Regina Lena – To the Unforgiven - Chapter 45

The representative of the Southern Duke, who led the first expedition to victory, began reconnaissance of the Tomb without any time to relieve the fatigue of the expedition.

 

It is an action that will serve as a model for all knights and servants, but the story about Rena, who was also a stranger, flowed to the stimulating side rather than the good side.

 

In addition, it was accompanied by a material that was good to pick up.

 

It is said that the Southern Representative scouted the Tomb every day for the past four days, and the Eastern Duke, who had been guarding the rift, followed each time.

 

There were still rumors that the Eastern Duke treats women like dogs, so the nobles also dismissed the behavior as impure. Then, whenever they had a chance, they talked about the mishap that could occur between the Southern Representative and the Eastern Duke.

 

There were quite provocative rumors circulating, but those involved in the rumor didn’t really care.

 

In fact, Rena and Lynn were rather intending to do that.

 

The two, who formed an alliance, decided to settle their engagement for each other’s benefit, and were deliberately making rumors to create conditions suitable for it.

 

In fact, they did not intend to do such a cumbersome thing, but it was meant to create a suitable opportunity to provide reasons for the Southern Duke.

 

So Rena and Lynn went into the Tomb alone for four days as if they were honey.

 

And the two were having a much hotter time than people imagined.

 

***

 

“Your clothes are burnt very well.”

 

Rena grumbled and shook off her cloak and sleeves that had become ashes.

 

“Where are you hurt?”

 

“Nowhere. I just need to throw away my clothes.”

 

Lynn, who was about to say that she was fortunate, stopped and bit his tongue. This was because Rena took off her top with her cape, which was burnt out.

 

Of course, there was one layer of tunic left under the shirt. But the tunic was very thin and had no sleeves, so it almost looked like underwear.

 

As Lynn stepped back in embarrassment, Rena looked back with puzzled eyes.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing…”

 

Lynn hesitated and avoided looking, but Rena waited silently for an answer.

 

Knowing that Rena wouldn’t let him off, Lynn eventually hesitated and opened his mouth.

 

“Would you like me to take my clothes off?”

 

At Lynn’s careful suggestion, Rena glanced down at her own chest. Then she answered, closing her eyes beautifully.

 

“Don’t you think it will be more obscene if I cover it with big clothes?”

 

Lynn stiffened at Rena’s radical remarks, and soon muttered with a stiff face.

 

“Unscrupulous…”

 

“You can’t say that to a lady.”

 

“A lady doesn’t take off her clothes anywhere.”

 

“That’s just prejudice.”

 

Lynn agonized over Rena’s nonsense, and Rena burst into laughter while looking at his face.

 

The place where Rena and Lynn were hanging out was the Tomb.

 

Huge pests flew under the red sky, and fierce smoke and blazing flames lurked all over the place. This was the territory of the King of Burning and Scorching, Hiems Gracia.

 

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It wasn’t until four days ago that Rena and Lynn started exploring the Tomb together.

 

However, it was only the concept of time outside, and the time that Rena and Lynn actually spent in the Tomb has been nearly 15 days.

 

It was natural that the two, who had been walking through the Tomb together for 15 days, became much closer than before.

 

However, the two stayed at the level of friends who joked with each other, and kept the distance without further approaching. It was because Rena wanted it.

 

“From now on, I’ll tell you what I know about the Tomb. Instead, promise me you won’t ask how I know it.”

 

On the first day of the quest, Rena made an appointment with Lynn at the entrance of the Tomb.

 

That in itself was a stern warning not to cross the line.

 

Lynn accepted her terms without any fuss, and after that, Rena really taught Lynn a lot.

 

“This is a different world from the world we live in. It’s not a fixed world, and it changes in the blink of an eye.”

 

“You cannot kill an already dead being. So it’s best to avoid fighting the dead.”

 

“The King Who Swallowed the First Cry was the most gentle. But other kings are completely different.”

 

Rena generously told such important stories.

 

Lynn wondered how Rena had figured this out, but didn’t ask anything about it, as he had promised in advance.

 

Instead, he wondered if it would be okay to tell him all this way, and implied if this would be an act of treachery to the Southern Duke.

