Chapter 102 - LEGAL GUARDIANS (2)

“We won!”

Two rings of light emerged around Cordelia as she widely smiled and made a V-sign with her fingers.

In the battle’s aftermath, her hair became disheveled, her clothes had tears everywhere, but her broad smile seemed to be shining.

Jude clapped his hands and approached Billvine who had scattered into ashes.

They would have a bit of a hard time in fighting him if he had used his demonized form, but just as how he died in the game, he had fought as a human until the end, so Jude offered a brief moment of silence for him.

“I’ll use it well.”

He was referring to the armor and shield that was left by Billvine.

Jude wasn’t into heavy armor, but it would have some use if he took it.

For example, he could give it to Lucas or just sell it.

“I think they’re done there too.”

As Cordelia had said, Billvine’s men were virtually annihilated.

Some of them tried to escape, but the extremely angry Blue Whiskers flew into the sky and did not miss anyone who fled.

“He seemed to be embarrassed, right?”

“He must be embarrassed.”

Because he almost died after he charged and ignored Cordelia’s dissuasion.

His life was saved, and he could make up for his disgrace thanks to the two, but Blue Whiskers couldn’t help but be embarrassed as he still had a sense of shame.

“Hehe, then we can bleed him dry.”

“…Eh?”

“I mean, he’s indebted to us and feels guilty, so he’ll listen to us, right? I’m going to take Solari’s necklace no matter what.”

“Yes, yes.”

When Cordelia said that with an angelic face and faintly laughed, Jude immediately agreed with her, but his conscience somehow felt guilty.

What is this?

It’s like I feel guilty for seriously dirtying a pure white snowfield.

“What’s wrong with your expression? Are you sick? Did you get stabbed?”

“No, just…I remember the old days of innocence.”

Where had the old days gone, when Cordelia spoke in monotone because she was bad at lying?

‘No, I was definitely the one who corrupted her.’

While Jude struggled alone in his guilt, Cordelia tilted her head several times before she smiled again and headed back to the temple where Lena was in.

***

“What do you mean? It’s going to be delayed?”

“The fight had used up much of the sacred place’s power. The power to naturally wash away dirt had also become insufficient…so it couldn’t be helped.”

Blue Whiskers was overwhelmed by Cordelia’s furious voice as he replied with an embarrassed face.

Solari’s power had been used up so much that there was not enough power to heal Lena.

So it would at least take a month for Solari’s power to be restored and for Lena to be healed.

‘As expected.’

Unlike Cordelia, Jude had expected the current situation to some extent.

He was the one who used up Solari’s power in the first place.

“Cordelia, we have no choice. It’s a good thing that recovery is still possible, so let’s just leave her here and go.”

“Ugeueu…”

Cordelia and Jude didn’t come to the wild lands just to save Lena.

Now was the time for them to return to the village of the Great Storm tribe, join forces with the tribe to form the Eastern Alliance, and fight the Angry Bull tribe that dominated the western part of the wild lands.

“Uuuuu…haa…it can’t be helped. Mr. Blue Whiskers, please take good care of Lena, okay?”

“All right.”

Blue Whiskers said as he gazed at Solari’s necklace that was on Cordelia’s waist.

Unlike the huge Blue Whiskers, the necklace was too big for Cordelia, so she wore it around her waist rather than her neck. The necklace had now become Cordelia’s property and not Blue Whiskers’.

And it wasn’t just that.

Several relics of Solari that had been kept for many years in the sacred place was now all over the bodies of Jude and Cordelia.

Although Blue Whiskers himself gave it to them and there was a clear reason to give it to them, he couldn’t help but feel as if he was robbed.

‘They saved my life, protected the sacred place, and both are guardians of the wild lands who were recognized by the golden dragon…’

How could he disobey the golden dragon’s words to not spare their support?

Blue Whiskers secretly shed tears, and Cordelia turned to Kaplan and said.

“Will Sir Kaplan stay here?”

“Yes, I will study the sacred place and wait for Lena to wake up.”

At Kaplan’s lively words, Cordelia smiled as she hugged him once and said.

“Thanks to Sir Kaplan, we were able to solve the problem in Endymion. So thank you. Sir Kaplan is like an angel of luck for Jude and me.”

Because of Kaplan, they were able to meet the wild fairies and find the hidden paths of Endymion.

