Chapter Forty Four: Infiltrating The Sacred Land

Thorns, thorns… thorns!!
The south side was guarded by an ice magic user. The west side was guarded by someone who controlled thorns—thick, vicious, living thorns that pierced the ground and attacked with deadly speed.
Leaving the manor I now call “home,” I headed straight for the Sacred Land from the west. On my way, I passed a party of adventurers. They were sitting on the dungeon stairs, their faces streaked with tears. There were many of them, and the look in their eyes told me something terrible had happened inside.
When I arrived at the Sacred Land, I wasted no time stepping inside the barrier. My body tensed immediately. This barrier was heavier than any I had crossed before, pressing down like a mountain on my shoulders. Yet I passed through with ease—my strange ability to nullify barriers still intact, still undeniable.
Inside, the Sacred Land rose high into the sky like a massive dome. The ground sloped perfectly to allow movement across its vast interior.
It was when I neared the first building that the world shifted beneath me. The earth itself seemed to sink away, but in truth—it was me who had left the ground.
With a violent crack, thick thorns burst upward and struck Duddul squarely in the chest as he sped across the fields.
We hit the ground hard, thrown apart. My breath was ripped from my lungs, but I forced myself to my feet at once, scanning desperately. Duddul lay meters away, but before fear could consume me, he rose as if nothing had happened.
“Are you alright!?” I shouted, rushing toward him.
The night was dark, shadows swallowing the land, but I could see the thorns. They writhed like monstrous serpents, weaving through the ground, circling us with predatory intent.
“You imbecile… how dare you soil the Sacred Grounds with your filth…”
The voice came from behind.
I turned.
There he stood—a tall figure, his silhouette sharpened by the crescent moon behind him. He balanced with eerie grace atop a thorn, staring down at me with contempt. His presence radiated menace, a predator towering above prey.
Slowly, I unsheathed my sword. My voice was steady, though my insides churned.“So tell me… will you let me pass… or will I have to force you to let me pass?”
I leveled my blade at him, ready.
“... I have to say, it’s not every day someone walks through this barrier like it’s nothing. You are the first since I was assigned to this post.” His tone was cold, arrogant. “At first, I thought you might be strong. But I was disappointed when that single attack threw you off your dragon. You’re just a weakling after all. I don’t sense any magic coming from you…”
“Magic this, magic that. All you people talk about is magic. If you’re a true warrior, then why don’t you fight me like a man—without using magic?”
But even as I spoke, my chest tightened. Pointing my sword at him didn’t feel like it did before. Something was wrong. My confidence was slipping through my fingers, vanishing like sand. It felt just like when I fought Kervas—the dread of losing my abilities. If that happened again here…
“Fight you like a man? Don’t make me laugh,” he said, his voice cutting sharper than his thorns. “How do you think men fight? Everyone in this world is born with magic. Using it to its fullest—that is strength. That is how men fight. Or… are you perhaps scared?” His tone shifted, deadly serious now.
“… You’ve soiled my reputation by setting your abominable being on these grounds. Begone, filth!”
He raised his hand, and the ground shuddered violently. Thorns erupted around me, weaving into a cage. They closed in fast, enclosing me in a prison of living wood. At every joint, sharp arrows of thorn aimed downward, ready to pierce me through.
The arrows shot down, but I stepped in front of Duddul, shielding him with my body. The barrier around me flared, repelling the attack. The arrows shattered like brittle twigs against stone.
I gritted my teeth. I had to escape before he changed tactics.
Gripping my sword, I slashed at the cage’s center. The thorns split wide open under my blade. My eyes locked on him—he stood just beyond, the perfect target.
I lunged, sword ready to strike.
Thud!
I fell flat, face-first into the dirt, only a meter outside the cage.
The jump had been clumsy, weaker than ever before. I had fought monsters countless times, leaping with precision and strength… but here I collapsed like a fool.
“… What are you doing?” His voice dripped with arrogance as he looked down at me from atop his thorns.
Shame burned my face. What was I doing?
Duddul stepped forward, lowering his back toward me. His meaning was clear: Get on.
I swallowed my failure, climbed onto him, and as I mounted, the moonlight revealed the truth. His ears—sharp and long. He wasn’t human. He was an elf.
With Duddul beneath me, we charged. Thorns burst from the ground with every step, but Duddul’s speed and reflexes carried us through. Still, it became clear—he was a long-distance fighter, using his vines to control the field while standing motionless.
