#191

As White screamed, the ground trembled, and then the earth caved in as if to swallow Kiyen whole. Seeing that, Cullen’s eyes widened and he reacted. Instinctively, he moved the hand he had placed over Kiyen, but it wasn’t faster than the rapidly collapsing ground.

As his hand swept through the air, Cullen felt his heart sink. He superimposed the image of the Demonic Beast lurking below with its maw open. He pushed off the ground to stand, but the thought that it was too late flashed through his mind.

“Get out of the way!”

Just then, a familiar voice echoed from behind. As he turned around, seeing a heavy piece of metal narrowly graze him, Cullen felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Before he could even assess the opponent, he reflexively twisted his upper body.

Thump—!

The piece of metal, carrying immense weight, struck the black pit that was about to swallow Kiyen. Following that, a sharp scream echoed from below, and the hidden Demonic Beast burst out onto the surface. The Demonic Beast, twisting its long body with a menacing aura, seemed enraged by the weapon lodged in it, aimed at Cullen.

Cullen immediately pulled Kiyen into his arms and gazed at the weapon stuck in the ground. The thick handle, the heavy blade, and the red markings caught his eye, and Cullen blinked. The déjà vu was correct. Cullen knew that greatsword.

“Are you alright? I can’t believe that thing crawled all the way to the north.”

The Woman jumped towards the weapon she had thrown, speaking as if she had done this many times before. Listening to her voice, which was more relaxed in combat than he remembered, Cullen slowly turned his head. There stood someone he never expected to see here.

“…Ulli?”

The Woman, who walked with a fierce stride despite her small stature, stopped abruptly at the name she called him. With a sound of “Huh?”, she slowly turned her head.

As he took in her neat teal eyes and short platinum blonde hair, Cullen felt a strange sense of relief. An undeniable joy also surged within him.

Cullen admitted it. His Golden Seal, at least in this moment, was not imposing any restrictions.

“…This is impossible.”

Ulli squinted, as if she couldn’t believe it. Confusion spread across her face. Nodding, she was about to speak again when Lasano shouted,

“Uh, how about we postpone the joy of reunion for later!”

Ulli, who had been glaring at Cullen as if he were lying, widened her eyes as soon as she heard Lasano’s voice.

“Why are you here?”

Lasano shouted back to Ulli, who asked with a voice full of confusion.

“That’s because, these, disgusting things… kill them! And then ask!”

As if responding to Lasano’s words, the hesitant Demonic Beasts shrieked and charged wildly. Then, Ulli, who had stopped, firmly pulled out her greatsword and stood in front of Cullen and Kiyen. She stared at the fallen Kiyen with an expression of disbelief and swept her hair back.

“What in the world….”

She muttered softly, then shook her head. She then said to Cullen,

“You, who look so much like Cullen. I don’t know if you’re real or not, but they have a way to kill those things… The answer is to split their bellies, not their shells.”

Ulli then said to Lasano,

“I’ll flip them over, then you attack!”

After speaking, Ulli glanced at Cullen once. The past naturally came to mind. Although the end was always painful, there was a time when they fought together with everyone. There was a time when they trusted each other and had each other’s backs, and Ulli was alive. That fact brought Cullen a small comfort.

Nodding, Ulli chuckled and then charged forward. Watching her back as she swung a sword as large as her body with ease, Cullen also held Kiyen tightly.

He thought that if Ulli hadn’t appeared just now, he might have lost Kiyen, and his grip on his arm tightened. After briefly gazing at the pale face, Cullen placed his hand on another unhealed wound.

Meanwhile, Ulli moved with skill. Whether she was using Pantel more freely than before, Ulli displayed movements that were not human, even without the berserk state she had shown previously. She slid past the Demonic Beast charging head-on and then slashed her greatsword diagonally.

Kiiiaaaak!

Using the pained shriek as a signal, Ulli thrust Pantel into the ground. A shockwave spread with immense power, shaking the ground, and the injured Demonic Beast half-flipped over. Unlike its hard shell, its long belly, resembling white snakeskin, was exposed. Ulli looked at Lasano at the same time and shouted,

“Now…!”

Ulli’s words, “Wow,” were not finished. It was because of a ball of fire that erupted, narrowly missing her. With a ‘Kwahng!’ sound, flames split the Demonic Beast’s belly. The Demonic Beast thrashed with a struggle incomparable to before.

As soon as the Magic was cast, Ulli, who had rolled away to dodge, looked up at the sky with a bewildered expression. There, three young Dragons, slightly larger than before, were staring intently at Ulli.

Cullen could only see their backs, so he couldn’t see their expressions. However, he knew they were blocking Ulli as if to protect him.

“Who is that human?”

