CH 102

‘Oh, it was a good life though.’

I tried to become a bakery owner, received proposals, and met a lot of precious people.

It was much better than the last life I had, in which I was hit by a drunk driving motorcycle as soon as I decided to leave the orphanage and start a new life.

Still.

‘…I wanted to have a family.’

In the end, it was a little sad to die alone like a loner in this life.

In addition to the conviction that I would die from falling from a cliff like this, I wondered if I would somehow survive if I had a body as strong as Sislin.

‘I’m glad Sisl is still alive.’

‘…You have to be happy.’

I closed my eyes in resignation, remembering the faces of those left behind.

At that moment, flash!

I remembered receiving an order for the new menu, fresh cream cake.

‘I can’t die like this.’

The self-employed woman, who became alert in anticipation of high sales, opened her eyes and reached out as hard as she could.

Chak.

At that moment, I felt my body stop in the air when it was about to fall.

“……!”

—It was Sislin.

With one hand he held the broken leather cord of the carriage, which was barely hanging on the rocks of the cliff, and with the other he held my wrist.

Just like a thick and tough rope.

“Annette.”

Directed at me were red eyes and clenched teeth.

Below us, we saw parts of the broken carriage and sword-clad Belkains falling. It was terrifyingly high.

Goosebumps formed on my spine.

‘It’s a great reflex, him.’

While cutting down the Belkains at the moment they fell, did you catch me too?

He held onto the leather cord with one hand.

“Sisl!”

“Be careful not to miss it, Annette.”

Chik—

At that moment, I could see the leather strap that Sislin was holding stretching like it was going to break.

‘Oh, that’s the limit.’

“Sisl! Let me go! You’ll fall with me.”

“Don’t say nonsense.”

“Think rationally. At least one of us must live!”

The veins on the forearms that were holding the weight of the two of us popped up as if they were about to burst.

Even at this moment, the leather strap was growing helplessly. My stomach was burning wildly.

“Sisl! Please let go…!”

Red eyes stared straight at me.

“Not even in hell will I let go of this hand, Annette.”

“…….”

‘Why are you holding on like that?’

‘I didn’t do anything good for you.’

Even if it was for Heinrich, I left you and ran away from the Forest.

I let you endure those long years alone, not knowing what you were doing in the Crevasse, and vaguely believe that you would be happy, and I had been living happily on my own.

‘…Idiot.’

When I was young and even now, I was the only one in the eyes of Sislin.

Touk, tuk.

The leather strap was on the verge of breaking, and the wind blew, woooo— my skirt and hair fluttered in a mess.

At the bottom of the cliff, there were only sharp rocks and the black sea, and the dark waves were rushing over and storming for food.

It was time for a sober judgment.

In the end, I took out the dagger I always carried with me for Gerard.

“Sislin, I’m sorry.”

―This is the dagger I carried to protect myself.

‘I didn’t know it would be used to protect you.’

And with all my might, I cut Sislin’s wrist with the dagger.

“……!!!”

However, I did not fall.

Even though there was quite a bit of blood flowing from his wrist, that large hand was desperately holding onto me.

‘Let go of me…’

‘A person whose life was cut off.’

“…….”

Touk, tuk—

Red blood dripped onto my cheek.

Sislin’s sharp eyes narrowed. He looked down at me and smiled faintly.

“I said. Even in hell, I won’t let you go.”

“…Sisl.”

Strangely, tears welled up. Tears that I didn’t shed even when I separated from Heinrich and Sislin and left the Forest.

“Annette…”

That was when Sislin was about to say something.

Chi— ack! Tuk!

The leather strap was completely broken.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

“Master, there has been a complete uproar!”

Larva, who arrived near Bayonaire’s <Little Bakery>, could sense the commotion from afar.

Kyle looked down at the sword that had fallen on the floor.

It was a sword breaker (a dagger that had distinctive grooves in its blade, so that flesh would be torn off when one was slashed) adorned with unique patterns and decorations.

―It was the sword of the Belkain tribe.

As he expected, the dogs sent to the outskirts were for attention only, and the truly ferocious ones were sent to the village where Annette was.

In the distance, the tearing screams of the villagers could be heard.

‘Annette.’

A fire erupted from Kyle’s eyes.

“We’re going to the village right now!”

“Yes!”

The men of Larva all ran to the village. They had become close to not only Annette, but also the other villagers, so when it was said that they were in danger, they walked faster than usual.

However, upon arriving in the village, an unexpected scene was unfolding.

Thousands of Belkain people were on their knees at once, with their heads down on the floor, trembling.

In front of them, a pale man with beautiful purple eyes and a creepy smile was trampling on the back of a Belkain tribemen’s hand.

“…Tch, why are these bugs so tangled?”

His red lips twisted as if he found them annoying.

“Oh my god!”

The Belkains groaned in pain, but could not escape his hands.

Under some surreal pressure, the whole body seemed overwhelmed.

