〈 Chapter 207 〉 Retreat (1)

*

“Lucy!”

The thorn pierced precisely into her right shoulder.

No.

I can’t lose Lucy here.

But Lucy pulled the thorn from her shoulder and shouted.

“Keep running!”

I gritted my teeth through the pain and managed to get up.

But I did not follow her orders.

“Lucy, didn’t you hear what Stella said earlier…”

“I know, but it doesn’t matter.”

She flashed a grin.

“Who do you think I am? I’m a Blood Magic wielder!”

“Blood Magic?”

“It’s hard to completely drive it out, but for now, it’s contained in my arm.”

To prove her point, her complexion still looked fine.

“So stop standing around and run. If it’s me who gets hit, I’ll die, not you.”

If she’s okay, then her words were true.

But…

‘Wilhelm…!’

As I started to run again, I looked back in the direction where Wilhelm was.

He was still there.

‘What the hell happened to him!’

He had definitely tried to kill me.

It was hard to imagine him like this, given the way I saw him at Hero Academy.

‘What is an Apostle anyway?’

Could it be that he, too, is already dead?

According to Stella, the High Priest can turn dead humans into Apostles to control them.

But there was one strange point.

The guy was clearly acting outside the High Priest’s orders.

That means…

‘Is this his will?’

I must not have known Wilhelm well.

In fact, even Sung Yoo-rang had only trained him two or three times.

But even so, I had no intention of understanding him.

From now on, that guy and I are enemies.

Now we’re escaping, but next time we meet, we’ll be fighting to kill each other.

However, for some reason, after firing a thorn at me, Wilhelm showed no desire to follow.

He simply stood on the rooftop, watching me grow distant.

‘No idea what the reason is, but…’

At any rate, it’s a good thing in the current situation.

Thinking so, I exited the barrier of Hailen.

I had already decided where to go.

Basilium.

It was the only place near the barrier without a checkpoint.

*

Tap, tap.

The bonfire made from nearby dry firewood began to burn.

While escaping was one thing, I needed to check on Lucy’s condition.

“Guh…!”

Initially, Lucy seemed fine, but now she didn’t look good at all.

The cause became clear when I tore her right sleeve to reveal her shoulder.

“Oh no…”

Her right arm was definitely not normal.

The whole arm was covered in dark bruises.

Moreover, the skin from the end was turning black.

“Luel.”

But checking visually like this wasn’t as clear as having Luel check directly.

“Yes.”

With a worried expression, she placed her hand on Lucy’s right arm.

At that, Lucy grimaced in pain.

“Sis…”

After assessing Lucy’s condition for a moment, she said.

“I have one good news and one bad news.”

Then Lucy replied.

“Let’s hear the good news first.”

“Because you were able to block it so well, the thorns can’t escape your right arm.”

“Of course. So what’s the bad news?”

Luel paused for a moment.

“Luel, hurry.”

Only after her sister urged her did she finally speak.

“Actually, the pain you’re feeling right now is… closer to a hallucination.”

“Hallucination?”

“Yes, your brain is feeling pain that doesn’t actually exist.”

“What does that mean…”

“The nerves in your right arm have completely necrosed. There hasn’t been any blood flow for quite a while.”

Luel continued calmly.

But it was obvious to anyone that she was forcibly suppressing her emotions.

“Cutting off your right arm is probably the best option right now.”

“Cutting off my arm?”

That essentially meant that Lucy would lose her practical combat ability.

So I asked Luel.

“Isn’t there another way?”

“Not at the moment. Plus, it’s best to cut it off sooner rather than later.”

“Why?”

“Blood Magic has its limits. The moment your focus slips, and the thorns penetrate even a little into your body, it’s over.”

The condition of Lucy as assessed by Luel was more severe than I had imagined.

However, Lucy still wore a confident smile.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s cut it off already.”

“Lucy…”

“I don’t want to die either.”

She said with a smile.

“Just one favor before you do it.”

“Favor?”

“Yes, can you go on adventures with Luel instead of me?”

Then Luel rushed to Lucy.

“But sis, even if we cut your arm off, there’s still plenty of adventures to be had…”

“I’ll only be a burden to Allen. I can’t be stubborn and become a burden.”

Her words were something I couldn’t deny.

Maybe before I fled from Saint City Hailen, I could’ve denied it.

But…

“Sorry, Luel.”

I was not at ease anymore.

There were enemies out there so powerful that even Schurz and his companions couldn’t stand a chance.

To be honest, even if Lucy was completely fine, I had doubts about whether she could help at all.

