Chapter 79

Now is the time!

I waited for the slave traders to enter the warehouse before quickly running outside.

My legs, infused with magic power, kicked the ground powerfully. One of the merchants, coughing from the smoke, pointed at me.

“Catch them! The merchandise is escaping!”

At that sound, people who had been checking inside the warehouse rushed after us in a group. I ran as fast as I could, avoiding the hands of those desperately chasing us.

The merchants, who specialized in catching runaway slaves, didn’t give up easily.

“What are you all doing, unable to catch one child?”

“How can a child move that fast! Everyone after them!”

“Stop right now!”

There didn’t seem to be any skilled magic users among them. I barely endured the pain as I felt my magic-filled bones being crushed.

I should have escaped like this earlier. The past that could never be recovered and the present reality became entangled.

I couldn’t stop running until we reached a safe place.

‘I need to go farther.’

The sound of my pounding heart was louder than a drum.

I could smell a sweet scent in my breath, and my legs had gone numb. Only the warmth of Michael on my back provided any comfort.

I climbed up a mountain full of trees to escape the pursuit.

“Huff. Huff. Where did they go? How could a child…”

“Do you know how much they’re worth! Everyone, stay alert!”

“Look carefully in the bushes!”

I frowned as I looked at the green surroundings.

‘Isn’t this the capital?’

Part of my reason for starting the fire was the expectation that someone would come to help. But no matter how far I had run, finding a mountain full of trees was unexpected.

My assumption that we were at a port, or at least on the outskirts of the capital, was wrong. I couldn’t be certain we wouldn’t be discovered eventually.

‘Is hiding all I can do?’

I skillfully climbed the mountain, drawing on memories from when I was an herbalist. Thanks to the mountain, I was barely able to shake off our pursuers.

As soon as I found a suitable hole to hide in, my legs gave way.

“…Haah.”

With trembling hands, I untied the robe connecting Michael and me. Michael’s body collapsed beside me.

His golden eyelashes quivered before rising.

Blink. His eyes, which had been hazily scanning the surroundings, suddenly widened. Seeing the tree-filled landscape around us, Michael asked in an astonished voice.

“Liat? Where is this?”

“A mountain.”

“I clearly remember passing out while trying to protect you. Why are we in a place like this? And where is this anyway?”

“Are you not in pain anymore?”

Michael hesitated without answering my abrupt question. Looking at my face with a confused expression, he answered quietly.

“No.”

“Good. That’s good.”

The tension drained from me with the relief that Michael had opened his eyes.

Judging by his swollen cheek and overall disheveled appearance, his answer was probably meant to reassure me. But at least it was considerably more reassuring than seeing him unconscious.

I placed my palm on his forehead one last time to check his temperature.

“It’s better than before.”

“…”

“Michael, if I fall asleep, you need to go on without me. Understand?”

With those final words, I closed my eyes completely. I could feel him grabbing my shoulders and shaking me in panic.

A sense of satisfaction passed through me, knowing I had done everything I could.

“Liat? Liat! You…!”

Michael sobbed something, probably having discovered my ruined legs. Although I regretted not being able to escape to a completely safe place, this was enough.

I had done my best; perhaps even Juno would praise me for this.

Blood surged up from within me.

The magic power I had overused for an extended period finally broke my body down. A ringing sound echoed in my muffled ears. Just as I was about to lose consciousness, the bracelet on my wrist suddenly snapped.

Whoosh!

Magic power emanating from the bracelet seeped into every corner of my body. I gave a faint smile as I felt my consciousness slightly returning.

‘A defensive spell, they said.’

The moment I recognized the owner of the magic power flowing into me, my heart sank with guilt.

How could I not recognize the Grand Duke’s magic power, which had healed my body several times? His slightly cool magic power barely restored my broken body.

‘Life attribute magic.’

The reason the Grand Duke had been able to save me at our first meeting. The sacred power suitable for saving people was possessed by none other than the Grand Duke.

“I’m in debt again.”

In response to my words, squeezed out with my last strength, I heard crying.

‘Why are you crying? I told you to run away.’

How would he become Emperor later with so many tears? Michael sobbed continuously, to the point where dehydration seemed a concern.

I never expected him to cry like this for someone he had just met.

***

Heishar tried to suppress his unpleasant feelings as he looked at the floor stained with blood. He had wasted time dealing with the troublesome attackers.

Usually, people would run away once they saw the difference in skill, but something was different.

‘Do they have something they believe in?’

He kicked the people sprawled on the floor with his toe.

His power had been considerably reduced due to having taken a human body. This body also had negligible magic power, so he had to rely on pure physical force.

