Ahwin entered the sacred palace. Upon seeing him, the high-ranking officials and courtiers respectfully lowered their heads in greeting.
“We welcome Sir Ahwin, the Third Wing of the Holy Maiden.”
Their attitude towards Ahwin was extremely polite. As the possessor of the wings of the Holy Maiden, he was considered the most sacred being, holding a fragment of the goddess’s soul.
Only the Holy Maiden could possess wings, and even the highest nobles would show reverence towards the wings.
Among these wings, Ahwin was the favorite of Josephina, the Holy Maiden.
“Sir Ahwin has arrived.”
“Please inform the Holy Maiden quickly.”
“Don’t keep Sir Ahwin waiting, move swiftly.”
The holy knights guarding the entrance to the Holy Maiden’s chamber, upon seeing Ahwin approaching, quickly stepped inside.
If it were any other wing, they would have asked their business outside the door and awaited permission from the Holy Maiden. However, it was different with Ahwin.
As soon as Ahwin arrived at the door, a knight who had just entered came back out. With a deeply respectful posture, the knight spoke,
“Please enter.”
Upon entering, Ahwin was greeted by an opulent and lavishly decorated living room.
Shimmering marble pillars, thick carpets adorned with silver and gold threads, and luxurious sofas made from the skin of rare beasts. Every item in the room was among the finest in the Empire, if not the entire continent.
“Ahwin, have you arrived?”
In the center of the room, Josephina was lying on a temporary bed, receiving a massage. Ahwin was not taken aback by the sight of her surrounded by maids while her back was fully exposed.
He approached Josephina, knelt on one knee, and brought his lips to the back of her hand.
“I am in the presence of the Holy Maiden.”
“Uh huh.”
Josephina gave a long, lazy smile.
“It will be over soon. Wait a moment.”
Ahwin remained kneeling, not shifting an inch, until the massage was finished.
“Bring me my robe.”
At Josephina’s gesture, the court ladies brought her robe. While Ahwin briefly averted his gaze, Josephina put on her robe.
“Ahwin, come over here.”
Perched on the sofa, Josephina took a bite of the fruit the court ladies fed her and gestured with her hand.
Ahwin approached her on his knees. He soon assessed Josephina’s expression and, relieved, opened his mouth.
“Holy Maiden, it seems your mood has significantly improved.”
For the past few days, Ahwin felt as if he was walking on thin ice. It was because Josephina’s state was so unstable.
He had no choice but to organize a tea party due to her frenzy, but he worried that another incident might occur because of the king.
Thankfully, Josephina seemed to be in a good mood. She chuckled.
“You always see it, don’t you?”
“What made you so happy, Holy Maiden?”
“Noel called me the master of her soul.”
Ahwin paused.
Unaware of Ahwin’s perturbation, Josephina lazily smiled.
“She knelt before me without even being asked to. She chose only the most flattering words.”
Ahwin was flustered but quickly produced a smile.
“Noel is also a wing of the Holy Maiden. Naturally, she has no choice but to be loyal to you.”
He then bowed his head deeply.
“You’ve finally received the loyalty of all the wings. Congratulations.”
“The congratulations should go to Noel. If she hadn’t finally come to her senses, I was considering discarding her. But now, it seems her lifespan has increased.”
Josephina twisted her mouth with a flick.
“But still, keep a close eye on her. If you feel something is off, let me know. That way, I can kill her right away.”
“… I will bear that in mind.”
Ahwin bowed his head deeply.
Cold sweat trickled down his forehead as he endured the familiar pain in his solar plexus.
It was the same pain he always felt when he acted against the Holy Maiden’s will in her presence.
Even while enduring the pain, all Ahwin could think about was his concern for Noel.
‘Noel swore loyalty to the Holy Maiden? What on earth happened?’
While it was a relief that Josephina had let down her guard against Noel, he was worried. Noel’s change felt far from normal.
‘Come to think of it, Noel said something strange last night.’
“Ahwin, what do you think of the hypothesis that there might be another Holy Maiden?”
Out of the blue, she had brought up the topic of another Holy Maiden.
“I can’t feel anything when I look at Lady Josephina. Maybe the Holy Maiden I should be loyal to is someone else.”
Ahwin immediately denied it.
“There’s only one representative chosen by the goddess in each generation. The Holy Maiden we must serve is none other than Lady Josephina.”
There had been those who claimed to be another Holy Maiden.
They were frauds, lured by the riches and prestige of the Holy Maiden’s position.
Their end was always the same. They were executed for blaspheming against the goddess.
“They were executed?”
Ahwin thought he had stated the obvious. But Noel’s reaction was too odd.
“Execution… How can you say such a thing!”
As if she himself had been sentenced to death, she froze in shock, then suddenly became furious.
“Whether it’s the second or the third, a Holy Maiden is still a Holy Maiden. Is it acceptable for a wing to say such a thing to the Holy Maiden?”
