Chapter 31: Swear – 1

“Haah… Haah…!”

The castle, which I arrived at after running until I was out of breath, looked like an enormous pile of firewood.

Although the flames hadn’t climbed the stone walls, they seemed to have spread across all the timber supporting the structure.

The banners of Rondor that had once adorned the castle so splendidly, along with the crests of its vassal families, were now warped and burning within the flames.

The night sky was dyed a vivid red from the fire, shimmering like a sunset that had returned.

Flames were bursting from various parts of the castle, accompanied by thick, suffocating smoke.

The sound of the fire consuming the castle roared through the air, like the cry of a dragon.

Chaos abounded.

People, gripped by fear, were running or rushing out from within, and soldiers were drawing water from the river, trying to douse the flames, but it was futile.

Some maids, who had inhaled too much smoke, were being carried out.

The thick smoke and the crackling sounds filled the air, intensifying the pandemonium.

In the midst of this chaos, my eyes were fixed on finding one person.

Vivian Rondor.

I struggled to spot that red hair amidst the blazing, fiery background.

A fierce wind blew, causing sparks to brush against my clothes, and the intense heat prickled my face, but I couldn’t move.

Without seeing her, my feet felt glued to the ground, and my heart pounded as though it was about to explode.

At that moment, I caught sight of Lorna, one of Vivian’s maids.

I hurriedly ran up to her.

Her clothes were singed with holes, and she was coughing incessantly, looking utterly dazed.

“Cough! Cough!”

But I grabbed her shoulders and shook her, asking urgently.

“Where is Vivian Rondor?”

“Cough…! Lord Kailo… Cough!”

“Hurry up and tell me! Where is Vivian Rondor?”

“I… I don’t know… Cough! She got separated in the flames while trying to escape… She’s probably still inside…”

“Not ‘probably’—tell me what you saw!”

With difficulty, Lorna finally answered.

“Inside…! Inside… Cough…! She’s still in there…”

The moment I heard those words, my mind went blank.

Leaving Lorna, I looked around.

The soldiers and maids gathered around me all looked at me in shock, having overheard what she said.

Realizing that Vivian was still inside the raging inferno spread through their faces, bringing expressions of shock and fear.

But no one took action.

No one dared to go into that massive fire.

Many of Rondor’s retainers stood there watching the burning castle with distressed faces—the Captain of the Guard, four Commanders of the Knights, numerous knights and squires, the stable hand, the blacksmith Gulk, the kennel master, the treasurer Brynden, the spymaster Nestor, and the scholar Crellin…

Yet, not one of them stepped forward to save Vivian.

I couldn’t blame them.

The fire was too fierce.

Entering it was nothing short of a suicide mission.

Even a loyal retainer would undoubtedly step back before this monstrous blaze.

If they were to act, it should have been sooner.

Now, it was too late.

Yet, the words that escaped my lips were anything but rational.

“You’re all just going to stand there…?”

The retainers turned their eyes to me.

Their gazes held a mixture of fear and discomfort, emotions that transferred to me in an instant.

It brought back the feeling I had in the execution ground.

“…How are we supposed to go in there?”

The second knight commander, Thoros, asked in a subdued voice.

His tone was a mix of fear, defiance, and shame.

“Even so, it’s your duty to go in there.”

I replied to him firmly.

The knight commanders, especially, clenched their jaws at my words.

But none of them could speak up.

They knew that if they opened their mouths, they’d be called upon to prove themselves—the look of cowards.

Perhaps it was this very trait that had kept them alive.

By being cowardly in times when their lives were on the line, they were still standing here in front of me now.

Of course, it was hard to call it cowardice in front of these flames.

Even so… their hesitation was revolting, and I didn’t want to become someone like them.

With a sigh, I exhaled and, as if possessed by something, took a step forward towards the flames.

Baelor blocked my way.

“If you die, I told you we won’t be able to manage…!”

“That’s not my problem. You’ll figure it out.”

