TFSAWE - Chapter 226: Captured (Patreon)

"If one of us were to escape, it should be you, Latvan."

If Latvan remained here while I fled alone, he would die, and I would be captured. Then all hope would be lost. But if I were captured and he managed to escape, we both could survive. If the burden I needed to protect disappeared, he would have a chance to leave this place.

"You must live for there to be hope."

What could I accomplish if I managed to escape unharmed? The likelihood of encountering the reaper before finding Iris is high. However, if Latvan successfully flees, there is at least a chance he will come to my rescue again.

"If the wound holds."

Deliberately, I averted my gaze from his hands.

Latvan's eyes trembled. He would know that what I said was the correct answer to this situation. As if urging him to make a decision, an arrow brushed past our side. However, Latvan stood silently, only looking at me.

I knew he would do this. He could leave me behind. Therefore, I had no choice but to push him away.

"Latvan."

After calling his name, I grabbed his face and pulled it close. He followed my touch obediently, so calm and submissive that it was hard to believe he was the same knight who had not flinched or retreated until just a moment ago. Lifting my head, I lightly brushed my lips against his.

As his face, about to make contact, closed his eyes, I watched him intently, not missing a single detail. Just as I was about to pull away, his teeth gently nibbled on my lips, as if regretting it, wanting more. I pressed my forehead against his, commanding him.

"Never look back, just run."

His eyes widened momentarily, taken aback. After capturing that expression on his face, I ran towards him with a smile. Perhaps just a while ago, I had made a similar expression myself.

As I rushed out, an arrow flew towards me as if it had been waiting for my appearance.

The sharp tip of the arrow grazed my arm, but I gritted my teeth and continued running with even greater determination.

"Lady!"

"Hurry, Latvan!"

I shouted at Latvan as I raced towards him. I had told him not to look back, but I couldn't afford to do so either.

"Capture them!"

"From which side?"

However, the moment I heard the bewildered voices of the knights, I realized that he was moving according to my wishes. If he was unsure which side to capture first, it meant he was going in a different direction from me. Though I knew I shouldn't cry, my vision blurred. I exerted more strength in my legs. I had to get further away, even if it meant just one knight would follow me, so that Latvan could go even farther.

Another arrow flew and grazed my leg. I staggered for a moment but managed to stay on my feet. I hastily pushed through the dense thicket, scraping my face against sharp branches and slipping on a pile of fallen leaves, but I kept running.

Before long, I felt my breath becoming labored, almost choking me. The sounds of the knights chasing me were growing closer. They seemed confident they could catch me, as they no longer shot any arrows. And soon...

"We got her!"

With a forceful yank at my hair, I stumbled backward.

"We got her! We've captured the fake saint!"

Being subdued happened in an instant. A heavy body climbed on top of me and immediately grabbed my hands from behind. I struggled fruitlessly. I wanted to cry out, but it was in vain.

"The rest of you, pursue Latvan!"

As the knights shouted, some of them changed direction and ran towards where Latvan had gone. But they couldn't get very far. The one they were aiming for was standing on top of the hill.

"Latvan!"

In the meantime, he had confronted a few of them. He was now covered in blood. Seeing his appearance, the suppressed tears burst forth.

"I told him not to look back."

I felt resentful towards him for not listening to my words. But at the same time, I rejoiced at the sight of him. Soon, the knights who had been tracking him beyond the hill came into view. Latvan didn't resist and let them capture him. He chose to surrender and join me, rather than die resisting right there.

I watched him being restrained while lying face down on the ground, just as I had been a while ago. The knight who had grabbed me lifted me up, then grabbed my hair and shook it again.

"You really are a stubborn one. Even after being beaten, you came back to find us."

To avoid screaming, I bit my lip as my head was shaken vigorously. Maybe the knight didn't like that. He scratched my face with his hand.

[Snap!]

In an instant, everything turned white before my eyes, and I couldn't think anymore. The blow to my head had made it spin violently. It was a moment when I couldn't tell where the sky was and where the ground was.

[Thud!]

With a dull sound, the hand that had been gripping me suddenly flew up into the air. As the hand that was holding me disappeared, I fell back to the ground. Just as the pain was about to come crashing down, another hand grabbed hold of me.

"Lina!"

At the sound of the rough breath and the accompanying voice, I doubted my ears. It was a voice I knew well.

"Leon?"