Chapter 30

May My Sword be Clothed with Power I (5)

Translated by Wook

Edited by Wook

“Kugh…!”

The moment I was thrown to the floor, my mind went blank from the pain that seemed to break my whole body.

Before I could even come to my senses, the snake-shaped beast crawled towards me and bit my body. I felt like my shoulder was breaking.

“Argh!”

“Captain!”

It hurt so much that I almost lost consciousness, but the pain brought me back to my senses.

‘Damn it, I was careless…!’

Neither the report of the inspection team nor the explanation of the elder mentioned anything about a large snake. I was completely at ease because of it.

It was my mistake.

The demonic beast tried to put my body in its mouth with a sssh and flicked its tongue. Its saliva dripped over my face.

“Helena!”

Leonard’s mournful cry was heard in the distance. I opened my eyes a little and saw Leonard’s silver hair galloping through the darkness.

“Brother…?”

Leonard was uncharacteristically angry.

I’ve never seen him so angry.

“I will kill you!”

Leonard shouted with a demon-like expression and thrust his sword into the side of the beast that was lodged in the ground.

— Kweeeeegh!!

At Leonard’s attack, the beast made a bizarre sound and twisted his whole body. My body, which had been bitten by the beast’s mouth, was thrown into the air again.

I was flung into the sky so many times today. Damn it.

“Lady!”

“Helena!”

Agoth and Caesar ran at the same time to catch my who was falling from the sky. Thanks to this, I avoided falling to the ground.

“My lady! Lady, come to your senses!”

“Auh… Damn it!”

Regardless of my identity as a princess, curses came out first.

“Helena, are you okay?”

I could hear Caesar’s urgent voice as he held me in his arms. I replied with a bitter smile.

“Do I look okay?”

“I’m sorry. It was a pointless question.”

Caesar said, frowning.

My shirt was already soaked in blood from my shoulder. I thought some of my ribs were also broken. I was in a bad shape even if I wanted to be pretentious.

But the degree of fracture was rather mild. There was something else that was really dangerous.

“Agoth.”

“Yes, my lady!”

“Find Captain Lot and tell him the monster’s saliva is poisonous.”

Wom.

[T/N: I’m actually not sure if it’s a name “Wom” or the insect “worm”. Because it’d be super weird to call a snake-like monsters “worm”, I just assumed it is a name and translated it as “Wom”]

A monster in the shape of a snake.

I had only seen it twice in my previous life, because there had not been many of them in the first place.

‘I didn’t expect it to show up at a time where all the monsters are going extinct!”

Damn it. Damn it. Shit.

Why am I sitting here suffering this pain after being reborn?

“I-I’ll be back soon!”

After Agoth answered in a near-crying voice, she ran toward the crew.

“That monster’s saliva is poisonous! Be careful not to touch it! Where is Captain Lot?!”

I don’t feel so good. Agoth’s shouting voice was getting farther and farther away.

‘I can’t see…’

My lips are dry.

It seemed like its saliva got into my eyes. My vision became blurry and began to narrow more and more. What a disaster.

“Over here! Get Helena to safety!”

Caesar’s voice came from a nearby place.

His arms were so uncomfortably warm, I thought that I would like to stay in his arms. It was so exhausting, hard, and painful.

But now was not the time for that.

“I don’t need it.”

I grabbed Caesar’s collar and stood up.

“Helena, no! You’re hurt—!”

“Yes, Captain! Leave this to us and stay back!”

Despite the disapproval of Caesar and the crew, I managed to stand on my two feet and try to locate the Wom.

However, in my already blurred vision, I could barely see the afterimage and shapes of those who were moving.

I gritted my teeth and said.

“The monster’s position.”

“What?”

“Its position!”

There was no answer or response to my angry cry.

They didn’t know that I couldn’t see well right now. But my impatience made me too lazy to explain it.

“The position of the monster! Where—!”

There was only one person.

There was someone who interpreted my inexplicable anger.

Someone gently hugged me from behind. He grabbed my right hand, overlapping my right hand holding the sword.

And raised my arm and aimed it into the air.

A huge silhouette twisted around the tip of the pointed sword.

