Chapter 64

Night of the Hunt (2)

“Noel this, Noel that, Noel—”

Such muttering spilled from Katya’s mouth.

Her face was full of discontent. She looked visibly annoyed by the fact that, once again, she had been left to wander around alone, separated from Noel and Aiden.

Her arms were stuffed with sticks Aiden had given her. The instructions she’d just received were to plant them here and there as she went.

He had clearly shown he didn’t really want to burden her with such menial tasks, but still, she’d reluctantly accepted them, thinking it was better than doing nothing by herself.

‘...Whatever. I can at least run a few errands.’

With that thought, she pouted her lips and started moving again.

She tapped the sticks into the ground one by one along the path. It was a dull and monotonous task, but thinking that it might help Aiden made her feel a little better.

The task itself wasn’t particularly difficult, but what bothered her most was having to be separated and alone again.

‘Why is he always looking after that woman first?’

It wasn’t even an exaggeration—this was truly the case.

Whenever there was work to be done, Aiden would always prioritize Noel over her. It had become a routine.

Seeing how Noel naturally gave off a dependable aura in every way, Katya couldn’t help but pout—an involuntary and completely natural reaction from her point of view.

Honestly.

Sometimes it made her feel like...

‘I’m just a nuisance, aren’t I?’

Dwelling on that thought made her feel melancholic for no reason.

She had once even asked Noel directly what exactly was going on between the two of them, but regardless of the details, it was an undeniable fact that the two had promised to marry.

No matter what secrets lay between them, it was an acknowledged truth that the two were far closer than Katya ever would be.

“......”

Of course.

From Katya’s perspective, it was a thoroughly unbearable situation.

As she walked along the edge of a cliff near the canyon, she kept hammering the sticks into the ground as if venting her frustration.

Well. What exactly should one call the emotion she was feeling now?

She hated seeing Aiden with someone else. She was well aware it was a kind of possessiveness.

Then, was it jealousy—a desire to take that woman’s place?

But again, defining it like that felt unclear and vague.

‘I don’t even know what being a wife really means...’

The dictionary definition of marriage was something about accepting an outsider as part of your family.

But when she asked herself if she wanted to become that—Katya still couldn’t answer clearly.

From the very beginning, to her, the word "family" was—

“……”

A tight pull in her chest made Katya pause in her tracks.

‘Ah.’

Danger.

Realizing it, she calmly suppressed the holy power raging inside her.

Even with a body that couldn't feel anything, there were still times when something beyond 'sensation' would disturb her mind. That something was emotion.

Humiliation, contempt, disgrace.

If she had to define the most vivid, violently outlined movement of her psyche beyond the confusion of such memories—

It was rage.

A dark, seething rage that felt like it would rip her entire mind apart, blanketing her reason in stark white.

To her, the word “family” was nothing more than a trigger for that kind of emotion.

Her body trembled. Her breath started to quicken involuntarily.

‘...Friend.’

Until that word came to mind, it had been a dangerously serious reaction—one strong enough to make flames burst from her surroundings without her even realizing.

Aiden.

Aiden Kellermain.

That man was her friend.

Not something like family.

“……”

Reciting those words over and over in her mind, she barely managed to steady her breath and regain her composure.

Yes, exactly. That’s why she was actually helping him by trying to separate the Lionhearted from his side.

Wasn’t she freeing him from that horrific shackle called “family”?

So, if that woman tried to wag her tail again, she’d have to do whatever it took to interfere—

“Can’t you run a little faster?!”

“Sorry, but this is my full speed—!”

“……”

Just as Katya was about to stoke her fighting spirit, Noel and Aiden came bursting out of the forest behind her, tightly clinging to each other. Their faces were uncharacteristically filled with panic.

And just like last time, Katya’s eyes narrowed instantly when she saw Noel carrying Aiden on her back like some kind of luggage.

She had just been thinking how sickening it was to see them stuck together like that…

“What are you two—”

But before Katya could even finish her sentence with a glare, Noel immediately lifted her up and slung her over her own shoulder.

It happened so swiftly and naturally that Katya had no time to resist, dangling off Noel’s left shoulder like a sack, eyes wide in shock.

“What the—what is this?!”

She turned to Aiden, who was hanging from the other shoulder, and asked in a flustered voice. His reply came out breathless.

“I’ll explain later! Just fire a shot for now!”

“……?”

The question of what to shoot and at what came to her immediately, but it seemed she didn’t need any further explanation.

Because it was obvious now what they were ‘running’ from.

A beast came flying up from the slope beside them.

Yes, “flew” was the right word to describe it.

It must have dug its claws into the edge of the slope and launched itself upward. But the sheer, ridiculous strength behind that leap made it soar as if it had been fired from a cannon.

