Chapter 123

Clang, clang-

“Aargh!”

“Ugh!”

Blood spurted out from the assassins’ neck and chest every time he swung the silver dagger. Sid’s arm only moved effectively by attacking their vital spot.

The captain’s eyes grew bigger as he watched the fight. He didn’t expect that the escort, who had long passed his prime, could show such incredible strength. The captain’s eyes alternatively moved between Sid and the other assassin, but eventually, his gaze headed for Apollonia.

His aim was clear. To deal with Apollonia first and join his subordinates to kill Sid after.

“Your Highness!”

Sid’s face turned blue when he looked in her direction. Before Apollonia could even react, the captain pulled out his sword and aimed at Apollonia’s forehead. It was impossible to avoid that attack.

“Goodbye.”

The captain lifted his sword right away.

Thud!

However, before he could swing the sword, it was the bloody dagger that pierced the captain’s forehead. The captain collapsed without a sound.

‘No.’

Thud-

She barely survived getting pierced in the head by the assassin, but Apollonia was instantly struck with terror when she recognized the owner of that dagger. When she turned her head in the direction where the other sword was approaching, the blood-stained Sid dangerously stood there. Now he was completely empty-handed.

“Your Highness, hurry…”

Thud-

“Ugh!”

Before Sid could finish talking, he fell on his knees.

“No!”

Apollonia’s tearful scream echoed horridly. There was a sharp blade sticking out through Sid’s chest. Behind Sid, there was an assassin holding the sword handle that hacked into his body.

“It’s really over.”

The assassin scoffed as if he already won the fight. His bloody red eyes glared at Apollonia, but it didn’t last long.

Thwack-!

“Ugh!”

Similar to his colleagues, the assassin collapsed without a sound. After that, Sid’s appearance came into her eyes.

“Your Highness…”

He was holding a dagger that he took from the assassin’s waist. Even with his knees on the ground, he didn’t let go of the dagger, and a moment later, his arm trembled violently.

“Your High…”

Thump-

Sid’s heavy body fell over the dead body of the assassin he killed. And did not move again.

“…Ness.”

Apollonia was unable to get a word out. Her whole body was frozen and she was struggling to breathe. Her legs, which barely supported her body, lost strength. She slowly crawled to Sid’s side and turned his bloody body around.

Bloodied grey hair. Half-closed eyes that were once full of warmth. And the assassin’s sword that he hadn’t let go of.

“Sid!” Tears flowed down her cheeks, and her voice couldn’t come out properly from her throat.

People were screaming, but nothing came into her ear.

There was no other knight in this world who had devoted everything to her.

‘Sid is dead.’

Apollonia was struck with regrets.

She should’ve sent Sid off earlier. She shouldn’t have let him escort her for this mission.

No, in the first place, no matter what Caelion said, she shouldn’t have helped him. Whether Caelion was killed in the hunting ground or by the emperor, Sid would have been alive if she left Caelion alone.

But there was not much time. Even at the moment when she was mourning, the building was about to collapse.

She could no longer hear any assassins.

Perhaps those who survived already left the mansion. So she had no time to think about anything else.

First of all, she had to get out of the building.

“Sid…” Apollonia tremblingly closed Sid’s eyes. She had to return his body to his family, but it was impossible to drag him out.

She wiped off the tears on her cheeks.

Even if one day she had to shed tears for Sid, now was not the right time.

“I… I’ll go out alive.”

She was surrounded by flames, but Apollonia did not feel hot. It was something that she had already experienced in Mt. Calt.

“I’m sorry, Sid. For everything.”

Her throat was choked and couldn’t speak anymore. With her trembling hand, she pulled out the dagger from Sid’s hand, cut off a piece of his hair, and stood up. Her trembling body did not want to listen to her, but she forced her legs to move. The door to get out of the mansion was not far away. Apollonia ran toward the door as she passed by a few rooms.

Bam-

She heard the sound of the bookshelf collapsing from the back. Fragments of the bookshelf were scattered everywhere. Even Apollonia’s hem was engulfed in flames.

‘I don’t have time!’

She smothered the fire on her skirt and tried to dash toward the exit through the last door of the hallway.

“Cough! Cough…”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

A small voice was heard behind the crackling fire. A boy she knew well.

“Caelion?” Apollonia turned her head.

In a room full of smoke and flames, Caelion was coughing and on the verge of collapsing.

“Cough, sa-save me…..” His face and body were burned, but his family crest could be seen. He was suffering from exhaustion and breathing difficulty. He couldn’t open his eyes, so he couldn’t see that Apollonia was near.