ă€ŠTyrannousă€‹


 01: Flame, Ripper of Darkness

    [Tyrannous; The first book: the dawn of darkness; Introduction]

    <hr><hr>

    It was dark everywhere. Blackness covers the whole space and gives the color of destruction to everything. Silence covered every imaginable direction and no sound could be heard except for the drop of a drop that occasionally broke the curtain of silence.

    In the meantime, the dim flame split the dense layers of darkness and appeared like a spark.

    Along with the spread of the entwined flame and the dancing embers, the footsteps of several people echoed. Gradually, the sound of footsteps rose so high that the faces of those hiding behind the darkness behind the burning torch were visible; The four shadows they had were walking in a cold and rocky corridor.

    One of them, who in addition to his hammer and armor, had an iron helmet with small vents, said with a voice deep in his metal: "I hope today goes well, one of us is finally reaching the rank of Damask."

    His voice echoed in the corridor but had no effect on the movement of his companions.

    The boy holding the torch, a sheathed sword strapped to his waist and leading the hilt, said with a short sigh, "Yeah... hey Lenus, today we''re all going to give a hoot to those highbrows!" He laughed a little.

    At the rear of the lozenge formed by these four and moving according to it, a boy in purple clothes and a tall peaked hat walked with a wooden staff with a twist on the top, looking at a plaque around his neck.

    The only robed girl in the group, who had a special and golden cane, happily slapped the boy on her left and asked: "Tell me something, Lenus, you''re not healthy enough to go to the place of the Damask!"

    The teenage boy was thinking that the girl''s body brought him out of his dream, he looked at the priest''s daughter with a flowery face.

    "What can I say, Selena?" In this one year that I was a member of your group, I was able to improve a lot. I owe my success to you."

    The swordsman looked back and sarcastically said: "Whatever happened was the result of your efforts, I hope you will be successful wherever you go..." He looked forward again.

    "What do you mean, Kevin?" Lenus asked hurriedly. Who said that I am going to leave this group?"

    "Come on boy, you are a genius wizard now. Besides you, who has been able to reach the level of Damask at the age of 15? "Adventure with us platinum plates will prevent you from promotion".

    Selena nodded in agreement with Kevin''s words.

    "Kevin is right, you shouldn''t adventure with us and limit yourself. Even though you have just entered the Damask category, you can still join better and higher categories. We will reach you soon too!

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    "I''m not so cowardly as to let my friend go when I''ve made progress," cried Lenus, more fiercely and furiously, as he clenched his wand. I will never leave you".

    "But"...

    "I made my decision. You are the ones who let me into your group when no one would accept me, saved my life many times, and gave me your share of the mission wages when I needed it. I can''t separate from you and leave you alone".

    "But Lenus, what about your mother and sister?" the armored boy asked from under his helmet. You must"...

    "I''ve got enough money to send them, Robert," Lenus interrupted. "I recently found a part-time job, so I can send more money to my mother and sister and keep some for myself."

    Lenus Hibbert was the 15-year-old son of a wizard who sent most of his earnings to his mother and sister. They lived in a city far from him and he came to this city to earn more money; Because the requests and missions found in these areas were more than other areas for some reason.

    Lenus came to this city more than a year ago and joined this group by chance. From then on, they went through many missions together, and because Lenus had more capacity than the others, he miraculously leveled up faster.

    Kevin, who was trying to check the way with a torch, said with satisfaction: "I''m glad to hear that from you, Lenus, our work will be very difficult without a wizard. However, if you want to go, go ahead and don''t look back."

    After the last words of the pack leader, Kevin, everyone fell silent, including Lenus.

    When the group made their way in the darkness and silence, the image of the dancing flames fell on the stones of the wall and their parade was finally displayed in glory.

    After a while, Selena broke the lock of silence with a little annoyance and growl.

    ˇ°Did we really have to come this way? "I never had a good feeling about narrow, dark tunnels."

    Kevin put a hand on his sword and answered: "We didn''t have to, but we saved almost half a day by going through this tunnel."

    "Besides, our mission is to attract the attention of the orcs after we enter, that way, we can get in easily," Lenus continued Kevin''s speech.

    Selena, who was convinced, didn''t say anything, but she was happy that they had passed through the tunnel without any problems so far.

    The most likely nests of goblins, orcs and other monsters were in dark and abandoned places such as tunnels, caves and ruined tombs. The party had the ability to fight such monsters, but even so, even the strongest could barely survive surprise attacks in such tight spaces.

    After a few minutes of walking and passing a few turns and rocky outcrops, Robert stopped and said to Kevin, "I can feel the open air, turn off the torch as we go." Even though Kevin was in charge, he trusted Robert completely.

    After walking about 10 meters, the party stopped at Kevin''s command. After extinguishing the torch, he slowly and carefully placed his hand on the wall in the dark and moved. After a while his search finally came to fruition, he pulled out his sword and stuck it into the wall.

    After pulling the sword out of the wall, moonlight shone through the hole. At this time, Lenus, Selena, and Robert, like Kevin, noticed that a part of the wall in front of them was covered by ivy, moss, and some intertwined plants.

    "As if they were telling the truth."

    Kevin slowly and silently widened the hole and checked the outside to make sure no one noticed them. After reassurance, Selena used her wand to widen the hole enough to pass through.

    Before passing, Selena took out a bag from under her robe and gave Robert, Lenus, and Kevin three more robes, similar to her own.

    "Cover yourself well with these."

    After fully wearing the robes, they all passed through the ivy and moss, but no one was seen when they left.

    Everyone had become invisible.

 02: Attack to Attack

    All 4 members of the party, namely Kevin the Swordsman, Robert the Paladin, Selena the Priestess and Lenus the Wizard silently and without being seen passed through the moss and ivy respectively and exited the secret tunnel.

    Those robes that they wrapped around themselves moments ago were woven from special magical fibers that made the wearer invisible, but still did not hide their presence completely. The monsters were able to track them, not easily, but by sniffing.

    At Kevin''s behest, the rest of the members moved behind him down the stone corridor and up the stairs until they could get a good view of the sky. The night sky was starless and the white moon in the fence of clouds was darker than the night, but nevertheless it shone a little.

    After that, the gazes of four pairs of eyes focused on the scene in front of them; On the right side, the rocks stretched far into the distance, and on the left side, there was a tall, sooty stone wall that was partially covered by various rock formations. Apparently, the ends of both met and they surrounded a wide stone area in the middle, with a few dilapidated buildings missing from its front and wide-open front.

    Of course, a large number of sleeping and sometimes awake monsters should also be added to these interpretations. They were either lying on the ramparts and in other places of the area, or they were standing guard; However, they were clearly avoiding a particular spot in the middle of the cliff.

    After taking a comfortable position in the shadow of the wall, Kevin pulled out a map and spread it under the moonlight for all to see.

    "Our goal is the gate and we have two paths to reach it; The first is to climb the wall and reach the gate that way, the second is to walk along the wall slowly and continuously until we reach the gate."

    As he was showing the route on the map with his hand, although he was invisible, he described the plan slowly and cautiously so as not to alert the watchful ears.

    Robert leaned his sledgehammer lightly against the wall and after a quick glance around said, "I think we should move along the side of the castle wall. Orcs are not smart, but they realized that they should wait for their enemy''s attack from the walls, not in the inner enclosure. Apparently, there are more of them above the wall."

    Kevin looked at Selena to hear her offer as well.

    "I agree with Robert. Although the orcs are in the area, we can use the shadow of the walls and stay away from the moonlight to reach the gate."

    Lenus, the last member of the pack, was the last person Kevin looked at. He looked around with mistrust and concern. He was not trembling, but it was clear that a little fear had entered his heart.

    Although Kevin repeatedly said ''Hey Lenus, what do you think?'' and ''Lenus, what''s up?'' He talked to him with the intention of attracting his attention, but it was as if Lenus was in another world. Finally, Selena woke him up by waving a wand in front of his eyes.

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    "... Oh, s-sorry, I wasn''t paying attention. I-I also say let''s go through the wall... but what if we get exposed? Then we have to fight with the orcs in the area and be attacked from above."

    Kevin nodded and said, "Assuming it''s leaked, we have Selena''s Sun God Shield, and I''m relieved of the orcs on top of the wall. "Plus, your fireballs can hold them back until we open the gate." And after a short pause, he removed the map and got up, then continued: "Robert and I will count the bottoms and move forward until we reach the gate, then everything will be over."

    Selena firmly held her cane, which had a golden solar motif engraved on its blade, and prayed: "O Belnus, the Great One, O God of the Sun and Light, by your light and grace, save us in this dark night from the sting of our enemies, Amen." At this time, Kevin, Robert and Lenus respectfully listened to Selena''s divine call and wished the same purpose in their hearts.

    After getting the right guard to navigate the path leading to the gate, they all started to move in a single line in the dark shadow of the wall. They walked slowly and cautiously, dressed in their invisibility cloaks.

    On the way, they passed a few sleeping orcs, but except for Lenus, none of them found a peaceful slip. Of course, thanks to Selena who managed Lenus, nothing happened, otherwise the plan would have been seriously disturbed. In the same way, they traveled a long distance until they reached the gate.

    There was nothing to reach the goal, maybe 20 meters. But suddenly the wall shook; It was a quiet vibration, but everyone noticed it without exception. In the meantime, the strong reaction of Lenus, who was terrified from the beginning, ruined everything.

    Although Selena and Robert tried to grab him, Lenus backed away from the wall until the moonlight shone on him and he fell to the ground.

    He pointed to the wall shakily and said, "H-He... H-He''s getting up"!

    When he said this, a big jolt from the stone wall caused Kevin, Robert, and Selena to look back at the same time. A part of the wall was detached and was coming out of the ground. No, it was not a wall. The stones that were moving formed a moving creature that resembled a human being; A golem!

    Golems are often gigantic monsters that are made of elements such as earth, wood, or stone and act according to what they were programmed for. They were called monsters, but these creatures - unlike other monsters - were made by human hands, especially the great magicians who once saw the human world under their control and allowed any interference in it.

    This limitless abuse and manipulation became the end of their lives and after a huge historical battle, with all those destructive and foundational actions, they were lost among the old and abandoned pages of the history of mankind. Of them, in addition to these stone golems - whose number was limited and few - only one name was left at the moment.

    All of this information immediately flowed into the minds of Kevin and the other members. With the tales and stories, they had heard of the brutality and unique abilities of the golems, the mere name of those creatures made them shudder, let alone face them.

    Even though they were all going according to the plan and with detailed planning, none of them expected and prepared to face the stone golem here.

    The giant golem completely separated from the floor and wall, rearing up and standing in front of the four teenage adventurers who were pinned in place; His stone-cold eyes flashed with the glow of millennia-old magic, and then he raised his hand to destroy his intruders.

 03: Unforeseen Battle

    Before the giant golem''s fist hit the ground, the gang fled the danger zone with Kevin''s warning shout. When the stones stuck together fell to the ground, they were not harmed, but Selena''s leg, which had been hard to escape, was injured.

    With the sound of Selena moaning and the sound of her cane hitting the ground, everyone''s attention turned to her; She was lying on the ground and his hand was on his leg wound. As soon as Kevin knew about this, he ran towards her and did not let the shards from the golem''s next punch hit him.

    "Why did you stand up?! Stop it"!

    A scream from Kevin, who had lost his robe and was resisting the stone golem''s fist with his bare sword, brought Robert and Lenus out of shock.

    First, Robert hurriedly swung his sledgehammer to hit the golem''s leg, but the golem''s several-thousand-year-old alertness and quick and smart defense prevented his impromptu plan from being implemented. Then Lenus, seeing Selena and Kevin in danger and having somewhat composed himself, pointed his wand at the golem to try his luck.

    At the same time as the word was read, the air around Lenus condensed at one point and instantly took the form of a ball of fire. Immediately after the end of Lenus'' short speech, a fiery bullet was fired and flew until it reached the golem, but disappeared at the same moment of impact.

    Seeing this scene, everyone, especially Lenus, was surprised, no harm had been done to the golem.

    "I-Impossible!"

    Kevin slammed his sword into the golem''s hand, deflecting it for a chance to speak.

    "Lenus, Robert, both of you come to us!"

    Robert, after pushing the golem back in turn, ran towards him and Selena, and Lenus, passing between the golem''s legs, reached them in the form of an invisible being. While panting like Kevin and Robert, he turned to Selena and asked, "Are you okay?! Can you heal yourself?"

    The girl''s messy golden hair that fell out of the hood made her look confused and sweat was dripping down her head and face.

    "I''m fine... a small wound. I will heal it now."

    She placed his hand, which was emitting from that green light, on the lower part of his ankle and breathed slowly. The designs and gold and silver embroideries that decorated his priestly clothes in the form of strips, momentarily drew Lenus''s eyes to her; The ones that were more or less on his own robe.

    Kevin wiped his face with a sweaty hand and looked at Lenus, he asked, "Why didn''t your magic work at that moment?! Is there a problem"?

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    Lenus glanced at the golem that was rising from the ground.

    "I''m surprised myself...but now that I think about it, I read somewhere that some golems are resistant to magic".

    "My sword is not enough for him, does that mean magic doesn''t work? Damn this luck..."

    "Looks like our bad luck doesn''t end there, Kevin," Robert gestured to Kevin. Then all three looked around them; All the orcs, both on the ramparts and in the courtyard, were standing with maces and spears and looking at them. None of them took a step forward and just watched the battle.

    "It''s like they''re afraid of Golem and want to kill us later..."

    Kevin put a small smile on the corner of his lips and said, "Right Robert, if we can defeat the golem of course."

    Lenus and the others looked at the golem that was now up and running towards the group, feeling the ground shake from the force of the golem''s attack, they stood motionless. Golem reached them and landed his fist on their heads.

    Just when everyone thought it was over, the dust from the fist cleared away, revealing a golden layer that covered the fist.

    Beneath that arch of light, Selena raised her glowing staff, guarding her hilt. The determined look of him and the others showed their new determination.

    Kevin, who was in front of the group, put down the tip of his sword.

    "It''s good to have you Selena, is your wound healed"?

    "My wound is healed. But move quickly because this shield will not last long despite the golem''s blows."

    "Got it, don''t worry."

    Kevin called Robert and Lenus closer. "Now what''s the plan?" Lenus asked when everyone gathered around. This was a question that could be seen in the eyes of Robert and Selena.

    Kevin glanced at the stone golem frantically pounding on the holy shield and then looked around. The positioning of the orcs made him realize something he had understood a while ago. A light flashed in his eyes; It was as if a thought had sparked in his mind.

    "We know that we will not be the opponent of Golem alone, and even if we take it from the front, the orc is waiting for us, as big as a castle."

    They all nodded and waited for him to continue speaking.

    "But I realized that the orcs avoid that part of the mountain that has steps in front of it. I guess we will be safe there, but before that we have to destroy the gate somehow so that the association squad can come into action".

    Kevin pointed at the mountain; Right in the middle of the stretch of rocks, there were steps in front of him that led to a higher level. Although the moon, despite the clouds, illuminated the earth to some extent, but a certain darkness prevented it from recognizing what was up there in the rocks.

    As it was obvious that she was under pressure, Selena asked: "Now how do we pass this stone giant and reach the gate"?!

    "I''m sure Master Simon and the rest of the light of your shield will see and understand that we are in trouble. If we get to the goal and do even a little damage to it, they can somehow get in".

    Kevin looked at Lenus and continued, ˇ°Lenus, Robert and I will entertain the golem until you and Selena get to the gate. Fortunately, the invisibility cloak you have comes in handy. Go as far as you can and then break the gate with the scroll that Mark gave you.

    Then, he turned to Selena again and said, "You also support him so that the orcs don''t stop him. When you are done, go straight to the place I told you".

    Selena nodded, and Lenus confirmed Kevin''s words by looking at the scroll in his leather bag. Kevin turned and looked at the golem at the same time as Robert, who was no longer hitting out of frustration; Maybe he understood that the shield will be removed soon.

    The party was divided into two groups; One was Kevin and Robert, who were ready to face the golem, and the second was Lenus and Selena, who were supposed to pass through the orcs and destroy the gate.

    "Now Selena!" Kevin yelled, his weapon firmly in hand and at the ready just like Robert.

    With Kevin''s signal, Selena canceled the Sun God''s protective shield and moved with Lenus to bypass the golem. Kevin and Robert also rushed towards the golem with the shield removed.

 04: Divine Bell

    With Kevin''s shout, they all started to move; Robert and Kevin to the golem and Lenus and Selena in their invisibility cloaks to the gate.

    Kevin''s confrontation with the golem was started by a punch from the stone giant, and Kevin defended himself by using the blade of the sword and deflecting the punch. The next move was Robert''s sledgehammer, which swung in the air and caused Robert''s arm to spin, intending to destroy the golem''s left leg. Immediately after the impact, the golem was pushed back and a thin crack appeared on its thick and stone leg. Golem fell on his knees but held himself up with his hand so that he wouldn''t fall to the ground.

    Seizing the opportunity, Lenus and Selena sidestepped the golem before it slowly but briskly got up to face several packs of orcs. To be sure, they took a glimpse of their robes and headgear and went towards the orcs.

    When the sound of Kevin''s sword hitting the golem''s hands and the special resonance that Robert made with his hammer reached Selena''s ears, it made her heart calm and strong; Although they were in a dangerous situation, their trust and belief in each other strengthened their hearts and their morale increased.

    Lenus gestured to Selena to caution and advised that they should take the path where there were less orcs. Both of them hit the blackness of the night and passed through the orcs, while they were far from the bloodshot eyes and ugly faces of the orc warriors who were watching the scene of the battle.

    After a little navigation, they reached near the gate, but the guards stationed there were more than Lenus and Selena expected. With this situation, they looked at each other. It was there that Selena suddenly noticed Lenus'' fearful state.

    The boy wizard was trembling; Not only at that time, but all the time, he was trembling and the shadow of fear and death fell on him. From the beginning of this mission, a sense beyond his mind and body was conveying a message to him; The same warning messages that said death will overtake you soon.

    Lenus did not deny and reject his vague feelings irrationally, like many others, and was always far-sighted and cautious; Therefore, he showed himself against accepting this duty. Although Lenus needed the money for this mission more than all of them, he was not willing to take such a big risk. Nevertheless, he finally joined the party, but without being blinded by power and wealth like others.

    Selena, who was now holding Lenus''s hands tightly, was not very willing to participate in this dangerous mission, but the competition with her sister, Aisa, forced her to do so.

    In a few seconds, Selena made a plan in her mind and conveyed it to Lenus with a gesture. Lenus concentrated his attention more than before and prepared; Selena was supposed to attract the orcs'' attention with the divine bell so that Lenus could destroy the gate.

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    To this end, Selena distanced herself from the gate and Lenus until they were 15 meters apart, then she suddenly took her golden staff in both hands and immediately after her robe fell to the ground, she muttered under her breath: "O Great Belenus, With your heavenly call and your all-pervading voice, deafen and blind these faithless foreigners!"

    When the invocation was finished, a crack was created in the sky and a large golden bell came out along with a series of white and golden lights and went down until it was near the surface of the earth, that is, right above the orcs'' heads. Then a piece of light with a divine aura embedded in the bell began to move and hit the walls around it. The huge and terrible waves of a terrible sound began to spread in the area and made all the orcs to cover their ears and start to cry at the intensity of the suffocating sound on the ground.

    All the creatures present in the castle area were affected by the sound waves except humans, which included Selena, Lenus, Kevin and Robert. However, this did not put enough pressure on the giant golem to knock him down.

    Seizing the opportunity, Lenus quickly pulled out a magic scroll from his bag and scratched his thumb with his teeth, then opened the scroll and rubbed a bloody finger against the magic sheet as the scroll hovered in the air. After that, he immediately threw it towards the goal.

    As his gaze followed the flying scroll, he saw an orc who, despite the deafening noise coming at him, had a spear in his hand and pointed it at the scroll. Before Lenus could react, the orc dropped his spear off balance. The spear split the air with a howl, but only hit one corner of the scroll, causing it to veer off course.

    Lenus, who was horrified, aimed his staff at the orc who was standing on top of the wall, but when he wanted to shoot his fireball, the wall next to the gate that the orc was standing on exploded; The scroll, which was supposed to destroy the gate, had changed its direction and destroyed the wall next to it.

    When the dust caused by the explosion gradually disappeared, a wall was revealed, most of which had collapsed, and a hole the size of a person had been created between it and the gate, which could collapse further at any moment.

    Having been knocked down by the blast wave, Lenus stood up, took off his sorcerer''s broad hat and looked at the ruined wall. The mission was not completed victoriously, but it was not completely defeated either. If that bad luck had not happened, maybe the best possible result would have happened now.

    Without hesitation, as he finished his brief analysis of the situation, he ran towards Selena, taking out the barricade orcs on the way with his fireballs. When he reached Selena, they fought back to back and both of them were protected by the Sun God''s shield.

    "What should we do now? The gate was not completely destroyed and the orcs surrounded us."

    ˇ°Like Kevin said we should get closer to the rocks,ˇ± Lenus answered still panting. Don''t worry about the orcs either, we can get rid of them with a few muddy swamps, the problem is their spearmen."

    While the two of them were talking, the orcs were frantically hitting the light shield and putting more sweat on Selena''s tender and white face.

    Lenus, who was relieved of his task of destroying the gate, breathed in and out and said with enthusiasm that had overcome his fear for the time being: "Let''s go, you protect my back and I will destroy the orcs."

 05: Reattach

    "Kevin, watch out!"

    With Robert''s shout, Kevin noticed a stone fist coming straight at him from the golem. Right when it collided, he cleverly placed the sword between himself and the fist and deflected the fist by rubbing the blade of the sword with the extension of the golem''s hand. Finally, with a high jump from the stone hand of the golem, he reached Robert.

    Both Robert and Kevin were drenched in sweat and panting. Meanwhile, Robert''s hat had fallen off his head and his hair, which was as black as Kevin''s, was shaking with his rapid inhales and exhales. Both of them were in a state of dirt, and due to their bruises and weakness, they no longer had the stamina to face Golem, who had not seen much damage.

    "It''s like... even the divine bell doesn''t affect the method..."

    Robert, who had put his sledgehammer on the ground and was leaning on it, breathlessly answered: "Finally, there is such a strong opponent that the leader of the orcs has not yet come out because of him..."

    At the same time, both of them were watching the golem - who was pulling his hand out of the ground - they were also watching the movements of the orcs that surrounded them; They fell on the ground under the sound of the divine bell and their ears hurt.

    Gradually, the brightness of the divine bell in the sky became less and less, and its pervasive and deafening sound became quieter and quieter. Observing the situation, Kevin looked towards the gate, around which dust had risen and a golden aura was shining in it.

    "It''s time to go to the mountain. Probably, Lenus and Selena will succeed."

    "Yeah, that''s right," Kevin nodded. I hope nothing happened to them."

    After that, both of them took an attack stance and rushed towards the golem; Kevin with his scratched sword and Robert with a sledgehammer.

    First, Kevin fell in with Golem. His sword collided with the golem''s newly freed hand and stopped his attack. Then Robert, trying to get behind the golem, swung his mallet in the air and hit the back of the golem''s knee. Kevin pulled himself out of the golem''s grip and withdrew from the fight before this blow threw the golem''s balance and he fell to the ground.

    With the fall of the golem, a storm-like dust rose into the air, Kevin and Robert, seizing the opportunity, quickly ran away from the golem and split the darkness towards the rocks; Although they were on their way, a group of ugly orcs blocked their way. Robert wanted to swing his sledgehammer but Kevin stopped him.

    "Hold on, I''ll make them myself!"

    After his lips stopped moving, he took an aggressive stance and tightened his hand on the hilt of the sword, ready to pull it out. His veins were prominent on the skin; Slowly and quietly, he let out a sigh, and while a line of light flashed deep in his eyes, he whispered, "Double-Edged Sword Technique; Long cuts!"

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    Immediately after, before the orcs could even blink, two high-speed blades moved between them, slicing off their hands and feet and occasionally their heads. As the dismembered heads and bodies of about 30 orcs were left on the ground, Kevin''s sword was sheathed. Seeing this scene, the few remaining orcs also ran away.

    "Looks like your technique is better than before, hmm!" Robert said to Kevin in surprise after Kevin regained his composure and his glare faded.

    "Hah... That''s right, Master Simon taught me and I practiced all the methods. It has a good yield, but it takes a lot of breath from me."

    "Wow... but wouldn''t it be better if you kept it until we need it?"

    Kevin sighed in relief and replied, "Don''t worry, the situation is probably safe..." and after a short pause, seeing the distant view behind Robert, he continued, "Come on, Lenus and Selena are coming too. What a ruckus they made!"

    A little further away, sparks and fiery embers lit up the darkness of the night. The sound of the wild orcs and their terrible steps, as well as the sound of the wooden clubs clashing with the luminous shields hanging in the air, created a wild and noisy scene in the middle of the dust; The raging and bloody campaign arena, the remarkable point of which was that it had only two heroes.

    On the other hand, Lenus created wide swamps so that the orcs would be trapped on the ground, and he created fireballs with his magic wand and hit the orcs; Selena, on the other hand, controlled several shields of light with a golden scepter pointed at her sun statue, blocking the arrows, maces, and spears that came at them.

    The two ran close together, cutting through the disorganized orc ranks until they reached the other members of their pack. "We were able to reach the gate, but only the wall next to it was destroyed," Lenus said as soon as he confronted Kevin. I guess Commander Simon''s squad can enter."