“With Helena’s stride, it’s about twelve steps away.”

Caesar’s voice was sweetly heard in my ear.

It was not a thought that was not suitable for the scene of a battle where screams were exploding here and there, so I laughed without realizing it.

“Do you know my running stride?”

“I know everything about you.”

Right.

You are the only one who understands what I mean without saying it, Caesar.

“If I get thrown again, catch me.”

“I will follow your orders, Master.”

One would be at a disadvantage when dealing with poisonous beasts as time goes on. In this chaotic situation, it was a waste of time to explain how to attack the unfamiliar target.

Since I could still see a little bit, let’s get rid of it with one blow.

After taking a deep breath, I shouted with a force that shook the entire forest.

“Cover me!”

At the same time as the cry, I ran as fast as I could.

The crew paved the way for me.

They would defend me against the attacks of the beast. I had no choice but to believe them because I couldn’t see properly.

I could feel Caesar following behind me because of the tremor. There must be Agoth and Leonard somewhere as well.

So.

I will never lose.

“Uaaaaah!”

Twelve steps.

I leapt as hard as I could and pierced two swords under the beast’s jaw.

After that, relying on my weight, I cut the beast’s stomach as it was. The scales of the demonic beast that fell off stuck to my cheeks.

— Kwaaaaagh!

The beast swung its body like a whip. As a result, my body bounced back into the air like a piece of paper.

But well, that’s okay.

Caesar would take care of it.

‘Come to think of it, have I ever relied on people this much in my life?’

Funny enough, I was thrown into the air and such a sentimental thought flashed through me.

A person could betray at any time. I’ve always thought that relying on someone was a sign of weakness.

Oh, in that case.

Am I weak now?

Just before I collided with the floor, Caesar slipped hugging me. Sweeping his whole body to the floor so as not to hurt me.

“I got you…!”

Even after we stopped rolling, Caesar held me tight and wouldn’t let me go.

“Helena… I got you. It’s okay. I got you. I got you.”

He repeated the words several times.

The sound of his gasping breath and the pounding of his heart could be heard. Contrary to our surroundings, which had become chaotic, his embrace was calm enough.

Yeah, yeah, you got me.

In the distance, I heard the sound of the beast falling.

I put my head on Caesar’s chest and rested.

***

It was half a day later that I came to my senses.

I couldn’t see, so I didn’t know if it was day or night. I didn’t even know where I was.

Well, anyway.

I woke up.

“… and I have a sore throat.”

When I woke up from the bed, I murmured a rather undignified remark in a deep voice.

“It’s strange if you don’t have a sore throat.”

“Hiiiy.”

I thought no one was there, but I heard a voice answering right next to me. I got goosebumps on the back of my neck.

“Who are you?”

“Who do you think it is?”

“Ah… Go ahead.”

“Right now, it’s just the two of us.”

“Is that so?”

Caesar said in my careful respectful remark. If it’s just the two of us, there’s no need to be polite.

Well, even if I wanted to be polite, there were limits to lying in bed.

“Can you help me up?”

Caesar sighed briefly at my suggestion, and rose from his seat.

It was a strangely angry atmosphere, but I was confused because the touch that wrapped around my shoulder was soft and careful.

“Oh dear… Everywhere hurts.”

My whole body hurt so much that I could barely manage to sit up.

“You broke two ribs, broke you shoulder blade and cracked your humerus. It’s normal to be sick.”

Caesar explained in a rather sharp voice. What, why are you angry?

“How much can you see ahead?”

“You knew that?”

“Didn’t you ask for the monster’s position because you couldn’t see it?”

“It’s just… just the form.”

There was no need to lie to Caesar, so I confessed frankly.

Caesar took a deep breath and sat down on the bed. The bed leaned slightly toward him, creaking.

Caesar’s long fingers messed with the tangled hair on my cheeks.

“The doctor said your eyes would slowly recover in about a week.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

“I have decided to postpone my return to the capital for a while. The crew will leave alone, and I’ll stay here.”

“What about my brother?”

“I persuaded him to go back to school once you wake up.”

“Really? Haa,thank you. I was worried that my brother would insist on not going.”

