You Died –
Chapter 31……………………………………
Early in the morning, after finishing my preparations, I climbed into the carriage.
When I cracked the window open, I could see that the others traveling along the pilgrimage route were also getting ready.
This pilgrimage route passed through a region where monsters appeared, so it was made up entirely of holy knights.
Perhaps because it was such a dangerous area, there was no one from Faviban whom I recognized. Only Alec, who pretended to be on his side.
This was probably the first pilgrimage that none of the cardinals or priests were attending.
When Alec sensed someone approaching, he withdrew his gaze from me.
It was Faviban.
I pulled back from the window, leaned against the seat, and straightened my back.
I could easily guess what Faviban would say to Alec.
Judging from the expression he had worn in the council chamber, it was obvious.
The relationship between Kardin and me.
That was what he would be curious about.
Faviban would want to hold onto something that could become my weakness.
So, in case I ever turned against him, he would be looking for someone who could serve as a leash.
And the leash he had his eye on was likely Kardin.
Click. The carriage door opened.
“Saintess. They say we’re about to depart.”
Amy, who had boarded the carriage late, sat facing me.
As she said, the sound of hooves soon rang out.
The carriage jolted and slowly left the temple grounds.
Perhaps because the window was open, the sound of many hooves echoed loudly.
The knights were surrounding the carriage, escorting it.
“There seem to be more knights than when we went to the Kingdom of Helen.”
“That’s probably because our destination is different.”
“Shouldn’t at least some priests be coming along?”
“There are knights among them who can use healing, so it should be fine.”
As if she had just remembered the existence of monsters, Amy flinched and squeezed her eyes shut.
“If you’re scared, you can stay at the temple, you know.”
“Oh, I-I’m not scared! The Saintess is here, and the knights too…”
Watching her, the corners of my mouth softened.
“Saintess.”
When I tilted my head without answering, she spoke with a flushed expression, her earlier fear nowhere to be seen.
“Um, I heard that the Grand Duke will be at the place we’re going today. Is that true?”
For a moment, my lips twitched.
“Yes. But we probably won’t have much chance to see him.”
“Why not?”
“He’ll be where the monsters are, and we’ll be staying in the village.”
Amy couldn’t hide her disappointment.
I deliberately ignored it and turned my gaze out the window.
I could hear the rustling sound of leaves brushing against each other in the wind. If one didn’t consider where we were headed, it felt quite peaceful.
Up until getting into the carriage, I had felt a little excited at the thought of going on a pilgrimage that differed from Faviban’s intentions for the first time.
When I closed the window, the sounds of hooves and wind faded, leaving silence.
There was still a long way to go, so I closed my eyes.
Perhaps because my nerves had been on edge lately, once we left the temple, I quickly fell asleep.
Even as the carriage rattled along uneven roads, my exhaustion weighed heavier, and I couldn’t open my eyes.
Sticky monster blood clung to the sword and dripped onto the ground with dull splats.
Was it just his imagination, or had the number of monsters increased compared to last year?
After cutting down a monster that charged at him with a shrill screech, Kardin frowned deeply.
“My lord.”
At the voice calling from behind, Kardin knit his brows.
“His Highness the Third Prince wishes to see you.”
Kardin drove his blood-soaked sword straight into the monster that was still twitching on the ground, as if to finish it off.
The monster’s final roar died away.
When he pulled the sword free, blood gushed out in thick spurts.
Without even looking at the monster, Kardin patted the vice-captain of the knights on the shoulder.
“I’ll leave the rear to you.”
“Yes, my lord.”
He walked past him. Before long, the border encampment came into view.
In front of it sat Raymond, using a fallen log as a seat.
“You said you wanted to see me.”
Kardin sat down at a distance from him.
With his arms crossed, Raymond looked toward the path Kardin had come from and spoke.
“Grand Duke, don’t you think the number of monsters has increased?”
So it wasn’t just him who felt that way.
Kardin nodded in agreement.
There were clearly more monsters than last year, and they were harder to deal with.
