The awakening of the wings occurs when the wings are in dire straits. The power of the goddess saves the wings from certain doom, and in return, the wings spend their entire lives repaying that debt to the world.
Tenua, like other wings, experienced his awakening when his life was on the line. However, what happened afterward was the opposite of what happened to his comrades.
The power granted by the goddess to save the world and embrace the saint.
Tenua began to use that power to slaughter his enemies. The fierce wind became sharp blades, tearing through flesh and bones.
“Please, spare me!”
“Ah! The wind is killing people!”
Blood began to flow.
Those who had attacked Tenua fled in terror, trying to avoid the invisible blades.
Unfortunately, being invisible meant they couldn’t escape either.
“Aaargh!”
Terrified screams filled the darkness.
Before long, the screams ceased, leaving behind a forest soaked in red.
Tenua had massacred everyone in that place.
This event shocked the people of the Empire. They couldn’t celebrate the birth of a new wing. The deeds committed by the new wing were too gruesome.
What made it worse was that Tenua showed no remorse for his actions.
“I did nothing wrong! I only killed scum that deserved to die!”
As tensions escalated, it was revealed that Tenua was the owner of the Dark Mercenary Guild.
His atrocities, along with the massacre in his village when he was a child, became known to the Empire, turning their world upside down.
“Tenua is not worthy of being a wing!”
“He should be discarded immediately!”
There were even people calling for Tenua’s wing status to be revoked and for him to be discarded.
However, the opposing voices lost their power as Josephina actively defended Tenua. Her arguments were persuasive.
“Even the most wicked sinners can be redeemed by the goddess, as it is her will,” Josephina used this excuse, and she used Leticia to further her point. She publicly declared Leticia to be as much of a sinner as Tenua, if not worse.
“Now, I confess. My daughter, Leticia, is a villain that ordinary people dare not oppose, much less Tenua. We need Tenua to be able to confront someone like Leticia.”
“Poison must be dealt with as poison. Therefore, Tenua must be used to deal with Leticia. We cannot discard Tenua.”
“In the end, all of this must be the will of the goddess.”
People believed those words.
They had no choice.
The Empire’s only savior had tearfully confessed her sins.
Leticia became a public enemy overnight, and Tenua became a necessary evil to deal with her.
Afterward, Tenua was in charge of punishing Leticia for a while before leaving the capital. It was to eliminate the factions opposing the saint.
While reveling in the joy of shedding blood, he suddenly received an order to return to the capital.
When he first received the order from Ahwin, Tenua doubted his eyes several times.
“Escort duty? Me? Guard those wretched insects of the Principality?”
To have to guard such lowly individuals. It was an unimaginable task.
However, he couldn’t refuse the order either.
Wings couldn’t disobey their owner’s orders.
Due to the pact between the wing and the saint, the moment he decided to defy the owner’s command, he would begin to experience excruciating pain.
So, with a deep sense of annoyance, Tenua entered the capital.
“I have to do this for a whole month from now on.”
It took a full month from the Empire to the Principality.
During that long period, the thought of dealing with the Principality’s vermin made him lose his temper.
It seemed like he had to tear, break, and kill them all to relieve his frustration. But he couldn’t just do as he pleased. Ahwin was watching him.
“Please do not forget the saint’s command. You must never attack the Principality’s envoy group, under any circumstances.”
Ahwin’s brow twisted momentarily in pain as he spoke, but Tenua didn’t notice. Ahwin adjusted his collar, concealing his pale face, and continued speaking.
“The saint has emphasized it repeatedly. You must safely escort the Principality’s envoy group.”
If Tenua was Josephina’s sword, Ahwin was her representative.
Representatives were responsible for conveying Josephina’s orders to the wings and managing them. Originally, this task was performed by the first wing, but due to circumstances, it had fallen to another wing.
Naturally, Ahwin, the one Josephina trusted the most, took on this responsibility.
“Hah! Orders, you say.”
“It seems Lord Tenua is quite dissatisfied with this order.”
“Of course! They didn’t listen to my opinion at all. Does an order mean I have to accept it without question, smiling all the way?”
“Then, are you in open defiance?”
“…What?”
“Are you going to refuse the saint’s command?”
Defiance.
Tenua, who realized the meaning of the word belatedly, looked at Ahwin in surprise.
Ahwin silently gazed back at Tenua.
His crimson pupils flickered ominously, like blood. Tenua, flustered, spoke.
“Defiance! You don’t have to put it that way!”
“But it is defiance.”
Ahwin replied calmly but firmly.
“We are wings. If it’s our master’s command, we must accept it without question.”
