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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: I Wanted to Live. (9)
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Isaac wasn't good at fighting, but he was skilled with poisons. His bag contained several bottles of potent concoctions that could melt or corrode a person's body.
Towards the enemies charging from front and back, Isaac hurled his bottles. The foes screamed and collapsed as the bottles struck them, but it wasn't enough. A sword lunging towards Isaac was parried by Cyrus's blade.
Clang!
Isaac stared blankly at the sparks that flew before his eyes.
'Because of me.'
Cyrus's forearm was sliced by an enemy sword from behind.
'Cyrus can't fight properly.'
He knew that fighting while protecting someone was several times harder than fighting to protect only oneself. Isaac quickly racked his brain, but there was little he could do in this situation.
"Duck."
Cyrus commanded calmly, despite having been cut several times. Isaac bent forward, his gaze fixed ahead.
A moment later, an enemy's sword clashed with Cyrus's blade where Isaac's head had been. The enemy behind them seized the opportunity, thrusting a spear into Cyrus's thigh.
As Cyrus stumbled, a flurry of swords rained down. Isaac couldn't collect himself, the sight of blood spurting before his eyes.
'Cyrus mustn't die because of me. His Highness's life is more valuable than mine.'
Isaac pulled out the last remaining poison bottle from his bag.
He had to clear a path for Cyrus, even if it meant risking his own life. That was what he had lived for until now.
"Your Highness, I'll open a path."
"Don't."
Cyrus spoke softly, as if sensing Isaac's resolve. Half the enemies were gone, but many still remained.
"Run forward."
There were no words of farewell. Such things weren't cool.
Clutching the poison bottle, Isaac threw himself towards the enemies blocking the end of the gorge. Cyrus reached out to grab Isaac, but it was too late.
A slender body plunged into the chaotic swirl of swords, unleashing a black cloud of poisonous mist.
"Aargh!"
"Get back!"
"It's poison!"
The enemies screamed in confusion, but even as they did, the poisonous mist dissolved their skin and invaded their lungs. Amidst those who couldn't even shriek from the burning pain in their guts, Cyrus held his breath and dashed forward.
Cyrus was the first to grab Isaac's arm, which had turned black from the poison. Even though he knew it was dangerous if the poison touched him, Cyrus couldn't abandon him.
Carrying Isaac in one arm, Cyrus ran.
But he knew this wasn't the end.
Most of the enemies ahead had been dealt with, but several still remained behind them. Cyrus didn't have the strength to take care of all of them.
Yet, he couldn't give up.
'It's familiar.'
He steeled his crumbling heart.
'I've been through this many times.'
He had overcome countless desperate moments, each feeling like the last, to reach this point. So he could get through this one too.
Cyrus mustered his last remaining strength, forming an ice blade at his fingertips.
"They're escaping!"
"Don't let them! They're exhausted too!"
Just as he heard the enemies' shouts and turned his hand to fire the ice blade.
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
The sound of hooves echoed from ahead.
'Damn it!'
Were the enemies here not the end of it?!
Just as despair threatened to blacken his vision, a familiar shout reached his ears.
"My Lord! Get out of the way!"
He never thought the day would come when hearing such a frivolous voice would bring such relief. Cyrus clutched Isaac and rolled to the side.
Several warhorses galloped past the spot where Cyrus had just been standing. Knights in black uniforms charged towards the enemies, kicking up white frost.
After confirming that the white frost enveloped the enemies, Cyrus looked down at Isaac, who was nestled in his arms.
"I know you're not dead."
At Cyrus's words, Isaac's closed eyelids fluttered open slightly.
"You have an antidote, right?!"
Isaac nodded faintly.
Cyrus pulled out several bottles from the compartment in Isaac's bag where the antidotes were kept.
"Which one?!"
Isaac, with a trembling hand, pointed to one of the bottles. Cyrus opened it and poured it onto Isaac's lips.
Isaac was as knowledgeable about poisons as he was about medicine. Because of this, he was frequently exposed to poisons and had a higher tolerance to them than others.
After drinking the antidote, his blackened skin gradually returned to normal. Cyrus gently tapped Isaac's cheek and said,
"Don't even think about finding peace before I do."
Isaac chuckled.
"No thank you?"
"Thank you."
"There's ointment in your bag. Wipe the blood and apply it roughly. It'll be better than nothing. You're probably poisoned too, so drink an antidote bottle."
Cyrus was in no condition to worry about others. He had deep wounds on his arm, thigh, and side, along with several minor cuts. The hand he had used to touch Isaac was also turning black.
Cyrus took out the ointment, smeared it on his wounds, and drank an antidote.
Meanwhile, the Black Knights finished their battle. Noah, who had led the charge, dismounted and stood before Cyrus and Isaac.
"My Lord, it's done. I've prepared a carriage, I'll escort you there."
"This one can't walk."
Cyrus stood up on his own, gesturing towards Isaac with his chin.
Noah effortlessly lifted Isaac and placed him on horseback.
"How did you know to come?"
"I didn't exactly 'know'... but you were a bit late, and, well..."
