Unable To Escape - Chapter 68

When Alicia decided to head towards the Tower of the Wise, she was aware that she could encounter mutants.

She would face them at least once while heading east. Maybe even more often.

With that in mind, she left the imperial city.

In other words, this was a situation that Alicia had ‘prepared’ for.

“Move Her Highness Alicia to the very back. Casa White, no matter what happens, stay by Her Highness’s side!”

“Yes!”

“And if the front line collapses, don’t look back and run away with Her Highness.”

“That, that’s…!”

“Her Highness’s life is more precious than your honor.”

“…I understand.”

However, her resolution did not include a situation like this.

Protect her no matter who dies?

Was she precious enough to abandon even the knight’s oath to protect?

She wanted to cry out that it wasn’t so, but Killian, Casa, and everyone surrounding her had the same look in their eyes as they gazed at her.

“I…”

“Your Highness, I will protect you.”

Casa was the only one who spoke, but it was clear that it represented the words of everyone gathered here.

So instead of what she originally intended to say, Alicia gave the answer she had to as a member of the imperial family.

“I trust in you all.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Those who answered in unison moved to find their positions.

“The wolves will take the front line.”

“Yes!”

At Killian’s words, the members of the Badulf unit who dismounted drew the swords at their waists.

Unlike the knights’ swords, theirs were slightly curved inward with only one sharpened edge, closer in shape to a knife than a sword.

Of course, it was still a stretch to call it a real knife, as the blade was thinner than a typical knife and the edge faced the opposite direction.

“It feels awkward to face them in a warm place after always dealing with them in cold regions.”

“Why? Not confident?”

“Want me to slice you up before the beasts show up?”

Light banter passed between the unit members.

Everyone knew it was an act to relieve tension before entering battle.

“They’re coming.”

The moment Derek, who had taken a position next to Killian and drawn his sword like the other unit members, finished speaking, two beasts – mutants – appeared, breaking through the huge trees.

The beasts, which had the exact same appearance as the one Alicia encountered in the greenhouse of Lasa Castle, were walking straight towards Alicia’s group as if they had followed the sound of people.

“The weak point of the beasts?”

“The scales protruding in reverse under the jaw!”

“When they swing their arms?”

“Don’t back away, advance forward!”

“Who’s dying here today?”

“The idiot!”

The wolves, who unanimously answered “the idiot,” grinned fiercely.

It was their own ritual before facing the beasts.

“There better not be any idiots among my wolves.”

“There aren’t!”

“Then… go and tear them apart!”

The moment Killian gave the command, the wolves of Diaz who were standing in the front line threw themselves at the beasts all at once.

At the very forefront was Derek, his bright crimson hair fluttering as he laughed madly.

Grinning so pleasantly it was chilling, he leaped into the arms of the beast swinging at him, kicked its jaw, then climbed a nearby tree and brought his sword down on the beast with all his might.

“You crazy captain! I told you not to hit first like that!”

“Hey! Duck!”

“Ah, that crazy bastard!”

“I can hear you all, you idiots!”

“We’re not dead yet!”

The wolves facing the same beast as Derek, who had naturally split into two groups to deal with each beast, shouted.

Most of it was cursing at Derek, but for hurling insults, they were thoroughly moving in sync with Derek’s movements.

“Hey, hey, when the Duke arrives, there won’t be any left for us! Move diligently!”

“The final blow is definitely mine this time!”

“You stupid fool! I said advance when they swing their arms!”

“I got it!”

The atmosphere of the wolves facing the remaining beast was a bit different.

The wolves, keenly aware of Killian leisurely walking towards them, were moving diligently to swing their swords at least once more before he arrived.

Recalling the sight of Killian single-handedly facing a mutant in the greenhouse of Lasa Castle, Alicia could understand their movements a little.

‘Killian…’

She knew he was someone who could face a beast alone, but apart from that, she couldn’t stop worrying.

Because he was also a person who bled and suffered when injured.

Unlike Alicia, who was earnestly praying that he wouldn’t even be scratched by twigs, that he wouldn’t get hurt at all, Killian, who was leisurely walking towards the beast, was observing its every movement without even blinking.

What were the differences from the beasts in the northern lands?

How did their fighting styles differ?

Were there any other weaknesses besides the reverse scales on the neck?

This was the difference between Derek, who moved to eliminate the mutants as quickly as possible, and Killian’s leisurely movements.

Simply eliminating them was not enough.

