EP.214 Life is a Flower. Love is the Honey of that Flower. (1)
”Kuhuk!”
My body, dangling in the air like a dismembered hunk of meat, fell to the ground.
Kwa-dang!
I couldn’t even tell where that heavy noise echoed from.
I was too busy gasping for the breath I hadn’t been able to take until now.
”Cough! Cough!”
”Oh my.”
As I focused on my breathing, gently caressing my neck, an awe-filled whisper suddenly reached me from above.
I slowly lifted my head from its position on the floor.
There, I saw her—my right arm, perfectly fine, now shattered into pieces, with a faint smile on her lips, gazing somewhere.
”You arrived quicker than I thought. Truly a Hero Party. But come on, isn’t this a bit too bold? That arrow passed cleanly through my arm! What would you have done if it hit Regis?”
”Yeah, just keep chattering like that. Next time, it hits the head.”
The one making that menacing proclamation was none other than Apis.
From that distorted expression visible from a great distance, uncontrolled anger was leaking out of her.
Even I, an ally, felt my entire body tense up from her malicious intent.
Yet, the very person who was facing that murderous intent seemed unfazed by it all.
”Oh my, how barbaric—”
—Kwajik! Kwaang!
Before she could finish her sentence, Apis, who had been standing next to me, got swept away by a fierce pangongseong.
If I hadn’t been watching with widened eyes, I wouldn’t have been able to keep up with the afterimage of that blinding attack.
It wasn’t an arrow. The identity of that violent projectile was none other than Apis’s swift knee kick.
I barely had a moment to comprehend the fact that she traversed that immense distance in just a single leap as she stared deadly at the dust cloud that was kicked up, already preparing for her next attack.
”Fire. Come forth. Wind. Come forth.”
Her voice, smooth yet commanding, sent chills through me.
The power was absurd, but it had such poor fuel efficiency that even a formidable opponent would rarely utilize it, Apis’s hidden art.
The dual casting of spirits.
Just that alone was shocking enough, but Apis was attempting to combine it with her signature art, the Explosive Bow.
”Apis—!”
Piiing! Kwagagakang—!!!
My loud shout was completely swallowed by the ensuing pangongseong.
As I hurriedly covered my ears with both hands, my body, which had been flat against the ground, momentarily floated up.
The sheer might that stemmed from a single arrow was hard to believe.
If all the elven archers in the country could shoot arrows like Apis, the invention of cannons would probably be delayed by decades!
Suddenly, such whimsical thoughts crossed my mind.
”Hey! Are you okay?! Are your limbs alright?! Is your neck still attached?!”
”I almost had my heart blown out just now, but for now, I’m fine…”
Clutching my heart as if it would jump out, I lay flat on the ground like a lizard. From Apis’s perspective, I must have looked relatively safe.
Physically safe, yes, but I contemplated whether I should let her know that mentally, things weren’t quite the same.
I couldn’t dare be rude to the benefactor who saved my life, so I quietly kept my mouth shut.
”Thank you for coming to save me, Apis. Thanks to you, I’m alive. Apis… ?”
As I was in the middle of expressing my gratitude, Apis suddenly enveloped me.
Only then did I notice a deep sense of tension etched on her face.
The expression of someone who had just defeated a foe was far too grim to be merely that.
It quickly instilled a sense of urgency in me.
”Could it be… not yet…?”
A nod.
A slight pause before the nod.
Kwaang! Charrurrr!
What shattered the heavy silence was a deafening explosion, followed by the clanking of metal.
”Tsk—!”
Apis hurriedly leaped back.
Her agile movement was unbelievable given that I had been weighing her down, dodging the sudden metal assault like a performer.
However.
Kwajik!
”Kugh!”
No matter how good Apis was, dodging the variety of incoming attacks while carrying a full-grown man was close to impossible.
Crimson blood erupted around her shoulder.
It was obvious that was the result of prioritizing my safety.
”I-I’m going to heal you right now!”
”It’s just a scratch! Keep your mouth shut!”
I tried to treat her injured shoulder, but her irritated command blocked my way.
At that moment.
From beyond countless chains, a woman’s voice laced with laughter echoed melodically.
