"But what can I do?" Kirona thought. Her heart had softened as much as her body had weakened. Before, she might have ignored the death of a mere pawn, gritting her teeth and moving on, but not anymore.

"I won't abandon anyone." 

Just then, as if by a miracle, the sound of water began to fill the air. In Kirona's experience, water had always been a lifeline in this forest. She quickly recalled the lake she had seen near Sonia's house. There was no way water could suddenly spring up from nowhere in such barren land—there had to be an underground water source. That meant there was likely more than just one clean lake in this forest. Clutching the barely conscious Jade, who had lost as much spirit as he had blood, Kirona ran toward the sound of the water with renewed energy. 

What they found was a towering cliff with a massive waterfall cascading down its face. They stopped at the edge, gasping for breath. 

"In all the seven times I've been in this forest, I've never seen water, yet here we are, twice..." Jade began to mutter. 

"Are you really going to keep babbling?" Kirona snapped. 

They were at a dead end. There was nowhere to go. Behind them, the snake was closing in, ready to devour them. In front of them was a cliff, with water pouring down. The choice was obvious. Jade looked at her with concern in his eyes, asking hesitantly: 

"Can you swim?" 

Kirona didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed his hand and leapt off the cliff without hesitation. She had never fallen from such a height before, but it couldn't be worse than being swallowed by the snake. 

The cold air whipped at her cloak like a flag in the wind. 

Jade, caught off guard, quickly pulled her into his arms. Although Kirona had braced herself for the fall, the rush of dizziness still hit her hard. She shut her eyes, and in the next instant, icy water filled her nose and mouth. 

* * * 

"I did my best," Jade muttered as he lifted the unconscious princess out of the water. She looked like a drenched rat, all the bravery from jumping off the cliff now gone. If he hadn’t held onto her tightly, she would have been swept away by the current. 

"I told you to leave! I gave you the chance!" 

It wasn't out of loyalty or self-sacrifice, but simply because it was his duty. As a hired mercenary, as a citizen of the Midas Empire... he had fulfilled his obligation to the royal family. 

"Why didn't you leave? Are you crazy? Completely insane?" 

"..." 

"Is this why the emperor abandoned you? Because you're too soft and too stupid?" 

Unable to control his temper, Jade shouted at the unconscious Kirona. Realising that they had barely escaped the snake, he quickly silenced himself. No need to attract more trouble from the monsters lurking around. 

Dripping wet, just as exhausted as Kirona, Jade made his way to dry land. He laid the princess down and checked her pulse and breathing. Luckily, she seemed to be fine—just unconscious. 

"Don’t complain later. This was your choice." 

Jade stared at Kirona's face for a long moment, completely dumbfounded. He couldn't believe what had happened. The princess had given up her chance to escape from the forest because she couldn’t leave behind a mere mercenary. Jade couldn’t wrap his head around it. If he hadn't seen those unmistakable amber eyes for himself, he might have thought she was an imposter. 

"A princess isn’t supposed to act like this. You're the one who needs protection, not the one saving mercenaries. And you jumped so confidently, only to pass out?" 

Kirona’s face was pale, even paler than his despite the blood he had lost. Her neck and arms were bruised and swollen from the impact of hitting the water. And there were more injuries on her arms—cuts from when she had slashed at the creature's tendrils to free him. 

Jade's heart sank. This wasn’t the time to be complaining. He hoisted the unconscious princess onto his shoulders and started searching for a place to dry off. He knew the forest was full of traps, but he had no choice. 

He could feel the faint heartbeat of the princess against his chest as he held her. Anxiety gnawed at him. Despite the fact that she had the hands of a skilled fighter, her body was oddly light, lacking the muscle of someone who trained regularly. It was only then that Jade remembered Kirona's earlier words. 

"I'm tired. My hands are tied, and it’s hard for me. I won’t run away, so at least untie me. I’m not strong to begin with." 

Maybe she was telling the truth. Someone with such reckless determination might indeed push their fragile body into this forest.