Can't Come Back - Chapter 59
Rustle, Rustle, Rustle-
Berlia continued pushing through the trees and plants at night, searching for her surroundings. Her clothing was ripped and filthy, but she didn’t mind. Her lovely golden hair was also a tangle. But all she could think about was Cain’s rescue.
Thud-
Something tripped her up.
‘Huh…?’
Berlia lowered her gaze reflexively. Someone had discarded a lamp beneath her feet.
‘It’s a lamp still with oil in it.’
She knelt and took up the lamp. Despite its age, it was working. She may then leave Cain to rest within the cave.
‘It’s a relief to find a lamp. But what I need are medicinal herbs…’
It would be easier to find something useful if she could ignite the lamp right now. But, in her current condition, starting a fire looked difficult.
Berlia kept walking down the forest trail. But if she walked any more, she might get lost. Was there nothing else nearby? She was about to turn around when,
‘Huh…? What is it…?’
Berlia’s attention was drawn to something golden. Although it was late at night, and she couldn’t be sure, something golden had glinted in the moonlight.
Rustle, Rustle, Rustle-
She approached it. Berlia’s gaze was drawn to a golden flower: the Undeum. The Undeum was not a flower that should have bloomed in such a spot. She’d heard it was picky and didn’t grow well in the wild. How is this even possible? But Berlia didn’t have time to ponder.
‘Undeum leaves have detoxifying properties!’
Finding the Undeum was a fortunate turn of events in an otherwise tragic scenario. Berlia knelt to harvest its leaves.
She had no idea what poison had affected Cain. She had no idea what poisons the Undeum leaves could counteract. But she had to give it a shot.
Grind- Scrape
Berlia was still a noblewoman, despite the Kinderton Barony’s collapse. She’d never done anything like it before. But she didn’t mind getting her hands dirty with the soil. Cain was all she could think about.
Berlia dashed back to Cain after gathering practically all visible Undeum leaves.
“Stay with me, Cain. I’ve brought Undeum leaves with me.”
Cain’s condition, thankfully, did not appear to have deteriorated since earlier. The decision to extract the poison had been correct. Berlia began crushing the leaves with a nearby stone, hoping the Undeum would work.
Thump-Thump-Thump-
“Ouch!”
Berlia inadvertently injured her hand with the stone while grinding the leaves hastily. It hurt, but she couldn’t stop herself. Cain’s agony must have been excruciating.
Berlia gathered the mixture after continuously crushing the leaves.
‘I hope this suffices.’
“Open your mouth.”
She squeezed the paste into Cain’s lips. Cain’s mouth was filled with the juice of the leaves.
‘Just a little bit more, a little bit more…’
Initially, steeping the leaves or soaking crushed leaves in water allowed the juice to flow out. But now there was nothing and no other option. Hand squeezing needed a lot of strength. She gradually depleted her energy. Her hands shook, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Drip-
Berlia lowered her arm just after the last drop had entered Cain’s mouth.
“You must swallow… Cain, hurry up.”
Berlia gazed at him with a desperate expression on her face. Even if it was placed in the mouth, it was useless if not swallowed. Berlia pleaded with Cain, who was struggling to regain consciousness.
Gulp-
Cain’s neck trembled as if Berlia’s appeal had reached him. Berlia breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he had swallowed.
“Sigh…”
‘All we can do now is wait…’
She collapsed to the ground as the strain holding her back melted away.
* * *
Cain gradually opened his eyes. Berlia was concernedly looking down at him.
“Are you back to your senses, Cain?”
“…Is this the cave’s entrance? I’m all right now.”
Cain’s lips had restored to standard color. His feverish body was no longer in discomfort. Berlia’s bitter drink has benefited him.
Berlia’s untidy appearance drew Cain’s attention. He realized she may have been looking around for him.
“Are you a shambles because of me…? Thank you so much, Berlia.”
“What are you talking about? You would have done the same if I had been poisoned and lost consciousness. You did that before as well.”
She gave a small smile. Fortunately, she had learned about the antidotal qualities of the Undeum flower before leaving the mansion.
Cain had a brief break after regaining consciousness and was able to recuperate to some extent.
“What should we do right now?”
Berlia asked. They hadn’t expected the Talisbon army, which had given their best to defend the final line, to launch a surprise attack. They had no idea where they were or where they were going.
