The Price of Breaching the Contract - Chapter 73

“Bihan.”

Yulania’s voice rang out firmly. But Bihan didn’t budge an inch. Inside the castle gate, in the tense air, he gripped his sword tightly and shook his head.

“I cannot allow it.”

It was a repeated refusal, but he looked at her steadfastly.

“I have to go.”

Yulania said, taking another step closer. The situation showed no sign of improving. No matter how important her safety was, holding out like this would be worse than not protecting her at all.

There was a huge difference in power between someone else holding the empowered holy stone and her stepping forward herself. Demons tended to avoid Yulania’s very presence. If she went to the front lines, the battle would undoubtedly be much easier.

Waiting inside the castle with only Bihan was agonizing. She wanted to face whatever happened head-on.

Her fingertips and eyes trembled slightly, but her legs gained strength. It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid. But the fear, coupled with a sense of responsibility, gave her courage.

“Absolutely not.”

Bihan blocked her path again. This wasn’t mere insubordination, but an attitude born from the extreme of loyalty. He moved closer to Yulania, his eyes pleading.

“Princess! Think of Duke Santia! This cannot be!”

At those words, Yulania lowered her head slightly. Santia. His name echoed in her ears. If he were here now, he would have stopped her too. No, he would have locked her in his arms to prevent her from leaving the castle gates altogether.

“…Alright.”

Yulania spoke briefly, as if agreeing, and a look of relief crossed Bihan’s face. But it didn’t even take a breath for the next words to follow.

“That’s why I have to go even more. My husband is the master of this land.”

She looked straight at Bihan. Her eyes were filled with light, and her words were clear.

“There’s no point in hiding and living alone like this. Santia wouldn’t want that either.”

“Princess!”

“Bihan, I’m sorry, but you’ll have to do as I say today.”

Bihan finally bit his lip. The veins on the back of his hand bulged. After a moment of heavy breathing, he closed his eyes for the last time.

Yulania drove in the final nail.

“Bihan.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Protect me without dying. That’s an order.”

At those words, Bihan drew his sword and knelt. His agreement was short, and his head was bowed low. He clenched his teeth tightly and submitted.

“I will obey your command.”

The castle gate opened, and the wind rushed in. A cold wind shook Yulania’s clothes and blew her hair back. It was a familiar smell. The blood scent that clouded the mind.

But she moved forward. As she stepped onto the ramparts, a horrific sight came into view. Knights fighting, the ground stained red, broken armor and debris. And in the middle of it all, demons were fiercely attacking.

Mireya was the first to recognize her.

“Princess! What are you doing!”

Her eyes widened. At the moment she was sure Yulania wouldn’t be here, she was already on the ramparts. Beside her, Diego gritted his teeth and added.

“When Lord Santia returns, we’re all dead.”

“That is, if we survive the demons.”

Mireya made a pointed joke, and Yulania laughed briefly. But that laughter soon disappeared. The battlefield beyond them was too horrific to bear.

“Bihan, I’m sorry, but I’ll need an escort for a moment.”

“It would be an honor.”

Bihan gently took her arm. Yulania slowly headed to one side of the ramparts. There lay the holy stones that the knights had not been able to use. Yulania approached the largest of them.

She raised her hand. Her trembling fingertips carefully touched the center of the holy stone.

The cold touch of stone. And a subtle tremor spreading from within, as if awakening.

Yulania closed her eyes.

‘Santia, I’m here now. Our child is here too.’

She said quietly in her heart. To her husband, or to her child.

And she poured that heart, that emotion, all her fervent prayers into the holy stone.

‘I want to protect. This land, these people, and you.’

At that moment, the holy stone emitted a yellow light. Brightly, and warmly.

The light instantly enveloped the ramparts and spread out. The demons flinched at the light, and the knights fighting below the ramparts looked up.

“It’s the Princess!”

Someone shouted, and then Diego shouted loudly.

