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87 Chapter

With my mana wrapped around my feet, I ran at full speed, and it was fast for my arrival.

The nauseating aura of monsters spreading in all directions, along with the repulsive energy of dark magic. I pressed on, struggling to suppress the twisting sensation in my stomach.

As I got closer to my destination, the surroundings were desolate. Trees that had withered as if facing a sudden drought. Grass marked with scorch marks. Broken rocks. A bizarre, unidentified slime plastered everywhere. Snakes fleeing between the shattered stones.

The ground was deeply hollowed as if a gigantic snake had crawled through.

“Damn.”

Knowing the original story, I could predict what kind of monster would appear, but seeing the traces of that monster with my own eyes was unsettling.

My heart raced with tension, while my survival instincts buzzed with excitement. I channeled more mana.

Kieeeek!

The chilling screams grew closer. It was a sound that felt like it could tear my eardrums apart. Rainer, who was slightly grimacing while touching his ears, suddenly fixed his gaze on one spot, his eyes widening.

“Kashmir, this is…!”

“Yes. It’s the body of a snake.”

What started to come into view at the narrowing path was a smooth, elongated body, overlaying that of two robust adult men. Its ash-colored body emanated an overwhelming magical scent, quivering incessantly and extending endlessly.

We ran even faster, using that body as a landmark.

Kyaaaak!

Holding my breath against the unique stench of decaying monster bodies, I found myself in what felt like an open clearing, despite being deep in the forest with trees all around. The ground shook violently, and after a cloud of dust had passed, we faced what lay ahead.

Kieeeek…

It was a long body that could easily be estimated at around 80 meters. The fangs visible between its open mouth dripped with deadly venom. Its vertically elongated, hair-raising pupils were colored a terrifying red.

The master of fear that wilts trees with its breath, shatters rocks, and incinerates grass, was known as Harabana, a calamity among monsters comparable to dragons.

“That is… a basilisk.”

The King of Snakes, the Basilisk.

Suddenly.

Hearing my words, Rainer flinched and enveloped me in an embrace. As I tried to draw my sword, completely confused, I looked at him with a questioning expression.

“What… what are you doing?”

“If you make eye contact with the Basilisk, you’ll be petrified!”

He blocked my view with his chest and gripped the back of my head tightly. I found it hard to breathe, being pressed against Rainer’s chest, so I nudged him slightly.

‘So it was because of that ridiculous rumor.’

Among thousands of various monsters, there are five that are referred to as calamities. While one of them, Harabana, has very little publicly known information, the other, the Basilisk, is riddled with completely unfounded rumors.

‘I have only fought a Basilisk once…

Just that one encounter was enough to reveal how ludicrous the tales that circulated among people were.

‘So cute in a panic.’

I tried to stifle a laugh as I watched Rainer fidgeting anxiously. The rumor that you turn to stone when looking into a Basilisk’s eyes was so well-known that his reaction was understandable.

Thinking of Rainer, who had embraced me in desperate attempts to keep me safe, made me want to burst out laughing, but I held back and maintained a serious expression.

“Looking into a Basilisk’s eyes doesn’t petrify you. That’s just a rumor. The real danger lies in its breath. The Basilisk’s breath is tainted with deadly poison.”

“Is that… really true?”

“Of course. If mere eye contact petrified you, I would have turned to stone ages ago.”

After I spoke seriously, Rainer released me from his grasp. A quick glance at the back of his neck revealed that it was quite flushed. I nearly laughed again but held back, hiding behind a tree with all its leaves fallen as I observed the situation.

Kieeeek!

The Basilisk shrieked again, sending shivers down my spine. My ears felt numb. It appeared that the battle had only just begun, as neither the Basilisk nor the people seemed worn out. The Basilisk looked mostly intact except for a few superficial wounds.

“Scaly worm won’t stop flapping its jaws…

A grumpy mutter from a man who bore a remarkably calm expression in front of the calamity, he raised his sword.

With his short, chestnut hair fluttering in the wind, his eyes reflected the glimmering light from the sharpened blade. They flashed a dangerous fluorescent green.

Swish.

With large, strong hands, his sword cut through the air. The fierce, fluorescent green aura flew through the air and struck the Basilisk’s body.

Kyaaaak!

The Basilisk shrieked once more. The aura of the sword expert was still a little shaky, unable to inflict a fatal wound through the Basilisk’s thick flesh, but it was sufficient to draw blood.

‘As expected.’

Just as I thought, one of the two people in this space was Alexandros’ target, Leo.

‘He’s the target.’

Even though there were two of them present, the Basilisk inexplicably targeted only Leo. Leo, struggling to fend off the relentless attacks, seemed completely unaware that Rainer and I were nearby.

‘And that person… is someone I never imagined would be here.’

I swallowed as I looked at the figure next to Leo. This was a different part of the original story.

“Why is this monster attacking only his Majesty?”

“How the hell should I know?!”

Leo’s cold expression aimed at the target was somewhat unfamiliar. The person debating with Leo was none other than the second prince, Serenon Solatine.

‘So Serenon seems to know that Leo is the king.’

Given that he was the second prince, it was strange not to know. Watching Serenon address Leo with his respectful title as “your Majesty,” it was easy to recognize that Leo was one of the rulers of the land.

