The sound of blades clashing was heard.

For a short while, or perhaps for a long time.

Ophelia, as Ashuban had told her, hugged her knees and trembled, curled up.

Her eyes were tightly shut.

The monster's roar, screams, and wails struck her eardrums.

Swish!

The sound of something being split, cut, and scattered was heard.

Woooo!

A cry that didn't seem to be human was heard from all sides.

Crack!

The sound of bones breaking was heard.

A creepy laugh, the sound of something exploding, the sound of liquid scattering, the sound of rolling hard on the ground, and then the sound of the ground being dug up and the soil being overturned, thump! the sound of falling.

Besides that, an indescribably gruesome sound continued.

The sound of her pounding heart echoed in her eardrums like a drum.

It felt like a small heart had grown in her ear.

Cold sweat poured from her whole body.

Her whole body trembled.

Because death was reaching out its hand right in front of her.

Ophelia muttered to herself.

It'll be okay. It'll be okay.

Because Mr. Ashuban said so.

Mr. Arthur said so. Mr. Ashuban is a very strong person.

Although the terrible sounds continued.

Nevertheless, Ophelia did not open her eyes.

Tears were streaming down from under her tightly closed eyes, but Ophelia didn't realize it.

How much time had passed?

10 minutes? 20 minutes? 1 hour? Or maybe half a day?

I don't know.

It felt like a moment, and it also felt like an eternity.

It was hard to gauge when I was in the darkness.

And so time passed...

At some point, no more sound was heard.

Ophelia's body stiffened.

Has my hearing gone strange?

Ophelia swallowed dryly.

No.

The sound of swallowing, the sound of dry saliva going down her throat, and the sound of her heart still pounding in her ears.

It's still the same.

Although the inner sounds were clearly audible, there were no sounds coming from the outside.

What happened? Why is it so quiet?

As the terrible sounds that had been constantly hitting her ears were erased, a stillness came.

It was too quiet.

Was the world originally this quiet?

Her heart sank.

She got goosebumps.

Ophelia felt this strange stillness more terrifying than when the terrible sounds were rampant from all sides.

All sorts of thoughts came to her.

From the absurdly positive thought that the attacking monsters had suddenly stopped their attack and all run away, to the extremely negative thought that perhaps the monsters were surrounding her and staring at her, drooling.

The negative thoughts were stronger.

Anxiety came to Ophelia.

What happened? What's going on? Why did everyone suddenly become quiet?

Why can't I hear any sound? Is it over? Or not?

Have I already died without knowing it? Is that why it's so quiet?

Mr. Ashuban? What happened to Mr. Ashuban?

The stillness was pressing down on Ophelia.

In the end, Ophelia couldn't stand it and slowly opened her eyes.

The scenery that was reflected through the gap was a completely unexpected sight.

Flutter—

"...?"

It seemed that a fluttering petal was vaguely visible.

Ophelia opened her eyes completely.

It was a petal.

A single petal shining with a silver light was swaying and dancing in the wind.

Ophelia, who was watching the fluttering petal as if possessed, suddenly raised her head.

Beautiful petals were fluttering all over the sky.

"...Ah?"

Ophelia was at a loss for words for a moment and just watched the scene.

Because sparkling silver petals were fluttering.

A petal that shines faintly with a silver light.

It was a moonflower.

How could it not be beautiful?

It was an unrealistic scene.

Ophelia forgot what the situation was until just a moment ago.

She just stared blankly.

And then, the moment she was about to reach out her hand to a fluttering petal.

"Don't touch that."

A dry voice was heard from behind.

"If you don't want your wrist to be cut off."

"...!"

The startled Ophelia quickly withdrew her arm.

And then she turned her head and looked at the place where the voice had come from.

Ashuban—no, the red-eyed devil, covered in blood, was smiling.

His gaze was so eerie that Ophelia instinctively avoided his eyes.

But she soon gathered her courage and looked at him.

He was covered in blood.

"Are you... okay?"

Ashuban smiled, "Not bad."

"The blood..."

"Ah, don't worry. This isn't my blood. It's those guys'."

At Ashuban's gesture, Ophelia looked around.

"Heok!"

And she almost fainted.

Because on the yellow autumn plain, dismembered corpses were scattered here and there.

The blood that flowed from the damaged body parts was dyeing the yellow field red.

