Chapter 368: 194. The Boundary Between Life and Death -4 (Part One)
Translated by A Passing Wanderer
Edited by RED
**
The refugees became a lot more relaxed after learning that the pursuit from the Jötnar had ceased. Supervising and commanding them became much easier after their confusion and anxiety lessened greatly.
Now that the enemy had decided to stop their pursuit for the time being, Charlotte found herself with some wiggle room to take a much-deserved break.
She laid down on the bedding to get some sleep, but in the end, couldn’t keep her eyes closed.
It had been a week already. Yet Allen had failed to wake up even now.
‘No, he will be fine.’ .
His Majesty was someone who fell down all the time, only to stand back up even stronger. He didn’t know the meaning of giving up, so without a doubt, he’d definitely get back on his feet this time as well with a big grin etched on his face.
However…
She pushed her upper body up from the bed.
A maid on standby within the darkness tilted her head before asking, “Ma’am? Are you unable to sleep?”
“Yes.”
“But ma’am. Your heart must remain resolute. Lady Charlotte, you are the head of the Heraiz House, after all.”
Charlotte silently nodded at what the maid had said.
Of course she was aware of it. She was the sword and the shield of the Holy Emperor.
However, there wasn’t much she could do about her heart being agitated. This horrifying thought that His Majesty might really die this time around prevented her from falling asleep.
“I need to clear my head. Bring me my armour.”
The maids assisted her with putting on her armour. After she finished gearing up by putting on some gloves, Charlotte picked up her shield and buckled her sheathed sword on her hip.
She left the barracks and headed to a nearby forest. That’s where she ran into a familiar face in the middle of the forest’s clearing.
Charlotte tilted her head and asked, “Sir Harman?”
“Ah, Marquis Charlotte.”
Harman was in the middle of practice-swinging his sword, but sheathed his weapon after discovering Charlotte’s presence.
He had this fatigued look on his face, indicating that he couldn’t fall asleep, either.
What a deeply loyal person he was. Harman had been serving the current Holy Emperor for far longer than Charlotte had, hadn’t he?
Harman was the first to break the silence between them. “Ma’am? You couldn’t sleep either?”
She formed an awkward expression and replied, “There is no need to be that respectful when there are only two of us, Harman.”
“I see. I shall remember that.”
She grinned a little at his reply. Compared to the old days when he used to be so inflexible, Harman had certainly become a lot better these days.
Charlotte pulled out her sword. “How about a spar?”
“You must be kidding me. You want me to spar with THE Sword Queen?” Harman freaked out in an exaggerated manner. He didn’t feel all that confident enough to spar with the holder of the current ‘Sword King’ title.
Charlotte had this rueful expression on her face at his reply and Harman could only chuckle hollowly.
But right at that moment, she flinched nastily as this creepy chill ran down on her spine. She carefully scanned her surroundings as the chill continued to run on her skin. “…Sir Harman. Something is coming.”
“Seriously?” Harman yanked his sword out while hurriedly scanning the vicinity. “Vampires, ma’am?”
“No.”
“In that case, the Jötnar?”
“Not them, either.” A strand of cold sweat trickled down her face as she replied. Her gaze drifted lower to the ground below. The soil was ever so faintly rising and falling. “…It’s something even larger than them.”
The ground was clearly rumbling now. Harman continued to search his vicinity with his eyes.
The surroundings might have been covered in dense foliage, but he should still be able to immediately sense it if any giants had been approaching their positions. However, he could not sense any of those accursed Jötnar anywhere.
Indeed, Charlotte did say the incoming thing was not a giant, but something else entirely. Since the ground was rumbling, it had to be an incredibly huge creature making its way towards them.
Right at that moment, Charlotte’s eyes shot open wider. “Underground…?!”
She urgently shoved Harman far away from there.
BOOOOOM–!
The ground split apart and a massive mud snake exploded out from the ground. Harman stumbling back cried out in alarm, “Charlotte!”
The snake rose up at least fifty metres into the air. Hjorth tried to swallow down the prey it had snatched up, but a large shield prevented it from closing its jaws shut.
