46.
— — —
As soon as the Imperial Princess finished speaking, a dry, airy chuckle erupted from the Crown Prince’s lips.
“I see. It wouldn’t be half bad to present that girl’s corpse to the Empress.”
Perhaps the mere thought of the scene was amusing, for the Crown Prince’s grin deepened.
He gripped Lord Siorcan’s shoulder with one hand and whispered ominously, “Fine. If you’re so insistent, I won’t stop you. Go ahead and scour the mountains all night long to find that girl.”
After patting his shoulder forcefully, the Crown Prince turned and strode toward the far end of the cluttered campsite. As she followed behind her brother, the Imperial Princess tossed a curt, polite remark toward her fiancé.
“Then, I leave her to you.”
* * *
Once the two royals had departed, they headed north immediately.
Edrick clutched a torch in one hand, cutting through the forest shrouded in heavy darkness. He was anxious, terrified that the traces left by the wyvern might have disappeared during their brief delay.
“Watch your step. You’ll end up tumbling down the ravine yourself at this rate.”
Sir Theoric Hart, the senior knight following closely at his side, whispered in a worried tone.
Edrick gave a brief nod without replying, lifting the torch to illuminate the uneven dirt path. Jagged rocks and steep slopes soon revealed themselves through the stretch of dense conifers.
“This is it.”
As he pointed to the precipitous descent, his superior, who had been following in silence, approached like a shadow.
Edrick stepped aside to let him survey the area below. After peering into the canyon with his torch for a moment, Varkas drew a hooked chain from the pouch on his belt.
Securing it firmly into a crevice in the rocks, Varkas threw himself down the slope, which was little more than a sheer drop. Edrick held the torch high, illuminating the depths until he confirmed Varkas had landed safely on the floor below, before following him down the cliff face.
Fortunately, the valley was not very deep. Edrick carefully descended the slope, stepping on jagged protruding rocks, and raised his torch high to signal the knights remaining above. Soon, the waiting knights began to scale down the rocks one by one.
After watching them for a moment, Edrick turned to scan the surroundings.
The impact of the wyvern’s crash seemed to have caused widespread damage to the cliffside, leaving rocks and piles of dirt scattered everywhere. It would take a significant amount of time to search through all this debris.
Scanning the pitch-black darkness with anxious eyes, Edrick leaped over a large boulder. After moving a short distance along the uneven path, he discovered a dark shape looming beside a pile of collapsed rocks.
He shone the light on it to take a closer look.
‘…It seems I’ve found it.’
The carcass of a wyvern, one wing shriveled and blackened as if singed by fire magic, lay sprawled among the rubble.
Edrick thoroughly searched the area, wondering if the Imperial Princess might be pinned somewhere beneath the monster’s body, when he paused at the sight of a dark figure standing tall a short distance away.
As he brought the torch closer, he saw Varkas standing beside a large rock. Edrick rushed toward him in one breath.
“Commander! Did you find anything…?”
Edrick, who had been calling out impatiently, froze in his tracks as he spotted a pale, limp shape sprawled before the man.
The torch, which had fallen limply from his grasp, dimly illuminated the woman’s bloodless face and disheveled hair. Staring blankly, Edrick let out a heavy sigh as he caught sight of the large and small rock fragments covering her lower body.
He had known the chances of her being alive were slim; it was a sight he had somewhat braced himself for. Even so, seeing the woman’s horribly broken state with his own eyes made his blood run cold.
He hesitated, then approached her with trembling steps.
Her upper body was relatively intact, but her legs were nearly crushed.
Observing her left leg, which was twisted at an unnatural angle while pinned under a large boulder, Edrick pushed aside a hefty stone. As he did, the pile of rocks beside it collapsed with a clatter.
His expression darkening with frustration, Edrick snapped his head up to call for help. He stiffened, startled to find a mask-like, emotionless face staring back.
Varkas was standing with his upper body straight, quietly observing the woman. The cold, dry look in his eyes, devoid of even a shred of emotion, sent a chill down his spine.
He knew this man and the Second Imperial Princess were practically bitter enemies. Still, they were acquaintances from childhood, were they not? He could not fathom how he could be so calm after seeing her in such a state.
Edrick cried out as if protesting, “What are you doing! Help me, quickly!”
But Varkas did not even twitch.
With a flushed, agitated face, Edrick glared at him before rising to his feet to try and move the boulder himself. As he pushed the rock that was crushing her legs with both hands, he heard a sound like a small beast gasping for air from beneath.
Edrick snapped his head down.
He saw the pale face exposed under the light twitching minutely. For a moment, his legs grew weak, and he nearly collapsed.
Overwhelmed with a surge of intense relief, he shouted loudly.
“She’s alive! She’s still breathing!”
As if reacting to the sound, her thin eyelids fluttered, and her hazy pupils were revealed. She appeared to be in a state of delirium.
Edrick hurriedly straightened his back. She needed healing magic as soon as possible.
He reached down to grab the torch he had placed on the ground to call the other knights who were searching elsewhere. At that moment, he saw a faint smile bloom across the woman’s sheet-white face.
Edrick stopped moving without realizing it. From her chapped, blood-stained lips came a faint, barely audible sound.
“Varkas….”
He widened his eyes at the name spoken like a plea, and the man who had stood like a stone statue leaned his body toward her. Recognizing that calm face, the woman’s pupils flickered faintly. It was as if she were witnessing a ray of salvation from the abyss.
“I… I knew. I knew you would come to save me… I knew it.”
As the corners of her eyes curved, tears forced out by her thin eyelids soaked her bloodless cheeks.
The shadow of the fire flickered over the man’s cool face as he watched her in silence. The light sparkled even in his empty eyes, where no sign of vitality could be found. Yet, the man still seemed trapped in some deep, dark place.
For some unknown reason, Edrick held his breath and reflexively grabbed his shoulder.
“Are… are you alright?”
Varkas lifted his head to look at him. A soft crease formed between his handsome brows. He looked as if he could not comprehend why he would ask such a thing. Edrick himself did not know why he had asked that question.
Why did this man not seem alright?
He stared into his calm face—which was no different than usual—with confused eyes, when busy footsteps were heard from somewhere.
Only then did Edrick snap out of his trance and hurriedly raise the torch. A few knights, having recognized his signal, rushed toward them.