At first, he thought he was dreaming. However, the desperate call made him realize it wasn’t a dream. Her slender arms tightened even more around his waist.
Yet, he could hardly believe it, barely managing to move his lips.
“Leticia?”
“Yes, it’s me.”
Dietrian’s brows furrowed.
His black eyes slowly filled with moisture.
It wasn’t a dream.
She was, alive.
Hot tears fell in drops.
“Your Highness.”
He couldn’t muster the courage to turn around.
Afraid that everything would disappear if he did.
Afraid it was a figment of his anxious heart.
Instead of turning around, he clasped her hand that was holding his chest with trembling hands.
“I heard you were seriously injured. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. You don’t have to worry.”
Her voice sounded so bright that it seemed everything was truly okay.
But he couldn’t believe it.
Dietrian quickly released her embrace and turned around.
“I’m really okay. What about you? Are you hurt anywhere?”
He examined Leticia with trembling eyes.
As she said, she seemed to be fine.
It was hard to believe she was the one who had been injured, her complexion and expression were so calm.
“Really, are you truly okay?”
“Of course.”
“You’re not hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. Would you like to see for yourself?”
The fear that had been choking him vanished in an instant.
Dietrian’s eyes reddened.
“Why have you come here?”
“I heard the drum sound.”
“It was a warning that a beast had appeared.”
“That’s why I came. I was so worried about you.”
For a moment, his grip on her shawl tightened.
Suddenly, she seemed incredibly dear to him.
“The city gates must have been closed.”
“That’s a long story.”
Leticia avoided the question, but Dietrian had his suspicions.
He remembered that she had several sacred objects before.
Just like she had hidden a talisman in a bracelet, she must have used an artifact with a teleportation function.
“You must return immediately. Valenos has appeared. It’s dangerous.”
There was only a brief moment to share their tender feelings; there was no time to hesitate.
At this very moment, Valenos was getting closer.
Although still at a distance, this being the desert, one could never be too cautious.
On dry land, Valenos was as strong as a higher-tier beast.
Quick enough to close the distance in the blink of an eye.
The story would be different if the land were wet, but with not a cloud in the sky, it was unlikely for rain to suddenly fall.
Fortunately, the other beasts had all fled upon seeing Valenos approaching.
In the vast desert, there were only the Principality’s knights, Valenos, and Leticia.
“I will personally escort you to the city gate. Enoch, hold my place for a moment.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Don’t worry.”
Enoch, who had been standing a line behind, quickly approached. Leticia shook her head at this.
“There’s no need for you to escort me. I’ll stay here.”
“What?”
“I won’t go. I’ll stay here and protect everyone.”
“What do you mean by that?”
He asked, bewildered, when suddenly a memory flashed through his mind.
[She tried to fend off the attackers alone, and then……]
Earlier, a merchant had said.
Surely, Leticia had been gravely injured while protecting others and was fighting for her life.
Seeing her so unscathed made him wonder if that person had been mistaken, but something felt off.
“Leticia, a merchant came by earlier. He said you were bleeding out and unconscious……”
Dietrian stopped mid-sentence.
His face went blank as he looked at her.
“Your Highness?”
Leticia, who reflexively raised her hand to her shoulder, startled as she realized her shawl had slipped down, revealing bloodstains.
She hurriedly pulled it back up, but it was too late.
Dietrian had grabbed her wrist.
“Leticia, what’s this blood?”
“It’s nothing.”
“It can’t be nothing. That’s not possible.”
Leticia tried to resist, but Dietrian was quicker.
He nearly snatched the shawl towards him, his eyes widening.
Leticia’s shoulder, no, many parts of her body, were soaked in blood.
As if someone had poured blood over her, not a single spot was unblemished.
“Whose blood is all this…”
He asked in dismay, then noticed something odd.
The cloth around the bloodstains was slightly torn.
He looked at Leticia with a shocked expression.
“Leticia, don’t tell me this is, your blood? You’ve shed this much blood?”
Unable to lie, Leticia quickly tried to reassure him with a smile.
“You don’t need to worry.”
“…What?”
“The wounds have long since healed. Don’t worry.”
Despite her efforts, Dietrian’s complexion turned pale.
“So, you’re saying you did shed all this blood?”
“Well, yes. But it’s all in the past now.”
“In the past?”
“Yes. Everything’s healed now. So, please don’t worry.”
Leticia shook her head with a smile. Dietrian looked at her incredulously.
“You’re telling me not to worry when you nearly died?”
“Of course. As you can see, I’m fine…”
“You almost died!”
He couldn’t hold back and cut her off.
“You say it’s okay when you almost died? You’re my wife, and you almost died. And you’re telling your husband it’s okay, it’s all in the past, there’s no need to worry?”
Exactly how Leticia healed her wounds was unclear.
But one thing was certain.
