It was an urgent situation. I ran swiftly, knelt down in front of the magic circle, and placed the compass I had bought from the Lucky Corner in its center.
'I'll change the route. To Blake Castle. Send me quickly!'
Kyle had been disorderly piling tables, chairs, and shelves in front of the drawing room door. He quickly approached me.
"Is this it?" he asked.
"That's right. This compass will change the magic circle's destination. After we move to the territory, it will be destroyed. Stand here."
Kyle strode into the magic circle.
But we still couldn't leave the drawing room. The blue light emanating from the magic circle enveloped us tightly, but nothing else happened. While I was puzzled, the system popped out, sweating.
[(_)/;;;;;;] [Route changed.] [The mobile magic circle is more sophisticated than usual, and interference is necessary to use it safely.] [Current Abnormal Interference Rate: 85%]
It seemed that the rate of abnormal interference needed to be raised even higher.
'…I can't help it.'
I reached into Kyle's chest and groped inside his pocket. As if surprised by my sudden action, Kyle stiffened, not even thinking of dissuading me.
Thump.
Before we knew it, servants were rushing outside, tearing down the makeshift barricade Kyle had piled up. He asked me in a confused voice, "Shu, what are you doing?"
"It's nothing major, just stay still like that for a moment… Oh, here it is."
Soon, a small, hard bottle was caught at my fingertips. It contained Knox's magical power, which I had stolen from the lab last time. I had saved it to use when the Abnormal Interference Rate was insufficient. I took a deep breath and swallowed it in one gulp. Kyle frowned slightly.
"You don't even have water to wash it down with."
"I didn't intend to, anyway." I frowned and held out my hand to him. "There's no time, so don't waste it. You can't gamble with your life."
"…."
"Are you going to hold my hand or not?"
In the end, the barricade at the door collapsed. Behind the expressionless servants, Knox could be seen, smiling sullenly. His white hair, which usually hung loosely, was disheveled, and his blue eyes sparkled fiercely. Annoyance was evident on the face of the man who was gasping for breath alone among the walking corpses.
To be honest, it was exhilarating.
'This is good.'
I squeezed Kyle's hand and took another gulp of the blue potion. Kyle raised his sword and struck out, deflecting a slash that was flying towards him. A voice full of worry was heard.
"You can't keep doing that."
"Don't try to get hurt now. You risked your life to save His Highness's life."
[Warning! The abnormal interference rate is rising too fast!] [The 'called' body may be affected!]
No matter. You must survive by any means. I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the interference rate to rise.
[Current Incident Interference Rate: 100%] [Aura Circle is activated.]
Then Kyle muttered in a low voice, "Community of Destiny, Rogun."
I heard the sound of a blade deflecting. Even in that critical moment, Kyle blocked the attack for me.
Knox was close enough to hear our conversation. The man, his expression a distinct mix of embarrassment, agitation, anger, irritation, and a sense of defeat, reached out to us. However, a blue light burst out, separating us.
[This is an area where your destination is protected by magic, and you will be reset to a safe place as close to your destination as possible.] [Exploring routes...] [Move.]
Just before we were captured by Knox, the light of the magic circle engulfed us completely.
[Good luck! (ෆ`꒳´ෆ)]
I never thought the day would come when I would feel warm in this wind. Kyle was momentarily dazed, facing the cold, white landscape. It was so white that my eyes ached. Fields. A winter land of pure white snow and ice. Kyle stood tall on the road leading from Blake's estate to the northern plains.
"…Oh my God."
He sighed unknowingly at the sight of the gray castle walls in front of him. We were really back. We had casually leaped over that vast distance and returned to the territory. It was truly in the blink of an eye.
Kyle quickly pulled me into his arms, then checked on the one he was holding. He had to make sure that the person who had brought them here safely was okay.
"Shu."
I was there. I was wearing a thin shirt, now covered in blood. My cold, exhausted body was so weak I couldn't even tremble. Kyle quickly wrapped his hand around my cheek. My blue eyes were out of focus. My unfocused gaze tried hard to capture Kyle, but failed again and again, and my pupils repeatedly sank into darkness.
I pursed my lips with difficulty. However, as if my strength wasn't working properly, the corner of my lip curled down, and I bit it slightly. Kyle quickly supported my body, making me bend down slightly. Then, pressing on my chest, he brought his other hand to my mouth.
