“Alex—! Aleeeex—!!! Kaiyak, let me down, please let me down—!!!”
Struggling in Kaiyak’s arms, Yona pleaded to be set free.
Tears filled her eyes, cascading down like droplets, and even her desperate cries were lost in the void.
But Kaiyak didn’t stop.
Open a path, take care of Yona, let’s escape for sure— those were Alex’s signals.
That was Alex’s will, and even Kaiyak could see it was the best option.
As soon as Alex shouted, Kaiyak grabbed her tightly and took off running.
Being larger than Alex, his strides were naturally longer, allowing him to run faster.
The crimson magic erupting from Yona carved a long trail in the air.
The intense magic surged with such force that it seemed to overshadow the radiant chandelier adorned with shining gemstones.
Nestled in Kaiyak’s arms, Yona distinctly witnessed the chaos unfolding around her.
Helpless in her inability to act.
She felt despairing as all she could do was scream.
The brilliant light emanating from Alex.
And the sight of Alex charging towards the Holy Knights.
Every time he moved, Holy Knights were flying away, bouncing off in all directions.
The back of Alex, moving and scattering light.
That figure of Alex was growing further away.
“Aleeeeeeex—!!!”
Yona’s heart-wrenching voice echoed.
“Let me go, Kaaaaaiyaaaak—! Alex is fighting alone—! I have to be there with him, I must—!”
Yona’s nails dug into Kaiyak’s shoulder.
Let me go, she cried in anguish, saying Alex was fighting alone.
Kaiyak focused on running without answering.
Still, he pressed down on the back of Yona’s neck.
As time passed, Yona’s pained voice gradually faded away.
Holding onto Yona, who likely lost consciousness, Kaiyak kept running.
A glass window was now in sight.
The very glass bearing the image of the Celestial God, considered by humans to be like a mother.
‘Why are you causing your daughter such pain?’
As a lizardman, was it only natural for him not to understand a human’s god?
With the approaching glass, Kaiyak surged forward.
“—Kugh!”
Kaiyak let out a pained groan.
An arrow shot from somewhere pierced through his side, back, and thigh.
He clenched his mouth shut.
Despite requesting a chance for redemption, the Church of the Celestial God only responded with its lance.
The meaning of that reaction was all too clear; if he couldn’t escape now, the outcome would be inevitable.
Yona’s death.
It would come as a certainty, and under the guise of punishing a fallen priest, the Church would seize Yona’s life.
Kaiyak couldn’t allow that.
Even if she was labeled a demon, Yona hadn’t fallen.
He wasn’t ignorant of the reasons that led Yona to accept a demon’s fate.
He wasn’t unaware that he had come to accept the Demon.
He couldn’t just leave Yona to die in a place like this.
Holding back the pain that weighed down on his entire body, Kaiyak leaped high into the air.
While clutching Yona—
As soon as he jumped, he turned his body to shield her from the shattered glass.
So that he could take the impact fully with his own body, just like that.
– Crashhhhh—!!!
The cold night air enveloped him completely.
Just as he thought they had finally made it outside, he began to fall, and Kaiyak braced for the upcoming shock.
As soon as his back hit the ground, he rolled over.
All the while, he clung to Yona as tightly as he could, trying to shield her from the impact.
After rolling on the ground, Kaiyak managed to get to his feet and immediately checked on Yona.
Her face was smeared with tears, and her eyes were closed.
She seemed to have lost consciousness, but at least her face was unscathed, which was a relief.
Kaiyak took a look around.
It was a deep night, draped in darkness, but still, his gaze could survey the surroundings, thanks to the faint moonlight.
Having fallen into the thicket, he racked his memory and started running again.
They had escaped, but pursuers would surely be hot on their heels again, and there was no way to shake them off in their current condition.
His best bet was to flee as quickly as possible.
There was no other option.
The only problem was that although escaping the banquet hall had gone well, he had no idea how to get out of here.
He remembered the side door where he had parted from James, but he didn’t know the way to get there.
‘This is bad.’
Deciding he had to move anyway, Kaiyak felt a bit relieved that he had fallen into the thicket, but if he stayed still, it was certain the pursuit would close in.
– The side door isn’t that way. To the right.
At that moment, a woman’s voice he didn’t recognize whispered in his ear.
He could have hesitated, but without faltering, he followed her instructions.
He didn’t know who it was, but if she was guiding him without showing herself, the chance of her being a member of the Church of the Celestial God was low. If a pursuer from the Church was using trickery, they wouldn’t mention a side door.
Without asking who she was, Kaiyak moved according to the path her voice indicated.
As fast as he could, holding Yona in his arms.
He continued to push through the thicket, following the instructions of the mysterious voice for quite some time.
Meanwhile, he heard voices searching for him and Yona, shining luminous stone lamps here and there.
Each time, he hid his body in the thicket or climbed up a tree to wait for the search to pass.
It took longer because of this caution, but the unknown voice patiently waited for him, guiding him along the way.
– It’s right in front of you now.
As Kaiyak saw a relatively small iron gate appear before him, he let out a sigh of relief.
Having been moving continuously and intensely, fatigue and pain came crashing down on him all at once, but escape was finally within reach.
