Sigrid

“If they abandoned the horse to avoid being tracked, why didn’t they hide their footprints separately?”

“Maybe they didn’t have time to think that far? They must be quite fatigued from being constantly pursued.”

“That could be. And what’s even more unsettling is—”

Before he could finish, Sigrid interjected.

“We can’t see any traces of the pursuers at all.”

“Exactly that.”

While there were traces of those fleeing, there were no signs of pursuers who, like themselves, should have been a step ahead in the chase.

“We have no choice but to keep going.”

Beramund nodded at Sigrid’s words. The two briskly followed the footprints. After walking for about 30 minutes, Sigrid let out a groan.

They were on the upper part of a hill, and while they hadn’t noticed as they were climbing to the top, standing at the peak, they saw a cliff. There was a rope bridge between the steep cliffs, but it looked extremely unstable. However, the footprints continued towards it, and the two descended the hill to arrive at the bridge.

“They crossed it.”

“Indeed, they did.”

They both eyed the rope bridge nervously. With patches of ice here and there and only a single rope serving as a railing, if one were to slip, there would be nothing to grab onto before falling off the cliff.

“Isn’t this bridge irresponsibly dangerous?”

As Sigrid muttered, Beramund said:

“I’m surprised this bridge even exists here. It’s not a path normal people would use, right? Usually, people take the main road. Besides, it doesn’t look like an old bridge.”

He said, tugging at the bridge rope. Sigrid took a deep breath and said:

“Then I guess we should cross it, thinking of it as fortunate.”

“That’s right.”

They looked at the opposite side, which seemed about 50 meters away, before carefully stepping onto the bridge. Holding onto the rope, Sigrid walked at a brisk pace. The winter wind made the bridge sway, but being newly constructed, it held firm.

After safely crossing the bridge, they both let out sighs of relief. Beramund examined the rope and said:

“As I thought, there’s no sign of anyone trying to cut it.”

“That’s strange.”

If she had crossed such a bridge with pursuers coming, she would have definitely cut the bridge. Beramund muttered:

“Then the possibilities are…”

Either the pursuers were so close that there was no time to cut the bridge—

“Aaargh!”

A scream echoed from afar, and Beramund and Sigrid quickly glanced at each other before starting to run like mad.

“Rudinal!”

Beramund shouted. Then another voice was heard from somewhere.

“Beramund?! Beramund! Over here!”

Beramund and Sigrid ran as fast as they could towards the source of the voice. Soon, human figures came into view.

Rudinal and—

“A knight?”

Sigrid muttered. A knight in pitch-black full plate armor was attacking Rudinal. Just looking at it made her feel cold.

‘Full plate armor in this weather, in a place like this?’

Surely the knight must have sensed Sigrid and Beramund’s presence, but without even turning around, he focused solely on attacking Rudinal.

Beramund arrived before Sigrid and drew his sword. Without even the sound of metal being cut, Beramund slashed at the opponent’s armor.

“Huh?”

Beramund made a strange sound after slashing.

He had cut, but the sensation in his hand was as if he had only cut the armor…

“That’s not human!”

At Rudinal’s shout, Beramund kicked the armor.

Clang—!

A hollow sound. Sigrid, who arrived next, slashed horizontally at the helmet. With a light sound, the upper part of the helmet fell to the ground, and there was nothing inside.

“A magical beast…?”

Sigrid muttered in a dubious voice. Despite their attacks, the armored knight continued to move without any issues.

“I’ve never heard of a magical beast like this.”

Beramund muttered as he helped Rudinal to his feet. Meanwhile, the armored knight was exchanging blows with Sigrid, but she clearly had the upper hand. When Sigrid cut off the armored knight’s sword-wielding hand, it fell to the ground with a clatter. She then slashed at the body and kicked it. One of Sigrid’s feet that was supporting her body sank deep into the snow. Beramund couldn’t help but admire how she maintained her balance on one foot without wavering on the snow.

Clang, clang—!

The upper body armor rolled on the ground with a loud noise, while the lower body remained standing motionless.

Of course, it was completely empty inside.

Rudinal watched the scene with a deathly pale face. His entire body was shaking uncontrollably. Beramund asked:

“Are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?”

Rudinal shook his head vigorously. Even as his teeth chattered, Rudinal tried to speak.

“I, I, I’m fine. But—”

The others weren’t fine, that must be what he meant. Beramund nodded with a dark expression. Sigrid, sheathing her sword, said:

“We should move. Should we take that magical beast-like thing with us?”

