Promise

Banshee?

"Witch…!!" The creature seemed to ask in a faint voice. Almost resembling a whisper.

"Blood witch…?!" the creature said again.

"Is the creature asking us?" Omar asked Anthonius.

Anthonius simply shook his head and told Omar to entice the creature to the spot beneath the crystal light, which was composed of sharp-tipped shards of perpetual ice crystal.

"Can you?" Anthonius whispered the question. "Leave it to me." Anthonius told Omar, "Just give me the protective magic barrier!"

Omar became quiet for a while. given how risky Anthonius' strategy is for them both. Anthonius was referring to a crystal lamp that weighed several dozen tons. The second floor of the Dark Dragon Temple could be completely destroyed by the explosion that would result from the lamp falling from the ceiling height. At worst, the eternal ice crystal will be shattered into shards as sharp as mithril swords and thrown everywhere. Even though they were shielded by a two-layered magical barrier, the crystal shards could swiftly pierce their bodies.

"My protective magic barrier wouldn't even be able to fend off the shards of eternal crystal that were scattered in all directions after the lamp fell. I could take shelter behind my shield, but what about you?!" Omar was worried about Anthonius's safety. "Your plan is too risky. Instead of successfully killing the creature, we will be the ones killed by our own plan!” Omar firmly rejected Antonius's plan.

Omar unexpectedly dashed in the creature's direction. He seemed to want to face the beast head-on. Anthonius let out a loud curse as soon as he discovered Omar's scheme to use him as bait. Then, following Omar, Anthonius ran on a curving trajectory toward the side of the beast that had enough openings to launch a surprise attack while Omar diverted its attention.

Everything went really well at first. Ignoring Anthonius, the creature concentrated on thwarting every blow Omar threw at it. The blade, which was made of pure orichalcum, the best kind of magical metal in Terra, vibrated fiercely just as Anthonius was about to slash the creature's torso. As though it were striking a hard, unseen object that surrounded the thing.

After being discarded, Anthonius' sword was securely ensconced in the temple wall. Anthonius's body, meanwhile, was flung far away from the beast and struck one of the pillars supporting the temple's ceiling. The elf instantly passed out. Thereafter, his body dropped and struck the floor with great force.

Omar decided to withdraw after recognizing that the battle was now one-sided, but his strategy did not work out as planned. "What happened?!" Fine fractures appeared on the temple floor Omar was walking on, and he became alarmed. Omar sprinted as fast as he could in the direction of Anthonius's unconscious body.

Omar said, "Damn!" as he felt his two legs suddenly become immobile. Then, with the intention of saving the young general, Omar hurled Anthonius's body far away from him. "He is too fast!" Omar moaned as he became aware of a foreign item that resembled a clump of hair that was tightly gripping both of his legs. As though his bones were about to be crushed.

"Ugh…!!" Omar let out a painful cry. The creature's hair was wrapped around his leg, and not a single strand could be severed by his spear.

The creature whispered, "Where is the blood witch...?" again.

Due to the massive blood loss from the wounds the creature had inflicted on both of his legs, Omar started to lose consciousness.

…

In the Temple of the Dark Dragon's second floor level, suddenly silent. A row of stained glass windows reflected a streak of crimson light, creating vibrant pillars of light. A few hours after the combat had ended, Omar's and Anthonius's bodies were still lying there, helpless, blood seeping from one leg. There was even a puddle of blood that was beginning to dry up. It stands in stark contrast to the Temple of the Dark Dragon's white marble floor, which is covered in layers of perpetual ice crystals.

A faint tapping of shoes from the first floor could be heard coming up the stairs. Shortly afterward, a girl of ten to fifteen years old came into the chamber with a rattan basket full of stones from the temple wall on her back.

"Huh..?!" The girl gazed in disbelief at the comatose, blood-covered bodies of Anthonius and Omar. She was both afraid and perplexed. The girl's desire to assist the two individuals in front of her was evident, but she also appeared perplexed.

At first, the girl remained motionless for a considerable amount of time without shifting an inch. clutching the doorknob with shaking hands and looking fearfully at Omar and Anthonius every now and again.

The girl's voice was shaking as she exclaimed, "What if they die if I don't help them immediately?!"

Then she tentatively moved forward toward Anthonius and Omar's bodies. She tried to check their breaths, but her little fingers shook. Upon seeing that both of the bodies she had discovered were still breathing, the girl stated, "They're still alive."

She rolled her blue eyes and gazed at the pool of drying blood by her shoes. The girl hesitated before touching the pool of blood. "4 hours ago," she said to herself.

