"Who sent you?" Damnern asked.
The raider looked at Damnern, unable to speak. He realized he had made a grave mistake by targeting the wrong person this time. They usually aimed at nobles and merchants, but now they had targeted a former Strongest Warrior.
"P… please let me go…" the raider pleaded.
"Answer my question!" Damnern cut in sharply, his gaze piercing.
"Hehhh! Forgive me," the raider begged again, not daring to meet Damnern's eyes.
"Huh?" The raider was confused. Without realizing it, his neck was severed, and his hair was gripped tightly by Damnern, then forced in front of Damnern's face.
"You made me angry! It seems no one sent you," Damnern said, staring into the raider's eyes, who was still conscious despite his neck being cut.
"You monster…" the raider whispered softly before losing consciousness.
Inside the carriage, Elyra, still in Elina's arms, looked pale.
"It's okay, Elyra, don't be afraid," Elina tried to reassure her.
Elyra, lost in her own thoughts, didn't hear her words.
"Why am I so weak?"
"Why am I the one being protected by Mama?"
"I saw clearly the arrow that nearly hit Mama while protecting me."
"If Damnern weren't here, that arrow would have surely struck Mama."
"You fool, Ryudien! Why do others have to protect you?"
Elyra's inner thoughts revealed that she could not accept how weak she was, that Elina had to risk herself to protect her.
"Why did Mama protect me?" Elyra asked softly.
"Because Elyra is Mama's child. Do you need any other reason?" Elina replied.
Unnoticed, tears streamed down Elyra's cheeks. Eldern, seeing this, hugged Elyra and said,
"Don't worry… Papa will defeat all those villains."
"Even though I've been given such a good life, I've become a burden," Elyra said, resolving to protect Elina and Eldern in the future.
The carriage door opened, and they saw Damnern, covered in blood.
"It's okay, everything is fine now," Damnern said with a forced smile.
Elyra did not dare meet Damnern's eyes, reminded of past tragedies. Damnern, noticing Elyra's fear, felt anxious, worried that he had failed as a father.
Thirty minutes later, their group resumed the journey after the guards bandaged their wounds and rested briefly.
During the journey, Elyra continued to try using her Clone Manifestation power but felt no trace of it in herself. Eldern had fallen asleep after the incident. Elina seemed unable to rest due to lingering trauma, while Damnern and Elyra remained alert, their eyes constantly scanning outside.
Damnern hugged Elina to soothe her.
"It's all okay now, my dear," he said. Though Elina appeared strong in front of their children, deep inside she was still very frightened. Elyra sensed this, which made her continue blaming herself.
After Elina fell asleep from Damnern's warmth, Damnern approached Elyra, who was still extremely vigilant.
"As long as Papa is here, I won't let anyone touch Elyra… so don't worry, okay?" Damnern said, gently stroking Elyra's head.
"Try to rely on Papa," he added.
Elyra could only remain silent, staring at the floor.
"I'm sorry, Papa…" Damnern said again.
Hearing this apology, Elyra looked at Damnern, confused.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Damnern hugged Elyra and said,
"Papa loves Elyra… Papa wants you to feel safe… as long as Papa is here, no one can hurt you."
For some reason, after hearing this, Elyra's eyes grew heavy, and she eventually drifted into sleep.
Several hours later, their group safely arrived in Willowess. On the dark night, in the bedroom, while Damnern and Elina slept soundly from exhaustion, Elyra, lying between Damnern and Elina, could not sleep. The events of the day still haunted her. Despite her determination to protect her family, she could not use the powers she had in her previous life.
The next morning, Damnern, Eldern, and Elyra were sitting at the table when Elina brought breakfast.
"I have no other choice…" Elyra thought.
"Pa… Papa… Eyya wants to join training too!" Elyra asked Damnern.
End of Chapter 9