“What for?”

When Beramund replied curtly, Sigrid shrugged and said:

“As evidence or something.”

At those words, Beramund was silent for a moment before nodding. Sigrid took out a rope from her pack and approached the armor.

Whatever the pitch-black armor was made of, it certainly wasn’t iron. Even Berada steel wasn’t this black.

‘If there had been even one Aura user…’

Then such a severe loss, a total annihilation, wouldn’t have occurred.

Sigrid exhaled. Cutting through such armor entirely was impossible without being an Aura user. Even as she cut with her Aura, she felt considerable resistance.

“What could this be made of?”

When Sigrid asked, Beramund, who had been talking with Rudinal, turned his head.

“I’m not sure, but it’s not iron. Siri!”

At Beramund’s shout, she reflexively looked ahead.

A pitch-black blade surging up from below.

She instinctively channeled Aura into her arm to block the front. At the same time, Sigrid was suddenly pulled into someone’s embrace. A hot liquid splattered on her face, cold from the winter wind.

‘Huh…?’

As she blinked, she saw only the knight’s severed arm floating before her eyes. Blood was dripping from the sword it was holding. Seeing the sword that had struck upwards now falling downwards, Sigrid, disregarding who had embraced her from behind, rolled backward to avoid the sword.

“Ouch…”

“Beramund!”

Sigrid screamed his name as she recognized the person she had fallen on top of.

“Ah, Be, Ah— Eye, ugh—”

Sigrid couldn’t continue speaking. There was a long sword wound across the left side of his face. The half-cut eye patch fell off with a thud. Blood was trickling from beneath the cut eyelid. Beramund smiled bitterly and said:

“Didn’t I tell you not to block with your body? See, it doesn’t work.”

He raised his left arm. Sigrid’s face grew even paler.

“Beramund, your arm…”

“It’s not completely cut off, but it’s down to the bone. This will need to be amputated.”

He spoke in a tone that was hard to believe considering the severity of his injury. Normally, someone with such a wound would be screaming and writhing in pain.

Clang—!!

Beramund pushed Sigrid away and blocked the knight’s attack with his sword. Even though it clashed with a sword wrapped in Aura, the opponent’s sword remained intact. Instead, blue sparks flew. Sigrid jumped to her feet.

“You—!”

Her sword was enveloped in Aura that seemed to burn. She attacked the opponent mercilessly. She cut it into pieces, dozens of pieces, but after a moment, with a slithering sound, the armor reassembled itself.

“What on earth…”

She had never heard of or seen such a magical beast. Beramund tied off his left arm to stop the bleeding and called out to Sigrid.

“Sigrid Ankertna.”

When Sigrid turned around, Beramund stood up and said:

“Go with the prince.”

“But—!”

“It’s an order. Who is it that you should protect? Imperial Guard Ankertna of the 1st Imperial Guard?”

Sigrid’s lips trembled. From deep in her throat, a mechanical answer flowed out.

“It’s His Highness the Prince.”

“Good.”

Beramund nodded.

“Go.”

But, but, but—

You’re telling me to leave you here?

Sigrid stared at him blankly. Beramund turned towards the knight, gesturing for her to go as if annoyed. After staring at his back for a while, Sigrid approached Rudinal.

“Can you walk, Your Highness?”

“Yes, but—”

“Let’s go.”

Sigrid pulled his arm. Rudinal looked back and forth between Beramund and Sigrid before following her steps. Even without turning around, Beramund could sense their presence moving away.

He sighed, tightening his grip on the sword.

‘Alright.’

He never thought he’d die like this.

Beramund thought, grinning. He watched the opponent slowly taking a stance.

“Whether it’s immortal level or super regeneration, I’m not sure…”

Well, if he’s dying to protect the woman he loves, it might not be such a bad way to go among the deaths he had imagined.

“No, I’m not even sure if it’s a magical beast or not.”

Unknown enemies are always troublesome. The knight slowly raised its sword. Beramund’s one remaining blue eye gleamed.

“You won’t take a single step past me.”

Clang—!

As their swords clashed, a tremendous sound echoed across the wide plain. Blue sparks flew.

His fingertips tingled.

Beramund clicked his tongue. This was no ordinary sword, no ordinary armor. A dark red Aura began to creep up the opponent’s sword.

Beramund took a deep breath.