“But…”

I could make a promise.

“I swear I will create a safe world.”

There was no guarantee I could keep this promise.

But I could assure that I would struggle to fulfill this promise, even if it cost me my life.

“I’ll make a world where you both can travel without weapons and be safe.”

As I made that promise, I lifted Albert.

“Albert.”

­Yes.

“The moment I cut off Lucy’s arm, her focus will waver a bit.”

­You want me to manage the thorn’s movements during that time.

“Exactly.”

I ordered Sara as well.

“Hold the potion with Overload. And the moment I cut off Lucy’s arm, sprinkle the potion on her shoulder. We need to stop the bleeding.”

Then she pulled out a potion from her inventory.

Watching her, I finally asked Lucy one last time.

“Lucy, you’re really prepared, right?”

Lucy nodded seriously.

Confirming that, I finally ordered Miss Gwen.

“Then Ms. Gwen, please take out a clean cloth and have Lucy bite down on it.”

After confirming that all preparations were complete… I raised my sword.

“On the count of three, Belle.”

One.

Two.

Three.

Swish.

*

After cutting off Lucy’s right arm, we took a brief rest before setting off again.

It was due to Lucy’s unexpected and fast recovery.

After all, just because we left Saint City Hailen didn’t mean we were safe from Apostles.

‘Fortunately, Ms. Gwen’s power has also recovered quite a lot, but…’

Still, I felt uneasy.

To secure some stability against the current Apostles…

‘Elsie.’

If she were here, it would be different.

That would mean I’d have two Saint-level combatants with me in Gwen and Elsie.

‘Speaking of Elsie…’

She must have received news about me.

She’d probably be worried.

‘Has the Leim Kingdom stabilized a bit?’

It looked like I’d need to find a way to get to the Leim Kingdom and rescue her.

Of course, that would come after establishing a comprehensive plan.

‘For now, we should enter Basilium, set up a safe house, and plan our operation there.’

Just as I was gradually making my way towards the red barrier of Basilium, I suddenly heard a voice.

­Allen, wait a moment.

‘Albert?’

­There’s a presence nearby.

‘Presence?’

It was only then that I started listening to the surroundings.

Concentrating on the sounds of footsteps on the ground.

Tap.

Nonchalant yet light steps.

That’s Gwen.

Tap, tap.

Strangely timid footsteps.

That’s Sara.

Tap.

That’s Lucy… Wait, that’s impossible.

Lucy was running right next to me to observe her condition.

Then who was making that small sound behind my left?

“Everyone, stop!”

I gave the order and turned to where the sound came from, but there was no one in sight.

“Who’s there!”

Only it was certain someone had been there.

So I maintained my guard and warned whoever was standing there.

“If you don’t reveal your identity…”

Before I knew it, Gwen had drawn the Rose Sword.

“She’ll wipe out everything in the vicinity.”

There was only one opponent.

Whoever they were, I had no thoughts that they could face Gwen.

So the choices left for them would be to either run or reveal themselves.

And they chose the latter.

Swish.

The darkness surrounding them lightened as they stepped out from the shadow of a nearby wall.

And thus, their figure became clear.

‘An Apostle?’

A figure completely dressed in white robes.

‘There was an Apostle who followed us this far?’

Wilhelm had not even crossed the barrier.

So to find an Apostle chasing us from the beginning was surprising.

“…What’s your purpose?”

The Apostle responded in a distorted voice unique to them.

“I originally planned to speak once you had put enough distance from Hailen. But you’re sharper than I thought.”

Well, honestly, if Albert hadn’t detected it first, I wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

“So what’s your purpose?”

“I have information to share with you.”

“What information?”

“About the High Priest and the Apostles.”

Suddenly offering information about themselves, I naturally couldn’t trust him in my current state.

“Why should I believe you?”

“I’d like you to trust me, but if you don’t, I can’t force you. How about you at least hear me out?”

“Hearing you out…”

Just then, Luel spoke from behind.

“Be careful. Those with silver tongues can sometimes lure you into their intentions just by listening to them.”

That was certainly true.

“Then it seems…”

“But it might be better to at least hear him out. We can’t afford to ignore this right now, and if there’s something suspicious, I’ll help you out.”

Was it her habit to offer help late, or was it just a characteristic of her as the Water Sage?

That did bother me, but I turned to the Apostle.

“Alright, I’ll hear you out. But…”

My feelings toward the Apostles were not positive.

“If you say one nonsense, I’ll kill you.”

*