At the same time.
In front of the Holy Empire’s imperial city, more than ten torches suddenly illuminated the darkness.
“……I will repay my sins with death, Your Majesty.”
“Only your mouth is alive.”
The emperor ground his teeth.
“Do you mean to say that the broken boundary stone will return just because you die?”
The captain of the knights said nothing.
He simply closed his eyes in resignation, sensing his impending death. This action only fueled the emperor’s rage further.
“If repaying your sins with death is your wish, then so be it. Bring the sword!”
It wasn’t the knight captain’s fault that the boundary stone was broken. Yet, no one dared to stop the emperor.
“If there is any conscience left in you, you must find a way to restore the boundary stone, even if it means making a deal with a demon.”
The knight captain, struck in a vital spot, vomited blood and collapsed, convulsing before going limp.
“He has stopped breathing.”
“I can’t stand the sight of him! Remove him immediately!”
Shortly thereafter, the knight captain’s body disappeared.
Only the dim boundary stone remained next to a pool of blood.
The emperor stomped his foot.
“Remove that too! I said I can’t stand the sight of it!”
“But, Your Majesty, the boundary stone must be properly preserved. The goddess’s power might return to it later.”
“When exactly is that power supposed to return!”
“Ugh!”
The eighty-year-old chief steward was slapped by the emperor and fell.
“This place is full of idiots and fools! How can such stupid people restore the boundary stone!”
The emperor was so furious because of the boundary stone that protected the empire.
Nine boundary stones, also symbolizing nine souls, were broken.
No one knew when the boundary stones had broken or why such an event had occurred.
The boundary stones, being sacred objects protecting the empire, were not easily accessible even by the emperor.
They were protected in layers and only checked when it was time for the saint to breathe power into them.
Recently, that time had come, and the sealed location of the boundary stones was inspected.
Of the nine boundary stones, five had lost their light.
The remaining four were not completely intact either.
One of them seemed faint, as if its light might go out at any moment.
Fortunately, three of the boundary stones shone brighter than before.
‘We need to send someone to the temple to ask for the saint’s help… No, that’s not possible.’
The saint already held several of the imperial family’s weaknesses in her grasp.
The existence of Calisto was one of them.
If she learned that the boundary stones were broken, it was obvious she would press the imperial family.
‘Calisto, you foolish boy. Why reject the fate of the First Wing and cause this mess!’
While the emperor was cursing his son, someone called out to him.
“Your Majesty.”
It was a man with a chilly demeanor, pale platinum hair, and green eyes.
A look of disappointment crossed the emperor’s face.
The last person he wanted to see right now had appeared.
Lehir, the first son of Josephina.
“Sir Lehir, what brings you here at this late hour?”
“The night has been rather tumultuous. I thought perhaps you might need my assistance.”
“Tumultuous? It’s merely a worldly matter. There’s no need for you, Sir Lehir, to bother yourself with it.”
If Lehir found out that the boundary stones were broken, it would be the end.
“Come, let’s go inside. Since you’ve come all this way, let’s have a drink. It’s been quite lonely since the children left the palace.”
The emperor forced a smile and led Lehir inside.
“Now that I think of it, you are in a similar situation to me. Separated from your family, far from home. I heard you couldn’t even attend your youngest sister’s wedding because of your busy schedule?”
When the emperor brought up Leticia, Lehir paused for a moment but soon lifted the corners of his mouth.
“……Yes, unfortunately, that’s how it turned out. But how important is a wedding anyway? If my sister can live more peacefully in her new home, that’s enough for me.”
Still, he didn’t seem to be smiling at all. His cold green eyes lacked any warmth.
* * *
Under a sky full of dark clouds. The Holy Empire’s temple was as bright as if it were broad daylight.
This was because paladins carrying torches were hurriedly running around the temple.
They were trying to capture a demon beast that had escaped its enclosure.
“Ah, what a mess this is.”
Princess Dana tapped her forehead and shook her head in dismay.
From afar, the cries of the demon beasts could be heard.
A royal knight spoke with concern.