    "Okay, don''t be tired!"

    Kevin, who was relieved to destroy the gate, looked at Selena''s tired and sweaty face with a little concern.

    "How are you, Selena?! You are more tired than the previous missions. Don''t you... because you''re hurt?"

    With this word, Lenus and Robert''s eyes widened with surprise and a little worry and turned to Selena. Selena didn''t reveal anything, she gave a watery smile and said, "We have to go now, they''re coming!" and pushed everyone forward. The others, including Kevin, knew that they had to move quickly, but they did not forget Selena''s limp movement.

    The group, now together again, moved at full speed towards the high cliffs of the mountain, the few orcs that were on the way were also removed by Robert with his sledgehammer. Following them, the orcs, who had just realized where the goal of the infiltration party was, ran more madly than before, but each time they were captured by one of the swamps created by Lenus.

    After 30 meters of fast travel, Kevin and the rest of the group finally found themselves in front of the stairs leading up, the height was such that it was impossible to tell what was going on up there. But something beyond their minds was telling them that they would definitely not be waiting for a rocky dead end.

    Before taking the first step up the stairs, Kevin looked back to see the orcs screeching and not advancing in a marked line.

    "I don''t know what''s on their mind, but apparently they can''t say it any further, fortunately..."

    Robert, Selena and Lenus sighed and followed their team leader to the first step; Then the second step, the third step and...

 06: Door and Dilemma

    The melodious sound of the steps that were taken from the stone pieces of the staircase echoed in the silence and darkness of the night. However, upon hearing this symphony, whose instruments were 4 different pairs of shoes, the huge wall that stood in front of them and had many depressions and ridges, did not allow a bit of fear and trembling.

    Slowly, the sound of their footsteps came closer to the platform at the top of the stairs; A place that was still in darkness despite the moonlight.

    The first person to appear where the stairs ended had black hair; The shining light of his black eyes and the stillness of his facial features indicated the existence of leadership and leadership talent in his nature, and the sheathed sword on his waist showed his swordsmanship. The name written on his platinum plate in magic script was Kevin.

    After him, first the end of a slightly raised sledgehammer was visible, followed by an armored youth, covered in iron and steel and armor, who was slightly taller than Kevin. His relatively long black hair reached the irises of his eyes and his hidden muscles behind the strong plates of iron and steel were at least bigger than the others. Robert''s face was mixed with fatigue and sweat.

    Before the next person, a stunning statue of a golden sun carved on a golden scepter was revealed. Then, a teenage girl with golden hair and dressed in the special dress of the priests of the Sun God Temple was seen, limping a little and occasionally frowning on her narrow bow-like eyebrow; However, she was trying to take on her usual Selena look and not cause her friends to worry.

    The last person walking up the stairs had a long peaked hat like a witch, his wand-like head was gradually twisting, and his look showed a clear mixture of passion, fear and fatigue. The corner of Lenus''s shirt, which decorated most of its fibers with a purple spectrum, had a small tear caused by the impact of the half-dead orc''s spear.

    When they all passed the last step, they stopped and looked at the horrible sight that stopped them. Although they were close, the unusual darkness prevented them from seeing the scene in front of them.

    Kevin pointed to Lenus and asked him to brighten the space a little with his magic. The only wizard in the party quickly raised his wand towards the opposite rocks and muttered, "Orb of light!"

    Then an orb of light formed above Lenus'' staff and the artificial light created by the magic began to expand and push back the darkness.

    Now that the darkness was gone, they found a rather large door with strange, weathered patterns in front of them. It was in two folds and on each part, there was a relief of half of the head of a fantastic monster. The unknown monster had two tusk-like teeth that acted as handles, and its jaw and ears were symmetrically unbalanced, its spiraling horns extending almost to the top of the door. In the light, dusty carvings were revealed that were almost the color of copper.

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    The instincts of all party members told of a great danger behind this door, but strangely for everyone except Lenus, it disappeared in a split second.

    The first person who opened his mouth after seeing this strange and terrible sight was Lenus.

    "Well, I think you all agree that we should wait until the others arrive. Isn''t it?!"

    His question did not receive an answer. Kevin, Robert, and Selena were staring at the door, whose appearance spoke of its longevity.

    "Hey, guys!"

    With the fluctuations that Lenus threw on the stagnant minds and bodies of his party members, they came out of their temporary trance. Almost everyone had the same reaction; They are shocked and as if they have just come out of a long sleep.

    "Really, what''s wrong with you guys, I was scared!"

    "I don''t know, I was so focused for a moment that I lost my control. Don''t worry."

    After Selena and Robert confirmed Kevin''s words with their expressions, Lenus sighed but immediately faced Robert''s shocking words.

    "We should stand here but..."

    "But?"

    Immediately, Lenus turned to him.

    "You know what I''m saying Lenus, I guess we should go through this door and go inside."

    "What are you saying?! Shall we go inside? Do you see the appearance of this door and gate at all? He is shouting, whoever comes, you have interfered!"

    Lenus was clearly angry, but the others showed no sign of feeling the same way.

    Kevin put a hand on Lenus'' shoulder and said while trying to calm him down, "Calm down Lenus, calm down."

    "Are you saying you agree with him, Kevin?"

    "No, no, but well... think about it, Lenus. If we wait for the rest of the adventurers, do you think we''ll get anything? Even with Simon the swordsman and Aisa the healer? You are right, even though its appearance is scary, it shows that it is full of coins and magical objects inside.

    "So you agree, Kevin?" Lenus shouted now with more intensity mixed with surprise and bewilderment. Then he laughed nervously and continued: "Hey, it''s impossible!" Where did your caution and considerations go, Kevin?

    Selena intervened and got between Lenus and Kevin.

    "Hey hey, take it easy. I''m with both of you..."

    As Selena soothed Lenus with her hand, a great, albeit brief, tremor shook the ground beneath their feet. By chance, they all noticed it and looked at its source, which was at the bottom of the stairs.

    That stone golem that had been detached from part of the castle wall was now placed in place of the wall that had been brought down by Lenus''s scroll, covering the holes and holes well. Of course, the members of the party saw this incident after the dust rose into the air.

    Robert gulped and said, "I think now there''s one more reason to enter this entrance." He was the first to go for ivory handles.

    "Hey, what are you doing?"

    Ignoring Lenus'' question, Kevin joined Robert to open the door. Lenus quickly tried to stop them from opening the door, but he was repelled in the same hurry as he was.

    "Don''t you understand Lenus?! Those damn orcs were waiting for the destroyed wall to be repaired. They are afraid that someone will attack them from outside. Now they have no reason to wait."

    Lenus, who was somewhat stuck, looked at the bottom of the stairs; The orcs were running towards them wildly.

    Kevin muttered: "Damn, I didn''t even think of that!"

 07: The Entrance To The Predicament

    While Robert and Kevin were trying to open the door, Selena was leaning against the wall and biting her lip in pain. Lenus was also staring at the bottom of the stairs with wide eyes.

    As far as he remembers, they had been stuck in many predicaments; From being imprisoned in the goblin prison of Sizou Mountain to being trapped by the ogres of Mugan Forest. However, none of them had confused him like this. Ever since he left the tunnel, he felt different; It was as if he was walking on a predetermined path as if fate was pulling his strings, as if he had become a chess piece that moved according to someone else''s will.

    While he was still struggling in the sea of ??his thoughts, Kevin''s voice woke him up from behind him.

    ˇ°What are you doing Lenus? Why are you standing?! come help Let them come now!"

    Lenus turned to look at Kevin and Robert who were struggling to open the door but couldn''t even budge it. He went to them with a little hesitation. From his appearance, it was clear that he was now forced to enter a place where he had the duty of keeping others away from it. As Robert pulled the left ivory and Kevin the right ivory, Lenus stepped forward and pulled the ivory handles towards him with both hands.

    Although no one expected it, the door that Robert and Kevin failed to open, Lenus opened with only one movement. Lenus, along with Kevin and Robert, who were surprised by his extraordinary and sudden strength, could now see inside; A dark and silent corridor was revealed to them as the door opened.

    Robert, who was staring at the corridor in front of him like the others, said: "Lenus, we are alone, but you have found a great force, son." If we get out of this predicament alive, you have to tell me later how you did such a thing!"

    "This is not the time for these words. Lenus, help us move Selena!ˇ±

    With Kevin''s command, Lenus took Selena by the shoulder, Kevin himself helped Selena from the other side, and Robert opened the door more to make the way easier; Then all three crossed the threshold of the door.

    Meanwhile, the sound of footsteps and the roar of angry orcs was getting closer and closer every moment. While they were relieved that the castle was impenetrable, each of them ran frantically and somewhat panicked towards the open door.

    As the party passed through the door and gradually disappeared into its darkness, the orcs could see the luminous ball of Lenus moving further and further away. At the same time, Robert and Lenus were trying to close the door and prevent the orcs from entering.

    When the door was closed, a terrible sound arose from it; A sound similar to the welcome of predatory monsters. Hearing the sound of the door, the late-arriving orcs stood silently in front of the door and kept a distance of 2 meters from the door, none of them dared to look at the door.

    The faces that were contorted with anger not long ago were now devoid of any emotion; Not anger, not regret, not happiness, not excitement, but fear...

    ***

    In the middle of the absolute darkness, a green glow shone with intensity and weakness. The air was cold and heavy, and the breath was trapped in the chest.

    Four shadows could be seen around that green glow.

    Selena''s hands were shaking and drops of sweat were running down her forehead, her appearance was confused and she was performing healing magic on her leg wound while sitting on the stone floor.

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    Lenus, who was a little worried about Selena''s situation, asked Kevin, whose eyes were obviously worried: "Didn''t Selena''s wound heal last time? Why is he bleeding again?"

    "Chronic wound," said Robert, standing guard at the last ring of the party.

    "What?"

    After sighing, Kevin opened his mouth, ˇ°So you got it too, Robert. "Selena has a chronic wound, her wounds are hard to heal even with healing magic."

    Robert whispered so that everyone could understand, "I''m sorry, I went on an internship 3 months ago, hehe!"

    Lenus looked at Selena with more concern now.

    "When did this happen? "You were in a good mood during the cleaning of Ballerno."

    Selena, as if she was using the remnants of her breath, removed her eyes from her wound, looked kindly at Lenus and said with a trembling smile: "I don''t know exactly... but I''m sure it was after the Sizo incident. Don''t worry, it will be fine."

    "It''s going to be fine, it''s going to be fine!" Kevin shouted aggressively. Why do you act like nothing happened? Do you know what would happen if you saw a more severe wound? Do I need to say that none of us know healing magic or not?"

    "Hey! Calm down, Kevin, now that I''m fine... this wound will heal in a few minutes, I applied the ointment that Aisa gave me... Is it possible that the sister of the best healer in the Gargil area could die so easily?"

    After seeing the severity of Selena''s injury, Lenus took courage and said, "No, the healer''s sister Aisa can''t happen to her with a wound." Then he smiled to make the atmosphere better.

    By the time the conversation was over, and after that, all three party boys were cautiously following their surroundings. Although nothing could be seen in that ink-like darkness, all of them, having powerful and sharp senses, recognized the slightest movement in this silent environment.

    "It''s not like that, it''s like I have to work on my phone''s instant output," Lenus looked down at his hand and said plaintively.

    Hearing Lenus'' words, Robert came closer to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Since he had lost his hat, the emotions on his face could be seen better.

    ˇ°Yeah. If you do it better, you can keep the rays on for a longer time."

    "Hmm? Oh! Robert. That''s right... Honestly, I''m sorry that I''m not strong enough to hold such simple magic for a long time.ˇ±

    Robert put down his sledgehammer and, putting his arm around his neck, sat down cordially next to Lenus.

    "No no! I didn''t mean that. You are reaching the rank of Damask, which is a great achievement for a mage; Especially since you didn''t study in an academy or something like that. However, this is also a weakness."

    Contrary to popular tradition, Lenus did not study magic professionally. He had never taken a formal course in magic and had no valid degree; Therefore, he was not familiar with the subtleties of magic and sorcery. However, according to the law that was formulated and implemented several years ago, he could register as a wizard in the association without any qualifications or experience.

    "Yeah... If my mother wasn''t sick, I wouldn''t have to work and I would be studying in one of the academies safely, maybe my witchcraft situation would be better than it is now. " Damask rank is also because our teamwork is good and we perform the missions perfectly."

    Robert sighed and spat at Lenus: "Stop being so humble!" You killed the most monsters among us, and that''s what made your rank rise, what does it have to do with teamwork?!"

    "Your mistake is right here. I did not complete the missions alone. When we act as a group, you and Kevin form the front line and slow down the monsters'' attack, Selena, in turn, heals our wounds and fatigue and plays the role of protector. It is me that direct attack is not done and I can easily target and destroy the monsters.

    "... you are right. However, if we didn''t have a mage like you, the monsters would put us under a lot of pressure. At all, the presence of a witch will repel some monsters automatically."

    Lenus wanted to continue their conversation, but with the completion of the healing process and Selena getting up, he gave up and decided to mingle with Robert later.

    Kevin grabbed Selena''s arm and helped her stand up. Then, when the magic light was no longer healing, Kevin made a torch using the fabric from Selena''s rag that he had previously put the robes in, and a piece of wood that Lenus created with his magic, whose flame was created by Lenus.

    When they were all ready to move on, Kevin moved in front of everyone, placing Selena closest to him. Robert was moving to the sides and in front with his senses surrounded, and Lenus was watching behind. Then they started walking and continued down the stairs.

 08: Purple Hall

    4 young adventurers were looking at the sides of the stairs which could hardly be seen by the light of the torch while they were going down the stone and leopard staircase. The carvings and images carved on the stone chest of the staircase had fascinated them.

    "It''s been a long time since this staircase was built, I''ve never seen carvings like this before," Kevin said so that everyone could hear.

    "Uhm, but it looks a bit like the paintings in the central cathedral hall."

    Among the people, Robert was the only one who had a history of attending the Central Church; Even Selena, who was a priestess, had not set foot there yet.

    Still not feeling good about exploring this strange cave, Lenus said with a slight tremor in his voice, "I think there''s still time to go back, why didn''t we stay behind the door anyway?!" He, who was behind the others, concentrated his attention more so that they would not face a surprise attack from behind. After a short pause again without having a specific audience, he asked: "With all the dirt and dust that is here, has no one ever explored this cave?"

    Robert looked back and answered very seriously, "Do you think there was anything for those orcs to break down a door?" The further away we are from them, the less dangerous they are."

    Kevin turned back like Robert and explained even more seriously than Robert: ˇ°Dragon Legacy Castle has been under the possession of various monsters for years, if humans hadn''t taken back all the way to Playson Valley, we wouldn''t even be here now. It is a blessing that this cave has remained intact."

    Lenus was surprised and somewhat scared.

    "Wh-why are you talking like that?!"

    Selena, who didn''t say anything until now, couldn''t stop laughing anymore.

    "Heh heh heh~ How simple Lenus is! They are beating you!"

    Lenus frowned, sighed and waved his wand slightly to calm down and focus.

    "Safe from you... When do you want to become a human?"

    ˇ°Are you really scared Lenus? Tonight you are very scared, you are afraid of a handful of scribbles; It''s not like you''re the one who pulled us out of all the goblins in the previous mission and saved us."

    "Your worries are misplaced, Lenus. You were not like this. For now, this cave is safer than outside."

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    After hearing Robert and Kevin''s words mixed with humor and reality, Lenus let out a pitiful sigh and whispered softly, "What''s wrong with you?"

    The conversation ended and no sound was heard for a few moments except for the sound of uneven footsteps. Nevertheless, the flame of the hand torch was still burning.

    Lenus was restless, he was consumed by confusion and worry. To him, these people weren''t strangers, but there was no longer the usual cautious Kevin and sober Robert and self-conscious Selena. A slight feeling told him that his companions were empty dummies being led by someone else.

    However, they kept walking. He had no other choice. If he was separated from them, what would happen to him in this silent and blind and dark and endless cave? He was more afraid of being alone than he was afraid of the sudden attack of monsters in this small space or even of the mysterious events of the past few hours.

    "I think we went down as much as the steps outside the cave that we came up from."

    Selena was the one who broke the lock of silence this time.

    After a while, Robert, whose powerful senses were activated, cautiously said, "There is an open space ahead."

    They all slowed down as Kevin was at the front of the pack. This simple warning of Robert had been the savior of their party many times and they knew the consequences of not paying attention to it and ignoring it.

    After traveling a long way, the party of young adventurers finally left the narrow and suffocating space of the stairs.

    As Kevin passed the last step, the torch''s magical flame went out. When the darkness took over the space again, the adventurers shivered for a moment.

    "Wh-Why did it happen like this?"

    Despite Lenus'' sudden fear, Kevin took another step; As he entered the unknown space, the crimson flames one by one along the long hall tore through the heart of darkness and advanced until he reached the end of the long hall. Now the paved path in front of Kevin''s feet was lit up and extended.

    As the dark space was illuminated, behind the red flames, tall columns were identified, whose heads showed the ceiling of the hall. The sides of the hall were still dark behind the obscurity.

    In order, Kevin, Selena, Robert, and finally Lenus entered the hall, but they had not gone a few steps when suddenly a stone tablet came out from the ground and stood in front of them.

    A little excited, Robert asked in surprise, "What else is this?"

    Kevin examined the tablet and the text written on it. After a careful look and scrutiny, he sighed and shook his head.

    "I can''t read it at all..."

    After him, Robert and Selena looked at the text, but they didn''t find anything either. Lenus also started to study the text and while doing so, he scratched his head a little. He did not notice the writings either.

    He said: "These were written in an ancient language that is very rare and old. You can''t read them..." But when his eyes fell on a word that was highlighted in red, a light flashed deep in his eyes. "But I can read this! Written by Hall ... Purple Hall.

    Kevin put his hand on Lenus'' shoulder and said with a smile: "You didn''t say you know the ancient lines too Lenus!"

    "It was an accident. I don''t know where I saw it, but I''m sure that''s what it means."

    Robert looked around for danger; Although the darkness of the sides was too thick to understand what was hidden in them. He said: "His name suits him, now that we can''t understand anything about him, let''s move." "It doesn''t seem like there''s any danger," he said as he looked around.

 09: Barrier

    The paladin of the party said as he looked around, "His name fits him, now that we can''t figure anything out, let''s move. As if there is no danger."

    They all passed through the marked path in the middle of the hall and passed the stone tablet, but the tablet was still there and did not move. Selena, Kevin and Robert looked at the hall''s huge and mysterious space in amazement. Lenus also had his magic wand firmly attached to him.

    As it got closer, it became clear that the red flames were coming from crystals that were in torches attached to the pillars. Unlike the normal flame of a torch, they did not waver.

    "Who would have thought it would be such a dingy place after those dark, narrow stairs?!" Kevin said for all to hear. Meanwhile, he was touching a pillar. "It seems that there are the same carvings on these columns as in the staircase."

    As they walked, Robert glanced at the pillars and what Kevin had pointed out.

    "Um, but unlike the previous ones, these are not at all like what I saw in the church. These paintings are more professional and complex."

    The sound of Selena''s golden scepter echoed in the hall from time to time.

    "Instead of looking at the scribbles on the pillars, you''d better look for something more useful, you architects!"

    "You''re funny too, Selena, but you''re right," Kevin said jokingly, furrowing his brows. "Hey Robert, did you find anything?"

    Robert, who was moving on the left side, unlike Kevin, signaled his failure to look for any sign of a treasure or valuable object.

    "There has been nothing so far, but maybe there will be news in the future."

    As they were walking the length of the hall, suddenly a faint sound from the darkness caught Lenus'' attention. He turned and looked into the darkness. As he stared a little longer, his suspicions grew with a melodious metallic sound.

    ˇ°H-Hey guys! There is something here!"

    As the leader of the party, Kevin felt obliged to act quickly in these situations. He quickly turned back and stood next to Lenus while Robert and Selena were also focused on him; He then looked straight to where Lenus was pointing, but since he turned, the darkness was engulfed in silence and emptiness.

    "There is nothing here... Poof! It''s like you''ve become delusional, Lenus."

    "Strange that this always happens to you, Lenus," Robert snorted as Kevin returned to his seat.

    While he still didn''t come to his senses and was looking into the darkness as he walked forward, he asked in an aimless whisper, "What''s my fault?!"

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    After walking down the cobbled path in the middle of the hall, he finally saw the group where the hall ended. After the last column, there was a wall decorated with a large altar. The elevation of the altar in three different layers had winding and long patterns that extended from the point of impact to the ground level.

    Right in front of the altar, there was a circular platform with steps, which was approximately the same width as the altar. Around it, there were six stone stands, inside each of which there was a special carved stone that looked like a statue. This platform and altar was illuminated by a large lamp on the ceiling with a faint red light.

    When the party came upon this scene, nothing but surprise was visible on their faces; Even Lenus was lost in the beauty and glory of the image in front of him. None of them had ever come across anything like this.

    Kevin, whose hands were loose and hanging like Robert''s jaw, expressed his surprise: "W-What is this?! Didn''t we come intruding into the tomb of a famous dead?!"

    Still staring at the altar, Robert replied to Kevin, "The evidence says the same, but it still doesn''t measure up to the grandeur of the cathedral."

    When he said this, the entire hall shook and caused everyone to fall to the ground.

    Getting up from the floor, Selena giggled and said, "It looks like it hit him."

    Although he lost control for a moment, Lenus quickly gathered himself up after falling to the ground and said with a shaky laugh, ˇ°Well, we''d better stay here and not go any further. The guild squad must have destroyed the orcs by now..."

    Robert sighed and said in a rather sharp tone, "Enough Lenus!" Unhealthy, we are adventurers, it is our job to hit the heart of danger. So, now that we have skinned the cow and reached the bottom, let''s let a bunch of scavengers eat our share?"

    Lenus did not hold back this time and spoke firmly.

    "We are adventurous, but we must also be thoughtful. Thousands of times we have all experienced that with thoughtlessness and unreasonable pride, we put not only ourselves but also others in the mouth of death. Robert, do you realize that we are now in a place that has not been touched by man for at least centuries? We should not kill ourselves for the sake of four more coins or the fame of discovering such a place."

    "You, who are at ease, will go to the polladis'' plate tonight and climb the stairs like this, but what about us? I asked Vanessa, Kevin and Selena and I must complete at least 20 more missions to become like you! Why should we hold ourselves back when we can climb 20 stairs overnight?"

    Lenus, who had just realized the matter, yelled more strongly: "Say that! Your problem is with my rank! I didn''t think you were so jealous, Robert. Poof! At all, assuming that you dig and explore this strange forum, how do you know that you will be like me, as you say? Huh?!"

    Kevin and Selena tried to stop the argument, but Robert gritted his teeth and said, "I''ll show you now!" He went to the platform, but as soon as he was about to step on the first step, he hit an invisible glass fence and fell back.

    Kevin and Selena, who had walked over to him, were startled by Robert falling back.

    Even though he was surprised by the existence of the fence, Lenus said to Robert: "This is the result!"

    Robert glared at Lenus but Kevin put a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear: "Calm down boy, I know you want to be strong and so do we, but our lives are more valuable. I don''t agree with Lenos'' extreme caution either, but we should be more balanced."

    After Robert sighed and stood up with Kevin''s help, Selena walked over to the fence and gently held out her hand to him. Selena''s hand moved forward until it hit a shaky but powerful layer and stopped.

    "It doesn''t seem like one of those fences that can harm a person by touching them, but with all this experience in making magic fences, I am sure that this fence is not something that can be broken."

    "If it can''t be defeated, how can we get past it?" Kevin asked in surprise.

    "We''ve got to neutralize it," Selena thought, hand to her chin as Lenus said.

 10: Siege

    ˇ°What do you mean neutralize it?ˇ± Kevin asked curiously.

    "This fence is strong, and on the other hand, no one has been in this hall for many years, so how come it hasn''t weakened after all this time? There is only one answer to this question, and that is that the fence is maintained by an object that has magical powers."

    "Right, those crystals up there are probably strengthening the fence," Selena said, pointing up. Then they all looked up. The large crystal was still glowing and happened to be right on top of the fence.

    Kevin glanced at everyone and said, "So we just have to break that crystal, right?"

    Lenus immediately followed his words and said: "Or we should stop doing this and wait for the others."

    After hearing Lenus'' words, silence prevailed and the atmosphere seemed a little tense. Robert was clearly about to argue with Lenus again, but he backed off with a sigh at Kevin''s gesture. When Robert took a little distance from the crowd and started to look around the platform, Kevin nodded and approached Lenus and said, "Look Lenus, I know this mission is very important and we have to wait carefully for the others, but we also have to look at the situation."

    "What do you want to say Kevin?"

    Kevin nodded and continued, ˇ°Now between us, only you can break that crystal. Since Selena is weakened, Robert and I cannot attack from a distance, only you and your fireball remain, which can destroy the crystal. I swear, don''t say no! If you touch it, the rest may come!"

    Lenus was still not convinced to act on Kevin''s unusual words, but seeing Selena''s sad face and trembling legs, he became suspicious. Then he glanced at Robert, who had deliberately kept his distance from them, and finally looked at where they had come from.

    He was confused about what to do; On the one hand, there was a possibility that they would find a lot of treasure and maybe he could give up the adventure and join his mother and sister, and on the other hand, the dumb feeling of the strange atmosphere around him and the imperceptible occult inspirations of doubt and passivity penetrated his heart.

