I walked with unsteady steps across the desolate land, my right hand clutching the wound on my abdomen, feeling the dampness seeping through.
My right eye had gradually turned dark at some point, and the wild grassy path that appeared in my left eye had become blurry. My legs moved mechanically, devoid of sensation, as if they weren't my own.
I swayed in my tattered clothes, hardly daring to blink... After all, it felt like I wouldn't have the strength to open my eyes again if I closed them.
"I need to... find help... quickly..." I muttered to myself to stay awake.
While I struggled to walk forward, my mind wandered off, thinking of my hometown, a small and unimportant village named Josephton.
Ah... speaking of which, in the past, one of the princesses of this country also came from my village, isn’t she? So calling it an unimportant village isn’t so true…
"No, focus..." I gritted my teeth.
However, my mind uncontrollably began to recall various things.
Like the harvest that was supposed to come soon.
Like the fierce faces of the roaring monsters.
Like the villagers that are fighting desperately.
And then, their final images lying in pools of blood.
So many people had already gone.
So, for the sake of the remaining villagers, I had to find help quickly... Not only to honor my homeland but also to repay that white haired person.
Without that person's help, I couldn't have survived until now.
[Goblins] lived in the mountains around Josephton Village, and we had always known that. But a few months ago, their numbers suddenly surged, and many higher-tiered species appeared.
The situation was dire, and just as the village wall was about to be breached, that adult and their companions appeared.
Lady Felia Bell, though originated from the western countries, was remarkably kind and powerful.
She directed us to repair the village wall, tended to the wounded, and at the same time, she managed to eliminate the source of the goblin attack.
If it weren't for her leading us, Josephton Village would have been destroyed long ago.
Just when everything seemed to be settling down and the uproar of goblins was about to be completely wiped out, the situation took a sudden turn for the worse.
A terrifying individual appeared.
Lady Bell and her companions were cursed horribly, becoming frenzied and indiscriminate monsters.
Even though she was in such a state, she used her last strength to divert most of the monsters, but...
Josephton Village was still destroyed.
The remaining people, under the terror of the monsters, retreated to a cave on the western hill. Although they held a precarious advantage in terrain, in the face of dwindling supplies, they couldn't hold out for much longer.
So, I dashed out to seek help... even though I knew deep down that help might just be a distant hope...
After all, we had sent out a plea for aid several months ago, but there had been no response so far. What difference could I make by running out myself?
...But even if there was the slightest glimmer of hope...
After three days and nights in the wilderness, I had reached my limit... I hadn't been eaten by beasts, I was truly fortunate.
My knees gave way, and I fell to the ground.
"Compound fracture in the right leg, injuries all over... How did he make it this far?"
"Master, the potions are ready."
Who were these people?
Faintly, I heard someone conversing near my ear.
...Why were they calling out to me?
I struggled to lift my heavy left eye, and what I saw was a blurry figure.
She had the same beautiful hair color as Lady Bell, but there were some differences.
That pure white hair... I know that hair, I would not be able to ever forget it.
That face…. It’s the same as the one in my memory, but just a bit more mature.
"You're going to be okay, rest well," a somewhat earthy voice, among the three princesses of the entire kingdom, only one among them had this characteristic.
In that case, perhaps... I could finally be at ease.
Because she had returned.
"Save... save everyone..."