"It's okay."
"Cough, hack, whoosh…."
A handful of blood spilled out. I gasped and vomited more blood. My condition was strange. My blue eyes were proof of this. Perhaps the problem was the potion I had taken just before moving.
Kyle quickly began to use the magic within him to suppress the rampant power inside me. He pressed his lips to my forehead, swept my back, and hugged me as if wrapping me in his cloak.
"Be patient. I'll get rid of it soon."
However, at that, I shook my head.
"…Don't… Stop."
I pushed Kyle's shoulder and said with difficulty, "If you don't give it away, you can't. Later… I have to use it."
"…."
"…Knox, that child… Certainly, he will come. …Mutant species, Kyle. Then…."
I knew what he was trying to say. It was to prepare for the time when the Northern Mages made a move and when the demons with nuclear weapons attacked in droves. Just like he interfered with the magic circle, if he could control the heart created by Knox in reverse.
'If we could do that, hundreds of soldiers would not bleed.'
However, I couldn't tell him to put up with it for the sake of it. I didn't want to see him vomiting blood in front of me, an unavoidable consequence to save hundreds of people.
"It's okay."
"No."
Kyle gritted his teeth and said. He couldn't even vomit out the blood properly, so his face was contorted with worry as he looked at me, still gasping.
"It's not okay at all. You're in a serious state right now. If things continue like this, something really big could happen!"
"…Your Highness."
"Listen to me quietly now."
He spoke firmly and hugged his lover's body. After coughing a few times, I nodded and buried my head in Kyle's arms. Kyle slowly released magic through his tight body. In his heart, he wanted to crush all of Knox's power that was rampaging in that small body, but I didn't want him to go that far.
Kyle diligently walked towards the castle. On the castle tower heading north of the estate, black-clad figures appeared one after another, rubbing their eyes to see if what they saw was an illusion.
"…Your Majesty? Did you tell me?"
"He appeared suddenly… Do you see anything now?"
"I don't think so? You're looking up at us."
As the soldiers chattered with puzzled expressions, James, who had just arrived, looked down. Kyle was striding towards the gate with me in his arms.
"Your Highness!"
Kyle skillfully hugged me with one arm and stretched out his right arm. Then he quickly sent a few hand signals: 'Return,' 'Prepare for war,' and 'Maintain the highest alert posture.'
James immediately understood Kyle's intentions, ordered the resting soldiers to be called, and then leaped down in a single bound.
"This is…."
Kyle and I up close were a mess. Kyle had suffered wounds on his shoulders and arms from the battle with Knox, and I was still unconscious before he could wipe off all the blood I had vomited. In particular, my limp hands were pale and bloody, and James had to look at me for a long time to make sure I was breathing properly.
"What happened?" James asked as he followed Kyle into the castle. Kyle moved his feet at almost running speed.
"We escaped. Meanwhile, did Sen Lander ever ask for protection?"
"Yes. She arrived four days ago, and His Highness Belial came with her. Only the Knights know about their identity."
"Soon Lorenz will bring an army from the capital. And the Wizards will also come down from the north. They'll wrap us around from both sides…"
James's face hardened at his words. He had expected that this day would come someday, but it was more sudden than he had anticipated. His heart was pounding unpleasantly.
Kyle said with a blunt expression, "I will have a few days to spare. However, you don't know when they will arrive, so be on alert and evacuate all the residents of the territory. What about Sen?"
At that moment, a familiar voice rang behind them. "Here I am!"
Sen followed James's side directly. Her short brown hair barely covered her ears, and her plump and determined eyes sparkled.
"What happened to Shu?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
Kyle's face contorted as if he had swallowed poison at Sen's question. "There was some problem. I came here through the space movement magic circle. I can solve it on my own, but…"
Sen stretched out her hand slightly and looked at my forehead. "Recovery comes first. I will prepare warm bath water, extra clothes, and simple food."
"Don't call the wizards belonging to the estate. And until tomorrow morning…"
"I won't come to see you first unless it's an urgent matter, Your Highness."
"Yes."
Entering the bedroom, Kyle gently hugged me and looked back at Sen. Only then did his face straighten slightly. He greeted her belatedly, "…It's been a long time, Sen."
Then, she frowned. "It's been a long time, Your Highness."