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Chapter 33

“I don’t know either.”

Of course, Celine had no intention of telling the truth.

“You don’t know…?”

“I picked it up.”

“…Did you steal it?”

A shadow immediately fell on Leonhard’s face.

This drug did not simply heal wounds. He could feel the strength building up all over his body, and even the scratches all over his body disappeared along with the wound on his legs. He had never heard of such a drug like this.

‘…If it’s Topin.’

If it was a drug in Topin, there was a good chance that it was a treasure of a high-ranking noble detained in Topin. If she stole this…

Celine sighed before opening her mouth.

“While looking for Leonhard, I found a torture chamber. A few of these were rolling around in the dust.”

“….!”

In an instant, an eerie conjecture flashed into Leonhard’s mind.

‘Is this drug used to torture the prisoner as much as possible…?’

He spat out a slightly bitter answer.

“You brought it well.”

Celine was a little more puzzled by his reaction than was calmer expected, though she was relieved because it was a good thing, anyway.

Leonhard spoke right away.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I think we will be able to finish the mission safely, so go back right away.”

“Leonhard!”

“Go back.”

“I said it. I think I’m going to die when I go back.”

Celine added proudly.

“Besides, without me, Leonhard would still be in trouble.”

“….”

Leonhardt pressed his forehead instead of answering her words.

‘Why am I…!’

The situation was clear.

Celine wanted to go with him. The companionship of a powerful wizard would naturally be of great help in his mission. However, Leonhard wanted to reject a choice that would benefit both sides.

‘If only there was one more sword that could be used… Celine could stay with Rashir.’

Laughter came out of nowhere. He had an absurd idea. How could he cut the boss monster of Agathirsus without Rashir? Obviously, the other party, Celine, wouldn’t want to stay inside a hideout made of Rashir.

A sense of crisis tensed Leonhard’s whole body.

All the thoughts that popped into his head were irrational, and the root of the problem was himself.

“What’s wrong with you…? You took the medicine, so you should be fine.”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.”

Leonhard answered in a hurry at Celine, who was examining his complexion right in front of him, astonished.

“Then, let’s get going. I’m going to stay up all night like this.”

“…Promise me one thing.”

Saying so, he stared straight into the blue-grey eyes that narrowed with suspicion.

“Listen to me first.”

“Don’t die.”

“That’s…”

“Even if I die, don’t die.”

“….!”

Celine protested immediately.

She would risk her life when he had to, as she had always done. Naturally, her death was always horrendous, and it tore Celine’s body and mind to pieces. Still, her body and her mind were eventually restored.

It was bound to have a different weight from Leonhard’s life, which cannot be returned once lost.

“That can’t be kept.”

“I thought you would say that.”

There was a sad look in Leonhard’s voice.

He could no longer convince her. If he had said one more word, it would seem that she would say something that could never be undone. Because of that, he shut his mouth and returned Rashir to its original form.

The monsters who were waiting for the barrier to disappear came attacking in droves, though they did not become a match for Leonhard, who drank the healing potion and healed all wounds.

Now, flames did not come out of Rashir.

As usual, he was just slaughtering monsters with the glowing blue blade. Leonhard focused only on his blue trajectory.

Celine seemed exhausted, and it was wise for her to stock up on power to face the boss monster. Fortunately, she followed his opinion.

After tens of minutes, they reached the front of a vast cave.

She stopped still and glanced at Leonhard, who looked inside the cave with a tense expression on his face.

“Maybe, is it here?”

“Yes.”

Leonhard nodded his head.

“You don’t have to go in. If you wait here…”

However, she did not listen to him to the end and moved her legs in stride before entering the cave.

There was the smell of water. Her whole body trembled, though she must have warmed herself and Leonhard with magic. A dense, heavy chill dominated the entire cave. Celine raised the warmth against them.

Suddenly, Leonhard grabbed her arm gently.

‘It is the boss monster…’

Celine immediately drew the magic power into her body.

Although she had not yet felt the peculiar characteristic of her boss monster and the evil energy, she trusted his judgment more than her own five senses.

“Hoo.”

Leonhard let out a whistling sound.

“You don’t have to use magic to warm me. It’s hard, isn’t it?”

“…Ah.”

“If the boss monster feels it, it will send a signal.”

Nodded her head, she still did not withdraw her magic that she used to warm Leonhard.

“Celine, take your magic.”

“It’s cold.”

“I’m from the North. It’s different from the capital people.”

Leonhard, who was actually feeling the cold, immediately bluff with whatever came to his mind first. Eventually, Celine withdrew her magic because she couldn’t afford to argue.

He had a satisfied expression.

“Trust in my magic.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe it. But, if you want to face the boss monster here…”

Leonhard suddenly stopped his speech. It was because he felt an intense cold under his feet that were incomparable to before.

“Get away!”

