* * *

Meanwhile, beyond the bloodsuckers’ barrier.

Contrary to Van’s expectations, Lydon was unable to protect Cadel. It was Cadel’s will.

“You have 10 minutes to restore the seal, or I’ll throw it away and go to Cadel.”

Soon after the bloodsuckers’ barrier closed the gap between them and the knights, other bloodsuckers appeared and began attacking the magicians. It was an onslaught like no other.

Even Cadel could not take all of those attacks alone. Lydon sensed the faltering flow of mana and was about to use the Phantasm Speech. From afar, he heard Cadel’s call.

“Lydon! Protect the magicians until I return! Don’t let the restoration of the seal stop!”

As he cried out, bloodsuckers rushed around him in numbers far beyond those that targeted other magicians. Lydon made his disapproval clear, but he wasn’t sure if it reached Cadel, who vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

And so, instead of protecting Cadel, Lydon protected the magicians, not of his own volition. His irritation at Cadel’s choice and his anger at the incompetence of the humans pushed Lydon’s already arbitrary behavior even further.

The ice shield that enveloped the magicians was of arbitrary thickness and size, the trajectories of the ice spears aimed at the bloodsuckers had no regard for the allies, and the temperature was dropping by the second as the blizzard raged around them.

So the magicians were forced to crank out mana in unexpectedly cold temperatures with the fairy threats streamed in like background music. Martin, who could point him out, was more immersed in the seal than anyone else here. No one uttered a word.

“……This is annoying.”

The smiling face disappeared and looked at the group of bloodsuckers surrounding Cadel. Occasionally, flames could be seen escaping through the gaps, but even those quickly died out.

He didn’t think Cadel would lose to mere insects, but still. Still, Lydon was nervous. He wondered how far he should go in listening to Cadel.

He wanted to do everything Cadel asked him to do because he liked him, but did he really need to do something so painful?

“It’s just 10 minutes. I’ll just wait 10 minutes, Cadel.”

Lydon muttered an inaudible threat and clicked his tongue briefly.

* * *

And when Lydon’s countdown began, Cadel faced the horrors of death.

Crunch. Crunch.

The insects’ slender legs beat relentlessly against the barrier. Their dense, sharp teeth did not hesitate to bite into the scorching flames. Far from being burned by the flames, they were fiercely absorbing the flames’ power.

Thousands of insects clung to Cadel’s barrier, slowly pressuring him. The more mana was used, the stronger they became, and Cadel became weaker.

‘I can’t believe he’s already pulling out the energy-sucking insects. Was Ashvka originally a demon with such good judgment?’

The identity of the insects that stuck to Cadel was the ‘energy-sucking insects’. It looked similar to the bloodsuckers that attacked other magicians, but what the energy-sucking insects sucked was ‘energy’ rather than ‘blood’. They were sucking mana from Cadel the magician.

Although the habits of the two insects were different, the fact that people died when being bitten was the same. Rather, the energy-sucking insects were even more vicious. These guys didn’t even give you a chance to resist.

‘They decided that if they killed me, they could stop the seal’s process. Lydon is still escorting the magicians instead of me, but…….’

If he died before the seal was complete, he was a goner. Besides, if he didn’t shake off the energy-sucking insects quickly, their next target could be Lydon.

‘If you use magic, they take away your mana, and if you don’t, they eat you.’

Neither choice was easy. With his vision blocked, Cadel didn’t know the exact number of the energy-sucking insects, and he didn’t have enough mana left to cast a powerful spell that would dispatch them all in one fell swoop.

‘I can’t even use wide-range magic because of my allies in the seal circle. What can I do?’

A magic that delicately targeted only the area where the energy-sucking insects were concentrated and cut them off with one shot with a small amount of mana. Such efficient magic, Cadel did not know.

Should he now try to find a breakthrough by changing the attributes of magic?

‘But no matter what I do, with the enemy this close, I can’t ignore the blows coming my way, and if I get it wrong, I’ll be self-destructing.’

The real-time thinning of the barrier unsettled him, and every time he was instantly stripped of the mana that infused it, goosebumps broke out all over his body.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t come up with an answer. Cadel had to think about not just surviving but completing the quest. He was left with fewer options.

‘Lydon must not be moved now. We must somehow help the seal restoration continue. Van is trapped in the bloodsuckers’ barrier, and it will take time to get him out.’

I can’t even get my subordinates to help me, so what do I do now? How do I handle this sudden quest while staying alive?

‘……I’m stuck.’

A chill ran down his spine at the hopeless conclusion. The gurgling sound of the energy-sucking insects that had been haunting his ears the entire time became more pronounced and filled his head.

The more he instinctively tried to protect himself by increasing the thickness of his barrier, the more his body trembled.

Before considering the success or failure of the quest, would he be able to survive?

The primal fear of survival stealthily crawled up his toes like a snake. The flapping of the insects’ wings was like a siren warning of impending danger.

‘I’ve told Lydon to wait until I get out of here, so he won’t be able to save me right away. Even if he notices the anomaly and helps me before then, I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive until then…….’

If he had realized the identity of the insects that had been attacking him from the beginning, he would have called Lydon for help immediately. Even if it was the bloodsuckers, Cadel had already drained a great deal of his mana to deal with the energy-sucking insects.

‘This is really dangerous.’