In addition, the fact that there was a dragon vein in Endymion was also information that Kaplan had learned thanks to him interpreting the language of the High Elves.

“Miss Cordelia…”

Kaplan’s eyes were filled with tears in an instant.

She was grateful that he continued to be together with them, and she even called him their angel of luck.

Weren’t those words he had never heard of, or he had thought he would never hear in his life?

“I look forward to seeing you again.”

“Yes, we’ll definitely see you again.”

Kaplan wiped away his tears and broadly smiled, and Cordelia grinned as she turned around.

‘Come on, you too.’

When Cordelia winked at Jude, who was somehow counting numbers behind her, he also opened his mouth and said.

“Sir Kaplan, please don’t forget. Sir Kaplan isn’t a god. He is just a diligent and reliable explorer and archeologist.”

“Yes, I will not forget it, Jude.”

After he shook hands with Kaplan, Jude bade farewell to Blue Whiskers and then left the temple with Cordelia.

“Are we going back right now?”

“I suppose so. It’s a bit unfortunate that we wouldn’t be able to see the Fairy Queen, but it would take some time if we go to Endymion, so let’s just go straight from here.”

They would travel in a straight line without passing through Raptor Canyon.

Cordelia nodded when Jude showed the way to her by drawing on the ground instead of opening the map.

“All right, then let’s start right away.”

“Okay.”

“But Jude.”

“Yes?”

“Did something good happen? You look brighter than usual.”

“Because you won?”

“Mmm, yes, because I won.”

Cordelia softly laughed before she took the lead and began walking. Jude stepped forward and walked together with Cordelia.

And at the same time…

“If we go one more day from here, we’ll reach Raptor Canyon. According to Fine Snow, Jude and Cordelia would be there.”

She already knew of that information, but because those were Ga?l’s words, she listened before letting out a sigh of relief.

“Haa…seriously. They’re just going around the entire wild lands.”

“You’re right.”

They thought their journey would end at Count Hr?svelgr’s territory, but they ended up crossing the border and continuing their journey here.

Moreover, Count Chase’s ring, which was the only magic device that could roughly track Cordelia’s location, had been damaged after entering the wild lands, making tracking more difficult.

‘Well…thankfully, the destinations are clear.’

Though the wild land was wide, there were only a few places where people lived. And there was also the fact that it was beyond the border, and that Cordelia didn’t hide her destination, so all these reasons made it easier to track them.

‘Haa, anyway, I’ll spank their butt when we meet.’

Of course, she was referring to Jude’s butt and not the kind and gentle Cordelia’s butt.

“Lady Adelia.”

“Yes?! Ah, yes. Lord Ga?l.”

Adelia was startled but managed to answer, and Ga?l tilted his head. He then asked again in a serious tone.

“Will your leave of absence be fine? We’ve already gone way beyond our initial schedule…”

“Well, it can’t be helped. Stuff like this happened.”

Adelia shrugged and bitterly smiled, and Ga?l said with a sincere look.

“This has already gone beyond a simple runaway. Now that it has become a big incident that is greatly related to the defense of the north, I’ll write a petition to the Royal Guard Magic Corps under Count Bayer’s name… No, I’ll write a formal statement and send it.”

“Umm…thank you.”

Adelia would have normally told the other to not overdo it, especially if her aide was the one who said it, but it was different this time since it was Ga?l’s words.

‘Well, how do I say it? Beyond being simply sincere…’

Should I say that he’s earnest?

He’s a trustable and dependable man who gives me a sense of security.

“Lady Adelia, it might be difficult, but we’ll find a place to rest if we go a little further. So let’s start moving again.”

Ga?l rose from his seat first and politely stretched out his hand to Adelia, who cleared her throat and stood up while holding his hand.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes, let’s go. Lord Ga?l.”

Ga?l and Adelia looked at each other and smiled as they walked forward together.

And because of that, the paths of Jude and Cordelia, and Ga?l and Adelia completely diverged.

As for another person…

“This is a big problem.”

Looking back at his bag that had become four bags now, Count Chase checked his budget and soon made up his mind.

He hurriedly wrote a letter to the Red Dawn Tower.

‘Send me a space-expansion bag.’

As the trip got longer, just one bag wasn’t enough.

Currently in the northernmost city of Lankebuste, he was still not aware that his two daughters, his soon-to-be son-in-law, and a person who might become his son-in-law were all beyond the border and in the wild lands.