“Are you going to defy the saint’s command just to satisfy your own desires? If it’s not defiance, then what is it? Even if you call yourself a superior wing compared to me, I can’t tolerate it.”
At the same time, a click.
The blade of Ahwin’s sword revealed itself by about an inch.
Tenua flinched.
Whirr… The desert wind began to intensify slightly.
It wasn’t a natural wind. Tenua’s expression changed as he sensed the sudden gale carrying Ahwin’s determination.
With a growl-like tone, he revealed his thoughts.
“What’s this, are you suggesting we try it out? I’m the second, and you’re the third. Have you forgotten?”
“So?”
“Do you think you can beat me?”
“Is that important to you?”
Ahwin twisted his lips in a grimace.
“I’ll do anything for her sake. To protect my master, I can sacrifice my life if needed. Do you want to test if I’m sincere?”
Tenua’s face contorted fiercely. The intense eye-lock between the two men abruptly ended. Tenua subtly turned his head.
“No, no complaints. It was just something I said because it’s my first time on escort duty. Those Principality vermin are annoying too.”
Tenua, Josephina’s second wing, had a difficult temperament, but even he found some humans challenging.
And one of those challenging individuals was Ahwin.
The power of the wings was influenced not only by their awakening order but also by their relationship with the saint.
The stronger the bond with the saint, the higher the saint’s trust in the wing, and the stronger the wing’s power.
From Tenua’s perspective, it was inevitable to feel burdened by Ahwin, who had Josephina’s trust.
‘Of course, if that brat and I ever fight for real, I’ll eventually win.’
He had no desire to confirm it, though.
‘Why is that guy acting like this today?’
Whether it was his mood or something else, Ahwin’s gaze was more severe than usual. It was as if he was looking at the most detestable enemy in the world.
‘Did he take rat poison or something? Making a fuss because he’s dissatisfied with an order, ridiculous. Just ridiculous.’
Tenua turned his head irritably and continued walking, his expression somewhat sour.
‘Let’s ignore him, just ignore. Getting involved with that guy will only be a loss for me. I’d rather avoid the filth because it’s scary, and it’s dirty.’
Ahwin was the most persistent among the humans Tenua knew.
Once he set his mind on something, he would pursue it relentlessly, even if it meant sacrificing his own body.
Especially when it came to the duties of the wings, he did his best no matter what.
Tenua was the complete opposite.
While he was incredibly strong, he had no desire to perform the duties of the wings if it meant injuring himself.
To him, the power of the goddess was nothing more than a tool to make him stronger and a more effective weapon against his enemies.
He didn’t really think about risking his life to protect Josephina. He simply pretended to be loyal because there were eyes watching.
What if he and Ahwin were to face off?
The outcome was clear. Ahwin would throw himself into the fight for the honor of Josephina, even if it meant becoming a cripple.
‘Even if I win, it’s just a victory with wounds.’
What was the meaning of that?
‘That annoying guy. Why does Josephina like him?’
He vowed not to get involved with Ahwin, who was full of complaints.
Fortunately, Ahwin had only one priority.
Saint Josephina.
As long as he didn’t touch his master, he wouldn’t reveal his true nature.
‘As long as I follow Josephina’s orders, I can do whatever I want on the way to the Principality.’
Unfortunately, he couldn’t touch the Principality’s envoys due to the cursed orders.
‘But there are more interesting things than those vermin.’
Tenua chuckled. Leticia, my princess.
‘Our princess, I can destroy her as I please.’
The journey to the Principality might be more enjoyable than he thought. Tenua mused.
‘What should I do to make our princess suffer? How can I trample on her properly? What does our princess fear the most?’
As Tenua excitedly made plans in his mind, he was met with Ahwin’s gaze, which had turned incredibly cold and chilling.
In Ahwin’s crimson eyes, an unmistakable intensity surged. Every time Leticia’s name left Tenua’s lips, his gaze grew more determined. Unconsciously, he had drawn his sword to within an inch of unsheathing it. He wanted to swing that sword, to cut Tenua’s throat, to pierce the two eyes that looked at Leticia.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t control himself. It was an overpowering instinct that left him gasping for breath. In his mind, he had already slit Tenua’s throat hundreds of times.
Ahwin struggled to avert his gaze from Tenua and bowed his head. The hand that gripped the hilt of his sword was white from the pressure he exerted.
Why did Ahwin hate Tenua so intensely?
Was it because he had promised to protect her, as he had with Noel?
No, that wasn’t it.
It was because of Leticia, because she was his one and only master.
As if a voice was shaking his very soul, Ahwin gritted his teeth. The black sword remained firmly in his grip.
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