What Became of the Tyrant After the Pregnant Empress Left - Chapter 52
Ysaris was the most shocked by the sight of the wild creature stopping just before it could bite Kazhan’s head off. The blood and saliva dripping from the beast’s gaping maw made her heart pound, but that wasn’t the important part.
A wild beast, charging to kill, had obeyed Kazhan’s command. It was an impossible occurrence, yet it had just happened.
‘How?’
Her blue eyes turned to Kazhan, but unfortunately, he was too focused on managing the situation to satisfy her curiosity.
“Leave. Go as far away from here as possible, and smear your blood everywhere. Don’t ever return here.”
Whimpering.
The Beowulf shook its head a few times, struggling as if to resist, but then slowly began to back away. It soon turned its massive body and headed out, its blood-red eyes fixed on the outside world.
It was as if it was dutifully obeying Kazhan’s command.
“…Phew.”
Is it over?
Only after the creature had completely disappeared did Kazhan allow himself to relax and check the state of his right arm. The outer part of his forearm was torn and punctured by teeth marks, but the injury was within expected limits. In fact, it was fortunate that it ended up as minor as it did.
It was lucky that the beast had a tendency to bite first. Then again, if luck had anything to do with it, Kazhan had been blessed with it ever since he fell off that cliff.
Surviving thanks to the river. The rain on the first night that masked the scent of blood. The fact that the unwelcome guest arrived only after he could move again. The species being one he could handle even in his current state, and how he defeated it just as predicted.
As he leaned his back against the wall, thinking he had used up all his luck for the rest of his life, a calmer Ysaris asked a question.
“Is this also part of Tennilath’s hidden power? Controlling beasts that have tasted your blood?”
It was a reasonable assumption. She had been given hints that the magic in Tennilath’s blood could influence living beings.
“If possible, forget it.”
“Why didn’t you keep it as a guard instead of sending it away?”
“The compulsion I placed will fade quickly. If I can’t control it, I have to let it go.”
This was the same reason why the effects of taming were not widely known. Unlike mutual pacts, controlling beasts had a short duration, requiring them to be fed blood continuously.
He wouldn’t risk something like that, especially in his severely injured state.
“…I see. Thanks to you, I survived.”
“Mm.”
That was all the response she received. He extended his right arm, as if telling her to tend to it, and Ysaris sighed.
He really was insufferable to the end.
The way he seemed to protect her in times of danger was likely an unconscious response, a lingering attachment to the woman named Ysaa. Refusing to rely on such warmth, she forced herself up from where she had been sitting.
“I need to gather more herbs for a hemostatic…”
But Ysaris didn’t take a single step. More precisely, the moment she tried to move, the world tilted.
She had no time to process what was happening. The relief of surviving had relaxed her to the point where darkness quickly consumed her consciousness.
The last thing she felt was the sensation of her collapsing body being urgently pulled back before she fainted.
* * *
“Ysaa!”
Kazhan barely managed to catch her collapsing body, pulling her toward him and absorbing the impact with his own. He stifled a groan as the pressure on his damaged areas sent sharp pain shooting through his head.
“Damn it…!”
In his current state, taking care of Ysaris would be difficult.
Swearing under his breath, Kazhan quickly checked her condition. Her face was flushed with heat, and beads of sweat dotted her skin.
It wasn’t the cold sweat born of fear, nor was her flushed face due to rushing in.
A fever, or perhaps an illness contracted from the mountain.
Kazhan clenched his teeth as he observed her trembling body, radiating heat while shivering as if chilled.
“You fool.”
The self-directed insult was filled with regret. He should have let her rest when she first mentioned feeling under the weather, but she had seemed fine, even asking for water. His own parched throat had driven him to push her.
If Ysaris hadn’t gone out. If she hadn’t rushed back. If she hadn’t exhausted herself tending to him, would things have turned out better?
Kazhan dismissed the useless speculation and laid her gently on the ground.
Even that was no easy task. His right arm, which had been his only functional limb, was now further injured, making every necessary movement an agony.
“Damn it.”
The situation was truly dire.
Despite his frustration, Kazhan scanned the cave. His eyes landed on the pile of herbs Ysaris had gathered earlier, and he quickly identified the ones she had been chewing for fever relief.
She had taken one of these before heading out, but it seemed a single dose hadn’t been enough.
“Ysa… the Empress.”
In moments of urgency, he kept slipping and calling her Ysaa, an old habit. Realizing this, Kazhan corrected himself as he used his thumb to pry her mouth open.
“Can you swallow this?”
“…”
Unsurprisingly, there was no response. Only the sound of her labored, feverish breathing filled the silence.
