MBOMEN 29

Chapter 29: Kizel’s Beast (6)
Lyla approached Olga as if entranced.

After warning her not to touch anything, Olga tapped a few crystals with her fingers and chanted something under her breath. The words were ancient—Lyla couldn’t understand them at all.

“Now, watch closely.”

When Olga pulled the darkest crystal upward like a lever, what looked like an empty hole suddenly shimmered as if it had filled with water.

Lyla leaned in, drawn toward the movement as though being sucked in. As the ripple from the center ceased, she saw injured knights brandishing swords and shouting something clearly.

A look of awe appeared on Lyla’s face.

“This really is like magic.”

Olga responded dryly.

“You sound like a silly little witch. Is it because you’re young? Of course it’s magic. True magic. Now, look. There it is. Sync. It’s in the river, so it’s not easy to spot, but it stays there like it’s guarding a nest.”

The image shifted slightly. The natural movement of the “camera” was so lifelike that Lyla almost turned her head with it.

As the knights disappeared from the frame, the image showed the red, boiling shape of a beast—like lava come to life. It resembled a monstrous crocodile, but far more vicious.

Yustar spoke.

“If we attack it, will it flee into the river?”

“Of course. Once it’s in the water, there’s no way to keep up. Not even you, Yustar.”

“You didn’t give the knights any magic tools?”

Annoyance crossed Olga’s face.

“I did. What do you think I was doing otherwise? But they’ve all run out of energy. Just driving that thing into a trap took everything they had. And they still couldn’t catch it. If the defensive line breaks this time, it’s over. If that thing reaches the next village, it’s a dead zone with no portals. No branch can send reinforcements fast enough.”

“Then we catch it here.”

Yustar said it casually, prompting a sour glance from Olga.

Lyla ignored their tension, her focus locked on the monster’s movement.

Though the knights were injured, it was clear the beast was hurt too. It moved swiftly, but something seemed off—its balance was disturbed.

Where was it hurt? Lyla wondered. The image kept shifting angles, making it hard to tell.

Then, a knight nearest the creature pulled out something that looked like a round apple and brought it to his mouth.

As he tilted his head back, a ring slipped out. He threw the object at the monster, and the image shook for a moment—then a cloud of black smoke engulfed the beast.

Olga said, “It’s a smoke bomb—meant to block its sight. But that’s the last one. It won’t last more than a few minutes. We don’t have time to stand around.”

Yustar nodded and looked at Lyla.

“Let’s go, Lyla.”

Olga raised an eyebrow.

“You’re really taking her with you?”

“When have I ever lied?”

“You’ll regret it after she dies. But do what you want. I’ll spread the poison that little witch brewed. I’ll be on standby, just give me the signal. And tell me where you’re driving it beforehand.”

“Anywhere away from the river would be best.”

Yustar offered his hand to Lyla. She wanted to stay and observe the image longer, but knew time was short. He handed her a uniform for easier movement and said:

“Change into this. Go out through that round door.”

Lyla quickly changed. Though the uniform fit well, she wasn’t used to wearing pants—it felt odd, as if something was missing.

Olga snapped.

“Stop dawdling. You’re fumbling like it’s your first time wearing pants.”

Startled, Lyla turned sharply, but Olga wasn’t even looking at her. In fact, she wasn’t even visible. How did she know? Lyla was speechless.

But if she got distracted, Olga would scold her again. Trying to ignore the strange sensation between her legs, she opened the round door Yustar had mentioned.

“Ah!”

A strong wind rushed in. Instinctively, Lyla pressed down on her knees—but she wasn’t wearing a skirt. Realizing that, her eyes widened.

“Yustar! There’s no path!”

Beyond the door was a tiny, semicircular platform barely wide enough for two people to stand.

Below lay a dizzying cliff. Between the canyon walls, a river roared. As Lyla reached to grab the door in panic, Yustar’s arm wrapped firmly around her waist.

“Don’t worry, Lyla. We’ve done this once before.”

Because of the wind and rushing water, he had to speak with his lips nearly touching her ear. Lyla felt the fine hairs on her ear and cheek stand on end.

