SLDS 37

The Basilisk snapped its head up. Its snout was dyed crimson with blood, and it huffed out hot breaths.

As if it were no longer interested in the dead meat, its flashing yellow pupils scanned the surroundings intently. As fate would have it, Yuria was sitting within its line of sight.

Yuria covered her mouth with both hands, unable to even let out a breath. Even though she had lived in the Black Forest, which teemed with demonic beasts, she was bound to be terrified when confronted with such a creature.

As if deciding on its next prey, the Basilisk growled and took a step.

“Oh, no. No!”

Yuria dragged her bottom backward. She wanted to get up and run away at once, but her legs had lost all their strength, and all she could manage was to crawl.

The savage beast licked its chops and plodded forward. As if intending to play with its prey, it did not charge right away but circled her slowly.

Seeing this, Cecil promptly aimed an arrow at the Basilisk. He had never used a bow before, so he was only mimicking the form, but he pulled back the bowstring with all his might.

“Yuria! Run!”

With the command, he released the tautly drawn bowstring. The arrow, far from hitting the Basilisk, landed pathetically in the ground. However, it reached roughly to the beast’s feet, which was enough to divert its attention.

“Grrrrrr!”

The beast’s head whipped around, and its fierce eyes turned to Cecil. Having found another prey, the Basilisk quickly shifted its focus.

“I told you to run!”

At his shout, Yuria scrambled to her feet, but her steps faltered, as if she could not bear to leave Cecil behind.

In that time, the Basilisk was rapidly closing the distance. In an instant, it charged forward, knocked Cecil over, and climbed on top of him.

“Ugh! Damn it! This beastly bastard!”

Cecil was pinned to the ground, struggling. He barely managed to shove the bow into the Basilisk’s snout to avoid being bitten, but its strength was utterly overwhelming.

The power of its teeth was so immense that the thick wooden bow was chewed and broke with a crack. Having lost his weapon, Cecil fumbled around on the ground. The dagger, his last hope, came into his hand.

‘If you’re planning something foolish, you’d better stop. At your level, your limbs will be torn to shreds before you can even stab it.’

Why was it that the advice he heard before he died came to mind now? Cecil also didn’t think he could kill a beast with a small dagger. It was just a final, desperate struggle.

I never thought I’d die saving Yuria.

If it were the Cecil of his previous life, his own life would have been the priority, and he would have used Yuria as a sacrifice to escape. No, in the first place, he would not have even set foot in the dangerous hunting grounds.

But the situation was different now.

Cecil had a goal to continue living another life, and he had to survive, if only for Alexis’s sake.

Neither Yuria nor he would die here. He resolved to endure, even if his limbs were torn apart.

“Damn it! I won’t be taken down by the likes of you!”

Cecil swung the dagger he was gripping tightly. The swordsmanship training he had received wasn’t a complete waste, as his posture for holding the blade was at least correct.

He put all his strength into it and, without hesitation, slashed the beast’s face. The skin covered in black fur split open, revealing red flesh. The Basilisk let out a great roar and opened its jaws wide.

“Argh!”

Its sharp claws dug straight into Cecil’s skin. A searing heat, as if a hole had been punched in his stomach, was followed by a terrible pain that spread throughout his body. Cecil clenched his teeth and bore the pain.

Just as he was glaring at the beast, which was thrusting its sharp fangs at him as if to devour him at any moment, and raising the knife once more.

Slice!

A steel sword imbued with sword energy cut off the Basilisk’s head in a single blow. From the cleanly severed surface, hot, foul-smelling blood momentarily gushed like a fountain, and Cecil, who was pinned underneath, was drenched in all of it.

Cecil’s eyes widened from the sudden shock. He couldn’t even make sense of what had just happened.

“Cecil!”

A strong hand grabbed Cecil by the scruff of his neck and lifted his upper body.

The pitch-black beast disappeared from Cecil’s vision, and a bright light filled it. The platinum blond hair was distinct. It was Alexis.

“Snap out of it!”

Alexis called to the stiffly frozen Cecil several times. He kicked the beast’s carcass, which was still bleeding profusely, to the side, and took Cecil into his arms to check his condition.

“Are you alright? The Basilisk is dead. It’s safe now.”

“Gasp, cough, ugh.”

“Breathe slowly, it’s okay.”

He had been fortunate enough to meet the Royal Guard, defeat all the assassins, and come running. He had been able to save Cecil by a hair’s breadth. If he had been even a little late, Cecil would have been torn to shreds and turned into a chunk of meat.

