen, holding Richard’s hand, threw the top-grade magic stone she had just created at him.
And shouted:
“Explode!”
“What…!”
The assassin, instinctively trying to catch it with his hand, batted it away with his sword. The stone shattered against the blade, but the explosion did not occur.
“Ha! This woman…!”
Feeling tricked, the assassin’s eyes blazed with anger. He pointed his sword at Ailen and charged straight at her.
“Ailen!”
Richard leapt forward to block her. But even then, Ailen’s gaze was fixed upward.
At that moment, she smiled brightly.
“Here!”
“What?”
Another assassin looked up following her gaze. Just as he thought something was blocking his view, a dull sound echoed.
Bang!
Looking down again, they saw a colleague who had been attacking Ailen stabbing his sword into empty air. On closer inspection, a transparent barrier had appeared at the tip.
“Finally found you.”
Someone landed on the transparent barrier. He roughly swept back his hair, which was the color of the sky above, and grinned.
“I’ll teleport us immediately.”
“Please.”
Hearing their conversation, the assassins simultaneously rushed toward them.
“Where…!”
But their weapons couldn’t reach the three. The transparent barrier blocked them.
And most importantly…
“Damn it!”
One assassin cursed, his furious gaze now falling on the other side of the barrier.
By then, all three had already disappeared.
❧ ❧ ❧
‘Why haven’t they arrived?’
Ludwig was growing anxious. He looked up, noticing the sky had grown dark.
Their time had passed, yet Richard and Ailen had not appeared.
‘No way…’
A foreboding thought crept into his mind, but he shook it off.
His gaze shifted toward Abelio, who was at a distance. The knight who had left earlier still hadn’t returned.
That meant Abelio was still searching for Richard.
‘If there’s a problem, it means all those looking for Richard are Abelio’s subordinates.’
A shadow fell over Ludwig’s face.
When Richard hadn’t returned, Count Pudin and the Oldenga knights were about to intervene. But Abelio blocked them and sent his own men into the forest instead.
Outwardly, he appeared as a concerned older brother, but Ludwig knew his true intention.
‘To prevent the magical tools from being discovered.’
Anyone entering without anti-magic equipment would inevitably get lost, and the hidden tools in the forest would be exposed.
Anger and worry twisted Ludwig’s feelings.
At that moment, a child’s shout echoed.
“Let me in!”
Ludwig turned toward the voice. A blond boy was shouting at the knight blocking the forest path.
“My sister is in there!”
‘Sister?’
Looking closer, Ludwig noticed the child resembled someone. Suddenly, he realized who.
Ailen. He looked exactly like her.
Adrian shouted desperately, but the Oldenga knight blocked him with a troubled expression.
“You cannot enter. It’s dangerous.”
“But…!”
“She will return, surely. With Your Excellency.”
Hearing this, Adrian frowned but quietly stared toward the forest.
Ludwig observed him for a moment before turning his own head. He shivered slightly.
Abelio was watching Adrian.
Instinctively, Ludwig’s eyes narrowed, concerned that Abelio might touch him.
Fortunately, Abelio seemed to lose interest and turned his gaze back to the forest. Ludwig exhaled in slight relief.
But he couldn’t fully relax. Richard and Ailen hadn’t returned yet.
He was preparing to move near Adrian if needed, keeping an eye on Abelio, when suddenly Adrian’s startled voice rang out:
“Huh? Sister!”
Ludwig whipped his head toward him, and his heart finally relaxed.
“…Brother.”
Richard and Ailen were walking toward them, alive and well.
Though they bore signs of hardship, they seemed uninjured.
Ludwig unconsciously stopped his step toward them and glanced at Abelio.
As expected, Abelio’s face was scowling, teeth clenched tightly.
For a moment, his gaze fell on Ludwig, but Ludwig kept his usual expression, as if uninvolved.
Still, his eyes remained fixed on Richard. At that moment, Adrian jumped into Ailen’s arms.
“Sister, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. You were very worried, weren’t you?”
“Of course! And what’s with your dress?!”
“It just… happened.”
Clap, clap—
Suddenly, the sound of clapping drew Ludwig, Richard, and Ailen’s attention.
Abelio was clapping with a smile, as if genuinely glad Richard had returned.
“You returned safely, Richard. You have no idea how worried I was.”
“I apologize for causing you concern, Brother.”
Both of them calmly acted as affectionate brothers, neither showing anger first. The people around them looked on with satisfaction.
Everyone except Ludwig and Ailen.
Especially Ludwig, who watched them with anxious eyes, as if seeing a bomb about to explode.
Then Abelio, with a genuinely concerned expression, spoke to Richard:
“You must be tired. Go back quickly. Leave the rest to me.”
“No. I cannot do that.”
“What?”
Abelio frowned momentarily, his instinctive thought slipping out.
Richard, however, kept smiling as he spoke:
No matter what, we cannot leave the perpetrators behind, can we?”
