TWQTFA CH 08

The strong winds had enlarged the scale of the wildfire and worsened the situation, but that was precisely why things had worked out.

If there had been not even the slightest breeze, her ability would have been limited.

There were limits to a mere human’s ability to control the immense power of nature.

The stronger the wind, the more Leah’s ability was amplified, but the harder it became to control it delicately.

The power of a spirit was like that of a capricious child.

It could not be ordered or forced. It had to be gently soothed and guided.

‘Not that way. Move a little farther.’

Leah changed the direction of the wind around one of the smaller fires spreading near the strongest flames.

She intended to create a backfire so that the fires would consume one another.

She gripped the railing of the watchtower tightly and concentrated.

The flames that had been rushing toward the encampment faltered when the wind was taken away from them.

The flames that had been writhing grotesquely like the tongue of a demon shot straight up into the sky.

While the main blaze slowed down, the smaller fires around it burned through the forest first.

The flames converging from all directions with the wind gradually surrounded the massive blaze.

‘Got it.’

Feeling that she had completely taken control of the wind, she relaxed.

Unless there was some major variable, the wind imbued with the spirit’s power would not change direction again.

As she caught her breath, she noticed another small fire still moving through the forest, some distance away from the area where her backfire strategy had succeeded.

‘Not that way. I said the other way.’

Leah concentrated again and frowned.

No matter how many times she tried, the wind would not reach it.

The wind could not approach that particular blaze and was simply bouncing away.

‘This has never happened before…….’

A thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

‘Could it be?’

Leah ran straight down from the watchtower and out of the commander’s residence.

She merely waved at the delegation members gathered in front of the residence and continued running.

“Where are you going?”

“Wait there!”

She answered Penny’s shout before continuing on, grabbing anyone she encountered and asking frantically,

“Where is His Highness? The Imperial Prince?”

She kept passing by those who could not give her a proper answer until she spotted Cedric directing the soldiers.

“Sir Milo! Where is His Highness?”

“It’s dangerous. Please move somewhere safe!”

“I’m asking where His Highness is. Did he go into the forest?”

Seeing Cedric’s expression, which was practically an answer in itself, Leah spun around and ran.

Cedric could not stop her as she disappeared among the soldiers in an instant.

He pressed his lips tightly together before turning back to the soldiers and continuing to give orders.

Right now, it was more important to focus on his mission than on the princess’s safety.

As Leah ran, she encountered soldiers moving the horses out of the stables.

She immediately grabbed one of them and nimbly leaped onto its back.

“Hyah!”

“Who is that?! Someone’s stealing a horse!”

“Hurry and chase her!”

The soldiers shouted while pointing in the direction she had disappeared.

But they could not immediately pursue her and were left scrambling.

They had been moving the horses that had been resting without reins or saddles, so they needed time to prepare.

“You’re a fast one. Let’s go that way!”

Grabbing the horse’s mane, Leah expertly rode the unsaddled horse.

Anyone from the Kingdom of Zephyrus learned to ride horses without reins or saddles from childhood.

Moreover, after awakening the power of the spirit, Leah had found it easy to form a deep bond with animals.

‘Show me the way.’

She recalled the place she had seen earlier from the watchtower.

Leah urged the horse onward in the direction indicated by the wind.

Karion rushed toward the forest village with ten elite royal guards.

The closer they got to the village, the denser the forest became, and eventually there was no path wide enough to continue on horseback.

“One of you stay behind and watch the horses.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Karion and the remaining soldiers ventured deeper into the forest.

Despite the late hour and the near-total darkness, they moved without hesitation, finding their way through the forest.

At the very front was Karion.

Karion’s ability to find his way was so exceptional that even professional guides would have marveled at it.

If he had ever visited a place even once, he could find his way there accurately even in a pitch-black forest without a trace of moonlight.

He himself found his ability mysterious.

It was as though an invisible guide lived inside his mind, showing him the way.

He would probably never get lost in his entire life.

Yet ironically, he felt that he wandered because he could not find the path of his own life.

