The Tyrant Won’t Let Me Go Chapter 97

Cedric immediately pulled out a leaf with mana and toxicity-weakening properties, placing it in my mouth.  

 

By then, the maid had reached right in front of us, clumsily but menacingly swinging her sword. I quickly stood up and countered with a lightning strike.  

 

‘I can’t unleash a powerful attack all at once.’  

 

I had no idea how much mana the woman could wield. If her body had been enhanced by that mana, she might not have fallen even after taking my lightning strike.  

 

If I collapsed in that state, with my mana unstable, there would be no one left to protect Cedric.  

 

At that moment, a red flash of light burst forth, shooting toward the maid.  

 

It was a small but vivid lightning strike.  

 

“Ahhh!”  

 

The maid couldn’t completely dodge the fast-moving lightning.  

 

Soon, one of her arms, still holding the sword, was severed. Before she could even process the blood and wound, Cedric charged at her with his sword.  

 

I, too, gripped my spark-covered sword and rushed toward her.  

 

“Damn you—”  

 

She cursed and released the remaining poison mist.  

 

But it didn’t matter. I had the toxicity-weakening leaf in my mouth. It might affect me a little, but it wouldn’t kill me immediately.  

 

So I swung my sword at her without hesitation.  

 

‘Huh?’  

 

But the moment my sword touched her body, I sensed something was wrong.  

 

As soon as the sword made contact, the maid transformed into a writhing mass of black mana.  

 

And then, she scattered into the air.  

 

As if no one had ever been there in the first place.  

 

I immediately turned around and took a defensive stance, but it was already too late.  

 

The maid, with a crazed expression, had closed in on Cedric, holding the dagger I had pushed into the corner high above her head.  

 

“Your Majesty!”  

 

I desperately swung my glowing silver sword and shouted.  

 

It was already too late to block with my sword.  By the time my sword reached her, Cedric would already be stabbed.  

 

‘Please…!’  

 

Praying that my mana wouldn’t go out of control and that my flash wouldn’t graze Cedric, I focused all my energy on the sword.  

 

I couldn’t quite hear what Caliberne was saying.  

 

Soon, a blue light gathered at the tip of the sword.  

 

And a bright blue flash shot toward the maid at a speed too fast for the eye to follow.  

 

The flash hit the maid squarely, and she was flung far away by the impact.  

 

“Your… Ugh.”  

 

In my haste to call out to Cedric, I dropped the leaf I had been holding in my mouth.  

 

The leaf only weakened the poison, not completely blocking the mist.

 

Even while fighting, I had felt the poison slowly seeping into my body, but as soon as I lost the leaf, a foul gas filled my throat.  

 

I started coughing uncontrollably.  

 

Then, my throat felt as if it were being scorched by fire.  

 

[Hey, Ciel!]  

 

I eventually collapsed to the ground. I covered my mouth and nose and held my breath, but the pain persisted.  

 

Seeing me collapse, Cedric’s face turned pale as he rushed over. Through the hazy mist, I could see the maid, bleeding but grinning grotesquely.  

 

Wrapped in ominous black mana, she floated in the air, smiling as if she felt no pain from the earlier strike.  

 

“That mist, its toxicity is quite potent, you see.”  

 

I gritted my teeth, leaning on my sword to barely support my upper body as I glared at her.  

 

‘Move.’  

 

I needed to move. I couldn’t stay like this.  

 

But my body wouldn’t obey.  

 

“Even with that crude leaf, it must have been hard to block. Now that you’ve inhaled it directly, it’s only natural that you’re suffering—”  

 

While the maid was distracted, Cedric charged at her.  

 

It was the moment the sharp tip of his sword, glowing with red mana, shone brightly.  

 

‘…No!’  

 

A thick, deep purple mist, much darker than before, quickly enveloped Cedric. His figure disappeared completely into the mist.  

 

Then, the sound of a sword falling weakly to the ground echoed.  

 

No trace of the red light remained.  

 

“No…”  

 

I reached out, but there was no way to touch him.  

 

It felt as if a string in my mind had snapped.  

 

“Your Majesty!!”  

 

Forgetting the pain, I rushed into the mist. I saw Cedric, coughing up blood and collapsing, and the maid, laughing like a madwoman, raising her sword over him.  

 

“The sword… finally…!”

 

The moment I heard those words, my blood boiled.  

 

‘What does that damn sword matter?’  

 

In that brief moment, all the years I had spent with Cedric flashed before my eyes like a kaleidoscope.  

 

Cedric when we first met at the orphanage.  

 

…who blushed when he first held my hand.  

 

…who hugged me and smiled brightly.  