 

At that, Rena smiled softly and said:

 

“I’m telling you this because I can handle it.”

 

In response to the Rena Ruber-like answer, Lynn also decided to accept what Rena gave him in the end.

 

Afterwards, they searched the Tomb to find the ‘King of Burning and Scorching’, which Clavis mentioned as the next goal, and finally reached his castle.

 

It was four days outside and 15 days in the Tomb.

 

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The King of Burning and Scorching possessed a territory worthy of its name.

 

The castle towering in the distance was blocked off on all sides like the castle of the King Who Swallowed the First Cry. And the dead in the shape of a giant evil insect flew around the area quickly and guarded against the surroundings.

 

In Nihil’s biography, they are called ‘The One Who Carried the Ashes’.

 

Those Who Carried the Ashes looked like a mixture of flies and grasshoppers, and they carried sparks on their wings like fire moths that grazed a torch.

 

The reason that Rena’s uniform was all burnt was because of a clash with them.

 

“If I go back like this, it will be noisy.”

 

Rena did not admit that her tunic was unscrupulous, but she was willing to admit that the royal magnates would be more than happy to see it.

 

“But if I wear Lynn’s clothes, it will be louder, right?”

 

“It’s a good opportunity.”

 

“You’re right, but it’s a big deal if the old man collapses.”

 

The smile was erased from Lynn’s face after hearing the words ‘the old man’.

 

The old man that Rena spoke of was the Southern Duke, and Lynn has had a strangely difficult time with the Southern Duke recently.

 

He didn’t run into him separately after the victory banquet, and only felt a vague burden after Rena called the Southern Duke ‘the old man’.

 

He thought they only had a master-servant relationship, but Rena unexpectedly treated the Southern Duke unscrupulously, and thanks to that, Lynn began to think of him as an elder of Rena’s family.

 

As a result, he regretted the moment they clashed more and more and became very embarrassed.

 

This time again, Lynn became silent as soon as the story of the Southern Duke came out.

 

Rena asked calmly at the awkwardness.

 

“Does Mr. Lynn not like the Southern Duke very much?”

 

“…It’s not like I hate him.”

 

“Really?”

 

“I don’t have any bad feelings towards him. I only act according to my standpoint.”

 

Rena was a little surprised by Lynn’s gentle answer.

 

She thought they didn’t like each other, but it seems that the Southern Duke was surprisingly the only one who had accumulated emotions.

 

“Then, is there anyone who doesn’t like Lynn?”

 

“There is.”

 

“Who is it?”

 

“Rubid Plenus.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Lynn answered without any hesitation, and Rena nodded her head deeply because it was a very touching answer.

 

Come to think of it, she hadn’t seen the young man these days.

 

‘I was told he was recuperating.’

 

However, Rubid was fine after the expedition.

 

‘Is he really taking a rest? I think it’s better to say that he’s on a strict house arrest.’

 

Recalling the Northern’s failure, Rena looked at the castle in the distance again.

 

“Mr. Lynn, have you ever dealt with The Ones Who Carried the Ashes?”

 

“No, the ones that came out in the East were dragons and snakes.”

 

“Is that so? Well, since you’ve come all the way here, you should know. They identify the enemy with their eyes and attack in groups, then they blindy burn what’s alive.”

 

“Bringing in an army would be suicide.”

 

“Yes, even if they come, it will only increase damage like the North did last time.”

 

“Are you saying that in the end, we have to solve the problem with our own abilities?”

 

Lynn touched his chin, contemplating how to deal with those swift fireballs. Then he involuntarily turned to look at Rena, who was standing next to him.

 

The tall Lynn was used to looking down at others. Rena was no exception, especially when standing this close. He had to bend his head.

 

So Lynn tilted his chin sideways as usual.

 

But the situation wasn’t good today.

 

Rena was dressed in a thin tunic, and the light fabric was lifted slightly along the curves of her body. Because he looked down from above, his eyes touched through the gap, revealing something he could not normally see.

 

At the unexpected sight, Lynn quickly turned his head.

 

However, Rena was still looking at the distant castle, unaware of this situation at all.