When they reached the entrance to the village, it was shrouded in quiet darkness.

The commotion from the encampment probably could not be heard all the way here, and everyone seemed to be sleeping soundly, unaware of the world around them.

By the time they noticed signs of the wildfire, it would already be too late. They would panic and stumble around until the entire village was wiped out.

“Everyone, wake up!”

“It’s a forest fire! Everyone, get up!”

The soldiers shouted as they ran around the village.

Soon, startled villagers came rushing out of the small huts scattered here and there.

“Everyone has to evacuate! The forest fire is going to spread this far! Don’t take anything with you! Hurry!”

There were only about fifty villagers, and half of them were children.

“It’s a forest path in the middle of the night. Stay close enough to see the person in front of you so you don’t get lost!”

Karion led the villagers from the front, finding the path for them.

Their progress was slow because there were so many children, but they safely reached the place where the horses had been left.

The village chief, who was counting everyone, suddenly shouted.

“What? Lara is missing?”

“Chief! I can’t see my little sister. Lara! Lara!”

The children began to cry, and the people grew restless.

“Lara!”

“Lara! Where are you? Answer me!”

No matter how many times they called her, there was no response.

Karion asked the village chief what had happened.

“She’s an eight-year-old girl. We definitely counted everyone before we left.”

A soldier spoke up.

“I was at the rear of the group, so she couldn’t have left somewhere in the middle. I think she never joined us just before we departed.”

Karion stared into the darkness of the forest for a moment before speaking.

“You take the villagers to the encampment. I’ll go back to the village.”

“Your Highness, it’s dangerous. I’ll go.”

“Can you find your way better than I can? It’ll be faster if I go. Head to the encampment.”

The soldiers could not stop Karion as he disappeared into the darkness of the forest in an instant.

They exchanged glances and nodded.

They trusted that with their Grand Commander’s abilities, he would be able to find and bring back one young child in no time.

As Karion made his way back toward the village, he caught the acrid smell of smoke.

‘The fire has already spread this close!’

He quickened his pace.

By the time he was almost back at the village, thick smoke had filled the surrounding area.

“Lara!”

Karion called the child’s name as he searched every corner of the village.

But he could find no trace of the girl, nor could he sense any sign of her presence.

She might have been frightened and hiding somewhere, so he entered every house he could see and checked each one.

Just as he came out of the last house, an ember flew onto the roof.

The roof, covered with dried branches and leaves, instantly burst into flames.

The moment Karion saw the vivid red flames burning right before his eyes, he heard a pounding sound that shook his entire body.

“Urgh…….”

Clutching his chest, he dropped to one knee.

‘Of all times…….’

His cursed chronic illness had been triggered.

His breath caught in an instant, and a terrible pain surged through him, as though a massive ball of fire were burning inside his stomach.

And today’s attack was far more severe than usual.

His vision blurred, and a strained groan escaped his throat involuntarily.

He wanted to collapse onto the ground and scream.

“Haa……”

Karion gritted his teeth and struggled to support his staggering body.

Even though he knew that staying here would mean death, his body would not obey him.

He almost crawled away from the burning house, finally reaching a tree a short distance away and collapsing against it.

“Your Highness!”

The voice was clear and pure, filled with desperation.

Panting heavily, he thought that perhaps he was even beginning to hear things.

“Your Highness! Please come to your senses. Your Highness! Karion!”

His brow twitched as his eyes began to close.

⌜Karion!⌝

Was the last person to call his name his mother?

He could not remember when that had been.

Something gently caressed his face.

It was not a physical touch.

It was formless, almost like the wind.

‘The wind?’

And this time, someone’s hand touched his face.

“Haa…….”

Karion felt as though his blocked airway suddenly opened wide.

“Are you all right?”

The flames burning inside his body subsided in an instant, and a refreshing energy enveloped him from head to toe.

Perhaps this was what the miraculous touch of salvation felt like for someone who had been thrown into a fire and was slowly burning to death.

Save me.

He desperately reached out both hands.

Without thinking, he pulled the savior he caught in his hands into his arms.