Chapter 39 While You Weren't Here

  About Two months ago, late at night, Agnes sat in her room, diligently working through the official documents of the kingdom. As always, it was her responsibility to manage affairs while her father, the King, and her brothers fought on the front lines against the demon invasion.

  With a weary sigh, she set down her quill and closed the last of her documents, preparing to retire for the night. After washing up slightly, she glanced out the window, lost in thought.

  "I wonder how they’re doing…" she murmured to herself.

  Her eyes suddenly brightened as she activated a magic spell.

  But almost instantly, her expression shifted.

  "What?... No… No escape!"

  Her face was filled with worry as she watched something through her spell. Within her vision, three girls and a man—Iryoku’s party—stood together, facing an immense presence. It was as if she were standing right beside them, seeing everything through Rhogan’s eyes.

  Then, in an instant, a massive, gargantuan dragon appeared.

  Agnes’ breath caught in her throat. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

  "Such a creature… can even exist?" she whispered, frozen as she beheld the monstrous beast.

  In her vision, Rhogan charged toward the dragon—only for everything to suddenly go black.

  The connection was severed.

  Agnes gasped as her sight returned to the confines of her dimly lit room.

  Her hands trembled. "Rhogan… was killed."

  Without wasting a second, she threw on her clothes and rushed out of her room, her footsteps echoing through the hallway.

  A patrolling guard noticed her distress. "Princess! Is there a problem?" he asked, concerned.

  Agnes didn’t stop running. "Quickly! Call Sir Joseph and Mr. Jonas! Tell them to gather in my master’s chamber—Lady Vitka’s room! Prepare for injured people!"

  She didn’t wait for a response. She sprinted through the corridors and arrived at an old, dusty chamber filled with books, scrolls, and a large blackboard covered in writings and diagrams. At the back of the room, a summoning circle was carefully etched into the floor, lined with ancient symbols.

  Agnes rushed toward it and stood there, breathless, her fingers clenched into fists.

  "Come on, come on… use the stone!" she muttered anxiously.

  Seconds passed. Then—

  A blinding light erupted from the summoning circle, illuminating the entire chamber.

  Agnes shielded her eyes with her arm as the radiance intensified—then suddenly faded.

  Lowering her arm, she opened her eyes.

  Lying on the cold stone floor before her were Yumi, Reika, and Alessandra. Their bodies were severely burned, their faces covered in soot, and their wounds deep and bleeding.

  Tears streamed down the girls’ faces as they weakly cried out in unison—"Iryoku!".

  "Nooo lets go back why did you left him" screamed Alessandra desesperated.

  And then… they collapsed into unconsciousness.

  Agnes acted immediately, moving her hands in swift, practiced gestures she formed a circle and up and down, her hands got brighter with blue light as she chanted a spell.

  "Come to me, Aqua!"

  From the very air itself, water particles began to coalesce, swirling together into a small vortex. Within moments, a graceful, feminine figure formed from the flowing wáter the same height of agness, floating gently in the air, streams of liquid trailing around her.

  The summoned water spirit extended its hands toward the wounded girls, its ethereal presence radiating a soft, blue glow. A cool, healing mist spread across their broken bodies as gentle waves of restorative magic enveloped them, easing their pain and beginning to heal their wounds.

  The chamber doors burst open as four people rushed inside—Sir Joseph, Sir Jonas, the most skilled healer available in the castle at the time, and two maids. These were the people Agnes trusted most.

  "Please, help me," Agnes commanded urgently.

  Without hesitation, Sir Jonas dropped to one knee beside the injured girls and began chanting a healing spell, his hands glowing with a soft, green light.

  "Diana, Carla," Agnes turned to the maids, her voice firm despite the tears welling in her eyes. "Quickly, bring water, bandages, and blankets."

  The maids nodded and hurried out. Meanwhile, Joseph crouched beside Alessandra, carefully inspecting her burned arm.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "What happened to them? And where is the young lad?" he asked grimly.

  Agnes swallowed hard, her hands trembling as she cradled Yumi’s head in her lap. Half of Yumi’s once-lustrous black hair had been scorched away.

  "I don’t know…" Agnes murmured, her voice breaking. "Knowing him, he’s probably still fighting the creature that did this. I gave them a special item—one my master entrusted to me. It was supposed to bring them back here in case of danger."

  Joseph’s eyes darkened. "Did they encounter a demon?"

  Agnes shook her head, fresh tears slipping down her cheeks. "No… they faced something far worse."

  "Your Highness," Jonas called out, his forehead damp with perspiration. "These burns… they’re not normal."

  Both Agnes and Joseph turned to face him.

  "Their bodies are recovering—their wounds are closing—but these burns…" Jonas hesitated, his voice tight with concern. "They’re not improving. I don’t understand why."

  The maids returned, swiftly kneeling beside the girls. With gentle hands, they wiped the soot and grime from their faces and began removing their damaged armor. Meanwhile, the water spirit, Aqua, continued its healing work alongside Jonas.

  Minutes passed, and the girls’ conditions improved. Reika’s face, though still marred by burn marks, looked significantly better.

  "That should be enough for now," Jonas said at last, exhaling heavily. "We should move them to a bed so they can rest."

  Agnes sat in a large room where three beds were neatly arranged. The dim light of the setting sun cast a warm glow across the space. Yumi, Reika, and Alessandra lay resting, their bodies wrapped in bandages, their breathing steady as they slept. She quietly reviewed some documents, her mind weighed down by thoughts of the kingdom and the battle that had brought them to this moment.