While Ophelia was looking around at the scene with a shocked face, Ashuban smiled darkly and muttered.

"Do you think darkness is your friend? No. Darkness is closer to me."

It was an incomprehensible word.

"Do you think Ketel's gaze was on you? You're mistaken. Her gaze has been on me all along. You pitiful and pathetic things. Do you think the master of the night will even look at you if you do that? The master of the night was on my side from the beginning."

"...What?"

"Don't mind it. I'm talking to myself."

"Ah, yes..."

Ashuban's eyes saw the black magician who was running away in the distance.

Since it was daytime, it seemed he couldn't use the black magic he had seen last time.

Ashuban stared blankly at his fleeing back, and then he looked at Ophelia, who was sitting on the ground.

"Can you stand up?"

"Ah, yes."

Ophelia tried to get up, but her legs gave out and she collapsed.

"Huh? Why, why is this happening?"

Ashuban, who was looking at Ophelia, sighed slightly, and then he lifted Ophelia up in his arms.

"Excuse me for a moment."

"Mom!"

And then he ran across the plain where the carriage had come from like the wind.

He crossed several hills in an instant.

And then, the moment he crossed a particularly large hill that was visible in front of him.

The view opened up, and the carriage procession that was heading west came into view.

"We're here."

At that moment, a man was seen breaking away from the procession.

The man broke away from the procession and was riding a horse.

A wide-brimmed hat that was visible even from a distance.

His face was full of worry.

Ashuban grinned as he saw him running over.

"There's the groom."

"Ah."

Color finally returned to Ophelia's face.

Relief spread.

Clip-clop—

Arthur, who had approached, was startled when he saw the blood-soaked Ashuban.

"...Leader."

"Take the bride."

Ashuban threw Ophelia to Arthur, who had gotten off his horse.

"Kyaa!"

Arthur caught the surprised bride gently.

Ashuban giggled as he watched the scene.

Arthur looked at Ophelia in his arms.

"Lady Ophelia. Are you okay?"

The bride looked at the groom with sparkling eyes.

"Yes, Mr. Arthur."

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No."

Arthur, who had checked the bride's condition, looked at the blood-soaked Ashuban.

"...Leader. What happened?"

Ashuban just smiled.

"Nothing."

"...."

Ashuban, who was looking at Arthur and Ophelia in his arms for a moment, muttered softly.

"...It's a nice sight."

And then he turned around.

"Leader, where are you going?"

Ashuban answered in a nonchalant tone.

"I have someone to meet for a moment."

Ashuban strode out into the shade of the hill.

"The procession should maintain this speed and keep going. I'll be back soon."

He didn't wait for an answer and kicked off the ground.

Hwoong!

A strong wind blew.

When he closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them...

He could see Ashuban's back, which had become a small dot.

Arthur stared at the scene blankly for a moment, and then he asked the bride in his arms.

"What happened?"

Ophelia said in a slightly hoarse voice, as if whispering.

"He... saved me."

"From what?"

"From scary villains."

"...The leader looks scarier to me."

Ophelia, who had relaxed, giggled.

"That's true."

***

"Heok! Heok!"

A man wearing a black hood was running across the yellow-dyed plain with a staff in his hand.

He would occasionally check behind him, as if he had an obsession.

Every time, there was nothing but a raised hill behind him, but the man was not relieved.

He spurred himself on and ran with all his might.

'Damn it! Damn it!'

He cursed inwardly.

'I was hasty! Too hasty!'

The army he had prepared with a lot of time and capital was annihilated.

By just three people.

'Damn Sherwood bastards!'

Among them, that monster-like guy.

Half of the army was blown away in an instant by his mysterious explosion.

The rest had their heads blown off by the golden fighter's limbs, and were poisoned by the green-haired madwoman's poison and collapsed.

A poison that could kill a magical beast instantly? He had never even heard of it.

He barely managed to escape, leaving the annihilated army behind.

He was a magician, after all.

Although he hadn't expected to fail, he had set up a magic circle in case of an emergency.

And so he returned to the cult and barely managed to get a stronger army with a desperate request, and then he hurriedly chased after the procession.

Because if he withdrew like this, the loss would be enormous.

He had to succeed in the attack no matter what.

Otherwise... the man would have to take responsibility with his own neck.

A comrade's head had already fallen.

Next would be his turn.

But as if reading his thoughts, the guy didn't slow down despite having an injured person.

