Tarkan, whose face was now a crushed, unrecognizable mess of gore, lay motionless in the dirt.
Yujin gripped his bruised, battered arm and scanned the ground for his sword. He needed to deliver a final blow to ensure Tarkan wouldn't stand up again.
Then, a voice rasped from behind him.
"…It's fine. Your victory."
"And how do I know you're not planning one last trick?"
Yujin's response was sharp and guarded, but Tarkan merely let out a hollow, dry laugh.
"I don't have the strength left to move a single finger. I'll be dead soon anyway. I only spoke because there's something I want to ask you."
Yujin found his sword in the dirt and picked it up, watching Tarkan's pupils as they slowly began to cloud over.
"Why go so far?"
"What do you mean?"
"There was a much easier, simpler path. You have talent. If you hadn't risked your life here today—if you had just run—I never would have been able to beat you the next time we met."
Every tactic Tarkan had used was a desperate, cowardly ploy to win. He had targeted Theresia to distract Yujin and triggered a massive explosion to force him to shield her. And yet, he had still lost.
"Why were you able to make such a choice without a moment's hesitation?"
It was envy. Envy and jealousy for a boy who had made a different choice than his own.
Yujin stepped closer, sword in hand. He answered without wavering.
"Because it's the right thing to do. Because it's what I'm supposed to protect. That's why I made that choice."
Tarkan stared up at him. Yujin's gaze remained resolute.
In conviction… and in skill… a total defeat.
Tarkan wondered what he had been thinking when he first became a knight of the Royal Court. Hadn't he held a heart similar to this boy's back then? But regret wouldn't change anything now. He was the loser; the boy was the victor.
"Your name."
"What?"
"Give me your name. I'd at least like to know the man who took my head."
Yujin scowled, hesitated for a moment, and then sighed.
"Yujin. It's Yujin. If there's a next life… don't do things like this."
"Heh… heh…"
That was the end.
Yujin swung his blade without hesitation, severing Tarkan's neck. A pool of crimson blood began to spread across the dry earth.
He was a formidable foe. Tarkan was the first enemy Yujin had encountered since arriving in this world who actually stood a chance of taking his life. It was also the first time Yujin had pushed his Arts to their absolute limit.
As he turned to check on Theresia, a sudden, violent spasm of pain erupted in his chest.
"What… what is this…!"
Yujin collapsed, clutching at his heart. The agony started there and radiated through his entire body with terrifying speed. It was a terminal pain, like every vein was being scraped by a razor. His heart felt like it was ready to burst like a balloon.
"Ngh… aaargh—"
He couldn't even scream properly, only emit pained groans. As his senses began to fail, his vision blurred into darkness.
Theresia… she'll be worried…
Finally, Yujin's eyes closed.
Theresis cut down the last enemy who lunged at him, declaring an end to the battle.
It had been a chaotic melee. If he hadn't been fighting in an abandoned building where he could funnel them through corridors and rooms, he never would have won. More importantly, he would have surely died if he hadn't finally succeeded in awakening his Arts during the struggle.
The mercenaries had all been capable of using Arts. He had only survived by exploiting their arrogance, but once his own power awakened, the fight became much easier. The mercenaries had tried to overwhelm him with numbers once brute force failed, but teamwork required a level of trust and coordination they lacked.
The result was a floor littered with Sarkaz mercenaries, many missing limbs and groveling in the dirt.
Dammit, I hope I'm not too late!
There was no time to rest. Even while fighting on the lower floors, he had heard the terrifying roars of battle from above. At one point, the building itself had seemed to groan and buckle. If Yujin was struggling that much, Theresis needed to get there immediately.
When he reached the upper floor, he was met with a scene of total devastation. The support pillars had collapsed, rendering the floor unstable. Every surface was gouged with sword strikes. There was even a gaping hole in the ceiling where the structure had simply melted away. He looked out through a breach in the outer wall.
In the courtyard below, Theresia was kneeling over Yujin, shaking him.
Their eyes met for a brief, agonizing second. Theresia couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Yujin was down. The man who had attacked her lay dead nearby, beheaded, but Yujin's condition didn't look much better. His body was covered in shallow cuts that weren't bleeding normally—they looked like chemical burns, raw and smoldering. Blood continued to seep from beneath him.
Theresia tried to stand, but her legs gave out. She beat her fists against her disobedient limbs and crawled toward Yujin.
"No… no…!"
Yujin was her hero. Like a knight from a storybook, he was the one who had saved her from her misery. Her life hadn't been a happy one, but it had changed completely after meeting Yujin. Her brother had stopped scowling and started playing with them; they no longer had to scavenge for food in the trash. Life had found a rhythm, a hope. Theresia had been happy, even daring to dream of a future with the boy.
And now, it seemed it was over.
She reached Yujin and tried to lift him, but his body was already growing cold. He didn't wake up. Like a doll with its strings cut, he just slumped back down every time she pulled him close. She had to find a way—if she didn't, he was going to die.
Theresis reached them then. He carried a small stash of painkillers and medical supplies that were rare in the backalleys, but Yujin's wounds weren't the kind that simple medicine could heal.
"You idiot…! I told you to run if you couldn't win!" Theresis cursed under his breath. He forced some medicine into Yujin's mouth and followed it with water to make him swallow, but Yujin remained unresponsive.
His breathing grew shallower until it was almost non-existent. Theresia began to weep as she listened to his fading heartbeat.
It was because of her. Yujin had drawn his sword to protect her, and this was the price.
I'm still… just a burden.
In her mind, she could almost hear Yujin's voice teasing her, but now she could only bury her face in his chest and cry. She was just a weak girl who could do nothing but sob.
There was no way out. Just as Theresis was about to close his eyes in despair, a cold wind began to blow.
It was an unnatural, chilling wind. Theresis reflexively drew his blade, assuming a defensive stance. Theresia pulled Yujin closer, trying to shield him.
A girl descended from the wind. She looked to be about their age.
But Theresis's senses were screaming. Instinctively, he knew that this girl carried an aura similar to Yujin's.
"…Maybe you should put that sword away."
The girl looked back and forth between Yujin and Theresis with curious eyes, pointing toward the blade. Theresis didn't lower his guard. Theresia clenched her fists behind her back, trying to squeeze out a final drop of power despite the strain. She didn't care if it killed her.
"If you leave him like that, he'll be dead before long."
When the two continued to glare at her like cornered cats, the girl sighed and snapped her fingers. A staff, carried by the wind, flew into her hand.
"Are you going to let him die? He seems important to you."
"Why should we trust you? In a place like this?"
"Trust me or don't. I don't lose anything if I don't help you. Think of it as a favor. He took care of some... annoying business for me. So this is a gesture of goodwill."
The girl crossed her arms and waited for their decision. Realizing they were out of options, Theresis lowered his sword and dropped his head.
"Brother!"
"Theresia, there's no other way. If we wait, Yujin dies. We have to trust her, even if she's a stranger."
The girl walked over to Yujin. Theresia kept a suspicious eye on her, but the girl ignored the glare and raised her staff.
"Well, it's a bit messy to work here in the dirt. Shall we move?"
A northern wind erupted from her raised staff. In an instant, Theresia and Theresis felt their bodies being lifted off the ground by the gale.
"…A Caster!?"
"You…"
Their bodies rose like feathers, held steady by the wind.
The girl carefully lifted the unconscious Yujin as well and began to drift toward a nearby factory.
"Consider yourselves lucky. You don't see many Casters of my caliber every day."
Kalaisha, the Witch of the North Wind, spoke with a light chuckle.