Rumbling—

The atmosphere vibrated. The intense vibration sent shivers down his spine. Speeding to the limit, Cadel’s desperate eyes searched for the source of this ominous change.

Soon his eyes were filled with a vast barrier of ice, stretching from the center of the sky.

“What the hell is that…….”

It was a barrier. An ignorantly extensive barrier that swallowed the entire forest in order to imprison uninvited guests. Cadel’s desperate eyes moved slowly as he looked up at the barrier that was approaching the ground at a terrifying speed.

What he saw was Lumen. And the still-unconscious Van.

‘……This is really too much.’

Cadel could feel it instinctively. That he had a goddamn choice to make.

He didn’t want to die.

Who could be more obsessed with life than someone who died and came back to life? In that sense, Cadel wanted to live more than anyone else here.

‘The speed at which the barrier is completed is too fast. If we just run like this, no matter how lucky we are, we won’t be able to escape.’

It was impossible for ordinary runners to escape until the barrier was completed. However, he couldn’t even try to cast a speed increase buff on everyone in his party. With Cadel’s remaining mana, even applying a buff for one person was too much for him. Even if he forced himself to use the magic, Lumen’s burden would only increase.

Blood pooled in his gaping mouth. Cadel spat out the diluted blood and wiped the corner of his mouth.

‘I’ve got about one shot of magic left.’

It was safe to say that not a drop of mana was left. Even if he scraped it all off, the types of magic he could try were limited.

And Cadel. He was now seeing more clearly than anyone else what magic he should use.

“A wide-range barrier? Are all fairies supposed to be insane? Leader, take my hand. We need to break through this as fast as we can―”

“Lumen.”

He stared at Lumen’s outstretched hand. Hard palms with calluses that belied their delicate appearance. Lumen’s gaze was puzzled. While waiting for an answer, Lumen flicked his hand as if telling him to grab it.

But Cadel did not hold his hand. Instead, he put his hand behind Van’s back, who was carried by Lumen.

‘If I can safely see the final chapter of the story, I really want to have these two at the end.’

With Van, who was sometimes burdensomely loyal, and a cheeky but trustworthy Lumen. He wanted to see the end of this world. He wanted to go to the end together.

That was Cadel’s choice.

“Leader……?”

Cadel took a deep breath. Biting down hard on his trembling lips, he turned to Lumen, who was looking at him.

“Lumen, do you trust me?”

“Huh? Why are you saying that in this situation…….”

“Answer me. Do you trust me?”

Lumen must have sensed a strange flow in his sudden question. Lumen’s expression changed subtly.

What is he doing?

There was an undeniable determination in the look he captured on Cadel’s face, and it was unsettling. Cadel was always beyond his expectations, always surprising him.

But at this moment, Lumen wanted to be relieved rather than surprised. He wanted to laugh and be relieved that they had gotten out of this damn forest and survived together.

“I believe Leader is a man who won’t die easily.”

For a moment, he thought he saw a faint smile tug at the corners of Cadel’s mouth.

“That’s enough.”

Along with the low answer, Lumen could feel the tremendous wind pressure riding on Van’s back, who he was carrying. A heavy strong wind that threatened to pierce his body.

Unable to withstand the force, Lumen and Van’s bodies were hurled forward. Almost launched into the air, their bodies were weighed down by the unconscious Van, and even Lumen could not easily control the body.

“Kkeugh!”

After rolling several times across the ground, Lumen barely survived the recoil. Struggling to his feet, he quickly regained his center and pushed himself up.

The place where the messed up Lumen was standing was no longer in the forest.

It was outside the forest. Lumen’s eyes widened as he discovered the ice barrier blocking his path.

“What is this…….”

Quickly rushing to the front of the barrier, Lumen slammed down on it with all his might. A chill ran through him, strong enough to send chills down his spine, but it didn’t matter.

“Leader! Cadel! What the hell have you done!”

The barrier creaked in response to the futile punch. But that was it. Not even the slightest incontinence formed on top of the barrier. Still, Lumen continued to pound on it. Over and over again, he called Cadel’s name.

Blood trickled from his knuckles, torn by the impact. Dark streaks of blood stamped and blurred across the opaque curtain.

This couldn’t be happening.

The fist that pressed down the barrier trembled. He took a deep breath and drew his sword this time. Unskilled swordsmanship began to hack through the curtain.

“Come out. Come out.”

With a snap, the muscles of his jaw clenched so tightly that his teeth grated. The vicious blow was repeated, but only a muffled grunt echoed through the barrier.

“Come out!”

He struck again and again until his well-honed blade was dull and the muscles in his overworked arms twisted and cramped.

And then it finally dawned on him.

He could not break this barrier with his own strength. He could not bring Cadel out.

That simple realization seemed to choke his breath. Something unknown, rooted deep in his heart, had gone awry. It was a feeling that shouldn’t be there.

With a short gasp, Lumen slid down on the barrier. Clutching his jet-black hair, he dropped his mangled sword to the ground.

“Don’t do this……. Please…….”

A feeling of helplessness that he never wanted to feel again washed over Lumen. When the composure disappeared from his always confident eyes, his deepest emotions were revealed.

Fear.

For the first time in a very long time, Lumen felt that awful feeling with every fiber of his being.