Chapter 109
Before she could even register how strange she felt, Belia’s vision spun and she reached up to clutch her head.
It seemed she had lost a lot of blood from her wounds.
Fighting to stay conscious, Belia opened her mouth again.
“Did you meet anyone while searching?”
“Someone we met?”
“Yes—someone named Carlton. You wouldn’t know him, but…”
Rude’s footsteps stopped.
“Carlton?”
“Huh?”
When he suddenly came to a halt, Belia frowned from the dizziness and lifted her head.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, nothing.”
As Rude started moving again, Belia leaned back onto his broad shoulders.
“He might’ve seen you at the mansion. The Tower Master is coming here.”
“The Tower Master?”
“Yeah. We have to find the Saintess in Lebron today.”
Rude’s pace slowed.
“The… Saintess?”
“Mm.”
Belia closed her eyes from the spinning in her head.
“How does Lady know about the Saintess?”
“I was going to tell you earlier but didn’t get the chance. What we’re looking for in Lebron isn’t actually an object—it’s a person. It might sound strange to you, but… the Saintess.”
“How did Lady know there was a Saintess in Lebron?”
“Huh?”
The question felt odd, but her mind was too hazy to think it through.
“Oh… I just had a feeling. So I came.”
“A feeling?”
“Maybe a dream? I’m not fully sure. But I had to come and check. She should be here. We have to find her.”
“A dream… But you’re really certain about the Saintess’ existence.”
“Well… I have a reason.”
“A reason…? Then why do you need to find the Saintess?”
“If I find her, I’ll find the answers I don’t know yet.”
“Answers—”
“There’s someone I’m trying to find, and that perso—”
Her voice was suddenly buried under a rumbling vibration.
Boom—
The ground shook, and Rude halted.
Belia grabbed her pounding head and opened her eyes.
Unlike the earlier explosion, the wall crumbled quietly this time.
Belia squinted as layers of dirt slowly collapsed one after another.
Far off, the collapse stopped.
And she sensed people.
Because of the backlight, she couldn’t see who they were.
“Belia!”
At the familiar voice, Belia’s eyes flew open.
“Carlton?!”
“Hey! Are you okay?!”
They couldn’t see each other well due to distance and the dark interior, but they immediately recognized each other by voice and shouted toward one another.
“Karin!!”
Belia’s face brightened from relief and joy—so much that she hardly felt her pain.
She tapped Rude’s back as if urging him to hurry toward them.
“Rude, over th—”
“My Lady!!”
A voice Belia should never have heard there echoed from afar.
“My Lady!! Are you alright!!!”
The frantic voice of the knight running toward them clearly belonged to the man carrying her on his back.
“Hurry, hurry!”
Unlike Carlton and Karin, who were affected by divine and magical pressure, Rude’s steel-like physical strength let him sprint rapidly toward Belia.
Carlton could only watch anxiously—the Holy Grail’s power was the only thing allowing him to move.
When they had entered the cave using the Holy Grail, they encountered Rude on the way.
Rude remembered Carlton from the mansion banquet, explained everything, and joined them.
“My Lady!”
The power of the Grail made the stone wall collapse deeper and deeper.
As the cave grew brighter, Belia clearly saw Rude running toward her.
“What is…?”
She didn’t even have the chance to ask what was happening.
Belia lifted her head to see who was carrying her.
As the cave brightened, blinding platinum hair came into view.
“…!”
Belia gasped.
She never imagined he would be here.
And those beautiful yet razor-sharp platinum strands belonged to only one person.
Someone who should NOT exist here.
Someone who should absolutely NOT be carrying her.
“Vayne…”
Belia’s stunned whisper scattered into the air.
Karin and Carlton also froze as they realized who it was.
“You—!”
Karin pointed at him, mouth hanging open.
Carlton, wide-eyed, held his breath.
The red-eyed man slowly took in the scene—Belia on his back.
“Belia!!!”
Rude, who had been sprinting alone in panic, came to an abrupt stop.
“My Lady! Huh?”
The unbearably beautiful man’s eyes were icy cold.
Then he saw Belia’s terrified expression, and Rude’s face hardened.
“Who are you?”
Even though the man was carrying his Lady, Rude couldn’t recklessly attack, so he asked cautiously.
His hand reached for his sword—only to realize he lost his scabbard when they fell into the underground tunnel.
The man looked Rude up and down.
Then slowly, his lips parted.
“So you noticed?”
Rude froze.
That was HIS voice.
Exactly identical.
“What?”
But he had no time to react—he could only see Belia’s frightened face.
“My Lady!”
Rude lunged toward them.
Vayne calmly lifted a hand.
Pop—
Thud!
“Rude!!!”
Rude was sent flying.
Belia snapped fully awake and struggled to slip off Vayne’s back.
In response, Vayne grabbed her by the nape and lifted her as if she weighed nothing.
“Kh—!”
Her airway tightened.
Carlton rushed forward.
Pop—
Unable to withstand the pressure, the Holy Grail shot out of his hand.
“A-ah! Hey!”
Karin, finally processing what was happening, panicked.
Clang.
The Grail hit the ground—and Carlton collapsed.
“Kuh—!”
Clots of red blood spilled across the dirt.
“Carlton!”
Karin screamed and ran to grab the Grail.
Blood stained the corner of his own mouth as well.
“How pathetic.”
Vayne clicked his tongue, looking at Carlton.
“I have things to say to you too, but this takes priority.”
Vayne turned his gaze back to the fragile neck in his grip.
“How did you know the Saintess was here?”
“Ugh— Let me go!”
“Oh? Should I ask like this instead?”
Vayne’s voice morphed.
“My Lady, how did you know the Saintess was here?”
“You—!”
Rude, who had been slammed into the ground, regained consciousness.
“Oh, he told me you were here. Thanks to him, I found you.”
Belia’s eyes widened—she understood.
The ‘survivor’ they met when Rude woke up—the knight who called himself a Lebron knight—vanished as soon as the cave wall collapsed.
Belia asked if he had seen her.
Rude thought he had died.
But that knight was THIS man—dangerous, deadly, and after Belia.
Rude looked at Belia struggling and forced himself to stand.
“Let her go!!!!”
Vayne ignored him and brought his face closer to Belia’s.
“How did you know abou—”
“Pft!”
Belia spat in his face.
“I don’t know, you bastard!”
Vayne touched the wetness on his cheek, then looked back at her.
Belia tried to ignore the chills crawling up her spine—his cold, emotionless face was exactly like in her memories. Like a corpse.
Slowly, a twisted smile curved across Vayne’s lips.
“Right. You haven’t changed.”
“Ugh—”
His expression stayed blank, but his grip tightened.
“You were always like this. And because of that, you ruined everything. You ruined it when everything was almost perfect.”
“Mmph!!”
Belia slapped desperately at his arm, suffocating.
“I forgot, didn’t I? Someone like you would never talk just from this. Fine. Then we’ll do it another way.”
Still staring only at Belia, Vayne raised his left hand.
Pop—
“Aagh!”
Black magic shot from his fingertips and struck Rude.
Rude crashed to the ground, screaming and convulsing.
“Mmmp!!”
Belia’s eyes widened in horror.
As Rude’s skin slowly darkened, Belia thrashed violently.
“How is it? The experiment isn’t complete yet, but it’s different with your blood mixed in.”
At those words, Belia finally placed the familiar pain burning in her leg.
And she realized—
She had felt this before.
