Knights came running out.
They were the ones who had come with us, escorting our carriage back and forth.
They were each holding a shoulder or arm. Some of them had blood flowing from their heads.
I called out to Eunice, who was restless among them.
She ran right up to me, grabbed my arm, and burst into tears.
At least she didnât have any visible wounds.
âThe situation with eight demons doesnât seem normalâŚ.â
âThatâs true, but why arenât these demons attacking us?â
It was strange, come to think of it.
They only destroyed the carriage, and then they just stood there watching us while we were surrounded.
The knightsâ injuries were also caused by debris from the carriage. So, in a word, they seemed to have no intention of attacking us.
âThey are not very smart.â
âDo you know much about demons?â
âThey are demons that are said to see everything that exists.â
When I saw that they had five eyes, I thought I knew why without having to ask.
âEven when they sleep, they donât close their eyes, so itâs just an exaggerated formula that they can see everything that exists. In fact, theyâre a dumb species. Theyâre famous for smashing things without thinking.â
âWhy are they doing this?â
Devan observed them silently.
The knights slowly came towards us for some time.
The demons didnât move, even though it was certain that the situation would turn against them.
Itâs not that they werenât interested in us, though.
If they had broken the carriage and torn apart their troops, it was only natural that they would attack immediately, but they didnât. It was as if they were waiting for somethingâŚ.
âAre they waiting for something?â
I mumbled and Devan turned around.
A sudden thought crossed my mind.
âTheyâre monitoring us. Theyâre waiting.â
âI donât know what it is, butâŚâŚâ
Why did they break the carriage? They could have monitored us from the inside.
Was it to get us out? Why?
At that moment, I felt a chill. I grabbed Devanâs arm with my trembling hands.
âWhite, Magic stone.â
Their lowest eyes had Magic stones stuck in their white pupils. It was so white that you canât see it unless you look closely. Devan wrinkled his brows.
Originally, Magic stone was not meant to be inserted like that.
Since it was the root of the demon, it was normal for it to be in the deepest part of the body. It was true that the body had to be dismantled to collect the stone. However, that one looked like it had been forced into it.
âThis isnât the time. We have to escape.â
âIf youâre right and theyâre watching us, waiting for something to happen, thereâs no way theyâre going to let us go easily.â
Devan said self-mockingly.
He gripped his sword and muttered.
âIf we just aim for that Magic stoneâŚ.â
âWait a minute. Are you planning to fight?â
Even at a glance, the situation was not good.
There was not a single knight that was physically strong.
It was because they had ridden in an ordinary carriage that was not enchanted, or chased after us on horseback.
After all, the magic on the carriage we rode in didnât seem to be at the level of merely canceling out vibrations.
âIâll heal the knights first. It doesnât look like theyâre going to attack us right now.â
ââI donât know if we have time for thatâŚâ
Devan suddenly put me over his shoulder.
I couldnât come to my senses in the sudden reversed view, and he moved quickly. I couldnât even shout out what was happening.
The ground we had been standing on crumbled downward with a loud roar.
âI think theyâve noticed.â
Devan, who had lowered me to the ground again, took up a fighting stance with his sword.
Devan laughed with a somewhat annoyed frown in one of his eyes.
Then he swung his sword towards me.
Devanâs sword headed to the demonâs right leg behind me.
Hot blood flowed down my back.
âWhy did they notice me?â
Devan pulled me roughly to him.
With one hand wrapped around me, he constantly swung his sword.
The demons all jumped at me, aiming only at me.
I realized what Devan had said about them noticing me. Even the white Magic stone stuck in their legs.
Why didnât I prepare for this earlier?
It was the temple. It was the temple that gave the order. Bring me to them or kill me.
They were getting more violent. They didnât choose the means and methods. In other words, they were in a very imminent situation.
The wounded knights moved quickly to Devanâs aid.
They did their best to jump on the demons, but the demons didnât care.
The demons lightly kicked the knights on their feet as if they were insects they were trying to chase away. They didnât seem to feel any pain.
Could it be that it was also affected by the magic stone?
âHey, get out of the way, you are disturbing them.â
The knights flinched at Devanâs order and retreated.
After that, it was turbulent.
Devan took on eight demons by himself.
Or more accurately, it was correct to say that the demons took him on.
He let go of my waist and spun around, swinging his sword. All I could do was squirm in nervousness.
He fought as if he was one with the sword. It was hard to believe that he was a blind man not long ago.
Devan was aiming only at the legs where the magic stone had been embedded in, and in that aspect, the smaller man had the advantage.
The demons were very agile, despite their large size, but they were no match for Devan. Devan closed the distance in an instant.
The magic stone bounced off after only a few blade thrusts. With the Magic stone removed, the demon walked all over the place. They must have been hypnotized. They seemed to have been released.
I wondered how much time had passed. Three of the demons just fainted, two ran off somewhere, one went crazy and broke the surroundings, and Devan stabbed it in the neck and it died. Only two of them remained.
Even in that whole process, Devanâs body only received minor scratches.
Devan let out a ragged breath. I and the other knights were watching him blankly. I had long since lost the idea that I had to help him or that he was in danger.
It was such an overwhelming force. Devan wiped his bright red bloody face with his hand. It made his eyes glisten through the fresh blood that was spread everywhere. He seemed a little exhausted.
It was no wonder, since he had dealt with such a large number of demons by himself.
One of the two remaining demons pounced on me again, targeting me.
I flinched, and Devan brought his sword back up to aim at the demonâs leg.
Suddenly, the demons stopped moving.
It was as if the stop button had been pressed on both of them.
There was a chill in the air. I felt anxious.
Something that the demons had been waiting for had arrived.
And I had a hunch that whatever it was, it wasnât good for us.
Devan furrowed his brow and then leapt toward the demon again, as if he thought he should do it anyway.
I reached out to stop him.
A low vibration made the earth weep.
The area darkened in the blink of an eye, as if the sun had disappeared.
I looked up and saw something floating in the sky with wings so large that they filled the wide expanse of land.
It looked like a giant hawkâŚâŚ It looked like a dragon.
What is a dragon, a dragon!
Can the temple even control dragons?
It seemed that they could control all the demons that existed in this world.
The dragon hovered in the sky as it stared at me. It was then that I realized what was happening. This was why the demons attacked the carriage to drive us out.
To recognize me, to check my location.
If they catch me, I will die.
I heard a low swear and my vision shook violently. What is the situation with all this? I blinked. All I could see in front of me was pitch black.
He was holding me. He was holding me so tightly that my ribs seemed to be breaking.
His body shook. It was unusual. Hot blood poured down his back to me. Not the demonâs blood, but Devanâs blood.
âQuiet, letâs be quiet.â
He said in a suppressed voice. There wasnât a single ounce of strength in his voice, unlike normal. I gradually began to grasp the situation.
In no time at all, the dragon had finally descended faster than I could even recognize it. It wanted to snatch me.
But the dragon failed. A human-sized sharp claws stuck in Devanâs back instead of mine.
My body became stiff. I raised my trembling hand and let go. Even a scream didnât come out.
I heard screams all around. The knights and Eunice made an effort to come towards us somehow, but they all fell with a single flap of the dragonâs wings.
We were left isolated and at the center of this whole situation. There was no one to save us. Except for me.
I had to save Devan. It was me, no one else. I had to save him. I knew it. But my body froze and wouldnât move.
The fact that Devan, whom I had believed would never collapse, was leaning on me, bleeding profusely.
And then there was the fact that all of this happened because of me.
These two facts were binding my body like a shackles.
I could feel the strength leaving Devanâs body.