Chapter 31: Survival Guide (3)

Crunch!

The sound jolts me awake. 

Just in case, I had scattered twigs and fish bones near the entrance of the cave.

An intruder. In this wasteland, an intruder means one of two things: a wild animal or a “Chimera.”

The campfire’s flames had weakened, and perhaps because it had gotten a bit cold, Werhe, seeking warmth, had crossed the boundary I told her not to cross and was now clinging to my side.

I gently tap her arm to wake her.

“Werhe, wake up. Hurry.”

“Ugh, just five more minutes.”

“Kkuk, kkyugyuk!”

The turtle, who had woken up before me, climbed onto Werhe’s face, blocking her breathing.

Ugh, ugh, ugh!

Thanks to that, I didn’t have to do much to get her up.

“Phew, what’s with this guy? What’s going on?”

“There’s an intruder. Snap out of it, quick.”

“What, an intruder?”

Finally alert, Werhe quickly scans our surroundings. 

I quietly grab her arm and lead her deeper into the temple.

The hidden space inside the statue I saw earlier—if we can hide there, we might be able to avoid the danger.

I hurriedly searched for the button behind the statue, but it’s nowhere to be found. 

Hiding seems impossible.

Thud, thud, thud.

“Ugh, if only we had proper weapons, we could just smash it.”

“We need to find a way. We can’t just die here.”

My eyes fall on a small statue guarding Tengri. 

Thinking the same thing, Werhe grabs the statue.

Holding the statue, she holds her breath, waiting for the monster to get closer.

The sound of the intruder approaching grows louder. 

Soon, a massive shadow blocks the temple entrance.

There’s nowhere left to hide. 

We have to fight.

“Kiiii….”

A grating sound, like metal scraping, fills the air. 

The creature, now inside, walks toward our hiding spot.

“Strike first!”

Wham!

The blow lands squarely on the Chimera’s face. 

If it had been her beloved weapon, the monster’s head would have exploded without a chance to scream.

But unfortunately, the fragile statue shatters upon impact, dealing no significant damage.

“Damn it, bare fists would’ve been better.”

Werhe throws away the shattered pieces of the statue and clenches her fists.

We still have the upper hand. 

Werhe throws punch after punch, and thankfully, the monster’s skin isn’t as tough as the previous one.

Maybe we have a chance?

But hope is short-lived. 

The Chimera, after taking several hits, starts dodging her attacks with incredible speed.

“This thing is fast!”

Is it a speed type? 

The Chimera begins to outpace Werhe’s attacks, twisting its body to avoid her hooks.

Then it counters. 

The Chimera’s foreleg shoots out like lightning, sending Werhe crashing into the wall.

“Gah!”

Werhe hits the wall hard, gasping for breath and coughing up blood. 

The situation doesn’t look good.

“Kikikikik!”

The monster lets out a bizarre scream, as if it enjoys watching the weak suffer.

Despite her trembling body, Werhe steps forward again. 

I want to help her, but I feel powerless.

‘What should I do?’

“Kyuk! Kyukyukyuk!”

“Turtle?”

The turtle jumps in front of me as I start to sink into despair.

“Kyukyuk! Kyuk!”

“Use you?”

Confused, I look at the turtle clinging to my arm. 

A shield? 

Is it telling me to use it as a shield?

Even if its shell is tough, it’s not immune to shock. 

As I give the turtle a worried look, it chirps as if to say, “Don’t worry.”

Kyukyukyuk!

‘It can take a hit or two!’

Encouraged by its confidence, I pick up the turtle and step forward.

“Ugh, what are you doing? Don’t get too close, you’ll get hurt!”

Werhe tries to protest, but she’s already exhausted from the fight. 

Meanwhile, the Chimera remains as threatening as ever.

I grit my teeth. 

There’s nowhere left to run or hide. 

All I can do is hold out as long as possible.

Holding the turtle’s shell in front of me, I steady my breath and step forward.

Strangely, even though I’ve never held a shield before, I instinctively know how to use it.

One foot forward, one foot back, shoulder-width apart, eyes on the enemy, and tighten the core.

“Werhe, fall back.”

“Your Highness?”

“I can handle this. Fall back!”

As Werhe steps back, I charge forward.

Wham!

Shield charge. 

The sudden impact startles the monster, forcing it to take a step back.

“Kiii….”

