Adrenaline was flowing, she forgot about her pain, and stumbled backwards before rushing to her hiding place.
She did her best to move without leaving a trace, anticipating the pursuers, but whether she had succeeded was another matter.
“You came back earlier than I expected...”
“There is something nearby”
Kazan interrupted and Yasiris stepped into the cave.
She threw the collected fruits on the ground and pulled the leaves and vines to cover the entrance as much as possible.
“Stalkers, are we being hunted?”
“I'm not sure.
But whether it's a person or a monster, it won't be good for us.”
Yasiris responded softly to his tense voice, blocking the entrance so completely that the outside was almost completely obscured, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief.
It wasn't a perfect disguise.
But it should be enough to avoid a passing glance.
Having prepared the best she could, all that was left now was to rely on luck.
“In which direction was that?”
“That...was to the left of the entrance.”
“So, by the river?”
“No.
It was from the other side...”
Swish-!
Yasiris closed her mouth.
Fortunately, it looked like a small animal; The faint sound of leaves being trampled quickly faded.
Why did he even start talking?
Yusrais's heart sank as she looked displeasedly at Kazan, but he wasn't looking at her.
His red eyes narrowed, as if he was calculating something, as he scanned the entrance.
“Hing”
Kazan suppressed his pain, using his right hand to push himself upright.
If the pursuers had any senses, they would begin their search near the river, assuming he had been swept away by the current.
But if they come from the opposite direction...
Grrrr-!
It's likely to be a monster.
Maybe a monster picked up the scent of his blood and followed him here.
Kazan grabbed Yasiris's arm and pulled her back.
Although the roar of the mysterious beast was not directly outside the entrance, if he had followed the trail of blood, it was only a matter of time before he found them.
“Stay still”
His whispered command was barely audible, and Yasiris only nodded.
Although she wondered what Kazan could do without a weapon, she had no way of fending off a predator herself, so she could only hope that it would go unnoticed by her.
But as always, the world was not on Yasaris' side.
The roar got closer, and her body trembled uncontrollably in fear.
“Shhh...”
Kazan subconsciously soothed Yasiris by gently caressing her arm with his thumb, yet he never took his eyes off the entrance.
He heightened his senses, preparing for the moment the creature might appear.
This is getting annoying.
He frowned briefly before looking around the cave.
The royal treasure, his famous sword, was lost when they fell off the cliff, so there was nothing left to use as a weapon.
Even if he had a blade, it would be difficult to use it properly.
In his current state, even sitting upright made cold sweat run down his back.
The idea of holding a stance and swinging the sword was laughable.
But anything would be better than facing him with his bare hands.
swish-! swish-!
“Ah...”
Something was approaching, and Yasiris swallowed in fear.
Kazan, aware of every small change, assessed the situation with a cold expression.
Maybe it was a small mercy that he got her back somewhat last night.
Otherwise, they may be doomed.
His body responded with an obvious trade-off.
Although his shattered body had not miraculously healed, his fever had broken after he suffered a night of nightmares.
His senses had become more acute, and although the pain was less intense, it was still a small victory.
It was enough.
Enough to confront a monster, at least.
Grrr…
Push the creature's nose through the leaves.
Yasiris pressed her back against the wall, covered her mouth with both hands and held her breath.
Kazan extended his hand to a nearby rock.
It had a sharp, but somewhat pointed end.
As soon as he finished preparing, the huge monster tore down the plants covering the entrance and revealed himself.
Grrrr-!
Beowulf.
Half wolf, half bear.
He had the head of a wolf, but the body and instincts of a bear.
“Not bad”
“What could it be…?”
roar-!
Beowulf cut off Yasiris's words, and forced his body into the narrow cave.
Its open jaws swooped forward, ready to tear her apart, and Yasiris screamed, closing her eyes in horror.
Bang-!
The flesh met something sharp, and blood splattered.
At the same time, a groan came out from Kazan and the monster.
“Oh!”
Klang, Klang!
Kazan thrust his right arm deep into Beowulf's mouth up to his shoulder, forcing the rock up into the creature's palate.
When the monster retreated, Kazan let his arm fall, free now.
Blood flowed down his arm, which had been bitten in half.
“Your Majesty!”
“Not yet”
Kazan, who was carefully watching the mountain beast, saw a flash in its eyes.
As the creature took a few steps back, shaking its head and swallowing the blood that flowed into its mouth, Kazan was certain of victory.
But it wasn't because of the wound he caused.
Although it pierced his palate, it did not hit hard enough to cause any significant brain damage.
However…
Roar-!