Did Baelor lack the courage, or did he wish for Vivian’s death?

Whatever it was, he was a far cry from a loyal retainer, a parasite of a person.

My decision didn’t take long.

-Smack!

I pushed Baelor aside and snatched a water jug from a soldier who was trying to extinguish the flames.

“Ah!”

The soldier let out a surprised sound, but I paid no mind and poured the water over my head.

Water dripped down as my entire body soaked through.

Understanding my actions, those around me held their breath and fell silent.

They could already foresee the recklessness of my choice.

Dripping with water, I looked back at the retainers one last time.

In truth, I knew it too.

This was a foolish thing to do.

Especially since I had no reason to go into those flames.

Who was Vivian Rondor, anyway?

Why should I do what even her retainers wouldn’t?

And besides, she might already be dead.

I could be diving in just to retrieve her corpse.

I might not even find her.

This might be nothing more than a suicide attempt.

Knowing all of this, my body still moved.

I didn’t know why, and I had accepted that now.

It was impossible to understand everything in this world.

Though I didn’t have the right to judge them…

I still wanted to give them a warning.

“I know one of you set this fire.”

I said to the retainers.

As if to declare that the traitor was right here in front of me, I spoke without hesitation.

It was a sort of declaration of war.

They’d attacked first, after all.

“Wait and see. I’ll find out who you are.”

None of the retainers spoke up.

They probably suspected that someone among them had caused the fire.

I turned to head toward the flames.

-Smack!

Vergor grabbed my arm.

“Kailo Alan… I get it, I do…! But this is really suicide…! Aren’t you old enough to know the difference between recklessness and bravery…?”

I shook off Vergor’s hand.

The image of Vivian, who must be terrified, flashed before my eyes.

So, I ran into the burning castle.

***

“Cough…! Cough…!”

Vivian gasped desperately amidst the thickening smoke.

The castle seemed to be taunting her, cornering her as she dodged the flames, stumbling through the hallways.

Each time she thought she saw an escape route in a less fiery part of the castle, a massive blaze would block her path.

Despairing again, Vivian would retrace her steps.

“Cough…! Cough…!”

The whole world was red.

The flames closed in on her from every side, the scorching heat enveloping her skin as though it would tear it apart.

Her eyes stung from the smoke, and every breath felt like her chest was being crushed.

Desperately trying to escape, Vivian ran around the castle.

She wanted to call for help, but there was no one in sight.

The maids and retainers had seemingly already evacuated, leaving only Vivian struggling alone in the chaos.

She wondered if this was some horrible nightmare.

Why, even in her final moments, was she alone in this vast space?

Why was there not a single person willing to help her?

She’d tried so hard to be kind.

She’d worked so hard all this time.

Tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks, only to quickly disappear in the intense heat.

The raging fire was slowly burning away even her hope of survival.

And as her hope dwindled, only desperate prayers for help remained.

“Please… Anyone… Hic…”

She pleaded weakly through her sobs.

The thought of burning to death was terrifying.

Dying, trapped in the flaming castle as the head of Rondor, was beyond shameful.

Dying alone was… unbearably wretched.

As the realization dawned that the past year of suffering might have been in vain, her desire to survive grew.

For some reason, she thought of Kailo’s face.

If she hadn’t pushed him away, would he have been by her side now, protecting her?

She laughed softly through her tears.

What a ridiculous fantasy.

Why would Kailo, her enemy, even…

Perhaps, seeing her suffer like this would make him understand the hardships she’d endured.

Maybe he’d watch her and mock her pain.

No matter how hard she tried to shake off the thought, Kailo’s face wouldn’t leave her mind.

-Rumble! Thud!

A wooden pillar, engulfed in crimson flames, crashed heavily in front of Vivian.

The terrifying sight froze even Vivian’s legs in place.

She couldn’t even scream in fear.

Her hands trembled uncontrollably.

