A Writer's Transmigration into the world of fantasy-Chapter 102

The words weren't just spoken in anger, but with clarity, with release. It was as if a chain had snapped inside his heart, and the burden he had carried for too long had finally shattered.

Cindral and Malrick stared at him, their expressions changing again and again. They wanted to speak, wanted to argue, wanted to salvage something, but no words came. Even they could feel it now, faintly, like a crack spreading beneath their feet.

The Lion Dynasty royal family's methods had gone too far.

And now, the consequences were already taking shape.

Alaric Von Seraph and the others did not hesitate either. Seeing Gerrad leave, they immediately followed, their faces grim and their hearts burning. None of them wanted to remain in this place for even a breath longer. The royal court, once glorious and dignified in their imagination, now felt like a rotting swamp where even the air carried the stench of corruption.

The royal guards instinctively shifted, their eyes flickering toward Valerius Blackstar for instructions. Yet Valerius Blackstar's face was rigid, and he gave no order to stop them.

Because he couldn't.

Stopping them would mean clashing directly with Heaven's Gate's Successor, and that would not be bravery. That would be suicide.

When Kael carried Zora out of the royal court, the crowd finally noticed that the guards blocking the gates had already disappeared. The heavy encirclement that had once trapped Imperial Academy like prey in a cage was gone, leaving only empty space and uneasy silence.

Realization dawned in countless eyes.

Among everyone present, only one person had the ability to dissolve such a blockade without anyone noticing: Harold.

Alaric Von Seraph and the others finally understood at this moment.

Harold had not been standing aside doing nothing. He had simply moved faster than anyone else, silently cutting off the Lion Dynasty royal family's retreat and clearing the path outside. That terrifying blockade of royal guards had vanished not by coincidence, but because Harold had already reached out and crushed it like dust.

And the most frightening part was not his ability.

It was his attitude.

Harold was willing to stand against an entire royal family for Zora. Just this alone was enough to prove how deep his feelings ran. It wasn't a fleeting interest, nor a casual indulgence. It was a kind of determination that made even outsiders feel uneasy.

Sebastian stepped forward, his expression steady, though his eyes still carried lingering shock from everything that had happened.

"You all go back to the inn first," he said in a low voice. "I'll go to Miel and Raphael. I'll meet you later."

Hearing this, everyone's expressions changed slightly, but soon they forced themselves to calm down.

Now that Kael had appeared, the Lion Dynasty royal family might dare to hate them, but they would not dare to touch them. Even if Valerius Blackstar knew exactly where they were staying, he would not dare to act recklessly. Sebastian leaving alone might have been dangerous before, but now, it was safe enough.

After Kael and the group left, Harold remained behind.

His gaze slid toward Valerius Blackstar, indifferent and cold, as though the so-called emperor of Leon Empire was nothing more than a figure carved out of wax. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away from the royal hunting grounds.

His footsteps were calm, his back straight, his black robes flowing like a shadow across the earth.

But that quiet departure was more terrifying than any threat.

It was as if he was saying: I have seen you clearly, and I will remember.

Valerius Blackstar's heart chilled without reason. He had always known Harold was dangerous, but Harold had been too restrained over the years, too calm, too unwilling to show his claws. Valerius Blackstar had mistaken that restraint for limitation.

Only now did he understand the truth.

Harold was never powerless.

He was simply choosing not to act.

And today, because of Zora, he had finally moved.

Valerius Blackstar suddenly realized his mistake. He had assumed Zora was merely a beautiful woman, a fleeting interest. In this world, women were often treated like ornaments, like prizes to be won and discarded. He thought Harold's attention would fade.

But now reality slapped him hard.

Zora was already married, and Harold still stood up for her without hesitation. He had never imagined Harold could be this kind of man, someone who would risk everything for a woman, even when she no longer belonged to him.

The spectators watched Harold leave with that same fearless calm, and only then did they belatedly feel it.

If Kael was the blazing sun above the heavens, then Harold was the silent storm hidden behind the clouds.

Neither of them was someone they could afford to offend.

Cecily Blackstar's gaze followed that tall black figure tightly, unwilling to blink, unwilling to let him disappear from her sight. Yet from beginning to end, Harold never spared her even a single glance.

Not once.

That indifference was colder than any insult.

Soon, Gerrad and the others returned to the inn. The atmosphere was heavy, urgent. Zora's injuries were far too severe. Her ribs were broken, her blood loss was frightening, and she had held on for far too long in front of Valerius Blackstar. The exhaustion alone was enough to crush most cultivators.

Kael carried her straight into the room and placed her gently onto the bed.

His movements were careful, as if she were made of fragile porcelain, as if the slightest carelessness might shatter her.

Reesa and the others immediately rushed out to prepare medicine and summon help. Though Zora was a divine physician herself, she was still human. She could not treat herself in this condition, not with her body already pushed beyond its limits.

Soon, the room quieted.

Only Zora and Kael remained.

The curtains stirred slightly in the breeze, and the faint scent of blood still lingered in the air. Kael stood beside the bed, his handsome face taut, his eyes darker than midnight, filled with suppressed fury and pain.

Zora looked at him, and for the first time since the chaos began, the tight string inside her finally loosened.

Relief washed over her like warm water.

Her pale fingers slowly lifted, trembling slightly as they reached toward him, gently brushing his face. Her touch was light, but it carried the weight of everything she had endured.

A faint smile surfaced in her eyes, mixed with exhaustion, joy, and something dangerously close to tears.

"You came," she whispered.

Kael stared at Zora's pale face, and the distress in his eyes was so deep it seemed to drown the light itself.

"Sorry, I'm late."

Those three words came out low and hoarse, carrying not only self-blame, but a kind of suffocating regret.

If he had returned sooner, if he had arrived one moment earlier, she would not have been forced to fight until her blood soaked her clothes, nor would she have had to gamble her life against the Lion Dynasty royal family's shamelessness.

For the first time, Kael felt hatred toward himself.

Hatred for being absent.

Hatred for letting her face that battlefield alone.

Zora lifted her hand with difficulty, her fingertips cold against his skin. She gently pressed against the furrowed brow between his eyes, smoothing it out little by little, as if she could wipe away the storm inside him the same way.

Her lips curved into a soft smile, quiet but firm.

"This was my own lack of preparation. It has nothing to do with you," she said softly. "Don't blame yourself, hus... Husband..."

Her voice was weak, but the clarity in it was like a needle, piercing through the darkness in his heart.

She did not want Kael to carry guilt. He had already saved her too many times, protected her too many times, pulled her out of danger when she should have been swallowed whole. She did not want to become a burden, someone who could only survive under his shadow.

She wanted to stand beside him.

Not behind him.

Not beneath him.

Kael tightened his grip on her hand, holding it carefully, as though he feared even his strength might hurt her. His eyes remained dark, filled with sorrow, but he nodded slightly, forcing himself to swallow the pain that threatened to break him apart.

Yet the stubbornness in him did not fade.

Instead, it hardened into something unshakable.

"In the future," he said, voice low and resolute, "I won't leave you again. I promise."

Those words were not a promise spoken lightly.

They were an oath carved in blood.

Zora didn't know what Kael had felt when he arrived at the royal hunting ground, when his eyes caught sight of her standing on that shattered platform, soaked in blood, holding Zion Blackstar like a hostage while the entire Lion Dynasty royal family surrounded her like wolves.

For a moment, his heartbeat had nearly stopped.

In that instant, the terrifying thought struck him: if he had been slower, if he had been delayed by only a breath, she might have died.