Chapter 40
“This way!”
Daphne quickly made a decision and led the way.
Now and then, one or two monsters squeezed into the narrow alley and swung their claws.
Even worse, some of them flew above, dropping dangerous poison.
Everything the poison touched melted.
“Are you okay?”
“Still hanging on.”
Halio was running while carrying both children, which looked very difficult, but he was managing.
Still, he couldn’t hold on like that forever.
‘This alley won’t last forever…’
As soon as that thought crossed her mind, the alley ended, and they reached an open space.
Suddenly, something slammed into them with the sound of wind slicing through the air.
Thanks to the divine beast’s shield, they weren’t hurt, but the shock was stronger than expected.
[Waaah!]
The divine beast had only just been born—it was still very weak.
It didn’t seem like it could hold out for long.
Then, from the other side of the alley, a soldier in armor ran out.
“Madam! Miss!”
It was a soldier from Anaxi.
He pulled something from a pouch at his waist and held it up toward the sky.
He was trying to signal their location.
“Wait—! If you fire that now—”
The moment the bright flare shot into the sky, the soldier vanished right in front of them.
It looked like everything was moving in slow motion.
At the same time, something red splashed down from above.
“Kids, close your eyes! Quickly!”
The children hurriedly covered their eyes with their hands.
A moment later, something heavy hit the ground.
Thud—
If they had looked just a second later, they might have seen something that would haunt them for life.
Screech!
More monsters arrived, drawn by the smell of blood.
They grabbed the soldier’s body and fought over it like a toy.
Everyone shut their eyes tightly and hid under the building’s edge.
They knew they had to run—but the sight had been too horrifying to move.
Daphne didn’t even realize that her own hands were shaking from fear.
SCREECH—
A sudden, sharp monster cry made Daphne open her eyes.
She looked up just in time to see one of the monsters flapping its wings—and then falling straight down.
A huge crash followed as it slammed into the ground, kicking up a strong gust of wind.
“Daphne! Jacquette!”
A familiar voice called out. Daphne turned her head.
Theophanes stood on the monster’s corpse, sword in hand.
She stared in shock as he ran over and grabbed her shoulders, checking her for injuries.
At his strong, warm touch, she finally felt safe.
“Theo….”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m okay.”
Hearing Theophanes’s calm voice helped her regain her senses.
That’s when she realized her hands were trembling.
Theophanes held her hands gently.
Then a low voice came from beside them it was the crown prince.
“It’s been a while, Duke.”
He looked a bit awkward standing next to the couple.
“Your Highness? Why are you here? No, I’ll ask later. First, we need to deal with those monsters.”
Theophanes raised his hand toward the remaining monsters above.
At that moment, the flat, paved ground started to ripple and bulge.
Thick wooden vines burst up from the earth, twisting in every direction—then suddenly standing straight, like spears.
They shot out like light and pierced the monsters.
The creatures struggled for a moment, then dropped dead.
Theophanes made sure to destroy their cores with his sword.
After that, he walked back calmly, seeming more composed.
“There are too many because the gate is too wide. Madam, I need your help.”
“Can I do it?”
“You can. I’ll help you.”
He held out his hand to her.
For some reason, Daphne felt she could trust that hand.
But she still wasn’t confident in herself.
She turned to look at Halio—more precisely, at Jacquette, who was in his arms.
Keeping her eyes on her child, Daphne spoke softly.
“Your Highness.”
Halio understood what she was going to say and replied before she could continue.
“I’ll watch the children. Go.”
Even after such danger, there was a feeling of trust between them now.
Theophanes quickly added,
“I’ll assign one of my knights to protect you.”
As soon as he said that, Jacqueline appeared.
While Theophanes gave her some instructions, Daphne walked over to Jacquette.
“Jacquette, can you stay here for a little while?”
“Yes! It’s scary, but since Dad asked Mom to help, I’ll be brave!”
She gently patted the child’s head.
He had learned how to let go and be patient—things most children his age didn’t know.
“I’ll be back soon.”
Jacquette nodded and waved at her.
Seeing that, Daphne looked up.
“Help me, please.”
She stared at the divine beast, which now sat quietly under the roof across from her.
The noisy, dramatic creature from earlier was gone.
[If you want me to help you fully, we have to form a pact.]
“A pact?”
Theophanes immediately turned to look at her.
“You want to make a pact?”
“Ah, I didn’t say I would, just asking…”
Theophanes looked at the divine beast and said firmly,
“It’s too early for a young one like you to make a pact.”
[I’m not that young! And my mom said it’s good to make a pact if there’s a Transcendent around!]
“Do you even know what a pact is?”
[Of course! It means I’ll help the Transcendent!]
Normally, divine beasts can’t choose to help just one person—they’re meant to serve all humans.
But with a pact, they can use their powers for only one chosen person.
“You’re missing the bigger picture.”
[No, I’m not!]
“When you make a pact, you become deeply connected—and humans influence divine beasts a lot. Especially Transcendents.”
“What do you mean?”
Daphne asked.
Theophanes explained.
Even though Transcendents receive power from the World Tree, they are still human.
And human evil is strong enough to corrupt a divine beast.
“Making a pact means getting closer to humans. You might end up isolated from both humans and divine beasts, young one.”
[I understand that!]
“Okay, that’s enough,” Daphne said, stepping between them.
“Theo, don’t pressure him. And, um, little one…”
[Don’t call me little!]
“But I don’t know your name, do I?”
“Divine beasts don’t have names. The Transcendent gives one when the pact is made.”
[That’s right.]
“Anyway… do you want to make a pact?”
[I do! I’m ready for it!]
“What does a little one like you know about being ready?”
Theophanes scoffed.
The beast jumped up and down angrily.
“Theo, kids can think too. Not all choices should be made by adults. It’s their life.”
“But we can stop them from taking the wrong path.”
“The more you try to stop them, the more they’ll resist. Watching over them is also a choice—if the child is sure.”
Daphne looked at Jacquette as she said this.
She was speaking to the divine beast but maybe also to her son.
And at that moment, Daphne realized something.
She didn’t just want to raise him well.
She wanted to watch him grow see him make choices, and face problems.
From small ones, like what to wear,
Too big ones, like how to live.
Even if she didn’t know what parental love should look like—
She wanted to stand by him through it all.
And maybe that was enough.
Feeling full inside, Daphne reached out her hand to the divine beast.
“Make a pact with me.”
If she could protect that future she would do anything.