“Your Highness, it’s very late. You should retire to your chambers now.”
“I would love to, but how can I sleep with these mad beasts causing such a racket?”
Even Josephina could not control the demon beasts.
It was uncertain when the beasts might invade this place, making it impossible to rest easily.
“Your Highness, the Royal Knights are far braver and more skilled than Josephina’s knights. We can easily subdue these wretched beasts, so please, go inside and rest. I’m worried about your well-being.”
“That’s right, Your Highness, Prince Calisto is here too. What demon beast could possibly harm someone who is destined to become a master of the mage tower? Don’t worry and go rest, Your Highness.”
That very Calisto is the biggest problem of all… The princess swallowed her true feelings and sighed deeply. She then told her knights.
“Since you all insist so much, I cannot be stubborn anymore. I trust my knights, so let’s go inside. Make sure to inform me immediately if anything happens. The situation at the temple is not normal.”
“We will obey your command.”
The princess tightened her robe and entered the palace. With a heavy sound, the mansion door closed behind her. The screeching of the demon beasts seemed to grow fainter.
‘What on earth is all this?’
For the past few days, unimaginable crises had been bursting forth continuously.
Noel Armos had caused havoc in the temple, Calisto had clashed with Noel, and to make matters worse, he had provoked Josephina.
As a result, Calisto, who had suffered for days from the pain of his oath, suddenly laughed today.
Worried by his brother’s sudden change, even more ominous news reached her.
‘The Second Wing has been murdered, the Third Wing was struck by the saint’s blade. Now even the beasts raised by the saint are running wild. What on earth is going to happen next?’
Amidst all this, Calisto was still the greatest source of anxiety.
He felt like a ticking time bomb.
‘Maybe I should have come to the temple alone.’
It was at the princess’s persuasion that Calisto had come to the temple.
She had wanted to help her brother, who had suffered all his life from the pain of the oath.
Her plan was to use the national celebration as an excuse to meet Josephina and persuade Calisto to swear allegiance.
‘Allegiance, what nonsense.’
As soon as the princess arrived at the empire, she realized her plan had failed.
Calisto’s hostility towards Josephina was much deeper than she remembered.
She tried to go back to the imperial palace to manage the situation, but she failed.
Calisto had stubbornly insisted on staying by Josephina’s side.
Unable to break her brother’s resolve, the princess feared that the ticking time bomb that was her brother might explode and take her life as well.
Screech! As soon as they went upstairs, the screams of the demon beasts grew louder.
Calisto’s room door was open.
The princess sighed deeply and entered through the open door.
Calisto was leaning on the balcony railing, looking out into the darkness.
His eyes flickered strangely as he gazed into the abyss.
“Calisto, you’re not asleep yet?”
The princess plopped down on the bed.
Calisto glanced at her, moving only his eyes.
He then slightly lifted the corners of his mouth.
“It seems you’ve also come to watch.”
“Watch what?”
“Watching the demon beasts.”
“Do you find that entertaining? I find it utterly horrific. How could she collect such grotesque creatures? I can never understand Josephina’s taste.”
“Of course, it’s interesting. The demon beasts have lost the saint’s control and are running wild. When else would we get to see such a rare spectacle?”
“Calisto, just in case, because Josephina can’t control the beasts…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t cause any trouble.”
“Huh?”
“You’re worried that I might use the chaos caused by the rampaging beasts to attack Josephina, aren’t you?”
“Haha, you’ve already figured it out?”
“It’s written all over your face, sister.”
Calisto let out a soft laugh.
Embarrassed, the princess smiled awkwardly and observed her brother’s expression.
While his smile seemed unsettling, it appeared better than when he was tormented by the pain of the oath.
“Well, that’s not too bad. But I have no such plans right now. It’s boring. I no longer want to care about someone like Josephina.”
“Someone like Josephina?”
“I want to leave the temple as soon as possible. I’ve had enough of this place. There’s someone I need to meet right now.”
The daughter of the saint, Leticia. He needed to meet her.
‘Is she really the true saint?’