“I heard the Saintess is coming today. It’s worrying.”
At the word Saintess, Kardin’s eyebrow twitched.
Raymond glanced at him and curled his lips into a smile. Kardin avoided his gaze and asked,
“Was there damage in the village?”
Raymond hesitated briefly before answering.
“Yes. And it’s pretty serious.”
“Then we were late.”
They had always dealt with the monsters before they descended. Because their appearance had come earlier than usual, they hadn’t been able to protect the village.
“Are there injured?”
“Quite a few. Maybe it’s a good thing the Saintess is coming today.”
Though Kardin remained silent, Raymond continued talking unbothered.
“The problem is, the village is so badly damaged that there’s nowhere for the Saintess to stay.”
“……”
“Well, she could stay in the encampment, but who knows if a Saintess would be comfortable with that.”
Kardin’s eyes darted as he surveyed the area around the tents.
Knights had been stationed in the village as well, but he wondered whether it was safe enough for the Saintess to stay there.
Just as he was thinking it might be safer for her to stay near him—
A knight running toward them caught both their attention.
“Has she already arrived?”
At Raymond’s voice beside him, Kardin couldn’t take his eyes off the approaching knight either.
“My lord.”
“Has the Saintess arrived?”
“No. It seems a monster has come down below.”
Though the knight explained it was just one, Kardin rose from his seat immediately.
“Hah.”
Raymond let out a hollow laugh and stared at Kardin as he mounted his horse.
“Interesting.”
He seemed to know Kardin’s destination.
Kardin entered the forest path. The familiar stench of monsters filled the air.
Had the Saintess left the sanctuary?
There were no footprints. It was probably a new type of monster.
One of the more troublesome kinds. Kardin urged his horse on even faster.
Following the scent, he soon heard the monster’s cry.
Hovering low, the monster stayed in one place, letting out a shriek that felt like it would tear one’s ears apart.
After passing through dense trees, he saw it—a carriage burning in the middle of a narrow road.
His grip on the reins tightened. His dark eyes darted quickly, searching for someone.
The carriage that had left the sanctuary was racing down a narrow forest path when it suddenly stopped, as if it had struck a rock.
Amy and I, who had been asleep, grabbed the edges of our seats belatedly.
A heavy silence fell inside the carriage.
“D-Did we hit something?”
Straightening my posture, I answered.
“It seems so.”
Just as I reached for the window, the faint sound of hooves suddenly grew much louder.
At the same time the window cracked open, a chilling beast’s cry rang out.
No—could it even be called a beast?
At the ear-splitting sound, Amy and I covered our ears.
“S-Saintess… what is that sound…?”
Bang!
The carriage door flew open. Alec shouted urgently.
“Get out of the carriage!”
Startled out of our daze, Amy and I flinched at his shout.
I grabbed Amy’s wrist as she fumbled and pulled her up. After pushing her out first, I followed her down from the carriage.
In an instant, the carriage was engulfed in flames. Alec shielded Amy and me as he led us away.
From a distance, I stared blankly at the carriage burning fiercely, feeling detached from reality.
What on earth was happening?
The knights moved as one, surrounding Amy and me.
When that ear-splitting cry rang out again, I tilted my head upward.
“A monster…”
There was no mistaking that enormous bird for anything else.
I snapped back to my senses and turned to check on Amy.
“Amy.”
Alec was holding her—she had fainted from the monster’s cry.
“Amy!”
I placed a hand on her cheek and called her, but there was no response.
After looking up at the monster, Alec turned his gaze to me.
“She seems to have fainted.”
“Ah.”
I checked her over to see if she was injured, but thankfully, there were no wounds.
Given what we were seeing now, perhaps it was better that she was unconscious.
“Is there only one monster?”
“Yes.”
We had barely left the sanctuary, and already a monster had appeared.
My heart pounded rapidly.
Alec handed Amy over to another knight and stepped in front of me. The knights who drew their swords all wore tense expressions.
The monster opened its mouth wide, as if preparing to breathe fire again.
Before long, the monster’s eyes flashed.
