Chapter 42
42
Nancy, having been instructed by Laurent, found the maid who was leaking information. Of course, she didn't punish her or kick her out of the palace. Instead, she gave her more money and used her to dig up information on Laurent.
[Lady Laurent seems to have sent someone to Helland to kill the deposed Empress.]
[Do you have proof?]
[I overheard Lady Laurent talking to her brother. I'm from Landes, so I understand a little bit of the nobles' language.]
'You snake.'
Pretending to be an idiot on the outside while plotting all sorts of sinister things behind the scenes. Henry needed to know this fact, but it wasn't easy. Laurent was cunning and acted like a pretty-faced fool in front of Henry. But Allan Seradu wouldn't find it easy to kill Maria.
'Gunther won't just stand by.'
Seeing him come to find Maria after exactly 10 years, even she was taken aback by his obsession. Such a man wouldn't be easily defeated. If Allan failed, the Seradu Count family would never be safe.
'I hope Gunther wipes out the Seradu family.'
Only then could she drive a stake into Laurent's heart. And Laurent was overlooking a very big fact: that Henry harbored only hatred for Maria. They had been husband and wife for 10 years; could there be only hatred? Even if affection had faded, he wouldn't want her to die miserably at Allan's hands. He would rather kill her with his own hands. Besides, Maria was still a very useful person.
'If only Laurent were gone, I could become Empress.'
The late Empress Monica was a woman who didn't need much attention as long as her greed was satisfied.
'I can become an Empress as capable as Maria, or even more so.'
Nancy's lungs were so full of greed that she could hardly breathe. She wanted both the man she loved, Henry, and the position of Empress. She felt like she would sell her soul to the devil if that could happen.
'Maria, don't die. If you die too easily, it won't help me. Wouldn't it be better for Maria if I became Empress rather than Laurent?'
She was qualified enough. She had lived as Maria's right-hand woman since she was a child, so this was a rightful reward.
* * *
Gunther arrived in the desert. But as soon as he arrived, the light of the Magic Stone disappeared. He had to find Maria in this vast desert, but he was already breathless before he even took a step. It was because of the murderous aura emanating from the desert. Ordinary people might just feel it was amazing, but he, with his highly developed senses, was chilled by how cruel the desert itself was. He climbed to the highest dune. Then Jamie shouted from below.
"Great King, there are old human bones everywhere here."
"Human bones!"
It was welcome news. Then he only had to find one. Gunther climbed the dune, hoping to see a Magical Creature in the sky or on the sand. They had supernatural powers, so they would appear soon if they were nearby. The same would be true of where Maria was. Just then, a flock of birds was seen circling in the distance.
"Hawks? No."
They were too big to be simply hawks. Gunther instinctively recognized them as Magical Creatures.
"They are Magical Creatures called Vipers."
"Vipers?"
Jamie answered Gunther's question to himself. But he wondered how Jamie knew so much about Magical Creatures. But now was not the time to ask and answer such things.
"They have very good eyesight. I've heard that some of them have eyesight that can see through the universe. But they're stupid and never attack if you don't move. They think you're dead. Vipers only eat living things that move."
Jamie took out a throwing star from the bag at his waist and held it tightly in both hands.
In that moment, Gunther hoped that Maria was well hidden in some pit. If she tried to run away from them, she would be eaten alive. He quickly descended from the dune and shouted to all the soldiers.
"Look at the northern sky."
At his command, everyone's eyes turned to the north. But the problem broke out elsewhere. Magical Creatures appeared in swarms from behind. Jamie quickly ran to where the soldiers were and shouted.
"Attack their tails!"
"Tails?"
Solskjaer shouted at Jamie. It was too urgent to ask and answer, but the soldiers followed Jamie's instructions and shot arrows and swung spears at the Vipers' tails.
"They don't fly with their wings. They move with their tails!"
Jamie shouted at the top of his lungs, but before it reached the soldiers' ears, a great battle broke out. Gunther also ran to kill the Vipers attacking the soldiers. He had heard everything Jamie said, so he attacked the Vipers' tails with the sword attached to his long spear.
