Chapter 24: The Hunting Festival (6)

The face was utterly devoid of emotion, so still that not even the faintest tremor could be seen. I flinched at this unfamiliar expression of his but quickly realized that Abel had saved me from falling off the cliff.

Relief washed over me at the thought that I didn’t have to endure the agony of death this time. My body weakened slightly with the release of tension, and a wave of gratitude toward Abel, who had saved me, filled my heart.

With a trembling voice, I forced myself to thank him.

“...Thank you.”

The hands holding onto him shook uncontrollably. When he asked if I was okay, I couldn’t even manage a lie to say I was fine. I might have grown accustomed to the idea of dying, but the pain of death was something I could never get used to.

Especially that sensation right before dying—when something seemed to drain out of me, leaving my body cold bit by bit…

It was, truly, indescribably painful.

“You’re welcome.”

Abel answered without his usual hint of a smile, descending slowly to the ground. All eyes were fixed on us—me and Abel.

Most of those gazes were filled with surprise, but a few carried a tinge of envy. Even in such a dire situation, people could feel jealousy; should I find that impressive?

KRRROOOAAAR!

A monster’s bellow tore through the air, sending shocks through my body. When I turned my head and locked eyes with the creature, I felt as though my body froze. I gasped involuntarily. Abel pulled me into a tighter embrace, as if telling me to calm down.

The warmth of his body against mine helped ease my trembling. Slowly, he placed me down onto the snow, then turned his gaze toward the monster.

The monster, clearly irritated by the interruption to its hunt, glared at Abel while letting out eerie growls.

KRRROOOAAR!

The beast charged with all its might. In the blink of an eye, it closed the distance, stopping less than a hand’s breadth away. Yet Abel’s expression didn’t change at all.

Before I could even shout, a deafening boom reverberated, and clouds of dirt erupted everywhere.

KWAANG!

The massive impact sent the monster’s body flying through the air. The sudden turn of events left my mind struggling to keep up. Abel, casually brushing dirt off his wrist, emerged from the dust cloud, walking leisurely.

“You’re in my way.”

A faint hum echoed.

As he spoke quietly, it was as if the mana in the air resonated with him, vibrating in response.

The monster, which had been flung into a nearby mountain range, quickly lifted its head as if unbothered by the blow. Its terrifying appearance sent people scattering in every direction.

The chaos that followed was nothing short of hellish. Some tripped over their own feet; others trampled over fallen bodies without hesitation. A few even deliberately tripped others to use them as bait.

In the midst of this pandemonium, royal knights charged at the monster, their blades glowing with golden aura.

Abel, who had been silently observing, raised his hand.

“Don’t think it’ll end easily.”

Countless magic circles appeared in the air. The sheer quantity of mana forming those circles was incomparable to the few shield spells I could muster.

If my mana was like water in a rough clay jug, his was an endless ocean—vast and overwhelming.

Even the knights paused, stunned by the display.

“Deploy calculation arrays.”

The magical phenomenon unfolding was as if a grand palace were being constructed mid-air. Despite the enormous mana consumption of each magic circle, Abel’s face remained impassive.

Even the Emperor, watching from a distance, looked on with intrigued eyes.

“Strike.”

At his soft command, brilliant white spears shot out from the magic circles. Dozens, then hundreds of spears flew past the knights, embedding deeply into the monster’s body.

KRAAAAH!

The beast, pierced through and through, let out a deranged roar, driven mad by the pain. Yet Abel showed no emotion, continuing his relentless assault.

The swarm of spears turned the monster into something resembling a pincushion. The playful expression Abel usually wore was nowhere to be found; his impassive face was strikingly unfamiliar.

‘Is he angry…?’

By the time the earth-shaking noise had echoed dozens of times, the monster could no longer rise. It lay there, a pitiful, blood-soaked mess, barely clinging to life. Even so, Abel’s attacks showed no signs of stopping.

KROO…

Just before the beast took its final breath, Abel ceased his assault. With a snap of his fingers, a wet, gruesome sound followed as the monster’s body exploded, scattering blood and flesh in all directions.

People stood frozen, stunned, staring at Abel and the remains of the monster.

“...Abel?”

When I called his name, he turned to me. In a soft voice, he asked,

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“No. I’m not hurt.”

“That’s a relief.”

He smiled faintly as he spoke, but the cold fury in his expression belied that smile. It was something only someone as attuned to others’ emotions as I could notice.

“Evan.”

“My apologies, Your Grace.”

Evan knelt, his usual dialect absent as he bowed deeply. Despite the sight of his submission, Abel let out a sigh, his anger seemingly unappeased. Slowly, he began to speak.

“I don’t intend to blame you. This was beyond your expectations as well, wasn’t it?”

His tone was cold enough to make blood run dry. Evan lowered his head further, unable to meet his gaze. Though he opened his mouth to defend himself, the sight of him shaking his head at me made him close it again.

“We’ll discuss what to do... later.”

Abel cast a fleeting glance toward the Emperor before turning to me.

“For now, I must step away, Adel.”

“...Understood.”

“This time, guard her properly, Evan.”

At those words, Evan immediately rose and bowed deeply. Abel, his voice laced with quiet warning, continued.

“If this happens again, I might end up disappointed.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

With that final response, Abel vanished without looking back.

The monster’s corpse, lying in the middle of the crowd, was the only proof that he had been there moments ago. Once Abel disappeared, the people, who had been too scared to breathe, began to murmur.

“Why would he do that for someone like her?”

“Surely, she wouldn’t dare cause a scene at my gathering, would she?”

“I don’t understand. Why would the Duke care so much for her?”

Some whispered their jealousy and resentment over Abel saving me. It was amusing how they would hurriedly turn their heads and pretend not to speak whenever our eyes met.

Their cowardly attempts to let me overhear their snide remarks without directly confronting me were all too familiar now. After all, isn’t that typical of noble ladies? By this point, I had long stopped expecting anything else from them.

“Who knew the Duke of Hardenberg was so powerful...”

“Isn’t he beyond the level of most knights?”

“Please, be reasonable. At his level, he’s closer to a knight commander!”

Snippets of conversations assessing Abel’s strength floated around. That people compared him to knight commanders showed just how impressive his display of power had been.

Indeed, thinking about the overwhelming force he had just demonstrated, I couldn’t help but marvel. Even I, who knew Abel was an Archmage, was stunned.

For all the jealousy I had felt over his immense magical talent, seeing it firsthand like this…

It was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

“Adel, are you alright?”

Lost in thought, I flinched as Estelle extended a hand toward me. Her overly friendly demeanor made me instinctively wary, but at least she wasn’t like those women gossiping behind my back while pretending I didn’t exist.

Forcing a small smile, I replied to her concern.

“Thank you for asking. I’m fine.”

Taking her hand, I stood up slowly. Though my words were a lie, I saw no need to admit how shaken I truly was.

After all, while I wasn’t from the Middle Ages, I wasn’t naive enough to bare my soul to someone I didn’t trust.

****

Perhaps I had gotten too carried away.

I had planned to showcase my power at the hunting festival, but this might have been excessive. Reflecting on it, there was no need to get so worked up.

Adel is a regressor who can turn back time without restrictions. Even if she were to die, she could avoid that situation by looping back.

Given Evan’s strength as her escort, it wasn’t as though she’d fall into an endless loop of dying to the monster and losing her sanity.

And yet, why had I reacted so strongly?

I didn’t know. Not yet.

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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