I Thought I Didn’t Have Long To Live!

There was a great tremor on the quiet street. Two men stood in the center, and their gaze went straight to Asrahan. The building didn't collapse, and there were no human casualties thanks to the swift barrier created by the Night mages, but it was evident that if they had been slightly late, the entire city would have been shaken.

"I knew it was madness, but no matter how much..."

Gerard gritted his teeth, unwilling to believe the situation. He knew that his lord had lost his lover and looked away, but the scale on which he was working was too grand. The holy city of Deauville was a city under the care of the Pope. To fight in a place known as the heart of Alteon was an act of rebellion against the temple.

Among the opponents were Asrahan, Mikhail Dohabellion, a few high priests of Alteon, and the next Pope. Fighting the next Pope in the Holy City was not blasphemy. Losing was one problem, and winning was another.

Gerard watched the battle between Asrahan and Doha with mixed feelings.

"He's a monstrous duke, quite good," Doha smiled calmly and whispered into Asrahan's ear, avoiding the sword's trajectory.

It was he who purposely spoke of monsters, but for a moment, the blade tilted at an incredible speed.

Cling!<

With a loud sound, blood spurted from Doha's shoulder. It wasn't a deep cut thanks to his quick evasion, but his arm was almost severed.

"Can you afford to say that?"

...

"I don't think so," Asrahan added in a low voice.

Doha looked at the bloodstains on his white shirt and clicked his tongue. Then, in an instant, he leaped and lunged at Asrahan. A bright white sword and a jet-black sword clashed with a loud sound, the stone path was shattered, and dust rose.

"What speed from the priest!"

Gerard frowned and tried to spot Doha in the dust storm, but he was so good at hiding his position that he couldn't see him. It was the same for Asrahan.

As he had taught Lariette to hide, he asked her how she was doing and said it was far superior to what he expected. Even Asrahan, who had just faced his sword, couldn't figure out exactly where he was, but that didn't mean Doha was the one dominating the fight. Doha's face appeared through the dust, nearing Asrahan's nose.

"You're brave."

But Asrahan's expression remained impassive as if he had already anticipated it, his voice calm. Soon, his blue eyes glimmered with coldness, and the black sword curved gently. This time, the sounds were louder than before. Gerard heard some of the Night knights gasp. And Doha's right arm was severed, his white shirt soaked in blood.

"You dare to face me head-on."

Asrahan mocked as if it were amusing. Mikhail Dohabellion was a strong man. Being crowned Pope meant his divine power was the greatest on the continent. But Asrahan was also the most powerful man on the continent. It was an unfortunate choice to get close to his nose and wield a sword, as one wouldn't know if he would attack from a distance. Doha didn't scream in pain or tremble in fear, even though one of his arms had fallen to his side, leaving his shoulder empty.

As if nothing had happened, he simply moved his body again with a calm face, and Asrahan also swung his sword without hesitation. The sharp blade continued to cut Doha's body all over. The battle with a clear victory continued, and red blood flowed so much that the floor was soaked.

"However!"

Gerard and the other knights of the Night raised their fists and cheered for Asrahan.

"He," Mikhail, who even managed the high priest's office, was very calm.

On the other hand, Asrahan's face wasn't very bright. He squinted his eyes and raised an eyebrow. And suddenly, a black sword severely slashed Doha's throat. It was an unwavering movement. Doha, his beautiful face covered in red blood, rolled down the street.

"You had to do it, but how will you handle this...?"

Gerard approached carefully and asked Asrahan. They had avoided some people, but there were those who had already seen the faces of Asrahan and Doha. If it becomes known that he killed Mikhail, Candel won't be safe. The only way was to get rid of the witnesses, but the question was whether Asrahan would allow the death of civilians. He turned his head without answering. His sharp gaze looked somewhere in the air, as if searching for someone.

"It's a fake."

"Yes? What...?" Gerard decisively searched for Doha's corpse.

When he looked closely, his blood-covered skin was strangely different from that of a human. In other words, it meant it was a puppet made by Doha.

"When did it change?"

Asrahan gritted his teeth and tried to search his memory. At that moment, the new building rushed forward, causing a lot of dust. It was then that he felt something strange for the first time. Compared to the high priest's skill, the battle was ridiculously easy, but it took quite some time to finish it completely. He must have done everything to buy time, to hide Lariette.

"Find him immediately," a threatening voice sounded like the roar of a beast. "Whether the priest or Lariette. Find him and bring him before me."

Even if it meant burning down the city, Asrahan ordered them to find them, and the knights of the Night quickly dispersed throughout Deauville.

-------------------

Doha decided to flee the moment he faced Asrahan. It wasn't that he was afraid of losing to him; in fact, it was just the most rational choice. In fact, he wanted to seriously fight him in a battle and kill him.

He wanted to get rid of the one to whom Lariette had given her heart and kill him, so that she could only see him. He also had confidence that he could win if he fully utilized his abilities, but to kill him, he would have to sacrifice at least one of his limbs.

Doha had a better plan; he wasn't a fool who would confront him directly without thinking beforehand. He preferred to lure his opponent into a trap and slowly strangle him. So, a few minutes into the battle, he created a puppet and hid in a cloud of dust. Then he ran straight to the square where Lariette was waiting. For now, the priority was to hide her.

"Rie!"

"Doha, you're here?" Lariette, sitting near the fountain and enjoying the breeze, turned to look at Doha and soon realized he wasn't carrying anything in his hands. "Didn't you go to buy the drinks?"

"It's clear that I confused the mercenaries."

Doha forgot about it in the midst of an urgency.