Katya's mouth fell open as she watched the corner of the hill where she had just been standing crumble under the impact of the beast's landing.

A quadrupedal beast that resembled a big cat predator.

However, to compare it to a mere predator would be a serious insult to such a grotesque creature.

In the first place, it was questionable whether that thing could even be categorized as a “living being.”

Its massive size looked like two houses mashed together, and its limbs—comparable to the iron framework of a building—throbbed with monstrous muscle.

That raw, primal force pouring out from its entire body in waves—

It was more appropriate to call it a biological tank.

Every movement of its limbs made the earth tremble.

Watching it, Katya was struck by a stark realization.

The beast that had emerged from the princess’s body before—

‘...Was nothing.’

This was the kind of monster that truly stood at the top of the beast hierarchy.

It had to be something like this for other instinct-driven beasts to run away in fear without even trying to fight.

As that realization sank in, Katya’s lips twisted into a grim line.

“...What is that thing?”

Aiden, for his part, had a very precise answer to that question.

⊙ Soul Reaver [Berserk Mode]

A quadrupedal beast that stands at the peak of the ecosystem within the inner areas of the Void Zone. There are very few beings whose physical capabilities can compare to it, aside from dragonkin and in some aspects, it even surpasses them.

Though normally possessing high intelligence and pride, enough for communication, it is currently in a berserk state for unknown reasons. In this state, it cannot think properly and views all things before it with hostility.

* Weapon: Entire body

* Strengths: Ultimate level physical abilities among beasts, defense tougher than dragon scales, near-immortal vitality

* Weaknesses: None

Of course, honestly, it seemed smarter to just keep his mouth shut rather than go on listing specs like that.

Right then, the Soul Reaver let out a metallic, grating shriek and crashed into the ground. Its four legs immediately clawed at the earth at a terrifying speed, and the sheer force of the wind pressure blew away all the rising dust before it could even settle.

Its speed clearly surpassed even Noel, who was sprinting at full power while drawing on her supernatural ability!

“...Ha.”

At this point, Katya couldn’t help but fully agree with Aiden’s earlier plea to just fire a shot and save the explanations for later.

Divine power pulsed through her entire body.

The sheer amount of holy energy surging within her was enough to call her a walking supernatural reactor, alongside the Lionhearted.

As she formed hand seals, that divine power sharpened even further. Every royal of the Holy Crown Kingdom was trained to wield Grand Flame Arts, which allowed them to unleash their innate supernatural powers in destructive ways.

And Katya wasn’t just rated highly for her output—her “skill” was no less exceptional.

Blades of spinning divine energy formed in all directions. Blades sharp enough to melt through thick steel were launched straight at the Soul Reaver’s eyes.

No living creature could possibly harden vital spots like the eyes or internal organs. So, when Katya’s divine blades struck dead-on at such a vulnerable area—

They bounced off with a shower of sparks.

Katya’s mouth fell open before she could stop herself.

It wasn’t as if the attack had no effect at all—after all, the Soul Reaver, which had been charging with wild momentum, let out a howl of pain and slightly slowed down.

“…Did I really just see that?”

And, of course.

It made no sense for a direct hit to the vital spot from a royal of the Holy Crown Kingdom—one ranked among the highest tiers—to merely slow the creature down.

Katya’s fingertips trembled ever so slightly. Her pride was not just wounded—it was obliterated.

No, this wasn’t just a matter of pride.

That attack she had just unleashed would’ve dealt near-lethal damage to any average high-ranking supernatural being. And this thing took it to the eye, yet suffered no meaningful damage?

“…How are we supposed to kill that thing?”

That kind of question naturally escaped her lips.

It also explained why even the Lionhearted, who had made a name for herself in the Allied War, was fleeing helplessly from it.

But Aiden answered her like it was no big deal.

“It’s fine. We can’t kill it anyway!”

“…What?”

“Wasn’t planning on killing it in the first place!”

Of course, unlike Katya, it wasn’t completely immortal but even the system window said it was comparable to a dragonkin.

Considering that dragon scales were considered a symbol of invincibility, the point was: even the Lionhearted and Deathwish couldn’t bring that thing down—not because they were weak, but because they simply lacked the firepower.

Killing it was never an option.

“Then, what are you going to do? Tell us the plan!”

Thankfully, Aiden had a clear answer to Noel’s urgent, scream-like demand.

“I’m going to tame it!”

“……”

“……”

Noel and Katya both stared blankly at Aiden.

“…Tame it?”

“Yes!”

“…That thing?”

“Yes! I’m going to raise it!”

“……”

“I want to ride it someday!”

At this point, they were too afraid to even ask more questions.

‘…Come to think of it.’

This man.

He had definitely lost his mind lately. No doubt about it.