While the subordinates were dealing with them, he had to find new weaknesses and effective tactics.

It was something Killian could do because he trusted in his subordinates’ abilities.

The subordinates also trusted Killian, so they moved to elicit new reactions from the beasts as much as possible until he drew his sword.

“Amazing…!”

Alicia, who had been tensely following Killian’s movements with her eyes, turned her head at the sound of Casa’s voice beside her.

Unable to take her eyes off the wolves’ movements, she was constantly murmuring exclamations and twitching her fingers.

“Originally, she wanted to go north.”

Reilly, who had approached at some point, pointed at Casa and spoke in a small voice.

“North? Lady White?”

“I heard her dream was to leave her name at the Fortress of Sorrow.”

“But why…?”

“I don’t know either. I thought she would naturally go north, but when I entered the imperial city, there she was.”

At Reilly’s words, Alicia unknowingly examined Casa’s face once more and confirmed that admiration, not tension, had taken hold of her expression.

It wasn’t just her.

The knights, who had been tensely scanning their surroundings with sharp eyes when they first heard the sound of the beasts appearing, were also unable to hide their admiration and respect as they watched Killian and the wolves fight.

That’s how one-sided the battle was.

They seemed to have realized just how strong a unit specializing in dealing with beasts was.

Among them, Alicia, the only one worrying and fretting over Killian, let out an unintentional hollow laugh and turned her eyes back to his retreating figure.

Derek had already finished his battle.

In the brief moment she had looked away, he had severed the beast’s reverse scales and its neck, and was already kicking the severed head of the beast that was starting to turn to dust and disappear.

“Why don’t these things leave behind a body?”

“I don’t know either.”

“That black crystal on their back was the last thing to disappear, right?”

“I think so?”

Those who had been conversing while ignoring Derek shifted their gazes to Killian, who had finally reached the beast.

The moment he arrived, those who had been dealing with the beast simultaneously retreated behind Killian.

“It’s lasting longer than the winter beasts.”

After briefly sharing his impression, Killian finally drew the sword at his waist.

Unlike the wolves of Diaz, it was a double-edged straight sword.

The beast, tired from facing the wolves but now riled up, lunged at Killian with its mouth wide open.

At the sight, Alicia unconsciously squeezed her eyes shut, and as she slowly opened them, she heard the sound of something huge falling with a ‘thud.’

Killian was seen sheathing the sword he had just drawn back at his waist.

The beast that had lunged at him was vertically bisected and turning to dust as it disappeared.

“As expected of the Duke!”

Casa muttered in a small voice, clenching her fist.

It seemed her polite attitude towards Killian stemmed from respect.

Alicia, who had been protected among the knights, dismounted from her horse.

As if following her movement, the others also dismounted and moved their steps behind Alicia.

“Duke Diaz.”

“Your Highness Alicia.”

Alicia, who had pushed through the protecting knights to take the lead, placed one hand on her chest and bowed her head, slightly bending her knees.

“Thank you for saving us today.”

“It was my duty.”

Receiving Alicia’s polite greeting, Killian also bowed his head.

Having fulfilled her role as a princess rather than Alicia at the beginning and end of the battle, she took in the sight of the beast that had half disappeared into the air.

“I wonder if there are black crystals in this forest as well.”

“It’s a pity we don’t have time to search right away.”

If the time for the path to the Tower of the Wise to open wasn’t set, she would have stayed in this forest a little longer to search for black crystals.

If lucky, she might even be able to see how the black crystals are formed, but…

“We need to move again.”

“…I see.”

“Once we pass through this forest, we’ll reach a village.”

“You plan to send word to the imperial city from there.”

“I will request for the wolves remaining at the mansion to be sent here.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Alicia, who had watched the beast completely disappear until the end, mounted the gentle horse waiting for her.

After checking the condition of his subordinates, Killian was the last to mount his horse, and the journey resumed.

Derek and a few others took the lead again, serving as the advance party.

Perhaps because the excitement from facing the beasts had not subsided, their speed was too fast to follow with the eyes.

“They eliminated them more easily than I thought.”

Marisa said.

“Because they are strong. But that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down.”

Accidents can happen anytime, anywhere.

Alicia, who knew this fact better than anyone, lightly warned Marisa and habitually followed Killian’s back with her eyes.

He was clearly the strongest man, so why did she feel so uneasy?

Alicia felt another unanswerable question arise and bit her lip.