TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 36
Bergman and Bianca fell, and this time, the goddess of fortune favored Bianca.
The place where she landed was covered with a thick layer of snow that had slid down the cliff.
On the other hand, the spot where Bergman fell was an icy downhill slope.
“Aaaaaah!”
Already struggling to control his body after falling off the cliff, Bergman slid down the slope.
Meanwhile, Bianca lifted her head out of the snow with a plop.
“Ugh.”
At the same time, she grimaced at the throbbing pain in her ankle.
Considering the height from which she had fallen, it was fortunate that the damage was this minimal.
But it still hurt.
Bianca looked up at the cliff.
It was a cliff that seemed impossibly far to climb back up.
Jenica was not even visible from here, which said it all.
‘What should I do?’
Bianca was not well-versed in mountain climbing.
The sun was already beginning to set.
With her injured leg, moving aimlessly would only increase the chances of getting lost.
But she couldn’t just stay still either.
Bergman would be grinding his teeth at the fact that he was defeated by such a young girl and would relentlessly search for her.
‘I need to hide first.’
Bianca started walking into the mountains, dragging her leg that was beginning to swell.
White breath began to escape from her mouth.
It was a sign that her body temperature was dropping.
Though she had dressed carefully, she had rolled around in the snow.
Her clothes, wet from the snow, were heavy and sapped her warmth.
If this continued, hypothermia would get her first.
She needed to find a way to warm her clothes and body.
The thought that crossed her mind was the White Snow Heat Sun Mushroom.
The White Snow Heat Sun Mushroom that maintains body temperature just by carrying it.
Her eyes began to search the forest eagerly.
She knew well the conditions and environment where the White Snow Heat Sun Mushroom grows.
First, it should be in a spot where sunlight hits the snow.
Second, there should be a giant tree over a hundred years old that can serve as a nutrient source.
The age of a giant tree can be easily determined by its size.
She started looking for a place to hide and the White Snow Heat Sun Mushroom at the same time.
It didn’t take long before she was lucky enough to find a massive giant tree.
Bianca’s breathing became labored.
The pain and hypothermia were making her eyes feel heavy.
She was reaching her limit.
‘I have to find it.’
With her lips tightly clenched, she reached the giant tree and let out a sigh of relief.
Because she saw the White Snow Heat Sun Mushroom on the giant tree.
A mushroom that was filled with sunlight, pure white in color.
Its warmth was evident just by its presence, truly characteristic of the White Snow Heat Sun Mushroom.
It was purely by luck.
Bianca pulled out a small knife from her waist and cut the stem.
Holding it close, she felt a warmth spread through her body as if she were bathed in sunlight.
‘It’s warm.’
With hypothermia resolved, Bianca made her way to a cave she had spotted earlier.
It was a cave without traces of wild animals, so it would be suitable for temporary shelter.
On her way to the cave, she spotted some red mountain berries, quickly collected them, and safely reached the cave.
“Haah, ha.”
Then, she collapsed onto the floor.
Catching her breath, Bianca checked the condition inside her shoe.
She saw her injured leg, swollen and red.
After taking off her shoes, she removed the clothes she was wearing over them and used them as a blanket.
With the White Snow Heat Sun Mushroom in her possession, her clothes would dry quickly from its warmth.
Then, she used the snow she brought into the cave to apply a hot compress to the injured area, using the thick branches she had collected as a splint.
Fortunately, she had emergency bandages with her.
She quickly finished the first aid, then used her shoes to elevate her foot above heart level and lay down on the floor.
It was an emergency treatment based on information she had read in a book.
However, this was only first aid; without proper treatment, it wouldn’t be enough.
‘I don’t know what will happen after that.’
That was the extent of her knowledge.
She noticed her eyelids getting heavier.
She had achieved some stability.
To be safe, she covered her footprints at the cave entrance with snow and all that was left was time to recover her strength.
‘Mr. Kraush.’
For some reason, she wanted to see Kraush.
Thinking of him gently stroking her head, Bianca slowly drifted off to sleep.
* * *
Quite some time had passed since she got stranded.
Unfortunately, a large avalanche occurred at the foot of Hardenhartz Mountain, making the search party’s efforts difficult and delaying Bianca’s rescue even further.
Meanwhile, the isolated Bianca barely managed to survive by eating mountain berries and wild greens that grow even in winter, using knowledge from books.
By luck, she found a herb good for sprains, ground it with a stone, and temporarily placed it inside her bandage, but that was all.
The pain had lessened slightly, but her ankle showed no signs of recovery.
‘It’s either fractured or broken.’
Either way, it wasn’t a good situation.
The real problem was that while picking mountain berries, she discovered what looked like Bergman’s footprints.
‘He’s close.’
He was still after her.
Since realizing this, Bianca had reduced her range of movement even more.
Being spotted by him would be the end.
The best scenario would be the search party arriving before him.
But Bianca was skeptical about that.
Because of Bergman, she was hiding, making it hard for the search party to find her.
Moreover, she felt her body weakening as the days went by.
Even with the White Snow Heat Sun Mushroom, she was just a thirteen-year-old child.
Surviving outside in the cold winter with insufficient nutrients was no easy task.
“…I fell asleep again.”
Bianca, who had been sleeping more and more, rubbed her eyes.
The cold stone floor didn’t relieve her fatigue no matter how much she slept.
This was bad.
She felt that the next time she fell asleep, she might not wake up.
With that thought, Bianca decided to get up and move.
