Chapter 6 

“I only kept you by my side because of your attribute. Stay close.”

“Yes, understood.”

Elena answered curtly to Van’s biting remark.

Her attribute was water. It was said that to dragons, who were notoriously vulnerable to fire, water-type magic functioned almost like healing magic. So even if Elena poured all her mana into a water-based spell and directed it at Van, it wouldn’t harm him in the slightest.

While others moved in perfect coordination, she didn’t. As someone under Van’s direct orders, she simply stood still. 

Before long, a new swarm of wyverns swept through the sky, and Van’s gestures grew busier as he responded.

Now that he was preoccupied with the monsters, Elena wondered. Could she just strike him down from behind with her sword? Or perhaps she could drive her blade into the small gap between his helmet and armor. Surely even a dragon would die if stabbed in the neck. Or she could go for the heart.

As vengeful thoughts spread like wildfire through her mind, Elena’s hand twitched unconsciously.

“I told you I’d give you a chance, but you hesitate. In that case…”

Despite not having eyes in the back of his head, Van scoffed, muttering as if he could see her every move. Elena snapped back to her senses at the sound of his voice near her ear and quickly pulled her hand away from the hilt of her sword.

Just then, Van glanced sideways at a wyvern flying toward him. He shifted slightly to the side. The shrieking wyvern, which had been charging directly at Van, bypassed him and came straight for Elena instead.

“Argh!”

“Elena!”

Pain twisted through her gut and spread across her body as the wyvern caught her, her frame bending unnaturally.

“Elena!”

The beast that snatched her soared skyward. The speed was terrifying, and the force with which her body whipped through the air made it feel like her spine would snap. The pain spread in waves.

Below, she could faintly hear Enoch shouting in panic.

“D**n it… This… this can’t be…”

Elena pried her eyes open against the roaring wind. All she could see was the rough skin of the wyvern. Straining her neck, she turned her head to see the rest of the squad, now mere specks in the distance.

A memory from the past flickered in her mind. Back then, she’d been captured by a wyvern without understanding the danger. But now, she was a knight sworn to protect Anhal. And yet, here she was again, embarrassingly snatched mid-battle. The thought made her feel utterly pathetic, and she bit down hard on her lower lip.

Come to think of it…

Not a single wyvern had ever made it past Van’s defenses. Even now, he was fending them off with ease. Which meant this one, the one that had caught her, had been allowed through on purpose.

“Let go…!”

Fury rose within her at the realization that he had done this deliberately, like some sick game. Elena quickly gathered her mana, forming several spears made of water, just as Van often did.

“I said let go!”

She hurled them at the wyvern. The sharp spears shot through the air and pierced its emaciated torso from all sides.

Kieeeeeek! The wyvern shrieked in agony, spewing dark, viscous blood.

“Sh*t!”

Getting free was great and all, but now came the real problem – how to land safely. Cursing under her breath, Elena began to shape a mass of water to break her fall, hoping to land gently and survive the drop.

But… 

“Elena!”

She heard Enoch’s voice again from below, filled with panic.

There wasn’t enough time. As high up as she was, it wasn’t enough altitude to safely form and deploy magic. If she fell like this, she would surely be shattered upon impact.

Please…!

The fall felt endless, as if time had slowed to make her reflect on her pitiful life before death. She braced herself for the inevitable impact, for the pain that would follow, and the grim end.

The ground was rapidly approaching. And it wasn’t just any ground, it was an active battlefield, filled with monsters and soldiers locked in combat. There was no telling how she’d die. Maybe her bones would shatter, maybe she’d be impaled.

She still had to find her brother. She still had to get revenge on Van. To die like this, all because of him, she couldn’t accept it. An unjust, bitter end loomed, and Elena instinctively shut her eyes.

But then… 

“Ugh…!”

A shock rippled through her back, not fatal, but something she could endure.

“What… is this…?”

Opening her eyes in confusion, Elena saw a massive hand of earth cupping her. Five fingers, half-curled, surrounded her like a protective shell.

She pushed herself up, staggering. It was clearly a construct formed with an immense amount of mana. In Ridwan, only Van could wield that kind of power so effortlessly.

