"Lucia?!"

A trail of blood ran slowly down the dagger. Lucia looked at Vyvyvan who held her hand as she stood before her. She budged her lips a few times because she was so nervous and despaired that she seemed to be unable to speak. Vyvyan held her hand tightly and was surprised to find that Lucia was so weak she could barely hold onto the dagger. She looked at Lucia blankly. She pitied her and hugged her.

Something suddenly came to Vyvyan's attention. She grabbed Lucia's face and anxiously asked: "What's wrong… child… What's… Wait! If you're not by my son's side, then who's the person by my son's side!?"

Lucia was shocked by what she heard as well. Her lifeless body struggled to get up but she seemed unable to stand up. She broke free of Vyvyan's embrace and crawled towards his highness's direction.

"Your…high-…ness… Your… Your… Your…"

White foam came forth from Lucia's mouth as well as indiscernible words. Vyvyan stared blankly at her for two seconds, clenched her teeth and tore the air. Lucia and Vyvyan disappeared like a tornado that came and left.

"Goodbye, your highness."

Mera wiped her tears away and then focused her strength into her two hands. I could vividly feel my throat being slit open. I lost my ability to breath in a split second.  All the air I breathed in leaked out of my wound. Blood sprayed forth from my neck like a hot spring. The pain of having my throat slit wasn't the bleeding or the pain of the wound, but the terror of losing oxygen.

I desperately tried to breathe even though no oxygen would make its way to my lungs. My blood had already clogged my airways. In fact, it was flowing down into my lungs as well. Mera stood up and sobbed as she watched me writhe in pain. The blood that sprayed forth from my wound gurgled like bubbles.

I finally lost my vision. My loss of blood and lack of oxygen stole my vision from me. My heart hopelessly beat as it sent the last portions of blood and oxygen to my brain, even though they'd escape outside before they could reach it. My body started to turn cold. The last bit of warm liquid from my body flowed out of my wound and soaked my body.

I'm dead for sure.

Or rather, I'll be dead after a few more seconds.

This is such a painful way to die. If I could choose, I'd rather drown than experience this pain again.

I could feel my conscious become hazy. My breathing had stopped. No, I didn't give up on clinging to dear life, I simply had no strength left to breathe.

Goodbye, world. If I'm lucky, I might get reincarnated again. If I can be reincarnated, I won't forgive anyone.

Sorry, Lucia, I couldn't marry you in the end. However, I hope that you'll live on with me in your memories.

*Bang!!*

After the loud bang, my conscious suddenly returned to me as though my blood was being replenished in big chunks. I could see my body quickly recovering with my naked eyes. Wait, no, it wasn't my blood that was being replenished, but rather my body that should've been dead was producing large volumes of blood in a very short span of time. The wound on my neck had healed, while my flesh that was torn had been restored. My veins which had been dismembered were interlinking together once again. My skin restored itself to normal, and the chest on my wound recovered in an instant as well.

I quickly threw my body to one side and spat out a mouthful of black blood. Oxygen flowed into my lungs once again. My heart beat once again to signal life, and delivered the nectar of life to all parts of my body. My organs that had ceased functioning restored normal functioning. It looks like my berserk mana has been replenished too. While it's still berserk, it has restored my body to normal functioning levels at the very least.

Hunger and sleep deprivation struck me in an instant, but I didn't bother with them. I instead staggered to my feet and pulled my gun out from my belt.

I don't know how or what swept Mera to one side of the stone wall. She was trembling as she held her lower abdomen as botches of blood leaked out from her lower abdomen. At the same time, I felt something licking my face……

I turned around and noticed blood run down from the horn of the white deer king. Its forehead was dyed red and the blood ran into its eyes. It lowered its head and desperately tried to get rid of the blood using its forefeet with frustration. However, it didn't seem sufficiently nimble so I reached my hand out and helped it wipe the blood in front of its eyes. I then took in big breaths of air and leaned onto its body.

The white deer king lowered its head to lick my forehead, and then turned to vigilantly look at Mera. The wound on my forehead seemed to disappear just like that. You're not telling me that the white deer king sent Mera flying by charging her and used its saliva to heal me, are you…? Or is that my blood on the horn along with Mera's?

The horn of a white deer king can nullify venoms, but it was the first time I heard anything about it being able to save lives.

When the white deer king noticed that I was fine, it nodded and then walked up to Mera's side. It raised its forefeet up high and aimed them at her head, intending to splatter her head like a balloon.

"Don't……"

I quickly extended my hand out and shouted with all my might. I then grabbed my chest and said: "She… She… She needs to be interrogated… Don't… She needs… to meet a befitting end."

The white deer king grunted to indicate its dissatisfaction, then lowered its forefeet, walked up to my side and laid down.

I was stunned as I looked at it and it looked back at me who was completely befuddled. It shook its body as though it were irritated. It then bit my clothes and I instinctively sneezed from the scent of blood.

Does it… want me to mount it?

I looked at Mera and limped over to where my bag was tossed, fumbled through it to grab a bottle of spring water Lucia left with me that had yet to be used. I took the small bottle out, walked up to Mera's side while she grabbed her gut that was about to throw her intestines out, and she trembled as she raised her head to look at me. She smiled bitterly and said: "Your highness… It looks like… It looks like… our situation… has been reversed…"

"Don't speak for now."

I bent over at my waist and poured the spring water onto her wound. After her wound was washed by the spring water, the appalling hole looked like a wound that had been healing for a few days. Mera blew out with a strong breath, and then went limp on the ground. I stood up, sighed and said: "I haven't forgiven you… It's just that… that… I want… I want to save your people first."

"Your highness,,, You truly are gentle, however… you don't need to…."

Mera lied on her back on the ground as large teardrops ran down from the corner of her eyes. I noticed the necklace on her neck crack open and the pearl on it rolled onto the ground and became reduced to dust. She cried as she chuckled bitterly and said: "It is too late… When my necklace broke, it was an indication that everyone in my tribe had died. They are all dead. Perhaps they died at the hands of the imperial guards. Perhaps they died at the hands of humans. However, they are no longer… d.a.m.n… d.a.m.n it… I tried so hard and yet I could not save my tribesmen? Why do we have to suffer so much? We are elves and yet we are alienated by elves. We agreed to join forces with the humans and yet we still ended up being blackmailed by them…."

"Your decision was wrong from the start. Had you chosen to tell the queen instead of making an attempt on my life, the result would have been better."

I lifelessly sat down and leaned on the side of the white deer king. The energy that I regained from my sudden recovery disappeared just like that. Mera didn't flee. Instead, she wore a smile of despair as she cried and said: "Yeah. You are right… However, your highness, would you have any other option if your Lucia was being threatened…? Forget it… Perhaps our tribe was destined to meet this end."

"You're right… This is the end of your tribe."

Mom's domineering voice suddenly came from the cave entrance. My tense nervous system finally relaxed. I was saved. Rescue had arrived. The fatigue I built up the last few days was finally released. I didn't stand up, instead, I closed my eyes. I'll leave what comes up in mom's hands. Just let me have a rest for now….

1 Bonus Son-con Chapter

$11 of $60 raised