Rustle-
The sound of footsteps echoed from the bushes outside the cave.
Bianca’s face tensed.
It was the sound of an adult man’s footsteps.
Naturally, those footsteps were far from belonging to the search party.
“I found her.”
The moment a very short whisper was heard, Bianca started running with all her might.
Then, footsteps immediately followed from behind her.
Bianca ran the shortest route she had scouted out beforehand.
She deliberately ran through a place overgrown with trees, difficult for a large person to navigate.
However, her injured leg kept holding her back.
It was because the pain slowed her steps.
Crunch!
At that moment, the sound of a tree being split and collapsing came from behind her.
“Ugh!”
Hearing the sound, Bianca immediately changed direction, but the pain in her ankle caught her.
Thudthudthudthud!
The fallen tree rolled towards her and collided with Bianca’s frail body.
After being hit by the log, Bianca rolled down the snow for a long time.
“Hic, huh.”
A weak moan escaped from her lips.
Due to the pain throughout her body, she couldn’t even move her fingertips.
Blood flowing down her forehead wet her eyes.
It seemed as if Bianca, who had never shed tears in her life, was now shedding her last tears of blood.
“The Young Lady sure is tiresome, running away like this.”
Meanwhile, Bergman’s low voice echoed.
Having lightly stepped on the tree and leaped, he landed right in front of Bianca.
Then he grabbed her pure white hair and lifted her up.
“Ugh…”
“Wow, your expression doesn’t change at all. You’re quite the stubborn one, Young Lady.”
Lifted by Bergman, Bianca couldn’t even resist.
All her strength had been drained due to the accumulated fatigue and the recent pain.
“Still, making people suffer like this is not good. You need to be disciplined before you can be used as a hostage!”
Bergman stood up in that same posture.
Because of that, Bianca felt the pain of her hair being pulled.
At the same time, Bergman tore off her hairpin and held it in his hand.
It was because it looked expensive and he intended to sell it.
As Bianca looked at the hairpin with her dimming eyes, she slowly began to close her eyes.
I did my best.
She no longer had the confidence to endure.
In her closing eyes, she seemed to see Kraush.
He who had completely changed from a certain day.
At first, she thought he might be considering suicide due to depression, so she stayed with him.
But before she knew it, it had become their daily routine.
He didn’t mind her being cursed.
Though he sometimes wore a guilty expression, fundamentally, his view of her was different from others.
Was it because of that?
For the past year, being by Kraush’s side had been more comfortable than Hardenhartz.
He would train, and she would read a book beside him.
It was just an ordinary daily life, but those days were definitely enjoyable.
‘Enjoyable?’
To think she would find enjoyment.
Isn’t enjoyment clearly an emotion?
For the first time, Bianca questioned whether she truly had emotions.
One thing was certain: she regretted not having emotions now.
If she had felt emotions, she could have more clearly felt the comfort and joy of that time.
And she could have shared more with Kraush.
Bianca realized that he had become very important to her.
So, Bianca opened her mouth one last time.
“Kraush, sir.”
She spoke, carrying her voice that couldn’t reach him.
It was at that moment.
The sound of someone running through the snow echoed.
“Huh?”
Bergman reacted late.
Crunch!
A boy’s fist, full of force, was thrust into his side.
“Ugh?!”
The moment Bergman, caught off guard, swallowed his pain.
He belatedly realized that a second shock was spreading inside him, but it was too late.
Crunchcrunchcrunch!
His body bent sharply from the continuous impacts, and he dropped Bianca as he rolled on the ground.
As Bianca was about to roll on the ground, she felt a warm touch.
When Bianca opened her hazy eyes, she saw the face she most wanted to see.
The moment she met that face, Bianca felt a deep sense of relief in her body.
“Bianca.”
Through his carefully opened lips, she heard him calling her name.
His call, mixed with pity and anger, was heartbreaking.
Hearing his voice, Bianca slowly raised her hand to touch his cheek.
“Kraush, sir, I’m okay…”
Then, as she felt his cheek, her eyes slowly closed.
A snoring sound came from her nose.
The moment she felt relief, her consciousness, which had reached its limit, broke off.
Seeing this, Kraush lifted her into his arms and began to walk slowly.
Then, he gently leaned her against a tree, and a crow flew over and perched in front of her.
“Can you win?”
The crow opened its mouth and asked.
The opponent was the Butcher Dog.
He was originally known as a formidable figure.
Although he had fled from the Empire, he had become stronger after meeting the World Erosion Beings.
Honestly, he was clearly a stronger opponent than Kraush.
“Neither Ebelasque nor I can help.”
There are no Crimson Garden’s bells in Hardenhartz.
The only bell she has here is a crow.
Although she can use magic, it’s limited to lower-tier spells.
Even as a member of Crimson Garden, she couldn’t confront the enemy with just that.
On the other hand, Ebelasque was bound by an unspoken rule among the World Erosion Beings.
That unspoken rule was, if you don’t want war, don’t touch each other’s bells.
Touching a bell unnecessarily would break the unspoken rule, and as a consequence, you would have to wage war against the World Erosion Being who owns the Butcher Dog.
Naturally, Ebelasque wouldn’t want to choose that lightly.
Although she had a transactional relationship with Kraush, there was no reason for her to help him at such a risk.
So, Kraush had to face Bergman alone.
Knowing this well, Kraush drew his sword from his waist.
His blue eyes shone brightly.
“I will win.”
That was a sincere statement without a shred of falsehood.