By the time he caught up again, he was already close to Milgard, the capital of Maia.

If he went a little further from here, he would be surrounded by the cities that had grown up around it.

He couldn't carelessly withdraw.

He thought about it.

Should he attack now, or should he take the risk and wait for night to fall and launch a night raid?

He couldn't use black magic during the day.

But he had an ominous premonition that the result would not be much different even if he launched a night raid again, which made him hesitate.

He didn't know how they had found out, but he felt like he would be discovered again this time.

As he was thinking about it over and over...

A carriage suddenly broke away from the procession, and that guy followed.

'This is it!'

Ketel's gaze is upon me!

And so the black magician waited until the two were far enough from the procession, and then he formed a siege so that not even an ant could escape.

They were the elite soldiers of the cult.

This time, even that monster wouldn't be able to do anything.

Since that woman was with him, he wouldn't be able to carelessly set off that strange ball of light.

It was a golden opportunity.

The man could finally smile.

'Ketel!'

But a little later, his smile turned to despair.

What he had thought was a golden opportunity had turned into the worst result.

The elite army of the cult, which he had brought with the promise of success this time, was all slaughtered by the guy's half-sword.

The guy didn't go outside the circle he had drawn on the ground at all.

In that state, he cut down all the elite soldiers of the main cult. He didn't allow any approach.

Every time he swung his sword, silver petals fluttered.

It was a strange technique, as strange as the ball of light he had set off.

He couldn't believe it even after seeing it with his own eyes.

'How on earth...?'

In the end, he had no choice but to run away again.

Although the guy could have chased him, he just watched.

He still felt like that creepy, bloody eye was following him.

He looked back.

The guy was still not visible. Only the midday sun was peacefully pouring down on the hill.

But it felt like the guy would appear from over that hill at any moment.

It felt like he would be standing on the hill, watching him with those eerie, bloody eyes.

'Just a little more! Just a little more and I'll be there!'

Of course, he hadn't thought he would fail this time either. But he had made preparations.

Since it was daytime, when it was difficult to hide in the darkness, it was difficult to find a place with a wide shadow.

Therefore, he had set up a magic circle in the shade of a particularly high hill.

He just had to get there!

"Heok! Heok!"

He didn't stop running even though he was out of breath.

The driving force was solely fear.

The indescribable fear that that monster was chasing him.

'I'm here!'

And so, after running frantically, he reached the bottom of the hill where he had hidden the magic circle.

The magic circle was over the hill.

'I just have to get over this hill.'

The moment he was about to take a breath and start climbing the hill.

Goosebumps ran all over his body. An indescribably ominous feeling. His blood ran cold.

When he slowly turned around...

"Ah."

He was there.

The red-eyed devil was standing on the hill, just watching him.

"Ah... ahhh!"

The man ran forward and then tripped on a stone and fell.

But he immediately got up and climbed the hill frantically on all fours.

'Please! Please!'

Sweat poured down like rain.

The staff he had been holding was already thrown away.

His hands and feet were scratched and bloody.

And so, as if being chased by a ghost, he climbed the hill frantically...

He was on the top.

Now he just had to go down.

The man, who had barely crawled up the hill, caught his breath and looked back.

The devil was still in the same place.

He was just standing there, staring at him.

The corners of his mouth were torn as if they would reach his ears.

It was the smile of a ghost.

The moment the intuition that something was wrong wrapped around him.

Thwack!

"...Ah?"

Something invisible pushed him.

The man rolled down the hill.

He heard the sound of himself rolling down to the abyss.

The moment he rolled down the slope.

The low voice of the devil, who had somehow come close, seeped into his ears.

"We met again."

The bloody eyes that flashed with an eerie light.

The man's face was dyed with despair.

"Ah, ahh!"

But the devil just smiled as if he were enjoying it.

The devil's hand slowly approached.

A shadow was gradually cast over his face.

An unbearable fear swallowed him.

"Aaaah! Aaaaah!"

The man trembled all over as if having a seizure, looking at the approaching darkness.

He screamed like crazy.

He resisted with all his might.

But the approaching hand did not stop.

And then, a complete darkness covered his face.

The last thing he saw was a black hand that blocked out all the light.

"Sweet dreams."

The devil muttered softly.

The moment he finally lost all light.

He felt his mind grow distant.

(End of Chapter)