While the angry Beowulf was attacking him, Kazan ordered him:
“Stop.”
Suddenly, the monster stopped.
Yasiris was the most shocked to see the wild creature stop before it could bite off Kazan's head.
The blood and saliva dripping from the monster's open mouth made her heart beat hard, but that wasn't the important part.
The wild beast, which attacked to kill, had obeyed Kazan's command.
It was an impossible event, but it just happened.
"how?"
Her blue eyes turned to Kazan, but unfortunately, he was too focused on managing the situation to satisfy her curiosity.
“Go away.
Get away from here as much as possible, and smear your blood everywhere.
Never come back here.”
Moan-!
Beowulf shook his head several times, struggling as if to resist, but then began to slowly back away.
He quickly turned his massive body and headed out, his red eyes fixed on the outside world.
It was as if he was loyally obeying Kazan's order.
“...phew”
Is it over?
It was only after the creature had completely disappeared that Kazan allowed himself to relax and check the condition of his right arm.
The outside of his forearm was torn and punctured with tooth marks, but the injury was within expected limits.
In fact, it was fortunate that it ended as lightly as it did.
It was fortunate that the monster had a tendency to bite first.
But then again, if luck had anything to do with it, Kazan had been lucky since he fell off that cliff.
Survival thanks to the river.
The rain that first night masked the smell of blood.
The fact that the unwanted guest arrived only after he was able to move again.
Being a type that he could handle even in his current state, how he defeated him exactly as he expected.
While he was leaning his back against the wall, thinking that he had exhausted all his luck for the rest of his life, I asked the calmer Yasiris a question.
“Is this also part of Tinilath’s hidden power?
Controlling monsters that have tasted your blood?”
It was a reasonable assumption.
She had received hints that the magic in Tinilath's blood could affect living beings.
“If at all possible, forget it.”
“Why didn't you keep him as a guard instead of sending him away?”
“The compulsion I put on it will wear off quickly.
If I can’t control it, I must let it go.”
This was the same reason why the effects of domestication were not widely known.
Unlike Mutual Pacts, controlling monsters has a short duration, requiring them to be constantly fed blood.
He wouldn't risk something like that, especially in his seriously injured state.
“...I understand.
Thanks to you, I survived.”
“Mmm”
That was all the response she received.
He extended his right arm, as if asking her to take care of him, and Yasiris sighed.
It was really unbearable until the end.
The way he seemed to protect her in times of danger was most likely an unconscious response, an ongoing attachment to the woman named Sari.
Refusing to rely on such warmth, she forced herself to get up from where she was sitting.
“I need to collect more herbs to stop the bleeding...”
But Yasiris did not take a single step.
More precisely, the moment she tried to move, the world turned upside down.
She didn't have time to process what was happening.
Her relief at being alive had relaxed to the point where the darkness quickly consumed her consciousness.
The last thing she felt was the sensation of her collapsing body being urgently pulled back before she passed out.
“Saaari!”
Kazan barely managed to catch her collapsed body, pulling her towards him and absorbing the shock with his body.
He stifled a groan as the pressure on his affected areas sent a sharp pain shooting into his head.
"the curse…!"
In his current state, taking care of Pisaris would be difficult.
Cursing under his breath, Kazan quickly checked her condition.
Her face was flushed with heat, and sweat stains were spreading on her skin.
It was neither the cold sweat resulting from fear, nor her reddened face from rush.
Fever, or perhaps a disease transmitted to her from the mountain.
Kazan clenched his teeth as he watched her trembling body, radiating heat while she shivered as if she were cold.
“fool”
The insult directed at oneself was filled with remorse.
He should have let her rest when she first mentioned feeling sick, but she seemed fine, and he even asked for water.
His dry throat prompted him to push her.
If Yaris had not come out.
If only she hadn't rushed back.
If she had not exhausted her strength caring for him, would things have been better?
Kazan dismissed the useless speculation and gently placed her on the ground.
Even that was not an easy task.
His right arm, which had been the only functional limb he had, was now even more injured, making every necessary movement an agony.
“Fuck”
The situation was really terrible.
Although frustrated, Kazan clears the cave.
His eyes landed on the pile of herbs that Yasiris had collected earlier, and he quickly identified the ones she had been chewing to relieve her fever.
I took one of these herbs before going out, but it seemed like one dose wasn't enough.
“Sa…Empress”
In moments of urgency, he kept slipping up and calling her Sari, an old habit.
Kazan realized this, and corrected himself as he used his thumb to open her mouth.
“Can you swallow this?”
Not surprisingly, there was no response.
Only the sound of her labored, frantic breathing filled the silence.