I Became a Barbarian's Bride - Chapter 171
‘…How terrifying.’
It felt as though the slightest misstep might provoke his anger.
‘Why is he so tense?’
Was it because the Katun had collapsed?
Certainly, compared to the last time he had seen him, Kagan now seemed far more earnest toward her.
Thinking of that, it was no wonder that seeing the Katun faint after using her power outside would have unsettled him.
‘The Kagan must care for his Katun deeply, just like the former Kagan did.’
The former Kagan’s affection had been so great that whenever something concerned the Katun, he would abandon state affairs and rush straight to her side.
Compared to that man who exploded in fury whenever the Katun was in danger, the current Kagan, who kept his anger contained, was far better.
‘I should make sure dinner is prepared well.’
He did not want to risk upsetting Kagan further.
With that thought, Ulbach turned back toward the fields.
He wanted to take in that sight once more, the unbelievable scene of his dream come true.
His steps quickened as he turned.
***
Nisha quietly looked down over the land of Xieman.
For some reason, she could see the entire territory spread out beneath her. It was a beautiful sight, she blinked slowly, feeling something was off.
It was quite different from the Xieman she knew. Green stretched in every direction, dense with trees, and the air was filled with the scent of flowers.
She stood there for a long while, staring blankly at the scene, then blinked once and slowly turned her head.
‘Where am I?’
Realizing all at once that she was standing high above the ground, looking down from a great height, she exhaled deeply.
She slowly looked around.
And soon, she understood where she was.
The grass had grown and trees had filled the area, unlike in her memory, but she could still recognize it clearly.
“A volcano?”
Her small murmur echoed with a low, resonant hum.
Startled, she pressed her lips shut and tilted her head slightly. She had no idea why she was here.
Nisha had never been to the peak of this mountain. In truth, she had never even come close to the mountain.
Then she realized she was standing at the edge of a volcanic crater and froze.
When she turned her head, the inside of the crater was no longer bubbling or spewing smoke.
It looked like an ordinary mountain now.
“…What is this?”
The moment she tilted her head, she felt a gaze beside her.
Startled, Nisha slowly turned her head.
There was a shadow there.
No, not entirely a shadow. She could see a face.
He was a boy with jet-black hair and crimson eyes, his height reaching about to her chest.
What had once appeared to her as nothing more than a clustered shadow now took the form of a figure, clear at least from the torso up.
Horns grew from his forehead, and behind him, something black and tangled rose like a mass of scribbled darkness.
‘Wings… maybe?’
Nisha narrowed her eyes at the thought.
As she stood there staring blankly at him, the boy, who had been gazing down at the land of Xieman, slowly turned his head toward her.
Her violet eyes met his crimson ones in midair.
“…Adin?”
At the sound of that name, the boy’s brow twitched faintly.
He stared into Nisha’s eyes, as though trying to study the reflection of himself within them.
Then, he turned his head back again to look down at Xieman.
Though he had done so countless times, he did not seem to grow tired of it. He simply kept watching.
After what felt like a long while, just as Nisha, weary of waiting, began to lower her gaze once more toward the land of Xieman, the boy opened his mouth.
[!#@%&^^#!@# ]
As his lips moved, Nisha’s eyes widened little by little.
The moment his short murmur ended and his face turned back toward her, she felt the ground vanish beneath her feet.
Nisha gasped sharply and her body trembled.
She was falling.
The moment she thought that, she instinctively reached out her hand.
But the boy did not reach back. Even as Nisha fell, he made no move to help her.
He only watched her fall with detached eyes, then turned his gaze back toward Xieman.
The sensation of plummeting hit her all at once, and Nisha’s eyes flew open.
“Haa-!”
