Ahwin had endured one of the longest nights of his life.
After Leticia left, realizing the truth and learning of his role as one of her Wings, he was initially overwhelmed with shock, knowing too well what Josephina had done to Leticia.
The thought of it made him sick to his stomach, sometimes even nauseous. He felt so guilty that he wished he could just disappear.
But he couldn’t die just for his own peace of mind. His true master, Leticia, was still in a precarious situation, like a candle in the wind.
She hadn’t yet fully realized her power or gathered all nine Wings. Moreover, Noel, the first Wing, was away from her side.
Tenua, for some unknown reason, failed to recognize Leticia and seemed intent on harming her at every opportunity.
Only Ahwin was aware of all these circumstances. He was the only one who could help her.
Fortunately, the pain from the oath that had tormented him disappeared completely after his awakening. Instead, a refreshing energy filled his veins, invigorating every cell. Ahwin felt a mix of relief and unease with this newfound vitality.
Pushing aside his guilt towards Leticia, he devised a plan to protect her.
The most immediate threat to Leticia was still Tenua.
He debated whether to kill Tenua himself. The decision was far from easy. If Tenua was the second Wing and Ahwin was also a second, their powers would be roughly equal.
Regardless of who won, a confrontation with Tenua would mean significant losses.
‘Especially losing Josephina’s trust.’
Ahwin knew very well how much Josephina’s favor towards him could empower Leticia.
If Leticia permitted, he wanted to remain as Josephina’s Wing, at least outwardly. Although risky for him, it would be beneficial for Leticia.
‘That’s the only way to atone for my past wrongs towards her.’
So, Ahwin decided to wait for Leticia’s command regarding Tenua.
Tenua had appeared nonchalantly when everyone was in chaos due to the contaminated well.
Suppressing his desire to kill Tenua, Ahwin spoke calmly.
“You returned sooner than expected. I thought we wouldn’t see you until after we crossed the gravel desert.”
“I had something I needed to check urgently. Couldn’t wait any longer,” Tenua replied.
“Something you wanted to check?”
“How I’ve been curious about our princess’s face. You’ve heard, haven’t you? The well’s broken, so imagine how frightened she must be now! Ha ha ha!”
Ahwin’s gaze turned icy. The power of the Wing flowed through his veins, whispering.
Kill him now.
Quickly.
Present his corpse to your master.
Suppressing his instinct, Ahwin harshly questioned.
“Are you out of your mind? You destroyed a well that everyone depends on just for that trivial reason?”
“Trivial? The sight of that girl crying is absolutely thrilling! Just that? Just that?”
Tenua looked at Ahwin as if he were absurd.
“A single tear from her is more exhilarating than killing dozens, hundreds of other humans!”
Tenua had crossed the line.
“How regrettable that she only has one life! If possible, I’d want to kill her every single day… Ack!”
Before he knew it, Ahwin had pinned Tenua down, his voice laced with contempt.
“…Shut your mouth.”
“What am I, huh?”
“If you don’t want your mouth torn open, shut it.”
“Cough, cough!”
Tenua struggled to break free from Ahwin’s grasp, but failed.
‘What is this!’
Shock filled Tenua’s eyes. Despite it being just one hand, he couldn’t break free.
‘Impossible! This can’t be! He can’t be this strong!’
“I warned you repeatedly. Not to pull any foolish tricks. Not to touch the Principality’s delegation.”
“I never, touched, cough.”
“For a petty reason, you ruined a well meant for the delegation.”
“Cough!”
“Did you find my warning so amusing? Is that why you destroyed the well?”
“No, it’s not that.”
“Or do you take the Saint’s orders so lightly that you engaged in such foolishness?”
“Ugh.”
“I told you not to interfere. I warned you repeatedly. And yet, you dare, you dare, you dare!”
Tenua’s face turned beet red as he choked.
He realized instinctively that he could not win against Ahwin. In a direct confrontation, he would certainly die.
He had never begged for his life before.
“Please, spare…”
He found himself pleading without realizing it.
“Ugh…huh.”
Yet his consciousness still faded. Tenua’s hand lost its strength, and he slumped, tongue lolling out.
Ahwin, who had been glaring coldly, ground his teeth.
His hand still clenched tightly. He barely resisted the urge to twist Tenua’s neck.
He managed to pull his hand away and staggered to his feet.
His gaze remained murderous as he stared at Tenua. His knuckles were bloodied, scratched in Tenua’s struggle to break free.
