Chapter 377: Relief
“Whoa, we survived!”
A puff of white breath escaped from Karl’s mouth as he shouted with a bright expression.
The air was still cold, but here and there, green shrubs began appearing in their view.
It was no longer the cold white wasteland, but a vibrant, life-filled border zone.
A sign that they had crossed out of Pri Root and entered Aintrier territory.
“Hing, I’m tired. Can’t we rest now?”
Lily, wearing her wide-brimd hat pulled low, asked with an exhausted look. Karl shook his head.
“Not yet. We’re close to a place with water. Let’s rest once we get there.”
“You said that yesterday too! Karl, liar!”
“This ti I an it. Don’t you see that green grass? It can't grow without water!”
“I don’t believe you anymore! at! I want at!”
Watching Karl and Lily bickering, Natasha scratched her head.
Ever since escaping from the Sword Ghost, they hadn’t rested once, focusing solely on getting out of Pri Root.
It was impossible to rest comfortably inside Black Star territory. For Lily, who was burdened with the Curse of Sloth, it must have been an excruciating forced march. On top of that, they lost their bag during the fight, and their food had run out.
Considering she hadn’t eaten in over a day, Lily had held on surprisingly well.
“I’m starving!”
With her arms wrapped around her stomach and her eyes fierce like axes, Lily’s glare made Karl flinch.
He recalled Arthur’s warning: Don’t let Lily starve, no matter what.
No, that wasn’t a suggestion. It was a threat.
If she starved a little longer, there was no telling what might happen.
Karl gave Natasha a pleading glance. Sighing, she stepped forward.
“Lily, just this once, trust Karl. If he’s lying, he said he’d admit he’s ugly.”
“Really?”
When Natasha and Lily looked at him, Karl fell into a serious internal crisis.
Admit he was ugly?
Even imagining it made him feel like he’d lost everything.
Still, Karl bit his lip and thumped his chest with determined eyes.
“F-fine! If I’m lying, I’ll admit I’m ugly!”
“You were already ugly! Dummy!”
...This little brat!
They started bickering again, but it seed they had reached a truce.
Leading the group, Karl resud walking confidently.
Natasha hoped Karl really would lead them to water soon.
‘I just really want to wash up.’
Not only Natasha—everyone shared that thought.
Their whole bodies felt filthy and grimy.
After crossing the cold and harsh desert for days and fighting the Sword Ghost to the death, they were in rough shape:
Clothes crusted stiff with dried blood.
Dust-covered, sand-caked skin.
Irritating grit in their eyes, nose, and mouth.
And gnawing hunger from lack of food.
Even in that state, they pushed quickly through the thick forest.
Ti passed, and the sun that had once been high in the sky began to set.
“Ugly Karl!”
“We’re still within the ti limit I said!”
The vast border forest was deserted and wide. The trees were massive, and even after walking for half a day, the scenery hadn’t changed much. But sothing had changed for the group.
“It’s hot.”
Dorneth wiped the sweat from his brow as he walked nearby.
After leaving Pri Root, the cold had vanished as if it had been a lie.
The previous chill felt like a distant dream.
The group began discarding their fur-lined clothes and robes.
Now lighter and more comfortable, Karl looked around at the discarded garnts, recalling the brutal environnt of Pri Root.
“I don’t even want to pee in that place ever again.”
“Stop with the useless chatter. How close are we to the water?”
“We’re almost there.”
Confidently, Karl replied. Natasha asked curiously:
“Don’t tell —you morized the layout of this area?”
“It’s my first ti in Aintrier too. Why would I morize so random border zone?”
“Then what makes you so sure?”
“I’ve got a knack for forests. I survived in them for a long ti.”
“What are you even saying?”
Karl tapped his temple and grinned.
“Just a gut feeling.”
Maybe she’d resigned herself.
For a mont, it seed like he was about to yell, “I’m the ugliest guy alive!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Fortunately, Karl didn’t need to say it.