“Everyone! Do not retreat! The Princess is watching!”

The soldiers’ morale was revived by the shout. The shout, stronger than any command, shook the battlefield. Yulania didn’t let go of her hand. The holy stone accepted her warmth, and the light spread deeper and wider.

On one side, Mireya whispered quietly.

“Lord Duke… he must be worried to death, but right now, he must be proud of you, Princess.”

And at that moment, Yulania closed her mouth with a determination that would never crumble.

Even as her whole body trembled and her heart raced, she stood firm. In this place where no one else could stand.

The Devil finally began to move. The moment he raised his head, the air beyond the ramparts vibrated as if it would tear. A dark red energy, as if drawn up from deep beneath the earth, surged up and spread a heavy pressure. His very existence was disrupting the balance of the earth.

Then the wail erupted. It was not a word or a roar, but a sound of pain, anger, and hatred mixed together. At that one wail, the demons reacted all at once. As if they had received a signal, they began to swarm towards the ramparts. The demons, who had been unable to approach for a while due to the light of the holy stone, began to push in again. The barrier of light was still there, but it was shaking little by little.

Bihan hurriedly stepped in front of Yulania.

“Princess, this is not good. You must return now! That is—”

But Yulania shook her head. Her face was already covered in beads of sweat, and her eyes were moist with the overload of light, but her gaze was unwavering.

“There’s no point in retreating now.”

She said distinctly. Bihan gritted his teeth and protected her. For him, a knight of Makari Castle, the most important mission was to protect the woman in front of him, but at that moment, he had no choice but to obey her command.

Yulania placed her hand on the holy stone again. The holy stone began to tremble slightly, as if reacting to her emotions. At first, a faint yellow light spread out weakly, but soon the light gradually deepened. It was as if the emotions emanating from within her were slowly penetrating the holy stone. What spread through the holy stone was not mere mana. The will to protect life, the fervent desire to love someone, the instinctive affection for an unborn being, all of that became light and filled the space.

And finally, a moment of silence came.

The Devil stopped. The huge body tilted slightly, and the shadows of darkness, draped like a cloak, retreated slightly. It was hesitation, and at the same time, caution. The golden light emanating from the holy stone was no longer a simple shield. It began to take on a property that directly eroded the demons’ existence. Those who came close burned, screamed, and scattered.

Yulania took a shallow breath and gripped the holy stone tightly. The dizziness gradually deepened, and her eyes felt heavy. But she didn’t give up until the very end.

Everyone in this place was looking at her and relying on her. The moment she retreated, countless people would bleed. Having come this far with her stubbornness, there was no place to retreat.

As she found courage, her husband’s face and the image of her baby naturally came to mind. The loving feelings towards them gradually calmed her anxiety and fear, and swayed her heart in another direction.

“…I have to protect,”

A low and desperate whisper reached the holy stone, and the next moment, the holy stone burst.

Light exploded. As if a small sun had risen above the ramparts, bright light filled the surroundings.

A golden storm swept through Makari Castle. In a fleeting moment, the light illuminated more than half of the Makari territory. All the soldiers in the castle closed their eyes for a moment, and the demons screamed and collapsed as if blown away by the fierce storm.

Even the Devil took a step back.

On the ramparts, Yulania, standing in the center of the light, was already exhausted. The hand she had placed on the holy stone fell with a thud, and her body slowly fell forward.

“Princess!!”

Bihan shouted and caught her. He carefully supported her body with both arms and looked down at her face. Her pale skin was covered with a thin layer of sweat, and her lips were white, but despite that, she had a smile on her face.

A gust of wind blew. The light that had burst like a barrage slowly began to subside. Light still lingered on the collapsed borders of the ramparts, and the corpses of demons that had not yet disappeared were scattered here and there. Even those who survived were busy running away.

In Yulania’s arms, the holy stone was still glowing yellow. A deeper and warmer color than before.

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