He couldn’t let his guard down just yet.
Kaiyak pushed against the iron gate, straining with all his strength while holding Yona.
He pushed it.
As if it had never been locked, the iron door slid open, revealing a blonde elf standing before Kaiyak.
“Hmm…”
When Yona opened her eyes, suffering from a severe headache, the first thing she saw was the bright white moon.
The moon hung high in the sky, a testament to the deep night, surrounded by clouds dark enough to look like they’d been splattered with ink.
“Yona, are you coming to?”
Yona turned her gaze towards the source of the voice. She figured it was probably Kaiyak, but as soon as her eyes met his, she shot up from her spot like she’d been burned.
He could have been described as a bloody mess.
Kaiyak was covered in large and small wounds, and to top it off, an arrow was lodged in his thigh as he leaned against a tree.
“K-Kaiyak?!”
“Shh. Lower your voice, Yona.”
Kaiyak raised a finger to silence her. Complying, Yona closed her mouth and extended her hand, wrapped in the Sacred Barrier, to start healing the wounds on Kaiyak’s body.
“…I’ll pull out the arrow.”
Kaiyak didn’t respond.
Instead, he shut his eyes and turned his head away, as if saying, “Go ahead.”
Seeing this, Yona took a deep breath and gripped the arrow tightly.
The arrows used nowadays were mostly bodkin points—sharp, sturdy, and crafted like pointed nails.
They were heavy enough to shoot quickly without delay and effective at piercing through defenses like chainmail or cloaks, making them popular. But honestly, once you pull them out, they’re just a hassle.
“—!”
Kaiyak stifled a silent scream.
His body jerked violently, clearly in immense pain.
Yona flicked away the arrow and quickly covered the wound with her hand.
The divine power still flowed impressively.
Yona’s holy power worked well, as it always did.
Yet, for some reason—why, oh why—
Then, Yona realized something pivotal.
A fact she could never forget.
Her hand resting on Kaiyak’s thigh should have been on the place it was meant to be.
The very spot that always brought her peace.
“—Alex!”
Yona sprang to her feet.
A momentary wave of dizziness washed over her, but she blinked and looked around.
And she saw it.
The blonde elf standing eerily, like a ghost, opposite Kaiyak.
“…Alebians?”
“Yona, our pretty one. It’s been a while. How have you been—although that’s not what I really want to know, is it?”
Alebians wore a blank expression.
Though she always seemed expressionless, there was a strange hint of sorrow in her gaze directed at Yona.
“—Alebians, why are you here?”
Before Yona could even process why Alebians was there, Kaiyak stepped in to answer her question as if he had read her mind.
“Thanks to Alebians, we managed to escape safely.”
“Escape…? Then, what about Alex? What about Alex?!”
“Alex, where are you?”
Yona’s voice grew increasingly desperate.
In her memory, Alex’s figure was only that of him charging at the cathedral knights— that was the last she had seen of him.
Yona stamped her feet, alternating her gaze between Kaiyak and Alebians.
But no one was giving a proper answer.
Kaiyak was absent-minded, and Alebians simply kept her mouth shut, unresponsive.
“Doesn’t anyone know? Why isn’t anyone talking? Huh?”
Desperation was laced in Yona’s voice.
Alex had stayed behind to help her escape, and now Yona had made it outside.
No, it shouldn’t be like this. Yona’s heart raced with urgency.
Her breathing quickened, and her heart pounded, causing her thoughts to spiral into chaos.
Alex’s silhouette, along with his voice promising to protect her, echoed continuously in Yona’s mind.
What kind of nonsense is this? Just as you protect me, I must protect you too. How can I be outside while Alex is left all alone in enemy territory? No, that just can’t be. It absolutely cannot be.
I—I’ll go to Alex—
“I’m—I’m going back. I have to go back and save Alex. I have to save him!”
As if trying to prove that her words weren’t mere nonsense, Yona turned around.
Down the hill, the Church Region was lit with flickering lamps searching for them, but Yona was ready to leap down regardless.
But just then, Kaiyak, who had risen, grabbed hold of her wrist.
“Yona, calm down.”
“Calm down? How can I calm down? Alex is trapped in there! You know that the Church of the Celestial God treats demons like they’re nothing—!”
“Even so, we can’t just act recklessly.”
“Are we just going to stand around?!”
Yona shouted out.
Kaiyak glanced at Alebians, who sighed softly and nodded.
The silent barrier they had set up muffled any sounds coming from inside.
Thanks to that, Kaiyak felt a bit relieved upon Alebians’ assurance.
“Wait, Yona. I’m not going to just let Alex die a pointless death in there.”
“Then, what are we going to do? Do we have a plan?”
Kaiyak stared at Yona as she fidgeted restlessly.
She was now bouncing in place, unsure of what to do, practically bursting with desperation to run to Alex right this moment.
“Honestly, you’re quite a handful.”
A voice emerged from the darkness.
As Yona, Alebians, and Kaiyak turned to the source of the voice, a shadow slowly revealed itself from the dark.
“Well, it looks like I have to step in again.”
A woman wearing a bright smile.
Ceres, Ceres Olkamain.
It was her.
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