Kergel’s voice indicated shame, misery and anger that it was really hard to tell who it had been directed at. As soon as the Duke of Bönt became embarrassed and tried to open his mouth once again, Kergel had first spoken up to the Duke and Gilov.
“Anyway, I’ll leave this up to you to wrap it all up. I need to return with the Empress first.”
“Oh! Of course, you should.”
The Duke hurried back with his words. They had followed Kergel because it was clear that they would not be of any help at the moment.
In fact, it didn’t help in saving the Empress after all.
Kergel’s ability could make a quick return and get Roelin to take the antidote while treating her wounds.
The Duke of Bönt could guess what had happened here just by the traces of bodies that scattered all around him. Gilov also nodded as if he had noticed the whole situation.
“Don’t worry and take your leave now, Your Majesty. We will come back right after organizing stuff.”
“Thank you.”
“But…”
Gilov opened his mouth again as soon as Kergel tried to turn around with Roelin still in his arms.
“Well, the seal……”
“Since it’s not broken anyway, there is actually no point for us to be talking to each other like this.”
When Kergel noticed the question that Gilov was just about to carefully ask, he answered without even listening to him.
Now, he could then guess why the Duke, Gilov as well as everyone else had looked at him in such bewilderment.
This was because he had not been aware of his own condition since he only focused on the idea of saving Roelin.
He had probably grazed the seal by a narrow margin while drawing power from earlier.
For that particular reason, he was no longer able to regain his original appearance at once.
As his ability to control the power had turned unstable due to the side effects of such excessive effort, it was now difficult to restore his changed appearance at that instant.
“I’ll leave this up to you to sort it all out.”
Of course, not that he didn’t want them to be completely settled in. In the first place, it was utterly impossible.
Some people might have already noticed his power that spread throughout the forest from the outside. Also, no matter how heavy the mouths of those who had been here right now were, words still could leak from almost anywhere.
That he was not a human being, but a descendant of the werewolves.
In other words, it could be completely revealed to the world.
‘That’s not the point. The most important thing is…’
—that she might find out too.
Kergel’s heart seemed to have been frozen at the idea that came to his mind inadvertently. Though he had only assumed, fear had already crept far into his heart like the chill of a harsh winter.
‘Let’s just stop thinking. This is not the time to worry about it.’
He shook his head before he tightened his hands and soared away at once.
Those who saw him from the back had been shocked yet again accompanied by the sounds of whispers that were heard soon after. But Kergel didn’t care at all.
Besides, well, the sound eventually disappeared at prompt. It was not due to the fact that they had shut themselves up, but because they had already left the range of sound itself.
The view of the forest amidst the dark whizzed past Kergel’s side. It was so fast that most predators couldn’t even catch up with him.
How long had it even been then?
“Um…”
Roelin was just about to wake up as a faint groan leaked out of her. It was no wonder that Kergel had instantly stopped there once he heard her moaning.
“Roelin! Have you awakened?”
Kergel immediately asked her away. Then, Roelin flinched her eyelids as if she was responding to his voice before she slowly opened her eyes.
He could then see her blue pair of eyes. Her blurred gaze eventually began to become clearer little by little.
“Roelin, I…… Oh, my God.”
Kergel was delighted that she had finally come to her senses, so he opened his mouth without realizing it and turned his head to the corner, albeit belatedly.
He wanted to cover his face and back from Roelin, but it was best to just turn his head around instead as he was holding her tight.
“………Ke, Kergel?”
And Roelin’s feeble voice could be heard in his ear. It was a name that he had been referred to by herself, but she was now calling out his name with a slight hesitation midway as if she couldn’t believe it at all.
He could see why she had hesitated as she did. Maybe it was due to his own appearance.
“……right? You are Kergel, right?”
Roelin spoke to Kergel again before she started moving. However, it was not easy to even move according to her will in such a disheveled condition.
“Stop that. You’ll get hurt.”
Kergel turned his head as he heard a moan had leaked out from Roelin, so he grabbed her in a hurry. Then, Roelin reflexively slapped his hand away.
“Uh…”
Roelin, as if she was surprised by her own actions, could no longer continue her words with her widened eyes. And Kergel began to stare blankly at her as well, unable to say anything.
He could see himself reflected in her blue eyes.
A much larger figure than his usual.
And a black-haired body that appeared just like an animal.
He never imagined that he would be seen so clearly in that small pair of eyes.
Kergel stared at himself within Roelin’s eyes while clenching his molars before he straight away lowered his eyes to avoid her gaze.
“Foot…”
His face soon became distorted. He could now see a branch was pierced into her foot.
“……”
Kergel couldn’t speak as he breathed heavily while still clenching his teeth. Then, he looked up again and gazed at Roelin.