Just after crossing through a dense reed field, a glimring stream appeared before them.
Relief filled Karl’s laughter.
“It’s water!”
Lily sprinted forward, excited.
She dove straight into the water.
Splash! Clear droplets flew into the air. The water was clean and refreshing.
Lily opened her mouth wide underwater to drink, then splashed around to wash herself.
She had been whining about food earlier, but clearly, she’d been dying to clean up too.
Watching her, Karl chuckled and turned to the others.
“Let’s rest here.”
“Finally sothing worth hearing. Good work.”
“Does that an you acknowledge my looks now?”
“No. Honestly, you are ugly.”
As Karl made a dejected face, Natasha stretched while glancing at the flowing stream.
Smiling contentedly, she called Lily and headed upstream.
While the two witches disappeared to bathe—
“You going to wash up too?”
“Will it make any more handso?”
“Don’t be so discouraged.”
“Don’t comfort . It just makes it worse.”
Sighing, Karl began gathering twigs nearby.
“I’ll light a fire and do so hunting. If Lily goes hungry again, it’ll be a disaster.”
“Witches sure are moody, aren’t they?”
“They are.”
“That’s why I prefer elves.”
“Elves, huh…”
It looked like Dorneth was about to start bragging about his wife again.
Every ti he opened his mouth, it was all Sharbadin this, Sharbadin that.
Karl, tuning out the elf worship with one ear, lit a fire using the twigs he’d gathered.
Soon, a cozy campfire was burning.
Karl, wearing a deadpan expression, said to Dorneth:
“Don’t you hate Fenry? He’s an elf too.”
“Dark elves are an exception.”
“That’s going to hurt the Black Roses’ feelings. A dwarf king thinking that way.”
“Let’s lay Keros down. Poor guy’s been dreaming in nightmares all day.”
“Oh right, I almost forgot about him.”
Dorneth gently laid Keros down near the warm fire.
Most of Keros’s fatal wounds had already been treated using the potions Dorneth brought.
His chest rose and fell weakly with shallow breaths.
He looked okay on the outside, but Keros had yet to regain consciousness after days.
“His breathing’s normal, but he’s still unconscious.”
“Natasha said his soul vessel was cracked. It’s not life-threatening, but it needs proper treatnt.”
“Proper treatnt?”
“She said Arthur could probably handle it.”
“Hm, I suppose he might.”
Seeing Dorneth accept that without the slightest doubt, Karl let out a faint laugh.
Such absolute trust in Arthur.
“Well, I’m in no position to talk. I did the sa, after all.”
Karl had trusted Arthur’s single word, abandoned the fight, and made a deal with the Sword Ghost.
He thought maybe he was even more blindly devoted to Arthur than anyone else.
Clicking his tongue, Karl finished preparing for the hunt.
“I’ll step out for a bit. Please watch over Keros.”
“Leave it to .”
Once Karl disappeared into the woods, Dorneth set down his equipnt and dipped his feet into the flowing stream.
A sigh of contentnt escaped him at the refreshing sensation.
“Ahh, now this feels like living.”
Three days had passed since they began their grueling march through the frozen desert.
For the first ti, Karl’s group had found a place where they could rest in peace.
After a storm of feasting passed—
Lily had devoured over half of the at Karl brought back and then fell into a sweet slumber.
“Mmm... Arthur...”
“Now she calls for Arthur after she’s full.”
Natasha gently stroked Lily’s hair as she dozed on her lap.
Once matted with dirt, her violet hair now shimred with a clean sheen.
The two witches, once crusted in dried blood, sand, and dust, now looked completely refreshed.
Natasha smiled peacefully while watching Lily, then brushed aside her reddish bob and looked over at Karl.
He was busy cleaning up the remains of their feast near the fire.
Piles of bones from fish and stripped animals.
Karl, moving skillfully, was now preparing jerky for the next day.