Yet, he hadn’t flinched. Ahwin glanced at his wounds and clenched his fist.
‘So easy…’
He hadn’t imagined it would be so easy to overpower Tenua when he charged at him in anger.
But he did it. Despite both being second Wings, the difference was immense. Why?
His heart raced.
‘Because Leticia is stronger than Josephina.’
Even without full awakening, she could grant such immense power to her Wings.
‘What would happen when she gathers all nine Wings and becomes a complete Saint.’
The thought sent shivers down his spine.
Ahwin closed his eyes briefly, trying to calm his excitement. He turned to leave Tenua lying there but paused.
The imperial knights were staring at him with faces like they’d seen a ghost.
Their expressions varied, but the emotion in their eyes was the same.
Astonishment and fear. An instinctive terror of an overwhelming presence.
* * *
Not long after, Tenua woke up with a start.
“Yikes!”
The moment his eyes met Ahwin’s, he reacted as if he had seen death itself and hurriedly exclaimed.
“I, I’ll go scout the area! For, for the Saint’s orders! So don’t misunderstand. Don’t you dare misunderstand!”
“Do as you wish.”
Ahwin didn’t bother to detain Tenua. His presence was more of an annoyance than anything else.
“Behemoth, keep a close watch on Tenua. If he does anything suspicious, inform me immediately.”
“Yes, Ahwin!”
He then ordered the knights.
“We need to find a usable well as quickly as possible. Check all nearby wells and report back.”
Throughout the search for a well, Ahwin anxiously glanced towards the Principality’s delegation.
‘When should I meet her?’
He knew he had to report his awakening to Leticia soon. A mix of excitement and anxiety filled him.
‘What if Leticia doesn’t forgive me?’
Even though he had been deceived, he had lived as Josephina’s Wing for years. If she deemed it necessary for her true Wings to emerge, Ahwin might even be considered expendable.
‘Even so.’
As long as he was alive, he would do his utmost until the end.
‘I won’t miss this opportunity.’
Determined to live as a Wing should, solely for his soul’s true master, he noticed something odd at that moment.
“…?”
Leticia was being carried by someone.
‘Has something happened to Lady Leticia?’
Startled, Ahwin quickly summoned Behemoth.
“Check her condition immediately. Especially if there’s any health issue.”
“Leave it to me!”
After an anxious wait, the spirit returned shortly.
“Nothing’s wrong! She’s perfectly fine!”
“Perfectly fine?”
“Yes, she’s sound asleep. Very deeply! Her complexion, pulse, breathing – everything’s normal!”
Until that moment, Ahwin hadn’t imagined that Leticia could remain asleep for hours on end.
“Ahwin! It seems like something serious has happened!”
Ahwin, who had been sitting on a rock, sprang to his feet.
“What’s going on?”
“Lady Leticia won’t wake up!”
“What?”
“No matter how much she’s roused, she just keeps saying she’s sleepy! So, the King decided to take her to a doctor!”
“She needs to see a doctor?”
Ahwin hurried towards the delegation. The imperial knights, who had witnessed yesterday’s incident, didn’t dare ask where he was going.
‘If she needs a doctor, then my divine power might be of help.’
As he walked anxiously, he suddenly stopped, taken aback.
An unbelievable scene unfolded before him.
Golden petals covered the sand and gravel. When the wind blew, the petals rolled gracefully across the ground.
Ahwin blinked in astonishment.
Petals.
Something that should never be in the desert…
Then, he noticed something even more unusual. Golden snowflakes falling from the sky turned into petals upon touching the gravel.
It was a shower of golden flower petals from the sky.
‘What on earth is this?’
Speechless, he watched the golden snowflakes, and just then, one touched his fingertip. Simultaneously…
‘Could it be?’
Ahwin’s eyes widened in realization.
‘Is this Lady Leticia’s power?’
The power in the petals was all too familiar to Ahwin.
As he stood there, stunned, members of the Principality’s delegation began to notice him, one by one. Ahwin was struck by another shock.
The expressions of the delegation members were incredibly nonchalant. It was as if they couldn’t see this wondrous landscape at all.
Watching them, Ahwin recalled a passage he had read long ago about the delayed awakening of a saint.
“An awakening has several signs. One of them is endless sleep. An ordinary human needs preparation to accept immense power…”
“That day, the garden was filled with golden petals. The sleeping buds bloomed all at once, celebrating the birth of the new representative…”
“All of this was visible only to the eyes of the Nine Wings. It was a blessing granted exclusively to them.”
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