Chapter 80
Hestia had braced herself for intense pain, but—
“Ugh! What the….”
The dirt floor seemed to cushion her fall; the pain wasn’t as severe as she had feared.
Coughing as the cloud of dust rose around her, Hestia quickly pushed herself up into a sitting position. That’s when she spotted Terhan and screamed.
“Your Highness!!”
Terhan had wrapped his entire body around Hestia as they fell, absorbing not only the impact but also shielding her from injury.
Even a seasoned knight, with a well-trained body, would risk serious harm from such a fall. Yet Terhan had thrown caution aside, sacrificing his own safety to protect her completely.
“Are you okay? Can you stand? Why did you…!!”
It was no wonder Hestia was alarmed, her shallow breaths caught in her throat. Her hands trembled as she supported Terhan.
Life was both tenacious and fragile, and Hestia couldn’t calm the sudden panic that gripped her heart.
“Ugh… now, that’s the problem… haah… maybe not.”
Terhan gently held her trembling hands, as if to calm her, and cast his gaze deep into the forest.
Hestia followed his eyes.
“…I see. It seems we’re surrounded.”
A raw, untamed hostility seemed to radiate from every direction.
“I… haah… I’ll lure them away. You—ride Baek-ah and go straight ahead.”
Terhan gripped his wooden staff, struggling to rise. Cold sweat traced the lines of his face.
How could he hope to lure anyone when he could barely stand? And Terhan, who rarely showed emotion, looked visibly strained—his body must be in unbearable pain just to breathe.
“…Still, something feels off.”
Frowning, Hestia deliberately ignored his words and continued.
“They know we’re hunting them. There’s no way they’d scatter and hide…”
Ah, no.
The worst-case scenario suddenly crossed her mind.
Terhan seemed to have arrived at the same thought, adding in a weak voice:
“So, I have to lure them even more, don’t I?”
“If our assumption is correct, I wouldn’t be able to flee on Baek-ah either.”
By now, it wasn’t just a guess—it was almost a certainty.
Hestia quickly scanned the area and grabbed a suitable branch.
“You’d better hide too.”
Baek-ah, still circling Hestia as if unsure what to do, poked its head forward reluctantly.
“No need to apologize. Nothing will happen, so just hide quickly. That’s how you help.”
‘I’ll be watching nearby. If you need me, call out. This is a special favor, so you must call.’
Baek-ah gave Terhan a sidelong glance, then disappeared into the dark forest.
“This mess… it’s been a long time since I’ve seen anything like this.”
“Well… we don’t have a choice. If we want to survive, we have to struggle.”
Despite the urgent situation, Terhan let out a small chuckle. But the urgency in his movements as he shielded Hestia was clear.
The raw hostility of the forest, combined with the discordant sounds of approaching footsteps, triggered Terhan’s keen senses.
“Looks like the bastards have arrived.”
Damn.
Terhan muttered a curse under his breath, bracing himself even more.
It was clear now: the wild boars in the forest were a pack driven here by Felix’s trap, and knights had come to exterminate them.
But that wasn’t all.
“Kueeeek―!”
The terrifying roar of a wild boar shook even the massive trees, scattering leaves to the ground.
“Quite an entrance.”
From the ferocity, it was apparent what this creature was.
“…The leader, it seems.”
The wild boar leader they’d been hunting had appeared.
Finding the leader was good—but why now?
Hestia forced a bitter laugh and quietly closed her eyes behind Terhan. She assessed the number of approaching boars and knights.
She had no talent for reading such hostility; even when learning from Linus, she had struggled. Focus was essential.
“The boars… seven, no, eight including the leader.”
“The bastards… six of them.”
Some relief, perhaps.
A grim aura shadowed Terhan’s face.
Then—
Kku-guk. Kku-guk!
Finally, one boar slowly emerged.
“Wow… it’s like a moving boulder.”
Hestia peeked from behind Terhan, astonished.
“Hah.”
Even Terhan couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity; he had never seen a boar of this monstrous size.
The creature was like a mountain boulder, with thick, impenetrable-looking hide, fierce red fur from head to tail, tusks that could pierce a beast’s belly in one strike, and eyes burning with violent intent.
“Even against Lu, it’d be a fair fight.”
If Lu heard that, he’d protest—but from appearance alone, the boar was clearly dominant.
“I’ll buy us as much time as I can. Slip away when you see an opening. They won’t touch you.”
Terhan’s breathing eased slightly; perhaps he was pretending to be okay to reassure Hestia.
He tightened his grip on the staff and stepped toward the boar.
He would protect Hestia no matter what—even if it meant being pierced by those tusks.
The will to protect someone he cared for had always been his strength.
“…Do you have any faith?”
Hestia silently watched Terhan’s back.
Even a healthy man couldn’t hope to take down a boar this size, let alone with just a wooden staff.
“…Don’t you value your life?”
In this warlike situation, Hestia’s casual question drew a faint smile to Terhan’s lips.
“Of course not. I owe many debts for this trivial life that was spared in the past. Until I repay them all, I won’t die easily.”
“…Then I’ll stand with you.”
Hestia lowered her branch, stepping beside Terhan, her posture almost playful like a young lady at a game.
“This isn’t a game.”
Terhan urgently warned, eyes still fixed on the boar.
“I’m not joking either. Two are better than one, and I might even help more than Your Highness.”
“Hestia, please… damn it!”
Kueeeek!!
A boar charged without warning. Terhan wrapped his arm around Hestia’s waist, leaping sideways on his left leg to evade.
Through the cloud of dust, the disoriented boar twisted its body to strike again.
“Let go! I didn’t volunteer to be a burden.”
Hestia placed her hands over Terhan’s on her waist. Terhan’s grip loosened for a moment, and she met his golden eyes.
“You said you trust me. Then just trust me.”
Her words quickened. Unlike usual, her brown eyes were filled with firm resolve.
“…If there’s an opening, then run—even if alone.”
Terhan had no choice but to step back.
At that moment—
Kkueeeek―!!
The boar charged, exhaling hot breath.
“Damn it!”
“Dodge!”
Terhan and Hestia narrowly split to avoid the boar.
Crack! Thud!
A massive tree fell to the ground, leaves still fluttering midair.
Fwee―!
An arrow flew toward Terhan.
Thwack!
As soon as his feet hit the ground, he deflected it with his staff.
Whether aimed at him or the boar was unclear.
The important thing:
“Finally, the pack has arrived.”
Babababok!
Arrows rained from above without pause.
Kku-ek!
The boar deflected them all. Its bloodshot eyes locked on Terhan, and it charged. The mountain itself seemed to tremble under its fury.
“Come at me.”
Terhan clenched his teeth, locking eyes with the boar, positioning himself to shield Hestia.
Despite its massive size, the boar’s speed rivaled that of an arrow.
Terhan rolled to the side, avoiding the charge—but
“Ugh.”
Pain from his right leg flared, searing through him.
The boar allowed no time for recovery. It quickly changed direction and hurled its massive body at him. Terhan grabbed his staff with both hands, but it snapped under the pressure.
Yet Terhan seized the moment.
Thunk―!
He thrust the broken wooden shard into the boar’s snout with all his strength. Every muscle strained, pain shooting through his injured body.
Kkueeeek―!!
The boar screeched in agony, steam from its nostrils. Red eyes blazed as it thrashed wildly.
“Theo! Move!”
Hestia ran toward Terhan.
At her cry, he turned, heart sinking as he saw her.
Bababab-bat―!
The chaos erupted. The sky seemed blackened with arrows, as if aiming to pierce every living thing.
What is Hestia doing? I don’t understand? Didn’t she have amazing skills in swordsmanship?