    After thinking for a few moments and erasing his doubts, he said: "Well then..." But the moment he wanted to express his consent, he suddenly noticed a strange thing.

    "Why do you insist that we go to this platform?"

    Upon hearing Lenus'' question, the faces of Kevin and Selena, who was standing behind him, went blank for a moment; They neither blinked nor moved at all. Startled by their reaction, Lenus was about to say something, but Robert''s shout stopped him from doing so.

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    ˇ°Orcs! The orcs are here!ˇ±

    Lenus, along with Quinn and Selena, who had snapped out of Robert''s trance, looked towards the sound. From the left side of the platform and the altar, where Robert was retreating, the ugly faces of several orcs emerged from the darkness.

    Those strong monsters had thick clubs in their hands and tried to move quickly, but Robert was faster than them, and when he reached the pack, all the adventurers wanted to run in every direction. However, they were soon surrounded by other orcs coming at them from all sides.

    Kevin, acting as the leader of the pack, yelled, ˇ°Damn! Gather quickly and take a stand!"

    After Kevin''s call, while they all took a defensive position in front of the platform, they realized the predicament they were caught in; Celaena was weakened, the sword and hammer were damaged, Kevin and Robert were exhausted from fighting the golem, and Lenus had already used up all his strength.

    "Just what I was afraid of..." Lenus muttered after gathering himself.

    As the orcs tightened the encirclement, the adventurers retreated.

    Kevin glanced at the space behind them, which was a short distance from the platform, and said to Lenus: "Lenus, hurry up and break that crystal so we can get to the platform. It is easier to fight them from the top of the platform."

    Lenus was still hesitant when he faced Robert''s shout.

    "Don''t care about the license plate and rank, stay with Lenus or we will all die!"

    Selena, holding her two-handed golden staff to the opposite side, said: "Hurry up!" Please!"

    Lenus had to turn back and approach the fence, the moment he raised his cane and wanted to shoot the crystal, he realized that his wooden cane had passed through the fence. Surprised, he put his hand close to the fence and when his hand passed the fence, he shouted: "It can be passed!"

    After that, he wanted to completely cross the fence, when the orc''s terrible scream shook the tension.

    Grrrrrr!

    The moment he turned his face, Kevin and Robert simultaneously pushed him and threw him onto the platform. At that moment, Lenus could not see their faces and lost his staff. Then a powerful gravitational force pulled him right to the center point of the circular platform.

    The force of gravity strongly pressed his body and did not allow Lenus to make the slightest movement.

    "Fuck..."

    At the same time, a little black smoke came out of the mouths of Kevin, Robert, and Selena, and went evenly towards the six statues around the platform. As the black smoke settled into the statues, the carved stones began to glow with red light.

    Meanwhile, the members of the gang, who had smoke coming out of their mouths, were barely able to control their balance with black eyes. Each of them had foam coming out of their mouths and cold sweat was coming down from their foreheads.

    Kevin looked around in surprise, as did Robert and Selena. The last thing they remembered was the image of a fantastic monster at the entrance to the cave. The question was formed in the mind of each of them: What happened and why are they in such a place now?

    Suddenly, all of their eyes fell on Lenus, who was left on the platform suspended in the air and was enduring a lot of pressure. Meanwhile, three orcs rushed towards each of them at the same time.

 11: A Crimson Finish

    As the orcs charged, Kevin quickly brought his sword into attack mode and parried the first attack, then threw the orc back, barely blocking a club coming straight for his face. After knocking the second orc to the ground, he faced the third orc but was unable to prevent his arm from being injured.

    At the same time as Kevin, Robert and Selena were fighting side by side. Robert swings his damaged mallet in the air and smashes into the attacking orcs. Selena was also watching him from behind and was holding the orc''s club with her golden staff.

    Although he was a little dizzy like Robert and Kevin and was not aware of the happenings, his body moved automatically for survival and benefited from the experience of fighting with the guardian knight of their family.

    However, even though Selena kept her composure somewhat, she was shocked to see Kevin''s blood splattered in front of her. While her eyes were wide, she broke away from Robert and ran towards Kevin.

    "Kevin!"

    Noticing Selena''s hasty movement, Robert turned his gaze and shouted, "No Selena! Don''t go!"

    The moment he finished speaking, he was attacked by another orc. As he swung the sledgehammer to push the monster back, a spear pierced the back of his armor before the sledgehammer returned to its original position.

    With a sudden and excruciating pain, Robert looked down and saw a spear bleeding from its cleft. Before he could sneeze blood, he pushed back the orc behind him that caused this incident with the bit of strength he had in his arm. Then he fell to the ground, leaning on his sledgehammer and looking at Selena.

    Selena seemed to have taken the wound before him. He was sitting on top of Kevin, bleeding from his severed right hand. Kevin fell to the ground after his arm was wounded, and Orc seized the opportunity and plunged a grate-like blade into his stomach. Kevin''s sword was covered in blood like his torn clothes.

    Robert could clearly see the tears rolling down Selena''s bloody face. His eyes watered little by little; The girl whom he loved from the bottom of his heart and who had given up on him was growing up in front of his eyes.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    As he put his hand on his bleeding wound, he suddenly saw an orc running towards Selena and Kevin. He gathered all his strength from all over his body and uttered it: "S-Selen" but before he finished shouting, a sharp object cut his neck.

    When the head was severed from the body, the last images that reflected in his eyes was the scene of the Orc spear sinking into Selena''s chest.

    As blood spurted from Robert''s headless body, the orc pressed his spear further into Selena''s chest and kicked her body backwards as Selena''s screams of pain echoed through the hall.

    Selena''s painful scream gradually turned into a moan accompanied by gasping and vomiting blood from her mouth. His eyeballs were red from the pain like a deep wound. Now his bright gold and white clothes were wet and red with blood.

    As hard as it was, he reached his hand towards Kevin''s hand and took it. His body was shaking from the intensity of infinite pain. His golden staff, with which he had many memories, was now being trampled under the dirty feet of orcs. Blood was constantly flowing from his body and every moment brought him closer to the vortex of death.

    Selena looked at Kevin with a sweet smile and with the last strength she had in her body, she spat and breathed: "H-I''m glad... k-who''s next to you... dying-" but before she could finish her sentence The same spear that had split his chest went into his throat and cut it.

    As the ugly-faced orc pulled out his spear, blood spurted from Selena''s torn throat, and her snoring stopped forever.

    Now the lifeless and butchered bodies of the three adventurers were left on the ground and their warm blood mixed with the cold soil of the hall. The corpses of headless Robert, armless Kevin, and slit-throated Selena were no longer host to any souls, instead lying in their own blood for eternity.

    Relieved that there was no more danger, the orcs looked at the creature that had been standing in the darkness since the beginning. The face of someone whose face is covered by darkness gradually appeared through the darkness.

    His size was clearly larger than the rest of the orcs, the horns on his head were visible like a royal crown, and his movements were full of power, awe and precision. It could be recognized without a doubt that he is the leader of these orcs.

    The great orc came forward with his heavy and trembling steps and looked at the corpses; A deep and detailed look. But with a quick glance, he realized that he has not found what he is looking for. He suddenly looked at the other orcs with anger and caused everyone to freeze in place. Then he shouted and asked them in Orc language to find another human.

    The orcs hurriedly moved and searched; Behind the pillars, around the platform, the altar, the entrance, they searched everywhere but found nothing. None of them, not even the Great Orc, could see what was happening on the platform and through the magical fence.

 12: Outburst Of Anger

    All the time the party was fighting, Lenus was confined in the middle of the platform under enormous pressure. He could feel the pressure being evenly concentrated on him from six directions, growing more and more every moment.

    While he was suspended between the ground and the air, he was unable to think and review the events of a few moments before him, and under the influence of the deadly pressure waves, his veins stood out and water dripped from his mouth. As if in the depths of the ocean, he was under a lot of water pressure and could not breathe.

    In that situation, the only thing he could do was to scream, but he was not aware that not only the sound of his screams, but also his image would not cross the fence; In other words, it was as if he was not there at all.

    As time passed, the amount and intensity of the pressure increased, to the extent that Lenus felt that the bonds of his existence were really breaking. In addition to the external pain that had just started, the pressure also damaged the internal organs of Lenus.

    A few moments later, some blood clots came out of Lenus''s mouth and fell on the platform that had a circular pattern. After that, the pressure increased suddenly and stopped at the same time as Lenus''s eyes turned black.

    After the pressure waves dissipated, Lenus fell to the ground. His body was numb and he could hardly breathe. His clothes were torn due to the added pressure of the last few minutes, but they covered him to some extent. Some blood was hanging from his mouth and a slight vibration was created in the upper layer of his skin.

    While he was trying to fight back the pain and suffering that had put his mind in distress and open his eyes, the blinding light of the crystal above his head prevented his eyelids from moving away. He could not even move his hands and cover his eyes so that the light would not disturb them.

    It wasn''t a few moments after he was released that a wave of oppressive pressure from the two statues lifted him off the ground again. The two statues were facing each other and the amount of pressure they brought was equal; Therefore, Lenus'' balance was maintained while climbing.

    This time, unlike the previous time, the pressure on Lenus was significantly less and his body did not feel terrible pain, but he still could not move even the tip of his finger.

    Lenus''s not very long messy hair was falling on his face and his head was hanging motionless like a marionette. As he was being carried up with his bloody and torn clothes, no doubt if anyone saw him, they would think that he was going to be hanged.

    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    Lenus''s eyes were turning black. His field of vision was darkened all around. He didn''t even have an iota of strength in his body to open his mouth and ask for forgiveness from his torturer. Of course, his disturbed mind could not process anything other than this thought.

    Suddenly, the pressure hit him in such a way that his face was forced and involuntarily transformed into a normal state so that he could see the scene in front of him; It was as if the oppressive statue had pulled back from behind him and intended for him to see what was in front of him.

    As soon as his face came up, Lenus saw something that stunned him. The headless corpse, which was still kneeling on the ground while bleeding from its severed neck, and blood was pouring out of its chest wound, was a little beyond the bloody head that was attached to the headless corpse a few minutes ago.

    A little further away, two lifeless bodies were left side by side on the ground. From the chest of one of them, who was wearing a white dress with gold and silver decorations, blood was gradually pouring out, and his throat was so torn that the point of connection between his body and his head was nothing but a layer of torn skin. The other corpse had no hands like the previous corpse, but its head was intact. There was also a deep gap in his side from which a stream of blood flowed to the ground.

    At first, Lenus did not recognize them, but until he saw the bloody mallet and the red golden staff, his suspicion became certain for a moment. Those dismembered and slaughtered corpses were those with whom he made a friendship pact, went on adventures with them for nearly half a year and spent bitter and sweet days with them.

    Robert, Selena, Kevin; How did he forget them?

    Lenus still didn''t understand how intense the pressure was that it even burned the tree of his thoughts. He just watched the heartbreaking scene in empty and empty silence, which was nothing but the result of a brutal and one-sided battle.

    In an instant, he remembered all his memories with them. When they got to know each other, when they became friends, when they were happy and industrious, when they faced danger, and sometimes there was friendship and enmity, shyness and pride, laziness and motivation, happiness and sadness, fear and anger. He saw everything clearly on his screen.

    He was slowly coming out of shock and wanted to cry, but due to excessive pressure, his eyeballs were dry. His mind was on the verge of crying, but his body was unable to carry out his mind''s command.

    Finally, with the same posture, he squeezed his throat. He was panting, opening and closing his eyes and trying to pour out his feelings.

    Lenus was not afraid of this event; Although at first he was horrified, but when he saw the orcs on top of the corpses, this feeling quickly turned to anger. His eyes now saw nothing but orcs. It was at this point that the suppressed anger in him erupted and came to the surface. Lenus was trying to scream, thrash around, take his magic wand and cut the throats of the orcs anyway.

    With all these intentions and desires, the pressure from the other four statues started again and there was a confrontation between the movement of Lenus and the pressure waves.

 13: Last Look

    Lenus felt fear from the beginning of the mission, but not now. After seeing the butchered bodies of his friends, his fear disappeared and was replaced by anger and rage. What was the use of fear and avoidance for him?

    Even though Lenus was under a lot of stress and some of his bones were broken, he still wanted to move, run, fight and avenge his friends. However, every time he attacked, it was as if he hit a big and thick wall; A wall that could not be crossed was crossed. Every time he put an arrow in the quiver of the bow and released it, the arrow hit the stone. He tried many times and suffered a lot of pain, but it was still useless.

    In addition, the careless orcs who were busy searching the hall and did not look at him, made Lenus angry.

    The boy wizard gritted his teeth but could no longer scream. Little by little, he was able to reach his limit. The pressure waves did not waver even the slightest and easily countered him. As if all his struggles and efforts were useless.

    Lenus was now facing a huge obstacle that he felt he could not overcome. Gradually, his floundering stopped and he remained motionless like a marionette. His head was hanging like the rest of his body and more blood was flowing from his eyes and mouth.

    With the cessation of his struggles, the pressure subsided. The amount of pressure was enough to just keep him suspended in the air. However, that didn''t mean he had more leeway if he tried again.

    As his somewhat hazy gaze turned to the ground, he saw his blood flowing into the grooves of the spiraling circular pattern carved into the platform. It was then that Lenus noticed his bleeding. Then he looked at his body, which was covered with wounds, and from each wound, a narrow strip of blood made its way to the tip of his foot and then to the ground.

    Now it was time for fear to replace anger. Lenus'' subconscious mind, which had thought anger useless, now turned to fear to vent Lenus'' emotions. His body went with this flow.

    After a moment of silence, fear ran through Lenus'' whole body. His body was shaking and losing more blood. His eyes were burning from dehydration and his trembling teeth were about to bite his tongue.

    This situation did not last long and Lenus entered a trance; He no longer knew who he was, where he was, what he was doing, what had happened and in what condition he was. His mind was numb and he couldn''t process even the smallest of thoughts.

    When Lenus was in this state, the pressure carried his bloodied body to the side of the platform, closer to the gruesome sight of Selena, Kevin, and Robert being slaughtered, and dropped him on the floor. The weak and wounded body of Lenus fell to the ground again, but the flow of his lost blood continued in the grooves of the pattern on the platform.

    As his blood stream gradually spread across the platform, he barely tilted his head to see the lifeless bodies of his friends. Although the blood prevented him from seeing properly and his eyes were black, he was able to see his friends to some extent; Of course, for the last time.

    Even though Lenus was not in a balanced state and his soul was spending the last minutes of his stay in the body and in this world, he was able to have a little conversation with himself and inside himself; Whispers of farewell and separation.

    Stolen novel; please report.

    - I always had the fear of death, but now I understand it very well, even though it is the first and last time I experience it. I wanted to do many things, but it seems that there is no more time. Goodbye my friends, Goodbye Mother, Goodbye Venus and Goodbye... Helen...

    When he unconsciously uttered his last word in contrast to his previous words, the two streams of blood joined in the middle of the circular grooved pattern and the 6 statues that were around the platform turned the color of the lantern above the platform. Every moment that passed, the intensity of the red light from the statues, especially their mouths, increased and the fence became more fragile.

    At this moment, the orcs outside the fence first noticed the shaking of the ground and the pillars of the hall, and then all their attention was directed towards the platform. The leader of the orcs, who was greatly surprised and angry by this incident, began to growl and shout that such a sound and vibration could come from the empty platform.

    He knew that there were four adventurers in this hall, and by killing three of them, the fourth one was hiding somewhere, but there was no possibility that the fence on the platform would prevent him from seeing what was on the platform. Therefore, he took the lead and ran towards the platform, but as soon as he reached the steps of the platform, the cracked fence exploded and threw him and the surrounding orcs back.

    At this time, a strong light shone from the platform to the lantern and lit up the entire purple hall. The light was so intense that the orcs could not resist even though they had covered their eyes and were on the verge of going blind.

    At the same time as the platform''s red light radiated to the crystal, the statues also changed their direction of radiation from the platform to the lamp and started emitting more radiation. The crystal also collected the radiated rays and concentrated them in one point.

    Gradually, this situation continued until all the lights, while they were at their peak, began to weaken with the appearance of a black spot in the middle of the lamp. With the weakening of the rays, the black dot became bolder and bigger and instantly fell on the lifeless body of Lenus.

    As a black mass descended on Lenus''s body and sunk into his body, the bright lights turned off completely and the purple hall returned to its original state. The six statues were also extinguished like crystal, and no light shone from them. The crystal lights that were attached to the huge pillars of the hall were also broken during the light, and the whole hall was plunged into absolute darkness.

    The hall was silent for a while, until the leader of the orcs, as the first creature to stir in the hall, barely stood up. He rubbed his eyes and snorted to show the hurt that the light had caused to his eyes. However, when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing.

    He looked around in confusion but still found nothing. However, his instincts told him that a dangerous creature awaited him, and that the other orcs were alive and breathing but unable to move.

    While he was curiously and confusedly walking around, a red glow from the crystal shone on the platform and stood out in the middle of the dark hall. The pillar of light directly hit the body of Lenus and engulfed him.

    A few minutes later, Lenus''s body shook and he stood on his feet with the help of red light. Even though the orc saw Lenus standing up, he still couldn''t see his face. Suddenly, the leader of the orcs remembered what he had come here for and rushed to the platform.

    While running and roaring, he pulled out a spear from the ground and aimed it at Lenus. Just as the huge orc approached the platform, he saw Lenus'' head rise up and his eyes glow with a blaze of crimson light.

    When the orc''s large, malevolent eyes lined up with Lenus'' bright, slightly bloodshot eyes, the orc saw the dark glint in Lenus''s eye and instantly blinked. While he was two steps away from Lenus, he stopped and lost his deep gaze.

    Suddenly, the yellow color of his pupils changed and turned black. His hands loosened and he fell to the ground. Then, in front of the eyes of the rest of the orcs who had just gotten up, he had a spear in his hand and plunged it into his heart.

    The orcs stared at him and Lenus in surprise as the blood of the orcs poured out and the spear stuck out from his back. They never believed that their powerful leader would end his life like this.

 14: Awakening

    - I always had the fear of death, but now I understand it very well, even though it is the first and last time I experience it. I wanted to do many things, but it seems that there is no more time. Goodbye my friends, Goodbye Mother, Goodbye Venus and Goodbye... Helen...

    As Lenus uttered his last word unconsciously in contrast to his previous words, his eyelids were heavy with the drops of falling blood and slowly closed. Then he let out a small sigh and in an instant, all his pain disappeared.

    ***

    In a dark space where the end was not clear and the direction had no meaning, suddenly a circular ring opened and a bright sphere entered this space. Although the surface, dimension and shape had no concept in this amazing and somewhat scary place, but when the sphere entered, it inevitably and forcibly changed its shape and created a flat surface inside itself so that the sphere could be placed on it.

    The bright orb settled slowly on the black screen and the glow became less and less. At this time, suddenly a strange voice was heard from nowhere and said: "Get in shape."

    As soon as the command was given, the orb changed from its spherical state to a human form, but still retained its dim light. As if until some time ago it was nothing but a luminous sphere, now it was a body with the head, hands, feet and other body parts of a normal human.

    After a while, his eyelids opened with difficulty. He looked a little confused for the first few moments. The last images he saw before fainting were a dark space that was suddenly filled with light and then turned into darkness again. Now he saw instead a black expanse that had no beginning and no end, and nothing else was visible to him except his luminous body.

    "So you are Lenus?"

    The voice that had previously turned the orb into a human body by his command spoke to him again. His voice was hollow, had no tone, you couldn''t tell what he was feeling and there was not even a trace of fear or anger in his voice.

    The human body uttered its first words: "Lenus?" It was clear from the tone of his voice that he didn''t know who Lenus was, but more than that, he was surprised that he couldn''t see the caller. Therefore, while standing on the dark screen, he turned his head around to find the source of the sound.

    "Don''t worry, you''ll understand," the voice said again.

    Suddenly the human body stopped. The next moment, the same ring that had brought him here appeared above his head and shone a narrow column of red light into the brain of the human body.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    As soon as the light entered his head, the pupil of the human body began to rotate in his eye socket, and then he himself began to scream and moan. Every moment more information flooded into his mind, his screams got louder.

    After a while, the circular ring disappeared as it had appeared, and the scream-like moans of the human body also ended. This was not a normal space and the human body was not a mundane body, otherwise vomiting was the least reaction he could express.

    The unknown creature spoke again and said, "It certainly wasn''t a good ending."

    Remember the human body; He remembered what he had gone through. He was Lenus Hibbert; An adventure with the profession of a sorcerer who died in an unexpected and mysterious event after his teammates were slaughtered.

    Remembering what he had gone through in the last minutes of his life, he was confused. The memories of the last moments of his life were so bitter and unfortunate that in addition to his body, they overshadowed his soul as well.

    The human body, or Lenus, was now more confused by receiving his memories. He did not know what happened to him; The only and last thing he remembered was the bright light and his eyelids closing in the middle of it. Before that, he had no clear memory of the pain and injury, except for the death scene of his friends.

    Lenus looked around and asked with concern: "What happened?" where is this Who are you?" But as he looked around, he saw nothing but blackness.

    "Calm down, there''s no more danger," said a seemingly unsourced voice.

    Although the unknown voice announced that the situation was safe, Lenus'' essence felt the danger more in the dark. No human was able to feel comfort and peace after going through those heartbreaking events and being in the middle of absolute darkness.

    However, Lenus''s mind and processing apparatus were slightly impaired. He didn''t know why, but he calmed down with the words of the voice he heard, he was no longer confused and surprised like before.

    "It''s better now."

    Lenus remained silent and said nothing even though he wanted to ask many things. A feeling told him that he was going to understand everything and that he didn''t have to struggle.

    The voice, which until now had short and concise sentences, now began to explain in more detail: "Let me tell you right now, Lenus, you are dead."

    With this sentence, Lenus stopped. Even though his condition did not show that he was alive, he still hoped that his suspicion was wrong. He didn''t like to accept the fact that he was dead, but the truth was the truth; Although bitter.

    "There is neither heaven nor earth here either. A place separate from anywhere and independent of all spatial and dimensional laws."

    Lenus looked around again. He could not believe what he heard; In his mind, there was no place where neither the earth, nor the sky, nor spatial and dimensional laws ruled over it... or at least that was what he thought until now.

    Assuming everything he had heard, Lenus asked, "If I''m dead, why am I in this place?" Why is light shining from my body? And... why am I naked?" Then he looked at his head which was not covered by anything.

    The voice answered with a short pause: "A soul is always pure and untainted and constantly emits light from itself. You are here for a reason, which we will talk about later. Are the questions finished?"

    Lenus carefully touched his body and sighed. He never thought that the day would come when he would die and be able to see his spirit form; Of course, not so soon and at the age of 15.

    Lenus raised his head and asked as a final question, "Who are you?"

    There was silence for a while. Then an unknown voice said with a certain majesty to Lenus: "A human like you."

 15: Will

    Lenus was surprised. His mind took a while to process this word.

    "A human like me?!"

    The hollow voice needed a clearer explanation.

    "Of course not in the way you think, we have many differences."

    After that, Lenus wanted to ask another question, but as soon as he was about to speak, his mouth automatically closed.

    The voice said after this incident: "I said that it is a question of the hereafter."

    Lenus stopped trying to speak. He didn''t know how, but now he understood the situation very well. He was in a mysterious atmosphere that he had never seen before; In these situations, his mind dictated to act with caution.

    On the other hand, the voice that spoke to Lenus sounded terribly strange; He didn''t know the source of the sound, nor why the tone, weight and type of voice was so dry and devoid of emotion. In addition, a mysterious sense told him that he should be careful in front of the owner of this voice.

    Lenus, whose mind was processing better now, sat quietly on the black screen and assumed a posture as if he was waiting for the words of a sourceless voice. On the other hand, the voice did not react to Lenus calming down and apparently went straight to the point.

    "Now that you are no longer in that world, is there a wish or something that you want to fulfill there? Of course, just name one.

    Lenus was shocked by this proposal; In fact, he expected every question except this one. However, he quickly collected his thoughts and asked with the doubt that had formed in his mind, "Assuming I have, can you make it work?"

    The voice paused; It was as if he had seen this reaction many times and was used to hearing it. Then, as before, he said: "I said that you are not allowed to ask any more questions."

    Suddenly, a strange tremor fell into the soul of Lenus. That tremor and vibration was so powerful that Lenus felt for a moment that it was not forever and that he was destroyed. After a while when the shaking stopped, Lenus unconsciously promised himself not to speak without permission again.

    "Say your request."

    When the voice asked him this question again, Lenus reviewed his memories before his death; He reviewed all the events and every single moment that he had from the time of his birth to the time of his death in a fleeting and quick but accurate and systematic way.

    It may not have been a wish for many adventurers who preferred the risk of death by monsters to a quiet life away from the hustle and bustle, but Lenus was still attached to the world even though he was now dead.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    Unlike him, Selena, Kevin and Robert were not so attached to the world and if one day they were accidentally thrown to a remote place, they would easily continue their lives. However, Lenus was not like them; He had a mother and a sister who considered it his duty to take care of them. Also, the girl he always loved was at the top of his priorities.

    Although he had not been awake for a long time, he could better control his thoughts with each passing moment. Nevertheless, it was still very difficult for Lenus to make this decision.

    Although he really didn''t want to talk, he had to make sure of something before expressing his wish; Therefore, he felt the urge to say the first word of his sentence, when suddenly an unknown voice interrupted him.

    "Be sure I can do anything you want; Of course, returning you to the world or destroying the whole world is not an option on your table.

