Chapter 159: Side Story 15 

“Come this way.”

Holding his breath, Neimir trailed behind the man. His heart was pounding wildly. Not in his wildest dreams had he imagined himself getting caught up in something like this.

“You won’t get anything done if you move that slowly.”

“And you said you were from… where again?”

“Didn’t I say the capital? I thought it was just your body that was slow, but you’re slow to understand too.”

Neimir let out an awkward laugh. The man had seemed like the only lifeline in reach, so he had latched on without thinking. But now, a creeping doubt was setting in. 

There was an old saying: a conman knows another conman. Something about this guy just felt off.

“Who exactly sent you from the capital? Actually, now that I think about it, we didn’t even exchange names.”

The man frowned.

“My client was very clear about keeping their identity hidden. And you’re throwing around real names over something like this?”

Instead, it was the man who looked at Neimir with suspicion.

“Are you even capable of doing this job?”

“Ahem! I was just testing you, of course! Surely you didn’t think I was serious?”

Neimir replied glibly and stepped up to walk beside him.

“As you know, things like this require discretion and caution.”

“Well, true enough… but this mission absolutely cannot fail. So if you’re not confident…”

“No, no! That’s not it at all!”

He was desperate. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had eaten a proper meal. Neimir wasn’t in a position to be picky about anything. As he waved his hands in protest, the man grabbed his arm and began walking.

“Then just follow me. I’m only here to guide you. Getting the job done is your responsibility. You’ve shot a bow before, haven’t you?”

“Yes!”

He’d been part of the archery club from high school through college, though he never expected that skill to come in handy like this. Much less for shooting at people instead of targets.

“I see. Good. Because if you fail this job, you’ll be the one paying for it.”

“If the equipment’s decent, hitting the mark won’t be a problem.”

When the man warned him, Neimir simply shrugged and answered coolly. Behind his forced smile, he was doing everything he could to keep himself from panicking.

“We’ve arrived.”

The setup was already perfect.

“This building is located on high ground inside the castle. From here, there’s no part of Thersion Castle you can’t see. And because the building’s so old, no one comes or goes. It’s the ideal spot for something like this.”

Neimir swallowed hard. The man casually pointed at the massive fortress.

“That mansion is your target.”

“The whole mansion?”

“What are you on about? Just get ready. Even if I told you who, you wouldn’t recognize the name. I’ll give you the signal.”

The man waved him off irritably.

Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t even been told who the actual target was. Neimir was just being used, pushed forward to do someone else’s dirty work.

He blinked.

If this guy was going to hand him everything on a silver platter like this, why not just do it himself? Why go through the trouble of using Neimir? Only now was the absurdity of the situation starting to register. But the man, completely oblivious to Neimir’s thoughts, was chatting and laughing with another lookout.

‘Should I run?’

Maybe the man sensed what Neimir was thinking. He suddenly grabbed him by the scruff and yanked him forward.

Then, in a low voice, he growled, “Pick up the bow.”

His tone was so forceful that resistance felt impossible. In that instant, Neimir realized something. That whether he ran or failed to kill the target, this man would make him pay the price. And that price… could very well be his life.

With that chilling thought, Neimir was shoved forward and handed a bow. It felt lighter than the ones he’d used in the archery club.

“Just shoot the person I tell you to. That’s not so hard, is it?”

Neimir gave a hesitant nod. He drew the bowstring. It had been a long time, but the muscle memory came rushing back. There was a time he’d even considered going pro.

Looking back now, maybe I should’ve. It would’ve been better than this, better than stealing money from Yu-hee and running off in disgrace.

He tightened his grip on the bow. In his line of sight appeared a man with blond hair.

The man standing behind Neimir leaned in and whispered, “Now!!!”

The arrow flew from the bowstring.

* * *

Jeremiah squinted up at the dazzling sunlight and let out a soft chuckle. Just as Ysildus had urged, he was preparing to leave as quickly as possible. He could be gone by tomorrow if he had to. But today, he wasn’t leaving.