At that moment, Cat pointed at Ulli and asked. Cullen, about to say that this wasn’t the time for such questions, suddenly realized the surroundings had become quiet. Looking around, he saw the Demonic Beasts that Black and Cat had been fighting were dead, their bellies flipped over. The Demonic Beast that had just been hit by Cat’s attack was also dead.

The creatures that had been pressing them so menacingly were killed with surprising speed by the young Dragons after Ulli’s advice.

“Hey, what are these guys?”

Ulli thrust Pantel into the ground and looked at Lasano and Cullen, asking. Hearing her tone shift to informal speech after maintaining a hesitant distance, Cullen finally let out a small breath. He felt the extreme tension receding.

“Who are you to act so familiar with Lord Cullen!”

Cat openly displayed her sharp wariness, and White and Black, who remained silent, seemed no different. It was Lasano who ended the strange standoff. He collapsed with a weary face, waved his hand, and said,

“Before we worry about that, I think we should check on Kiyen-nim first. And me too.”

His words had a different kind of effect. The young Dragons, who had been looking at Ulli with wary expressions, immediately flew to Kiyen and Cullen’s side. Cat, who had been bristling at Ulli moments ago, now had tears welling up in her eyes, as if she had momentarily stopped crying.

“Is Kiyen-nim going to live?”

White also asked anxiously and sat beside him. Black stood behind the two, looking down at Kiyen. Cullen quietly watched Kiyen. His body was still in tatters, but…….

He was no longer bleeding.

“It seems so.”

Lasano, after glancing at Kiyen, said reassuringly, and Cullen nodded as well. Unlike how Lasano had healed him, Kiyen’s wounds did not close all at once, but flesh was gradually regenerating.

Ulli, who had been listening to their conversation, walked over and stood beside the group. She looked at Kiyen with a troubled expression, then slowly surveyed Lasano, Cullen, and the Young Dragons one by one.

The sky was brightening behind her. As if to announce the end of the terribly long night, the dawn light broke through the dark clouds and gradually poured down.

“For now… it would be best to go to the campsite I made. I don’t know what happened to this Dragon, but actually, I don’t understand any of the situations I’m seeing right now…”

Ulli brushed her hair back and sighed.

“We should move the injured first. Let’s go by carriage.”

Lasano shrugged at her words.

“Coming by carriage, you’ve really become a noble.”

Though he said that, Lasano looked as if he wanted to collapse at any moment. Ulli extended her hand to him.

Gazing at Ulli, who was not hostile towards him unlike in his last memory, Cullen was reminded that there was much he didn’t know. The story Lasano had told about the High Priest’s disappearance, and the events of the past three years… The consequence of that ignorance was the current situation.

Cullen lowered his eyes and gazed at Kiyen, who was still unconscious. There were many stories he needed to hear.

Cullen picked Kiyen up again, just as before. Refusing the Young Dragons’ offer to carry him with Magic, Cullen headed towards the carriage where Ulli’s group was. The awkward and stiff air was broken when Ulli spoke first.

“……You were alive. I thought you might have died since I couldn’t find you anywhere.”

At the voice tinged with resentment, Lasano glanced at Cullen. Cullen quietly shook his head. Talk of his death was unnecessary for now.

“There were circumstances.”

Since realizing in his heart that Kiyen had passed the crisis, the turmoil that had shaken him all night had subsided. As his emotions, which had been fluctuating like waves, calmed, he returned to the state before the battle. While there was still anxiety, the emotions that made him smile or show joy like in the past did not arise.

As if donning armor again to defend himself, Cullen’s mind grew calm. When he stopped speaking without any further remarks, Ulli whirled around.

“Is that all? We finally meet after three years? We promised to meet alive, and that’s it?!”

Ulli’s eyes were red. Cat, who had been warily staying close to Cullen, cautiously looked back and forth between the two as she began to cry in frustration. White also looked anxious.

“There are children present, so it would be best to calm down. There’s no rush to talk later. For now, it would be most efficient to treat Kiyen and for everyone to rest.”

At the mention of children, Ulli bit her lip. Her expression was still overflowing with pent-up feelings, but she seemed to agree for the moment.

“……Yes, because there are children… I’ll let it slide for now.”

Saying that, Ulli scanned the Dragons, then fixed her gaze on Cat and spoke. It was clearly an attempt to change the mood.

“If the reason you went into hiding for three years was because of you and the Dragon’s children, I might be willing to make allowances.”

The nuance of speaking as if they were Cullen’s children made him uncomfortable. Lasano seized the opportunity and interjected.

“Do you think those over there are Cullen’s children? I’m sorry, but who do you think gave birth to them?”

Ulli blushed in embarrassment.

“No, that’s strange!”

“It’s stranger that you would think that.”

Ulli, who had been bickering with Lasano, observed Cullen, who remained silent. When she met his gaze, Ulli slowly lost her expression. Then, with a look of utter incomprehension, she asked Cullen.

“Are you, really Cullen?”