Chapter 70
They stared at each other in silence for a long time.
Blaming one another for being liars.
Their relationship had come too far for communication.
Neither of them believed each other’s words anymore.
Katrina looked up at the sky.
The meteor shower still rained down endlessly, refusing to stop.
The sky was so beautiful. It was such a beautiful day.
“…Silas, then what happens to me now?”
Katrina asked.
She was already cornered at the edge of a steep cliff. Whether she could leave this place or not depended entirely on Silas.
“When all those meteors fall, a temporary rift will form in the dimension.”
Silas continued, his gaze still fixed on the sky.
“If I work with you then…”
A faint smile touched his lips, but his eyes were filled with deep pain.
“You won’t be able to go back.”
…So that’s how it is.
Katrina’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
She looked up at the sky together with Silas.
The meteors streaked across the heavens, leaving long silver tails behind, while tiny sparks of light scattered in every direction like embroidery across the dark sky.
Each time a shooting star fell, the night sky would briefly brighten, and then the light would gently fade away into the earth.
The number of meteors began to dwindle.
Katrina cried.
Silas hesitated, then turned to look at her.
“…Fine. Do as you wish.”
Katrina had done her best, but there was no way.
All her efforts ended like this.
Silas ignored her and walked past.
Just as Samuel had said, the relic was embedded in the rock. Silas reached out and grasped it.
“…But Silas, there’s something I’ve been wondering.”
Katrina asked as Silas held the relic in his hand.
“Why did you even bother with the treasure hunt?”
She had always been curious.
If he didn’t really need the so-called Crown of Magrino, then why had he even participated?
“To confirm where the relic was.”
I see.
The meteor shower in the sky was thinning rapidly.
“Then why were you so desperate to win?”
“…”
Silas didn’t answer.
All this time, Katrina kept thinking.
Could she survive in this world?
But no matter how much she thought…
She didn’t have the confidence.
The reason Katrina wanted to return was because this world was too dreadful.
It was a place that had gathered too much of her misfortune.
She simply had no courage to go on living here.
And yet, in the end, everything was over.
Or so she thought.
“Katrina, I…”
“Fire.”
Before she could finish hearing his words, a familiar voice rang out.
Countless arrows rained down toward Silas, who had been distracted by Katrina.
Katrina stared at the fallen Silas.
“Silas Rockenheim, I don’t know if you can hear me, but kidnapping a noble is a grave crime.”
A cold voice spoke from above her head.
“If you survive, you’ll be going back to Ahok Prison.”
Damian sneered at the collapsed Silas.
“Katrina, are you all right?”
He reached out a hand to the stunned Katrina.
“The ground is cold. You’d better stand.”
Katrina couldn’t even properly see the hand held out to her.
She just sat there blankly, watching the knights drag Silas away.
“It’s fortunate we found you in time. That was dangerous.”
“Damian, how did you even…”
How did you get here?
She never thought anyone would come looking for her.
In Abice, there was no one who would.
“I simply did what was necessary.”
Damian’s tone was formal as he turned to the knights.
“Descend.”
He gave a short order to the Abice knights.
Katrina numbly followed them down the mountain.
This was truly her farewell to Magrino Island.
Damian watched Katrina closely.
She looked like someone who had lost her soul.
“Be careful, Katrina.”
He caught her as she stumbled.
“The mountain path is dangerous. Don’t—”
“I know.”
But for someone who claimed to know, her steps were unsteady.
He wondered if her leg was injured, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
Because the road was too steep for a carriage, they had no choice but to climb up on foot. The descent was the same.
He hadn’t thought it would be much of an issue…
But Damian’s eyes hardened coldly.
This wasn’t like Katrina.
What on earth had happened between her and Silas Rockenheim?
Even though she’d been sitting on the ground, her skirt was surprisingly clean. That suggested the climb up had been similar.
Silas Rockenheim must have carried her.
Maybe his fiery temper couldn’t stand her slowing down, or maybe… she wanted him to.
There could be another reason.
He hadn’t seen it himself, but he could picture the entire scene vividly.
“Katrina, if you keep walking like that, you’ll hurt yourself.”
There were no proper medical facilities on this island.
The journey back to Abice would take at least two or three days, depending on the sea weather.
If she got injured, it would be miserable for her the whole way.
So Damian offered a practical suggestion.
“Get on my back.”
Katrina felt extremely awkward.
It was already unsettling that Damian had been nagging her nonstop on the way down the mountain.
Is this really his personality?
Hadn’t he always acted like he didn’t care what happened to her?
Even coming here to save her was strange.
“Get on.”
And this statement was even stranger.
“I can go down by myself.”
Katrina refused.
She’d rather fall than ride on his back. It felt too uncomfortable.
“As you wish.”
When she declined, Damian didn’t insist further.
They continued down the mountain in silence.
Then Damian spoke again.
“When we return, Silas Rockenheim will be brought to trial.”
“…”
“Katrina, you’ll testify.”
“What?”
“If you testify, he’ll definitely go back to prison.”
Was he serious?
It’s not like he’d go this far just for me…
Maybe Damian felt that Abice had been humiliated by Silas.
“I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“Just… handle Silas quietly. There’s no need for a trial.”
“…”
Katrina no longer wanted to be entangled with Silas.
Honestly, they had exchanged too much—blame and favors alike. At this point, deciding who was more at fault would be meaningless.
This was where their bond needed to end.
But will he be okay?
Silas had been badly injured. That image kept flashing in her mind.
