By Zephyria 
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and his knights held out reasonably well for a while. The number of beasts still swarming around disgustingly had not decreased, but the knights clearly had a faint glimmer of hope on their faces as they engaged in battle, as if they thought they were steadily defeating them. Above all, the fact that there had been no serious injuries or deaths so far since the commotion began was the most effective. Besides, the enemies surrounding us were not fallen Demon beasts, but ordinary beasts.
“Please hold on a little longer, Your Highness! We will break through somehow.”
The captain of the royal guard, though exhausted, still shouted in a loud voice, firmly guarding His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and me. The knights, who had become accustomed to the beasts’ attack patterns, were less tense as they fought in pairs. …Foolish people. None of the party seemed to notice, but as we fought the beasts, we were gradually moving deeper and deeper into the mountain range. To reach the path to the eastern region, which we had originally planned, we would have to run diligently at maximum speed for at least half a day more.
Sometimes chased by beasts, and sometimes chasing after the beasts’ tails, the party was frantically driven to the front of a valley.
Coo, coo-coo-coo, coo-ooo-.
The turtle dove cooed again in the distance. I glanced and checked the narrow valley a few steps behind me. The valley was very narrow, but it was even steeper and longer. The water flowing there was not a peaceful stream, but a raging waterfall. If a human like me, who was not large, fell, I would not be able to find my body and would be swept away.
The time had come. I swallowed hard and nodded slightly towards the valley, and at that moment.
“Block them all! We must protect His Highness!”
“Your Highness, avoid it!”
“Your Highness!”
A wolf, so large that it could not be compared to the mountain beasts that had blocked the party’s path until now, rushed towards His Royal Highness the Crown Prince like a madman. The knights’ sharp swords could not make a single scratch on its stiff fur and tough hide, and the attack magic of the sorcerers who accompanied us as escorts and the various Magical Artifacts they had brought with them were all rendered useless by the wolf’s loud howl.
The knights of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, united by their loyalty to protect their lord, willingly offered their bodies, wishing to be chewed up by the beast’s jaws instead, but the beast, which had clearly set its target, did not even consider them as snacks.
“Y-, Your Highness, you must avoid it… You must, avoid it…!”
I trembled well in His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s arms like a frightened person. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince also looked quite serious. He firmly gripped the sword he had been holding loosely and hugged me even tighter.
“Don’t be afraid. I promised. No one in this empire can harm you in my arms.”
How could I be afraid of that wolf? The beast that was running towards His Royal Highness the Crown Prince now was the one that Carlisle had personally tamed. It was the leader of the beasts that helped the Graham Clan protect and govern this wide and vast mountain range that crossed the northern region and the empire. Ordinary beasts could not be a match for Demon beasts, but this beast, which was born as a divine beast, could easily tear apart ordinary Demon beasts.
It was that dangerous, but at least it was safe for me. Carlisle, who had not yet manifested as an Alpha, had deeply imbued me with his scent as a substitute for pheromones.
He said that even the most sensitive Dominant Alpha would not be able to detect the traces of a beast as long as they were just a human, and as he had promised, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not notice at all during the several days and nights that he hugged and rolled around with me. Just in case, I had also asked him to leave traces on Nicole’s clothes, so even if things went wrong and everyone here died, only Nicole and I would be safe. That was enough. I could jump in with peace of mind.
Hmm… It looks a bit like Carlisle. Of course, this beast in front of me looked two or three times bigger and more ferocious than Carlisle’s wolf form, but. Is it because it resembles its master?
Kwwaaaang!
The beast howled loudly as if showing off, and the knights who had been blocking the party’s path were scattered like fallen leaves by the shockwave.
The path was clear. Now, there was no one between the beast, baring its blue fangs, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. Only I, hiding in His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s arms.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince only glanced at the knights who had been blown away and clicked his tongue as if he was in trouble. Then, he pulled me behind him, whom he had been holding in his arms, and said, step back.
“Your Highness! No, it’s dangerous!”