If it weren’t for that, he could have hurried back to the Princess.

“I’m not particularly curious, but I’ll ask.”

“What… ugh, hack.”

The man, kicked in the solar plexus again by him, spat out blood.

“Which one was your target, the girl or the boy?”

Whether he would kill the people here depended on the answer. If they had targeted the Crown Prince, there was no need to take their lives.

‘The Grand Princess is different.’

The Grand Princess had Anastasia’s power dwelling within her.

Until he found Anastasia’s reincarnation, it would be problematic if the Grand Princess was targeted or killed by others. He couldn’t waste the reason he had gone to the Grand Duke’s residence, even taking on this troublesome human body.

“Obviously, both of them! Do you know how much demand there is for young children as merchandise!”

“Merchandise, so you are slave traders after all.”

“We wouldn’t miss a child with such rare blonde hair.”

“I’ve heard enough about you being ordinary riffraff. Tell the rest to the guards.”

Heishar moved to call the guards.

He had dealt with all ten people who had been watching them at the restaurant. He had broken their legs to prevent escape, so it was time to hand them over to the guards.

But the words the fallen man uttered stopped him.

“No matter how strong you are, it’s already too late.”

“What do you mean?”

“That restaurant itself is our base. Those children have probably already been moved by our people.”

The man, spitting blood, grinned at him. That expression reminded Heishar of something that had been bothering him.

‘That restaurant, there were empty seats.’

Generally, restaurants during festivals were fully booked.

Yet this one had noticeably fewer customers than others. And the menu was somewhat random. He hadn’t paid attention, assuming it was simply a restaurant that wasn’t doing well.

“Tell me more.”

Sensing the Grand Princess’s crisis, he grabbed the man’s neck. As he lifted the man’s body into the air, the man struggled violently.

Seeing the man foaming at the mouth, he applied more force.

“Le-let go! What kind of strength is this!”

“Listen carefully. I don’t have the patience to ask twice.”

“Hu-huck. I can’t breathe…!”

“Where did you put the children?”

Crack.

Due to his failure to control his strength, the man’s neck twisted sideways.

Clicking his tongue, he threw the man to the floor. There were still plenty of witnesses who were breathing.

The slave traders trembled as they saw him take the man’s life so nonchalantly. He caught each member of the gang one by one, gave them a chance to answer, and then broke their necks.

After killing about three people, one of the gang members confessed.

“They would have moved by short-distance te-teleport. We have a magician on our side.”

“What level is the magician?”

“He’s at a level where he becomes exhausted after using short-distance teleport once a day. I-I know the location.”

It seemed to be a larger organization than he had thought.

After hearing the location the man mentioned, Heishar hesitated. The magic power contained in the body he had taken couldn’t move to that place in an instant.

“If that child dies, you’ll have to wait until another royal with power is born.”

Saving that child had to be the priority.

‘I’ll break it early then.’

Heishar drew upon his divine power, knowing his body would crack. The tips of his hair were enveloped in brilliant golden light due to the divine power.

The gang members silently inhaled as they saw his red eyes, a color impossible for humans.

“Mo-monster!”

“Strictly speaking, I’m more of a spirit than a monster. But, well, it doesn’t matter.”

He took the lives of the remaining gang members in one go. He regretted the time spent creating a body that could be used without problems in the human world.

A spirit’s body couldn’t remain in the human world without a contract.

‘It can’t be helped.’

Even if it was somewhat troublesome, he could simply create another body.

Heishar moved to the location where he had been told the Grand Princess was.

The warehouse they had mentioned was already burned down, with only traces remaining. Chaotic footprints allowed him to infer what had happened after the warehouse burned.

“Are they still safe?”

He could faintly sense Anastasia’s power from the direction of a nearby mountain.

Following the traces of power, he finally reached the place where the two were hiding.

Having killed all humans he encountered on the way there, Heishar’s hands were soaked in blood. The Crown Prince, seeing him, ran to him, almost falling into his arms, tears streaming down his face.

He seemed to lack the rationality to guard the surroundings or assess the situation.

“Heishar, Liat, Liat is badly hurt!”

“I understand, so step back.”

Veins bulged on his forehead as he saw Liat’s condition.

‘Am I supposed to save this?’

Spirits could control nature, but they weren’t omnipotent. The breath that should have been cut off long ago was still there, but that was all.

The Princess, Liat, was approaching death by the second.

Without time to think about anything else, he closed his eyes with his palm on the Princess’s forehead. A golden light shimmered, and divine power drew a pattern on Liat’s forehead.

The only way to save the Princess in this state was through a contract.

He found himself in a situation where he had to make a contract with the bloodline of humans he despised.