‘What the…? Why?’
Feeling the blood drops splattered on her face, by the hand encased in purple light that filled a part of her vision…Iril’s thought process came to a sudden halt.
“This…. This is… Why all of the sudden?”
As if it was disappointed about missing its target, the hand fiddled with its fingers. Ian looked at the hand. Having managed to hold on to his consciousness, Ian muttered,
“As I thought, there are still… remnants…”
Blood was gushing out from Ian’s pierced chest. He looked at Iril in front of him and struggled to talk.
“Please… run.”
Ian had a blank look on his face. It seemed that he was unable to comprehend the situation. With a pale blue face, he started to open and close his mouth.
“Ah, ah ah…”
Was it because Iril was not able to get a grip? Ian crumpled his face to stay conscious despite the pain. He pushed Iril away hard and said,
“The one… that this hand is targeting is… you. So… please… run away… as far as you can…”
Even after being pushed by Ian’s hand, Iril was still petrified as if she hadn’t snapped out of it yet.
“That is… Just what are you…”
“… Young Master Ryan!”
Ian concluded that he could not let this be. He quickly turned his head towards Ryan and shouted. Ryan also had his mouth vacantly open. Having heard the shouting, he flinched his shoulders.
“Take the young lady to safety…”
Even though Ian’s chest had been pierced and was gushing out blood, he was still conscious and thinking hard to make the right decision. Watching this, Ryan realized why Ian was called a hero by the mercenaries. Ryan gritted his teeth and started to move his legs.
“Iril.”
After getting a grip, Ryan came to Iril and started to pull her arm.
“G… Gramps… Gramps!”
Iril started to struggle and extended her hand out desperately towards Ian.
“I… Inaril…”
Ian was holding on to the hand that had pierced his chest. Toward Iril who was being dragged away by Ryan, Ian said with great difficulty,
“To my… To your master… Please deliver this message for me.”
Based on the sword and the response that the girl showed, Ian thought that the master who fell by his sword must be still alive. Ian pulled together his fleeing consciousness and said,
“Please tell her I am sorry.”
Ryan, who was pulling Iril away, looked at the butler’s face.
“Ian…”
Considering the hand that had pierced his chest and the amount of blood loss, Ryan was sure that Ian definitely knew that this was going to be his death. However…Ian could not look more determined.
“… Please tell her that…”
Ian struggled to continue.
“… I adored her.”
The light in the butler’s eyes was growing lifeless. Ryan bit his lips. He nodded and started to pull Iril away again.
“G… Gramps! Let… go! Gramps!”
Iril was being pulled back. She shouted and struggled.
“My grandmother! He is the one who my grandmother longed to meet again for so long! I must bring him to her! I cannot let… I cannot let it be like this!”
“Iril, we must go.”
“Instead of me… That old man needs to be brought to grandmother! Let me go… Let go! Ryan! Ryan!!”
Ryan was born with exceptional muscular strength. With that, he earned the title of Strong-sword at the mansion.
Iril was ahead of Ryan when it came to skills and fine movements. However, when it came to raw strength, Iril could not win against Ryan.
“We must leave!”
Ryan shouted at Iril. It seemed the purple light hand realized that it missed the target. The hand started to move back.
“… Kuuuhuuk.”
Ian was desperately trying to hold on to the hand. Now, he faltered and got on his knees.
‘Damn it. Just what kind of ability is this? Is it related to dimensions? It takes physical form when it attacks and disappears like smoke when it isn’t attacking? Is that a part of its abilities?’
Back in Ian’s prime, he had run into a few ‘purple humans’ with similar powers. Ian was shaking his eyes to desperately hold on to his consciousness that was becoming fainter.
‘It’s dangerous. I must warn Young Master Ryan… It will close the distance in an instant and target her again.’
The purple space appeared behind Iril in a blink of an eye and the hand jumped out of it. Thinking about this, Ian raised his hand toward Iril and Ryan who were moving further away.
‘If that young lady is Inaril’s… my master’s will… No… If she dies here, the tragedy might repeat.’
To be precise, Ian was trying to reach for them with his arm.