It’s impossible for someone to lose so much blood and survive.
That meant if a miracle hadn’t occurred, Leticia would have died somewhere out of his sight.
And now, she who had narrowly escaped death was attempting to put herself in danger again.
“Come with me. I will escort you inside the city immediately.”
Dietrian gripped her wrist tightly.
Leticia, taken aback, shook her head.
“Your Highness, please listen to me first.”
“I will listen after the battle with Valenos is over.”
“Fighting now is too dangerous!”
“It’s better I face danger than you getting hurt again!”
Dietrian’s rebuke made Leticia flinch.
The pain was vivid in his eyes, overlaid with memories of the past.
[Not surviving past midnight. What do you mean by that? Are you saying, you’re going to die?]
[Because of that illness you had before? You said it was all healed! You told me it was temporary!]
[If you don’t tell me, I’ll ask the saintess.]
After those words, he had died.
Her heart sank.
Without realizing it, Leticia desperately embraced him.
“Your Highness!”
“Let go of this hand. I will listen to your story once you are safe.”
“Please, give me a chance.”
“Leticia!”
“Give me a chance to protect you.”
His face contorted terribly at her trembling voice.
Her words about protecting him didn’t please him at all.
He tried to forcefully detach her, grabbing her delicate shoulder, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to exert force.
He couldn’t bear to cause her even a little pain.
“Leticia, if you truly care for me, you must return to the city now. Valenos has appeared! The demon of the desert, Valenos…”
Dietrian couldn’t finish his sentence.
He froze as if doused in cold water, then blinked rapidly.
“My, my God.”
Enoch, who had been close by, staggered back a few steps.
His sword tip was trembling.
Enoch shouted in a voice as if he was about to lose his breath.
“Your Highness, the desert is getting wet.”
As if it had started raining.
More precisely, as if water was rising from beneath the ground.
From right in front of where they stood, the yellow desert began to turn brown.
Dietrian quickly scanned the surroundings.
The reactions of the other knights were similar to Enoch’s.
They were in shock at the unbelievable phenomenon, unsure of what to do.
“Leticia…!”
Dietrian urgently positioned Leticia behind him.
It was his instinct to protect her.
And at the same moment, the wet ground surged forward.
Not towards Heden, but towards Valenos.
As if intent on protecting Heden, it spread ferociously until it reached where Valenos was.
Gruuuu.
Valenos, confused by the wet ground, let out a cry of distress.
[Fighting Valenos on the dry sands of the desert is akin to suicide. If you wish to live, pray for the desert to turn into a swamp.]
True to the old adage of desert hunters, wet ground was anathema to Valenos.
Striding forward with arrogance, Valenos found its pointed legs sinking into the ground, clueless on how to react.
It tried to escape desperately, but it was too late.
The wet ground became increasingly sticky, as if it would swallow Valenos whole.
“The desert has turned into a swamp… A miracle has happened.”
Enoch’s legs gave out, and he slumped to the ground.
Staring blankly at Valenos, he trembled as he touched the ground.
“This can’t be…”
The ground near the delegation was bone dry.
Completely opposite to the increasingly sticky area around Valenos.
“It makes no sense…”
Hearing Enoch’s dumbfounded voice, Dietrian clenched his teeth.
The overwhelming spectacle was beyond awe; it was terrifying.
Having Leticia in his arms only intensified this feeling.
There was only one thing he could do.
If something happened, to ensure he could shield her once, he held her shoulder tightly.
“Your Highness.”
Then, Leticia looked up at him with tear-filled eyes.
“I’m really sorry for always saying I’m fine. I was thoughtless.”
She had willed the desert to become like this.
Using the power of water, she had made the desert near Heden wet.
Even though she had successfully restrained Valenos, Leticia was not happy.
‘I hurt Dietrian.’
The unnamed being that saved her had told her.
If she gets hurt, those who cherish her will get hurt too.
Only her body was fine, but her heart was wounded.
Thinking that Dietrian might have felt the same in the past pained her even more.
“But I hope you would give me a chance. Please, just a moment of your time. I’ll take care of Valenos.”
Thus, she had to protect him this time, no matter what.
Leticia, still in his embrace, slowly turned around.
Valenos, suffering on the wet ground, raised its head.
Their eyes met.
Her gaze became cold and resolute.
“Leave. Never covet this land again.”
A whisper, yet it was sufficient.
For the wind carried her warning.
The black iris in the yellow eyes tensed with fear.
Familiar with the wind, and thus, more terrified of the purifying power it carried.
Thanks to this, Valenos recognized immediately.
Who she was.
Whose land it had trespassed upon.
How foolish its actions had been.
The giant beast slowly bowed its head over the deep brown swamp.
Its large pincers were even laid down on the ground.
Under the clear blue sky, a beast as massive as the city walls assumed a posture of perfect submission.
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