Cursed Thrones
Chapter 5 - The Beginning of Everything

"There!"

"Don't let the devil run away!"

The cries of the Knights continued to sound around Brian. While Cecilia herself, now looks increasingly limp and pale.

His footsteps began to slow down, his breathing began to thin.

Until finally after a while....

'Braa!'

Cecilia fell to the ground, buried in piles of dry leaves and the rooting of the large plants.

"Cecilia! What's...."

At that moment, Brian realized. Not only on his shoulder, but Cecilia's right thigh was also hit by an arrow shot. Stabbing deeply enough with blood that still continues to flow until now.

"La. ri.." said Cecilia in a soft voice.

"What did you say?! There's no way I'm leaving you, is there?!" brian shouted in panic.

His mind was spinning violently over what should be done to such a wound.

'That's right. Bandages, slow down blood flow. Let the arrow strike to close the flow around the wound, then....'

Brian immediately pulled the old sword from its sheath. He pointed it right at his clothes.

Quickly, Brian cut the cloth of his clothes and used it as a bandage. Covering the wound around Cecilia's right thigh and shoulder.

It's just....

'Sruuugg! Oruuugg!'

The sound of footsteps and the friction of the Knights' iron armor began to sound. Occasionally the sound of their sword swings to cut through the thickets was also heard clearly.

'Deg! The deg!'

Brian's heart was racing.

During his life, the biggest problem he faced was just the bill costs that were greater than his salary.

Or a fight between employees in his office while debating a trivial issue.

But now....

'Why?! We both never hurt anyone! Why hunt us down like this?!'

Brian began to question that in himself. The only thing he did with Cecilia was to survive peacefully in the forest.

That'sthat's all.

No more, and no less.

Cecilia had warned him not to show himself in human settlements, because he was now part of the Devil.

Also to never injure mankind, so as not to provoke anger from the Knights and Holy Orders.

The two of them never disturbed mankind. Why should I receive such treatment?

In fact....

There are only two options in front of him. That is guarding and trying to save Cecilia, then maybe dying in the process.

Or the....

Leave him and run away from this place. By ourselves.

As Brian was still thinking with that extremely heavy choice, the voices of the Knights sounded closer and closer.

"It's definitely around here!"

"Search around lush bushes!"

"Fucking forest...."

'What should I do....'

But even in the midst of a crisis like this....

"Bri.... I'll teach you.... Simple magic.... At you.... Then.... Pl-please.... Use that, to get out of here.... L'm.... It's over...."

The soft sound of Cecilia made Brian's heart even more sliced.

He lived for a moment and recognized the woman. But somehow, that moment felt much more precious to him. Compared to decades of living on earth.

Might....

Because there, nobody cares about it like this?

With such a weak movement, Cecilia drew something on the ground with the tip of her index finger.

What he drew was a triangle with 3 opposing lines in it.

"Fleme.... Simple fire magic.... Very weak, but in the middle of this dense forest.... You can use it.... Draped this emblem.... And.... Focus your mind...."

Cecilia's eyes began to slowly close. Even his voice was getting louder so it was very difficult to hear.

But for Brian, there was no other sound he could hear other than the sound coming from Cecilia's mouth.

"I understand. But please.... Hang on...."

"Oi! I saw something! There!"

'Sruuugg! Nishiyug!'

The entire Knight who heard the shout immediately turned their gaze to the source of the voice. Where one of the Knights seemed to be pointing in a direction.

The direction where Brian slowly began to stand behind such a dense bush.

Holding the sword in his right hand, Brian immediately ran over from the spot.

"Don't let him escape!"

The black-haired man's gaze was quite gloomy, even so he continued to run. Every now and then, He paused and depicted the same emblem on the ground. Right under the piles of dried leaves.

'Syyuttt! Jleeb!!'

Several arrows shot out, and one of the arrows managed to hit right on Brian's right shoulder.

'sick.... It hurts.... But....'

After finishing the emblem and focusing his mind, Brian could see a small spark that appeared on the ground.

Little by little, it began to burn the leaves around it.

"Hey! Stop you!"

"Damn it! Even if injured, his movements were still very agile!"

"Foot him!"

'Shutt! Shutt! Shuut!'

The arrows continued to rain down around where Brian was running. But he doesn't care about it at all.

After arriving at his next destination, Brian again drew the same symbol. But this time it was much faster, and it produced a bigger fire.

'One more, and I'll take you away from here, Cecilia.' thought Brian in his heart as he ran towards the next pile of dried leaves.

Not long after, one of the Knights began to realize what was really happening.

But it's all too late.

Even with a small spark, the dry foliage in this dense forest was enough to cause a huge fire.

What's more, if all of it was created intentionally, with a much larger fire.

"Oi! Isn't that bad enough?!" shouted one of the Knights while pointing towards the flames in the distance.

The blaze came from the first burn committed by Brian.

Quickly, the fire began to seep and burn other leaves in the surroundings. It causes a thick smoke that not only limits vision. It also makes breathing difficult.

"That damn devil.... He intends to burn this forest?!"

"Chairman! There! There's one more!"

"Damn it!"

"What should we do, Chief?!"

A Knight with a slightly thicker armor than the others, with the emblem on his chest started to speak.

"Our job is to exterminate the devil. And seeing the size of this fire, those two demons would not be able to survive. Moreover, they have been injured.

So, this is my order. Back off regularly! If you see that Devil again, give them a few extra shots to slow down their pace! This forest fire will end their lives!"

"Ready-done!"

Immediately, the entire Knight began to turn around and prepare to leave. But they made a wide formation to simultaneously comb this forest from the existence of that Devil.

Thanks to the increasingly thickened fire smoke, Brian was able to hide a little better. He immediately skidded to return to the location where Cecilia was after lighting the third fire.

The reinforcement he gained on his sight was really helpful in this situation.

"Did you guys find any trace of him?!"

"Nothing!"

"Continue searching while retreating from this forest!"

'Be grateful.... They actually retreated.' thought Brian in his heart while paying attention to the line of Knights who were starting to move away from it.

Quickly, Brian immediately carried Cecilia's body, and took her away from here. I don't know where it's going, but at least stay away from those Knights.

At once, stay away from the flames that began to grow in the middle of this forest.

This time....

Brian began to understand.

How does it feel, to be a truly oppressed figure. A feeling he never experienced as a human being.

But now, as part of the so-called Devil....

Be the one who is always considered guilty, even if he never does anything....

Gradually, it will begin to gnaw at his heart.