Chapter 45: Rescue

‘I… I’m not dead…?’

As the aftershocks faded, Cole opened his eyes.

In the dim cave, what came into view was a young man’s back.

The young man stood with his sword at the ready, completely focused on the mysterious figure before him.

His spine was straight as a rod, and the veins on his right hand gripping the knight’s sword were bulging.

‘That’s… the guy I met at the mine entrance that day…?’

Hearing light footsteps, Cole realized there was someone behind him.

Before he could dwell on it or turn to look, he found himself enveloped in a soft glow.

A wave of warmth flowed over his skin, then gradually seeped inward.

Soon, the countless wounds on his body were completely gone.

The joints and bones that had been aching from his fall just moments ago now felt fully restored.

‘This is… a healing spell?’

No… considering the radiant particles… this was most likely the Church’s unique Holy Light Art…

And then there was that golden slash that had just blocked the fatal blow for him…

‘The reinforcements helping me… are people from the Church?’

Cole sat up with some effort, straining to see who was helping him from behind.

It was a young girl with a slim, graceful figure.

But what caught his attention first were those golden pupils—Cole noticed them almost immediately.

The pattern within those eyes… if he wasn’t mistaken… was a sacred cross.

She walked slowly to Cole’s side and, like the young man, stared warily at the distant enemy.

Her silver hair drifted gently with the movement of her clothes.

She stood there quietly, leaving him with a resolute and cool silhouette—no trace of fear toward the unknown, no hint of dread toward the powerful foe.

“Not bad—Kelly probably doesn’t know that move, right? Did you learn it on your own?”

Fen laughed and glanced sideways at the girl.

This Holy Light Art, though a form of Light Magic, was also a Sacred Formula—a secret technique mastered within the Church.

In other words, any magic with “Holy” in its name was mostly an invention of the Church, its casting knowledge tightly controlled and only taught to specific personnel.

The girl didn’t deny it.

She nodded helplessly and smiled.

“Recalling the magic lessons from our knight training, combined with observing your daily casting process, I summed up some insights.”

Her tone was calm, as if admitting an unremarkable fact.

“Ah… thank you both for your help—”

Cole finally came to his senses, supported himself with his hands, and slowly stood up from the ground.

Before he could finish speaking, black sword energy slashed toward the three of them again.

And this time, it was five consecutive strikes.

“Uh—”

“Clang—”

The young man in front of him conjured a massive sacred shield, blocking the successive slashes.

“Sir, no need for pleasantries…”

The girl before him let out a soft laugh.

“If you want to thank us—”

What a bright, charming smile.

It was as if the darkness of the cave had been dispelled.

Cole froze for a few seconds.

‘That girl’s smile… was it pure? Or rather… beautiful?’

He hadn’t been educated and didn’t know how to describe the scene before him.

Cole had seen many young girls in Novalis—some reserved, some outgoing, some bold, some shy…

But their charm seemed to pale in comparison to this girl.

“Why not wait until we’ve driven away this evil spirit before talking?”

A gentle, unobtrusive reminder sounded softly in his ear, and Cole finally snapped back to reality.

“R-right!”

He quickly steadied his spear.

“Hsss—”

A sharp hiss came from under the mysterious man’s hood.

He began teleporting rapidly again, trying to close in on the two.

His slashes became noticeably sharper, but also more frantic.

Though they couldn’t see his expression, the three knew he was clearly angered.

“Useless!”

Fen shouted, and the sacred shield blocked the attack once more.

Hearing was one thing, seeing was another—Cole finally understood why the Church’s paladins and monks were called the “most severe bane” of the demon cultists.

The black sword energy that had given him so much trouble, forcing him to dodge everywhere, seemed like child’s play before the two’s sacred shields.

“Magnum! Can you still get up and fight!”

Cole yelled toward a corner in the distance.

The mechanical dog in the corner had already stood up, using its steel claws.

“Assessment: Core components undamaged. Plan feasible.”

A cyan bullet and a beam of light fired simultaneously, striking the enemy.

“Ugh—”

For the first time, the mysterious man let out a pained growl.

Without giving him time to recover, Elena immediately conjured two Light Swords and rushed toward him.