The fight was silent, almost eerie. But it ended as quickly as it began. His thorns overwhelmed us, while my attacks did nothing. Without my abilities, I couldn’t land even a single blow.
Duddul fought fiercely, but the vines tore into his tough hide, leaving bruises and blood. I swung desperately, my sword keeping us alive, but my strikes lacked power. Only my barrier saved me from being shredded apart.
And then his words struck harder than any thorn.“Is this the extent of your strength? Or are you holding back? How pitiful. I thought you’d offer me at least a challenge… but I was wrong.”
Those words pierced deeper than any weapon. My hands trembled. I tried, desperately, to summon my strength. Nothing came. My body felt empty, hollow.
“Why!!??” I screamed into the night.
Duddul roared and leapt. His mouth glowed red before unleashing a storm of blasts. The fireballs rained on the elf, engulfing him in smoke.
When it cleared, he was unharmed.
“A red dragon… I didn’t see his color in the dark. It seems I underestimated your dragon. But you… you are weak. Now it’s time I end this. Your beast is angry, but anger won’t save him.”
He raised his palm. From it, massive thorns shot out, wrapping around Duddul in an instant.
“GRNN!!” Duddul cried as the vines squeezed, cutting deep.
“Duddul!!”
I dashed forward, hacking wildly. My sword bit into the vines, severing them, freeing him just before they crushed his body. He collapsed onto the ground, trembling.
“What do I do…?” My voice cracked. The fight was hopeless. My barrier protected me, but Duddul—my partner, my friend—was suffering for my weakness.
“Duddul…” I whispered.
He staggered to his feet, standing at my side. His resilience shone through.
“Now then…”
I mounted him again. “Let’s go!”
“Not on my watch!” the elf thundered. Thorns erupted in rows, forming a forest across our escape path.
Duddul ran, wings pressing against my legs. My eyes widened. Is he thinking of flight?
Red dragons couldn’t fly. Their wings were weak, remnants of a curse. But in that moment, Duddul spread his wings wide and leapt. He beat them furiously.
We rose—then began to fall.
The thorn forest rose to meet us.
I couldn’t let him suffer. I pushed off him with all my strength, using the thorns themselves as stepping stones. My muscles screamed as I hurled Duddul forward.
“HYAA!!” I roared, forcing him above the thorns.
He soared, crashing down safely meters away near the barrier.
“Don’t come back!!” I yelled as the vines dragged me into their grasp.
I slashed, wild, desperate, as the cage closed around me. My hands went numb. My arms felt like lead. But I didn’t stop.
“I’ll get out of here even if it kills me!!!”
The thorns clawed me from every angle. My voice cracked, raw, desperate:“Why is my life in this world nothing but obstacles!? Why can’t anything ever go my way!?”
I screamed, slashing one last time. The blade tore a hole, and light shone through.
I leapt.
The thorns closed in, wrapping my waist. “Let me go!!” I roared.
The barrier around me glowed faintly. The vines exploded into dust, releasing me.
I fell free. Fresh air struck my face.
And then—Duddul’s jaws closed on my shirt, pulling me up, tossing me onto his back. He carried me away, running past the Sacred Land, escaping into the city.
Just when I thought it was over, a figure appeared before us, arms spread wide.
“Don’t leave me!”
That voice…“Serila!?”
“Yes, it’s me.” She climbed onto Duddul without waiting.
“Why did you let him beat you so badly? Aren’t you strong?” Her voice trembled, more worried than scolding.
“Yeah… I was.”
Duddul recognized her, carrying us back without pause. At our manor, he finally stopped. Meila rushed to me.
“I didn’t stop you because I thought you were strong enough to defeat him. I watched the fight.”
“I see… so you followed us.”
I dismounted, my body light, my strength strangely restored.
Seila frowned. “How can you move like that after barely surviving his thorns?”
I had already realized it: my power returned the instant I left the barrier.
“My powers are back.”
She looked unconvinced. So I showed her. I swung my sword. The air split, a violent gust surging forward, forcing her to brace herself.
“It seems my ability only works against monsters. Against people of the races… it’s useless.”
I raised the blade toward her.
“Wait! What are you doing!?”
I slashed just inches from her face. Nothing happened. Not even a gust.
That’s right. My abilities can only be used on monsters.