Chapter 329 -: 328 Survival.
Rosalina continued moving through the endless crimson forest, carefully weaving between the towering trees while keeping her senses spread across the surrounding area.
Every movement remained cautious, her glassy onyx eyes constantly scanning the dense vegetation for anything that could threaten Julius while also searching for a place suitable enough to hide until he recovered.
The Nightmare Forest was far too dangerous to let her guard down, especially now that she was alone.
The silence surrounding the forest was deceptive, for beneath its eerie beauty lurked countless predators patiently waiting for prey to wander into their territory.
Naturally, it did not take long before those predators noticed her presence.
One after another, beasts emerged from the crimson undergrowth.
Some leapt down from the ancient branches overhead while others charged straight through the thick bushes, their crimson eyes fixed upon the unfamiliar intruder.
None of them hesitated before attacking. However, Rosalina remained completely calm throughout the encounters.
These creatures were merely ordinary magical beasts belonging to the Fierce and Myriad ranks.
Against an ordinary spell caster they might have posed a considerable threat, but to someone of her strength they were little more than a nuisance.
A spear of condensed mana effortlessly pierced through one beast before it even reached her, while another collapsed moments later as an arrow of shimmering light tore cleanly through its skull.
Every battle ended almost as quickly as it began, leaving behind only lifeless corpses scattered across the scarlet forest floor.
Rather than feeling disappointed by the beasts’ weakness, Rosalina felt relieved.
Meeting only Fierce and Myriad-ranked beasts meant they were still far away from the centre of the Nightmare Forest. That alone was fortunate.
Deep within the heart of the forest lived Celestial Beasts, existences comparable to Infinite Core spell casters.
Unlike the beasts roaming the outer regions, those creatures possessed genuine intelligence alongside overwhelming strength.
They were capable of reasoning, hunting strategically and even recognising dangerous opponents.
If Julius had unknowingly fled all the way into the central region while carrying her unconscious body, escaping alive would have been nothing short of a miracle.
Fortunately, judging from the beasts she encountered so far, they had yet to cross into that terrifying domain.
Once the battles were over, Rosalina did not immediately continue her search.
Instead, she began collecting whatever resources the forest offered.
The meat of the beasts would provide food during the coming days, something they would desperately need if Julius truly remained unable to use mana for an entire month.
Using a storage artifact, she carefully preserved the usable portions before moving deeper through the surrounding woodland in search of something even more important.
After some time, she finally found it.
A small herd of peculiar Myriad-ranked beasts quietly grazed amongst the crimson vegetation.
Their bodies resembled massive deer covered in pale azure fur, while elegant crystal-like horns curved backwards above their heads.
Unlike most magical beasts, they possessed no interest in hunting other creatures. Instead, they survived entirely on the countless strange plants growing throughout the Nightmare Forest.
These were Zyan Beasts.
The reason Rosalina searched specifically for them had nothing to do with their meat.
It was their blood.
Although it was certainly not nectar in the literal sense, the blood flowing through a Zyan Beast’s body possessed remarkable healing properties after years of consuming countless medicinal plants unique to the Nightmare Forest.
Drinking it could significantly accelerate the recovery of wounds, making it one of the most valuable natural medicines found within the forest itself.
Without hesitation, Rosalina swiftly eliminated several of the beasts before they could flee.
Her attacks remained quick and precise, ending their lives with as little unnecessary suffering as possible.
Afterwards, she carefully collected every drop of blood she could, filling several crystal vials until she finally considered it sufficient. Only then did she resume searching for the final resource she required.
Not long afterwards, she arrived before a small clearing where countless footprints overlapped one another.
The ground revealed that beasts of countless different species frequently visited this place.
At the centre of the clearing rested a quiet lake whose crystal-clear surface perfectly reflected the crimson sky above.
The water appeared astonishingly pure despite being located within such a dangerous forest.
Since so many herbivorous beasts relied upon this lake, it remained one of the cleanest sources of fresh water in the surrounding region.
Rosalina knelt beside the lake and carefully filled several containers before quietly leaving the clearing.
Only after obtaining everything she needed did she finally return to where Julius remained unconscious.
Seeing him still lying exactly where she had left him allowed her to release the breath she had unknowingly been holding.
Without wasting another moment, she gently slipped one arm beneath his shoulders while the other supported his legs before lifting him into her embrace.
It resembled a princess carry.
Although...
Considering the situation, it was probably more accurate to call it a prince carry.
Holding him securely against her chest, Rosalina took flight once more, moving silently through the crimson canopy until she discovered an enormous ancient tree unlike any she had encountered before.
Its colossal trunk measured nearly forty metres across, while its countless branches stretched outward like an entire forest suspended above the ground.
It would make an excellent shelter.
Carefully lowering Julius onto the soft earth, Rosalina retrieved a sword from her spatial storage.
Channeling mana into the blade, she began carving directly into the enormous trunk.
