Translator: Nox

Chapter 30

Chapter 30

"I'm okay. It would be a lie to say I don't hurt, but I can heal this much with magic."

"Krrr."

"Huh?"

Vivian cautiously reached out her hand. Aslan, who had been cowering and hesitating, slowly raised his head.

"Come on, come here. I'm scared to be alone."

"......"

A long silence and a gaze mixed with hesitation.

Vivian waited patiently, and just as Aslan finally took a step forward—

"Krrk, cough!"

"Ahk!"

Aslan suddenly twisted in pain. The curse he had suppressed for a while began to thrash again.

Vivian was pushed into a corner by his struggles. Aslan's eyes, who was breathing roughly, widened for a moment.

"Wait, I'm fine...!"

"Kwaaaang!!"

As if not allowing her to come any closer, Aslan violently lashed out at Vivian.

The rocks touched by the Black Lion's claws crumbled powerlessly. If she had been even a little late in dodging, her whole body would have been shattered.

While she was momentarily stunned, Aslan, who had also hesitated, turned and ran away.

The place he fled to was, unfortunately, the King's tomb.

"Stop, come back!"

Vivian, who was hurriedly following him, paused.

The moment she entered the tomb, an ominous feeling ran down her spine.

An uneasy and suspicious feeling, like she should get out of here immediately.

"H, Black Lion..."

Vivian thought she should just take Aslan and run away quickly, and stepped inside.

She was worried that she would immediately see a corpse since it was the King's tomb, but fortunately, the remains were well-wrapped in several layers of sarcophagi in a corner of the tomb.

Vivian cautiously followed the traces of Aslan's destruction.

"Black Lion?"

She heard the sound of fleeing footsteps from across the way. It seemed that each area of the tomb was connected by passages.

She was about to pass by the King's sarcophagus when she saw a familiar inscription on the ceiling.

The sword that defeated the demon.

'Why is Eleonora's symbol here?'

The inscription was engraved in a position where one could see it directly when lying down where the sarcophagus was placed.

'I heard that Eleonora's ancestor was the one who believed in the hero and fought alongside him. Did the first Emperor want to be with his comrade forever, even after death?'

Her heart was strangely constricted, even though it wasn't a Consumption attack.

She didn't know why. She just felt uncomfortable because this place was 'someone's tomb.'

Vivian suppressed the growing unease and moved on.

She saw Aslan panting and vomiting blood in a corner of the tomb. The thoughts that had been filling her head with Eleonora's symbol instantly shifted.

"Don't run away, come here."

"Krrr."

"I'm okay. It's more painful to be alone when you're sick, right?"

Vivian knelt down on one knee to reduce Aslan's wariness. His gaze, which had been constantly vomiting blood, trembled slightly.

He stared longingly at Vivian's small, white hand, then reluctantly turned his head and curled up even smaller.

'What should I do? If only I were Iris...'

Vivian, lost in thought, suddenly stiffened.

Aslan's red eyes, staring at her, flashed ominously.

The air changed in an instant. Muscles contracted as if about to explode. Claws emerged threateningly. Fangs bared fiercely.

"Why, why suddenly..."

It was a clear signal of an imminent attack.

As Vivian quickly ducked, Aslan lunged. A black shadow covered her head.

"Eek!"

"Krrr!"

But it wasn't she who screamed.

Vivian quickly raised her head. Dozens of assassins, who she didn't know when had infiltrated, surrounded Aslan and Vivian from all sides.

Aslan's murderous intent was directed at them, not Vivian.

"Remember, you mustn't kill the target."

"But we weren't told there was a woman!"

"Kill that woman. It's troublesome to leave a witness!"

"Krrrk!"

The person who said to kill the woman was immediately killed.

Only then did Vivian realize that Aslan was trying to save her.

Even though he was in so much pain that he was vomiting blood due to the raging curse, even in a state where he had lost his reason as a human.

'This damn special ability. Why does it weaken people's hearts!'

How could she run away, leaving a beast fighting to protect her!

Vivian gritted her teeth and drew her sword. Her blade, kicking off the ground, brushed past an assassin. A thick stench of blood filled the air.

Vivian immediately turned and launched a second attack. An assassin who was ambushed from behind fell without even uttering a groan.

She looked at the men rushing towards her and thought.

'It must be assassins sent by the Crown Prince again. That cruel bastard!'

To Johannes, Aslan was like a time bomb. A threat that might explode at any time, but would definitely explode someday.

If Aslan died, Johannes would inherit the curse.

But even if he didn't die, there was still danger. There was a possibility that Aslan would sacrifice himself to resurrect the demon.

Just like the ending of the original story.

Therefore, Johannes wanted to imprison Aslan, keeping him alive but nothing more. To steal his ego with Black magic, turning him into a living corpse.

