The Tyrant's Happy Ending - Chapter 2.6

“But this is the South,” Yernen said, confused.

“I said it’s similar, not identical. It looks a bit different.”

“Then why is this thing targeting our carriage?” Yernen asked, his confusion growing.

“That’s what I don’t understand. From what I know, it shouldn’t be attacking. At least, not like this. It’s not supposed to just drag off carriages.”

“Why not?”

“It’s… a herbivore,” Lyle replied slowly.
“A what?” Yernen’s face twisted in disbelief.

“You’re telling me that thing eats plants?”

“That’s what the books said. It’s not typically dangerous, and it usually only attacks villages when it’s searching for food—plants, not people. But dragging a carriage like this… it doesn’t make sense.”

“So why drag a carriage? For the wood? There are plenty of trees around. Tea leaves? There’s more of that in the back wagons. And seriously, how does something that big survive on plants?”
Yernen’s muttering made it clear he found the situation as bizarre as Lyle did.

“At least it means it won’t attack us directly if we leave the carriage, right?” Yernen said, thinking aloud.

Lyle’s eyes widened slightly. “You’re suggesting we jump out?”

“Didn’t you say we’d be in trouble if we get dragged any further into the mountains? And it’s slowing down a bit. It’s either exhausted or thinks it’s safe now. If it’s after something in the carriage, it’ll probably try to get inside.”
Yernen cringed at the thought. Even if the creature wasn’t carnivorous, getting crushed under its massive body was no better.

Seeing Yernen’s grimace, Lyle tugged the blanket that still covered Yernen’s head and spoke softly.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”
The moonlight filtering through the trees illuminated Lyle’s face, which wore the same gentle smile he always gave Yernen, trying to reassure him.

Even though they were the same age, Yernen and Lyle were worlds apart. While the temple had hinted that Yernen would manifest as an Omega, Lyle was told he would become an Alpha. And it was obvious—Lyle was already a head taller than most kids their age, with superior stamina and strength. That didn’t mean he was invincible yet, as he was still young, but the difference was clear.

Still, Yernen knew one thing for sure: Lyle never lied about things like this. If he said he would protect Yernen, then he would.

But Yernen couldn’t help but wonder—what would happen to Lyle?

“So, what’s your plan?” Yernen asked, his tone slightly annoyed.

“Huh?”
“I asked what your plan is.”
Yernen narrowed his eyes at Lyle, scrutinizing him.

“You’re thinking about wrapping me up in this blanket and jumping out of the carriage, aren’t you?”

Lyle remained silent.

“I knew it.”

It was obvious—the only thing in the carriage that could cushion a fall was the blanket currently wrapped around Yernen.

“You’re planning to turn me into a widow before we’re even married, aren’t you?” Yernen’s voice was sharp.

“A widow? Come on…” Lyle started, but Yernen cut him off.

“You’re supposed to be my subordinate, remember?” Yernen shot back.

“Yernen,” Lyle said, placing his hand gently on Yernen’s head. “I’m your knight first. My duty is to protect you, above everything else.”

Even though the situation was dire, Lyle still managed to offer a playful smile. That smile was all Yernen needed to confirm it—Lyle was really planning to jump with him.

Yernen slapped Lyle’s hand off his head and gave him a swift chop on the forehead.

“Ow,” Lyle muttered, though it didn’t hurt at all.

“You idiot, Lyle Baltimore! Always making decisions on your own! If you die, how am I supposed to survive wandering around this mountain alone?”

Lyle went silent. Yernen had a point—without him, Yernen’s chances of survival would plummet.

“A ruler’s first priority is to ensure the survival of their people. As long as you have people, you can rebuild, even without land or riches. So, the first priority is me staying alive, and then my allies. A ruler’s job is to find a way for everyone to survive. And you, who are supposed to be a future duke, are already thinking about dying?” Yernen scolded.

It was a moment where all of Beynon’s teachings on leadership came to life. Yernen raised his hand again, ready to strike.

“Ow!” Lyle whimpered in advance, even though he hadn’t been hit yet.

“I can’t believe I made this fool my subordinate!”

“But Yernen, what else can we do in this situation?”

“There’s another way,” Yernen said, his tone confident.

“…What?” Lyle asked, confused.

“I told you, a ruler’s job is to find a way for everyone to survive. Watch and learn,” Yernen said, as he began to tug at the mattress with all his might. Lyle, unsure of what Yernen was up to, decided to help anyway.

‘Is he planning to toss the mattress out and jump onto it?’ Lyle wondered. But that seemed impossible. Even if the carriage had slowed down a bit, it was still moving far too fast for the mattress to do much good.

“Take a look at this,” Yernen said.

“…What?” Lyle looked on, puzzled, as Yernen pulled off the mattress cover and unzipped a hidden compartment inside.

“What on earth…”

“I found this while playing hide-and-seek with Cecile once,” Yernen explained.

Lyle couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Cecile and the palace staff, who had likely searched high and low for Yernen during his mischief, only to find him hidden in a place like this. He could imagine them pleading with him not to hide in such dangerous spots, with Yernen nonchalantly agreeing, only to do it again later.

