Chapter 71: The Flames of Sacrifice and Survival
by AfuhfuihgsThe massive trees began to be engulfed in flames.
Once the fire started to burn, it was not easily extinguished, even when doused with freezing cold air.
The flames, mingling with the cool breeze that had gently brushed my cheeks, grew larger and larger, eventually consuming the massive trees entirely.
Leaves turned to ashes, scattered by the fire that soared above the forest, bringing light to the once-dark woods and illuminating everything.
I hurried through the forest, gathering survivors.
The thought of extinguishing the fire had long disappeared.
After frantically running around, I managed to save only six people.
The others were nowhere to be found.
Since there weren’t any bodies either, I assumed they had managed to escape safely from the forest’s core.
Praying that the missing people hadn’t fallen under the trees, I carried the six survivors and dashed toward the edge of the forest.
Carrying six adults while running was no easy task.
The weight was one thing, but the fact that I had to carry all six at once made my posture unstable.
The arms and legs of the survivors dangled and dragged along the ground.
The unconscious survivors were in terrible condition.
Like me, they had been struck by the King’s attack, and their bodies were in a state that could only be described as wrecked.
Broken bones protruded unnaturally, arms and legs dangled at odd angles, and frothy blood continuously spilled from their barely parted lips.
If emergency treatment wasn’t performed soon, all of them would die.
As I sprinted toward the edge of the forest, I was deep in thought.
With my abilities, I could easily heal their wounds.
If it became absolutely necessary, I could use healing magic to stabilize their condition just enough to keep them alive.
But the problem was the mana I possessed.
If I were my usual self, with the mana revolving in my heart sparkling like starlight, I would have healed them without hesitation.
However, what currently filled my body was the mana of Monster Island.
Influenced by Kalvain’s mana, it carried a fiery heat, but it was still the mana that had transformed my body and the monsters of this land.
For that reason, I couldn’t easily use it.
After all, even I had changed as my body healed using this mana.
At that moment, one of the survivors on my back suddenly coughed up dark red blood.
Judging by the solid chunk mixed in the blood, it seemed like a piece of her internal organs had been expelled.
The one coughing blood was Noel. Her face, pale as if nearing death, exhaled shallow breaths.
What I saw in Noel’s blurry eyes was a desperate desire for life.
The moment I noticed that gaze, the hesitation that had clouded my thoughts vanished.
What remained was a small, firm resolve.
Fwoosh!
I came to a halt and turned around.
The raging flames soared into the sky, resembling the figure of a massive dragon.
What I needed was a vivid image.
I visualized mana that was both sacred and warm, gently wrapping around and embracing the body.
The mana flowing through my body began to radiate green and golden light as it flowed outward.
Although I was healing someone else’s body, the method wasn’t much different from what I had used before.
Focusing all my attention on the approaching flames, I controlled the mana with precision.
The mana entering my body passed through my heart before moving directly toward the survivors.
Was it because I was healing six people simultaneously?
The mana drained at an alarming rate.
As soon as it entered my body, it vanished without a moment’s pause.
Crrrack—
As the survivors’ bodies healed, changes began to appear in their physical forms.
Their pupils turned into those of monsters, their once-blunt nails grew sharp, and some of their pale skin turned a ghostly white.
After expending all the mana within me, I ceased the healing magic.
As the glowing green aura and golden radiance dissipated, I noticed changes in my own body.
“Scales…”
I ran my sharp nails across the red scales covering my wrist.
The tough scales felt as though they were enveloping my body like the flames consuming the forest.
Shaking my head, I checked on the condition of the survivors.
Although visible changes had occurred, they still retained their human forms.
Their sharp nails could simply be trimmed.
Relieved, I confirmed that Noelle, now breathing steadily, seemed to be in a much better state.
I took a deep breath of relief and once again hoisted the survivors.
Even now, their arms and legs dragged on the ground, but there was nothing I could do about that.
Even if they woke up immediately, they wouldn’t be able to move on their own.
All I had done was perform emergency treatment, barely holding onto their severed threads of life.
As the heat in my body cooled and my mana control stopped, the long horns on my head and the scales vanished, while my sharp nails and teeth dulled.
However, my enhanced physical abilities remained, allowing me to continue carrying the six adults as I moved.
After running for quite a while, I finally escaped the core of the forest.
It was then that I noticed someone approaching from a distance, running at incredible speed alongside a black horse.
In this forest, the only creature capable of running so fast was a Nightmare.
The person running beside it was Selion.
The two seemed to have spotted me, as they picked up their pace.
The Nightmare, galloping swiftly, stumbled a few times on the unfamiliar terrain but ultimately managed to approach me alongside Selion.