    Hearing this, Lenus fell asleep again. He did not know how the voice understood the question in his mind, but on the other hand, he was unable to ask the reason. Therefore, he gave up his question and began to think.

    Assuming that the owner of this voice was capable of doing anything, Lenus broadened the scope of his thoughts. He thought a little and put countless wishes on the table, but the more he pondered, only two options were the most prominent and priority for him; One is to revive his friends and the other is to take care and protect his mother and sister.

    The more Lenus thought about these two wishes, the more he doubted, he could not simply give up both groups; On the one hand, his friends, who had been on an adventure together for 6 months and were connected like a chain, and on the other hand, his mother and sister, who were considered a part of his soul and soul.

    Finally, when he looked at the faces of all of them, his eyes fell on the innocent and pure face of his sister and he remembered the memories of the last day they had met each other.

    Come back soon brother!

    Undoubtedly, if he was in his body now, tears would flow from his eyes like a raging flood. He could never leave his sister; If Lenus didn''t take care of her and their mother, what could happen to that innocent face and cute and delicate hands?

    Now he could not bear it anymore and his endurance was exhausted. Although it was a very difficult decision, he bravely covered his chest and fisted his hands and said, "I want my mother and sister to be in perfect health forever."

    Even though he had said this, he still felt a lot of guilt from his friends and the girl he loved. If it wasn''t for this situation, he would never have left them, but now that he had only one choice, he would choose his family.

    "As I expected," said the voice without hesitation. After a short pause, he continued: "I agree. From now on, your mother and sister will be under my full protection and I guarantee that not the slightest harm will come to them."

    Lenus sighed, although he still wasn''t sure enough about this strange sound, it was his last hope. He was ready to hold on to any strings for the well-being of his family.

    Lenus had many questions, but the voice, in the way of expressing its last sentences, said: "It was kind of like your will, Lenus. From now on, your memories will be erased and you will be sent to a new world. I will also dissolve into your body and take care of your family along with my adventures."

    Without having a chance to speak or even react, Lenus returned to the sphere state and left the dark space through the opened ring; He didn''t even get a chance to ask how he and his accomplices were killed in that hall.

    After Lenus''s spirit quickly left that mysterious and ambiguous space, the voice said softly to himself, "It seems like it''s about time." And after that, a great hole in the darkness began to expand.

    When the hole reached the right size, a thick and dense black mass moved from the darkness towards the hole, and when it left, the hole disappeared.

    The creature that spoke to the spirit of Lenus was no longer in that space.

 16: Entrance

    When the corpse of the leader of the orcs fell to the ground and the sound of it hitting the ground echoed in the hall, the remaining orcs got up and charged towards the platform and Lenus who was standing on it.

    In a short time, Lenus found himself surrounded by about 40 armed and crazed orcs, with nothing but the flame of revenge in their big eyes. Each of them had their clubs and spears in their hands, some of which were covered with the blood of Lenus'' comrades.

    Although the orcs had seen the defeat of their leader, they thought that with their large numbers, Lenus was nothing more than a small prey against their bloodthirsty vagrants. Besides, when those three companions had easily slaughtered Lenus, what was the difficulty in tearing Lenus apart?

    With this false idea, they all rushed towards Lenus, but before their foot reached the first step of the platform, in a moment, a flying object flew and after that the heads of all those 40 orcs rolled on the ground.

    Lenus, who was quietly watching them all this time, turned back when the orcs were killed and saw what he was waiting for.

    "When did you get into that armor?"

    Lenus said his cold and dry sentence to a knight who was standing on the other side of the platform in a black and detailed armor. Behind that knight, who was hiding his face with his helmet, the great altar was split open and the middle wall collapsed.

    Before the knight could answer, his long-handled sword spun in the air and landed in his hand. Apparently, the object that made the orcs dizzy was this long sword that had acted like a boomerang a few moments ago.

    The knight took his sword and sheathed it. Then he enthusiastically surrounded the platform and knelt in front of Lenus.

    The knight spoke in a feminine voice: "Welcome my lord, I congratulate you on your arrival. When this lowly and lowly hall was introduced to your glorious and noble presence, I trembled from the intensity of your glorious and glorious rays, and I looked from the statues to the altar to become your protector in the form of this knight.

    The pupils of Lenus''s eyes had a red and black ring that induced a special illusion to the audience, but its purpose was not to impress the knight, this was the knight''s own behavior; Of course, he was no longer Lenus. He was the only body of Lenus in which there was another soul; The soul that was dissolved in his body after the death of Lenus.

    While the column of red light was still shining on Lenus and keeping him upright, he said: "Wow! "Anyway, I see you''ve made the preparations well, Agaris."

    The knight, whose apparent name was Agaris, answered with great joy from his master''s praise and praise: "T-Thank you very much, Your Highness, your praise is a great mercy and happiness for me, a lowly, insignificant one."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Lenus suddenly changed his tone from contented to questioning and paused briefly asking, "But... why is this body so bruised and bruised?"

    On hearing this question, Agaris became confused like a young child and his sword fell from his hand. He put his head on the ground and while trembling, he begged: "Please forgive me, my lord!" Please forgive me! The owner of this body was very restless, I had to figure it out like this. I''m sorry, sir, I''m sorry. I had no choice."

    Lenus sighed and looked down at his body. There was no place on his body that was not wounded. In addition to the visible wounds, several internal organs and a large number of bones were broken in his body and he had serious problems. If the column of light was not red, Lenus would not be able to move at all; Even as much as shaking his fingertips.

    As Lenus flipped himself over, he noticed that his clothes were not far from being completely ripped off as well. The tattered purple dress she was wearing only covered a part of her chest and her pants were torn but covered the essential areas to some extent.

    Lenus ordered Agaris to stand up and said: "That''s done, what''s the situation now?"

    Hardly daring to meet his master''s eyes, Agaris stood up and took his sword in hand.

    "People will arrive here in a few moments, I suggest that I destroy this hall and hide. They will take you out of here unconscious. I will erase all the remaining works and join you."

    When the black knight finished his sentence, the sound of several feet was heard from within the darkness next to the altar and gave a seal of approval to his words.

    Reluctantly, Lenus glanced at where the voice was coming from and nodded. Then he said: "Do whatever is necessary."

    At Lenus'' command, Agaris bowed and pointed his sword at the large crystal above the platform. Then he said to Lenus, "Master, be careful." After that, a dense black ball began to grow from the tip of Agaris''s longsword.

    "Throw!"

    When Agaris threw the magic ball at Kandil with his sword, Lenus closed his eyes and fainted, but before that, he took a quick look at the magic wand lying on the side of the platform.

    The next moment, the crystal exploded and its pieces fell in pieces. At the same time, several men appeared from the darkness, where the sound of footsteps had been heard not long before. Of course, to be precise, there were twelve people; Four swordsmen, three wizards, three healers and two paladins.

    When they came out of the corridor that was built in the darkness next to the altar, Agaris disappeared. In the meantime, they encountered the crumbling Purple Hall. All the columns and the ceiling that could not be seen in the darkness were shaking and small stones were falling to the ground.

    The leader of these twelve people, who happened to be a swordsman and had a stout figure, quickly found Lenus and the other members of the group, but as soon as he saw them, he killed him on the spot; The sight of the death and slaughter of the gang members was extremely shocking and sad. However, he was no stranger to these scenes, putting aside his bewilderment and ordering his men to move towards them.

    "Be early! Now that the hall is destroyed."

    The rest of the people, like their leader, were trapped, but due to the collapse of the hall and the fact that they might be buried here at any moment, they collected their bodies and left the hall quickly. They were also not like their leaders, but they had enough experience to deal with such scenes and events; Of course, if we ignore the vomiting of two witches and a female healer.

    Finally, the lifeless bodies of Selena, Kevin and Robert, and the unconscious Lenus, left the hall.

 17: The Healer

    [Tyrannous; The first book; The beginning of the first chapter: "Chaos and Escape"]

    Year 2992 of Akilan Era, Kingdom of Perunia, Seventh State, Border City of Lulin;

    The sun was shining in the middle of the sky as usual and not the slightest cloud could be seen in the sky. The birds flying from behind the mountain range of the Dragon''s Legacy to beyond the Laspin Lake, split the expanse of the lotus roof of the sky and heralded the arrival of the summer season in this mountainous land.

    Nestled among the tangled trees, the city of Lulin stood out from its surroundings with its stone walls. The towers and ramparts of the city were high up to the sky. The view of the city clearly showed that this is a completely military city and there is no special profession in this city except trade.

    Around the central point of the city, there was a large and brick mansion, which was bigger and more spacious than the buildings around it. The smoky color of the walls of the building made a beautiful harmony with the burnt brown color of the windows and doors and it looked more special in the eyes of the audience. Few people lived in this city who had not set foot in this mansion.

    In one of the rooms of this mansion, in a relatively simple space, a bandaged person was sleeping on a wooden bed. The white sheet covered the pale green stripes on the lower half of his body, and the ray of sunlight shining in from the only window in the room showed the stripes on the upper half of his body with delightful warmth.

    Since all of his body except his nose and ears were hidden under the green bands, it was hard to tell that this bandaged person was a man.

    A few moments passed and the rhythmic footsteps broke the silence of the room. The sound of footsteps came closer and closer until the door of the room slowly opened. As could be guessed from the rhythmic sound of the footsteps, the one who entered was a young woman wearing a special green uniform and carrying a new duke of those ribbons tied around the man on the bed.

    The 20-year-old woman approached the bed and took out a pair of black-handled scissors from the drawer of the table next to the bed and placed it on the table. He put the new tapes next to the scissors and stared at the man on the bed. It was clear from the height of the bandaged man that he was no more than a teenager and less than 20 years old.

    The female nurse removed the white sheet and took a quick look at the bandaged body of the teenager on the bed. As she was turning the unconscious boy over, he noticed the faint glow of green stripes on his chest. Her eyes widened and ran out of the room in a hurry; She even left the door closed.

    The faint glow of light rose from the teenage boy''s chest, and its scope covered all the places covered by the green band. The sound of the woman and two other people coming quickly from the corridor was heard. As soon as they stepped into the room, the glow of the beams peaked and the tapes burst with an explosion of light.

    The explosion caused the scissors and tape spindle to fall from the table and those who wanted to enter the room covered their eyes with their hands. As the light dimmed, pieces of green tape were scattered all over the room. The simple room was now somewhat disturbed and the window glass of the room was cracked.

    The young nurse, along with the two women who were with her, quickly approached the bed. One of them, like the nurse herself, had black hair and was wearing a uniform, and the other, who was wearing a more luxurious dress, had emerald green hair.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    When they all looked at the person on the bed, they saw a naked teenage boy among the white sheets, his healthy, shiny skin shining in the sunlight and his rather long hair falling in front of his face. The 15-year-old boy was still lying on the bed and not moving.

    The first nurse hurriedly looked at the worried face of the woman with emerald green hair.

    "When I came to change the tapes, I saw that the tapes were shining. Do you think he is fine?"

    The other woman, who was dressed like the first nurse, said with a pause, "Strange that the tapes broke like that... are you sure you didn''t touch them, Lena?"

    The nurse, whose name was apparently Lena, looked at her with annoyance and said in a slightly loud and confused voice: "Of course not Melva!" If you don''t believe me, look at those new tapes. I didn''t even have time to change the tapes..."

    Melva looked at the spool of tape lying on the ground. Then, like Lena, she stared at the green-haired woman and asked: "I can''t think of anything at all, what do you think, Miss Aisa?"

    Their lady, Aisa, who was somehow considered both their master and their boss, took a look at the boy''s motionless face on the bed and his body and sighed, relieved of something.

    "I don''t know if it''s a miracle or not, but the tearing of the tapes means that this body is completely healed physically."

    With just a passing glance, it was understood that there was not even a small wound on the boy''s body; All over his body spared a small scratch. His white skin was shiny and shining like a mirror.

    "Then why hasn''t he opened his eyes yet?" Melva asked in surprise.

    Aisa put her hand on one side of her head in frustration and took another deep sigh, then she said with a little anger: "From you! See if my subordinates are treating people! "Instead of going out every night to drink with that dork and his two old brothers and sing and listen to music, sit down and study so that you don''t play with people''s lives." When he said this, he tapped the foreheads of both nurses with his finger.

    "Ayy!"

    "Ouch!"

    Lena and Melva took their foreheads and rubbed them gently. Although Aisa did not have much physical strength as a woman, the power of her fingers had proven time and time again that terrible pain awaited those who were angered by her.

    When Lena and Melva both moved away from Aisa with regretful and slightly wet eyes, Lena said, "Hey, Melva asked, why did you hit me?"

    Aisa said decisively: "Well, if you know the answer, tell us so that Melwa will also know." With this word, Lena was shocked. He limped back and stole his gaze from Aisa.

    "W-well... you know..."

    Aisa, who knew that Lena didn''t know anything and was wasting her time, sighed again and said: "Like I said, it''s okay physically, not mentally and spiritually. From now until whenever he can open his eyes. We did everything we could. We must hope that he will wake up."

    Melva picked up scissors and new tapes from the floor and placed them on the table. Lena also nodded her head to confirm Aisa''s words. Both of them always followed Aisa''s orders and did not resist her orders.

    Aisa said to Lena, "Lena, the trouble of cleaning here is with you." And then he looked at Melva and ordered: "Melva, you also go to the Adventurer''s Guild and bring Master Simon here. Say it''s an emergency."

    "Yes ma''am."

    "Whatever you say."

    As soon as he received the command, Melva left the room and headed for the Adventurers'' Guild. Lena also went downstairs to prepare the preparations for cleaning the room.

    In the end, Aisa remained in the room. He first looked at the scraps of tape scattered around the room and then at the boy on the bed. Before the nurses left, there was humor and cheerfulness in his behavior and look, and he was like Aisa always; However, after he was alone in the room, his look became full of sadness and longing.

    The sadness in his black eyes spread to his face. He slowly blinked and fought the tears that were on the verge of falling from his eyes. Nevertheless, he still had to wipe the tears with his sleeve; Tears that wet her eyelashes remembering the image of the one she loved.

    Aisa put aside her colorful embroidered skirt and approached the boy. She put his head on the side of the bed and whispered with a voice full of pain and regret: "Then when will you wake up Lenus...?"

 18: The Swordsman

    The distance between Aisa healer''s mansion and Adventurer''s Guild was not much. Both were located almost in the middle of the city and people could easily commute there. In addition, since the Guild was the point of formation and expansion of this city, it was naturally located in the middle point of the city.

    After a while, Melwa returned to the mansion; She was not alone. A large and tall man, with brown hair and four shoulders, who wore his broad and long sword on his back as usual, entered the mansion behind her.

    Aisa, who was sitting on the sofa in the hall of the mansion on the first floor, stood up as a sign of politeness when he entered and showed respect by raising some of her skirt.

    "Welcome Mr. Simon."

    Melwa stood in a corner for the man to go forward. Simon slowly walked forward and said: "How quiet it is here." Oh! You wore attractive clothes today, don''t say it''s because of me!" And laughed mockingly.

    Aisa, who was a little stunned, took a look at her head to her feet. Her puffy sleeveless dress was the same color as her hair, mixed with white, and the tiny floral embroidery along the opening part of her dress gave it a different look. In addition, she was wearing her long pleated skirt, which was decorated with green stripes.

    She, who was a little distracted by what happened today, forced a smile on her face and answered: "No, today I was invited somewhere and I didn''t have time to change my clothes." Then she put his head forward a little and continued in such a way that only Simon could hear his voice: "Be sure that no woman will beat you like that, Simon the Rhino!"

    Aisa''s face now had a lot of changes compared to before. Before, she behaved respectfully as if she were talking to an official, but now she spoke as if she was talking to a pale and ungainly man, not a huge and famous warrior; However, before Melwa knew it, she turned back and assumed her previous form.

    Simon, who was shocked by Aisa''s blunt answer, laughed bitterly and thought it would be better for him not to argue with Aisa any more; They knew each other well enough and got along well. Simon knew that the kind and beautiful Aisa was a scary and predatory monster at the time. At that moment, the face of a skilled swordsman who was afraid of a thin woman was very interesting.

    ˇ°W-Well anyway, what brought me here? Do you want to teach those stupid Dalkey brothers a lesson?ˇ±

    Aisa glanced at Melwa, who was listening to their words with concern; Apparently, her concern started when the name of Dalkey and his brothers came up. Melva was aware of how cruel Simon the swordsman is in punishing, she did not want any harm to happen to her lover.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    Aisa, who recognized this from Melva''s looks, deliberately raised her voice higher than usual and said: "Of course, you must have a special meeting with them." It was clear that inside she was enjoying the fear and anxiety of Melva. Then, with a pause, she returned to his seriousness and said: "But today there are more important things. Let him sit first."

    Simon, who was a bit taken aback by Aisa''s momentary seriousness, accepted her invitation and after leaning his sword against the wall, he sat in front of Aisa.

    Aisa followed her words. She said with the sadness that was slowly showing color in his voice: "Lenos is completely healed and has no more internal or external injuries."

    The look in Simon''s dark green eyes became serious. "So-" he asked haltingly.

    "But he hasn''t come to his senses yet. Probably, the trauma he experienced was very severe."

    Aisa did not let Simon finish his question. She knew what Simon''s question was and how long he was waiting for Lenus to come to his senses. Both of them were waiting for Lenus to wake up to ask him some questions and heal their impatient and suffering souls after a long time.

    "If that''s the case, when will he come to his senses?" asked Simon.

    Aisa closed her eyes for a while, and after opening them, she said, "Although I hate to say it...maybe right now, maybe never."

    Simon''s eyes widened. He wanted to shout aggressively for this vague answer as usual, but he realized that this word came out of Aisa''s mouth. Aisa the healer was the best healer in the Garjiel region and if he said such a thing, then there was no other solution.

    "What can I do?"

    Aisa looked at the floors and rooms around and answered: "There is nothing more we can do. Besides, they are going to bring new wounded here. It''s better to take him away from here and get him a private nurse." In fact, she did not want Lenus to be taken from here, but she had to make this decision because of the limitations and crowding of the hospital in the near future.

    Simon the Swordsman sighed and stared at the stairway that led to Lenus'' care room. Then he looked at Aisa, lowered his head and said softly, "Thank you so much for taking care of this month. I will definitely make up for it."

    Aisa, surprised by the respect that she thought was far from Simon, with a little embarrassment asked Simon to raise his head. She was surprised that Simon could have such a polite and respectful face.

    When Simon raised his head, Aisa joked to melt the ice of the parliament: "If someone said that Simon bowed his head, I would never have believed him. It''s very strange." But her words had the opposite result. With this word, Simon had more sadness on his face; To the extent that Aisa never remembers Simon being so sad.

    "I''m sorry... if I said something bad."

    Simon, who had lowered his head, at the same time, answered in a voice full of regret: "No... Honestly, it was the first time Kevin made me bow my head and thank someone."

    Aisa looked away from him and said in a softer voice as if she understood Simon''s feelings, ˇ°I''m sorry about that. I didn''t know."

    While the atmosphere ruling the space was very sad and depressing and Melwa was also having tears in her eyes, a scream was heard from the upper floor. Aisa and Simon also shook Melva violently and all their eyes turned to the staircase leading to the upper floor.

    While several other people came from the rooms and corridors to the main hall, Simon took his sword and prepared for unexpected events. Aisa also quickly looked at Melva and hurriedly asked: "Was it Lena''s voice?"

    Melwa, who was not as surprised as the others, just shook his head and confirmed it. As soon as Aisa received the answer, she nervously looked at the stairs and confusion filled her being.

 19: Panic

    In fact, a single scream wouldn''t have shocked them that much. All the employees and patients of Aisa Hospital, as well as all the people of the city, were aware of the strange and heartbreaking events that happened all over the city during the past month. Therefore, this kind of reaction was normal, they tried to observe the side of caution.

    The story was that since the incident at the Dragon''s Legacy Castle, there had been brutal assaults that were generally accompanied by gruesome murders. Even though a month had passed since the beginning of this series of incidents, even the identity of the criminals behind these cruel actions had not been determined yet.

    The remarkable point was that these events were taking place in a military city where most of its citizens were either adventurers or serving in the army. Normally, with a large number of skilled and trained people, these crimes should have been stopped and the criminals caught or killed quickly.

    Among the people in the hospital, Simon was the only one who could fight skillfully. Aisa and Melwa knew a little martial arts, but they knew very well that they could not resist these criminal rioters.

    Simon bravely held his sword in front of him and slowly walked towards the staircase; Not only was he not afraid of murderers and rioters, but he was also afraid of an opportunity to face them. Aisa also took the dagger she always carried and moved behind Simon the swordsman; In addition to worrying about Lena, he also felt responsible as the head of the hospital. Melwa was also busy arranging the situation and pushing back other nurses and patients present on the scene.

    Since that scream, not even the slightest sound had been heard from upstairs, but when Simon and Aisa reached the threshold of the staircase, they heard the sharp sound of someone''s footsteps from above. Both took a defensive posture and waited for the enemy''s attack in the same place.

    As the footsteps came closer to the stairway, the atmosphere became more tense until Simon and Aisa''s eyes fell on someone coming down. That person panicked and quickly jumped into Aisa''s arms, and Aisa could feel his shaking well.

    Aisa separated her from her arms and asked her face to face: "Are you okay?" is something wrong What was that scream, Lena?"

    Lena, who had tasted fear well and was speechless, was unable to answer. He just looked at Aisa with wide eyes and dry lips and pointed with his hand to the upper floor and where he came from.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Simon motioned for Aisa to go back with Lena. Then he decided to go up the stairs when he suddenly stopped in his place.

    From the highest point of his vision, where the ceiling no longer allowed him to see above, a hanging white cloth descended. With more precision, it could be understood that there are human feet in the middle of the white cloth, and the cloth covers the body of that person.

    Simon was paralyzed and could not move. The man in white slowly descended lower and lower. First, the legs, then the middle part of the body, and finally the head were visible.

    When Simon''s eyes fell on the face of the man, who was no more than a teenage boy, fear crept into him for a moment. What scared him was not his behavior, what he was wearing, or his disheveled hair, but...

    The eyes of that boy, i.e. Lenus, were red like a pool full of blood and stagnant without any other color or design.

    Simon couldn''t take his eyes off Lenus'' deep, terrifying eyes as he held his sword tremblingly forward. Although he flinched a little at the first moment, he tried with all his might to resist the crazy invisible waves that were emanating from Lenus'' eyes.

    Lenus walked down the steps until he was standing in front of Simon. Until then, Simon had not been able to show even the slightest movement. The other people present were also unable to see Lenus completely due to Simon''s large size.

    Aisa was surprised by Simon''s procrastination, so she handed Lena over to Melva and went near Simon, but when her gaze met Lenus'' gaze, she froze where she was standing. He and Simon felt that if they made even the slightest move, they would die instantly.

    A few tense seconds passed. Seeing Simon the swordsman and Isa the healer stop, the others didn''t dare to go forward either. During this time, Lenus did not show any movement among the white sheets and with his scary looks; He did not say anything and his body was shaking.

    Suddenly, a strange headache came to Lenus'' mind and made him hold his head tightly with his hands. The contraction of the muscles in his head and hands clearly indicated how much pressure he was under. After that, he fell on the ground and pressed his head with his hands. However, there was still no sound from him.

    Now that Lenus''s terrifying and piercing gaze was cut off, Simon and Aisa could move on. They went to Lenus in a daze, not knowing what was happening, but as soon as they brought him back to normal, they realized that Lenus had passed out.

    Aisa looked at Simon and said, "Put it up!" In the light of his eyes, it was clear that he had noticed something that he had been unaware of until now.

    Simon immediately did the same. He lifted Lenus in the same position and went upstairs. Aisa also, after ordering the others to disperse, went to the corridor on the right and entered her own room. He hurriedly looked for a particular book among the books in his closet.

    After searching for a while, she finally found the book, which was obviously very old. While she was in a hurry, she flipped through the pages carefully until she reached the desired page. By reading what was on that page, doubt turned into certainty; "What happened to you, Lenus?" she muttered with wide eyes, trembling lips, and worried looks.

 20: The Burning Flame Of Revenge

    Simon gently placed Lenus'' unconscious body on the bed and pulled the sheets over him. Then he let out a sigh and looked into the teenage boy''s eyes. He could not believe what happened a few moments ago. While he expected to face the rioter of the city, he only encountered a familiar adventurer, but this adventurer pressed him so much that he didn''t even dare to breathe.

    For Simon, it was a shock to see Lenus in such stature and awe. Also, he doesn''t remember being so helpless in protecting himself. He had gone through a lot of difficult and exhausting moments to reach the rank of Silvery, and now that he was on the threshold of being in the rank of Igneous, he realized how insignificant he was against this ancient power.

    Simon had just realized what was going through Aisa''s mind. Remembering the events of a month ago, especially that mysterious and sad night, he remembered a hypothesis that no one even thought would happen. At that time, everyone, including Simon himself, laughed at Edlin, the famous wizard of the Gargil region, but now he understood the meaning of what he said.

    This boy lying on the bed was no longer Lenus, an ordinary wizard boy with extraordinary talent; Certainly, from now on, his life was not normal and others looked at him with a different view than before. Even now, when he hadn''t woken up properly, the views on him had changed, let alone when he woke up and communicated with others.

    Simon took his gaze from the unconscious Lenus and walked softly to the window and looked at the scene outside. He muttered under his breath along with his noticeable inhale and exhale: The death of three people for an ancient magical power? Even hurting one of them is too much...