But all that aside, Yernen had found something clever. Lyle examined the inside of the mattress—its frame was covered in fabric, stuffed with goose feathers. It could indeed cushion them from a fall.

“We’ll push one side of the mattress out of the carriage, get inside, and zip it up,” Yernen suggested.

“Got it.”

Once they had a plan, everything moved quickly. They set the mattress upright, climbed inside, and, bracing themselves, tipped it out of the carriage. As they fell, buried deep in the goose feathers, they clung to each other, ready for the impact.

Thud!

“Ugh!” Yernen grunted, the force of the collision jarring his back with a pain he’d never felt before.

Bam!

The mattress hit a large tree and then tumbled onto the ground, coming to a halt. Silence followed.

“…Yernen?” Lyle’s voice, though unseen in the dark, sounded close and clear.

“What?” Yernen groaned.

“Thank goodness.”

“For what?”

“For being alive,” Lyle murmured, and Yernen could feel him smile faintly as his face pressed against Yernen’s shoulder.

“Do you think I’m some kind of fragile glass doll? This wouldn’t kill me.”

“I know. But I still worried,” Lyle admitted softly.

“Alright, enough of that. What do we do now?”

“Hm.”

Though they had escaped, the real challenge had just begun. The forest was filled with not just magical beasts, but also wild predators. Surviving the night wouldn’t be easy for two children.

“First things first, we need to get out of here.”
The inside of the mattress was airtight, meaning they couldn’t stay inside for long without running out of oxygen. The two crawled out, and as they surveyed their surroundings, they found themselves deep in the wilderness.

There were no signs of anyone having passed through—no trampled grass, no cleared paths. Just untouched, dense forest.

Yernen, always so proud and confident, felt a wave of fear wash over him and instinctively crouched beside Lyle, who was examining the ground.

“See anything?” Yernen asked.

“Yeah, I do.”

“What is it?”

“Evidence that we’re screwed,” Lyle said, glancing up with a grim smile.

“What…?” Yernen gasped.

“We’re in big trouble,” Lyle replied gravely.
Yernen didn’t understand at first, but when he followed Lyle’s gaze to the ground, he saw what Lyle meant.

“Those are wolf tracks.”

“…!”

Now that he looked more closely, the ground was covered in countless paw prints. His stomach dropped.

“It’s nighttime… shouldn’t they be sleeping?” Yernen asked, grasping for hope.

“Unfortunately, wolves are nocturnal hunters,” Lyle said, his voice low.

Yernen’s breath hitched.

“So, what do we do?”

“First, we run. Come on!” Lyle grabbed Yernen’s arm and pulled him along. Yernen turned his head just in time to catch a glimpse of glowing yellow eyes in the distance.

“Ah…!” Yernen’s heart pounded, and the two sprinted through the thick woods, pushing aside branches as they ran for their lives.

“How could they not hear all that noise from before?!” Yernen yelled, breathless.

But he knew complaining wouldn’t help now. The only thing that mattered was outrunning the wolves that were now closing in. From behind, a long, echoing howl pierced the night air—a wolf calling its pack.

‘What do we do?’ Lyle thought desperately.

Lyle had never hunted wolves before. The most dangerous creatures he’d taken down were deer or foxes, and even then, he’d had help from seasoned retainers. Wolves were a different matter entirely, and now they were chasing him and Yernen.

‘And no crossbow…’ Lyle cursed silently. All he had was a small sword, sized to fit a boy his age. Worse still, he had to protect Yernen.

“Hah… hah…” Yernen panted, struggling to keep up as they raced through the forest, looking for somewhere to hide. But they found no safe place—only more trees. It was only a matter of time before the wolves caught up. Their situation was growing more hopeless by the second.
Thud!

“Ah!” Yernen cried.

“Yernen!” Lyle shouted, whirling around just in time to see a massive gray wolf pin Yernen down, its huge paws pressing into his back. Several more wolves had joined the hunt.

Clang!

Without hesitation, Lyle unsheathed his sword and plunged it into the wolf’s side.
The beast yelped, but the wound was shallow—Lyle’s small sword didn’t have the strength or reach to cause real damage.

‘Damn it!’

Lyle gritted his teeth, grabbing Yernen’s arm and pulling him back to his feet. His eyes darted around the dark forest. Three wolves circled them, their eyes glowing menacingly.

Yernen’s legs trembled, barely able to hold him up. “I… I can’t…” he stammered, his strength giving out.

Lyle couldn’t blame him. Even Lyle, who had seen beasts and magical creatures on hunts with his father, could barely stop his own body from shaking. Yernen, raised in the sheltered palace, was facing life-threatening danger for the first time. The fact that he hadn’t completely collapsed was impressive enough.

Lyle wrapped his arm around Yernen’s waist, pulling him close to protect him. With the wolves closing in, he couldn’t risk letting Yernen fall behind.

“Don’t take your eyes off them. The moment you do, they’ll pounce,” Lyle warned, his voice steady despite the fear gnawing at him.

The wolves were tightening their circle, and Lyle kept his gaze fixed on them. But then, he felt something strange—a gust of wind at his back. It was a familiar feeling, one he’d experienced only once before.

‘A cliff…’

Realization struck like a bolt of lightning.