 

Even Cedric, who always thanked me with those gentle, beautiful eyes.  

 

How could I lose someone so pure and beautiful? Someone who had made my eight years shine so brightly?  

 

I couldn’t let that happen.  

 

A heat hotter than fire enveloped my entire body. I gritted my teeth and poured all my strength into the sword.  

 

[Wait, Ciel—]  

 

No one’s voice reached my ears.  

 

I felt my mana exploding uncontrollably. The sparks grew stronger, and my hands tore, blood dripping.  

 

Even at that moment, I didn’t let go of the sword, channeling all my mana into it.  

 

The maid, witnessing the sword crackling with terrifying sparks as if it were about to explode, forgot her intent to stab Cedric and backed away in terror.  

 

[Ciel! No, the lightning strike—]  

 

I immediately charged at her, driving her into a corner.  

 

As far away from the fallen Cedric as possible.  

 

And then, I swung the sword, now brimming with blue light, toward the maid’s neck.  

 

Boom—

 

With a thunderous sound, the blue flash exploded.  

 

The shockwave sent my body flying backward, slamming into the wall.  

 

The explosion was so bright it felt like my eyes would go blind, and my vision turned completely white.  

 

[Ciel!!]  

 

I closed my eyes, hearing Caliberne’s desperate voice calling out to me.  

 

💫

 

When I opened my eyes again, the room was filled with the faint smell of electricity.  

 

The purple mist had completely vanished.  

 

My eyelids felt as heavy as stone, and my head throbbed as if someone were hammering it.  

 

Caliberne’s voice was nowhere to be heard.  

 

When I fully opened my eyes, I saw the opposite wall. Through the cracks in the wall, shattered by my strike, I could see a hand sticking out.  

 

The maid’s charred hand didn’t move at all.  

 

“Ugh, cough.”  

 

I couldn’t hold back and vomited the blood that had pooled in my mouth. My stomach churned, and my vision blurred.  

 

‘I have to find Cedric…’  

 

Before the poison spread further, I had to find Cedric and call for help.  

 

Fortunately, I saw Cedric crouching not far away. I couldn’t stand, so I crawled toward him inch by inch.  

 

Every time I moved my joints, my muscles screamed as if they were on fire.  

 

After a grueling effort, I finally reached the fallen Cedric.  

 

“Your Majesty,” I called out to him in a hoarse voice.  

 

Thankfully, I could see his back rising and falling rhythmically. He was still alive. I thought I had to muster all my strength to get him out of the room.  

 

Just then, I noticed Cedric’s arm was blackened and charred.  

 

“Huh…?”  

 

It felt like all the blood in my body turned cold.  

 

Red blood oozed from the skin exposed through the burnt and torn fabric of Cedric’s clothes.  

 

This wasn’t the maid’s doing.  

 

The realization made my heart sink.  

 

“Did I… cause this?”  

 

As I reached out with trembling hands to check his wounds, a crackling blue spark shot out.  

 

“Ahh!”  

 

I screamed and pulled my hand back, but the sparks didn’t stop.  

 

“This is…”  

 

Blue sparks were continuously crackling from both of my hands.  

 

As if they would never let me touch anyone again.  

 

💫

 

“Your Majesty!!”  

 

The moment Cedric opened his eyes, he was met with the tear-streaked faces of countless servants.  

 

“His Majesty has finally regained consciousness!”  

 

“Prepare for a medical examination immediately!”  

 

“Bring water, quickly!”  

 

Amid the flurry of activity, Paul, who had been guarding Cedric’s side, urgently checked on his lord’s condition.  

 

“Your Majesty, the medical team will be here soon, so please wait just a little longer—”  

 

But Cedric ignored his words and grabbed Paul’s sleeve, asking, “Paul, where’s Ciel?”  

 

The moment Cedric opened his eyes, he immediately noticed that Ciel wasn’t among the many faces welcoming him back.  

 

A sense of unease crept over him.  

 

If it were her, she would have definitely stayed by his side if he had collapsed.  

 

“Is Ciel alright?”  

 

“Your Majesty, for now, let’s focus on the examination—”  

 

“Paul, tell me now. Where is Ciel?”  

 

Hearing the desperation in Cedric’s voice, Paul realized he couldn’t stop his lord.  

 

The next moment, despite the protests of many servants, Cedric pushed them aside and left the room.  

 

Paul silently followed and led Cedric to where Ciel was.  

 

“This is…”  

 

Cedric couldn’t bring himself to finish his sentence as he looked at the sleeping Ciel.  

 

“Why…”  

 

The place where she lay, as if dead, was beyond the cold iron bars of the palace’s underground prison.