The Dignity of the Omega

#29

“Damn it…”

Enrique gritted his teeth as he galloped alongside Damiel. The icy wind of the winter forest stung his cheeks, causing pain. Cursing came naturally as they fled, leaving behind the knights and soldiers.

“They’re catching up!” 

Damiel shouted. Enrique glanced back and his face immediately hardened. He could see two large gray wolves chasing them, almost as if flying. Having been attacked while starving, the creatures showed no intention of letting the two go.

Damiel twisted his upper body and fired his crossbow. But the wolf narrowly dodged the arrow and continued its pursuit.

The gap was slowly closing. The wolves showed no signs of tiring. Perhaps due to tension, Enrique’s back was already damp with sweat. He belatedly regretted venturing too deep into the forest, carried away by the leisurely hunt.

The welfare of the knights and soldiers they left behind flashed through his mind. But they couldn’t turn back now. The best option was to shake off their pursuers, regroup with the others, and then hurry back to rescue them.

When he glanced back again, the distance had shortened even more. Enrique felt the rare emotion of fear. That’s when it happened.

“Your Highness! In front!”

Damiel shouted urgently. As Enrique turned his gaze forward, he saw a large, extended tree branch.

THWACK-!

“…!!”

With a dull sound, his body was suddenly airborne.

“…ness! Your Highness-!”

Damiel’s urgent cry faintly reached his ears. Enrique blinked, trying to regain his blurry consciousness. A sticky liquid flowed over one eye, obstructing his vision. His entire body ached as if he had collided with a huge rock. He struggled to breathe.

“You must stay conscious! Your Highness!”

Someone grabbed his shoulder tightly and pulled, shouting. Enrique gasped, desperately trying to regain his senses. Fortunately, his breath returned, and soon he began to take in his surroundings.

Enrique realized he was sitting slumped against a large tree. In front of him, Damiel stood in a low stance, sword drawn. Beyond Damiel, two gray wolves were slowly closing the distance, growling. Up close, their size was truly enormous.

Enrique now realized that he had failed to dodge the overhanging branch and fallen from his horse. Damiel had abandoned his horse to stay by Enrique’s side and protect him. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his body, Enrique felt around his waist. Having dropped it when he fell from the horse, all he could find was a short dagger.

Drawing the dagger, Enrique staggered to his feet, leaning against the tree.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

Damiel asked, keeping a wary eye on the wolves.

“I’m… fine.”

Enrique answered calmly, suppressing the pain in his chest. He roughly wiped away the liquid covering one eye with the back of his hand. But it was futile. Whether his forehead or head was cut, blood immediately flowed over his eye again, obscuring his vision.

It was truly a desperate situation.

The horses were gone, and they had to face two hungry and enraged wolves with just the two of them. With no one sent to request help, their best hope was to hold out safely until those who saw Casto return without its rider came to their aid. But could they both survive unharmed until then?

Watching the rough breaths visible in the cold air, Enrique gripped his dagger tightly. Damiel, needing to protect Enrique, couldn’t rashly attack the wolves and could only remain on guard.

“…They’re two, we’re two. Let’s each take on one.”

Enrique suggested in a low voice to avoid provoking the wolves. But Damiel immediately shook his head.

“I can’t risk leaving you, Your Highness.”

“But it doesn’t seem like we have many other options in this situation.”

“No.”

Damiel said firmly. His voice was steady, but deep tension and frustration could be felt within it.

The wolves were closing the distance bit by bit. For the first time, Enrique thought he might actually die. With mountains of plans carefully laid out for the future, to die such a meaningless death while hunting… Life was truly unpredictable.

His father’s sorrow, a new heir, the wasted wedding gifts… As death approached, the problems his death would cause flashed through his mind. Enrique clenched his teeth. Thinking of the enormous loss that would occur if he died, his will to survive at all costs surged.

“Your Highness.”

Damiel called softly. Then he continued in a whisper.

“I’ll try to lure them away somehow. Use that chance to run. No matter what sound you hear, don’t look back. Just keep running.”

Damiel’s whisper conveyed a resolve to die.

“Wolves are smart animals. Since there are two on each side, one will chase after me anyway.”

“I’ll find a way to hold both of them back.”

It was clear that the “way” Damiel spoke of meant complete self-sacrifice.

Enrique hesitated for a moment.

As the heir of Shamier and a Superior Omega, his value was clear. Setting aside his own survival instinct, he couldn’t die because of the impact it would have on Shamier. Rationally thinking, it would be right to survive by sacrificing Damiel.

But Enrique couldn’t bring himself to do it. Beyond reason or value, this was a matter of basic humanity.

“We’ll each take on one. That’s an order.”

Enrique said, wiping away the blood obscuring his vision again. Then he slowly moved to stand beside Damiel, careful not to provoke the wolves.

“…Your Highness.”

Damiel called out, as if lamenting. But sensing Enrique’s firm resolve, he said nothing more.

“Let’s go.”

Damiel said in a low voice, tensing his entire body. Enrique nodded silently. The wolves, seeming to sense their intent, lowered their bodies as if ready to pounce at any moment.

“Now!”

Just as Damiel shouted and was about to lunge forward.

The sound of galloping hooves began to echo from deep in the forest. It was approaching rapidly in their direction!

Hope suddenly swelled, almost ready to burst. But it was only for a brief moment. There was only the sound of a single horse.

“Your Highness. You must go, even if it means stealing the horse.”

Damiel said in a stern voice. His tone indicated this was non-negotiable. Before Enrique could respond, both wolves lunged simultaneously.

“Here they come!”

Damiel, who had been watching ahead, shouted loudly and rushed forward. Enrique ran, armed only with a dagger, watching the wolf charging towards him.

Just as the distance closed enough to feel the wolf’s characteristic musty breath, Enrique realized its size was even larger than he had thought. A chill ran down his spine. As he gritted his teeth and was about to swing his dagger, aiming for the wolf’s eyes—

Yelp-!

The wolf charging at Enrique yelped and toppled sideways. An arrow was lodged in one of its eyes. Without time to check who had shot the arrow, Enrique immediately plunged his dagger into the wolf’s throat.

“…!!”

The sensation of the dagger piercing through the wolf’s hide and flesh was disturbingly vivid. He instinctively knew it wasn’t enough to completely sever the wolf’s windpipe.

Enrique flung himself backward without time to pull out the dagger.

Riiip-!

The wolf’s swinging claws barely grazed his chest, tearing his clothes. Enrique watched the wolf slowly rise, panting heavily. Despite the arrow in its eye and the dagger deeply embedded in its neck, the creature seemed more enraged than subdued, growling fiercely.

Damiel was engaged in a fierce battle with the other wolf a short distance away. He appeared to have no opportunity to come to Enrique’s aid. Enrique stumbled backward. The wolf, glaring at Enrique with its remaining eye, lunged again.

In the moment Enrique thought he was surely dead—

Whoosh-!

Suddenly his vision spun, and his body was lifted into the air. When he blinked, the view before him was tilted. He saw Damiel battling the wolf, and the injured wolf charging madly towards him. But for some reason, they were getting farther away from his view.

“Who…?!”

Enrique realized he was precariously draped across someone’s saddle. Whoever had snatched him and placed him on the saddle began to ride swiftly somewhere into the forest. Enrique struggled, watching the injured wolf chasing them and Damiel fighting the other wolf in the distance.