Ch.211211. Probation (1)

“…Friel?”

After killing one of the remaining demonkin, Airine looked at the other one who was left.

Next to her, I could see the most familiar elf in this unit rolling on the ground.

Even with my wavering focus and blurry vision, I could clearly recognize the distinctive color of her hair. Indeed, the one sprawled out over there was none other than Friel.

‘Just until a moment ago.’

Friel had been perfectly keeping two demonkin at bay, coordinating with her spirit, Fiel.

Airine’s various spirits running wild and her surprise arrows had suppressed their approach, and whenever they somehow broke through her defense, Friel had driven them back with swordsmanship more magnificent than the refined, elegant style she had shown until now.

‘Even though they didn’t seem to get along, they worked well together.’

Before entering the eastern forest, the brief exchange between Friel and Airine could hardly be considered pleasant words spoken in a nice atmosphere.

But despite their strained relationship, their teamwork had shone brilliantly. Even against two abnormally strong demonkin, they seemed more than capable of holding their ground.

Moreover, just now, Tania’s self-destruction had not only reached that bastard rolling on the ground after being defeated by me, but also the demonkin on the other side.

The situation should have become even more favorable.

‘…Did something unexpected happen?’

Friel’s severe injury was unexpected.

Then, as if reaching her limit, my eyelids gradually began to close.

I quietly stared beyond her until I lost consciousness.

I saw Airine carefully picking up Friel. And just before my vision went dark, an unknown elf approached her.

Whether I was seeing things before losing consciousness…

“…?”

Airine, who had always moved calmly until now, grabbed the woman blocking her path with somewhat agitated movements.

With that final image, the world finally turned black.

* * *

The battle had concluded.

With two demonkin dead, the surviving one and another cultist fled to plan for another day. Only a handful of elves who couldn’t retreat during the urgent battle and dead allies remained.

After the massive explosion of flames, the place was eerily quiet.

In this silence, Airine looked down at the demonkin she had killed and caught her breath.

“Haa… haa…”

Her breathing was excited. It had been a fierce battle.

Though she hadn’t sustained major injuries, the onslaught from the demonkin, who were incomparably stronger than any she had faced before, had been intense. Naturally, she was exhausted.

The dead demonkin was the man whose abominable horns she had cut off earlier. Bringing down a demonkin with her spirit magic was an achievement worthy of praise.

But she had no room for joy or elation.

“Friel.”

Thinking of her childhood friend whose relationship had become so complicated.

Airine immediately turned around to look at where Friel should be.

“…”

It wasn’t intentional.

She never wanted to see her rolling on the dirt ground like this.

Airine quietly lifted Friel up.

Friel’s limp body was surprisingly light. The large slash marks across her arms, legs, and torso, as if a dragon’s claws had raked across them, showed how severe an attack she had endured.

*Soft breathing*

As she practically carried Friel, she could feel faint breaths, indicating that her life hadn’t yet been extinguished.

That’s when it happened.

*Rustle* *Rustle*

From the bushes beyond the clearing where blue flames still burned after the large explosion, she began to sense someone’s presence.

“Lady Airine—”

The forest keeper who had spent most of her life with her.

As soon as the situation ended, she appeared as if she had been waiting and began to speak, but…

Airine was only aware that she was saying something because her mouth was moving. Not a single word reached her ears.

Airine simply approached her with slightly larger strides than usual and gently but firmly grabbed the forest keeper’s collar with her left hand.

“You.”

“…Lady Airine?”

“You deliberately interfered, didn’t you? Why did you get involved when no one asked you to?”

“…”

“I told you that I… I would handle it myself, and you should stay out of it… I’m sure I said that.”

*Grip tightening*

As Airine’s grip on the forest keeper’s collar gradually tightened.

The forest keeper quietly pressed her lips together, looked at her hand, and then met her gaze firmly.

“Look at this situation. Apart from being from competing houses, right now every person matters. Why did you have to be so useless—”

However, as soon as the word “useless” came out, she quickly scanned the surroundings to check if anyone nearby could hear their conversation.