"Rie, what I said earlier."

"Earlier? What do you mean?"

"Anyway, why is she changing the subject? Where's the drink?"

Lariette tried to add harshly, but when Doha's face became quite serious, she closed her mouth. Doha smiled as he watched her with a weak gaze. He continued in a soft voice.

"I told her I would meet my mother."

"Oh, yes."

"It's good that she didn't refute!"

Lariette breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. If she had said something unnecessary without understanding the situation, the atmosphere would have been uncomfortable.

"...In fact, the village where my mother is located is nearby. It's Withya, a coastal city... It's an hour away by carriage."

Lariette's eyes widened due to his unexpected response. There must be only one reason for him to say this suddenly.

"That means..."

"Yes, can you come with me? I'm afraid to go alone," Doha laughed and added.

"Of course! Let's go! When will I go?"

"Now."

"Now? Right now?"

"Yes, I don't think I can go if it's not now," his face looked pitiful, looking at Lariette, so he deliberately laughed more exaggeratedly and nodded.

Of course, all of this was part of Doha's plan. If he told her that she had to flee because the Duke of Candel had appeared, Lariette would surely hesitate to leave. Despite subtle threats to her life, she couldn't abandon her faith in Ashrahan. The same went for her heart; she thought she might die at his hands, but he said he would return as soon as the journey was over. So now was the time to lie.

"Hey, do you see that old carriage? It's heading to Withya. I'll come back for my luggage, so go in first and hide, be discreet. We've talked about it, so just get on."

"Hide? Why? What's going on?"

"...To be honest, I left the temple without notice. As someone might recognize me, we have to move carefully. They saw you with me, so you should also hide your face," Doha's words continued smoothly, as if they were prepared in advance.

It was natural for him to be prepared from the moment he realized the Duke of Candel was nearby. Meanwhile, Lariette was bewildered by the fact that Doha had left the capital without saying a word, instead of taking a vacation. But it seemed urgent enough not to question him further, so she didn't add anything else.

Doha hurried to leave after confirming that she was boarding the carriage; he was in a hurry to safely escape from the Duke of Candel.

------------

"Wow, I'm bored."

Lariette sighed deeply, sitting among the large cargo. It had been less than a few minutes since Doha left, but boredom washed over her like waves. It was because she had waited for a long time.

"I've been waiting so long for a lemon drink, but I can't believe I'm waiting again!"

Even as they headed to Withya, she wouldn't be able to quench her thirst. She couldn't tell him that she wanted to drink some water when he offered to go see his mother. Lariette sincerely approved of his decision, but her throat, which would remain dry for the next hour, needed some consolation. She looked around as slowly as possible, but all she could find inside the carriage was clutter.

"Can't I just go out and have a drink of water for a moment?"

Lariette looked through a small window and soon slumped to the floor. Doha had asked her to hide in such a serious manner that she couldn't leave. But as she looked at the narrow interior of the carriage, she felt suffocated. She thought it would be easier to look outside.

"It should be fine if I just take a quick look."

The priest who was following Doha had said he saw her but wouldn't be able to recognize her just by looking at her eyes. Thinking that way, Lariette felt a little relieved and approached the window. It was a small space, and there was dust on it, so she felt more confident.

She soon lifted her head and looked at the outside scenery. And Lariette's vision captured a very familiar back—fine black hair, broad shoulders, and a spacious inverted triangle-shaped back. The figure in a black uniform was clearly that of Asrahan.

Her heart dropped with a pounding sound, her body froze, and her legs trembled. And the man slowly turned his head in her direction.

KwaDang!<

Lariette hid beneath the window because her legs were completely weak. Because of that, she couldn't properly check the man's face.

"Asrahan, why is Asrahan here...?"

It was ridiculous. The Asrahan she remembered was someone who had always been busy with work, only going back and forth between Hwangseong/Yellow City and the mansion. There was no way he could have come this far.

"But... what if he's the real Asrahan?"

Fluffy black hair and a solid physique—it was the back she saw every time he got out of bed in the morning.

"Could there be someone who looks so much alike?"

Lariette's heart raced with anticipation and anxiety. If that person was really Asrahan, it could be dangerous, as Doha warned her.

"Were Doha's words about trying to kill me really true? Is he here to explain the situation, or is he here to kill me?"

If he was the Ashrahan she remembered, he would have respected her wish to apologize immediately after the trip; he would be a friendly man if he did. But Doha's warning meant that he was completely mad and wanted to trap her, which was also convincing. If that was true, Lariette had to hide very well to avoid him. But the problem was that she really didn't want to.

"I miss you."

Regardless of the danger, she missed Asrahan so much. She tried not to think too much about him, but she wiped away tears every night, remembering him, and wondered if she could continue that journey. It was the last trip on the wishlist, so she wanted to continue with him until the end of the journey.

Doha's warning was reasonable, so she had to be more patient. She couldn't utter the word "love" because she had betrayed it.

"Let's get rid of him, let's get rid of everyone to avoid offending him anymore."

As soon as she spotted his back, the feelings she had constantly repressed spilled out like a massive explosion. Lariette couldn't control that overflow.

"Asrahan."

She tightly grasped the pendant on her necklace. Then, without hesitation, she stood up, and soon, Lariette's confident yet pathetic gaze turned toward the window.

----------

Meanwhile, Asrahan, who had arrived at the square to find Doha and Lariette, stopped in the middle of the street with a strange mood. He seemed to sense a familiar energy, the energy he had missed so much. He turned his head in the direction where he felt the energy.

It was where an old carriage was located.