Charlotte was crouching within the span of the shield while unsheathing her sword. “Fuu-wuu…”
She drove divinity into her weapon and when it began radiating in blinding white aura, she swung it around powerfully.
BANG-!
Hjorth the Mud Snake’s body began ballooning up suddenly.
-Ku-eeeeeeehk!!!- the huge monster screeched out in torment and thrashed around before spitting Charlotte out. She was now falling from over one hundred metres up in the air almost uncontrollably. Gritting her teeth, she held her shield tightly.
The moment she was about to land on the ground, she wielded the shield and cast the barrier made out of divinity. The divine energy and the solid ground below made contact, significantly reducing the impact force.
Even as she grunted in pain, Charlotte still didn’t forget to cry out to Harman. “Sir Harman! This is an order! Go and evacuate His Majesty the Holy…!”
However, Harman was looking up at the gigantic snake Hjorth at that moment.
This creature, seemingly made out of mud, was still screeching out while violently thrashing about. The refugees must’ve seen this commotion by now. Hans and the King of Frants should be evacuating the refugees on their own without being alerted, thanks to all this commotion.
“I shall fight by your side, Charlotte.”
“Us two alone do not stand a chance!”
Harman faltered at that. Indeed, they didn’t have the Rune armour on, and it’d be impossible to fight against this sort of a monster without it.
Just as Harman stood there gritting his teeth in hesitation, Charlotte ordered him again, “Other vampires and Jötnar might show up as well! Our absolute priority rests with ensuring His Majesty the Holy Emperor’s safety!”
Those words finally made Harman move. He quickly stepped back and replied to her, “I shall bring reinforcements as soon as possible!”
He rapidly retreated from there.
Hjorth’s tongue flickered about as it glared at Charlotte down below. The monster’s massive maw split open and gusts of sand whooshed out.
She fixed her grip on her shield and raised it up as she stood firmly before the gigantic snake. “…Come and fight me, oh foul snake of sand!”
**
Roy was sucking in laboured gasps. His breathing remained heavy as sweat continued to drip down his body.
Both of his hands hovered above the surface of a large bowl made out of silver. His eyes were closed in deep concentration.
This had been going on for the past week already. He was trying so hard to locate the Holy Emperor’s soul, but he simply couldn’t find it anywhere.
“Anymore than this is impossible, Lady Saintess! Roy can’t hold on for much longer!” Laurence pleaded while holding his son’s shoulders.
However, Alice couldn’t hear his pleading. Right now she was too focused in praying while gripping Roy’s hands, her lips mouthing the verses from the scripture.
The boy heard his father’s worried voice and spoke up, “I’m still fine, dad. I can still go on.”
“B-but, Roy…”
“Please, let me do this. I’d like to concentrate now, dad.”
“…” Laurence clamped his mouth shut. Not too long after that, though, his gaze was drawn towards the entrance of the tent.
For some reason, the outside seemed to have become quite noisy.
Laurence quietly walked over and pushed open the tent’s flap. But when he got outside, he realised that the refugees were hurriedly running around seemingly everywhere.
Could it be…? Did the Jötnar or vampires come to attack them again?
Just as such thoughts began entering his head…
He heard the loud howling and screeching of a monster. He was startled out of his thoughts and hurriedly turned around, only to be treated by the spectacle of an absolutely massive snake made out of mud thrashing about in the distance.
“Oh, my goddess…!” He hurriedly dashed back inside the tent. “Roy, we must escape from here! Roy… Mm?”
Laurence was dazed by what he saw.
Roy’s eyes were deeply closed and he was just… standing there. It was as if he could no longer hear his father’s voice.
Right now, Roy was staring at this pitch-black darkness. His mind gradually grew drowsy and he fell deep into a pit of sleep.
From this moment on, he needed to find a path. He needed to find something to rely on, and needed to move forward according to whatever he found.
-Kki… ah… ah… ah…-
A soft little noise registered in his hearing. Was it coming from somewhere over there?
‘Fine, let’s go and take a look.’
Roy stepped forward. He thought that he simply had to locate the being connected to the holy water, and that’s why he relied on his sense of hearing to guide him.
And what he eventually heard was…
-Kki-aaaaaaahk, kkyaaaahk!-
…A scream?!