“Prince, don’t just stand around! Keep that reptilian creature in check!”

“How am I supposed to do that!? I feel like I’m suffocating to death! It’s hard enough just standing still!”

“Damn it… what have you been doing all this time without developing poison resistance?!”

“Your Majesty is a Sword Expert, but I’m nothing!”

Serenon and Leo were bickering while desperately dodging the Basilisk’s attacks. With the Basilisk’s breath laced with poison, it was clear that Serenon, having a much lower combat level, struggled merely to breathe.

‘I have to evacuate Serenon first.’

It was highly likely that Serenon would be in danger simply by being exposed to poison.

‘And… I still don’t want Serenon to know that I’m Mir.’

Unlike Rainer and Leo, Serenon was unaware that I was Mir.

In a situation where I wasn’t even sure what kind of person Serenon was, I didn’t want to expose my aura.

“Your Majesty! Please evade!”

As Serenon gasped, pale with fear, the Basilisk’s jaws were closing in on Leo, who was surrounded by the fierce, fluorescent aura.

“Rainer!”

“Yes!”

Just by calling his name, Rainer quickly understood what I wanted to say and drew his sword, crowned with golden aura.

Whoosh!

Kieeeek!

The crescent-shaped golden aura sliced through the air, hitting the Basilisk’s eyes. The Basilisk, its eyes tightly shut in pain, let out a tortured wail. Leo, in a vulnerable position, and Serenon, who was stark white with fear, simultaneously shifted their gazes toward Rainer and me.

“…Sir Einhart? Princess of Crisis?”

TTTT-

Both had expressions of utter shock. Unlike Serenon, whose eyes widened alternately between Rainer and me, Leo’s gaze was fixated solely on me.

“There’s no time for explanations!”

Gripping the hilt of my sword tightly, I gestured to them.

“Come this way!”

“□□ x”

“Hurry! Run over here!”

At my stern shout, Leo and Serenon, though confused, released their mana and sprinted with all their might. When the Basilisk was momentarily disoriented by pain, the four of us hid among the trees on the edge of the clearing.

“How on earth did you end up here…”

“There’s no time for that!”

I shouted sharply, interrupting Serenon who looked bewildered, casting a piercing glance at both of them. Startled, Leo and Serenon adopted obedient listening postures.

“Listen closely. I’m about to present one path.”

“There are no alternatives. You have no right to refuse. Do as I say, or we all die.”

‘Here, there’s no one stronger than me, and no one who understands the Basilisk better than I do.’

I had lived a life exposed to such situations. In fact, I was far more familiar with this than sipping tea while dressed elegantly like nobility.

With my intimidating declaration, Rainer and Leo nodded solemnly.

“How can the princess be so confident?”

However, Serenon, who knew nothing, glanced between Rainer and Leo, who nodded easily, with a complicated expression.

‘He must see me as a regular princess, so he cannot comprehend why I am speaking with such confidence.’

He understood, but there was no time for an explanation. I narrowed my gaze, infused with pressure, focusing intently on Serenon.

“I won’t mince words. I have a way to save everyone…”

I briefly hesitated to spit out the most familiar word to me. Memories of the previous night’s conversation flashed through my mind.

I took a sideways glance at the reliable man standing beside me. Rainer, with his always righteous golden eyes, was entirely focused on me.

Taking a gentle breath, I slowly continued.

“…a way to save everyone, the safest one.”

Instead of the word “best,” I decided to use the word “safe.” After all, there was someone wishing for my safety at my side.

I caught the faint smile that appeared at the corner of Rainer’s mouth as I turned my gaze to Serenon. Upon meeting my somber eyes, he recoiled slightly. Serenon’s eyes, exposed to the Basilisk’s breath, were starting to take on a dark hue.

“I’m sorry, but Your Highness, if you won’t follow, I will have to compel you.”

Time was running out. Serenon’s breath grew rougher, and the seemingly petrified Basilisk was ferociously searching for us.

‘Serenon can’t be allowed to die.’

If the Basilisk finds us, the first to die will be Serenon. Unlike Rainer, Leo, and me, who had poison resistance due to our combat experience, he already looked strained just from being exposed to the poison.

‘No matter what kind of person he is, I won’t let him die in front of my eyes.’

I couldn’t bear to see anyone die right before me. That was all there was to it. Once we escape this place, I vowed to accept any punishment that awaited me, forcefully speaking to Serenon.

I gazed straight into the foggy, blue eyes that were clouded like a misty sky. His eyes, slightly dazed from the poison, wandered in the air before finally locking onto me.

‘……Ah.’

I read the confusion nestled deep within his eyes. Serenon’s body trembled noticeably, almost surprisingly.

Unlike me, who had grown up in a forest teeming with monsters, he was a member of royalty born and raised in the most privileged environments. There was no way he would be accustomed to this situation. Though he appeared calm outwardly, it was clear he was confused and terrified inside.

“Your Highness.”

I murmured softly, grasping Serenon’s shoulder. His shoulder flinched. I looked directly into his tumultuous, dark eyes that resembled a swirling, cloudy sky.

“Not today. Today, no one will die. I will make sure of it. So please, follow my lead.”

Not today. At least, no one would die in front of my eyes.

 

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