    While he was thinking, he heard the door of the room. Simon turned and saw Aisa''s silent face and asked, "Was it true?"

    Aisa closed the door and leaned behind the door. He hesitated for a moment to make sure that no phone was monitoring their conversation and then he started to speak.

    "Full body restoration, resistance to high-level healing potions, intense red light emitted from the eyes, and sudden headache..."

    "So is it really true?" asked Simon, thinking that Aisa''s sentence was finished.

    Ignoring Simon''s question, Aisa continued with a short pause: "And of course... complete oblivion."

    Upon hearing this, Simon''s eyes widened. The veins in his hand were swollen and he was shivering a little. Aisa moved away from the door and looked at Lenus next to Simon with an unmotivated face and with faint hope. Then he put a hand on Simon''s shoulder and said: "Let''s hope." Like you, I really want Lenus to wake up, even with his memory, but this sign is more certain than the rest."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Simon, whose face showed that he still didn''t want to accept the truth, fisted his hand and tried to keep his voice down as he spoke with a power hidden deep in his gaze.

    "Hopefully?! I had no day and night for a month. Everywhere I go, everything I look at, every moment I spend, I remember that damned night and that ruined hall; The memory of that terrible sight, the memory of those bodies that were mercilessly dismembered, the memory of their blood, whose warmth I still feel on my hands. Can you believe that I can still see Kevin''s innocent and serious look in front of my eyes? When he was laughing and thanking me for the sword I gave him... that scene will never be erased from my mind..."

    Then he gritted his teeth, now he could no longer hide the flame of anger and revenge in his eyes.

    "I have to find the cause of what happened that night! No matter what happens to me, I''m ready to take a stab at Plaison Valley and beyond and... I swear I''ll kill so many orcs that with their blood, Plaison Valley will become the Red Sea of ??Plaison!ˇ±

    Now Simon was panting and with every inhale and exhale, he drew the fire of anger and resentment. Aisa, who was calm until now and didn''t want to stop the swordsman, looked at Simon and invited him to calm down. When Simon calmed down, Aisa looked at Lenus again, and unlike her previous expression, she had a burning but dormant anger like Simon.

    "It''s not just you. If you lost your student, I lost my sister; A sister who had a lot of hopes and dreams, a sister who saw me as her role model, a sister who I couldn''t be a sister to properly..."

    Aisa''s hands were shaking; Just like his shaky tone. Sadness and sadness were mixed with anger and resentment in him. He didn''t want to cry, he didn''t want a tear to fall from his eyes. Instead, from the depths of his being, he wanted the blood of his sister''s killer''s liver to drip drop by drop from his grip.

    However, his temper abated a bit and he said, "But I''m not sure that the orcs are the cause of that tragedy. Selena and the others in the castle enclosure defeated more than fifty orcs, how could they lose against twenty orcs?"

    Simon sighed and said, "But in that hall there was also the corpse of a bigger orc." It was clear that he was the leader."

    Aisa answered without stopping: "But they can still resist until you arrive." It may be difficult to kill the leader of the orcs, but death is far from the mind. You just remembered that he was dead before you got there, didn''t you?

    "Right... and I''m surprised he died in front of the platform where Lenus was lying."

    Both Simon and Aisa remained silent for a while and did not say anything. The eyes of both of them were on Lenus and their eyelids did not make a small movement.

    Aisa broke this short-lived silence and said: "However, our main problem is Lenouse. According to the book, Lenus may wake up in a few minutes to a few hours. First, we have to see if his memory is intact or not, then we should think about the condition of this cursed ancient gift."

    "I can''t be without my sword for too long," Simon turned and headed for the door. When her hand reached the handle of the wooden door, Aisa said, "I told someone to go to-" But when the door opened and Simon made eye contact with her, there was no need to continue.

    Simon stood and opened the door slowly. He clearly did not expect to face the person in front of him so soon. The man standing on the other side of the door took Simon''s sword which was in its scabbard towards him and said, "I don''t remember you ever taking your sword off you, Simon the Rhino!"

 21: The Witch

    Simon stood and opened the door slowly. He clearly did not expect to face the person in front of him so soon. The man standing on the other side of the door held Simon''s sword in its scabbard towards him and said, "I don''t remember you ever letting go of your sword, Simon the Rhino!"

    Simon snatched the sword from his hand and answered with bitterness and sarcasm: "Tach! I don''t remember ever letting you touch her, Adeline Duck!"

    The atmosphere was a little tense. On one side, Simon with his big size and his eyebrows that were crossed, and on the other side, a cloaked man with purple eyes who, as always, had his wooden staff with him and kept his mysterious tone. The gaze of both of them was on the same line, but there was no hesitation in any of them.

    Aisa, who did not expect Adeline to come so quickly, wanted to go forward to prevent the inflamed atmosphere between the parties and prevent possible incidents, but she gave up after seeing what happened next.

    Simon opened and closed his eyes as he held his sword and walked past Adeline the witch saying, "Too bad this isn''t the time to argue." Adeline, who already knew about Simon''s presence, wanted to provoke him a bit with jokes and sarcasm, but from the coldness and hollowness of Simon''s voice and behavior, he realized that the matter was really serious.

    Adeline entered the room and closed the door behind her as Simon''s footsteps sounded on the wooden floor of the hallway. Adeline was a witch of Simon''s age, but there wasn''t a strand of white hair among the black hair under her wide, pointy hat. On top of his purple dress, which was more or less decorated with gold rings, he had a very deep purple robe, and when he saw Aisa, he removed his hat, which was the same color as the robe, out of respect.

    "Good morning Miss Aisa. I hope you are happy and healthy despite hanging out with that mindless rhinoceros. There must have been an emergency that you informed me like this, right?"

    Adeline was surprised when she put her hat back on her head and saw Aisa''s unusually sad and troubled face. He knew that Aisa did not inform him in vain, but what happened that made the proud and cheerful Aisa come to this day? The answer to this question was quickly understood by Aisa pointing to the throne and seeing the only remnant of the incident at the Dragon Legacy Castle.

    "Hmm...so Lenus finally woke up."

    Seeing Lenus, Adeline put aside her usual mood and became serious. He suspected it was about Lenus, but he wasn''t so sure.

    "If I''m here, that means what I said is true, right?"

    Aisa said with a half glance at Lenus: "The signs are saying this."

    "Are you sure?"

    Aisa looked decisively into the eyes of Adeline, who came forward to see Lenus better, and said, "I felt that power with my flesh, skin, and bones, not only me, but Simon also noticed it."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    "So that pesky rhinoceros is finally scared of something," Adeline said again, making a joke of it all. I really wanted to be her and her look-"

    "Enough kidding, Adeline. The boy sleeping here has one of the seven best powers in this world. In addition, he is the only one who knows about the events of that night in the castle, and unfortunately, he probably lost his memory. Do you know what will happen if this news gets to the ears of others?"

    Adeline''s line of words was interrupted by Aisa, who was more serious than ever and angry at his unimaginative happiness, and he realized the seriousness of the situation by Aisa''s question, the answer of which was quite clear. Then he went forward and looked closely at Lenus and his eyes. Beneath the eyes of Lenus was sunken, and a pale blackness covered the circle around his eye.

    Adeline narrowed and widened her eyes and more accurately turned down Lenus. He first examined the eyes and then the facial features. Then he took the whole body from top to bottom under his sharp and searching gaze and after a while he stood straight. He put his hand under his chin and thoughtfully said, "Lenus himself is fine, but apparently that terrible power has taken a toll on his body. In this one month, his organs grew in a strange way. Even his hair grew a lot. Although he still looks like a young boy, he is no longer small and petite like the old Lenus.

    Aisa looked at Adeline and asked, "What about that red glow coming from her eyes?"

    Adeline continued without looking at Aisa: ˇ°It is clear from his renewed unconsciousness and the sunken under his eyes that this sudden power has not adapted very well to Lenus'' body; Otherwise, both you and Simon would have been crushed. In any case, over time, this power and Lenus'' body will adapt to each other, but if you want to stop him, you must now-"

    "No!"

    Adeline fell silent. He also did not seem very satisfied with his proposal, but he believed that in order to nip the future problems in the bud, he should skip kindness and compassion and hand over the reins to his mind instead of his heart. He turned to Aisa coldly and said: "I know that you are an important person and the only way to solve the case of the Dragon''s Legacy Castle incident, but if we don''t stop it right now, not only us, but many others may be in trouble later. ; However, there is less power in this world that can withstand this powerful ability."

    Aisa didn''t show it, but she already had an internal conflict. He did not know which way to choose; To leave Lenus alive and bear the possibly heavy consequences so that he can understand the secret behind his sister''s death, or to get rid of Lenus right now and forget everything.

    Adaline was calmly looking at Aisa''s profile and waiting for Aisa to make her decision. The reason why Adeline did not intervene explicitly in this matter was that he did not consider himself involved in this matter; According to Adeline, he was just an ordinary witch who had come here in response to a request from an old friend and examined a sick and suffering boy. That''s all.

    Aisa and Simon were aware of Adeline''s behavior for a long time. For them, how irresponsible Adeline is and never takes on difficult and heavy tasks was considered an inseparable aspect of his personality. Of course, this did not cause their relationship to collapse; At least not for Aisa.

    Aisa was still fighting with herself and meanwhile, sweat was running down her forehead. Adeline, who was tired of waiting for his answer, turned and went to the exit door.

    "I''ll be waiting downstairs, Lady Aisa."

    Aisa, who was walking in another world, came to her senses with Adeline''s words and turned to him.

    "O-Okay... just remember this is a hospital, not a battlefield with Simon."

    "Heh heh! ok ok, I don''t care."

    When Aesa looked back at Lenus, Adeline put her foot in front of the door and said before walking through it, "You really look beautiful in this dress, Miss Aisa." After that, Aisa came back to answer but Adeline had already left.

    The sound of the sorcerer''s footsteps as his wand hit the ground created a rhythmic song and gradually faded from Aisa''s ears.

 22: Awakening

    The head of Lulin City Hospital was now facing another big dilemma in her life, which was again related to her little sister. This also made it difficult for her. If it wasn''t for revenge against her sister''s killer, she would never have allowed a dangerous creature like Lenus to breathe.

    From her point of view, Lenus, having such a great and dangerous power, should not even live for a moment, but on the other hand, he was the only one who knew what really happened in that hall that night. Even though he might have lost all her memories, even the smallest chance was a great hope for Aisa.

    She sat down next to Lenus on the bed as he thought about which path to take. She had his hands on his emerald green hair and was looking down.

    Another thing that made it difficult for Aisa to make a decision was the events that had already been caused by her decision. The last time he was stuck in a dilemma was when he had to choose between stepping on the path of his dreams by running away from his father''s mansion and staying and growing up in a way he didn''t like by being confined in the mansion.

    If it wasn''t for Selena, her only sister, and her mother''s memory, she would have taken the first path and followed her dreams, but she couldn''t leave Selena alone. At that time, he was stuck at a crossroads, but for some reasons he chose the first way. He was always worried about his sister, but he never regretted the decision he made.

    However, now she wanted to make a choice for her sister''s sake once and for all. He spent his adolescence as he liked and achieved his favorite dreams while his sister followed suit. Now it was his turn to do something for his sister; Although he regrets that he did this for her during his sister''s lifetime, he was able to fulfill his religion to some extent now.

    Aisa raised her head and put her hands on her legs. He took a deep breath and made his decision with a determined look and steely will.

    Meanwhile, Aisa felt someone grab her wrist. Suddenly, startled and shocked, he turned to look at Lenus, who had stood up and was looking directly at him.

    However, there was no more of that terrifying, maddening red light.

    When Aisa turned back, Lenus was sitting on his bed, staring at her. His disheveled hair did not allow his face to be fully visible, but his black and sunken eyes were clearly visible.

    Aisa, who was shocked by Lenus'' move at first, calmed down and took Lenus'' hand. Not long ago, because he was immersed in his thoughts, he could not notice the movement of the sheets and the shaking of Lenus. Even though Lenus took his hand by surprise, it was not so ineffective in his surprise.

    Before Aisa looked at Lenus, Lenus turned his head towards the window but quickly put his hands in front of his eyes and turned away from the window. Aisa gently squeezed his hand and kindly said, "You shouldn''t look into the direct light, or your eyes will hurt." Then, with feminine gentleness, she brushed away Lenus''s tangled hair so that both of them could see each other''s faces better.

    Although at first Lenus was not very pleased with Aisa moving his hair, he calmed down when Aisa''s hand directly touched his skin. For Lenus, the softness of Aisa''s hand was miraculous and warm. He felt good before he was surprised to see a beautiful young woman in luxurious clothes sitting next to him and kind of caressing him.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    After fixing Lenus'' hair, Aisa put both her hands on his cheeks. Before he saw Aisa''s indigo fingernails, Lenus smelled her sweet scent. Uncontrollably, a blush of embarrassment settled on his cheeks. He did not know what to do at that moment.

    Aisa, who was now leaning more towards Lenus and making eye contact with him, asked: "Do you remember me Lenus?"

    A blush rose on Lenus'' cheeks. His facial expression became stagnant like after he woke up and he looked away from Aisa. Then he looked at his hands and also at his naked body between the sheets. After a slight pause, he muttered, "L-Lenus k... who?"

    Aisa, realizing that he acted hastily, stepped back and removed his hands from Lenus'' face.

    "You better get some rest."

    After that, he got up from the bed and looked at Lenus again. While he was trying to smile, there was a deep sadness behind his happy and kind face. In this one month, he wished that Lenus would wake up without anything special happening and explain about that night; Even after knowing that Lenus had gained that ancient power, he wished he hadn''t lost his memory and he still had a bit of hope, but now all the petals of his hope were full.

    Aisa put her thoughts away in her mind and did not think it appropriate to ask more questions. With that, he turned away from the bed and went to the door, but the moment he opened it, Lenus said, "Wh-who are you?"

    Aisa smiled bitterly and while her eyes were not clear, she said, "A friend''s sister." He didn''t even come back to answer Lenus directly. After that, he left the room and closed the door behind him.

    Lenus was still on the bed and was looking at the room confused as before, but as soon as he heard Aisa''s footsteps walking away from the room, he changed completely. Now he no longer had the innocence of a child, nor the confusion and distress of a patient who has just woken up from sleep. Instead, he had a menacing grin on his face and narrowed eyes.

    ***

    The head of Lolin City''s only hospital came down the stairs that connected the first and second floors. Although he had a luxurious and beautiful appearance, he had no color on his face. When he reached the first floor and the main hall, he looked around to find Adeline and Simon.

    He thought that the two of them got into a fight, but he was a little surprised when he saw that they both sat in a corner, far away from each other, quietly and quietly. However, he was relieved that nothing had happened. Simon the swordsman was sitting on the sofa, consuming the tea that Melva had probably brought him, and Adeline the sorcerer was talking to one of the hospital staff.

    When Aisa came, both of them noticed him, and seeing his sad face, they guessed that Lenus had woken up and lost his memory. It was Simon who got up first, left his tea half-baked and came to Aisa.

    "So he doesn''t remember anything, does he?"

    It was clear that Simon was also confused; However, he was also eager to talk to Lenus.

    At this moment, Adeline joined them and stood next to Aisa, keeping a distance from Simon.

    "At least it''s good that he woke up. His eyes don''t emit red light anymore, right?"

    Aisa, with the same sadness that she no longer wanted to hide, answered in a regretful voice: "No, it''s the same as the former Lenus. With the difference that he doesn''t remember anything anymore..."

    Simon''s gaze relaxed and his face fell. Ignoring him, Adaline asked Aisa: "Now how did you know that he lost his memory?" I doubt that he could even speak."

    Aisa leaned against the wooden wall and said: "What is this question?! I asked him and he asked me who is Lenus? It was clear from his appearance that he did not remember anything."

    After hearing Aisa''s answer, Adaline sighed and said sarcastically: "No matter what happens, you will not change, Aisa. Do you really expect a person who has been unconscious for a month to talk easily and regain his memory soon?" Then he walked towards the stairs with his magic wand.

    "I''ll go check it out myself."

    Simon and Aisa watched him walk up the stairs. Not wanting to follow Adeline, Simon walked towards her, but before he stepped on the first step, he turned to Aisa and asked, "Really, what are we going to do with Lenus from now on?"

    "We''ll take care of him." Aisa replied after a short pause.

 23: Are You Pregnant?!

    Simon, who was sure of Aisa, nodded that she had the same opinion. Then he turned his head and went to the second floor.

    After he left, Aisa headed towards Lena''s room. As she walked and thought about Lenus, she looked around the hospital rooms. The hospital was recently receiving more patients and injured. It was even going to get busier in the next few days. For this reason, more attention could be directed towards Lenus. Considering these issues, Aisa was thinking about where Lenus would stay from now on.

    When Aisa reached the middle of the corridor that branched off from the left side of the hospital lobby, she stopped in front of a door and knocked on it.

    "Come on."

    The door of the room opened and Aisa closed it after entering.

    "L-Lady Aisa!"

    Lena, who was sleeping peacefully on the bed, jumped up when Aisa entered. She looked a little pale and it was obvious that she had suffered a severe emotional shock. When Aisa came forward, Lena wanted to get up from the bed in her sleeping clothes, which was stopped by Aisa''s gesture.

    "Take it easy."

    Uncomfortably tormented, Lena didn''t move. Aisa stepped closer and pushed aside her skirt before taking a seat.

    "I came to apologize for what happened."

    Before this, Lena thought that the matter was exposed, but when she heard Aisa''s apology, her mind was relieved to some extent. However, she was cautious and tried not to reveal anything subconsciously.

    "W-What is this, lady Aisa! It was not your fault, thank God that nothing happened..."

    Although Aisa was busy with a new job, she never forgot the condition of her employees and students. Lena was the first to confront Lenus when he woke up. Certainly, the sudden encounter with that destructive and terrifying ancient power was shocking and had severe consequences for anyone like Lena; That''s why Aisa decided to visit her, but there was no need to worry.

    "This is my fault. If I wasn''t looking to find my sister''s killer and take revenge, I would never have allowed Lenus to be here with his dangerous power and endanger your health. Anyway, you don''t need to get close to him. I decide to take him from here."

    "But where is Lady Aisa?" Lena asked, still holding the thin white blanket over her tightly.

    Aisa nodded and after a short sigh said: "We can''t keep him in the city. Probably, I will leave him to master Simon to take him out of the city so that his mood will improve."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    "I think it''s a good idea... but are you sure Mr. Simon will accept it?"

    Aisa was silent. She hadn''t considered whether or not Simon was even willing to take on the responsibility of taking care of Lenus and taking him out of town. Over the next few days, as the infirmary became more crowded, the Adventurer''s Association would also become busier. Naturally, Simon, who was in charge of the training department for beginner adventurers and knights of the city, also found more conflicts.

    I shouldn''t put Simon in trouble... But who should I leave Lenus to?

    The next person that Aisa considered was Adeline, but knowing her, she preferred to leave him. With Adeline gone, there was no better option on the table. Although there were many people who could take this responsibility, but in this situation, trust was superior to familiarity. Besides, there weren''t many people who would risk going with Lenus.

    Lena, seeing Aisa''s thoughtful face, said: "w-what do you think, we should send Lenus to the forest hut?"

    Aisa raised her head and looked at Lena with sparkling eyes. She suddenly leaned forward and took Lena''s hands and happily said, "You are a genius, Lena! It didn''t occur to me at all! In this way, we can visit him in turn and not worry about him being found."

    When Aisa came close to Lena''s face, Lena froze and panicked. While sweat was dripping from her face, she frantically tried to keep Aisa in place and not let her sit on the bed, but suddenly Aisa''s foot hit the side of the blanket and something fell on the floor from under it.

    When Aisa noticed something falling from under the blanket, she turned and looked at it. At first she couldn''t believe it and was shocked, but when she let go of Lena and picked it up from the floor, her eyes widened in surprise.

    "I-I''ll explain, lady! believe-"

    "What is this doing to you, Lena?" asked Aisa, uncharacteristically, as Lena could only see half of her face. Her voice was cold and her look was devoid of any emotion. At that moment, you could clearly see the darkness and anger hidden in his behavior.

    Lena was embarrassed and scared, and while she was on the bed, she prostrated herself and said with fear: "I swear it belonged to one of the patients, she told me to keep it while I''m here! I was wrong, lady Aisa! I was wrong!"

    Aisa, while holding the strange red fruit in her hand and looking at it, asked with calm mixed with anger: "Lena, how many years have we been together and I know you enough to know when you are lying and when you are telling the truth!" Then, after a short pause, she shouted: "Who dared to make you pregnant? Haaaaaaa?!''''

    With Aisa''s terrible scream, the vase on the bedside table fell and broke. There was even a small crack on the window. Lena was also trembling with fear and could not utter a single word. She already knew Aisa would react like this; However, she was still unable to resist it and not tremble.

    While the veins in Aisa''s hands and face were swollen and the flame of anger was shining from her eyes, the scared and disturbed Malva quickly opened the door of the room.

    "W-What''s wrong, Lady Aisa?"

    Aisa turned very slowly and gritted her teeth with a horrified look. Then she crushed the red fruit in her hand and asked: "Don''t you tooˇ­?"

    Melwa was startled by this question but before she could say a word, Aisa pulled her towards her and closed the door of the room. No one knew what was going on behind the closed door of the room, of course no one would ever understand.

    From that moment until the next few minutes, the only sound of the two apprentice healers'' moans and groans could be heard from that room.

 24: Confusion

    After seeing Lenus, Adeline and Simon came out of his room and were going down the stairs when suddenly Simon said, "Do you think there''s any point?"

    "I don''t know."

    "Then why did you give it to him?"

    Adeline sighed and said, "Phew... we won''t understand until we try."

    Although Simon was not satisfied with Adeline''s answer, he remained silent. They both went down the stairs and went to the lobby counter. Simon went ahead of Adeline and asked a young woman who was the same age as Melwa and who was checking some cases behind the counter: "What was that screaming, sighing and moaning about a few moments ago?"

    Suddenly seeing Simon the swordsman and Adeline the witch, the woman got up from her chair and bowed while adjusting her glasses.

    "I guess they were punishing Lady Aisa, Lena and Melva. The sound comes from the room where all three of them were there."

    "Aren''t you worried?" asked Simon in surprise. You say it like it''s a normal thing."

    The young woman in the uniform of the hospital staff smiled and said: "This is how it is here." There is not a day that Lady Aisa does not shout at Lena and Melva. We and the patients got used to it. But now that you said it... I think this time the matter is more serious."

    Adeline grinned and said, "Ha! This kid is no different at all."

    Remembering what kind of person Aisa is, Simon sighed and asked the woman again, "Where is the lady now?"

    The woman pointed to the corridor on the left and answered: "The third room, the board says the boss''s room."

    As Adaline and Simon left, the young woman bowed and went about her business. The two old friends made their way to Aisa''s room and walked away from the counter. After a while, when they found Aisa''s room on the board, they stopped in their tracks. The reason was Aisa''s loud and angry voice coming from inside the room.

    "I will cut those two lovers to pieces! I''ll kill that dalkie too! Do you think I''m a coward that I have to watch two of my students get pregnant and do nothing?! I will not let them live!"

    Without turning her head, Adeline said to Simon: "The cow has given birth, the rhinoceros." This time it is serious. Now you have to go after Aisa so that she doesn''t kill anyone..."The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    "You''re right, duck," Simon whispered. "Probably more than I should worry about Lenus, I should worry about Aisa not doing anything to us..."

    Both of them were standing silently in front of the door of the room and did not move. Although Aisa was more than ten years younger than them, they still did not dare to fight with her when she was angry. This had not changed since their first adventure.

    Hesitating to open the door, Simon reached for the doorknob. Finally, after a little delay, he opened the door of the room slowly, but in one of them, he entered the room instead of himself as the first person. Adeline, who did not expect Simon to make such a quick move, took a seat, but accepted the imposed position and pushed his chest forward, and then entered the room.

    "B-With permission!"

    First Adeline and then Simon entered the room. Aisa, who had changed her clothes and was wearing a uniform like the rest of the staff, got up from behind her desk and asked in a demanding tone, "So, what happened?"

    Before speaking, Adeline and Simon unconsciously looked at the familiar item that was placed on Aisa''s table. Seeing that, both Simon and Adeline gulped and stared at the sky.

    ˇ°How familiar is that, Aisa?ˇ± Adeline asked with her usual nonchalance. I mean, where did I see it?!"

    Aisa looked at broadsword and proudly said, "That''s what I got from the lord of the northern regions for saving his son''s life." And then he continued furiously: "So much so that I swear when he comes out of his sheath, he''s bound to cut someone''s head off." Now the anger and hatred in his eyes is better.

    Simon stuttered and advisedly and to some extent begged Aisa: "I know you are angry, but whoever loves you, be calm!" Stay here and do nothing. I will go and settle the account of Dalkey and his brothers.

    "Do nothing?! Heh! what do you know simon Those two brothers of Dalki, Lena and Melwa, got my dear! Do you understand?! Do you know how much I wished for those two? I will let them take the palace forever!"

    Simon sighed and decided not to sit back so as not to wait for the unfortunate consequences in the future.

    "I know Aisa, but you also don''t know that in a few days, the commander of the army will come to Llewellyn and Dalki will be in charge of welcoming him. You know very well how expensive it will be if there is no dalki and the reception is not well organized; It''s even worse than killing a normal Dalkey in public. At least wait until the army commander leaves the city and then do whatever you want."