Noah's eyes darted around. As Cyrus narrowed his brows and glared, Noah chuckled awkwardly.
"I thought perhaps this time, My Lord might finally be bringing the Duchess. I figured it was a chance to show our Black Knights' might to the Duchess, so I came to meet you."
"..."
"Originally, I planned to line up grandly in front of this gorge and wait, but as I came, I smelled blood. I thought, 'This is serious!' and rushed over."
Whatever the reason, Noah's frivolous personality had saved their lives.
Cyrus patted Noah's shoulder.
At Cyrus's silent praise, Noah exclaimed with renewed spirits.
"Indeed, the Duchess and My Lord must be a match made in heaven. If I hadn't come out here thinking of escorting the Duchess, it truly would have been a disaster."
Watching Cyrus smack the back of Noah's head, the knights following behind thought,
'The Vice-Commander's problem is that he always has to add one more word.'
Inside the carriage, Isaac drank another bottle of antidote and then began treating Cyrus. Cyrus took off his shirt and lay in the carriage, receiving treatment as he spoke.
"They knew exactly that we would use this path. They also knew I'd be returning around this time after going to the Empire."
Isaac sighed.
"Looks like there's still a spy inside."
Cyrus closed his eyes.
His chest burned black with fury and despair. No matter how many times he sifted through, it never ended.
Who would it be this time? Someone close, or someone distant?
After hearing of his parents' deaths, the relatives he had trusted tried to kill Cyrus. Since then, Cyrus had not had a single moment of peace.
Every day was a continuous cycle of suspicion and vigilance. Just when he thought he had sorted everything out, another splinter would emerge, tormenting him.
'Andrei? Or Duke Hern? Marquis Brown?'
The urge to vomit surged whenever he had to suspect those he wanted to trust.
'Rui? Noah? Benio? Chiba?'
Every time a traitor emerged from among those he thought would risk their lives for him, he felt a heart-wrenching pain. He had thought many times that he just wanted it all to end, to die and find peace.
Was there really a need to try so hard? Wouldn't it be easier to just hand over the Northern Territory if they wanted it? Did he really need to cling to the Northern Duke's position? Perhaps they could lead the Northern Territory more peacefully than he could?
Whenever his resolve dulled, he remembered his parents.
-"Someday, you will sit in this seat and lead the Northern Territory. It's a harsh land of ice, but you will do better than I."
Recalling his father's eyes, devoid of a single trace of doubt, he couldn't collapse. His father and mother had believed that Cyrus would one day lead the Northern Territory, and they had died.
He couldn't betray their trust simply because it was difficult and arduous.
He couldn't let it end with them bearing the false accusation of colluding with Paganus to sell out the Empire.
'At least until my parents' honor is restored.'
He had endured each time with that resolve. Every time his knees buckled, he gritted his teeth and stood up again.
He had to do it this time too.
-"Your Highness is truly dignified."
A voice suddenly came to mind, softening his firm lips.
He clearly pictured the blue eyes looking up at him. Eyes like a clear sky on a beautiful day. Eyes like the sea on a perfect day.
Though those eyes were completely different in color from his own, Cyrus always thought of his own eyes whenever he saw them.
Eyes etched with similar hatred, pain, and solitude.
'Ariana.'
Cyrus didn't know Ariana well.
He had watched her in the Western Territory and helped her in the Empire, but that was all.
They had never fought side-by-side against enemies, nor had they shared daily life over meals. Compared to the many acquaintances Cyrus now suspected, their relationship was fleeting, merely a passing connection.
Yet, strangely, he felt at ease whenever she was near.
In this moment, as despair burned black in his chest, he longed to be by her side. He desperately missed the times they exchanged trivial conversations and small smiles.
Cyrus suppressed the urge to rush to Ariana immediately and asked,
"Isaac, have we informed anyone of our recent movements?"
"Yes, in the city we stopped at the day after we parted ways with the Duchess. I sent a telegram to Andrei."
Cyrus felt relieved.
"Then it's not Andrei."
"You suspected Andrei? He'd cry if he knew."
"They used ordinary strength."
"That means they couldn't use Devouring. Does that mean they knew we'd pass this way, but not the exact timing?"
"Precisely. Andrei would have predicted the timing after receiving your telegram, so it didn't leak from him."
Isaac frowned as he stitched Cyrus's torn skin.
"If they had used Devouring, it really would have been dangerous."
Devouring. Paganus called it 'Amantal's Authority.'
The people of the Empire called 'Amantal' a demon, but Paganus worshipped it as a god. By offering blood at Amantal's altar and swearing an oath of the soul, Paganus gained the talent of Devouring.
'Amantal's Authority,' or 'Devouring,' was the ability to temporarily use the strength of a creature by eating its heart raw.
If one ate the heart of a bear, they gained the strength of a bear; if they ate the heart of a rabbit, they gained the speed of a rabbit.
If any of the Paganus who attacked Cyrus had eaten the heart of a bear or tiger living nearby, Cyrus might have died on the spot before Noah arrived to help.
