~Chapter 10~
From the ground, Christan quietly looked up at Amelie, who was calmly flying above on her broom.
From a distance, she looked like a fragile noble lady. He wasn’t someone who judged people by their appearance—but based on looks alone, that’s how she seemed.
Whether she was truly strong or not, he still doubted the Emperor’s intentions. Even if healing potions made by a witch were useful, they were ultimately consumables, and couldn’t fully replace a priest’s powers.
It wasn’t the first time the Emperor had treated Bellerophon unfairly. Christan had grown used to the Emperor’s harassment, but even for him, it was getting exhausting.
‘He really is set on tormenting me to the end.’
Thinking that, Christan swung his sword. A monster that had charged out of the forest dropped lifelessly after being struck.
“Screech—!”
“Grrraah!”
The Pegasus Knights cut down the swarming low-level monsters quickly and efficiently. They hadn’t even entered the Rift territory yet, and already the number of monsters was overwhelming.
Christan could sense it—this Rift was not ordinary.
“Don’t back down! They’re just more in number, but no different from the usual low-level monsters! Stay calm and strike their weak spots!”
Up above, Amelie was watching the entire scene unfold.
‘Finally, it’s my time to shine.’
Gripping her broom with both hands, she briefly stopped midair and used one hand to rummage through her pouch, pulling out a potion bottle. The liquid shimmered with an eerie white glow.
Amelie calculated the monsters’ path, then threw the bottle.
Clink—!
The sharp sound of glass shattering caught the attention of Christan and the knights. The knight who had been fighting a monster quickly finished it off and looked toward the impact.
After all, seeing a witch use a potion to attack was extremely rare. It was a sight worth remembering.
“Whoa…”
“That’s… a witch’s weapon…”
The moment the bottle shattered on the ground, thick, tangled thorny vines burst out.
Moving like a living creature, the vines slithered and wrapped around the charging monsters.
The monsters couldn’t move forward, tangled and pierced by the writhing brambles like a giant snake.
But it wasn’t just the vines that made them freeze.
Up above, Amelie sat calmly on her broom, looking down.
“Squeak…”
“Grr… grraah…”
The magical pressure she gave off was enough to paralyze the monsters with fear. They couldn’t even think to break free from the vines.
“Hm…”
Christan was watching her closely. Since he had to submit a performance report to the Emperor, he needed to evaluate Amelie’s performance thoroughly.
‘I couldn’t tell at the castle, but she’s surprisingly charismatic.’
With her catlike sharp eyes and small lips, Amelie could seem cold and elegant at a glance. But her large eyes and frequent smiling gave her more of a “cute” vibe overall.
Now, however, as she battled monsters, her expression changed—she looked strong and cool. Appearance doesn’t affect actual skill, but somehow, it added to her presence.
Christan found the thought a little embarrassing.
‘Even if I say otherwise… I must’ve underestimated her.’
It was a pointless worry. With a small smile, he snapped the knights out of their daze.
“Focus! While the monsters are immobilized, finish them off!”
“Yes, sir!”
The Pegasus Knights snapped to attention and quickly began attacking the bound monsters. With the battlefield fully in their favor, nothing could stop them now. The monsters, entangled in vines, were like a perfectly laid feast for the knights.
“Wow… All those monsters are already gone.”
Amelie, watching from her broom, couldn’t help but be amazed.
Barely a minute had passed since she threw the potion, and the knights had already taken care of everything.
Feeling impatient to contribute more, Amelie reached back into her pouch.
‘I can’t just sit here and watch.’
Right on cue, another group of monsters came charging from afar. Driven by the urge to prove herself, Amelie threw another potion—without checking what kind it was.
“…!”
A soft light flashed from the spot where the bottle landed—then whoosh, flames erupted. The charging monsters had no time to react and were swallowed by fire.
“Gyaaaah!”
“Skreeeeee!”
But the fire didn’t stop there. It blazed high—up to where Amelie was flying. Instinctively, she swerved her broom hard to the side.
“Eek!”
Witches naturally have an extreme fear of fire, even more than animals do. And Amelie was no exception—startled by the intense flames, she panicked.
Frightened, she held tightly onto her broom to avoid falling, unable to even check what was ahead. The knights were too distracted by the flames to notice her situation.
Only Christan saw what was happening and shouted:
“Lady Winterpool!”
Startled by his voice, Amelie’s eyes flew open.
A massive flying monster—about the size of an ostrich—was gliding straight at her at high speed.
“…!”
She tried to swerve, but it was too late. Her broom collided head-on with the beast.
THUD—!
“SCREEE—!”
“Ahhh!”
From the shock, Amelie lost her grip on the broom—and fell.
She’d never learned how to land properly. After all, a witch dying from falling off a broom was like a fish drowning—unthinkable.
Amelie, scared of the pain to come, tightly shut her eyes.
But even with her eyes closed, she could feel it. A strange, magnetic energy lifted her up gently, followed by the firm feel of something solid and hard.
Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt at all.
‘What… what is this…?’
“…You.”
Still squinting with her eyes shut, Amelie heard a soft voice calling her. Carefully, she opened her eyes.
“Y-Your Highness?”
Christan’s face filled her entire view.
She stared into his gray eyes, dazed, then slowly looked down at her shoulder—where she felt the warmth of someone else.
A large hand gently supported her shoulder, and a strong arm under her legs held her up.
Of course, that hand and arm belonged to Christan.
“…!!”
Startled, Amelie jumped out of his arms as if she had been burned. Christan, a little awkward, quickly said:
“Sorry for touching you without permission. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t get hurt.”
“N-No… it’s not that. I should be thanking you… for saving me…”
Turning her back to him, Amelie held her burning cheeks with cold palms, trying to calm down. Her heart was pounding so loudly it felt like it would burst.
‘Wh-What’s wrong with me?! I should’ve just stayed in his arms… Why did I jump away?! Why?!’
But honestly, if she had stayed any longer, her heart might’ve exploded.
Just yesterday, they had physical contact too—but this time felt completely different.
Maybe it was because he was the one who touched her first.
…Her heart just wouldn’t settle down.