"Great King, you mustn't hurt the Vipers' eyes!"
Jamie shouted as he threw throwing stars at the Magical Creatures.
"I'll tell you later. Anyway, avoid their eyeballs."
Gunther, as Jamie said, refrained from attacking their eyes as much as possible. But he couldn't let his guard down, as the sharp beaks might peck at his head at any moment. Then more Vipers covered the sky in black. They quickly flew in and snatched soldiers away or pecked at their heads and ate their brains.
"Aaaaargh!"
The soldiers' screams were rampant everywhere.
"Damn it! They're tearing us apart from the front and back!"
Then Jamie's words flashed through his mind. Vipers didn't attack if you didn't move because they considered you dead.
"Everyone, lie down on the sand!"
"Yes?"
"Don't move at all. Just breathe!"
The soldiers lay down on the sand at Gunther's command. Then the Vipers' attacks stopped abruptly. But it was also an ordeal to lie down, exposed to the scorching desert sun, without knowing when they would disappear. They might have to stay like this for hours, maybe even days.
"They're impatient, so they won't be here for long."
He had no choice but to put his hope in Jamie's last words.
* * *
About three hours passed, and the Vipers gradually began to move elsewhere and soon disappeared completely. But it was too early to let his guard down. They might disappear for a while, but they would immediately fly in and attack if they sensed human movement from afar. Just then, a red light flashed in the distance.
'Maria's Magic Stone is shining again.'
Gunther trembled with excitement. He ordered Solskjaer to kill the Magical Creatures behind them.
"Great King, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going north."
"It's dangerous to move alone!"
Gunther headed north alone, despite Solskjaer's dissuasion. It would only attract the Vipers' attention if he took the soldiers with him. It was better to move alone. Just then, a sudden sandstorm engulfed Gunther, binding his feet so that he couldn't move an inch.
"Hoo!"
He had once heard Liberio say that there was a neutral zone connecting the present world and the afterlife. A place that the dead had to pass through before going to heaven or hell. He was afraid that this desert might be that place. He had experienced all kinds of hardships in his life, so there was nothing particularly scary. But the thought that Maria might be dead somewhere here made it hard for him to breathe.
'Maria, don't die until I find you. No, even if you die, you can't escape from me.'
It was really hard to take a step. He felt like he would be swept away by the sand that reached his chest and die before he could even see Maria. Gunther struggled with all his might. He screamed and tried to get out of the sand. Suddenly, Maria's memories, which he had kept in his heart, came to his mind one by one.
[Aren't you afraid of me?]
[Why would I be afraid?]
[People run away when they see me.]
[That's strange, Gunther is very handsome.]
He learned from Maria that people's words could melt away before they even reached his ears. People had the same mouth, but some people only cursed when they opened their mouths, and others only ate with it. But Maria made laughter with her pretty mouth and said things that made the other person feel good. The experience of words becoming a person's hope was truly amazing. Just hearing her laughter made his heart flutter so much that he couldn't sleep because of his desire to have her. He had endured for so long and finally met her again...
'Just breathe. I'll find you.'
That was when it happened. As if in response to his earnestness, the Magic Stone began to shine more brightly as he got closer to the north. In addition, his heart was pounding violently.
"Maria!"
He shouted loudly into the air. He desperately hoped that his voice would reach her.
Meanwhile, Maria was startled by the sound of a person's voice in the distance. She quickly cleared away the sand that covered her body. Moreover, the Magical Creatures that had been flying over her head were flying away to another place. Then now was the time. Just as she was completely out of the sand pit, she heard a person's voice again.
"Answer me, Maria!"
For a moment, she thought it was a hallucination. She thought it was a Spell created by the Magical Creatures to eat her. But in the distance, she saw a person. A man in Crimson Armor was walking towards her, calling her name. Maria rubbed her eyes several times with her sleeve, thinking it was a hallucination. But it wasn't a hallucination. There was actually a being in red clothes.
'Gunther.'
Maria also moved her lips to respond to his call.
"Gu..."