“But that time… that time it was a portal! You’re not saying there’s a portal here too, are you?”

“No, it’s not a portal. But if we try to walk to where the monster is, Olga will throw us in as bait.”

“Then how…”

Lyla’s trembling voice halted. The moment she met Yustar’s gaze, she knew exactly what was about to happen.

“Wait! Yustar, don’t tell me—”

“Hold on tight. As long as you’re holding me, you’ll be fine. Absolutely fine.”

His last words were drowned out by Lyla’s scream. Yustar jumped, holding Lyla in his arms.

For a moment, the wind lifted them—and then they plummeted.

“Yustar!”

Lyla screamed, heart pounding. The wind felt like it was cutting into her ears and cheeks.

“Yustar! Please!”

Just as she cried out in panic, Yustar said:

“Trust me.”

His voice rang clear despite the roaring wind.

At that moment, Lyla realized—they weren’t falling anymore. No, they were flying. Yustar was flying. She was clinging to him.

“What… is this…”

From Yustar’s back sprouted a pair of massive wings—similar to a hawk or eagle’s, but far larger. Each wing was nearly the length of his body, the feathers glistening like they were real.

Staring in disbelief, Lyla asked:

“Did you learn changeling magic?”

Yustar chuckled.

“No, I’m no wizard. I can’t learn that. This is a magic device. It mimics changeling… somewhat. But I can only transform parts of my body, not all.”

“How did you get something like this…”

“Tentinella has a lot of talented developers.”

Developers? She’d heard the term before.

In big cities, there were machines that could sew or embroider automatically. The people who made those were called developers. But developers in magic? It was hard to believe.

“There, I see it. Lyla, I’m going to drop you off somewhere safe. It’s too dangerous to fight while carrying you. But I’ll set you down where you can see everything. Watch how the monster moves. Think about how to defend and attack.”

“Didn’t you say you’d give me armor?”

“The uniform you’re wearing is armor. It may look like normal clothing, but it’s not. It won’t even scratch under most attacks. But against that beast, it’s a bit weak—so don’t try to fight.”

“It’s fast, isn’t it? Where can you put me where I’ll actually see something?”

Yustar smiled and looked down at her. As he lowered his head, his long hair brushed Lyla’s cheek and forehead.

“Don’t worry. It’s a front-row seat.”

He flapped his wings and soared higher. The enormous wingbeat drew the attention of the knights below, who burst into cheers.

“It’s Sir Yustar!”

“The prince is here! Just hold on a little longer!”

Their morale soared. The beast, sensing danger, crouched low.

The dark smoke clouding its vision wouldn’t last much longer. The knights gathered into formation, weapons raised, steadying their breath.

“Watch carefully from here.”

Yustar gently set Lyla down on a tall, isolated rock—like a candlestick, the top was flat. Though it was far from the beast, she could still see clearly.

“I’ll be back.”

Once he confirmed Lyla was safe, Yustar kicked off the edge of the rock. Gliding in a wide arc, he drew his sword, a chill blue aura radiating from its blade.

Was that a magic sword? No—he said he couldn’t use magic, Lyla thought.

Yustar joined the knights at the defensive line. As the smoke began to clear, he stepped forward with sword raised.

The beast’s outline became visible. Lyla instinctively clenched her fists.

Sensing a new scent, the beast raised the spines on its back. A veteran knight, bloodied and grim, warned without taking his eyes off it:

“Be careful, Sir Yustar. Even grazing those spines will poison you.”

Yustar gave a dry laugh.

“So they’re both feelers and venomous? What kind of thing is this, anyway?”

“There’s a sinkhole in the river. If the attack gets intense, it jumps in. It seems to be guarding the sink.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. A monster from the sink isn’t guarding it. A sink is a sink, a beast is a beast. They’re not symbiotic.”

—Screeeeech!—

A sharp shriek echoed through the canyon. It was the kind of sound that made every hair on your body stand up.

Yustar’s grip on his sword tightened.

And when the smoke finally cleared—

The beast lunged at Yustar.

And his blade drove vertically behind its front fang.