“Bring water!”

One of the Royal Guardsmen ran over with a waterskin. Alexis poured all of the cold water over Cecil’s head. He washed the blood-caked face, was handed another new waterskin, and held it to Cecil’s lips.

Most of it trickled out, but it didn’t matter. After repeating this several times, focus returned to the dazed green eyes.

Tremors still ran through his slender frame. Cecil gasped for breath, his limbs trembling violently. It was the aftereffect of the fear he had so difficultly suppressed.

“Get a hold of yourself. Do you know who I am?”

Alexis cupped Cecil’s cheeks and forced him to make eye contact. As if he might lose consciousness at any moment, he also lightly tapped Cecil’s wet cheeks.

Cecil gave a small nod. After seeing Alexis, his trembling heart also began to gradually regain its composure. He swallowed a gulp of foul-tasting saliva and with difficulty, opened his mouth.

“…The assassins, haah, what happened to them?”

“All but one have been dealt with.”

“Is Yuria safe too?”

Only then did Alexis look behind him. In the chaos, he hadn’t had a chance to check on Yuria. Fortunately, Claude was taking care of Yuria, and she didn’t seem to have any major issues.

He turned his head back and let out a long sigh.

“Yes, she seems to be safe.”

“That’s a relief.”

“You… do not look very well.”

The body, barely leaning against a tree trunk, was still trembling slightly. The thin silk shirt and the vest worn over it were both soaked in blood. Although he had been doused in the Basilisk’s blood, what was trickling out was clearly Cecil’s own.

Alexis glanced down at the abdomen, where the claw marks were clearly visible, and unknowingly bit his lip.

“The wound is severe.”

“Haa, I’m lucky it’s only this bad. I could have died if things went wrong.”

“I need to see the wound.”

“It’s just a scratch.”

Cecil tried to stop him, but Alexis’s hands were already undoing the ribbon on the tattered vest. When he tried to unbutton the shirt as well, Cecil hurriedly grabbed Alexis’s wrist.

“I’m fine, I told you!”

“You’re wincing like that from the pain, and you say you’re fine?”

“Not here! It’s dirty, you know, ugh, who knows what kind of germs I could catch!”

He would rather die than say he couldn’t show his body to Alexis. A highly educated crown prince would surely be able to read the ancient numerals written on his chest.

As Cecil continued to resist to the end, even while groaning in pain, Alexis couldn’t suppress his rising anger, and his blue eyes flashed.

“Stop being so stubborn, Cecil Adrian.”

“No! Absolutely not! I will only get treated back at the imperial palace!”

“You’re going to the palace in this state? I barely managed to save you, but I see you want to die from blood loss?”

“I said, no. Absolutely not…”

Cecil was so stubborn that he persisted obstinately. Beads of sweat began to form on his round forehead. While throwing a tantrum for all he was worth, he couldn’t hide the fact that he was in pain, and his complexion grew paler and paler.

“You are truly… I can’t figure you out.”

Alexis finally let go of the clothes he had been trying to remove. After glaring at Cecil for a long while with a displeased look, he took a handkerchief from his pocket.

He pressed the palm-sized cloth to Cecil’s wound. It was nowhere near enough to stop the bleeding, but there was no other way for now.

“Can you move?”

Instead of answering, Cecil only nodded. Though he looked like he was at death’s door, his gaze was even clearer than before.

Alexis hoisted Cecil onto his back. As he took a step and gave a light nod of his chin, a quick-witted Royal Guard brought a prepared horse to the crown prince.

He sat Cecil on the saddle and immediately mounted behind him. Even with two adult men on its back, the sturdy horse showed no signs of strain and pawed the ground.

Alexis grabbed the reins and shouted.

“We are returning to the imperial palace. All clean-up will be entrusted to Knight Commander Vandel. Manage it thoroughly so that no strange rumors get started!”

“Yes! Your Highness!”

The men answered in unison with voices full of spirit. The crown prince, sitting on his horse, surveyed the crowd with an air of authority. When his eyes met Claude’s, who was with Yuria, a wordless look passed between the two of them.

I’m leaving Yuria to you.

In a relationship of trust that had been solidly built over a long time, there was no need for explanations.

Soon, the horse carrying the two men kicked off the ground and galloped away. Behind the horse as it moved away through the undergrowth, a flag emblazoned with the imperial crest fluttered. It was a sign that someone who should not be touched was riding.