'Aslan did nothing wrong.'

He didn't covet the throne. He didn't desire anything that wasn't given to him.

The fact that he built his own kingdom in the northern Blackford and gathered forces was ultimately to survive, and those who were naturally drawn to him were just people who were struggling to survive.

"Ah, I'm getting angry just thinking about it."

Vivian indifferently cut down the assassins rushing at her. When the blade became dull in the middle, she abandoned the long sword and took the lives of the enemies with two daggers.

She didn't know. She was just annoyed by all the situations surrounding Aslan.

'This damn special ability must be an interaction, not one-sided.'

That was the only way she could think of it.

"Krrr!"

"Ugh, damn it..."

At the end of the long battle, Aslan cut off the last remaining assassin's breath.

Compared to Vivian, who was free to avoid combat due to her small size, Aslan suffered considerable injuries. In particular, his left flank, which had not yet healed, seemed to have been targeted intensively.

"Krrr."

The color of his eyes had already returned to gold. But his eyes, looking at Vivian, still held a deep sense of guilt and regret.

'I'm really okay.'

But if Aslan rejected her, she couldn't force him any further.

Vivian slowly backed away and then turned around. Just as she was about to leave the tomb.

"......"

Her steps were held back. The beast, who had rushed up, was biting her hem.

"Don't want me to go?"

"Krng."

"You said you didn't like me earlier. You attacked me to get me away... "

Even though she knew it wasn't his true feelings, her voice naturally came out sulky.

Honestly, when he tried to push her away and broke the rock, she was genuinely scared that he was going to kill her.

"Hee hee."

Aslan's golden eyes, looking up at Vivian, sparkled. It was as if he was deeply regretting it.

"You roared at me, didn't even look at me when I called you. I said I was scared to be alone."

"Kkiing."

"Am I such an untrustworthy person? I said I was okay, that I was fine, but you ignored everything and ran away. Do you know how upset I was then?"

"......"

The strength holding Vivian's hem gradually loosened. Aslan's head drooped powerlessly.

At first, she was just going to say a few words and be done with it, but seeing this reaction made her feel bad.

Vivian sighed softly and opened her arms wide.

"Don't do that again. I'm a surprisingly petty person."

"Krng...?"

"I'll forgive you this once. Come on, come into this big sister's arms."

In terms of age, Aslan was clearly older, but she decided not to worry about such trivial things.

The Black Lion hesitated for a moment, then snuggled into Vivian's arms.

"That's right."

Aslan was much bigger, so she ended up clinging to him, but Vivian just stroked the back of Aslan's neck strongly.

While wandering through the tomb and fighting the assassins, the sun had completely set.

It was now really dangerous to go outside, so Vivian and Aslan settled down in the passage farthest from the King's tomb and lay down.

Vivian leaned against Aslan's waist, who was lying on his stomach, and muttered.

"I think I'm amazing after all. I ended up taming such a huge Black Lion, right?"

"Krng."

"I have to brag to my brother."

Too many things had happened all day. Her eyelids naturally became heavy as she leaned against the warm beast.

Vivian fell into a deep sleep as if sinking into water.

＊ ＊ ＊

A distant and deep night. The moon wanes.

"......"

A long shadow fell over Vivian's head as she slept. Aslan, who had already returned to human form, was aimlessly staring at her.

The fingertips that swept up the hair clinging to her round forehead were endlessly careful.

"I'm sorry, but it'll be difficult to brag."

If it could make Vivian proud, he could imitate a beast as many times as necessary. But unfortunately, the curse was lifted too early.

The feeling of the curse raging inside his body was vivid. At that time, he was sure that he would have to wander in this forest for a month.

'Is it thanks to you? Because you forgave someone like me...'

How long has it been since he saw her face sleeping so unguardedly?

Her fair skin reflects the blue moonlight, shining dazzlingly. Like a jewel, it was mysteriously and enchantingly mesmerizing.

'For chasing after me, who was cowardly running away...'

He had never been so grateful that Vivian tamed beasts as a hobby.

Even though he knew that he would harm her, he couldn't refuse this small hand in the end.

Maybe he was afraid. Being trapped in the depths of his consciousness after being taken over, how much longer would he have to endure alone this time?

Look at me like this. Talk to me like the sunlight seeping into the swamp. Don't turn away from me.

'With this frail body, with this small hand, for understanding my screams.'

He very carefully placed Vivian's fair hand on his palm. It was so small and frail that he was afraid it would break even if he just gripped it.

It was just that their palms touched, but he felt an uncontrollable heat.

He wanted to touch her even more. Just a little deeper.

He carefully spread her fingers and inserted his own between them. Even though it was just their fingers intertwined, he felt an unparalleled sense of fulfillment.