 

“Perhaps the North is most advantageous when moving individually. The Northern’s slash can hit a flying opponent. Speaking of which, Lynn’s power is… Are you uncomfortable?”

 

“No…”

 

Lynn tried to answer calmly, and Rena did not doubt his lame excuse.

 

“It’s hot.”

 

“Then take off your coat.”

 

Lynn flatly rejected Rena’s offer, and he rather pulled his collar tight before hurriedly changed the subject.

 

“It seems like it’s been a while since we came in. We better go back…”

 

They were in the middle of an important conversation, but he suggested going back…

 

Rena tilted her head, wondering why he was like this, then realized that his face was redder than usual.

 

He looked more troubled than if it was only because it was hot. Rena looked down at her outfit again and then sighed in laughter.

 

He reacted so conservatively to this. If other men had done that, she would have politely questioned why they had to put so much meaning to her outfit in the midst of an important matter.

 

But she decided to let it slide because it’s Lynn. It was both because of her personal affection and his special situation.

 

“Right, it’s not good if you burn more here.”

 

‘You’ rather than ‘me’. Rena swallowed this sentence back and laughed. Lynn couldn’t bear to face her, so he threw his eyes into the distant sky.

 

In the meantime, Rena turned around first. Lynn tried to follow suit, but found something and stopped standing there.

 

“Rena.”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

At Lynn’s call, Rena looked back. However, Lynn was looking far away in the sky, not at Rena.

 

“Over there.”

 

Lynn pointed to a corner of the sky, and Rena moved her eyes along his fingertips. Then, like Lynn, her eyes widened.

 

A golden curtain was falling like a waterfall over the vast sky where fireworms flew.

 

Many things were already unrealistic inside the Tomb, but the sight of an unfathomable carpet covering the red sky was even more overwhelmingly unrealistic.

 

So while looking at the scene for a moment, an unfamiliar voice rang in their ears.

 

— I found you.

 

— My bride.

 

More precisely, it was only unfamiliar to Lynn.

 

Rena opened her eyes at the familiar, but unwelcome voice.

 

Meanwhile, a golden veil took full control of the sky, and the lights of the world were extinguished.

 

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“Mr. Lynn, are you here?”

 

In the darkness where one could not see even an inch ahead, Rena looked for Lynn.

 

Until just before her, there were fires everywhere, but now it was dark everywhere as if she had fallen into a pit.

 

The heat was no longer felt, and a strange scent from earlier stimulated the tip of her nose.

 

The world suddenly turned upside down, but Rena wasn’t surprised. Instead, she bit her lower lip, assembling the obvious clues.

 

‘How did he influence it? Previously, this was the realm of Hiems.’

 

Rena knew who the culprit was.

 

She couldn’t have known if she didn’t know. The golden insignia, this thick scent, and the brazenness of calling Rena his bride were all his symbols.

 

So, instead of panicking in surprise, Rena calmly looked for Lynn.

 

At that moment, the pitch blackness in front of her gradually cleared up, and a brilliant scene unfolded before her eyes.

 

Dark greenery spread and colorful flowers bloomed. In the middle of the tropical garden, a golden canopy was cast. Under the distant shade of the canopy, rugs embroidered with gold and cushions of ample size were creating a fairly comfortable space.

 

Rena looked at it with puzzled eyes, and then she found the person crouching next to it.

 

It was Lynn.

 

“Mr. Lynn!”

 

“Don’t come!”

 

Lynn was holding something on his knees as if he had been stabbed by a knife.

 

So Rena ran to him, but he yelled and blocked her approach instead.

 

Rena was startled and stopped at the first shout she heard.

 

But after a while, Rena saw Lynn biting his lip and approached him carefully again.

 

“Are you okay? Where did you get hurt…?”

 

Rena put her hand on his back.

 

At that time, Lynn suddenly stood up and snatched Rena’s hand and pulled it.

 

“Ugh!”

 

Rena was dragged helplessly by the unexpected force, and as soon as she got closer to him, Rena realized that Lynn’s eyes had turned red.

 

“Lynn…”

 

That faint call was not completed.

 

Because Lynn grabbed Rena’s neck and swallowed her mouth as if eating it.

 

 

 

 

The author’s words:

Nooo…