Chapter 28
A heavy scent of musk lingered in the air. A solid warmth pressed down over my body.
Jerome’s blue eyes, fixed on me, trembled faintly.
I forgot even to breathe as I stared at him, sprawled over me.
Jerome hurriedly pushed himself up.
“…My apologies.”
After stepping a few paces away, he cleared his throat.
I rose as well, brushing the dirt from my backside and steadying my racing heart.
“What just happened? And how did you get in here, Duke?”
“I placed my hand on the wall after Miss Amervia did, and found myself transported inside.”
“What about the others?”
“They should be beyond the wall. Lord Chifrian and Sir Blair also touched the magic circle, but it seems only you and I reacted to it.”
Strange.
Unlike the magic circle at the entrance, the wall hadn’t disappeared—it had simply allowed us through. And I had no idea why only Jerome and I had triggered it.
Just then, Jerome turned toward the portal.
The blue light humming within it held a darkness deeper than a swamp.
“That portal is suspicious. We’ll need to investigate where it leads.”
Ah. Right.
I’d completely forgotten about the portal.
“Duke.”
He stopped mid-step and looked at me as if asking why.
“Are you good at fighting?”
“I’m not incompetent.”
Whew. That’s a relief.
As I let out a breath of relief, he asked, puzzled, “Why do you ask?”
Why else?
Because we’re about to need it.
Before his question had even fully settled, a grotesque growl echoed from the portal.
“Grrr…”
A wyvern crawled out. Upon spotting us, it flicked its split, snake-like tongue as if savoring the sight.
Jerome drew his sword and stepped in front of me.
“Stay back.”
I quickly retreated.
Terrifying monsters were pouring out of that portal.
If I didn’t want to be eaten by a wyvern, I could only hope Jerome really was good at fighting.
If he wasn’t, he’d be eaten—and so would I.
Wait.
Jerome can’t die either, can he? In the game, if a capture target died, it was game over.
“Duke.”
“Yes?”
“Please don’t die.”
I grabbed the hem of his clothes with desperate sincerity.
“Absolutely not…”
If you die, all the progress I’ve made so far goes down the drain.
And I have no idea what happens after that. If I can replay, that’s one thing—but if the worst happens…
Whether he understood my desperation or not, Jerome stared silently at my hand clutching his clothes before speaking.
“…I won’t die to a mere wyvern.”
He gently removed my hand and immediately charged.
The wyvern opened its maw, jagged teeth bared, as if it had been waiting.
“Krraa!”
Jerome moved with swift precision, dodging the attack and slicing cleanly through the monster’s neck in one stroke. The cut was so precise that not a drop of blood splattered.
It was my first time truly witnessing Jerome fight. He finished it so quickly it barely qualified as a battle.
He approached me.
“Miss Amervia, are you alri—”
“Behind you!”
Another wyvern emerged from the portal. This time, two.
Without hesitation, Jerome launched himself at them.
Just before their claws tore through the air, his blade flashed across one’s neck.
He dispatched it instantly and turned to the remaining one.
“Skreee!”
As it roared and lunged, Jerome leapt onto its back and drove his sword straight into its vital point.
“Ha…”
Three wyverns—no, four now—lay defeated as Jerome drew a rough breath.
I wanted to applaud his combat skills, but my unease didn’t fade.
I fixed my gaze on the portal, dark energy swirling within.
Soon enough, another wyvern’s head poked out.
Not just one. Two. No—three. Five…
I knew it.
Did they schedule a wyvern social gathering here today? They just keep coming.
Rowell said it would take half a day to dispel the illusion magic.
Which meant Jerome and I had to endure this flood of monsters alone for half a day.
No matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t fight endlessly without rest.
In a situation like this, we had to conserve strength and hold out.
After scanning our surroundings, I looked at Jerome.
His expression had hardened. Thick veins stood out on the hand gripping his sword.
“Duke. Do you happen to have a flare?”
He glanced at me, as if wondering why I’d suddenly ask that.
“The flare you used to call the others.”
“I have it.”
I pointed to the stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling.
Jerome followed my gesture and immediately lit the flare.
Sparks trailed as it shot upward. The moment it struck the ceiling, it exploded with a deafening blast.
Boom!
The cave trembled. Sharp stalactites rained down upon the wyverns. As fragments pierced their bodies, they shrieked.
“Skreee!”
“Graaa!”
Dodging the falling rocks, Jerome and I retreated to the edge of the cave.
Between the crashing ceiling and the wyverns’ screams, my eardrums felt ready to burst.
Rumble!
When the dust finally settled, the screams had ceased.
A thick, metallic stench of blood filled the air. The wyverns lay crushed beneath heaps of stone.
They were all dead.
And the portal entrance was blocked by collapsed rubble.
We’re saved!
Wyverns eliminated, portal sealed. Two birds with one stone.
Honestly, I might be a tactical genius.
“Duke! It’s all over—”
At that moment, a wyvern burst from the center of the rubble, scattering stones.
“Skreee!”
It flapped violently, eyes blazing with rage.
Jerome steadied his sword.
It’s just one. He can handle it easily.
I relaxed slightly—when the wyvern suddenly staggered.
“Graah!”
Thud!
Its massive body slammed into the wall.
…Did it just die?
What kind of cliché is thi—
Crack.
An ominous sound split through the rock face.
Then, with a thunderous roar, the ceiling collapsed above us.
“!”
Why is the ceiling collapsing?! We’ll be crushed!
Just as panic seized me, Jerome grabbed my arm and twisted his body, throwing us into a narrow crevice in the cave wall.
Crash!
The spot where we’d stood moments ago caved in.
Barely escaping being crushed, I gasped for breath.
“Haa…”
How many times are we going to brush with death?
I looked around—though it was so dark I could barely see.
The problem was that the space we’d squeezed into was so tight it could barely fit two adults.
Even shifting positions was difficult.
In the pitch-black silence, all I could clearly feel was Jerome’s warmth and his hot breath against me.
This atmosphere is… strange.
I shifted awkwardly.
“Mm…”
A low groan escaped him.
Was he hurt when the cave collapsed?
I reached out into the darkness to check.
“Ar—are you okay?”
“…I am fine.”
For someone claiming to be fine, his breathing was rough.
“Haa…”
His breath trembled. His body felt hotter than normal—almost damp.
He doesn’t seem fine at all.
“Are you really sure you’re okay?”
The memory of Theodore being injured flashed through my mind. Growing worried, I felt around more carefully.
When my palm touched firm, heated muscle—
Jerome let out a strained sound and suddenly grabbed my wrist.
“Haa, Miss Amervia, that’s enough…”