    Aisa became silent after hearing Simon''s words. Although he was very angry, he knew how terrible it was to fall with the army commander. He was thinking of killing Dalkey and his brothers quietly, but despite being the commander of the army and the responsibility of hosting Dalkey before him, he had to hold back.

    Adeline, to whom their bickering was as unimportant as so much else, raised her hand and acted like students asking permission to speak.

    "Can I say something?"

    Simon and Aisa looked at him. Adeline also looked up and said: "It has nothing to do with me, but you''d better think about Lenus'' condition as soon as possible."

    "So he really lost his memory..." Aisa asked.

    Simon nodded and confirmed Aisa''s opinion.

    Adeline approached the window of the room and narrowed her eyes in the light. Then he asked, "What are you doing now?"

    Aisa stroked her hair and answered: "I''ll take her to the forest hut."

 25: Amnesia

    After Aisa''s proposal to move Lenus to the forest cabin, Simon and Adeline agreed.

    "Good idea."

    "Right, no one will notice that way."

    The forest cabin used to be the hideout of the party that Aisa, Simon and Adeline were members of. Years ago, they had built the hut in a special position where few living beings could approach it and only those people could enter there. As time passed and the members of that party dispersed, the hut was also abandoned, but Aisa visited there occasionally when she went to collect medicinal plants.

    After Aisa calmed down a bit, they all sat around a circular table in Aisa''s room and ate the tea that one of the servants had brought. After the tea, Adeline began to speak as if she had something to say that she had hidden until now.

    "I remember reading something about forgetting somewhere. Would you like to hear?"

    Aisa eagerly nodded along with Simon for Adeline to continue.

    "Look, we have several types of forgetfulness. One is that forgetting happens over time and gradually that there is almost no way to return that forgotten information. Another type is that forgetfulness occurs due to a severe accident, for example, a head injury or even an external factor erases the memory. Naturally, Lenus'' forgetfulness is of the second type.

    "So what?" asked Simon, sitting with his hands on his chest.

    "That means he can probably get his memory back," Adeline continued without looking at him.

    Aisa, who was as surprised as Simon, asked: "How?"

    Adeline scratched her chin and reluctantly said, ˇ°I don''t know exactly. Maybe showing something related to him before he forgot so that he can regain his memory little by little or some other extreme and shocking incident."

    Aisa looked thoughtfully at the vase in the middle of the table and said, "It shouldn''t be in a bad situation, it''s not worth the risk, at least we shouldn''t do it until there is another way. But it might be useful to show his room and things, the community hall, or where he recently worked."If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    "But how do we get him out?" asked Simon immediately. I have heard that a series of adventurers have been settling in the city for several weeks. I saw one of them around the hospital. It''s not a good idea to take Lenus outside so that people can see him."

    "Looks like we''re under a microscope more than I thought."

    It was clear that Aisa was helpless by twisting a few strands of hair from her head and walking away with it. On the one hand, he did not want Lenus to be in a bad situation again, and on the other hand, he was not able to move him around the city easily.

    Adeline, who noticed the helplessness of Aisa and Simon, suddenly hit a fist on the wooden table and said: "Don''t worry about these words for now, it''s better to take Lenus out of the city first. What do you think, let''s get a cart and put Lenus on it along with some boxes and take him out of the city?"

    "So far so good, but what about the gate guards?"

    To alleviate Aisa''s worry, Simon punched her hand and hit her on the chest.

    "Leave it to me!" I come to the gate myself and personally check the cart. I won''t let anyone smell anything."

    Aisa smiled kindly and took on a completely different expression than she had a few minutes ago. Seeing that the issue was resolved, Edlin got up from his chair and went to the door. Then he said, ˇ°Well, apparently the problem is solved. It''s time for me to go too." But before he opened the door, he turned and looked at Aisa.

    "Indeed, I made a kind of mask for Lenus and put it on his face to control his power. It probably won''t last more than a few seconds, but this time is enough to control it."

    Adeline turned to leave the room when Simon said coldly, "You''re leaving again?" But Adeline did not show any reaction and left the room after a pause. Aisa looked at Simon''s sad face. He also had the same feeling; After all, he was also present in that incident. However, he stood up and put a hand on Simon''s shoulders.

    "It can''t be done. We have to prepare the preparations as soon as possible and remove Lenus."

    Then he called a servant to collect the tea glasses. By the time the maid came in and collected the glasses and carried them out, Simon didn''t move and kept his head down. Aisa knew that Simon was thinking about how things would be different if Adeline wasn''t like this.

    When the sound of the door closing and the servant leaving echoed in the room, Simon got up slowly and changed his mood and asked Aisa, "Really, what did you do to those two students of yours?"

    Aisa sighed and said: "Nothing, today''s girls are really thin! With fifty hits on their hips, they fell on the ground and could not move. Now, on the contrary, he fell unconscious on the bed. I remember my grandmother hitting me 300 times and I didn''t say oh. Generations have really changed..."

    Simon gave a bitter and shaky smile and didn''t say anything, but said to himself: ''Poor those two students of yours, what will they do to you... However, he was aware of the kindness and benevolence that Aisa had towards Lena and Melva.'' These punishments were out of compassion and concern, nothing else. According to Simon, after the loss of her sister, Aisa considered them as her physical sisters and did not want anything bad to happen to them.

 26: Initial Actions

    After Adeline left, Simon broke up with Aisa and returned to the town''s adventurers'' guild. Before leaving, he asked Aisa to inform him of the exact departure time so that he could make the necessary arrangements. Aisa did not hesitate and immediately sent someone to rent a cart and bring it to the back door of the hospital. Between these actions, by the order of Aisa, Lenus'' head and condition were taken care of to prepare for their short journey; Aisa''s trusted employees did all these things secretly and away from the eyes of others as much as possible.

    When Lenus finished dressing, Aisa entered his room to talk to him for a bit. Lenus was wearing a brown shirt and a fur vest, with a belt around his waist that held his slightly baggy gray pants in place. He, who was tying the laces of his earth-colored boots, didn''t notice Aisa at first and was surprised to see her suddenly and asked: "P-so you are Miss Aisa, right?"

    Not expecting Lenus to recognize her, Aisa stepped forward and asked, "How did you know?"

    "I heard from the person who brought me these clothes. In addition, Mr. Adeline and Simon also gave explanations."

    Aisa looked at the black mask, which was made more elegant by the red stripes, and which was in the hand of Lenus. In Aisa''s imagination, the shape of the mask was such that it elegantly covered the upper half of Lenus'' face and even placed over his eyes; There was also a thin layer of magical glass on the mask that allowed Lenus to see around him.

    Aisa''s thoughts were going towards Adeline and her extraordinary skill in creating magical devices, when suddenly Lenus bent down and took Aisa''s hand and kissed it like princes. Lenus''s movement was so fast that Aisa didn''t even have time to pull her hand back.

    "Let me thank you Miss Aisa. Mr. Simon told me how much you worked for my health and recovery. I don''t know how to repay your help."

    Aisa, who was surprised by the bowing and kissing of her hand by Lenus, was more satisfied with his polite and solemn tone. When his cheeks reddened, he pulled his hand out of Lenus'' hand and said with embarrassment and a little embarrassment: "W-What are these things?! Get up Lenus!"

    "No lady, I owe you my life. I have to compensate you; Even if it happens, I''m worthless!"

    Now Lenus touched Aisa''s skirt and kept her head down. Aisa also grabbed her skirt so that she wouldn''t fall down. At that moment, Aisa''s hands were shaking and her face was red with shame. Until a few minutes ago, she never expected to meet such a version of Lenus.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

    "Y-You don''t need to do these things, Lenus, stop!"

    Aisa struggled to break away from Lenus but it was useless; Therefore, she went backwards until her foot got caught in the corner of her skirt and she fell to the ground.

    After a few moments, Aisa rubbed her head and opened her eyes with difficulty, but to her surprise, she saw Lenus''s face, which was at a very short distance from hers.

    Lenus was on top of Aisa, but there was a few fingers between them. Both of their faces were right in front of each other and their gazes were directly in the same line. At that moment, when time stopped for a little while, Aisa could clearly hear the sound of Lenus breathing and the strong beating of her own heart. She could not see herself, but his face was as red as his lips.

    Aisa, who before this thought of Lenus as a quiet and shy boy, was shocked to see his young and mature face. In addition to the growth of Lenus'' muscles and height, his face was also very different from that of Lenus a month ago. Somehow, her facial features were more harmonious and beautiful than before. Her black and curly hair, which was left hanging in that state, gave her a beautiful appearance.

    Aisa lost her control for a moment, but when Lenus moved away from her and stood up, she regained consciousness.

    ˇ°I''m really sorry, lady! Forgive me! I didn''t want it to-"

    "You don''t have to worry about it, it just happened..."

    After bowing and apologizing, Lenus asked to take Aisa''s hand for helping her, but she refused. Although she didn''t realize it at first, this incident evoked a memory for Aisa; An incident that had been forgotten for a long time.

    When Aisa was arranging her skirt, she paused for a moment and thought about this memory; To someone who treated him like this before, to someone who once had a crush on him, and to someone who...

    The famous healer of Lolin city quickly dismissed these thoughts from his mind and stood up. There was no sign of shyness and awkwardness of a young girl in her; Now she was back to the same strong and stable woman of the past.

    "Since I think you won''t budge until I ask you for something, I will give you a mission later."

    Lenus was happy and said with a smile: "I am ready at any moment you command."

    Aisa nodded and invited Lenus to sit on the bed and have a conversation before sitting down on the only chair in the room. Lenus, who continued his unusual polite behavior, ordered obedience.

    When Lenus sat on the chair, Aisa casually asked: "I know Adeline and Simon asked the same thing, but I want to make sure myself. Do you remember anything from before the anesthesia?

    Lenus, who had clearly lost his happy and motivated mood with this question, answered: "Unfortunately, I don''t remember anything. Ever since Mr. Adeline and Simon told my story, I tried a lot and strained my memory, but it didn''t help. It''s like I''m punching a wall whose thickness is infinite."

    Seeing Lenus with his head down, Aisa also had a depressed mood. Although the decisiveness in his tone of speech and behavior was clear, on the other hand, sadness was also visible behind his decisive face. Lenus had also accompanied this situation and sympathized with Aisa in a way.

    After a while of sad silence, Aisa said: "Perhaps it''s a bit selfish, but it''s better not to stay in this city anymore." Because your presence in this city is dangerous for everyone, especially yourself. That''s why we have to secretly transfer you out of the city today."

 27: Punishment

    After a while of sad silence, Aisa said: "Perhaps it''s a bit selfish, but it''s better not to stay in this city anymore." For some reason, your presence in this city is dangerous for everyone, especially yourself. That''s why we must secretly transfer you out of the town today."

    Lenus raised his head and asked a little worriedly, "Why is my presence dangerous? Did something happen Doesn''t this mask also have something to do with this issue?"

    "Don''t worry, I''ll tell you everything when we get out of town. For now, get ready and we''ll be out of here in a few hours."

    Lenus nodded and looked at the mask on the bed. Aisa also got up from her chair without paying attention to him and gave Lenus another passing look. She still couldn''t believe that the quiet and obedient boy had turned into such a fit and handsome young man. However, every time she looked at him, she was reminded of her sister and her torn body, and anger and sadness filled her entire being.

    "Everything is ready for you to go out of the city. Outside the city, you are going to stay in a forest hut for a while. Do you have a problem?"

    "It''s not a problem, but I can see some of my friends before I leave. Mr. Simon told me that I was working in a restaurant recently. Maybe I will remember something by seeing them."

    Aisa sighed and shook her head after thinking for a while.

    ˇ°Not at the moment. No one should know about you until you are safe. When you settle in the hut, I will take them there myself."

    Lenus stood up and bowed to Aisa. Aisa, who was uncomfortable with his bows from the beginning, said plainly: "I don''t like you bowing to me. I am not your master. From now on, treat me like everyone else."

    "Mr. Adeline, I should always bow to him, Mr. Simon, and you and behave politely. They said that I was your slave since I was a child and you freed me out of kindness. I can''t allow myself to disrespect those who raised me."

    Hearing these words from Lenus, who was behaving very innocently and submissively, Aisa clenched her fists and without Lenus noticing, her eyebrows went together.

    - What kind of nonsense those naughty bitches gave to this child! I swear I will not leave a healthy place on your body!

    After Aisa promised herself to be polite to Adeline and Simon, she came forward and lifted Lenus'' head.

    "Look, Lenus, you were neither my slave nor their slave! Although you believe that you have faith in me, you have no faith in those two idiots. Whenever they tell you this, hit them in the face with your fist and say that Aisa told you to do this. Did you understand?The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Lenus, who was in Aisa''s eyes and the sweat of surprise was running down his face, answered: "I-I understand!"

    Aisa sighed and let go of Lenus. Then he slowly walked towards the door and before leaving the room he said, ˇ°You have no limits, no one can stop you. You are the freedom of Lenus, free."

    "Thank you Miss Aisa."

    Even though Aisa had left the room, Lenus spoke in such a way that his voice reached him; Surely, his voice reached Aisa. That''s why Aisa whispered as she walked away from the room, "I''m glad you''re still alive, Lenus..."

    However, no one could figure out what Lenus did in the room after Aisa left. He smirked like last time and muttered, "It''s fun to annoy people..."

    ***

    After meeting with Lenus, Aisa, who had free time until the cart arrived, went to Lena and Melva. She had no intention of apologizing to them at all, but she did not want to leave any confusion between them. She loved them and considered it her duty to take care of them; Therefore, she felt obliged to do all his efforts for them.

    After walking for a while, Aisa reached in front of their room, but she was a little hesitant and knocked on the door. She thought her punishment was a little too much, but when she remembered what they had done, her forehead vein swelled again and she kicked the door open!

    When she rushed into the room, shouted, "Hey! Are you still alive or dead trash?! Enough laziness! Get lost, we have sick people outside!" But when she did not hear an answer and opened her eyes, he saw that there was no one in the room.

    Being in this situation, Aisa became even more angry. She fisted her hands and stormed out of the room to look for Lena and Melva. Gritting her teeth, she stomped hard on the floor, letting everyone know that Aisa''s alarm had sounded.

    When Aisa reached the main lobby of the hospital, the woman who was in charge of the reception came out from behind the counter and asked Aisa in panic, "W-what''s the matter, lady?" D-Did something happen?

    "Nothing happened Merlin, just tell me where are Lena and Melva?!"

    Although Merlin had seen Aisa''s anger many times, she was still anxious. Seeing Aisa''s flushed and angry face scared him a lot.

    "H-Honestly, they asked Ellen and Corinne to take them to their rooms. Just a few moments to go."

    Hearing this, Aisa didn''t even hesitate and left the hospital, ignoring Merlin. The place where Lena and Melva lived was right behind the hospital; Aisa''s house was also their house wall to wall. That''s why it didn''t take long for Aisa to get there and kick open the door of their house.

    "Where have you gone fools! If I touch you, you will be miserable!"

    This time Aisa entered suddenly like before, but with open eyes. She angrily walked forward but stopped when she saw Lena and Melva lying unconscious on the bed.

    A woman with brown hair who wore a hospital uniform like the others and had black skin looked at Aisa and after bowing said, "miss Aisa..." However, she did not continue her sentence. She was standing next to Melva''s bed and was busy applying magic on Melva''s stomach.

    With her reaction, another young woman who was standing next to Lena''s bed looked at Aisa. With her glowing skin and golden hair, she looked more beautiful than the rest of the hospital staff, and her blue eyes added to her beauty. She _ like the black woman _ was busy applying magic on Lena''s stomach.

    Seeing the anxious and confused faces of the two healers and the sweaty and yellow faces of Lena and Melva, Aisa forgot her anger and felt a strange feeling. She could smell a scent from Lena and Melva that her instincts told him was very dangerous.

    "They ate..." Aisa muttered as she dried herself and her hands were shaking.

    The black healer, who had a little sweat on his face due to the healing magic, said, "That''s right, lady, the fruit of the Crinus tree!"

 28: The Fruit Of The Crinus Tree

    the fruit of the Crinus tree; An apple-shaped fruit with black spots, which is the fruit of a tree called Crinus, and is usually picked in early spring. There is no special name for it and it is known only by the name of its tree. This fruit is one of the four evil fruits that when even a part of it is eaten by a female human, it causes the formation and growth of a dangerous type of devil in the womb of that human. When this demon grows, it eats the entire body of its breeder and devours its life force.

    This fruit was first created by the third general of the demon army, Crinus, in the middle of the Logan War. The demons, who had lost most of their forces and were on the verge of complete defeat, planted the seeds of this fruit in the middle of the battlefield at the suggestion of Crinus, and the human army, which was mostly composed of women, ate from these fruits. In addition to creating new forces, this fruit caused many women in the human army, including their commander, Aline Limpart, and the second princess of the kingdom, Virginia Glenberg, to be torn apart in the abdomen and lower part and killed. Finally, with the cunning of Crinus, the humans suffered a heavy defeat and suffered heavy casualties.

    ...

    Also, it is recommended to check it carefully before consuming because of the similarity of this fruit to Joris, which is soothing for pregnant women.

    ...

    - [The Book of Surprising Diseases, Volume 7, Chapter 3; Author: Udenis Karam Lofo.]

    <hr>

    Seeing the pale and lethargic faces of Lena and Melva, as well as the unpleasant smell emanating from them, Aisa quickly realized that they had eaten the fruit of the Crinus tree and not Juris. The fruit he saw in Lena''s room a few hours ago was probably the fruit of the Crinus tree.

    Aisa turned to the healer and said: "Ellen, go to Lena and Melva''s room right now and find the Crinus fruit. Then take it to the basement and put it in one of the protective glasses! When you come back, bring the blue glass that is in my room. Be quick, just be careful that no one finds out!"

    Ellen, the motley healer bowed with worried blue eyes and quickly left the house. After his departure, Aisa immediately filled his place and began to create her healing magic. In an instant, green light started to shine from his hand and shone on Lena''s bare stomach.

    Aisa then looked at Lena and Melva with confusion and concern. The freshness of his face was gone and he didn''t even blink. After that he looked at Melwa; He was like Melwa and did not move. Both of them were sweating and their bellies were getting bigger and bigger.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    "We didn''t understand at first, when I was bringing them here with Ellen, I had a seizure and that evil fruit fell out from under Lena''s skirt. We were very scared and tried to do something ourselves, I didn''t want you to worry!"

    Aisa yelled angrily: "Worry?! They are in this situation and I shouldn''t have known? They cut parts of my body, you and others too. If anything happens to any of you, I will never be able to forgive myself..."

    Corinne, her brown hair covering half of her face, lowered her head and said sadly, "I''m sorry, lady." Although Corinne looked a little bigger than Aisa because of her black skin color and her big body, but in fact she was not. She was about a year younger than Aisa and always considered Aisa as his teacher.

    As she continued to heal with one hand, Aisa took Lena''s pulse with the other to make sure she was still beating. Fortunately, although it was low, she still had a pulse and blood was flowing in his Lenos. At the same time as Aisa, Corinne also took Melva''s pulse in Aisa''s way and made sure that she was alive.

    With each passing moment, Lena and Melva''s bellies continued to grow larger and their skin wrinkled despite Aisa and Corinne''s healing magic. It was clear that something was growing in their stomachs using life force. Knowing about this, Aisa felt more and more helpless and in danger.

    She had completely forgotten his anger now and was scrambling to keep the danger away from Lena and Melva. Corinne could see Aisa''s nervous shaking, but she couldn''t hear Aisa saying to herself: I promise I won''t do anything to you, you can spray whoever you like...

    However, hope returned to Aisa and Corinne''s eyes when Ellen rushed into the house with two small blue bottles in her hand.

    "I brought them, lady!"

    "Hurry up, bring them!"

    Aisa quickly took two small bottles and gave one to Corinne to give to Melva. Both of them opened the bottle door at the same time and fed the blue slimy liquid to Lena and Melva. During this process, they tried not to waste any drop of this healing medicine. After all, this was an extremely rare drug.

    When the contents of the jars were finished, Aisa and Corinne removed them from Lena and Melva''s mouths and closed the door. Then they stared anxiously at the face of the two patients to see a sign of recovery. Fortunately, the medicine had worked and the condition of Lena and Melwa did not get worse. However, it was not as if they were completely fine.

    "I think I''d better bring more of this medicine," Ellen asked Aisa And she was going to the exit of the house when she suddenly stopped with Aisa''s heavy voice.

    "Wait. Lilac can''t do more than this..."

    Although Aisa hated to say this, but this medicine could be fruitful for them so far. Lilac was a kind of chilled extract from a plant of the same name that was found only on the top of very cold mountains. The property of this drug was limited to stopping or slowing down the disease process and was not able to cure a disease completely. However, for now, the best option for them was this medicine.

 29: New Fugitive

    Although four thousand years have passed since the discovery of this evil parasite, no one has been able to find a definitive way for this horrible and deadly disease. Throughout history, there were many women who, even though they had the best facilities, ended up dying horribly from this disease.

    With these interpretations, there were some painkillers to limit this disease, but they only increased the suffering of the disease and sometimes their prices were very high and not everyone was able to buy them.

    Ellen turned and stood next to Corinne. Both of them were aware of the unbreakable relationship between Aisa and Lena and Melva, but they could not remain silent. "Lady we mustˇŞ" Corinne said flatly and dryly.

    "I know!"

    Aisa didn''t let Corinne''s sentence even complete and quickly cut it off. She knew what Corinne was going to say. Ellen also knew what was going on. In this situation, to the eyes of a normal person, nothing special had happened and only two women had fallen ill, but these healers knew very well what a great crisis was about to happen.

    Over the years, many cities in the human lands had fallen into decline. The reason for that was the powerful and great devils who devoured the life force of humans and easily destroyed buildings.

    By eating the fruit of the Crinus tree, a small parasite in the form of a sperm was first formed in the womb of women, then this parasite grew bigger and bigger until it split the body of its breeder and started to rebel. Through many experiments, it was found that these demons can be completely destroyed with only one of the four holy swords.

    Aisa was upset and trembling. She was under a lot of pressure. In this situation, even the best friends could become the worst enemies. Who would want to risk the presence of two powerful demons? Was the life of two young women worth it against the multitude of dead and destroyed areas? Aisa was aware of the impending dangers, but she could not leave Melva and Lena alone.

    "Lady, we know how precious Melva and Lena are to you, and so do we," Ellen said sadly, "They remain like our sisters. It wouldn''t be a problem if our lives were in the middle, but this story will affect the entire Garjil region. We have to inform the guild right now."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    Corinne apparently agreed. This was considered the wisest decision at this time. Handing over Lena and Melva to the guild might have been dangerous and the death order for Lena and Melva might have been issued immediately, but at the same time, it was possible to find a better way to prevent this risk.

    Aisa was still silent and struggling with herself. He put his hands on his head and was in a difficult dilemma; She was unable to treat Lena and Melva or keep them in their home for a long time. On the other hand, entrusting them to the guild meant signing their death warrant for her, and it would cost her a lot if people found out about this.

    Meanwhile, suddenly the sound of a horse''s neigh and the wheels of a carriage sliding on the stone road outside the house was heard. As soon as she heard this voice, a thought came to Aisa''s mind. She hurriedly stood up and said to Corinne and Ellen, "Get Lena and Melva ready, I want to take them out of town."

    Ellen and Corinne were stunned.

    "But lady-"

    "At any cost, I will not let the guild reach Lena and Melva! Do what I said."

    Corinne, not as happy with the situation as Ellen, nodded and followed Aisa''s instructions. The two of them changed Lena and Melva''s clothes and took care of their condition.

    On the other hand, Aisa came out of the two-story house and in front of her house, which was attached to the house of Lena and Melwa, she saw a hooded carriage being pulled by a horse. Beside the cart, Merlin, who had just come out of the hospital, was talking to Carter, a man in his thirties with thick hair.

    Aisa rushed forward and said to Merlin, "Go get Lenus as soon as possible!" Merlin nodded and went to the hospital without wasting time. After she left, Aisa said to Carter, "I want to rent a carriage and a horse for a day, how much would it cost?"

    The man paused and asked: "Do you want to rent it?" Well... usually we don''t rent carriages and horses, but since you are Mrs. Aisa, twenty copper coins."

    Aisa, who was in a hurry unlike the man and did not see patience as acceptable, took out twenty copper coins from the leather bag that she always carried with her and gave it to the carter man. When the sound of coins hitting each other and falling on the palm of the man''s hand was heard, Aisa said: "From now until tomorrow morning, I will rent a carriage and a horse and go outside the city." If I''m late, we''ll count later."

    The man nodded and said, "It''s okay, Miss Aisa, you have a lot of rights for the people of this city. I will come tomorrow night at the same time to take back the door."

    Aisa smiled and saw the man walking away from her after bowing. Immediately his smile faded and he turned to check if Melva and Lena had come.

 30: Runaway (1)

    As the last rays of the sun were disappearing over the rooftops of Lulin City, a horse pulling a covered carriage behind the city''s hospital dragged its hooves on the ground.

    Behind the carriage, Lena and Melva were getting in with the help of Ellen and Corin, while Lenus and Aisa watched. While Ellen was placing Lena in the corner of the carriage and Corin was putting Melva next to a few boxes, Lenus, wearing a mask that Adelin had given him, asked Aisa, "By the way, Lady Aisa, where did the lady who brought me here go?"

    There was no answer from Aisa. When Lenus looked at her face, he saw she was lost in thought and hadn''t even heard him. So he said again, but louder this time, "Lady Aisa?"

