The Flower Is Finished

---

Several times I fell, and I felt an intense pain in my head, as if needles were piercing it.

It was so unbearable that it made me want to stab the pain itself.

Faintly, I heard someone speaking. I had no idea what they were talking about, but I clearly heard them muttering the name "Xanders" several times.

"Who are they?" I asked softly.

He seemed to realize my presence and immediately turned around.

"Attack now."

Without hesitation, he charged at me at incredible speed. My strength was already at its limit, yet I forced myself to hold back the two people attacking me.

They were wearing masks, but my necklace did not glow red. That meant they were not demons—most likely elves or humans who were trying to kill me.

"Feel this…"

"Hyaah—crash… crash…!"

"You will die," he said to me.

I remained calm, doing my best to stabilize my emotions so I could win this battle. At that moment, I was extremely weak, and my chest still hurt badly.

I continued fighting the two of them. Then I quickly hid myself, preparing to behead them.

In the darkness, they were deceived. When they let their guard down, I attacked from behind. He managed to block my strike, but by using the Thousand Shadows, I camouflaged myself so they could not determine my true position.

"Feel this."

Crash!

Crash!

"Bang—stab—agh… agh…!"

For the final strike, I used the Thousand Shadows once more, killing both of them by severing their heads.

I let out a long breath of relief as I saw their lifeless bodies before me.

Their heads rolled and stopped right in front of me.

Lazily, I removed their masks and crushed them under my foot.

Their faces were revealed—they belonged to a human clan.

I steadied my body with my sword and stabbed straight into one of their eyes. A loud scream echoed. I stabbed repeatedly, yet the screams continued to ring clearly.

A strong metallic stench spread through the air I breathed.

"You will feel what we felt," one of them said.

I stepped on the mouth that spoke those words.

"You are the real demons—the ones who destroy the world by any means," I said coldly.

Suddenly, pain shot through my arm. It seemed I had been pierced by a branch earlier.

Leaning on my sword, I walked slowly. I coughed for an unknown amount of time, spitting blood, yet my gaze remained fixed on my boots—where the gem I had searched for to heal Farrel and the others was still safely stored.

From there, I saw several small campfires. I knew they were being used to mark their location.

Staggering forward, I walked toward them, falling several times as my energy was completely depleted.

"I'm here."

The guards immediately realized my arrival and shouted loudly.

"Lord Xanders has returned!"

I smiled faintly. Several soldiers rushed toward me, and at that moment, I closed my eyes as unbearable pain crushed my chest.

"Xanders… you're back."

George hurried toward me, but I could not see him—I could only hear his voice. I smiled weakly, though George did not notice.

"Let's check what's happening to him," I heard the healer say as they guided me into a tent.

After that, I lost consciousness. The last thing I remembered was George's worry.

When it came to George, images of the earlier battle resurfaced in my mind. I knew I had to ask what had happened to him.

---

The Next Morning

Sunlight shone upon me, accompanied by the sound of birds chirping.

"The gem…"

I held my aching head and suddenly opened my eyes as I realized I was still carrying the shell—the gem.

I quickly tried to get up, but a guard immediately grabbed my hand.

"Forgive me, Lord Sanders. Captain George ordered that you must rest," he said.

I shook him off and ignored the order.

"Let go.

Where are the others? Have they recovered?" I asked.

He released me and opened the tent, revealing several soldiers who were already recovering.

"Where are George and Farrel?" I asked.

The soldier led me to George's tent.

I paused, my anxiety growing as I touched the tent flap.

"Will Farrel be all right?" I asked myself.

I pulled the curtain aside and saw Farrel still lying there.

"Wake up. Are you healed?" I said, shaking his arm.

"Sanders, you're awake?" George called.

I turned to him and nodded.

"Are you still injured, George?" I asked.

He smiled faintly. "I'm fine. What about you?"

I was still in pain, but not as badly as before.

"I'm fine," I replied.

"How is Farrel?" I asked.

George tapped Farrel's head.

Smack.

"You made Thunder worry. Wake up!"

Farrel opened his eyes, causing me to glare sharply at him.

Smack.

"You really—" I couldn't finish my sentence.

Farrel only groaned as I grabbed his arm again.

"Did anyone die?" I asked softly.

George lowered his head.

"After you arrived, your condition worsened. We were forced to delay treating the others to prioritize you. Some soldiers were severely injured, and others were poisoned, overwhelming the healers."

I understood what he meant and simply cleared my throat.

"So, how many gems did I bring back yesterday?" I asked.

George suggested, "It's better to ask the healer so he can explain in detail."

"Fine. Call him," I said.

Five minutes later, the healer arrived. His face looked exhausted, dark circles clearly visible beneath his eyes, and I felt sorry for him.

"So, how do you treat them?" I asked as we sat outside with food laid before us.

"With your permission, my lord," he began.

"We must remove the gem from the shell, grind it, and mix it with several medicinal herbs until it becomes powder. It can then be consumed directly or dissolved and drunk."

I nodded.

"Is there still any gem left?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

The healer took a cloth from his pocket.

"I am deeply grateful, my lord. Yesterday, you brought back many gems. I saved one for Lord Xanders, just in case."

He bowed and handed me a gem that left me in awe.

"So this is the gem?" I said, examining it in my hand.

"Yes, my lord. This is a very rare gem."

"Did you encounter a giant octopus?" he asked.

I nodded.

"Did you meet a hippocampus?" the healer asked softly.

"Hippocampus?" Farrel repeated in confusion.

The healer nodded.

"What kind of creature is that?" Farrel asked curiously.

We all turned to the healer.

He fell silent and glanced at me. I nodded slowly.

"He is…"

The healer paused, clearly hesitant to continue.

Is he very dangerous or is he one of the demons in charge of guarding the sea?