Wood chips scattered in every direction as the sharp sword effortlessly sliced through the ancient timber.
Slowly but steadily, a spacious chamber took shape roughly twenty metres above the ground.
She widened the interior enough for two people to live comfortably while leaving only a narrow entrance facing away from the surrounding forest, making it difficult to notice from below.
Only after she was satisfied with the shelter did she return to Julius.
Once again lifting him into her arms, she carefully carried him inside before gently laying him upon the smooth wooden floor.
The shelter finally felt... safe.
Rosalina slowly began removing his tattered clothes so she could properly examine the extent of his injuries.
The more she uncovered, the more her heart sank.
There wasn’t a single part of his body that had escaped unharmed.
Bruises, cuts, burns, fractured bones and countless wounds covered nearly every inch of his skin.
Some injuries had already begun drying while others still oozed blood despite everything he had endured. It was almost impossible to imagine how someone could remain alive after suffering so much.
"..."
Well...
At the very least...
He had somehow managed to protect the most important part.
Rosalina’s eyes instinctively wandered towards a place they absolutely should not have.
Her face immediately flushed crimson.
"W-What am I looking at..."
Embarrassed by her own wandering gaze, she quickly slapped both cheeks with her free hands before shaking her head vigorously.
"This isn’t the time..."
Forcing those unnecessary thoughts from her mind, she dipped a clean cloth into the fresh water she had collected before gently wiping away the blood covering his wounds.
Every movement remained as careful as possible, fearful that even the slightest pressure might worsen his condition.
After cleaning each injury, she crushed the medicinal herbs she had gathered and carefully applied the paste over the damaged flesh before wrapping the deeper wounds with clean strips of cloth.
Only after tending to every visible injury did she finally retrieve one of the crystal vials containing the Zyan Beast’s blood.
She stared at it for several moments.
Then...
A rather strange thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
"H-How am I supposed to make him drink this..."
Julius was completely unconscious. He couldn’t swallow if she simply poured the blood into his mouth.
As she desperately searched for a solution, memories of countless romance novels she had read over the years unexpectedly surfaced inside her head.
Whenever the male lead was unconscious and needed medicine...
The heroine usually...
"..."
Rosalina’s ears slowly turned bright red.
"N-No... that’s..."
After hesitating for several long moments, she eventually convinced herself that there really wasn’t another choice.
Slowly uncorking the vial, she poured a mouthful of the blood into her own mouth.
Unfortunately...
She greatly overestimated how much counted as a mouthful.
Her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel storing food for winter, so full that she couldn’t even close her lips properly.
The unfamiliar metallic taste of blood immediately spread across her tongue, making her entire face twist in discomfort. For a brief moment, the overwhelming urge to spit everything out nearly won.
But she stopped herself.
It had taken her far too long to locate those Zyan Beasts.
Wasting even a single drop now would be foolish.
Suppressing her disgust, Rosalina leaned over Julius before gently prying his lips apart with one hand.
Unable to do much else with the ridiculous amount of blood still trapped inside her mouth, she simply spat it directly into his before immediately closing his mouth again.
Keeping one hand over his lips, she let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Thank goodness..."
"If he were awake...He’d probably be disgusted..."
A faint blush still lingered on her cheeks as she quietly waited.
Several moments later...
She sensed it.
Although Julius’ mana core remained completely empty, a different energy had begun flowing through his body.
The medicinal essence contained within the Zyan Beast’s blood slowly spread through his veins before reaching each of his wounds one after another.
It wasn’t his own mana that moved beneath his skin, but rather the healing properties carried by the blood itself as they gradually began repairing the countless injuries covering his body.
Feeling the subtle changes taking place within him, Rosalina finally released a relieved sigh.
Her tense shoulders gradually relaxed for the first time since awakening.
Completely exhausted, she allowed herself to fall onto the wooden floor beside him before quietly staring through the entrance of their shelter.
Beyond the ancient branches, the crimson sky had already begun changing.
The first signs of dawn slowly appeared upon the distant horizon, gently pushing back the endless darkness that had covered the Nightmare Forest throughout the night.
Taking a slow, weary breath, Rosalina lowered her gaze towards her left hand.
Wrapped around one slender finger rested a beautiful blue ring.
Or rather...
It had once been beautiful.
The gemstone embedded within it had completely lost its former brilliance, its once radiant glow now dull and lifeless.
She couldn’t contact anyone.
The other end of the connection belonged to Uriel, yet the ring remained completely silent no matter how many times she tried reaching through it.
If only...If only she could establish contact...
There was still one final hope.
Elizabeth’s avatar.
She had been unable to retrieve it before escaping the arena. If only she could retrieve the Avatar, Elizabeth could theoretically use the lingering connection between herself and the construct to open another spatial portal.
Whether that would truly be possible...
Rosalina didn’t know.
For now, all she could do was wait beside Julius and hope that somewhere far away, Elizabeth would eventually discover a way to reach them.