    "ˇ®Y-yes?ˇŻ"

    Aisa sounded as if she had just woken from a deep sleep. Lenus asked again, "Where did the lady who brought me here go?"

    Aisa glanced at the carriage and replied, "I sent her to take care of some things so we can pass through the city gates." Then, turning to Corin, she inquired, "Is everything ready?"

    Corin and Ellen nodded simultaneously and stepped down from the back of the carriage. Corin took a deep breath and said, "Just to be safe, we''ve arranged the boxes so that Lena and Melva aren''t visible." Then, accenting Lenus, he added, "Your place is in the large wooden crate in that pile."

    Ellen, who was fixing her hair, said, "Remember, don''t make a sound that might alert the guards." Lenus nodded obediently. Afterward, he looked at Aisa and said, "Don''t worry, my lady. Nothing will happen."

    Aisa smiled, but it was clear that it was only a superficial smile. Who would be calm in her situation? At this moment, she was committing the greatest betrayal against her city and even her region. Without a doubt, if anyone found out, despite being a renowned and respected healer, she would not be able to escape from this predicament unscathed. However, she had not only done this out of the affection she felt for Lena and Melva; Aisa had a plan in mind.

    "Alright, it''s time for Lenus and me to go. Corin, and Ellen, keep a close eye on the hospital and the patients. I''ll try to return as soon as possible. There''s a lot I need to do here..."

    Lenus heard the final part of Aisa''s sentence differently; as if a tiger was waiting to return to its lair and tear a gazelle apart with its teeth. However, he ignored it. Despite their worries and lack of reassurance, Ellen and Corin went towards the hospital, and at the same time, Merlin rushed towards Lenus and Aisa. Panting, she paused for a moment to catch her breath. Then she said, "Everything''s ready. In half an hour, Master Simon will be in charge of guarding the city gate."

    "Very well. Let''s go."

    Aisa turned without hesitation and headed towards the carriage, but Merlin''s question made her stop.

    "Are you sure about this, my lady?"This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    Aisa paused for a moment, turned, and replied with a serious look, "I''m certain!"

    A moment later, Merlin returned to the hospital with a heavy heart; Lenus hid in the designated barrel, and Aisa grabbed the reins of the horse and set the carriage in motion. All three pondered in silence what events awaited them.

    The day was gradually drawing to a close. The sun was at its lowest point, and darkness was settling over the city. It was no surprise that no one noticed a pair of red eyes in the darkness of the alley beside the hospital, carefully observing all that was happening.

    ***

    The sky above Lulin City no longer held the sun; instead, night and a silvery moon were the guests of this city and its surroundings.

    Amidst the occasional passage of people and the quiet of the moonlit night, the sound of a covered carriage''s wheels gliding over the dirt roads could be heard. At intervals along the streets, there were poles with glass enclosures at the top, each containing a crystal that automatically began to glow at night.

    Although the city was not pitch-black and there was sufficient light, few people could be found traveling in the city after sunset. The only places that were active at this time were brothels and inns, which also closed after midnight.

    The strange and terrifying events that had recently occurred in the city had made people wary of being alone in secluded places at inappropriate times, lest they become prey to an unknown hunter who showed no mercy to anyone. All segments of the city''s population were victims of these continuous and merciless crimes. Old, young, adolescent, child, infant, woman, man, adventurer, ordinary citizen; this heartless killer slaughtered them all. According to some, this killer was a madman whose power had blinded his eyes, otherwise how could he slaughter everyone indiscriminately?

    When the carriage turned onto the main street, all the lights from the shops, stalls, and main buildings were turned off. Now, apart from the streetlights, no glow pushed back the darkness.

    Lenus, still sitting in the large, spacious barrel, was looking out through a hole in the barrel and the carriage''s roof covering when he suddenly stopped. He raised the lid of the barrel slightly and asked Aisa, who was driving the carriage, "Is it normal for everything to be closed at this time, my lady?"

    Aisa, holding the reins of the horse, replied without looking back, "No, some terrible things have happened recently, causing everyone to go home early." Her voice was dry and emotionless. It was no wonder; who could speak enthusiastically about the murder and bloodshed of so many people?

    Lenus asked no more questions. Although Aisa and the others hadn''t said anything, he could understand what she meant by terrible things. He knew very well.

    Aisa ran her hand through her hair and said to Lenus, "Please check on Melva and Lena. See if they''re alright?"

    "Are you sure? No one''s around?"

    Aisa, who had surveyed the surroundings from afar, calmly replied, "No one''s around, but try not to make any unnecessary noise."

    Lenus slowly lifted the lid of the barrel and climbed out with difficulty; as Aisa had said, he didn''t make any particular sound. Then he slowly went to the back of the carriage. Beside several white cloth boxes, something was stretched out; the same situation was visible on the other side of the carriage.

    Though it wasn''t clear to Lenus, sweat had formed on Aisa''s forehead. Even though Aisa tried to maintain her composure, she was somewhat agitated. She had experienced situations like this many times, but she didn''t know why her heart was beating so strangely in this situation. However, she tried to put on her usual Aisa face. She couldn''t falter and lose Lena and Melva. Moreover, she had to settle the score with Dalki and his brothers.

    After a while, Lenus returned and before getting into his barrel, he said, "Don''t worry, they''re fine... but if we don''t hurry, it''ll be too late."

    Aisa nodded and after a short pause said, "We''re getting close to the gate. Hide."

    When Lenus closed the lid of the barrel he was hiding in, Aisa urged the horse to go faster by tugging on the reins.

 31: Runaway (2)

    Lulin City was surrounded by tall walls that prevented monsters from easily entering the city. The walls were a dark lead color and consisted of blocks made from a mixture of volcanic ash and a special mineral found only in this region.

    Lulin had two gates that were directly opposite each other: one to the northeast and the other to the southwest. Traffic to and from other cities in the kingdom was through the southwest gate, and preparations for and attacks on monster-occupied areas were made through the northeast gate.

    Aisa had arranged to meet Simon at the northeast gate. Previously, whenever Aisa wanted to gather medicinal herbs, she would pass through this gate. Although there was a risk of monster attacks, since adventurers had cleared all the surrounding areas and destroyed the main monster lairs, the chances of encountering a monster were very low.

    However, even with a sudden monster attack, Aisa had no problem. Although she was only a healer, she could benefit from her many years of adventuring experience during a monster attack. In addition to healing, she also knew some martial arts.

    Of course, this time there was no need to gather medicinal herbs and risk a monster attack. She had to take Lenus, Lena, and Melva to the forest cabin and then think about how to heal Lena and Melva. She also had to be careful that Simon didn''t find out about Lena and Melva.

    When the carriage approached the city wall, the light of the magical torches beside the gate illuminated the carriage and the coachman. Aisa was a little nervous but sighed in relief when she saw that only six soldiers were guarding the gate.

    ˇ®It seems like Simon the rhinoceros has done his job well...ˇŻ

    Aisa stopped the carriage in front of the closed gate and got out. Seeing Aisa, a soldier came forward and, recognizing her, bowed and said, "I''m glad to see you. How are you, my lady?"

    "You know me?!"

    When the soldier looked up, Aisa realized for the first time that she was a girl, about sixteen years old, with black hair tucked under her helmet and armor that was clearly old and scratched.

    "Of course! You saved me in Balrenu. If it weren''t for you, I''d be dead now."

    The young female guard spoke with a smile and gratitude.

    Aisa gave a gentle smile and replied, "I''m glad you''re okay." Although she didn''t know the girl, she at least pretended to so that the girl wouldn''t feel embarrassed. Besides, she had to be the best Aisa of the century tonight.

    Meanwhile, Simon emerged from the room built next to the gate and came towards them. Upon seeing him, the female guard became serious and the smile faded from her face.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "Get back to your post, soldier!"

    At Simon''s harsh command, the girl returned to her previous place. Then, turning to Aisa, he asked in a way that others wouldn''t notice, "You''re very nervous, did something else happen?"

    Normally, Aisa wouldn''t be so stressed about moving Lenus, but now, in addition to Lenus, she had to transport two other loved ones out of the city; loved ones that no one should know about their illness. Therefore, Aisa cleared her throat and replied, "No, nothing happened."

    Simon said nothing more. Knowing Aisa as he did, he could tell that she was unusually anxious, but he postponed questions and answers; they had more important things to do now. He went to the carriage and began to examine and inspect it. Meanwhile, two guards wanted to join him, but he stopped them. The guards nodded and stepped back. After a short while, Simon stepped away from the carriage and ordered the gate to be opened.

    "Open the gate."

    Aisa, who had been under pressure and wished Simon wouldn''t notice Lena and Melva, breathed a sigh of relief and then got into the carriage. As she passed through the gate, she said, "See you later, Mr. Simon."

    Simon, as always, waved and returned to his guardroom.

    Aisa passed through the city gate easily, but she didn''t even suspect for a second that anyone was following her. Happy that nothing had happened, she tugged on the reins and quickly rode away from the city.

    ***

    Deep within the basement of a multi-story brothel, whose luxurious exterior belied the sordid activities within, a fat man sat on a couch, sipping a glass of wine while surrounded by naked women.

    As he pulled the glass from his lips, one of the heavily made-up women smiled and took it from him, placing it on the table. The man, with his ugly, grotesque face, licked around his lips and sneered at the woman. As he brought his lips, dripping with liquid, close to hers, the door suddenly burst open.

    "Brother! Brother!"

    A man rushed into the room, panting and frantic, but he didn''t seem surprised at all by the scene he saw. Dressed entirely in black, he was gasping for breath, trying to speak but as if he had run an immense distance without pause.

    The man, thoroughly intoxicated, turned to him and, with his cheeks flushed, yelled, "Wh-what are you saying, Ferand?! Y-you''ve... you''ve ruined my mood! G-g-get out of here and come back another time..."

    The young Ferand placed his hand on his chest and said, "Brother Dalki! Aisa... Aisa, Melva, and Lena have been taken from the infirmary!"

    As soon as Dalki heard Aisa''s name, he jumped up. The women around him, drunk like himself, were surprised by Dalki''s sudden change but remained sprawled on the couch and floor in their drunkenness and stupor.

    "What did you say?! Aisa took them? But how?!"

    The drunkenness had completely left Dalki. He couldn''t imagine that Aisa could get Lena and Melva out of the hospital so quickly.

    Ferand, who had finally caught his breath, said, "I saw them all get into a carriage. There was a guy with them too."

    Dalki shouted again, "A guy?!" And after a short pause, he muttered, "It can''t be..."

    Ferand asked, "What do we do now, brother? Shall we go after them?"

    The fat, ugly man scratched his chin and said with a malice in his eyes, "No, send a secret message to Elliot, write that Lenus has woken up and is now leaving the city."

    Ferand asked in surprise, "Lenus...? So don''t chase after them? Lena and Melva''s stomachs could burst at any moment and demons could be born."

    The fat man picked up a green bottle containing a red liquid from the table and before sneering and drinking the bottle, returning to his previous activity, said, "Don''t worry, everything will work out in our favor."

 32: Unsuccessful Pursuit

    Far from the city of Lulin, a covered carriage driven by Aisa sped through the dense forest. Clusters of silvery stars twinkled in the dark ocean of the sky, adding to the moon''s brilliance. The sound of the carriage wheels gliding over the ground and the chirping of crickets in the night caught the eye of an owl perched on a tree branch.

    With confidence in the darkness of the night, without looking back, Aisa said, "You can come out, Lenus."

    The barrel containing Lenus shook, and Lenus emerged, wearing a mask. Afterward, he went to check on Lena and Melva. This time, he did so without Aisa saying anything, which surprised Aisa, albeit briefly. When Lenus returned from the back of the carriage, he tried to sit beside Aisa while maintaining his balance.

    "They''re fine, but their stomachs are a little swollen and..."

    Aisa looked at him and asked, "And what?"

    Lenus swallowed and said, "Even though it''s dark, I saw a faint darkness in their stomachs."

    Aisa looked ahead. Although she didn''t show any particular reaction, worry was evident in her eyes. She then pointed to a box and said, "Lenus, there''s a lamp in that box. If you can, turn it on." When Lenus opened the box, he took out a glass lamp and as he tried to light it with his fire magic, Aisa said, as if she hated to admit it, "We''ll really need the light from here on out..."

    Finally, Lenus, with a lit lantern, sat on the front of the carriage and hung the lantern on a special rod to illuminate the road ahead. The carriage shook a lot, and he had to carefully move the lantern back and forth several times to secure it in place.

    He didn''t have any particular reaction in this situation and behaved as usual; he was neither afraid nor terrified, nor excited nor flustered. Unlike him, Aisa was worried but didn''t panic like him and tried to manage everything well.

    As Aisa drove the carriage, Lenus asked curiously, "Lady, is there another way to the forest cabin besides the one we''re taking?"

    Aisa was a little surprised by his question but quickly replied, "There is one, but since this way is faster and smoother, we''re not taking that route."

    "So can we take the other way?"

    Aisa didn''t hide her surprise this time.

    "Why?"

    While Aisa couldn''t see Lenus''s face, he replied, "Master Adelin told me I had gained a great and dangerous power. I don''t know, I''m not sure, but..."

    "But what?"

    Lenus looked at Aisa with his usual gaze and said, "I have a feeling that if we continue on this path, we''ll run into a big problem. Maybe... maybe they''re lying in wait for us."

    As soon as Lenus finished his sentence, Aisa''s eyes widened and a cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Lenus''s prediction was not far-fetched. Although only Lenus, herself, Adelin, and Simon knew their destination, their plan might have been leaked. She trusted Adelin and Simon, but she suspected that one of the patients or one of the staff might have overheard this and told someone. According to Simon, people were wandering around the city who were waiting for Lenus to wake up.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    Moreover, Lenus said he felt it; considering the power he had gained in the incident at the Dragon''s Heritage Castle, Aisa didn''t consider his words simple or baseless. After all, there were many legends about this terrible power and its dangerous and vast abilities. Perhaps "foresight" was also among the abilities resulting from this ancient power.

    After analyzing all these matters, Aisa finally made her decision.

    "Okay. There''s a turn a little ahead, be careful not to fall out of the carriage when we turn."

    Lenus replied with a faint joy that not everyone would feel, "I''ll be careful, Lady." And he clung tightly to the carriage.

    A few moments later, Aisa slowed the carriage slightly and, under her guidance, the horse and carriage turned onto a path that branched off from the dirt road. Fortunately, nothing else happened except for a few boxes falling and the barrel rolling.

    Lenus looked at the new path they were on. It wasn''t entirely clear because of the darkness of the night, but the deeper they went, the denser the trees became and the sky became less visible. Also, the road became rougher and more rocky. However, there was no serious disruption to the carriage''s movement.

    As Lenus''s eyelids grew heavy, a small, mocking smile appeared on his lips. The covered carriage continued on its way, making its way through the tangled trees.

    ***

    About half a kilometer ahead of where the carriage turned off the dirt road, several black-cloaked men, their faces well concealed, were hidden among the trees. Some were looking in the direction the carriage was supposed to come, and others were looking at the road beside them.

    One of the black-cloaked men, who was looking at the road, said, "Did we really need to use the Porch Trap? I don''t think ambushing a carriage required this much preparation." He spoke so softly that if the wind blew, his words would easily disappear into the air.

    Another black-cloaked man standing near him said, "The boss ordered it, so it must have been necessary. Besides, the person we''ve been waiting for here for a month is in that carriage. The sooner and smoother it''s done, the better."

    "Oh... I see. Right."

    They said nothing more and, like the others, remained silent and ready, waiting for the carriage to arrive.

    In the middle of the road, a large magical circle was drawn on the ground, and a red, polished stone was placed in its center. This set trap, called the Porch Trap, was one of the most famous magical circles and, of course, drawing it required a great deal of skill and experience. It was also very powerful and, with some modifications, could be used as a practical trap for ambushes and surprise attacks.

    This trap was supposed to catch the carriage in which Aisa, Lenus, Lena, and Melva were, but it seemed to have been set up in vain; a lot of time passed, but no one appeared.

    One of the black-cloaked men, who was hidden higher than the others, came out from among the trees and stood beside the Porch Trap. He was clearly larger than the other black-cloaked men but still had a special grace in his movements. Following him, another black-cloaked man emerged from his hiding place and said to him, "They should have arrived by now, Elliot."

    The black-cloaked man named Elliot removed his black hood, and his long golden hair fell out from under it. In his gaze, like his slow and precise behavior, there was a well-ordered and tangible pattern of a mixture of power and order. It was no wonder that he was appointed as the leader of this group.

    Although things were not going as he wished, not a bit of his composure was caught in the whirlpool of turmoil and confusion. Then he raised his hand, and suddenly a crow landed on his thumb with great speed. The black-cloaked man standing beside him didn''t even have time to blink and see the crow. However, this didn''t surprise him.

    The crow flapped its wings in an unusual and somewhat strange manner and made a sound: Caw!

    Elliot took his honey-colored gaze away from the crow''s red eyes and looked into the distance, where the carriage had turned off the road. He saw a very small light moving away from them. Then, in his simple but penetrating and clear tone, he muttered to himself, "So that''s how it is..."

 33: Scar Of Folly

    Darkness enveloped the city of Lulin. The only sounds were the occasional meows of stray cats. Even the notorious Dalki''s brothel was eerily quiet. Recent events had forced many nocturnal businesses to close early, and Dalki''s establishment was no exception. Yet, none of this could disturb Dalki''s deep sleep.

    He lay naked on his large, plush bed, his body contorted in a grotesque pose. In his dream, he was having sex with one of his prostitutes, his pillow serving as a grotesque substitute.

    "Ah... ah..." he moaned, his voice growing louder and more intense. He was lost in a sea of pleasure, or perhaps something more sinister. His heavy body, unable to contain itself, released its semen onto the pillow.

    "Haha... Aisa! Your body is so soft and sweet. I can''t help myself, darling!"

    In his dream, he imagined the pillow to be the naked form of Aisa, one of his prostitutes.

    Enveloping the pillow, Dalki, with his ugly face and repulsive voice, said, "Oh, Aisa darling, can I eat your lips? They''re so sweet, I''m afraid they''ll melt in my mouth! But what can I do..."

    As he leaned in to lick the pillow, the window to his room burst open. Startled, Dalki turned to see the curtains billowing in the wind.

    "Damn it!" he cursed.

    Despite the obvious difficulty of tearing himself away from the pillow, he tried to get up and close the window but couldn''t even move an inch. "Wh-what''s going on?!" Dalki was bewildered when he felt a dark figure in his room. Then he turned and realized his feeling was correct.

    "What a pathetic sight, Dalki! So this is why you''re cooperating with us, huh?" The voice was clearly that of a woman; a woman dressed in tight, black clothing with a matching cloak to easily navigate the darkness of the night and a mask to conceal her identity. She had burst in abruptly to frighten Dalki and ruin his apparent moment of pleasure.

    Realizing who the woman was, Dalki asked eagerly, "So you finally caught them, huh?" Then he got out of bed and tried to approach the black-cloaked woman in his naked state, but suddenly a blow to the back of his neck sent him crashing to the ground.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    The black-cloaked woman, disgusted that Dalki would approach her in such a pathetic state, said with disdain, "If you come any closer, I''ll break your neck, you worthless piece of shit!" Without hesitation, she stepped on Dalki''s face and leaned in.

    "The boss said anyone who makes a fool of us will suffer the worst death. You''ve kept us waiting too long, you good-for-nothing! You deserve to have your throat slit right here!"

    Angrily, she pulled out a dagger she had hidden under her cloak and held it near the carotid artery on Dalki''s neck.

    Dalki, now fully awake, gasped and trembled, "Wh-what did I do?"

    The woman moved the dagger closer and replied, "Nothing. You''re a traitorous piece of scum that I''m about to kill."

    The black-cloaked woman sheathed her dagger and paced around the room. She muttered, "I hate people who betray themselves. Tsk!" Then she spat on Dalki''s face, saying, "That carriage changed course before it reached us and escaped. That means you tipped them off."

    Dalki, wiping the spittle from his face, was startled. He couldn''t believe he had so easily lost his prey. All the plans and possibilities he had considered vanished in an instant.

    "H-how is that possible? The only way to the forest was that one!"

    The black-cloaked woman looked at him and said, "No, there was another way, a very rough and uneven one. The boss suspects someone betrayed us."

    Dalki denied the woman''s words with fear and horror. "Impossible! How could I, who reported them to you, betray you myself? I want them dead as much as you do!" Then, after a brief pause, he gave a sickening smile and said, "Believe me!"

    The black-cloaked woman, who had been watching Dalki from the beginning, turned and looked out the window.

    "You''re right, you''re the only one who couldn''t have betrayed us. If we''re caught or something happens to us, you''ll be the first one to suffer..."

    Dalki interrupted her, saying with a trembling smile, "Y-yeah, of course-"

    "But..."

    Suddenly, before Dalki could even react, the woman turned and kicked him hard in the chest.

    "Ouch!"

    The fat Dalki crashed into the bedpost and involuntarily spat. His vision was blurring.

    The woman pushed her cloak aside and drew her dagger once more. She approached Dalki and, with eyes filled with a terrifying intensity, said to him, "I''ll give you this souvenir so you don''t make the same mistake again, you piece of shit!" The sharp tip of the dagger created a thin line on Dalki''s left cheek.

    Dalki watched in terror, unable to move. He was helpless as this woman inflicted pain upon him. For the first time in his life, Dalki was truly terrified of a woman.

    The woman stood up and quickly moved towards the open window. The sky was beginning to lighten. She turned to Dalki, who was still lying on the floor, and said, "You have until this time tomorrow to finish the job. If you don''t get us what we want, the dogs will eat your remains tonight."

    Dalki raised his head but no longer saw the woman. She had apparently left, leaving Dalki alone and soiling himself.

    Dalki trembled as he touched the wound on his face. When he saw the blood on his hand, he muttered angrily, "Damn it..."

 34: Golden Shadow Guild

    As darkness still mirrored in the sky, engulfing the entire earth, the sun''s radiant blade cut through the gloom and emerged from the eastern horizon. The morning had dawned in the city of Lulin, as evident from the loud chime of the city''s church bell and the pigeons taking flight from its tower.

    Gradually, people emerged from their homes, each engaged in their own activities: shopkeepers opened their stores, merchants were busy buying and selling, children played in various neighborhoods, and most notably, the city of Lulin''s only adventurers'' guild, the Golden Shadow Guild, began its day.

    Adventurers, primarily from the three large inns in the city, would come to the guild to find missions and requests suited to their abilities and carry them out. Some did this in groups, while others preferred to go solo. When several adventurers came together to complete missions, they were called a "party," and those who explored and fought monsters alone were known as "loners."

    New adventurers often teamed up in parties, but high-ranking ones explored individually and were known as "loners," although there were exceptions.

    Groups of adventurers, from wizards and swordsmen to healers and paladins, would enter the guild upon seeing the black sign with "Golden Shadow Guild" written in gold in the middle, to secure the best missions at 9 AM, when new requests were posted on the request board.

    The Golden Shadow Guild was a large, ancient stone building located next to the city''s only square, making it easily accessible. In total, excluding the two basements, the guild building had three floors: the first or ground floor, which was the gathering hall for adventurers and where missions were selected; the second floor, which was a cabaret and a place for adventurers to rest and relax; and the third floor, which belonged to the guild manager and staff. Behind the main building, there was also a covered training ground and evaluation area where everyone had to go through certain stages to become an adventurer and receive a badge and have their information registered.

    The adventurers'' guilds operated directly under the government. The Kingdom of Perunia, with its vast borders bordering unexplored territories, placed greater importance on adventurers than the other four human kingdoms of the Ibris region. Although this kingdom had the most conflicts with monsters and consequently suffered heavy casualties, it always managed to stay afloat due to the wealth it acquired from this.

    As adventurers entered the guild, a large, tall man with brown skin and black eyes entered the guild. As soon as he entered, the bustling guild hall fell silent. The adventurers who had been talking and chatting a moment ago fell silent at the sight of him and his wide, long sword strapped to his back.

    The man approached the request board with a calm and casual demeanor, and the adventurers in his way quietly stepped aside. None of them even dared to breathe. The only thing they thought was prudent to do, to avoid a confrontation with him, was to not obstruct his path.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    The strong, burly man thoughtfully stroked his chin and began examining the new missions for the day. His penetrating and deep gaze quickly scanned all the papers pasted on the board, and his powerful mind analyzed them all. His behavior was entirely consistent with that of a seasoned and experienced adventurer.

    The other adventurers stood at a distance, waiting for him to finish sooner; after all, he was only going to choose one, so there would certainly be an opportunity left for them. However, contrary to expectations, the man raised his hand towards the woman sitting behind the counter and said, "I''ll do all of these today..."

    "What?!"

    All the adventurers in the hall were surprised by his words; indeed, their stunned expressions and open mouths were evidence of this. None of them could believe that anyone would want to do all the guild''s missions in one day.

    The woman sitting behind the wide wooden counter of the guild sighed and placed her hand on her forehead upon hearing what the man had said. The huge man, seeing her reaction, walked towards her with heavy steps and ran his hand through his dark brown hair, then smiled and said, "Don''t take it seriously, I was just joking!"

    The woman sighed again and sat down on her chair. Then, in a dry and cold tone, she said, "I never took you seriously, Master Simon."

