Chapter 46
----------------------------------------------------------------- Translator: Diva Chapter: 46 Chapter Title: A Faint Cry -----------------------------------------------------------------
No sooner had the princess finished speaking than a hissing laugh, like deflating air, burst from the crown prince's mouth.
"Indeed. It wouldn't be a bad idea to bring that wench's corpse to the Empress."
Just imagining the scene seemed to excite him, as the crown prince's laughter grew even thicker.
He grabbed Sir Sheerkhan's shoulder with one hand and whispered ominously.
"Fine. If you're so set on it, I won't stop you. Go ahead and scour the mountainside all night looking for that woman."
The crown prince patted his shoulder firmly before turning and walking off toward the far end of the chaotic campsite. As her brother departed, the princess tossed a curt remark toward her fiancé.
"Then, I'll leave the girl to you."
* * *
As soon as the two royals left, they headed north without delay.
Edric clutched a torch in one hand as he pushed through the pitch-black forest. He was terribly anxious, wondering if the wyvern's traces had vanished during their brief scuffle.
"Be careful. You might tumble into the valley yourself."
Sir Theoric Hart, a senior knight keeping pace right beside him, whispered in a worried tone.
Edric just nodded once without replying and raised the torch to illuminate the rugged dirt path. Between the straight-trunked conifers, jagged rocks and steep slopes came into view.
"It's here."
He pointed to the sharp downhill path, and his silent superior approached like a shadow.
Edric stepped aside to let him peer below. After shining the torch into the ravine for a moment, Barkas pulled a hooked iron chain from the pouch on his belt.
He secured it firmly in a crevice of the rock, then hurled himself down the near-vertical slope. Edric held the torch steady, lighting the way below until he confirmed Barkas had landed safely at the bottom. Only then did he descend the cliff face after him.
Fortunately, the valley wasn't too deep. Edric carefully navigated the protruding rocks and reached the bottom, then raised the torch high in one hand to signal the knights above. The waiting knights began climbing down one by one.
Edric watched them for a moment before turning to survey the surroundings.
It seemed the wyvern's crash had dealt a massive impact to the cliff face—rocks and piles of earth were scattered everywhere. Searching through all this debris would take considerable time.
Edric scanned the inky darkness with impatient eyes, then leaped over a large boulder. After trudging along the uneven ground for a bit, he spotted a dark shape rising beside a heap of collapsed rocks.
He shone the light on it closely.
'...Looks like we found it.'
The wyvern's carcass lay sprawled amid the rock pile, one wing charred and shriveled as if grazed by fire magic.
Edric thoroughly checked the area around the monster's body, fearing the princess might be pinned somewhere beneath it, then froze at the sight of another dark form standing a short distance away.
Bringing the torch closer revealed Barkas standing beside a massive boulder. Edric rushed toward him.
"Captain! Have you found anything...?"
Edric's urgent shout trailed off as he halted abruptly, spotting the pale, limp form slumped before him.
The torch trembled faintly, casting light on the woman's bloodless face and tangled hair. Staring blankly at her, Edric let out a heavy sigh at the sight of the large and small rocks crushing her lower body.
He knew survival was unlikely. He'd braced himself for this to some extent. Still, seeing her mangled body with his own eyes chilled him to the core.
He approached her side with hesitant, trembling steps.
Her upper body was relatively intact, but her legs were nearly pulverized.
As he examined her left leg, twisted at an unnatural angle under a huge boulder, Edric shoved a large stone aside. The stacked rocks beside it came tumbling down in a crash.
His face darkened with dismay as he looked up for help—only to flinch and freeze at the mask-like, expressionless face he found.
Barkas stood rigidly upright, silently observing the woman. The dry gaze held not a shred of emotion, sending a shiver down Edric's spine.
He knew this man and the 2nd Princess were bitter enemies. But wasn't he someone he'd known since childhood? Edric couldn't fathom how he could remain so composed before such a sight.
Edric cried out in protest.
"What are you doing? Help her, quickly!"
Yet Barkas didn't so much as twitch.
Glare turning to fury, Edric rose to clear the rocks himself. As he pushed at the stones crushing her legs with both hands, a faint, gasping sound like a small animal emanated from below.
Edric whipped his head down.
Her pale face twisted ever so slightly in the torchlight. For a moment, his legs nearly buckled.
Overwhelmed by intense relief, he shouted loudly.
"She's alive! She's still breathing!"
In response, her thin eyelids fluttered, revealing unfocused eyes. She seemed deep in delirium.
Edric straightened urgently. She needed healing magic as soon as possible.
He snatched up the torch from the ground to summon the knights searching elsewhere. In that instant, he caught a faint smile ghosting over her ashen face.
Edric froze mid-motion without realizing it. From her cracked, blood-beading lips came an indistinct murmur, barely audible.
"Barkas..."
Her pleading whisper made his eyes widen, and the statue-still man bent forward toward her. Recognizing that serene face, her eyes flickered dimly—like glimpsing a thread of salvation from the abyss.
"I... I knew. I knew you'd come save me..."
Her eyes curved faintly, tears spilling from beneath her thin lids to soak her pallid cheeks.
Firelight danced shadows across the man's cool face as he gazed down at her. The empty eyes, devoid of any spark, glinted with the flame's reflection. Yet he seemed sunk in some deep, dark place.
For some inexplicable reason, Edric held his breath before unconsciously gripping the man's shoulder.
"A-Are... are you alright?"
Barkas looked up at him. A faint furrow creased his refined brow—an expression of utter incomprehension. Edric himself didn't know why he'd asked.
Why had this man seemed so off?
Staring at the calm face—so unchanged from usual—with confused eyes, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed from somewhere.
Snapping to his senses, Edric hurriedly raised the torch high. Several knights, recognizing his signal, came rushing over.