A sharp whistling sound cut through the air, and Jeremiah slowly turned his body toward it. The shot had to hit the right spot and there could be no mistakes. Jeremiah wasn’t staking his life on this. He was staking his entire future.

The arrow, slicing through the sky… 

Thunk!!

… with a searing pain that cut through flesh and muscle, embedded itself deep in his body.

“Ah!”

He’d braced himself, but Jeremiah hadn’t expected this level of pain. He bent forward, his body buckling. His heart thundered in his chest.

“Jeremiah!!!”

A chorus of screams erupted, voices calling out his name. Jeremiah spotted Alexa rushing toward him and closed his eyes. Through the agony, a faint smile formed on his twisted face.

She wouldn’t leave him alone now. For his sake, she’d accompany him to the capital. And with her, there would be Terrun, and Ysildus.

‘I’m not alone anymore!!’

Even in the throes of pain, Jeremiah was overwhelmed with joy and hope.

* * *

Jeremiah collapsed before her eyes.

Alexa had never imagined anything like this. Not the people she cared about being hurt like this, so suddenly, so terribly. While she stood frozen in shock, people swarmed around Jeremiah. His knights drew their swords, turning to face the wolves.

“What the hell is going on?!”

The knights from Thersion Castle rushed to the scene, baring their teeth.

“Prince Jeremiah has been attacked inside Thersion Castle! This has to be a wolf plot!”

Jeremiah’s aide roared. Thersion had always kept the wolves at arm’s length. The only one they ever truly accepted was Jeremiah; the rest, himself included, had only ever hovered around the outskirts.

They’d taken what they wanted, and now that Jeremiah was no longer useful, they were trying to eliminate him.

“If that was really our plan, we’d have used something cleaner than this. We’ve got claws and teeth sharper than any arrow!”

But the wolf knights didn’t back down. They had been the ones to tolerate the humans’ foul stench, to make room for them in the domain.

“And now you turn around and point fingers at us?”

Tensions rose between the knights, but Alexa stepped in.

“Enough!!”

Her voice cut cleanly through the escalating conflict.

“Is this really what matters right now? Figuring out who’s to blame? Saving Jeremiah is what matters! If all you’re going to do is fight, then get out!”

Panting, she shoved her way through the crowd. Jeremiah’s knights cleared a path for her. Alexa rushed to Jeremiah and checked his condition. Blood was pouring from the wound, soaking her hands. She lifted the arrow beside him. The tip was pitch-black.

“…Go get Master Karrolf. Now!”

She barked out the order, urgency in her voice. Even Alexa didn’t fully understand the poisons used in this region. Her face tightened as she tried to channel healing magic into Jeremiah. 

‘Magic can’t cure poison.’

Jeremiah’s face was turning deathly pale, and Alexa’s magic was barely making a dent. Her heart pounded wildly. Had Jeremiah foreseen this? Was that why he… 

“Don’t die, Jeremiah…”

She whispered, holding his limp body in her arms.

“I’ll save you. I promise.”

Back when he had said those cryptic words to her, he had been afraid. This was what he feared. Alexa soaked a cloth in cold water and pressed it against his darkening skin.

With the knights’ help, she stripped off his upper garments, calling his name again and again.

“Jeremiah…”

Willing him to open his eyes and look at her. But they remained shut.

“Tie it tight here. We can’t let the blood circulate.”

“Yes, Lady!”

Even his aide, usually so guarded, obeyed her without question.

“And bring clean water, towels, anything you think we might need. The head maid will help.”

“Yes, Lady!”

The wolf knights sprinted toward the mansion.

‘You can do this, Alexa.’

If she could just keep him alive long enough, Karrolf would arrive. Jeremiah would survive. He had to survive. Her heart beat so loudly it echoed in her ears.

‘Please… live, Jeremiah.’