And in that moment, the oppressive atmosphere vanished in an instant.
Ahwin haughtily declared.
“If you’ve understood me, leave now.”
“G-got it, yes.”
The knight hastily turned around. His legs were weak with relief and fear.
Stumbling, he eventually fell forward with a thud, but he got up immediately, not even bothering to check his wounds, and ran off.
Ahwin, who had been watching coldly, glanced briefly at the delegation from the Principality.
Under the gradually setting sun, the Principality’s delegation stood still, looking towards something.
His eyes narrowed when he saw Leticia at the end of the group.
‘Has something happened to her?’
To assess the situation, he intended to summon another wind.
“Behi…!”
He barely managed to cover his mouth in time. His hand turned white from the pressure.
After a moment, his throat moved lengthily. Trembling, he wiped his mouth with his hand.
Blood stained his sleeve.
Ahwin bit his lip anxiously, seeing this. His body was deteriorating much faster than he had expected.
‘I need to last at least a month.’
It took a full month to travel from the empire to the Principality. He needed to endure that month, even if he fell apart at its end, to protect Leticia until she reached the Principality.
‘Will I have enough strength left to kill Tenua?’
Even if Leticia safely arrived at the Principality, leaving Tenua behind would be a lingering threat. He had to kill Tenua, no doubt.
‘Under normal circumstances, I would be confident in the outcome.’
Even though his awakening was delayed, he had the favor of Josephina. He was confident that he could incapacitate Tenua if he risked his life, but he was uncertain.
Could a wing suffering from the pain of betrayal and the covenant’s curse wield its full power? He couldn’t be sure.
‘I must find a way, no matter what.’
As he pondered this, struggling to move, a sudden intense pain flashed through his eyes.
A wave of agony pierced his entire body. The pain of the covenant lashed at him like a whip.
“Ah!”
Ahwin crouched, his body trembling violently. He barely managed to steady himself against a dry tree, avoiding an embarrassing fall.
His nails dug into the bark, blood seeping out. He waited for the pain to subside, unable to even breathe.
Ahwin closed his eyes tightly, thinking.
This is madness.
He knew all too well how to ease his pain – just follow Josephina’s command to annihilate the Principality’s delegation.
Yet, knowing this, why did his heart keep drifting towards Leticia?
‘Worship your true master.’
Was it really just because of that voice?
No, it wasn’t.
By now, he even doubted the reality of that voice.
To believe that Leticia was his true master seemed implausible, given the overwhelming power of Josephina that dominated him.
Perhaps the voice he had been hearing for the past two days was just a hallucination.
But despite this,
‘Whether it’s a hallucination or not, it doesn’t matter.’
In truth, he had made his decision long ago.
When he saw Leticia standing alone in front of his room two days ago, he knew he had to help her.
He couldn’t understand why he made that choice, but there seemed no other way.
The mere thought of turning his back on Leticia was unbearably painful, as if his heart was being torn into a thousand pieces.
He couldn’t reveal his decision to anyone, not even to Leticia, and certainly not to his lover, Noel.
Josephina’s power still dominated him, as the ongoing pain of the covenant proved.
Yet, even knowing this, he couldn’t ignore Leticia.
Then there was only one path left for him.
Endure the pain while safely escorting the Principality’s delegation. Then, with all his might, eliminate Tenua and erase all evidence.
‘It’s a stroke of luck that Noel is not involved in this mission.’
His end seemed almost predetermined.
He wasn’t afraid of death. It was just puzzling.
‘Why am I going to these lengths?’
He laughed faintly, struggling to stand.
‘At least my mind feels at ease.’
Pain still lingered in his red eyes, but there was also a sense of relief.
After awakening as a wing, he spent countless nights in turmoil. Josephina’s commands always tormented him.
He tried to convince himself that the Holy Lady had a purpose, but often reached his limits.
The more he struggled, the more desperately he fulfilled his responsibilities as a wing. Fulfilling the mission given by the Goddess was the only lifeline he clung to.
But the anguish that had so confused him vanished the moment he decided to help Leticia.
Surprisingly easily.
For a brief moment, he felt exhilarated.