Lifting her head to look up, she saw a flag of Rondor, hung as decoration, burning.

In that instant, as she looked at the flag burning as if it foretold the downfall of her family, sadness and fear crossed Vivian’s eyes.

• Thud!

“Ack!”

She tripped over a broom hidden by thick smoke and fell to the ground.

Her ankle twisted at an odd angle, making a strange sound, and a sharp pain shot up her leg.

“Ahhh…”

She tried to stand up again, but her ankle refused her will, unable to move.

The pain was too intense, sharper than the heat scorching her skin.

Vivian clenched her fists on the floor, curling up in fear.

What would become of her soon?

Would she be consumed by the fire chasing her?

It was terrifying.

She hated it with all her being.

And at this moment, what scared her most was the profound loneliness that surrounded her.

In this vast castle, without anyone to save her, with everyone gone—

It was as if they all proclaimed she was an utterly worthless family head.

It was happening all over again, just like when she had been poisoned.

If it was going to be like this…

Vivian thought bitterly.

If it was going to be like this, she should have become a witch.

Had she become a witch, she would surely have escaped this moment.

She wouldn’t have had to run around begging for help, with no one to aid her, and could have endured with dignity.

There was no point in regretting now, but she regretted that choice deeply.

Even in the scorching heat, her tears didn’t stop flowing.

If her father had been there, he would have surely pulled her out of the flames.

Her brother too.

He would have shown her the way with his resolute words.

Her mother would have reassured her, telling her not to worry.

She missed them all so much.

…And lastly, another face appeared in her mind.

She didn’t know why, but his face kept coming to her.

• Crack!

Above Vivian’s head, she heard something snap.

Small, charred pieces of wood fell near her.

• Crack! Crack!!

The noise grew louder, and Vivian had to turn her head up.

• Whoosh!

At that moment, a large wooden pillar plummeted toward her from above.

“Ugh!”

Crushed by fear, Vivian hurriedly curled up, covering her head.

In that fleeting moment, she prayed to God for the first time in her life.

She had never believed in any god, but… she prayed earnestly.

For help.

For salvation.

Thud!!

With a tremendous sound, the roaring flames around her seemed to pause as if it were all a lie.

The clamor that had echoed in Vivian’s ears vanished, and even the searing heat surrounding her seemed momentarily forgotten.

Vivian lay on the ground, curled up, holding her breath, unable to feel anything.

In the chaos of the fire, everything had stopped as if it was silent.

She couldn’t tell how much time had passed.

Frozen like that for a while, she hesitantly opened her eyes.

Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw something.

She blinked twice, looking clearly at what lay ahead.

An unwavering hand was extended in front of her.

As if God had answered her prayer.

She stared at the hand in disbelief.

The fingertips reaching out to her looked impossibly real.

How could a saving hand appear amid these flames while everything crumbled?

She had no idea.

But there was one thing she knew for certain… that hand was melting away her despair.

“Ugh…”

With a faint groan, Vivian slowly, almost as if in a dream, lifted her gaze to see the owner of the hand.

“Ah.”

At that moment, her heart skipped a beat.

Thump… thump…

His face was covered in black soot, his clothes singed and burnt, yet Kailo stood there, looking at her with resolute eyes.

The face she had missed, even if only for a moment, was right there.

The face she kept thinking of even in the fire was truly there.

It was Kailo Alan.

Kailo had just cast aside the heavy wooden pillar that had fallen on them.

His exposed shoulder bore a red burn mark.

Yet he seemed utterly unfazed.

“Stand up.”

Even in the midst of all this pain and chaos, Kailo’s voice was unwavering.

Vivian’s heart began to pound fiercely for reasons she couldn’t understand.

His words echoed in her ears, pounding against her heart.

Thump… thump… thump…

Whether it was relief or surprise, she didn’t know.

But Kailo, oblivious to this, looked at her without a hint of hesitation and whispered as if commanding her.

“Stand up, Vivian.”