He was forced into a clumsy defense.

“If this is all you have… then the fight ends here.”

The cold verdict came from the young girl with a fresh face, creating a stark contrast.

Without hesitation, the mysterious man used all his strength to deflect the harassing Light Swords around him.

Then, as if chanting some strange incantation under his breath, the entire blade of that Demonic Sword began to emit an eerie, intense purple glow.

“Oh no…”

Elena frowned.

“Fen! Defend first!”

The two chanted Holy Light Protection in unison.

A colossal sword aura, spanning nearly the entire width of the space, slashed horizontally toward them.

The spell took effect instantly, and a golden sacred shield materialized in front of the three.

“Boom—”

The blade crashed into the shield, and soon the entire cave was filled with thick smoke.

“Cough, cough, cough—”

Cole fanned the smoke away from him.

“Wind Riding Art—”

The girl chanted again, and this time, an emerald-green wave of light emanated from her wand.

A gentle breeze blew, and the smoke quickly dissipated.

Looking around the entire space, they saw no trace of the black-robed man.

“Did he escape…”

“Can’t be helped…”

Fen comforted.

“The demon cultists are always full of tricks… it’s not surprising they have so many ways to get away.”

“Speaking of which.”

The black-haired young man paused and turned to extend his hand to Cole.

“We meet again, Mr. Cole.”

“I’m Fen.”

He then pointed to Elena beside him, who was currently lowering her head to wipe her first wand.

“And this is Elena.”

“Thank you both again for your help, my lords.”

The man bowed gratefully.

“If it weren’t for you two… I would have surely—”

“But, Mr. Cole—”

Fen interrupted Cole’s thanks.

“Why would you come to a place like this alone?”

“If I’m not mistaken… the mine was supposed to be temporarily closed by the authorities, wasn’t it…?”

Was this what one called professional instinct?

The man who had been greeting so warmly just a moment earlier had never really lowered his guard.

“What is it… that made Mr. Cole… willing to risk breaking the law to come in and investigate the scene?”

“Hey… Fen…”

The girl beside him muttered softly.

“Aren’t we… also… guilty of breaking in illegally…?”

[‘You… you idiot… don’t expose me!’]

Fen shot Elena a glare.

[‘How is that the same?’]

“Ah… to be honest with you, I really am concerned about the clues at the scene…”

After a long silence, the middle-aged man finally spoke.

“But you know it’s dangerous, don’t you?”

Elena looked at the man worriedly.

Although she had performed initial healing, he was clearly still far from recovered.

“That guy just now… was clearly coming for your life—”

“Yeah… I’ve known that for a long time. The authorities have been investigating for half a year without any leads…”

The man murmured.

“There must be some unfathomable force behind this, blocking everything.”

The dejection in Cole’s lowered eyes was hard to hide.

‘Yeah… that strike just now nearly killed me.’

‘It was clearly a warning… a warning to anyone trying to get close to the truth…’

‘Even his outstanding younger brother couldn’t solve this case…’

‘What could he do… someone who hasn’t read many books… someone who, in others’ eyes, had always “relied” on his brother…?’

“But Cole, you once said, ‘Fk it, even if it costs everything, I’m going to find out who’s behind this.'”

Magnum’s cold mechanical voice suddenly rang out.

It was clearly trying its best to mimic Cole’s tone.

It even replicated the swear word Cole had used back then.

“Specific time: four months ago, the night of February 13th. This was what you said to boost the workers’ morale after your brother disappeared.”

It added.

Somehow, Magnum’s emotionless statement felt like a strong dose of stimulant to Cole.

His hesitation and reluctance were quickly replaced by a surge of determination.

‘No matter how great the obstacles… he had a reason to keep going.’

‘His brother couldn’t just disappear for nothing… his men couldn’t die in vain…’

“He’s right.”

“I don’t care who’s hiding in the shadows.”

“Even if it costs everything… even my life…”

“I’m going to get to the bottom of this case…”

Cole’s entire aura had changed.

A flash of defiance flickered in his eyes.

It was a fierce temperament the two had never seen in any warrior before.

Like a death-defying suicide soldier.

Like a stubborn, lone wolf.

……