Chapter : 26
“What’s wrong, Sir Hertas?”
She raised her voice, but there was no reply—only the sound of someone straining and moving something up ahead.
He said it would be an easy trip…
Why didn’t I realize that taking an unexpected detour is always a disaster flag?
Inside the carriage that had now come to a halt, Deina sank into thought.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come along after all…’
“There are some fallen rocks ahead. Small stones dropped from the canyon wall and made the path uneven, but nothing to worry about.”
At that moment, Nox’s voice came from nearby.
So the sound she heard earlier was him clearing away the rocks that had fallen from above?
“All right. Be careful! Don’t get hurt.”
Deina leaned forward, lowering her body in case the carriage shook again.
Nox didn’t respond further—perhaps he’d already gone back to move the rocks.
This really feels ominous…
She regretted trusting Klian’s confident words earlier. She should’ve known better, though it was already too late.
“All done! Whew!”
After a moment, Klian’s voice rang out.
Deina, who had been waiting patiently inside the carriage, sighed in relief and opened the window.
“Thank you for your hard work, Sir Hertas!”
“It’s nothing. Just a bit of muscle.”
Klian, now covered in dirt with his sleeves rolled up, looked as if he had been wrestling the boulders himself.
Ah, now I feel bad for cursing him earlier…
Deina felt a pang of guilt as she looked at him.
Seeing her expression, Nox brushed his damp hair back from his forehead and said,
“It might be better to turn back through the canyon. There’s no telling when another rock might fall.”
“But it’s already getting…”
Klian trailed off, lifting his head.
Because of the delay when they’d departed—thanks to Deina—the sun was already setting faster than expected.
“That’s why we should turn back now. Before it gets any darker and we can’t move at all.”
“Understood.”
At Nox’s firm tone, Klian nodded immediately.
He gave new directions to the coachman, then mounted his horse. Deina leaned back against the seat as the carriage slowly turned around within the narrow canyon.
She didn’t think she could handle another jolt.
“All right, let’s move slowly.”
At Klian’s signal, they began to move.
As the coachman urged the horses forward, Deina glanced outside the window, her gaze drifting upward.
‘Don’t tell me… are we really going to have the “rocks-falling-again” scenario here—’
“—We are! Klian! Rocks are falling from above!”
She screamed the moment she saw boulders tumbling down from high above.
Startled by her shout, the coachman flinched and reflexively cracked his whip.
“Neighhhh!”
The horses reared, whinnying in fright.
“W–what’s happening?!”
The coachman panicked, trying to calm them, but it was useless. The terrified horses kicked at each other with their hooves, broke formation, and bolted forward.
“Young Lady!”
“Stop the carriage, now!”
In an instant, the carriage went wild, racing out of control while Klian and Nox gave chase from behind.
Deina gripped the door handle tightly, gasping for breath. If things got worse, she was ready to jump.
“Stop! That way leads to a cliff!”
A cliff?
Deina’s eyes flew open as she looked out the window.
Below the sheer canyon wall yawned a deep abyss, the bottom invisible in the shadows. The carriage was speeding perilously close to the edge.
“Eek!”
At that moment, the coachman lost control completely—and leapt off the carriage.
That coward…!
Watching the man abandon the reins and jump to save himself, Deina immediately pushed the door open.
A rush of wind blasted inside, filled with dust and grit.
“Ugh…!”
She staggered, nearly losing her balance.
Outside, she could see jagged branches and rocks whipping past at frightening speed.
She swallowed hard. Should she jump?
She’d be scraped and bruised badly if she hit the ground—but that was better than plunging to her death off the cliff.
“Young Lady! Be careful!”
Nox’s voice rang from behind as he galloped closer.
Deina gauged the distance between them. Could he catch her if she leapt now?
As if reading her mind, Nox extended one arm toward her. She steadied herself against the door and took a breath.
‘Three… two… one—aaahhh!’
Just as she prepared to jump, one of the horses stumbled and fell, throwing the rest into chaos.
The carriage lurched violently, losing all balance—and began sliding straight toward the cliff’s edge.
“Kyaaaah!”
Deina screamed as she was flung across the cabin. Her body slammed into the opposite wall—and then, for a split second, she felt weightless.
‘I’m falling…’
Through the open door, the ground grew farther and farther away.
Then the world spun upside down, and a deafening crash filled her ears.
Was that the sound of trees breaking—or the carriage shattering apart? She couldn’t tell.
“Young Lady!”
The last thing she saw through the broken door was Nox leaping off his horse without hesitation.
Then her head struck something hard—and everything went dark.
* * *
The sound of flowing water reached her ears.
Her lungs convulsed—and the water inside her chest burst out as she coughed violently.
“Cough! Cough!”
“Can you hear me, Young Lady?”
Deina couldn’t stop coughing. She gasped for breath, trying to force air into her burning lungs.
Someone was patting her back gently.
When she finally managed to open her heavy eyelids, she saw Nox—soaked from head to toe.
She trembled, her voice barely a whisper.
“Duke…?”
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
Nox frantically looked her over, his hands trembling as he checked her arms and shoulders.
So… we fell into the river?
Deina turned her head weakly toward the water. The current was wide and deep.
The shattered remnants of the carriage floated nearby—Nox must have pulled her out himself.
“So cold…”
She muttered unconsciously, and Nox immediately swept her up into his arms.
Holding her tightly against his chest, he looked around and began to move.
“It’ll get even colder once the sun sets. There aren’t many monsters around here, but we need to find a safe place to rest.”
“So cold…”
Deina burrowed into his chest, her teeth chattering uncontrollably.
They hadn’t gone far from Wysberry, so the air was already cool—and after being drenched in icy river water, her body temperature had plummeted.
She shivered uncontrollably, her jaw trembling.
Above her, Nox let out a frustrated sigh.
Before long, he found a large cave where the two of them could take shelter. Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
He gently set Deina down, removed his soaked boots and jacket, and began gathering dry leaves to make a crude bed.
“Sit here, Young Lady.”
Deina slowly moved her legs and sat down on the pile of leaves.
They were out of the wind now, but the chill still gnawed at her.
She curled into a tight ball, hugging her knees.
Meanwhile, Nox kept moving—gathering what dry twigs he could find both inside and near the cave entrance.
He stacked them neatly not far from her, then knelt down on one knee.
Finally, holding a small flint stone in each hand, Nox lowered his head.
“….”
He would have to light the fire himself.