“I was planning to surprise Siri later, but…”

Aura began to spiral around his sword blade like a whirlwind. The knight swung its sword widely. Dodging it swiftly, Beramund twisted his arm, rotating the sword and plunging it into the knight’s body. A round hole appeared in the armor. As his twisted arm returned to its original position—rotating in the opposite direction, for an instant, the black Aura swelled, filling the empty cavity of the armor, and the next moment—

It exploded.

With a tremendous explosion, Beramund too was thrown back by the force he received at close range. The armor shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions.

Beramund, who had rolled with the fall using a breakfall technique, immediately sprang to his feet. Among the shattered armor pieces, none larger than a palm could be found. Beramund groaned as he pulled out an armor fragment embedded in his thigh.

‘Next time I use this, I should protect my body with Aura first.’

After thinking that, he chuckled.

‘Come to think of it, is there even a next time?’

Limping through the fragments, he stepped on the still intact sword of the armored knight, then channeled all his Aura into his own sword and brought it down.

Screech—!

With a sound like a scream, the sword broke in half and smoke rose. At the same time, Beramund’s sword also shattered. Beramund, panting, looked at the broken sword before throwing it to the ground and collapsing.

‘The thigh bleeding is quite severe too…’

I won’t even be able to walk properly. Now his vision was becoming blurry. Just as he was thinking that this must be what death from excessive blood loss feels like, he heard Sigrid’s voice.

“Beramund! Beramund!”

“Oh my, to think the auditory hallucination I hear before dying would be Siri’s voice calling my name—”

Beramund sighed.

“Since it’s a rare occasion, maybe a bit more affectionately… Huh?”

The voice was becoming clearer and more distinct. Thinking ‘surely not,’ he turned around to see Sigrid running towards him.

Whoosh—!

Sigrid embraced him. Beramund, dazed for a moment, then spoke sharply:

“What are you doing now?”

“I came back to get you?”

“My order?”

“Prince Rudinal ordered it, so his order takes precedence, doesn’t it?”

At Sigrid’s words, Beramund blinked his one remaining eye, saying “Rudinal did?” and Sigrid nodded.

“You’re wounded again.”

Sigrid looked like she was about to cry. But she didn’t.

“It’s fine.”

Beramund said. In this situation, these additional wounds were nothing. Beramund looked at his left arm and said:

“Sigrid.”

“Yes.”

“Cut this off.”

Sigrid, who had been unbuckling her belt, froze. Beramund said:

“It’ll go gangrenous like this, so it’s better to cut it off cleanly.”

Besides, if it had to be cut off, he would naturally choose Sigrid, an Aura user. It was the best choice.

“I refuse. It might heal.”

“This kind of wound can’t be healed.”

At Beramund’s calm words, Sigrid jerked her head up to look at him. Her crimson eyes were distorted. Still, no tears fell.

“I won’t cut it. I don’t want to cause you to die from shock due to a second injury.”

At Sigrid’s low voice, Beramund closed his mouth. There was a high chance he’d die before reaching the village anyway, so making her cut off his arm would be too cruel.

‘Would it be cruel?’

As the adrenaline wore off, his body began to tremble with pain. Sigrid reached out and placed her hand on his face. As her Aura spread warmly, the pain lessened slightly. Beramund gritted his teeth, not wanting to show her that he was shaking.

Then Sigrid finished unbuckling her belt and tightened it above Beramund’s thigh as a tourniquet.

As she did so, she glanced repeatedly at the shattered armor, but there was no sign of it moving again. She then infused Aura into his arm and thigh, but only a minimal amount. From now on, she would have to carry him on her back. She needed Aura for that too. Sigrid turned her back to him.

“Get on.”

“But—”

“Beramund.”

At her tone that brooked no protest, Beramund reached out and climbed onto her back. As Sigrid stood up, Beramund whispered in her ear:

“I think my legs will drag.”

“They won’t.”

Saying that, she began to walk quickly. The wound was so severe that it was clear he wouldn’t last long. So they had to reach the village as quickly as possible.

She couldn’t understand how Beramund was able to converse with her normally.

When they reached the bridge they had crossed earlier, Rudinal was waiting for them. Seeing Sigrid carrying Beramund on her back, Rudinal muttered:

“I knew you’d be alive.”

“You have foresight, I see.”

At Beramund’s words, Rudinal smiled shakily and said:

“Because it’s you, Beramund… Brother trusts you more than me. Come on, let’s cross quickly.”

At Rudinal’s words, the anxious Sigrid quickly began crossing the bridge. Rudinal followed behind, saying:

“I’m sorry.”