”Disturbing a lovely moment between a man and a woman, how truly awful of you, Elf.”
Apis’s and my eyes simultaneously followed the source of that melody, both infused with horror.
While the oppressive heat made it hard to discern the full truth, perhaps it was fortunate that we couldn’t see clearly.
Despite the massive gaping wounds all over her body, that eerie figure calmly approached us, enough to make me instinctively shut my eyes.
Having taken a full force hit from Apis’s killer move, it should have been normal for her to leave not even a trace behind.
Yet, far from just maintaining her form, that being dared to engage with us in conversation, clearly surpassed human limits.
I realized all too late why Apis had acted with such urgency.
That intimidation she sensed from a distance was probably enough for her to intuitively grasp her capabilities.
Even after having faced that formidable presence directly, I couldn’t gauge the fragments of its power and felt an overwhelming sense of shame.
”What a lovely moment, you say? What kind of madman chokes someone to engage in heat like that?”
”Oh, didn’t you know? It is indeed rare, but lightly choking with something like a leash can be considered an acceptable act of affection between parties!”
”—!?”
With disbelief apparent, Apis urgently sought my response through a glance, and I could only reply with an awkward smile.
In my heart, I wanted to deny her claim as mere absurdity, but since I once engaged in a similar activity with the Hero, all I could do was remain silent.
”Hee, Hee!”
Apis reacted with even more shock than when her ultimate move was thwarted.
Her pointed elven ears, reddened as if they had been heated, vividly expressed the confusion she was experiencing.
”W-What does that have to do with anything right now?!”
While she finally attempted to seize control of the moment with a shout, it was already too late.
The plan to swing back the opponent’s provocation with witty retorts had failed disastrously, and the feeling of defeat lingered stubbornly.
”Apis. What about the other comrades?”
”I-I don’t know. Right after we entered the Dungeon, we were ambushed by that half-baked band of Saints, and by the time I regained my senses, we were already scattered in every direction.”
”Y-Yes…!?”
”It’s fine. Bigtim was right beside the Saint, so I guess there’s no need to worry there. The problem is with the Hero and Dawna. The Hero is one thing, but Dawna… that kid hasn’t been quite right lately, and since we got here, her condition isn’t great…”
We exchanged hushed whispers about the current situation.
While it was well within expectations that the comrades would come looking for me, the fact that the entire party was scattered was an unprecedented crisis.
The urge to find my allies right away surged up my throat, but given the situation, all I could do was nod my lips silently.
”Apis. Is that person very strong?”
”Yeah. It’s annoying, but she’s about on par with me in my prime. The last time I caught a glimpse, she certainly didn’t seem this strong…”
The prideful Apis saying such words was no different from saying that the opponent’s capabilities far exceed her own.
”If it’s not too much trouble, could you return him. Regis is just getting started, after all.”
”Ha! Unfortunately, this guy’s lower body is already reserved for someone else! If you’re feeling so empty down there, you might as well shove your hand in there!”
”Heh, your mouth hasn’t changed at all. Ah, could it be that you’re referring to the Elf who’s to be Regis’s partner?”
”Who knows! What would you do if that were the case!”
With that, Apis readied herself to draw her bowstring once again, her face surfacing with deep anxiety.
The very fact that Apis was talking to delay the enemy was enough to highlight the dire situation I was in.
”Hmph, Elf, you’re not good at lying. I can tell you have no feelings by just looking into your eyes.”
”…!”
”I feel no love from you. Love for… him. In the past, I wouldn’t have sensed a thing. But me now? Now it’s different. Love! Yes! Love! It’s like a flame that will burn forever!”
As her voice grew louder with fervor, the heavy atmosphere around us began to thicken.
No, it wasn’t only that.
There was something ominous.
Something from the abyss that couldn’t be explained otherwise, it tightened around my heart, making me swallow my dry saliva.
”And love sometimes comes with thorns named jealousy. Even if the target is…”
”W-What…”
”A mere insignificant being like you.”
Kwajik—!
It was right after that calm whisper was uttered.
A black chain emitted from her, piercing through Apis’s chest.
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