Then the girl stood up. She surveyed the area. observing a number of scratches on the Dark Dragon Temple's walls and floor following Omar and Anthonius's fight with the beast that had just attempted to murder them.

The girl concluded, "They are apparently witches," as she attempted to figure out what had wounded Anthonius and Omar. "An uneven opponent. A front guard should be present. How could a paladin and a swordsman fight here alone?!" the girl said, her face displaying surprise.

Then, from the rattan basket he was carrying, he removed a crystal bottle filled with a dark green liquid. She then carefully applied the liquid to Omar's injured leg. Omar's leg was bleeding profusely and had a giant wound that gradually started to shut.

"He is still quite young. In their 30s to 40s, perhaps. Therefore, the healing process might happen rapidly. Thank goodness, I hope he recovers soon," the girl remarked as she applied a bandage to Omar's leg wound after earlier suturing it.

The girl then proceeded to the wall where Antonius's sword was embedded on one side of the temple. Then she hesitated for a second. Carefully touching the weapon, observing it.

As though asking herself, she whispered, "Crimson knight?" The girl repeated, "Are they members of the Crimson Knight?"

The blade was then drawn from the wall by her. After much struggle, the girl eventually succeeded in drawing the sword all the way out. She took a close look at the blade she was holding. Not a single curve, symbol, or engraving on the sword escaped his notice.

She stated, "The owner... must be someone influential to the Crimson Knight," with a look of respect on her face. The girl then carefully set the sword next to Omar and Anthonius's bodies. After leaving a potion and a few pieces of cake, the girl walked away.

…

It was just before midnight that Anthonius awoke. Looking around, he saw that the Dark Dragon Temple's second floor was pitch-black and deserted, save for himself and Omar, who had not yet recovered consciousness that evening. The empty crystal bottle next to Omar's body caught Anthonius' attention right away. When he sniffed the remaining green liquid that had spilled on the floor, he knew right away that it was a healing potion that the alchemists employed. Then Antonius's eyes went to his sword, which was resting next to a number of crystal bottles filled with food and the same healing medicine.

"What does this mean?!" Anthonius attempted to stand up, but his body swayed multiple times as he was unable to support his own weight. Anthonius struggled to keep his equilibrium until he was able to take a few steps in the direction of one of the partially broken stained glass windows.

Anthonius recognized that he and Omar had been unconscious for some time, but Anthonius was baffled as to where the thing that had attacked him had disappeared to and who had administered all those medications. Even this individual was able to extract the sword that was lodged in the wall.

"Omar?" The sound of footsteps caused Anthonius to turn. As it turned out, Omar was the one staggering in his direction.

"My wound is healed... Somehow, and whatever has happened, I am really confused. Was the attack we just experienced an illusion?" asked Omar with a confused expression.

Anthonius remained silent. Staring straight at the row of empty buildings below him, with only a few parts of their foundations remaining.

"My wound has really recovered... I feel like it's impossible for it to happen so quickly!" Omar was truly confused about what had happened to him.

Anthonius said nothing, then gestured to the cakes and crystal bottle next to them. Omar quickly grasped Anthonius's meaning after realizing what he was trying to say. "Did she or he just leave after helping us?" Omar questioned incredulously. After that, he chuckled and ate some of the cake that the enigmatic aide who had saved them had left behind.

It appeared that Antonius had not heard Omar's words. He wondered what kind of beast had attacked them and what was going on with the black dragon at the moment. If the old man who owned the ship was right, Anthonius was genuinely afraid. Anthonius wonders what kind of beast they are currently dealing with and finds it impossible to believe whether the black dragon is actually dead. Anthonius did not mean to diminish Meuz's skills, but he was adamant that even Meuz could not defeat that creature on his own. Furthermore, Meuz is too old to go back to the battlefield at this time.

"Are you okay?" Omar was concerned about Anthonius's health. "Are you hurt?" Omar inquired to confirm. After that, he gave a crystal bottle that had been left by someone who had saved them and contained a healing potion.

"We will find the body as soon as possible tomorrow morning, and we should try to avoid any battle with whatever we might encounter in this place." Anthonius was nervous because he thought they could have to deal with something that could put Omar or perhaps his teammates in danger.

Omar ate the rest of the cake after going silent. As he continued to munch the cake, Omar inquired, "Are you scared?"

Anthonis grinned. After that, he picked up his sword from the ground. When Antonius said, "Very much, not for myself but for you, I feel very useless, because what we are facing seems like something completely new, which, in my over 400 years of life, I have never even encountered. I've never read any books, and I don't even have somebody to ask. Right now, I'm feeling very frustrated."