After confirming no one was around, the forest keeper gently placed her hand on Airine’s hand that was gripping her collar.

“Useless, you say.”

The forest keeper’s gesture gently pushed away Airine’s hand.

As if telling her to stop wasting energy and remove her hand.

“All I did was join to help you and Lady Friel, and swing my sword. Nothing more.”

“…”

This time, it was Airine who pressed her lips together.

She removed her hand from the forest keeper and more securely supported the unstable Friel.

“Aren’t you sorry?”

“About what?”

“Joining in is just a pretty excuse.”

“…”

“For someone who joined to help, you only showed incompetent skills below your level, causing more hindrance than help. In the end, Friel tried to protect you—”

“Lady Airine. Right now, you’re not acting like yourself… no, not like an Ianet.”

“…”

“Isn’t it the principle of House Ianet to use any means necessary when needed?”

“…”

As Airine fell silent, the forest keeper, seemingly gaining momentum, added without hesitation.

“On the day of the spirit contract ceremony, didn’t you also engrave the family’s principle in your heart and prepare yourself?”

It was different.

“Get out of my way.”

“…”

“We’ll talk later.”

What she had sworn was to elevate her house’s status even if it meant becoming estranged from her and having conflicts.

Not to raise her own status by driving her to near death and severe injury.

Her mind was in chaos. Thoughts were mixing, and doubts about the contradictions in her actions and thinking so far began to surge. She needed time to organize her thoughts slowly, very slowly.

“…”

After closing her eyes and opening them again, she pushed all distracting thoughts aside and began to move toward what was most urgent now.

Besides herself and Friel, there was one more person who had fought alone until the end.

As she slowly walked, she could see traces of the battle he had fought.

The blue flames gradually dying down. Among them, scattered arrows, a Magia-filled arm of a demonkin, and several pools of blood. Additionally, the many footprints scattered about showed that a fierce battle had taken place.

“…It seems he managed to kill the demonkin alone after all.”

Moreover, she could see with her own eyes that the most frenzied woman had become a cold corpse, confirming that he had succeeded in killing the monstrous enemy.

Airine briefly looked down at the cold body and then noticed the long trail of blood leading from it.

Step by step.

She followed the blood trail, passing by the forest keeper.

At the end of her gaze, she saw a person. A man leaning against a pillar with his eyes closed, breathing heavily. On his shoulder, a small spirit was rubbing his cheek, urging him to open his eyes.

“He’s alive. But his condition looks very dangerous.”

“…”

The forest keeper was right. Besides many small wounds, perhaps due to attacks imbued with Magia, blood was flowing from his leg without stopping. He had already lost a lot of blood, and the ground where he sat was soaked with it.

Left like this, death was inevitable. To save him, they needed to quickly join with the elves who should be nearby and treat him.

As she approached to pick him up, the spirit turned to look at her.

—…!

Its first reaction was wariness. But soon after seeing the elf’s characteristic long ears, the spirit relaxed its guard and quickly flew over.

—Kkeong!

It bit her sleeve and pulled her toward its contractor.

Airine, led by the spirit’s tugging, approached the fallen man and examined his condition.

Unlike Friel, the man seemed to have used up all his Mana before losing consciousness. His condition was more serious than she had thought.

Unlike Friel, who still had Mana left and was desperately resisting death, his complexion, ready to accept death, was ominously pale.

“What potions do you have?”

“Three in total, I brought them.”

“Hand them over.”

After gently laying Friel on the ground, Airine received the potions from the forest keeper.

As she slowly poured the received potions into Friel’s and Ray’s wounds and mouths, she said:

“Tell the elves nearby to safely move these two… and prepare to treat their wounds quickly.”

After using one potion completely.

Two remained.

Airine poured one on the large wound on Friel’s chest and one on the wound on Ray’s leg, then firmly instructed:

“But tell them to find healers from Arielt or Chelnis.”

She was sorry, but just this once, she thought Chelnis or Arielt would be better than Ianet.