Its eyes seem to say, “How dare you?” 

My legs tremble for a moment, but I manage to steady myself.

The monster raises its foreleg and slashes through the air. 

I bend my arm to absorb the impact.

Wham!

I’m pushed back slightly, but I manage to block it.

“…Turtle, are you okay?”

“Kyuk!”

‘I’m fine, worry about yourself!’

Gritting my teeth, I grip the shell tighter.

It’s true. 

Blocking the enemy’s attack doesn’t mean the shock disappears. 

It’s a burden the shield and its user must bear.

I don’t know how long I can hold out, but I have to last as long as possible.

As the attacks keep coming, I angle the shield, step back, and push forward!

“Ugh!”

At first, it works, but gradually, I feel myself being pushed back. 

The monster doesn’t stop its assault, whether its attacks are blocked or not.

“Your Highness, I’ll help!”

Werhe, having caught her breath, rejoined the fight. 

With the offense and defense balanced, the battle stabilizes.

But this is only temporary. 

The monster shows no signs of tiring, while we’re on the verge of collapse.

The situation looks grim. 

My arms are reaching their limit.

The monster lunges forward, slamming into me. 

I should’ve dodged instead of blocking, but that’s a matter of skill.

Finally, the force becomes too much, and I lose my grip on the turtle. 

The monster’s attack lands on my side.

“Gah!”

“Your Highness!”

Werhe tries to block the follow-up attack aimed at me, but her weakened kick is easily caught by the monster.

Whoosh!

She’s thrown straight into the ground, knocked out cold.

Clutching my side with one hand, I retrieve the turtle, but continuing the fight seems impossible.

The monster raises its foreleg for the final blow. 

I can’t block it.

This might really be the end, I think.

Beep!

A familiar bird’s cry echoes.

‘Pipi!’

The falcon, Pipi, who never loses its target once locked on.

Relieved, I let out a sigh.

The monster’s foreleg swings toward me, but before it can land—

Whoosh! Wham!

A sharp sound cuts through the air, and the Chimera’s face explodes in a spray of blood. 

A single, lethal strike.

“Gah, gah, gah.”

Thud.

Unable to even scream, the monster collapses forward, emitting strange gurgling sounds from its throat.

A girl rushes toward us from the cave entrance.

Her long hair flutters in the wind, spreading the scent of golden jasmine.

“Your Highness!!!”

It’s Frennila. 

She made it just in time.

Covered in dirt, it seems she searched hard for us.

As my body starts to slump, she catches me and immediately calls for her subordinates.

“Hurry, quickly!”

“Frennila.”

The adrenaline fades, and fatigue and pain set in. 

I feel like I’m about to lose consciousness.

Is Werhe okay? 

Thankfully, the warriors following Frennila rush in and begin first aid.

They apply finely ground herbs to my bleeding side and tightly bandage it.

Seeing her tearful face, many thoughts flood my mind.

The first thing that comes to mind is relief.

The girl who was once a threat to me now brings me comfort. 

So much has happened.

“Thank you for saving me. Really.”

I meant it. With those words, I finally lose consciousness.

“….”

Frennila silently watches me for a while, her tears falling onto my necklace.

The necklace begins to emit a faint glow, but Frennila doesn’t notice.

She gently lifts me up.

“Let’s hurry back.”

First aid has been administered, but it’s not enough. 

We need to continue treatment in a safer, more secure place. And,

‘Rii might have figured something out.’

Rii immediately recognized the creature’s corpse as something serious and said she’d contact the church.

With the Holy Knights’ vast intelligence on heretics, finding the mastermind is only a matter of time.

Suddenly, her words come back to me.

‘What’s truly terrifying about Chimeras is that the resentment of the tortured animals is directed relentlessly toward their target.’

‘Either the Chimera dies, or the target dies.’

The target.

There are those who want to kill His Highness.

For a moment, something dark and sticky threatens to burst out from within Frennila, but she quickly suppresses it.

His Highness is here. 

He needs to rest, and she can’t let her emotions disturb him.

“Let’s go.”

Despite the sun being high in the sky, Frennila feels no fatigue.

The reason is her thirst for revenge—pure hatred for those who took her father’s life and now threaten her dear friend and His Highness.

Unbeknownst to her, this was the driving force behind her actions in previous timelines.

The cavalry, having rescued the two stranded individuals, quickly heads back to Partiaros.