Just in case, Elena turned her head toward the fortress wall and saw Van, still wearing that crooked smile. He stood atop the wall, watching her with the amused air of someone enjoying a spectacle.

“Ugh!”

As soon as he saw she was alive, Van moved his hand, roughly setting her down on the ground. Then, controlling his mana, he leapt gracefully from the wall and landed beside her.

“You fell from quite a height. Are you all right?”

All right?

He had orchestrated this entire situation and was now feigning concern, offering her his hand. Elena bit her lip hard and refused to take it.

“I’m fine.”

“You seem injured.”

The impact from his construct had likely twisted her ankle. But she didn’t want to show weakness in front of Van, so she forced weight onto her injured foot, steadying herself.

“I’m sorry. I need to return to my post.”

When Van reached for her again, Elena scoffed inwardly and turned her back on him. Even if her behavior came off as rude, she couldn’t bear to face his shameless facade any longer.

Fleeing the situation was the wisest choice. Fortunately, the monsters below the wall had mostly been cleared. Marlene, now with time to spare, came running toward her.

“Elena, are you okay?”

“Ah, yeah. I’m fine.”

“I knew it! Captain must’ve been really worried.”

Worried?

The word puzzled Elena, and she tilted her head.

“I was so scared… But thanks to the captain, you’re safe. Right?”

Marlene patted her on the shoulder, relieved that Elena had no major injuries beyond her ankle.

“Yeah…”

Elena replied with some effort, overwhelmed by Marlene’s dramatics.

“If it weren’t for the captain, it could’ve been really bad. He must’ve used a lot of mana to make that thing. It’s a miracle he caught you in time.”

So that’s how it looked to others. To them, Van had saved her.

And technically, he had, with that monstrous hand of his. But he was also the one who’d ‘deliberately’ let a wyvern grab her.

Playing games with someone’s life…

“You’re probably not badly hurt, but you should still get checked out. Got it?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“This isn’t your area, so go up and rest. Ugh, my heart nearly stopped…”

Elena nodded as she began walking away, her ankle now swollen and bruised. At first, she thought it was nothing, but the pain grew sharper, and she began to limp.

“Vened.”

Van’s voice called out again behind her.

What now?

Suppressing her rising annoyance, Elena turned to face him.

“I’ll support you.”

She nearly laughed in disbelief. And of course, all eyes were now on them.

To others, Van probably looked like a concerned captain caring for his knight. But his expression carried that same mischievous glint that twisted her insides.

“…I’m fine. I can walk on my own. But thank you for your concern.”

Elena gave him a polite bow and turned her back once again. She could feel his gaze on her as she walked away. That only strengthened her resolve to appear unfazed.

She pressed down hard on her injured foot and walked with determination.

“What the…”

Suddenly, the ground shifted beneath her. Clumps of earth rose and wrapped snugly around her swollen ankle. The cool touch of the soil eased the heat of the swelling. Oddly enough, walking became easier, like having a makeshift splint.

Was this his way of giving the poison and the antidote?

Startled, Elena looked back toward the wall.

Van’s face was twisted in clear displeasure. Unsure how to react, she hesitated, then gave him a slight nod before turning away again.

* * *

During this recent battle, Elena had been placed in Van’s direct unit. Technically, she should report her condition to him. But she didn’t want to face him. So instead, she showed her face to the deputy commander of the 7th Division, Panther, then made her way to the infirmary.

The healer greeted her with a faint smile, saying he’d heard the story, and remarked that it was thanks to Van that her injuries were so minor. He even looked impressed when the makeshift earthen splint naturally crumbled apart as she sat down.

Though Elena’s expression stiffened at his words, the healer didn’t seem to notice and kept rambling.

“You’ll want to heal up quickly, right? Honestly, this isn’t entirely necessary, but I’ll apply a proper splint just in case.”

“Please do.”

“You’ll need to skip training for a while. Ah, though you’ve already been granted leave anyway. In any case, I’ll submit a medical report to the deputy commander.”

“Thank you.”

“And… seeing that you’re in much better shape than I’d heard, I suppose the rumor must be true. Captain Van really does hold Dame Vened in high regard.”

Marlene and Enoch had joked about that before, but now even the healer was saying it.

Was there some ridiculous rumor going around that she didn’t know about?