“Shh… It’s okay. There’s nothing to be afraid of. It seems that the beast is aiming for me anyway. Run to the other side while I draw its attention. Can you do it? To where your capable escort knight is.”
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince remembered Kyle Gray well, who had almost disappeared since the knights he had sent had volunteered to be my escort. Now that the defense line protecting His Royal Highness the Crown Prince had collapsed, if I had to choose the safest place in this pandemonium, it would be where Kyle was.
“No, how can I, how can I leave you here alone…!”
Was it because the situation was so brutal? I was just pretending to be worried… I was just pretending to be scared… Strangely, my heart was pounding. I didn’t even find it funny that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was trying to protect me even in this situation.
Just as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was about to show off a bit of bravado with a smile, the beast’s panting breath was already right in front of him, and its vicious fangs gleamed as it tried to tear off His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s face.
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince barely managed to pull his upper body back, trying to somehow create some distance, but he was not a professional combatant. There was no way he could withstand the beast’s ferocious power, which even his knights could not handle.
His life was hanging by a thread, as if it would go out at any moment. The knights rushed in like crazy, trying to hunt the beast, but every time its rough tail slammed down on the ground, they were caught in the shockwave that almost devastated the area. The distance between the beast and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was too close to use arrows or other projectile weapons.
Finally, just as the beast’s jaws were about to bite off His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s neck…
“Kuh…!”
“Your Highness!”
I forcefully pushed the body that had been blocking my way to the side. Then, without fear, I pushed my shoulder into the beast’s ferocious jaws, where saliva was dripping. My collar was torn to shreds just by brushing against it. My stomach turned cold, but I tried not to show it.
“Noah!”
His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, surrounded by the escort personnel who had rushed over, shouted my name at the top of his lungs. Our eyes met. The purple eyes, which had once been arrogant and, for the past few days, had been endlessly generous, were now filled with only despair, only despair.
The animal blood pouch I had prepared in advance under my shirt was caught in the beast’s fangs and torn apart with a loud tearing sound.
“Won’t you let go of this! Get out of here, I said get out! Noah! Noah!”
His mournful cries echoed through the narrow valley. I closed my eyes and pretended to lose consciousness, and then slyly pulled on the wolf’s fur that was caught on my finger. Now, the wolf would jump down the valley with me in its mouth. And if I just meet Lennox, who will be waiting, then it will all be over. My heart felt lighter.
“Y-, Your Highness?”
“Calm down! Your Highness! Ugh, no, Your Highness!”
It seemed I was the only one feeling carefree in this situation…
I squinted and surveyed the scene amidst the knights’ chaotic shouts, and it was quite a sight.
The Crown Prince willingly brandished his sword at his own men, who were trying to protect him. It wouldn’t have been too difficult for him to take down opponents who couldn’t even touch a hair on his head.
“……”
Was I imagining things? I thought I heard something like a sigh from the wolf’s mouth that was holding me…
Come to think of it, Carlisle had said this beast could understand human speech, right?
“Don’t kill him. We need that guy until we get into the wedding hall safely.”
The surroundings were too noisy for them to hear me anyway. I kept my eyes half-closed and muttered to myself comfortably. I felt the beast holding me in its mouth nod very slightly. It tapped the ground with its front paw, and the other mountain beasts that had been holding Kyle and the others back all rushed towards the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince wouldn’t really risk his life for me anyway… All he had to do was threaten them enough to create some distance and then slip away.
“No, I can’t lose you like this… You… Not like this again…!”
Good heavens. The Crown Prince wasn’t even trying to shake off the beasts biting at his limbs; he was only running towards me. The body of the royal, which shouldn’t be harmed, was being marked with scratches and bite marks. It was as if… as if he was willing to die for me. As if he loved me that much…
“……”
I pulled at the beast’s fur again, trying to calm my racing heart. The huge beast moved quickly, plunging down the steep valley.
“Aaaagh, Noah!”
The Crown Prince’s scream followed me like a long, trailing tail.