    The woman sitting across from Simon was beautiful, with a captivating aura surrounding her. Few could take their eyes off her cascading, silvery hair and her radiant, fair skin at first glance. The depth of her turquoise eyes was so captivating that it could charm any creature. Even her relatively short stature did not diminish her attractiveness.

    Simon leaned most of his weight on the counter and looked directly at the woman who was busy dealing with some papers and documents.

    "Don''t be so stiff, Vanessa," he said. "Sometimes you need to relax and enjoy life."

    Vanessa pointed to the guild''s special uniform she was wearing and said, "That''s true, but not when you''re working."

    The uniform she was wearing consisted of a long, slightly tight black skirt and a white open-front shirt with black collars that somewhat exposed the specific curves of her body.

    Simon assumed a seemingly sad expression and said, "Oh, come on! Why are you all like this? There''s Aisa, who constantly embarrasses me, and now you."

    Vanessa looked up from the papers and, ignoring the main point Simon was trying to make, asked, "By the way, how is Aisa? I haven''t seen her in a few days."

    "Last night she went to gather some medicinal herbs. Actually, she''s having some problems at the infirmary. Plus, she has to host a large number of wounded soldiers in a few days. She has tough days ahead of her."

    Vanessa paused for a moment and murmured, "I should probably go see her."

    When Vanessa was busy examining the papers, Simon turned and said loudly to the adventurers who were still afraid to approach the request board, "Relax. I have work to do today, otherwise I wouldn''t leave anything for you." And as he walked towards the stairs, he laughed.

    Before stepping onto the first step, Simon turned back and asked Vanessa, "Is Mark upstairs or is he reading books as usual?"

    Vanessa looked at him and replied calmly, "Master Mark is in their room."

    Simon smiled at her and without saying another word, went up the stairs."

    [Tyrannous; The first book; The end of the first chapter: "Chaos and Escape"]

 35: The Spy

    It was still night, and darkness enveloped everything. Under the starry sky, an eerie silence filled the forest, a silence that even frightened the animals. Amidst this stillness, the sound of a covered carriage broke through.

    A female coachman, her face marked with worry, guided the carriage using the lantern at its front, occasionally whipping the leading horse. Beside her, a masked boy lay asleep, snoring away undisturbed by the bumpy ride. In the back of the carriage, two young women were lying down, both in a critical state. Their abdomens were swollen, sweat dripped from their faces, and their breathing was rapid.

    After a few minutes that felt endlessly long to Aysa, the carriage finally emerged from the tall trees and their intertwined branches, entering an open space. Now, the sky was clearly visible, and a fresh, cool breeze flowed through the air. From the point where the trees gave way to grass and greenery to the rocky cliffs that jutted out of the earth and rose about a hundred meters into the sky, there was a relatively large plain illuminated by the moonlight, making it appear much brighter than the forestˇŻs interior.

    Aysa continued driving the carriage until she reached near the cliffs and brought it to a halt. In front of her was a large cave entrance, barely visible from a distance due to the moon''s angle. The cave, its end impossible to estimate, was wide enough to easily allow the carriage through. However, Aysa stepped off the carriage and stood for a moment in front of the cave.

    ˇ°Well, looks like IˇŻm in the right place,ˇ± she said.

    Without delay, she approached a sharp rock near the cave entrance and scratched her hand on it, letting her blood smear the circular surface of a carved stone nearby. Then she stepped back. Drops of her blood moved across the engraved surface, and after a moment, a red light engulfed the cave entrance.

    Lenos, apparently awakened by the crimson glow, hurriedly climbed down from the carriage and walked toward Aysa. Still wearing his mask, he asked in a surprised voice, ˇ°What happened, Lady Aysa?ˇ±

    Aysa glanced at him curiously and replied, ˇ°I donˇŻt know how you managed to fall asleep on such an important night.ˇ± Then, turning her gaze to the radiant light illuminating the cave entranceˇŞa translucent red door of sortsˇŞshe added, ˇ°DonˇŻt worry, itˇŻs not dangerous. From here, weˇŻll head to the hidden forest.ˇ±

    Lenos, the worry fading from his face, said, ˇ°Apologies, IˇŻve felt so sleepy since I woke up.ˇ± He tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn. Aysa, however, didnˇŻt respond to him further.

    After a short while, a slight tremor appeared in the glowing surface, and its red color gradually shifted to green.

    The moment Aysa noticed the change, she turned to Lenos and said, "I''m heading to the hidden forest to take care of some things. I''ll come back and take you with me. In the meantime, please keep a close eye on Lena and Melwa."

    "But we..."

    Aysa didnˇŻt give Lenos a chance to finish his sentence. She quickly walked toward the cave entrance, but before passing through the transparent, glowing layer, she said, "DonˇŻt worry, IˇŻll be back soon." With that, she disappeared in an instant, and the glowing surface vanished along with her.

    Lenos, slightly shocked by the rapid turn of events since he woke up, sighed. After glancing around, he sat on a nearby rock. He wanted to take a look inside the cave, but the overwhelming aura emanating from it prevented him from entering. Besides, he needed to watch over the carriage.

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.A little later, he stood up and muttered, "This wonˇŻt work..." He then moved away from the cave and the carriage. Judging by how he clutched his waistband and the urgency in his movements, he likely needed to relieve himself.

    Not long after, a figure dressed in black emerged from behind the forest trees. Scanning the surroundings carefully, they approached the carriage silently, moving stealthily with light, crouched steps. The moonlight now illuminated the figure more clearly, but the mask on their face and the black clothes they wore concealed their identity.

    The figure had almost reached the carriage when they suddenly noticed a flaming orb flying toward their face. Startled, the black-clad figure swiftly moved their body, dodging the fireball with impressive agility. This caused them to stumble back a few steps, barely managing to keep their balance and avoid falling. The fireball continued its trajectory and exploded in the sky a short distance away.

    "Looks like I guessed right," a voice said suddenly.

    Lenos appeared, stepping between the carriage and the masked figure. Flames flickered faintly around his hand, suggesting he was the one who had launched the fireball. The masked figure stood still, staring at Lenos.

    "Looks like this is over quickly," the figure said, their voice clearly masculine.

    Lenos smiled faintly and replied, "It hasnˇŻt even started yet." He then grabbed a staff from the back of the carriage and pointed it at the masked man. In response, the masked man took a combat stance and immediately charged at Lenos.

    Lenos struck the ground with his staff, and a muddy bog quickly formed between him and the masked man. The man halted his attack and swiftly retreated. As the ground became slippery, Lenos raised his staff and murmured, "Fireball!" A fiery mass formed and shot toward the masked man. Surprised by the sudden attack, the man tried to evade it, but Lenos had prepared another fireball and launched it at the manˇŻs new position. Although the masked man partially dodged the second attack, his leg caught fire.

    While frantically trying to extinguish the flames, the masked man lost focus and was met with a hard kick from Lenos.

    "I expected more from you," Lenos said.

    The masked man fell to the ground, coughing dryly as he clutched his burned leg. Lenos approached to remove the manˇŻs mask, but the black-clad figure suddenly pulled something from their clothing and hurled it at Lenos. Taken by surprise, Lenos instinctively raised his hand to shield his face. Whatever the man had thrown seemed dangerously threatening.

    All at once, a transparent wall materialized between Lenos and the masked man. The object exploded on impactˇŞit was apparently a small bomb capable of causing lethal damage.

    When the resulting smoke cleared, the masked man was entangled in a web of twisted branches, unable to move even a finger. Lenos lowered his hand from his face and, startled, looked at the man standing behind the masked figureˇŞlikely the one who had created the transparent barrier to protect him.

    The man, dressed in a long purple robe and wearing a pointed hat, addressed Lenos: "YouˇŻve got talent, but youˇŻre not cautious. Next time, stay sharp."

 36: Entering The Hidden Forest

    Lanos, upon seeing Adeline the sorceress emerging from the bushes, had a surprised look on his face. Like him, the man wearing the mask, who was now struggling to free himself from the branches and vines, seemed even more shocked at the sight of Adeline. Neither of them knew why Adeline was there. Adeline, clearly aware of this, said, ˇ°ItˇŻs pretty strange for me to be here at this hour, right?ˇ±

    Lanos glanced at the man in black and said, ˇ°Of course, but IˇŻm more curious to know who was following us.ˇ± However, before he could approach the unknown, thin man, Adeline stepped forward and removed the mask from the face of the one caught in her spell.

    When the mask was removed, Lanos and Adeline were faced with a pale young man, panting and covered in superficial wounds from the sharp branches. Adeline sighed and muttered, ˇ°I thought it would be you, Freud.ˇ± Her gaze shifted from his face to the surroundings, seemingly making sure no one else was nearby.

    Lanos scratched his head and asked, ˇ°Freud... why is this fool following us?ˇ±

    Adeline paused and said, ˇ°WeˇŻll find out now.ˇ±

    At her gesture, the branches moved and tied the man in black to a tree.

    Freud, the brother of Farand, had lived with Dalkisince childhood. At that time, Dalki had found them and taken them under his care. However, they were his subordinates and treated him with respect, like a boss. Initially, Adeline had thought Dalki had sent him, so to be sure no one else was around, she placed her hand on the ground and whispered a spell. As her spell took effect, a circular wave spread from beneath her feet and extended as far as the eye could see.

    After a few moments, Adeline stopped and looked at FreudˇŻs disheveled face.

    ˇ°ItˇŻs strange that Dalki only sent you. WhereˇŻs Farand?ˇ±

    Freud, his breathing calmer but still pained by his wounds, said, ˇ°I-I came alone...ˇ±

    Adeline immediately rejected his response, saying, ˇ°You expect me to believe that?ˇ±

    ˇ°Believe it however you like. I only came for Lena and Malwa.ˇ±

    Adeline tilted her head. She didnˇŻt understand the situation. Therefore, she looked at Lanos, who was trying to avoid direct confrontation with Adeline. She asked, ˇ°Lena and Malwa are with you, Lanos?ˇ±

    Lanos looked at the carriage and hesitantly said, ˇ°Something came up, and we had to bring Lena and Malwa along with us.ˇ±

    Adeline shook her head and stepped closer to Freud. Then, she whispered in his ear, ˇ°What the hell did you want to do with Lena and Malwa, huh? DonˇŻt you know that if Lady Aysa finds out, sheˇŻll burn you alive?ˇ±Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    Freud coughed dryly and clenched his teeth. Apparently, the branches were coated with poison, and it was slowly starting to take effect.

    ˇ°Of course I know. Especially with what we did to them, but...ˇ±

    ˇ°What did you do?ˇ±

    Despite AdelineˇŻs question, Freud didnˇŻt answer. It seemed that the slimy substance on the branches had knocked him unconscious. Instead, Lanos took the opportunity to say to Adeline, ˇ°We better wait for Lady Aysa to arrive. SheˇŻll tell you what happened.ˇ±

    Adelin nodded slightly and, using her branches, dragged Freud toward the cave entrance, propping him against a spot. As Linus arrived with the others, Aisa emerged from the magical gate she had entered earlier. There was a hint of haste in her behavior, but when she saw Adelin and Freud, she froze in her tracks.

    In the brief time before AisaˇŻs arrival, despite Linus trying to stop her, Adelin glanced at Lena and Melva, who were unconscious. She quickly realized the severity of their condition and illness. With furrowed brows and wide eyes, she reacted sharply. Linus, without saying a word, lowered his head and waited to see how Adelin and Aisa would confront each other.

    As soon as Adelin saw Aisa, she ran toward her with anger and shouted, "Do you even know what you''re doing, Aisa?! Do you realize whatˇŻs happened to Lena and Melva, and youˇŻre helping them escape?"

    Although Aisa was stunned by AdelinˇŻs presence, she collected herself and replied firmly, "I know exactly what IˇŻm doing, Adelin. Stay out of my business and go back to your little dungeon to experiment with your spells."

    Adelin shouted even louder, "There are monsters growing inside those two that could easily destroy this entire region! If we donˇŻt stop them soon, it could end in disaster!" Her voice echoed through the cave, but before the echo returned, Aisa calmly said, "I know all of that, but I also know how to get rid of those monsters. Adelin, I canˇŻt just abandon them and kill them with my own hands. Especially becauseˇ­" At that moment, her gaze locked onto Freud, still trapped in the branches. For a fleeting second, rage boiled inside her. She grabbed a dagger gifted by the lord of the northern territories and, with fiery eyes, rushed toward Freud.

    "IˇŻll kill you, you bastard!"

    Despite AisaˇŻs quick movement, Adelin managed to lift the unconscious Freud into the air, keeping him out of reach of AisaˇŻs sharp blade. The dagger, aimed at FreudˇŻs neck, only cut through a few intertwined branches before striking the tall stone wall, the sound of its impact echoing loudly.

    Without hesitation, Adelin positioned herself between Aisa and Freud, saying, "Calm down, Aisa. Killing this cowardly dog wonˇŻt change anything." She tried to soothe her.

    Aisa, seemingly deaf to AdelinˇŻs plea, raised her dagger again for another attack, but this time Linus intervened.

    "Control yourself, Lady Aisa. Now is not the time for quarrels. We need to think about Lena and Melva. For now, Freud is more useful alive than dead."

    Adelin nodded in agreement. "He was following you. He must know something about Lena and Melva. Either way, are we permitted?"

    Aisa took a few deep breaths and lowered her dagger, suddenly remembering what she needed to do. She nodded in acknowledgment and immediately asked Linus to pour some of his blood onto a stone where she had previously spilled her own. Adelin, understanding what was required, made a small cut on her hand and let her blood spill onto the same stone. She then took some of FreudˇŻs lost blood and repeated the process.

    Shortly after, Linus, holding his magical staff, Aisa, pulling a cart carrying Lena and Melva, and Adelin, carrying the unconscious Freud with her branches, passed through the magical gate of the cave. Once they left, the gate disappeared, leaving no trace of any of them.

 37: Wooden Cabin

    When everyone passed through the gate, a bright, dazzling light made their eyelids close instinctively. After a few moments, as the light gradually faded, a lush and radiant landscape spread out before them, and a cool breeze brushed their faces. Tall trees and intertwined bushes, with twisting branches and the blinding sunlight streaming through them, gave the forest a breathtaking view. Occasionally, the melodious chirping of birds could also be heard.

    Unlike Aysa and Adeline, who werenˇŻt surprised by the scene, Lenus showed some astonishment. He waved his staff and said in amazement, ˇ°I didnˇŻt think the Hidden Forest would be this beautiful... The flow of magic here is so smooth!ˇ±

    Adeline, while placing FreudˇŻs unconscious body on the cart, replied, ˇ°You probably thought itˇŻd be a scary and grim place? Despite its name, itˇŻs quite beautiful... Besides, itˇŻs the best place for using magic.ˇ± With a swift move and her magic staff in hand, she climbed onto the cart.

    ˇ°Get on, Lenus. We donˇŻt have time.ˇ±

    Aysa gestured to Lenus to climb up without delay. Once Lenus sat beside Aysa, the cart quickly started moving, winding its way through the trees. Along the way, not much was said. Lenus kept looking around, trying to observe the forest more closely. Aysa drove the cart, her face revealing worry and urgency. Adeline monitored the condition of Lena and Melwa, anxiously glancing at their swollen stomachs.

    As they traveled further, the trees grew sparser, and the density of the forest diminished until they reached an open space. The cart stopped, and everyone stared at a wooden cabin beneath an ancient tree. The treeˇŻs numerous roots, some of which protruded from the ground, surrounded the cabin, leaving only a single window visible among them. The ancient tree was relatively tall and so thick it could easily accommodate a regular cabin within its trunk. Around the tree, no other trees grew, and grass covered the entire area. Perhaps the shade of the large branches and wide leaves prevented plants from growing beneath the tree.

    Before driving the cart closer, Aysa said, ˇ°HereˇŻs the tree cabin.ˇ±

    When the cart and horse came to a halt, Aysa quickly jumped down and carried Lena and Melwa into the cabin in two turns by herself. Although Lenus offered to help, Aysa declined. Still, the task was done quickly. Lenus carried a few boxes and bags into the cabin, while Adeline busied herself tying Freud with some sturdy green ropes. Apparently, the ropes were the result of years of intertwining forest plants.

    When Lenus stepped into the wooden cabin for the first time, he found himself in a large, dark, and damp room with nothing but a few chairs, a table, and a stone fireplace. The floor, ceiling, and walls were entirely wooden, but they were finely carved, giving the interior a refined appearance.

    Aysa, entering the main room from another room, said to Lenus, ˇ°Please light the fireplace, Lenus. Your main element was fire, right?ˇ± She then grabbed some sheets and pillows from a bag and returned to the room she had come from, seemingly to tend to Lena and Melwa.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Without a word, Lenus placed the last box in the middle of the room and approached the fireplace. The stone fireplace was empty of wood, but instead, a gray crystal was placed within it. Lenus had never seen such a thing before, but he guessed that he needed to channel fire into the crystal. He did so, and immediately, the gray crystal lit up, glowing brightly like a shimmering flame.

    Lenus stared at the crystal in amazement, its glow illuminating his face. The room also lit up, and a shadow approached Lenus from behind.

    ˇ°Surprised, huh? There are a lot of strange and fascinating things in this forest,ˇ± Adeline said.

    Lenus stood up and saw Adeline sitting on a chair, placing her pointed hat on the table. It was clear that memories of distant years were surfacing in her mind. She crossed one leg over the other and continued, ˇ°We found this crystal in the Crescent Maze. ItˇŻs a rare artifact. But unfortunately, it canˇŻt be taken out of this forest.ˇ±

    ˇ°It canˇŻt be taken out?! Why?ˇ±

    Adeline shifted slightly in her chair and replied, ˇ°ItˇŻs the law here. Unfortunately, nothing that belongs to this forest can leave it. When you try to pass through the gate, it automatically stays behind.ˇ±

    At that moment, Aysa entered the room with a sigh, then slumped into one of the chairs. Her hands supported her head to prevent it from hitting the table. Adeline turned and asked, ˇ°So, what happened?ˇ±

    ˇ°TheyˇŻll be here in a few moments,ˇ± Aysa replied without lifting her head. Her voice was cold and empty, carrying a certain heaviness.

    ˇ°And Freud?ˇ±

    Adeline glanced briefly at the open cabin door and said, "He''s still unconscious. For now, I''ve tied him up and left him by the cabin. DonˇŻt worry; he canˇŻt escape."

    Lenus stood up, intending to leave the cabin, when Aysa raised her head and asked, "Where are you going?"

    "With your permission, IˇŻm going to explore the area a bit. The horse is hungry, too. Maybe I can find something for it," Lenus replied.

    Aysa nodded and, before Lenus left the room, reminded him, "The bathroom and kitchen are next to the cabin. There''s also a small room behind this one where Lena and Melwa are staying. If you get tired, come back and sleep in this room."

    Adeline, with a cheerful smile, added, "And donˇŻt forgetˇŞnever take off your mask."

    Lenus nodded, stepped out of the cabin, and walked around. Behind the cabin, he saw Freud, still unconscious, tied up with several loops of rope. Lenus muttered to himself, "Note to self: never get on AdelineˇŻs bad side..." and smiled.

    He continued on his way and reached the back of the cabin. A little further ahead, there was a long table with several wooden chairs, apparently used for their gatherings. Despite the passage of time, they werenˇŻt too worn. At the back of the cabin were two doors, one leading to the kitchen and the other to the bathroom. Lenus inspected them quickly. Despite its small size, the kitchen was well-equipped, and the bathroom was in good condition.

    Suddenly, the sound of running water caught his attention. He turned his head and realized there must be a stream or something nearby. He followed the sound of the water, walking until he finally found a river behind the trees. He sat down quietly, placing his staff on the ground beside him. He gazed at the water, his long black hair hanging loosely from his head. His red-and-black mask, intricately crafted with the utmost detail, revealed only his dark eyes.

    As Lenus stared at the flowing water, he suddenly noticed another face reflected in it. Before he had a chance to examine the features of the face, he turned his head and saw something he had never encountered before in his life.

    "So, you''re Aysa''s special guest, huh?"

 38: Malina, Queen Of The Jungle

    When Lenus  turned his head, he was so startled that he nearly stumbled into the water. He barely managed to steady himself and found himself staring into the warm gaze of the woman standing before him. Her blue eyes were as clear and sparkling as a pristine river. Her round, radiant face blended seamlessly with her wild green hair, and her arched eyebrows stood out above her lashes. Her simple yet elegant green dress, which ended in a pleated skirt, caught the eye. But most striking of all were the two spiraling horns atop her head.

    Lenus stammered, "W-who are you...?"

    The woman smiled and replied in a gentle tone, "Oh! Pardon me. My name is Malina. ItˇŻs a pleasure to meet you! So, whereˇŻs Aisa?" She then looked around.

    Realizing that he had been staring at her for too long, Lenus  quickly averted his gaze and pointed toward the cabin. "TheyˇŻre in the cabin." At that moment, the urgency of AisaˇŻs situation came back to him, and as if jolted by electricity, he exclaimed, "We have to go there right now!" and hurried toward the cabin. Malina, slightly puzzled, followed him without hesitation. Despite her flowing skirt, she kept pace with Lenus  as he ran.

    On their way, Malina noticed an unconscious and bound man with some injuries but chose to follow Lenus , passing by without pause. Before long, they arrived at the cabin door.

    Aisa and Adeline rose to their feet upon seeing Malina, and hope and vitality seemed to return to their expressions. As they entered, Aisa took Malina''s hand and immediately led her to the back room where Lena and Melva were. Adeline, who hadnˇŻt even had the chance to greet Malina, sighed and ran a hand over his magical staff.

    "SheˇŻs right... This isnˇŻt the time for pleasantries. But so quickly...?"

    Lenus , equally startled by the sudden turn of events and burdened with many questions, asked, "Who was that woman, Master Adeline?"

    Adeline, with his usual nonchalance, sat down in his chair and replied, "Malina, the queen of this forest."

    Lenus  repeated in astonishment, "The queen of this forest?" It was clear he wasnˇŻt satisfied with AdelineˇŻs brief introduction of such a mysterious figure. Sensing this, Adeline began to elaborate.

    "SheˇŻs the guardian and, in a way, the ruler of this forest. However, Lady Malina isnˇŻt human; sheˇŻs a druid."

    Lenus  tilted his head in curiosity and asked, "A druid?"This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    Adeline picked up his staff and, while twirling it, explained, "Forest beings born with the responsibility of protecting the woods. They are intrinsically tied to the forest and can be considered its children. They donˇŻt possess magic or martial arts but can connect deeply with the forest and, when necessary, harness its power. Essentially, theyˇŻre about ten times better than me when it comes to manipulating greenery."

    "ThatˇŻs incredible! IˇŻve read about them in books, but seeing a druid in person is so exciting! But honestly, they look a lot like humans," Lenus  remarked.

    Adeline looked directly at Lenus  and replied, "Yeah, if it werenˇŻt for the horns, youˇŻd think they were just regular humans. DidnˇŻt I tell you this forest holds countless wonders?"

    Lenus  murmured, "Yes..." and sat down on a wooden chair beside the table. Seeing AdelineˇŻs troubled demeanor, Lenus  decided to save his unanswered questions for later and turned his gaze to the stone fireplace, where flames danced from within a crystal, warming and lighting the wooden room.

    It had been about two hours since they arrived in the forest, and another hour passed before Aisa and Malina emerged from the back room. Malina no longer wore her cheerful expression; instead, her face was thoughtful. Both of them pulled out chairs and sat down at the table.

    Adeline asked, "So, whatˇŻs the verdict? Is there hope?"

    Aisa remained silent, leaving Malina to answer. "For now, the growth of those monsters has been halted, but itˇŻs not permanent. We need to come up with a long-term solution."

    Adeline let out a sigh of relief and said, "IˇŻm glad to see you, Lady Malina. ItˇŻs been a long time since our last meeting, hasnˇŻt it?"

    Malina offered a small smile and replied, "Likewise, Adeline. I think itˇŻs been about five years." Then, with a sidelong glance at Lenus , she added, "It seems a lot has happened to you."

    Aisa looked out the roomˇŻs window and said in a calm tone, "A lot indeed. So much that I could talk with you about it for ages. But it was after Balerno that things got really strange." There was no joy or enthusiasm in her voice.

    Sensing that their experiences hadnˇŻt been pleasant or memorable, Malina clapped her hands together and, with her earlier enthusiasm, said, "Alright, everyone! LetˇŻs wipe away those frowns. The past is the past. And besides, we have a new guest." She then looked at Lenus .

    Aisa also glanced at Lenus  and said, "As I mentioned, Lenus  has amnesia and doesnˇŻt remember anything. On top of that, he has another condition that makes him extremely dangerous. ThatˇŻs why I brought him here for you to take care of, Malina."

    Lenus  said to Aisa, "IˇŻm aware of my condition. And IˇŻm very grateful to you, Lady Malina, for allowing me to stay here."

    Malina flashed a radiant smile. Despite the horns protruding from her head, she was stunningly beautiful and captivating.

    "I hope you enjoy your time here, Lenus , and that you manage to recover your memory. IˇŻm sure our first meeting wasnˇŻt the best, but there are lots of fascinating things in this forest that IˇŻll show you in due time."

    Aisa, losing a bit of her patience, asked Malina, "ThereˇŻs plenty of time for that talk. So, Malina, is there a cure for my dear Lena and Melva?"

    Along with Aisa, both Adeline and Lenus  stared at Malina intently, eagerly awaiting news of the cure she might have for the incurable ailment.

    After a brief pause, Malina stroked her chin and, with a cunning expression, asked, "Are you sure you can handle it?"