He wasn’t sure he could even survive, let alone complete the quest. The fear of death had always been the closest thing to a chokehold, but never had he felt every single joint in its grip as clearly as it did now.

Cadel knew he should be calm, but it was all for naught when he realized that even if he did, he had no solution. Despite the cold sweat, his body was shaking like a man thrown into a snowstorm, and his furiously spinning thought circuits could only come to one conclusion.

Death.

He could not evade it on his own. He had no immediate allies to help him. Meanwhile, the energy-sucking insects grew more ferocious, and Cadel could feel his mana slowly draining away.

Being in isolation and having to imagine the worst possible death, accompanied by the sound of insects getting closer and closer, was too much for even Cadel to bear. His mental strength was wearing thin.

He squeezed his eyes shut and caught his breath. He hadn’t expected to face such a crisis in a sudden quest. He had thought a few times that he might die on a quest, but not right after being promoted to knighthood.

Slowly, he lifted his eyelids, revealing a pair of cloudy gray eyes.

Fear. Cadel was facing a fear that swelled larger than any other emotion. It was a fear that seemed unquenchable, and the ground seemed to give way.

A small hole was made in the barrier. Cadel tried to reinforce it with mana, but because the mana was taken away by the energy-sucking insects, the hole could not be closed. The hole only grew in area.

On the brink of death, Cadel saw his life flash before his eyes, which he hadn’t seen since when he was hit by a truck.

The moment he first met Van, Lumen, and Lydon. The moment he fought the life-and-death battles with them. The moment he convinced Garuel to join. Mamil’s nagging, Van’s loving concern, and Lydon’s laughter.

“……I promised.”

A promise to Lumen. His promise to Lumen to stand at the end of the long wait came to mind more passionately than ever.

He couldn’t leave his comrades behind. It wasn’t until Cadel faced his own death that he realized what he feared more than death.

All the promises he made to them solely for his own survival ended up being left behind without being able to keep them. That was what Cadel feared more than anything.

He had to survive. Even if he failed the quest, he had to live.

And the moment he thought about it.

Outside of the barrier, a bluish flash appeared. Before he could figure out what it was, instantly, the filthy insect sounds that had sent Cadel into a panic stopped. All sound was cut off in an instant.

“This is…….”

The next instant, the bodies of the energy-sucking insects slid down the gaping hole in the barrier like a torrent of stormwater. Cadel was less concerned with the sudden death of the energy-sucking insects than with the condition of the corpses. Their little bodies had been perfectly bisected. A remarkably clean cut.

‘No way.’

His heart, thumping with anxiety, sped up. Soon he felt almost sick to his stomach, and then he felt a shower of insects pounding against his barrier.

After all that, the familiar voice from beyond was enough to release all of Cadel’s tension.

“I didn’t mean to make such a dramatic entrance. Don’t fall for me, Leader.”

Cadel pulled back the barrier. It never occurred to him that there might be remaining energy-sucking insects nearby. Into the clearing of the flames, he saw the back of a towering figure.

Black hair flowing gently in the breeze. A straight posture that exuded an unwavering sense of dignity. A long longsword hanging from his waist and a white, callused hand gripping it. After taking in his surroundings for a moment, the man turned his head slightly, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes.

It was a face he missed like crazy. Feeling like he might cry a little, Cadel called his name in a shaky voice.

“……Lumen.”

At that quiet call, Lumen smiled faintly as he sheathed the sword that was halfway out.

“Have you been waiting a long time?”

“I almost died waiting.”

“……Me too.”

Lumen reached out to the cowering Cadel. The warmth of their touch made it clear that Lumen had indeed returned.

How could he come back at such a perfect time, Cadel wondered, and when he looked at Lumen, their gazes met. As soon as Cadel rose to his feet, he loosened his grip, but Lumen didn’t let go. In fact, he held on even tighter than before.

Lumen was good at hiding his emotions, but in his eyes, Cadel could often see the remnants of his overflowing emotion. It was heated, imperfect, and uncontrollable. It was an emotion that did not fit Lumen.

“Did you get pigment extracted while I was away?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Eyes and hair. They have turned dark.”

“Ah……. There is a reason for this, but it would be too long to explain here. For now, let’s—”

“I know.”

Lumen interrupted Cadel, loosening his grip on his hand, and then made the kind of situational judgment that made it hard to believe he’d just been in a battle.

“Protecting the seal is our first priority. Those guys are fast, but I can take them out. Lydon’s on the outside, Van’s on the inside. Where do you want me to start, inside or outside?”

In an instant, Lumen had summarized the situation and given Cadel options he hadn’t had before. Cadel felt like he had finally found his footing after stumbling around without a center.

A laugh that did not fit the situation leaked out, and as Lumen’s smug face looked down at him as if to ask why he was laughing, Cadel felt like everything was finally falling into place.

With that instant relief, Cadel didn’t procrastinate any longer and utilized Lumen.

“From the inside. Listen to Van’s explanation of the demon, and help him use wide-range skills as much as possible. Lydon and I will take care of the seal’s outside.”

“It’s nice and neat.”

It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to stretch my legs. Lumen muttered happily, and without hesitation, he launched himself at the bloodsuckers’ shroud.

T/N: Rejoice, Lumen’s supporters ヽ(♡‿♡)ノ