He pushed her away as though wrapping around her. At the same time, the whole cave vibrated as if it was about to collapse. Celine lifted her head as soon as possible and shrieked.

In the spot where they had stood a while ago, there was a crack the size of a man wide open.

An evil energy slowly leaked out of the crack.

“Stick to the wall.”

At his words, she leaned her back against the cold wall of the cave, trying to calm her beating heart. Meanwhile, Leonhard stood on the edge of the crack and did not move.

—Thud!

With a roar, the cracks began to grow bigger and bigger. He took a step backward slowly to keep pace with the growing crack.

‘….!’

Celine’s eyes widened.

From the bottom of the crack, something monumental and dark was growing.

The moment she found out what it was, her whole body began to tremble in astonishment. There were huge, dead-colored tree roots growing at a rapid rate. It carried an old man with a white beard up to his waist.

“…Ha.”

Leonhardt let out a groan and sigh.

He didn’t understand why no one knew about this until now.

Agathirsus was not a habitat for monsters that had been neglected for a hundred years. A place where for a hundred years, a warlock had developed his power without people even knowing his existence. He didn’t even know how strong the other person would be.

Before the old man ultimately revealed himself, he mumbled a word to protect Celine.

“Magic, never use it.”

“…Yes.”

Celine’s answer was small, but it was clear.

It was enough for Leonhard to regain his composure.

The roots placed the old man on the edge of the crack, then wriggled and vanished into the darkness. The old man, with his back straight, glared at them with blood-red eyes.

“Who has disturbed my sleep?”

Between the gaping mouths were full of sharp teeth resembling those of a monster, words continued to flow.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. I know at least the fact that you guys are in contact with each other.”

Leonhard answered in a voice like ice.

“Ah, little wolf.”

The old man laughed openly at him.

“There is no way I don’t know you. Didn’t you set foot here one day and run away?”

Leonhard did not fall for the provocation. It should be done after checking how strong the other person was. Fortunately, Celine, too, didn’t even move from her spot as if she had noticed his thoughts either.

He then spoke quietly.

“How did you hide that this is the warlock’s stronghold?”

The old man smiled.

“Manipulating humans is such a simple thing.”

“….!”

Her face contorted in astonishment. A warlock skilled in manipulating humans and manipulating dead tree roots at will…

Leonhard’s face hardened like a mask.

“…You controlled the person in charge at the time.”

The old man let out a creepy laugh.

Celine had heard exactly the same laughter in another voice. It was because Pable Dehaka laughed just like that before being killed by Leonhard.

A huge tidal wave of fear came crashing down. This person was different from the monsters, who did nothing but destruction and slaughter without reason or emotion.

Human malice…

Selfishness, as if nothing was important to him but himself, mixed with malice stiffened her whole body.

“Pabel Dehaka, did you control him?”

“I’m old, so I don’t know the name. The stubborn knight commander…? Ha! I showed him hell because he resisted me.”

“….”

In an instant, Leonhard’s face, who had been maintaining his straightness, cracked.

“What’s the matter? It was you who took his life, young wolf.”

Celine barely moved his hardened tongue.

“Leonhard, don’t listen to the person.”

“…Be still.”

The old man chuckled and laughed.

“A little wizard has rolled in here? Little wolf and little wizard… You are a good couple.”

Leonhard tried not to react. The other person should not notice his heart. However, it seemed to have touched the old man’s intuition because of such an attitude seeing that massive roots wrapped around Celine in an instant.

“Celine…!”

“If you want to save her, it would be better to be more polite. Young wolf.”

“….”

Leonhard stared at the old man. He did not budge the roots that covered Celine. He knew her well. She must be struggling to get out of there somehow.

She kept her word not to use magic.

“…I don’t care.”

“What?”

“I don’t care if she dies or not. She’s just a magician that the family forced on me.”

The old man let out another creepy laugh.

“If that is the case, we will see.”

Leonhard’s mouth burned. The man really intended to kill Celine. Nonetheless, his hand was still resting on Rashir’s hilt, who was sleeping peacefully inside the scabbard, and there was no sign of pulling it out.

Then, the roots moved.

He calculated the position. If it moved a little, he could cut off the roots before the old man touched Celine. Although the roots had moved to the other side… Towards the crack.

His hands were sweating.

The old man’s intention to drop Celine into the crack was immediately known.

But, what he had to do and what he wanted to do were in conflict with each other. The crack was deep enough to look like an abyss. It must be an underground space created by the erosion of monsters over hundred years.

Full of all kinds of evil…

The answer came right away.

Celine must be left alone. She was an undead being, so he could save her by killing the warlock first.

That was the fastest way.

Leonhard bit his lip until blood gushed out. The blood tasted like the blood of the innocents he had killed.

‘Should I sacrifice Celine, kill the old man…’

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