“Aren’t you going to wash up?”
“I will, once I’m done.”
“Don’t you feel gross?”
“I’ve survived for months looking worse than this. If I felt gross now, I’d have died long ago.”
“You’re sothing else.”
Natasha clicked her tongue and glanced at Dorneth.
He was quietly wiping down his shield, deep in thought.
Under the warm firelight, each person relaxed in their own way.
It was a rare mont of peace.
Natasha gazed blankly at the flickering flas, lost in thought. As her mind wandered, a question resurfaced.
She looked over at Karl and asked:
“About the ceasefire with the Sword Ghost... That was your idea, not Arthur’s, right?”
“What makes you think that?”
“I never heard Arthur ntion it. He wouldn’t keep a big decision like that from us.”
Karl, silently working on the jerky, paused and looked at her, nodding.
“You really are Arthur’s ntor. You’re right. I proposed the ceasefire myself.”
“Was that... okay?”
A ceasefire with Pri Root.
One year wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either.
It was a crucial deal that could alter the fate of the Allied Forces.
“Do you know why Arthur handed command?”
“He said your crisis managent skills were top-notch. That no one would die if they stuck with you.”
At that, Karl smiled bitterly and sighed.
“I’ve believed that myself... but this ti, I was wrong.”
“About what exactly?”
“The mont I sensed danger, the Sword Ghost had already appeared. By the ti we faced him, it was too late to react. You experienced it yourself—how strong he is.”
Natasha nodded grimly. If not for Lily’s Moonlight, they wouldn’t have survived.
That’s how terrifying the Sword Ghost’s strength was.
“I chose to protect the team at all costs.”
“By suggesting a ceasefire?”
“Even when we agreed to it, my instincts were screaming danger. I could see his hesitation.”
“Hesitation?”
“Whether to kill us or spare us.”
“Didn’t Arthur say there was a way to make him keep the deal?”
“I did it—had him swear on his sword. But even that didn’t ease my mind. Arthur was confident, but this was a deal with soone who could threaten all of Pri Root.
If he had chosen Pri Root’s safety over his oath, he would’ve broken the ceasefire and co after us.”
“That really would’ve been the worst. I don’t even want to imagine it.”
“That’s why I proposed the ceasefire. A man like him would think he could prepare for us in a year.”
“That was risky.”
“It was risky, but I was sure it’d work. From that point on, my instincts said we were safe.”
“Then you made the right call. We all made it out alive.”
“Arthur will probably welco the ceasefire too. Right now, the Allied Forces need to focus on Demtor, not Pri Root.
One less thing to worry about—it's a good thing.”
Natasha nodded deeply.
Her doubts eased, she finally understood why Arthur had entrusted Karl with command.
She always joked about how ugly Karl was, but in tis like this, he was a truly reliable ally.
At that mont, Dorneth turned his head and grabbed his shield.
Soone was approaching.
Karl and Natasha both turned their gaze toward the forest on the right.
The presence was so faint, they hadn’t noticed until it was nearly on top of them.
Dorneth moved imdiately, but Karl and Natasha wore strange expressions.
“Wait... isn’t that...?”
“Maybe?”
As Dorneth looked at them, confused, rustling ca from the woods—and familiar figures erged.
Even as they approached, their presence was faint and ghostlike.
But once they recognized Karl’s face in the firelight, their eyes widened.
“M-Master!”
“What are you guys doing here?”
Ghosts.
They were the Ghosts Arthur had sent to track Karl’s group.
Karl greeted them warmly, finally feeling in his bones that they had truly escaped Pri Root.
There was barely ti for pleasantries. The Ghosts quickly delivered their ssage.
“You need to hurry! Lord Arthur is waiting!”
“Arthur?”
Apparently, he was nearby.
What’s going on?
Karl’s group imdiately broke camp.
Not that there was much to pack—just Lily on his back and unconscious Keros.
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