OPDSP 41

‘They really scraped everything together. No wonder there were so few monsters in the forest.’

The idle thought didn’t ease his tension. He couldn’t think of any strategy that would work. Mason turned to the Grand Duke. If anyone knew how to handle this, it would be him.

The Grand Duke remained unnervingly calm—just as he always was. No matter the situation, he never wavered and claimed victory as if it were the natural order. It would be no different this time.

The Grand Duke gave hand signals. The knights nodded with determined expressions. Mason stepped back and lifted Aeryl into a tree.

‘What are they planning?’

He climbed the tree without protest. Since he had no combat ability, it made sense to remove him to a safe spot.

But how are they going to take down the Snow Woman?

He didn’t know much about battle, but from this vantage point, the odds looked grim. The Snow Woman seemed powerful, and monsters surrounded her. To reach her, they’d have to break through them—and there were only four of them. No matter how skilled the Grand Duke and the Black Knights were, it looked reckless.

But the Grand Duke and the knights moved without hesitation. The Grand Duke took the lead, with two knights flanking him in a line. Mason stood to the side and drew his sword.

‘What’s he doing?’

The Grand Duke gave the signal. Mason swung his sword with all his strength, chopping down the tree. He followed it with a hard kick to the trunk.

Thud!

The tree fell with a crash, startling the monsters, who scrambled away to either side. A gap formed in the line—just enough. The Grand Duke and his knights didn’t miss it. They leapt onto the fallen trunk and surged forward, reaching the Snow Woman in an instant.

Whoa!

It happened in a flash. The Grand Duke swung his sword at the Snow Woman.

Screech!

Startled, the Snow Woman screamed and sprang into the air. The first strike was deflected by the blizzard swirling around her.

The attack was blocked so easily, but the Grand Duke didn’t retreat. He shielded himself from the storm with his cloak and drove his sword straight forward. A single, concentrated thrust—it didn’t bounce off this time.

He hit!

No—he hadn’t.

Screech!

The Snow Woman’s arm shot out, grabbed the sword, and flung it away with terrifying strength. The Grand Duke staggered back. The Snow Woman shrieked wildly, flailing.

It looked like she was summoning the monsters. But they couldn’t reach her—they were held back by the knights. If the knights had tried to kill the monsters, they’d have been overwhelmed, but focusing solely on blocking them had kept their formation strong.

‘They’re not engaging the monsters? Oh, right—if the Snow Woman dies, her mind control breaks!’

Once her control faded, the monsters would turn on each other until only one species remained. There was no need to waste strength now.

‘Impressive.’

In that short time, the Grand Duke had figured out how to handle her. His prediction was spot-on, and he was now pushing the Snow Woman back with ease. She tried every trick to block his attacks, but step by step, she was being forced back.

Screech!

She slammed her body against the ground. A burst of icy wind erupted beneath the Grand Duke’s feet, freezing him in place. In that moment, she swiftly widened the distance.

As the Grand Duke escaped the snowstorm’s grip, the Snow Woman spread her arms and let out a cry. Her glowing red eye flared.

Screeeeeeeeeech!

Her scream echoed across the clearing, reaching all the way to Aeryl. The sound pierced through ears and straight into the brain. Everyone—human and monster alike—froze in place.

What the—?

Only Aeryl remained unaffected. Even the Grand Duke couldn’t move. The knights, who had been facing off against the monsters, turned toward the Grand Duke.

‘Her mind control… works on people too?!’

Panic snapped Aeryl back to reality. This wasn’t the time to hesitate.

“Wake up! All of you! Your Grace! Mason!”

Aeryl shouted with all his might. Fortunately, her power wasn’t absolute. The Grand Duke quickly snapped out of it and flung himself to the side. A claw swiped through the space he’d just vacated.

He narrowly dodged and stabbed toward her side. The Snow Woman wrapped the blade in a swirling storm. The sword lodged into the icy gale like it had hit solid ice. Just then, Mason lunged at the Grand Duke.