“…Perhaps it’s best to go inside the cave.”
Now that I think about it, Talisbon’s activities could have been plans for this surprise strike. Given their preparedness, it was impossible to say how far back the empire’s forces had been forced.
“There might be a way out at the end of the cave.”
The notion of traveling south was a good one at first. But if they went that route and ended up in Talisbon territory, they’d be in big trouble.
“Rather than risking being detected by the Talisbon army by wandering outside, it might be better to go inside and find another way.”
“I did get this earlier. Do you think we’ll be able to light it?”
Berlia showed the lamp. Cain gave a nod.
“We can light a fire with this using dry twigs. Let’s enter the cave and light it. We might give away our position if we shine the lamp here.”
After lighting the lamp, the two began to go carefully through the cave. The large and deep cave went on forever. They had no idea what was in store for them. The discomfort became more robust over time.
“Where… does this come to an end…?”
Berlia spoke carefully.
“I’m wondering how far we have to go. Perhaps it’s best to go back.”
“It seems so.”
It would be the worst-case scenario if they continued forward only to become stuck. They started walking backward. Berlia’s hair flapped in the breeze.
“Huh? There’s a breeze coming from over there, Cain.”
Berlia came to a halt, sensing the wind from afar. If there was wind blowing into the cave, it signified there was an exit to the outside.
“Right. There’s a light breeze.”
Cain, who had stopped as well, could feel the breeze after hearing her. Berlia was correct. They could tell the wind was coming from further into the cave by focusing.
“Do you think it leads to the outside?”
“It seems so.”
They started walking in that direction. The cooler the breeze felt as they got near. They could see the outdoors only a short time after that. It was dawn, and a faint light was appearing. Berlia gave Cain a relieved smile and stated,
“We’re outside. We can leave through here.”
“Wait, Berlia…!”
Cain, as if comprehending something, stopped Berlia from proceeding. He motioned with his index finger to his lips for her to remain silent. ‘What’s there?’ Berlia’s gaze inquired.
Cain made his way slowly towards the exit, where he noticed campfires and tents. It wasn’t a small group. The designs on the tents indicated that they belonged to the Talisbon army. Indeed, based on the number and other indicators, this was the last stronghold that had never fallen.
‘This is, without a doubt, Talisbon’s last line of defense.’
It appeared to be an opportunity presented by the situation. Who would have guessed the cave was connected to this location? This was Talisbon’s final fortress that never fell.
‘The situation will be resolved if we lead the imperial army to assault here.’
The tables would be turned if they could return to the imperial camp without being discovered.
“Let’s go back, Berlia.”
“You mean, not all the way through here?”
“We can’t leave here. This is Talisbon’s camp. We must return the way we came.”
“Talisbon… got it.”
Berlia soon grasped the situation. They would be in danger if Talisbon caught them. The two began to retrace their tracks, as Cain instructed.
“Moreover, that place is most likely Talisbon’s last stronghold.”
“The last stronghold, you say?”
“Yes. This must be communicated to the imperial army. The discovery of this cave presents a possibility for our troops to win.”
* * *
It took some time, but the two were eventually able to exit from the cave’s entrance from whence they had begun. Fortunately, no one seemed to be around. The soldiers who had been following them had very certainly retreated.
Cain kept travelling south, as he had planned, and soon arrived safely at the camp of the Notium Empire.
“Who’s that?! Oh, Lord!”
Berlia and Cain were both unkempt. The soldier, who had been leveling his sword at the strange individuals, recognized Cain and dashed over to them.
“I’m relieved that you’re safe.”
“We were ambushed near the frontlines.”
“We know. The majority of our troops have retreated to this location. Talisbon has advanced to this far, but they are unable to continue and are now at a standstill.”
Cain was still being told about the current scenario by the military. Despite the fact that there had been multiple losses and injuries as a result of the ambush, they had not drastically lost their combat capability.
“I see. Then there’s always hope.”
Cain concentrated his gaze on Berlia, mumbling to himself.
“Berlia, get some rest. I have a few last-minute details to attend to.”
His eyes shone with purpose.
“We’ll undoubtedly return home soon.”
“Come back safely, Cain.”
Berlia slowly nodded.
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mkrkosmo
yes pls end the war ♡♡♡