Chapter 348

Chapter 348

After enduring it, Kaichen lost consciousness and fell asleep. When he woke up, his whole body was damp with cold sweat.

He couldn’t even swallow food. He only remembered Dalia’s cooking, which she made to tease him.

No food tasted like hers. It felt like chewing dirt. Even if Julius forced it into his mouth, he vomited it out shortly after.

Despite feeling his body wasting away, there was nothing he could do.

Dalia was right—she couldn’t live without him. But he couldn’t live without her either.

He wanted to praise himself for enduring six months.

Even though his magic was abundant, it seemed to fade away as soon as he stepped into Huelin.

It was a terrible magic. Even if he cast magic to counter the magic circle, it would not collapse. After all, Exchetra’s dark magic was mana from the sacrifice of millions of people.

Dalia must be in pain, waiting.

He needed to hurry. He had promised!

He compulsively searched through documents and even looked into dark magic, which he had only thought was terrifying.

He had to find her and save her by any means necessary. But the more he searched for a way, the more he realized that he was being driven to the edge of the cliff.

What was this, if not hell? Each day was terrible.

Every time he breathed, his heart felt like it was bursting—like cracked land in a drought. He wished for a drop of rain, but Dalia’s gentle rain did not fall.

Could he endure it until he saved her?

He had to endure it until he saved her. For Dalia, who would suffer more than him.

Then it happened… A single drop.

A single drop of rain fell on his parched heart. It was a very familiar feeling.

“…Ha…”

Kaichen unconsciously exhaled. His eyes widened and swiveled. His trembling body was already running in that direction.

‘How? It couldn’t be. Isn’t that where the magic circle is?’

Many questions arose, but the magic inscribed on her bracelet fluctuated like a wave. His heart warmed as if it would explode.

He felt like he could do it, and for some reason, he felt he could use teleportation magic.

He cast movement magic more naturally than breathing. He arrived at a square. The square where he had sweet memories with Dalia.

The people who had gathered were screaming and quickly moving away. Of course. If someone unfamiliar saw it, it would look like a sinister magic had fallen.

His eyelids felt warm. Desperately hoping what he saw wasn’t an illusion, he breathed heavily.

Tears, not shed for six months, suddenly fell with a “plop.”

Sweet rain finally fell, allowing him to breathe again. There was no time to compose himself. He couldn’t wipe away the tears or even take a step closer.

He was afraid. Afraid it might not be her.

Hope surged, but he wondered if it was another despair.

He never had as much courage as he did in front of Dalia. Comforting her when she was scared was nothing more than a ridiculous clown show. He comforted her by spewing out words she wanted to hear.

‘Dalia, do you know? That the man you love is such a pathetic, cowardly man?’

Then, like a whirlwind storm, black magic enveloped the square and soared into the sky. It was a frighteningly powerful magic.

With a crack, the purple magic circle woven in the sky for six months cracked and was sucked into the soaring black magic.

It had always been like this. He was a coward without courage, but she always took a step forward willingly.

She had stood firm even when facing something no one else could handle, and even while scared, she was always the first to smile.

He had promised. Just like he had rescued her from the hundred-year time magic, he would rescue her this time, too.

But it was different. From the beginning, he was the one rescued the moment he met her. She had filled his monochrome world with color and showed him the beauty of the world.

Crack-

There was a sharp noise. The magic circle in the sky shattered, and the black magic surged into it.

At the same time, the person who was gone under the magic circle and suffered even in his dreams appeared before him.

She smiled brightly, as she always did, and spread her arms wide, as if she were sure that he would be there in front of her.

‘Ah, you—Dalia, you are…’

He raised his trembling hands to cover his face. He should have run to her and embraced her, but his tightly closed lips trembled. Even if he wiped them away, tears flowed endlessly. It was a mess.

When he looked up again, she was still looking at him in the same way. Dalia spoke urgently.

“Master, hurry.”

Using teleportation magic, Kaichen instantly approached her and embraced her.

He took a deep breath. His lungs were filled with a familiar scent. Despite the cold touch of her body and the hands wrapping around his waist, it was no doubt Dalia.

He buried his face in her neck and wrapped his arms around her waist, but the trembling didn’t stop.

What should he say? How could he express this joy?