Mason was still under the Snow Woman’s control. At the same time, she reached out a hand toward him—as if to say she’d kill Mason if the Grand Duke dodged. Her single eye curved into a mocking crescent.

That monster—she’s cunning!

The Grand Duke let go of his sword and threw himself toward Mason. Mason’s blade sliced the Grand Duke’s shoulder, but he didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Mason and rolled to the ground.

The Snow Woman’s claws slashed through the air where Mason had been. Thanks to the Grand Duke’s sacrifice, Mason was saved.

“Your Grace…?”

The impact jolted Mason back to his senses. Seeing the injured Grand Duke beside him, he went pale. The other knights, shaken by the sight, also broke free from the mind control and grasped the situation at last.

This is the worst.

Everyone had the same thought at once.

The Snow Woman’s mind control had only lasted a moment, but its aftermath was severe. The defensive line the knights had held collapsed, and the monsters surged in. Their greatest force, the Grand Duke, was injured. With both offense and defense failing, there was only one option left.

“We’re retreating!”

The area around the fallen tree was still clear. The Grand Duke and the knights ran across it. Aeryl quickly climbed down and joined them. The Snow Woman screeched, and the monsters gave chase.

They ran for a long time in a blur. There was no time to think—just staying on their feet took everything they had. Eventually, the group came to a stop, and Aeryl dropped to the ground.

‘I’m… going to die…’

He gasped, panting heavily. Then he suddenly lifted his head. It was quiet—no monsters in sight.

“They’re gone. We lost them.”

So they had. Aeryl relaxed his shoulders. Only then did he realize he was still clutching the Grand Duke’s arm. He’d been holding onto it ever since he’d felt like he might fall.

“I’m sorry.”

Aeryl quickly bowed his head and let go of the Grand Duke’s arm. He should’ve shaken him off. He was injured, yet he let Aeryl cling to him like that. For someone who looked so cold, he had a surprisingly kind side.

“Let’s treat your wound right away.”

Aeryl forced the Grand Duke to sit and examined the injury. Thankfully, it wasn’t serious. The tough monster-hide clothing and the chainmail underneath had helped absorb the blow.

“Healing magic should fix this quickly.”

Aeryl placed his hand over the wound and cast the spell. Slowly, the bleeding stopped and the injury began to close. Since it wasn’t a severe wound, it soon healed completely, leaving only a faint red mark.

“Ah, but don’t move just yet. You’ve lost a lot of blood—you’ll probably feel dizzy.”

Aeryl held the Grand Duke down as he tried to get up.

“We’ll take watch.”

Mason spoke up, his face still etched with guilt and shock. It was a miracle he hadn’t broken down after striking his own lord.

As the knights went off to stand guard, only Aeryl and the Grand Duke remained.

“While we’re at it, you should take your medicine. No one’s watching.”

Aeryl reached for the Grand Duke’s medicine—but the bag was gone. The pouch with the medicine and all the other supplies had disappeared.

“What the… where’s the bag? Where did it—?”

“I heard something drop earlier. Must’ve been that.”

It must’ve gotten snagged and fallen during their escape.

“Do you think we can go back for it?”

“That way? There’ll be monsters.”

The monsters, still under the Snow Woman’s control, were searching for them. Recovering the bag was impossible.

‘How could I lose the medicine…!’

Aeryl groaned, clutching his head in both hands. He should’ve taken at least one vial out instead of putting everything in the bag! His master had warned him—never put all your eggs in one basket!

“Aeryl.”

The Grand Duke called his name quietly. Aeryl lowered his hands and looked up. Right—this wasn’t the time to fall apart. No one was more anxious than the patient himself.

“This is my mistake, Your Grace. But don’t worry—there’s still another way.”

Aeryl spoke calmly but firmly, though he felt like dying from the shame. He’d come to care for the Grand Duke and had lost the medicine—pathetic.

“Another way?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of using the method I relied on before I made the medicine.”

“Hmph.”

The Grand Duke let out a strange sound before speaking again.

“Even in this situation, you can think such lewd thoughts?”