“Good heavens, with such an extraordinary stature, are you Idrish Atygra?”

The voice first, and then in the darkness, Terminus’s face suddenly appeared. He was not much different from Idrish. His always neat clothes and brown hair, now stiff with dried blood, looked much like Idrish’s.

Whatever he wiped his face with, he managed to make only his face clean, but ironically, it made his eyes, nose, and mouth look even more intense.

Only then did the soldiers, who were unaware of each other’s identity, approach and hugged each other.

Terminus got off his horse and approached Idrish.

“We easily succeeded in defense on our side. We didn’t even use half of the prepared explosives. It was really pitiful after you boldly attacked first like that. Fortunately, you managed without any significant issues as well…”

Terminus rejoiced and chatted happily, but as the conversation continued, Idrish’s face hardened.

It was the same in Pheus territory.

If they were not fools, why would they do such a foolish thing, losing troops and weapons?

A cold chill ran down the spine.

The answer was one. They were aiming for something else. This was all a decoy, and we fell for it. We overlooked that Serbion doesn’t care much about the lives of decoy allies.

“…Yes. Then let’s set up camp for today and rest easy… Idrish? What are you doing?”

“Going to Central.”

“What? Why would you suddenly go to Central…”

Only now did Terminus’s face, catching up with Idrish’s thoughts, also stiffen.

“Could it be Central…”

“If there’s a place that must be taken even with a decoy, it’s undoubtedly Central.”

It plays a role as the focal point of the current alliance of animals, and it is also the center that connects all the roads in this country.

“Terminus, I entrust the army to you.”

“Idrish, are you going alone?”

“Sesilia is in Central.”

The horse neighed loudly as if understanding the words.

Idrish slapped the horse’s hindquarters forcefully. The horse sprang forward like a bullet. Normally, a horse would run with difficulty to make it feel heavy. However, Idrish urged the horse repeatedly. As if wanting to run with its own legs, but already a lot of energy was exhausted. The chest was already tingling. It was better to save as much energy as possible because it was not known what would happen when arriving.

Trees side by side passed quickly, and the sound of the wind brushing against the ear was intense. But he had only one thought.

Sesilia, please. Be safe.

Why is it always like this?

He didn’t want to put Sesilia in danger. To protect her by his side, she must have been kidnapped when he wasn’t looking, and if he tried to pull her away, she secretly followed him. So he came back, acting harshly to separate her again.

Now, because of his actions, she was once again in danger.
If only I had brought Sesilia, kept her by my side, and protected her as promised before.

There was no power in regret. Nothing could be changed, and the situation couldn’t be improved. It was just a clouded mind and a pounding heart.

“These damn bastards. They imprison me? How much have I sacrificed for Central!”

I pounded on the door. Of course, even though a whole day had passed, no one answered, and no one opened the door.

Still, I didn’t stop. I had to shout and vent. If I sat still, anxiety would wrap around my whole body, and it felt like I would melt soon.

Idrish left me and went to the battlefield.

He won’t use his abilities properly. If he uses them even twice, the curse will cover his entire chest.

What if the curse gets worse, and he faints in the middle of the battlefield? Who will rescue him? In the chaotic battlefield, where it’s difficult to protect even one’s own body, who would help Idrish?

The image of Idrish lying on the cold ground, freezing, kept coming to my mind. To erase that image, I pounded on the door with my bruised fist.

I knew what he felt, having been confined here before.

Last time, when I secretly followed him to Talpinnus, he was incredibly angry. We even made a promise back then. I promised not to recklessly follow him like that into dangerous situations again.

“But this time is different! What will happen without me?!”

I hated Idrish too much. Yet, I was worried.

I wanted to hit Idrish, who was saying harsh words. And to hit him, he had to be by my side, healthy.

I contemplated endlessly.

What can I do right now? I can’t just wait to see if Idrish is alive or dead, sleeping like this.

It was dreadful. It was torture.

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t go out of this door right now.

“Idrish, you foolish cat!”

I shouted again with more frustration.

The sound of an explosion came at that moment.

Kugung.

It wasn’t huge, but it was distinct.

What? What’s happening?

The room didn’t have windows, so I couldn’t see the situation.

But with such an explosion, it had to be something like gunpowder. Unless it was someone’s mistake, there was no way gunpowder would explode without anything happening. That means…