“Some guy must have smelled something sweet… I’m sorry, but I’ll lick the honey.”

The lower jaw of the silver-haired man curled gently.

At the same time, Kyle’s expression turned into a frown. 

‘He’s crazy.’

But for now, it was a relief.

―Because the villagers were unharmed.

Thanks to that scoundrel.

“Sa, live…”

Heinrich smiled and whispered sweetly to the desperately begging Belkain.

“Die.”

Kwajik!

Then there was the sound of necks breaking all at once from the five who were on their knees.

The villagers screamed behind their backs.

It was the same kind that he heard in the distance.

…The screams of the villagers were not because of the Belkains.

It was because of that.

Anyway, there was no time to delay. Annette probably wasn’t here (if she was, it would be more likely she was here with Heinrich), but still, Kyle searched the inside of the bakery.

Indeed, Annette was not here.

‘…You should be safe.’

Kyle quickly tracked the traces left by the Belkain tribesmen and began to search with the Larva.

Hot sweat ran down his white skin.

‘Miss Annette.’

‘Please stay safe. Please!’

Kyle suppressed his nervousness and moved again while sorting things out.

‘He sent wild dogs to the strongholds, and the Belkains to the side of Miss Annette.’

That meant that Gerard knew exactly where Annette was.

‘What the hell…’

‘I thought the recruits and I protected her without leaks.’

Where did the information come from?

Kyle was determined to find the traitor who leaked the information.

‘This must be Gerard’s warning.’

Gerard had no intention to immediately take Annette.

Because, if he already knew Annette’s location, there was a high probability that he could guess where ‘Heinrich’ and the ‘Crown Prince’ would be.

If the two, who had been looking for Annette eagerly, disappeared from the capital at the same time…

‘Gerard already knows.’

That Heinrich or Sislin could not be stopped by the Belkains.

So this was a kind of ‘warning’ or ‘message’.

Wake up from the dream of having a peaceful and normal life in Bayonaire.

‘He’s going to formally summon Miss Annette soon.’

—The capital of El Dorado.

“Move faster!”

He could only hope that the warning would not be fatal to Miss Annette.

━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━

“……!!!”

The moment the leather cord broke, Sislin grabbed a protruding rock with his quick reflexes.

He began to lift Annette’s tiny body upwards, supporting both of their weights with one arm.

With a low groan, his jaw muscles trembled as he clenched his molars.

The veins of his neck stood in unison.

Broken leather cords and cliff stones, along with drops of blood flowing from the flesh torn from his wrists and Belkain swords flew into the air.

Crik—

Sislin raised Annette on top of his body.

With overwhelming stamina and strength, as well as a tenacious will.

Annette also desperately cooperated. If this continued, even the life of Sislin would be at stake.

Sislin made sure Annette was hanging well on him before grabbing the cliff with his hands and straightaway used tremendous strength to climb up.

Tadunk.

Soon they were pulled up completely, and Sislin laid sprawled on the cliff.

During the climb, Annette had been placed on top of him so that she wouldn’t get hurt. He was afraid the rough dirt on the cliff would leave her with even a small scar.

“Hah. Hah…”

“Sisl…!”

Tears welled up in her pale green eyes.

“What would have happened if you failed?”

“…….”

“You’re such a fool.”

He could feel her breath running along his rock-like, rigid chest. Her heart was beating like it was about to explode.

His own breathing and heart were going at the same beat.

Annette caressed his wrist. The wounds she made were clear.

Coincidentally, a pattern similar to the one on her wrist had appeared.

“…That could have been a disaster.”

“I know.”

His sharp eyes narrowed playfully.

“I almost died.”

Sislin smiled and hugged her waist; her body was still lying on his.

Was she conscious of her posture then?

Annette’s cheeks flushed red.

“……!”

‘Annette, if I say this, you’ll say I’m crazy or you hate it and run away.’

‘I love it when those light green eyes look at me in tears.’

‘I want to kiss you all over your reddened skin in my arms.’

The moment their lives were caught in a deadly situation and managed to survive.

Sislin thought.

Perhaps this was the most perfect place.

He couldn’t predict his time with her even an inch ahead.

One morning when he believed that he could be with her forever, she went away.

When he was sure that they wouldn’t be separated any more, they ended up hanging on a cliff side by side.

If it was an unpredictable time, he wanted to hold on to it now.

“Annette.”

“Yes?”

As Annette looked at him with tears in her eyes, he rubbed the tear stains on her reddish cheeks and the soft grass that was stuck to her face with his thumb.

Then Sislin whispered. Very low, but with a clearer voice than ever.

“Will you marry me?”

“……!”

Annette stopped breathing.

Tears that had remained in her pale green eyes flowed down her cheeks like glass grains.

Hot tears and heavy breathing. It was a proposal made on a cliff with scars that had not stopped bleeding yet, and a heart that was about to burst.

And him holding her in his arms.

—It was perfect.

“Be my wife, whom I will love for the rest of my life.”