Shadowless Night

‘My dear God, Idelavhim…’ Ricardis unwittingly called out the god’s name. Another image unfolded in his mind: him lying in Rosaline’s arms… Lying in her arms… Just imagining it was terrifying.

“Don’t do any of them!”

“Yeees, Your Highness,” she answered while tying up her messy hair.

It seemed like she wasn’t even listening to him. Rosaline prepared to go out while watching Nathan and Raymond, who were still in dreamland.

“I’m going to look outside for a moment,” she told Ricardis, who was still confused.

“If you bump into the enemy, don’t engage and return right away.”

“…”

“Sir Rosaline.”

“…I understand.”

Her answer was full of dissatisfaction. She even clicked her tongue.

‘This knight is truly…’ Ricardis realized his worries were not in vain.

“Please don’t go far and come back right away if you notice anything strange.”

At his hastily added words, Rosaline nodded her head with a sullen expression.

Rosaline exited the cave. Unlike yesterday, it was a sunny day. She climbed up on the thick branches of a tree and moved to a higher perch. With a few leaps, Rosaline reached the top of the tree. A view of the forest filled with trees spread out below.

Rosaline leaned her back against the tree and took off her cloak and shirt. She could see that the wound on her shoulder had not healed. Even though it was a human body, the rate of healing was too slow.

‘Is this the power of ‘Fragment’?’

Blood and pus flowed from her wound. The venom hadn’t fully spread, but it also hadn’t been detoxified and was still in her shoulder. Black veins bulged around her wound.

‘Should I cut it out?’

Rosaline pulled out a dagger. She made a gesture with the blade, using it to trace from her collarbone to under her armpit. The range suggested that her left arm could be severed entirely.

‘Nevermind.’

Excessive bleeding is dangerous as there would be traces left behind. At the very least, Rosaline had to avoid this method until they arrived at Illavenia. Moreover, despite being right-handed, if her left arm and shoulder are completely lost, her body would be out of balance. She wouldn’t be able to fight properly. Rosaline repeated the simulative gesture a few more times. But instead of stabbing into her body, the cold metal struck a mountain bird flying by.

Rosaline stared beyond the forest. At dawn, the wind carried a scent as it blew past her. Rosaline sniffed, wrinkled her nose, and made a noise. The smell of tree leaves and soil was changing. The scent of Illavenia began to seep into Balta’s forest.

***

Since there was no fire, the meat had to be eaten raw. Ricardis chewed the raw meat that Rosaline had given him with a twisted face. If Isserion had seen it, he would have been rolling around on the floor laughing out loud.

After the meal, the four began moving again. Boot marks were engraved into the wet mud as they swept through the forest at high speed. The cool morning air became hot as time passed, and a blazing light pierced the leaves and shone brilliantly.

Rosaline kept her ears wide open. Swish. The sound of the hems of her group’s clothing rubbing against leaves, the chirping of insects, and the sound of a gust of wind shaking the branches all mixed together. Rosaline recognized and identified each sound.

‘Harmless. Harmless. Ooh, I heard the growling of a beast.’

However, it was also harmless as it was not directed towards the party.

Biiii-

She heard the chirping of birds. Biiii, biiiii, biiiii-

Rosaline’s eyes flashed. ‘This is dangerous!’

Rosaline slowed her pace at once, stomping on the huge protruding root of a tree. Everyone noticed Rosaline’s actions and matched her pace. She looked around her.

It was the sound of a flute that only birds could hear. It was such an unfamiliar and artificial sound to be heard in a forest, so it must have been a sign of something.

She didn’t know the exact message because it consisted of signs and passwords, but it must certainly be the enemy group behind this. While Rosaline briefly contemplated, the sounds of birds and flutes continued uninterrupted, faster, and closer than before. There was a kite flying over their head.

‘Did that beast lead the raiders our way?’ Her eyes sharpened.

“Leave first. I will stay.”

Before Ricardis could speak as his face distorted, Raymond shouted first.

“Rosaline!”

“Go first, Raymond. It’s not that far away.”

Rosaline’s expression was more determined than ever. Ricardis strode towards her and grabbed her arm. Rosaline frowned for a moment at the pressure. She felt pain because he held her on the wounded side.

“If it’s just like you said, we just have to go a little further!”

“They are chasing at a fast pace. I can keep the assassins tied up.”