I said with a light sigh. I could still see Leonard’s demon-like face when I had gotten hurt. 

In fact, I hadn’t been worried about being blind.

Because I had already known that Wom was not very toxic. Although that didn’t mean I hadn’t felt any discomfort or anxiety at all.

“Anyway, until my eyes are healed, I will feel uncomfortable for a while.”

“Don’t worry. I will assist you so that you do not feel uncomfortable.”

“Paha! Is the crown prince going to take care of the princess? People will laugh.”

I purposely let out a light laugh, but Caesar didn’t respond.

I couldn’t see the other person’s expression, so the silence was very annoying.

In the end, I grabbed the hem of Caesar’s sleeve, raising the white flag.

“… Hey, can you say something, Caesar? I don’t mind anything.”

“Helena.”

“Yes?”

“You should have let me go then.”

Then, when?

You mean when killing Wom?

I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

“I was the only one who knew Wom’s vital point. Besides, the crown prince must not be hurt.”

“Why are you doing everything by yourself, making decisions on your own, and dealing with everything yourself?”

“Uh, that’s…”

Well, I had never thought about it.

It’s just that I had been living like that. I had lived my life for thirty years, believing only myself. I was strong.

“Have you ever thought about how desperate I, or if not, Leonard or Agoth, would be if you were hurt or something had gone wrong?”

“It is not uncommon to get hurt in battle.”

“But for me, you getting hurt is very different from others getting hurt.”

Caesar’s voice trembled softly. But then he sighed in a hoarse voice.

“Ha… Sorry. Actually, I’m not mad at you. It’s all my fault.”

“What are you talking about? No, it’s not your fault. I don’t think so.”

“No, it’s my fault.”

Caesar rested his forehead on my shoulder.

“Even though I was obviously by your side, I couldn’t protect you.”

“I am not dead yet.”

“What the hell did I learn the sword for?”

“What? Why are you saying something weak like that? Caesar is a strong man. A person who is going to become an emperor shouldn’t say such weak words.”

“Helena. The reason I want to be emperor is because you told me to be emperor.”

Caesar lifted his head and looked at me. I couldn’t see his expression though.

Still, the wet voice touched me even more clearly because I couldn’t see it.

“I can give everything for you. So please use me, Helena. Don’t try to handle it all by yourself.”

His pleas robbed me of my words.

What do you mean don’t handle it alone? I’ve been doing well on my own so far. I got whatever result I wanted.

I’ve always been right, I should have been right, and I’ve never made a wrong choice.

Why do you keep telling me to depend on others?

Why do you keep whispering to me that it’s okay to be weak?

“Are you saying that the princess can do whatever she wants to the crown prince who will become emperor?”

“Yes. That man is yours.”

“Why are you doing this to me?”

I realized later that the end of my voice was a little shaky.

Caesar’s large, warm hand gently stroked my hair.

“Because I like you.”

What? You like me?

“I love Helena Peresca enough to give my life.”

It’s a pity that… I can’t see ahead.

It was such a pity that I couldn’t see what kind of expression he had now and what kind of eyes he had beyond that calm and gentle voice.

‘I see. The life of Dante Renatus is no longer here.’

Here, the only thing he loved was the life of Helena Peresca. Finally, the me from the past and the me now were separated with a thin line.

A life that Dante Renatus did not choose.

I could have been loved by someone… With a life like that, I wouldn’t have been lonely.

“I’ve told you so many times, Helena. I like you, I like you. When the hell will you notice?”

Caesar blamed me in a self-deprecating tone.

The reason I was not surprised right now might be because I was vaguely aware of it.

I knew that his embrace was calm, that his touch holding me was warm, and that his gaze at me was sweet.

“… That’s strange.”

A disciple who loved his master.

A master who adored his disciple.

Such an immoral relationship, I had never heard of it.

“Mm. Then you can forget what I said just now.”

He said so, but Caesar’s voice sounded lonely.

An emptiness, as if a part of my inner self had been ripped apart, engulfed my whole mind.

‘Why do I feel like crying?’

If I could see his face, I would have cried right now.

Thinking so, I buried my head in his shoulder.