  A sudden sound caught Agnes’ attention. She turned just in time to see Alessandra stir, her eyes fluttering open. The young warrior sat up slowly, her movements sluggish with disorientation.

  "Where… am I?" she murmured, her voice weak.

  Agnes immediately stood and approached her, relief washing over her features. "Lady Alessandra, finally… you’re awake. You’re safe here, don’t worry," she reassured her.

  Alessandra’s confusion quickly shifted into urgency. Her eyes widened as a terrible realization dawned on her.

  "Iryoku… where is he?" she asked, her voice rising with worry. Throwing aside the covers, she attempted to stand, but her body wavered, still weak from her injuries.

  Agnes’ expression darkened, sadness flickering across her face. "You three have been asleep for more than a month," she said quietly.

  Alessandra’s face twisted with disbelief. Her brows furrowed, her head shaking from side to side as if trying to reject the words. Her breath grew uneven, her hands trembling.

  "No… no… please, no," she whispered as tears welled in her eyes, her body shaking with grief.

  The sound of Alessandra’s cries stirred the remaining girls from their slumber. Yumi’s eyes fluttered open, her gaze still hazy with exhaustion.

  "Sensei… what’s happening?" she mumbled, glancing around the room in confusion. But as she took in the sight before her—Alessandra's tear-streaked face, the heavy atmosphere—her expression wavered.

  Reika was already awake, sitting up on her bed, her face equally filled with sadness.

  Seeing them awake, Alessandra quickly wiped her tears away and forced a small, reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, everything will be okay," she said, trying to sound confident. "You should rest."

  But Reika wasn’t convinced. She turned to the princess and approached her, her voice trembling, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

  "Princess… please tell me you can send us back," she pleaded desperately.

  Yumi, still wiping her own tears away, suddenly straightened, determination flashing in her eyes. "If not, then just give me a bow and arrows!" she said, her voice thick with emotion. Her nose was running, but her resolve was unwavering.

  Agnes, overwhelmed by their desperation, took a deep breath before answering. "I know you’re desperate… but you need to recover first. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help you find him."

  Alessandra’s expression tightened with conflict. Every part of her wanted to run straight to that cursed mountain and search for Iryoku, but the weight of responsibility held her back. She looked at her students—Yumi and Reika—knowing they couldn’t recklessly run out looking for him.

  "Okay… we will trust you, Princess," Alessandra finally said.

  But before anyone could say another word, a blaring alarm rang through the halls. The distant sound of hurried footsteps and shouting filled the air.

  "Demons! Everyone, prepare for battle!" a voice screamed outside.

  The four girls froze, tension gripping their bodies. Agnes’ expression hardened as she rushed toward the door.

  "Stay here!" she commanded. "You are in no state to fight!"

  And with that, she stepped out into the chaos.

  Just outside the capital city of Uruk, as the last light of the sun faded, the massive front gates remained tightly shut. Guards stood atop the towering walls, raining arrows and spells down upon the attackers below. Inside the city, panic spread like wildfire—the sudden assault had plunged the citizens into chaos, forcing them to flee deeper into the city in search of shelter.

  Fortunately, the guards had reacted swiftly, managing to secure the gates before the enemy could breach them.

  THUM! THUM! THUM!

  The ground trembled with each thunderous impact as the creatures outside relentlessly battered the sturdy doors.

  Sir Joseph and Princess Agnes arrived at the scene, flanked by a group of knights. The tension in the air was palpable.

  “What’s the situation? How many enemies?” Joseph demanded, his voice sharp and commanding.

  One of the knights on guard duty quickly responded, his face tense. “Sir, we’ve spotted a group of lower demons—two minotaurs, three orcs, and about twenty goblins and imps. No signs of any demon generals so far, but—” he hesitated, worry evident in his tone. “—they’re getting more aggressive.”

  Agnes stepped forward, her expression resolute. “Sir Joseph, I’ll take charge of support. I’m counting on you.”

  Joseph met her gaze and nodded firmly. Then, turning to his men, he raised his voice.

  “Everyone, prepare to attack!”

  With a powerful motion, he unsheathed his massive greatsword and ascended to the top of the walls.

  Agnes stood before the assembled knights, her expression calm yet focused. She swiftly raised her hands, moving them in a precise motion to form a triangle. As she chanted, a soft white glow enveloped her fingertips.

  "Come to me, Orn!"

  A sudden gust of wind swirled in front of her, forming into a small twister that rapidly expanded. From within the spiraling vortex, a massive eagle emerged, its body composed entirely of air. Its wings stretched wide, each feather forming razor-sharp blades of wind.

  The wind spirit let out a piercing cry before launching into the sky, disappearing from sight as it ascended. Agnes closed her eyes momentarily, focusing her senses through Orn’s vision. From above, she spotted the monsters below.

  Her eyes widened.

  "Oh no—be careful!" she warned.

  Just outside the massive city gates, a swirling portal materialized on the ground. A hunched, vulture-like creature wearing ragged robes stood at its center. Bones and skulls dangled from its attire, and a twisted, deformed staff clutched in its talons pulsed with dark energy. The creature let out a hoarse, guttural chant, its beady eyes glowing ominously.

  Agnes clenched her fists. "Quickly! Kill that thing!" she ordered.

  Orn let out a sharp screech before diving at breathtaking speed, its blade-like wings cutting through the air. In an instant, the wind spirit streaked past the bird-like shaman.

  Wush!

  A whisper of slicing wind followed.

  A heartbeat later, the monster’s body fell apart—cleanly severed in half.

  But it was too late.

  The summoning had been completed.