Rosaline senses the presence of the enemy in the quiet forest. Nobody here even suspected she could be wrong. Ricardis was just frustrated. As he felt a hand gently pushing his hand away, something hot seemed to rise to the bottom of his neck. His heart pounded like he was in a dream and was falling from a high place.

“No way. Let’s go together, Sir Rosaline!”

“Your Highness.”

“You said they were chasing us! Come on, Rosaline!” Ricardis groaned.

He didn’t seem to care whether the pursuers were listening or not even as they approached at this moment. Rosaline’s face hardened even more and slapped Ricardis’ hand fiercely. She was incredibly strong.

“They’ll be holding Fragments. I have to step up.”

“Will those Fragments avoid you? Don’t be silly!”

Rosaline flipped her cloak back. The shoulders of her white uniform were torn, and the blood had hardened and stuck together. The three men’s faces went stiff.

‘Could it be… No…’

“I am already afflicted. It’s slow, but this must be from Fragment.”

‘So, go, Your Highness.’ Rosaline looked straight at Ricardis.

Ricardis stood at a distance. The ground was shaking. No, it was his body that shook. Ricardis’s hand floated through the air, moving towards her. But before he could reach Rosaline, Nathan hastily grabbed Ricardis’ wrist.

“We must go, Your Highness.”

As the words reached him, each one became a never-ending nightmare. Ricardis’s face contorted at the pain that gripped his chest.

[I… will leave this road and walk elsewhere, leaving a trail.]

[Your Highness, you need to get away from here!]

[The Knights of the White Night, sacrifice your life according to the covenant you made under the splendor of Idelavhim!]

[…Get out of this place with His Highness!]

[Your Highness, please…]

[Your Highness, Princess Setistia…]

[Your Highness…!]

‘Your Highness!’

The sounds of screaming and weeping were madly intertwined in his head. In the past, there have been countless people who have left him. They were people whom he would never meet again.

‘I should never die. I must survive! Even if someone dies on my behalf, I can’t stop because I’ve already stepped on that person’s sacrifice. The wishes of the dead… my victory is the only thing that makes their sacrifice worthwhile. That’s how I came here. But now…’

“Rosaline…”

The moment he spoke her name, fatigue suddenly overcame him. It felt like his feet, which had been forcibly holding him up, were falling apart. They were shaking more than he could handle.

“Your Highness…”

“Your Highness!”

A voice echoed through his mind. The short words ‘Your Highness’ carried the meaning for him to hasten his steps. Ricardis looked at Nathan and Raymond standing in front of him. Then he glanced back at Rosaline, who was standing behind him. Whether her heart was torn or her brain had melted, Rosaline had already decided on her path. There was only one, as always.

Rosaline took a step closer to Ricardis. Her white fingers touched his chest, pushing him away.

It was warm. It was the warmth of the body he’d held all morning. Ricardis grabbed her hand and pulled her. Rosaline’s eyes widened. Ricardis was close enough that she could feel his breath.

“I can’t stop.”

Ricardis closed his eyes and bowed his head. His long eyelashes glistened in the sunlight.

‘Oh, it’s shiny and pretty.’ As she was thinking this, Rosaline felt a soft touch on her forehead.

It almost felt like the moment at her inauguration ceremony when warm energy flowed into the center of her forehead where Ricardis applied holy water. It’s like Rosaline was swimming in warm water. She felt fuzzy. Rosaline squeezed her eyes shut.

“So you must come.”

Rosaline smiled with her eyes bent. It was a bright smile that struck his chest.

***

Raymond stood there as if his feet were nailed to that spot. His face was gloomy without a single smile. It was a sight that would surprise anyone who knows how he usually treats Rosaline. He didn’t cry, and he didn’t get angry. He didn’t say anything and just stared at Rosaline.

“Raymond, go quickly,” Rosaline said again, and she had to push him.

Raymond’s jaw muscles twitched as if holding back the words that were about to pop out. He came forward quickly and hugged Rosaline so tightly that it hurt. A short time passed. He soon followed after Ricardis and Nathan, who ran ahead.

Rosaline looked at Raymond’s back as he moved away. The sunlight shone brilliantly through the gaps in the dense leaves. In the distance, she could see Raymond looking back. Rosaline raised her hand high and waved at him so that he could see it from a distance. He smiled bitterly and turned away from her. Their appearances disappeared in an instant. Rosaline then turned around and headed in the other direction.