He still couldn’t be sure whether she was genuine or not.
Yet, he was elated.
For the first time, he faced hope.
Even if it turned out to be false, he wanted to savor this hope for now.
‘I need to find a way to sneak Noel Armos out of the temple without Josephina noticing first.’
According to the plan, they should have left the temple long ago.
But an unexpected variable had arisen.
Suddenly, Ahwin had become a half-corpse and was imprisoned.
Truthfully, Calisto didn’t care whether Ahwin lived or died.
The problem was Noel. After Ahwin’s condition worsened, Noel was almost out of her mind.
People said Noel was acting out of fear of Josephina, but Calisto thought differently.
Noel knew Josephina was a fraud.
Why would a wing that follows the true saint be afraid of a fake?
It was more likely that Noel’s behavior was due to Ahwin’s condition.
Ahwin’s injury was that shocking.
‘It’s likely that High Priest Ahwin also follows the true saint.’
That would explain Noel’s strange behavior. Therefore, he decided to give it a few days and observe the situation.
“You want to leave the temple? Really? What’s gotten into you?”
The waiting was excruciatingly dull.
Calisto tried to imagine what Leticia looked like.
It wasn’t easy.
He had read a general description in reports, but no face seemed to fit.
He regretted his actions on the day of the national wedding.
That day, he had the opportunity to meet Leticia but had spurned it.
When he heard Josephina would not attend Leticia’s wedding, he stormed out of the venue.
Calisto irritably touched his mouth.
He regretted that his impulsive temperament had cost him a precious opportunity.
“What’s gotten into you, then?”
“……”
“Cal! What’s gotten into you?”
Calisto turned his head with a puzzled expression. The princess was looking at him with a stern face.
“What are you thinking that you don’t hear me calling you several times?”
“Ah.”
Calisto quickly smiled and responded.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment. Please, go on.”
“I was asking what has suddenly made you want to leave the temple. Before, even when I begged you to return, you insisted on staying by Josephina’s side.”
“Just, well. I’ve changed my mind.”
“And why is that?”
“There’s no need to pay attention to a fake anymore…”
“Aaagh!”
That’s when it happened. A tearing scream echoed. Calisto reflexively turned his head.
“Ahh! Help me!”
In the garden, a priest who had encountered a demon beast screamed as he fell to his knees.
“Is there no one? Please! Please help me!”
“Grrrr.”
It was outside the annex fence.
Clinging to the fence, the priest screamed like a madman. Yellow saliva dripped from the demon beast’s fangs.
“Save me! Please help!”
Calisto quickly lost interest and looked away.
He didn’t care whether Josephina’s subordinates lived or died.
The princess wrapped her robe tighter and approached Calisto’s side.
“That priest looks like he’s about to die, doesn’t he?”
“Seems so.”
“Aren’t you going to help?”
“Josephina’s dogs?”
Calisto scoffed.
“These people are demons gnawing at the Holy Empire. They deserve death, and if they die, we should be grateful.”
“Right. I figured you’d say that.”
The princess shook her head disapprovingly.
But then, something strange happened.
The demon beast that was about to devour the priest suddenly stopped its movement.
Frozen with its mouth agape, it hastily retreated a few steps as if it had seen something terrifying.
The trembling priest got up from his spot.
He ran away like a madman.
“Aaah!”
The demon beast remained in the same spot.
It seemed as if it couldn’t see the priest who had just escaped.
‘What’s going on?’
Sensing something odd, Calisto straightened up.
Moments later, a woman in a hood emerged from the opposite side of the demon beast.
Calisto stared at her without blinking.
Time seemed to slow down, feeling twice as long.
The woman facing the demon beast slowly lowered her hood.
Long black hair cascaded down, revealing a familiar face. Calisto’s eyes widened.
“……Yerina?”
It was Yerina, the spy he had planted in the temple.
“Why is Yerina here…”
Calisto couldn’t finish his sentence.
Leticia slowly lifted her gaze. Her calm eyes met Calisto’s.
Their eyes locked.
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