He wondered if this feeling was the instinct of a wing recognizing its true master. But he quickly suppressed any such hope.
‘Do I even deserve to dream that?’
Regardless of the reason, he had been a bystander to Leticia’s suffering.
If she were indeed his true master, she could never forgive him.
No, even if she could forgive him, he could never forgive himself.
‘So, this end isn’t so bad, is it?’
Ahwin smiled faintly.
When a wing dies, its power transfers to another soul. His death would surely bring forth a proper wing.
‘When and where the new wing will awaken is unknown.’
Regardless, the new wing would surely be a great support to Leticia.
‘When I die, Noel will…’
For a moment, a sharp pain clutched at his heart.
A pain unrelated to the agony of the covenant.
Ahwin pressed his eyelids tightly. Choosing his end and accepting the consequences were entirely different matters.
‘She will take care of it, surely.’
Leticia was Noel’s master.
She could soothe the heart of a wing wounded by the loss of a lover.
Planning to find an opportunity to speak alone with Leticia soon, the persistent pain that had been tormenting him suddenly ceased. The needles stabbing all over his body vanished in an instant.
Ahwin opened his eyes in amazement.
A slow-moving wind, mixed with golden particles, swirled around him.
His eyes widened. The wind brought with it the refreshment he had longed for since two days ago.
And at that very moment.
“Ahwin.”
A call came from behind him.
He turned around swiftly, swallowing hard. There was no one there.
Only the dry desert with rolling black pebbles. Leticia was nowhere to be seen.
His red eyes shook violently. Not far away, empire knights dressed in white were preparing camp.
Under the red sunset, fires were lit, and grey tents erected.
A knight carrying a pole on his shoulder caught Ahwin’s eye and quickly turned away, pale-faced.
Not just him, but the atmosphere among the others was similar. They dared not meet Ahwin’s gaze.
Ahwin himself felt as if he was under a spell. And then, at that moment.
“She surely will…”
The voice came again.
Simultaneously, he realized.
Leticia needed him. She was calling for him.
Ahwin turned swiftly and strode towards the delegation of the Principality. His white priestly robe, adorned with golden vines, fluttered in the wind. There was no longer any hesitation in his steps.
* * *
Leticia smiled faintly.
Banessa, with reddened eyes, looked up at Leticia. His voice trembled with disbelief.
“Your Highness?”
“Yes. So don’t worry. His Majesty of the Principality will not suffer any indignity…”
“No, that’s not acceptable!”
Banessa exclaimed abruptly.
“Why should Your Highness bear such indignities!”
Banessa couldn’t comprehend why he felt such turmoil inside.
“It’s my burden. So, I will kneel. I will beg for mercy. I will even prostrate myself on the ground if necessary.”
“…”
“Please, don’t step in, Your Highness.”
Only then did he realize the source of his anxiety. It was because she acted as if her own well-being was of no importance.
“They are devils. They might demand anything from Your Highness under the guise of treatment. Your Highness could get hurt!”
She had already saved him twice. Others had also received her help.
Banessa couldn’t understand. Why did someone who valued others so highly, regard themselves so lowly?
“I saw that woman earlier. When we entered the shrine, she couldn’t even make a sound, just bowed her head.”
And at that moment, he realized the answer.
She had been oppressed her whole life, not knowing her own worth.
This terrible feeling wasn’t new.
“There’s no fault with them. It’s all due to my inadequacy.”
He remembered Dietrian, a few days ago, prostrating himself to save Enoch.
“It’s not a sacrifice. It’s simply what needs to be done.”
A month ago, when Dietrian insisted on a political marriage, constantly sacrificing everything for others, Banessa had watched, feeling powerless.
He always felt this way, unable to do anything.
His hand, clutching the sand, tightened.
In these recurring situations, he still felt powerless. He despised his own inadequacy.
He wished that his lord and the lady his lord had welcomed would no longer have to sacrifice anything.
He would have given his soul to make that happen.
And at that moment.
Is that your true intention?
An unfamiliar voice echoed.
Do you genuinely intend to live for those two people?
Banessa’s eyes widened. It wasn’t a human voice. Nor did he hear it with his ears. It was as if the sound was transmitted through his skin.
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