“It’s really too much! The second Holy Maiden could also be a real Holy Maiden.”
Ahwin, who didn’t know about Leticia’s existence, was merely taken aback by Noel’s reaction.
‘What’s happening to Noel?’
He hadn’t thought much about the incident that suddenly occurred last night, but today’s words from Josephina were far from normal.
‘Noel wouldn’t just swear loyalty to the Holy Maiden without reason.’
Just two days ago, she had said she couldn’t bear Josephina because she was repulsive.
It was unusual for Noel to suddenly change her attitude.
He was certain that something was happening somewhere without his knowledge.
At that moment, Josephina’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
“Ahwin, you’re assigned to escort the delegation from the Empire, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“When the delegation returns to the Empire, there’s something you absolutely need to do.”
“Please give me your command.”
Josephina gestured to one of her court ladies.
“Bring it here.”
A moment later, the court lady brought a black box decorated with a gold rim. When the box opened, a small bead inside revealed itself.
Inside the silver bead, a creature resembling a crayfish squirmed.
Ahwin’s eyes widened as he accepted the bead with surprise.
“This is Balenos, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s the very Balenos that you personally sealed.”
Balenos is a powerful demon living under a desert spring, catching animals approaching the spring with its long pincers.
It didn’t target humans except during mating season, but it had started to eat humans even outside of this period a few years ago.
As an emergency measure, the spring was closed, but Balenos, having noticed this, started attacking the nearby residential areas, causing a big problem.
Balenos’ shell was so strong that it couldn’t be penetrated by normal human weapons, and it was impossible to oppose it with the strength of a common human.
After several villages were devastated, Ahwin used the power of the goddess to seal Balenos.
Ahwin looked at Josephina with a sense of foreboding.
“Why are you giving this back to me…”
“As soon as the delegation from the Empire enters the desert, release Balenos.”
“……!”
“While Balenos is preoccupied with the delegation, escape safely with my children. That’s your mission.”
Use Balenos to massacre the delegation from the Empire. That was the new command given by Josephina. Ahwin spoke in a trembling voice.
“But Holy Maiden, if we do that, the entire delegation will be killed.”
“That’s not your concern.”
Josephina lit up her eyes as she caressed Ahwin’s stiff cheek.
“You’re my wings, after all.”
Ahwin clenched his teeth.
This can’t be.
The Empire’s delegation would stand no chance against Balenos. It was obvious that innocent people would be massacred.
Even if Josephina was his master, such an order…
Then, Josephina whispered.
“Ahwin, don’t tell me you’re trying to defy my orders?”
Josephina’s eyes gleamed with malice. Ahwin swallowed. A crushing pain surged, as if something was squeezing his heart. It felt as though the veins around his heart were about to tear.
“I don’t want to lose you, Ahwin.”
With a sweet whisper, her long nails scraped his throat. In the end, Ahwin could not endure the pain and finally managed to answer.
“I will obey your command, Holy Maiden.”
Only then did the force that was choking his prayers release him. Ahwin swallowed his bitterness and lowered his head. Josephina chuckled and patted his cheek.
“My most treasured wing is still so weak at heart.”
“…I apologize.”
“It’s okay. I know your loyalty very well. You’re different from Noel, aren’t you?”
Josephina patted Ahwin’s shoulder and rose from her seat.
“Take Noel with you when you release Balenos.”
Ahwin lifted his head sharply.
“We need to verify. Whether Noel has truly become my wing, or if she is just showing false loyalty because she doesn’t want to die.”
“…”
“If you think she isn’t… kill her right away.”
Humming a tune, Josephina headed toward her bedroom. Ahwin stared at her retreating back, his teeth clenched, and his eyes flickering.
‘Will Noel really cooperate with the Holy Maiden’s plan?’
There’s no way.
‘Noel won’t stand by and watch innocent sacrifices.’
If that happens…
‘I won’t be able to deceive the Holy Maiden’s eyes this time.’
Ahwin laughed bitterly.
‘…Is that the only way, after all?’
He had anticipated such a moment would come.
Even while loving Noel, he knew their relationship couldn’t last forever.
The obstacle that stood before them was too great.
Unless another Holy Maiden appeared, as Noel said, Josephina was Ahwin’s only master.
At some point, he was prepared to choose between the two.
‘Only, I’ve been ignoring it.’
Ahwin smiled bitterly and closed his eyes.
The choice wasn’t hard. Because he couldn’t possibly hurt Noel. Only, the moment of choice came too early, and it hurt.
He wished their sweet times could have lasted a little longer.
With downcast eyes, Ahwin turned from the closed door. Unlike usual, he didn’t give any greetings to Josephina.
He didn’t bow politely or offer a respectful greeting.
As if he had become a stranger, he slipped out with an indifferent face.
In front of the temple, the statue of the goddess was brightly lit by the moonlight. He slowly bowed his head and whispered softly.
Leave a Reply