Chapter 45.2

However, there was no abnormality in the person who was also present, and Sinia appeared to be alive and well.

In reality, Kevin has complex thoughts about Angel. On one hand, he suspects that Angel's origins are unclear, and he seems too diplomatic and reserved, unlike Ben's straightforwardness, so it's difficult to completely trust him.

However, subconsciously, Kevin believes that Angel is gentle and harmless, making it hard to remain suspicious of him like the little girl Sinia.

This is why he has kept Angel living in the barracks and kept a close watch on him, to avoid being too aloof or suspicious. Yet, to date, Angel hadn't shown anything suspicious.

Without Angel's involvement, the sand ghost who had infiltrated the hanging palace using "Theodore's" skin would be the only one left. Could it be that Oswald was accidentally injured during the process of catching the sand ghost and he hadn't noticed it then, and now he's having an attack?

Kevin secretly pondered over this, brought up multiple possibilities, and one by one, dismissed them. For a while, he couldn't find the most plausible explanation.

He lowered his gaze and surveyed the surroundings. Under the glow of the fluorite light, there were clear horseshoe prints on the ground with stamped marks that almost formed two dark lines that were both organized and chaotic. They were undoubtedly left by the two teams that Oswald had dispatched to Rose Old Castle in the afternoon.

With the presence of vultures, their march speed wouldn't have been slow. From the time the army began marching until they hid in the cave, it was almost enough time for the army to travel halfway through the Golden Lion Kingdom, making it difficult to pursue them. Only if Oswald recovered early could he keep up with the large forces as soon as possible.

However, aside from their weapons and the cowhide bag containing the flint and sand, which Kevin had been carrying all day, they had nothing on them. Most of the medical officers were in the secret passage next door, and it was unknown how many side passages they might have taken at this time.

Kevin looked up at Oswald, who was beside him, and said with a bit of concern, "It depends on your body's resistance."

Oswald didn't respond. He had stopped pressing his temples with his thumbs for some time, and now, due to his lowered head, Kevin could only see two lines between his furrowed eyebrows and his mask. There was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead.

"Are you asleep?" Kevin asked softly, but there was no reply.

After hesitating for a moment, he got up, turned around, and sat next to Oswald.

The young emperor's profile was visible to him. Oswald's eyes were tightly shut, his eyebrows arched, and his sharp-edged silhouette concealed his eyebrows and eyes, making him appear weary and excessively cautious.

The roots of his hair were damp with perspiration, betraying his discomfort. Even in sleep, he could not find peace. His breathing was heavy and irregular as if he were struggling to breathe.

Sweat drenched his forehead, leaving behind two furrows between his brows.

Kevin looked down at his hanging hand. It was still warm, if not even more so than before. He could feel the heat emanating from the person next to him just by sitting there. This trend couldn't go on for long, he thought.

However, the burning sensation gradually dissipated much quicker than he had expected.

In the dark, it was difficult to estimate the time, but Kevin felt that it had only been less than half an hour at most. The heat emanating from Oswald had weakened considerably.

He lifted his hand to touch Oswald's palm and found that it had almost returned to normal.

"Are you alright?" He was taken aback by Oswald's speedy recovery and placed the back of his hand on his forehead worriedly. "It's not burning anymore..."

But the emperor showed no signs of immediately waking up. Given that he had pulled an all-nighter yesterday and had to handle so many things today, Kevin decided to let him rest for a little longer.

Relieved that Oswald's body temperature had dropped, Kevin leaned against the stone wall behind him and closed his eyes to calm himself down.

Nevertheless, this tranquility didn't last long before Kevin's eyes unexpectedly opened again. In a surprise, he turned to look at Oswald, who had a slightly bluish-white hanging fingertip, and knitted brows, and his body appeared to be trembling slightly, almost imperceptibly.

An unnaturally cold breath for this season exuded from him, and even Kevin's temperature subsequently dropped.

"Oswald?" Kevin reached out to touch his face, which was alarmingly cold. Even while sleeping in such a freezing environment, it shouldn't be this cold. There was no protection here from the cold, either.

The emperor, who was not typically a deep sleeper, appeared to be immersed in some nightmare that prevented him from waking up. He involuntarily moved his fingers, attempting to grab the only source of warmth, which was Kevin.

"Hey—" Kevin was about to wake him up when he saw Oswald frown and utter a few words indistinctly, in a strange and unique tone. Kevin couldn't initially understand what was being said, though, after a while, he suddenly realized that it wasn't the language of the Ona tribe at all, but that of beasts.