Frrrk~!!
“Seris!”
“Selion, the Nightmare…”
“What is this… What the hell is going on?”
“We were attacked by a monster. We managed to escape for now, but…”
I spoke while laying down the team members I had been carrying onto the ground.
“Hmm… What about the others?”
“They weren’t in sight.”
Selion let out a sigh as she looked at the burning forest and the fallen team members in response to my words.
Approaching the Nightmare beside me, I asked, “Can you carry these people for us?”
Frrrk-
The Nightmare exhaled harshly, as if unwilling, but perhaps sensing the seriousness of the situation, it let the survivors onto its back without much resistance.
“We need to get out of this forest for now…”
Selion murmured as she stared at the massive flames advancing from behind.
After running together, we reached the base camp.
Selion and I hastily packed essential items from inside, shoving everything tightly into a large bag.
Most of the bag was filled with thick stacks of documents tied with thin leather cords.
Once we had packed everything, we headed straight out of the forest.
Upon escaping the forest, we set up a makeshift campsite in a suitable spot.
While it wasn’t a comfortable environment, as we had left most of our belongings at the base camp, the simple shelter we built by cutting down trees and embedding posts into the ground created a somewhat cozy atmosphere.
Selion and I spent our time blankly staring at the burning forest, letting the hours slip by.
We could have moved immediately, but protecting the injured, who hadn’t regained their senses, made that impossible.
As time passed, the flames only grew larger.
Even as night fell, the area near the forest was brighter than daylight, and everything around was engulfed in a fiery orange hue.
“Thank you.”
While sitting side by side and staring blankly, Selion suddenly spoke.
‘Thank you? For what?’
I turned to Selion with a questioning look.
She, noticing my confusion, gave a faint smile and looked at the team members lying inside the shelter.
“You must have had a hard time… Thank you for your effort.”
“They’re my teammates too.”
Replying to Selion, I sighed deeply and looked at the team members lying there.
Now that the mana enveloping their bodies had dissipated, they had returned to their human forms.
However, if they were to use the mana within them, monstrous traits would emerge outside their bodies.
I was worried about the possibility of permanent physical changes, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.
It took another two days before the unconscious team members finally opened their eyes.
The fire consuming the forest still raged fiercely, with black smoke covering the sky, creating a gloomy atmosphere.
“Ki… King… King…!”
“No… Stop it!”
Of the six who regained consciousness, two exhibited symptoms of delirium.
They waved their hands in the air at imaginary threats and crouched in corners, trying to hide their bodies.
One even grabbed a nearby sword and started swinging it wildly.
Though the blade wasn’t sharp, the power imbued in their swings was not to be underestimated.
In the end, Selion had to step in to subdue the two.
It seemed their mental state had shattered when they encountered the King.
“Haa…”
Selion looked at the two writhing on the ground with a complicated expression.
She monitored them for a full day, hoping the symptoms would improve, but there was no sign of recovery.
The next morning, before anyone could stop her, Selion drew her sword and beheaded the two afflicted members.
It was a clean strike, decapitating them in one blow.
“Uh…”
I stood there, stunned, my mouth hanging open.
Why had Selion so mercilessly killed her own teammates?
“It was an unavoidable decision…”
“Unavoidable…?”
Selion began to explain, detailing how dangerous a skilled swordsman suffering from sudden fits of madness could be.
“Their unexpected outbursts could alert powerful monsters to our presence. They could attack their own teammates, unable to distinguish between hallucinations and reality… That’s why it was unavoidable.”
“But that hasn’t happened yet…”
“Yes, and it might never have happened.”
“Hmm…”
“Hey.”
“But leaving them behind wasn’t an option, was it? If I hadn’t dealt with them, the monsters would have found and devoured them. That would’ve been a far worse fate.”
Selion frowned as she spoke, her gaze drifting into the void as though recalling distant memories.
“Has this happened before?”
“Countless times. Far too many. And it will continue to happen.”
As I listened to Selion’s words, I observed the reactions of the other team members.
Dorban, Noel, and the two whose names I couldn’t recall remained silent, seemingly accustomed to this situation.
Noticing my attention shift to the others, Selion spoke.
“Shocked, aren’t you?”
“Well… Yes. Honestly, I’m very shocked.”
“You can call me a cruel woman if you want. I wouldn’t deny it.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary…”
“Hmm.”
Selion smiled faintly at my response, though the smile carried no strength.
She began tidying up the bodies on the ground.
After burying the bodies, Selion collected their belongings and placed them in a small leather pouch.
“Let’s head back.”
With that, Selion turned and began walking.
Her long red hair, flowing down over the leather pouch strapped to her back, resembled the flames that had consumed the forest.
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