Leticia clung to her weakening resolve and shook her head firmly.
“Still, it won’t work. If the two of you are here, I can’t do anything because I’ll be worried about both of you.”
“But!”
“Do you want me to stand by and watch Josephina’s evil deeds with my arms crossed?”
“I’d rather have it that way.”
Noel shook her head. She pleaded earnestly.
“At least you won’t be in danger, Leticia. Please let me take the lead in whatever you do. Let me block the arrows aimed at you. Please.”
Leticia stared blankly at Noel and then whispered.
“You want me to be unhappy. I’m sorry for saying such harsh words. But it’s true. If you two get hurt, I will definitely be unhappy. I can be sure of that. I have experienced it before.”
“You have experienced it?”
“I had a dream.”
As she had previously told Ahwin, Leticia calmly confessed her past.
“Noel died trying to protect me. After Noel died, Ahwin went mad.”
There wasn’t much time. But it was enough to convey Leticia’s earnestness. To her, it was not a dream but reality.
“If you really care for me, please do as I wish. Wait for me in a safe place. If not, I will surely be unhappy.”
Noel’s eyes twisted. It had been a fight with a predetermined ending from the start. There was no way Noel could defy what Leticia truly wished. In the end, Noel could only tearfully urge Leticia to be safe.
“You must promise. You must not get hurt. If something bad happens to you, I will die.”
“I understand.”
“I won’t die nicely. I will kill Josephina and all the priests, and then I will die.”
“Alright. Let’s do that.”
“I will destroy all the imperial humans! The foolish, stupid emperor and the imperial family who failed to recognize Leticia all this time… I will overthrow them all!”
Noel and Calisto’s eyes met, and Noel flinched for a moment. Then, realizing something, her eyes lit up.
“I mean it! If even a small scratch appears on Leticia’s fingertip, I will bring down the imperial palace! The so-called Sacred Imperial Family! Just let them be ruined!”
“Ha.”
Calisto scoffed in disbelief.
“What do you think you’ll do in front of me?”
Noel glared.
“If you don’t like it, protect her properly!”
“Noel, stop.”
“Leticia, why don’t you change your mind? I’m the first, and that side is the fourth. Wouldn’t it be better if I stayed by your side? I briefly fought him before, and I seemed much stronger. Shall we compete again now?”
“Let’s go. We don’t have time.”
Leticia practically pushed Noel into the carriage. Shortly after, Behemoth returned, following the carriage.
[Lady Leticia! The carriage has left the capital!]
“Was there any strange movement?”
[Not at all! Nobody even cared about the carriage! They didn’t even try to search for it!]
Relief washed over Leticia as Behemoth reported back. She had been tense, worried that the two might be discovered by the capital’s guard force as they escaped.
“It’s a relief.”
Leticia sighed with relief, then asked again.
“How are the beasts faring?”
[As per your command, Lady Leticia! They are moving as instructed, drawing attention away from the carriage so that no one can approach it!]
“Good. Thank you for the update.”
[Hehe!]
Behemoth was overjoyed, exposing its belly. Leticia stroked Behemoth’s belly as she spoke.
“Behemoth, I know it’s hard, but I’ll need you to continue. In any situation, prioritize their safety. Can you do that?”
[Yes!]
Behemoth then left again to protect Noel and Ahwin. As Leticia watched the silver wolf disappear into the night sky, Noel’s words kept echoing in her mind.
[Even if the pain of the oath tears me apart, I will die by Lady Leticia’s side.]
The weight of her affection was moving, yet it felt strange. She was making such sacrifices herself, after all. The curse of Josephina engraved on her heart was proof of that. Calisto asked.
“What should we do next?”
“For now, we wait until Mother makes her move.”
“Act? You mean Josephina won’t sit still?”
“Of course not.”
Leticia spoke with conviction.
“By now, the Divine Palace must be in turmoil. The rumors spread in the capital must have reached Mother’s ears.”
Josephina would never tolerate such suspicions. She would want to eliminate them, even if it meant killing all the people of the capital.
“But she can’t do that. If she does, the entire empire will turn against her. She’ll have to find another way to regain her authority.”
“Another way?”
“She’ll rely on a power other than her own. There are a few possibilities I anticipate. We just need to prepare and then react accordingly to Mother’s actions.”
Leticia continued calmly.
“The most likely option is using the beasts.”
Josephina had lost control over the pets in the Divine Palace. Rumors about that had even spread. She would try to dispel those rumors by any means necessary.
“She’ll claim that it’s not a loss of control over the beasts, but that a problem has arisen with some beasts in the Divine Palace. For instance, she might say that the ominous power of a dragon has influenced the beasts.”
The path forward was clear.
“She will try to bring in other beasts as soon as possible. She will parade them in front of everyone to demonstrate her control.”
“You’re talking about the beasts of the desert.”
“Exactly.”
Leticia nodded.
“But can she really bring those beasts here?”
* * *
“Aaagh!”
Josephina’s scream echoed across the fortress. The guards stationed there fell prostrate, trembling as if struck by lightning.
“Holy Lady, please calm down. First, temper your anger…”
“Temper my anger? Does that make any sense?”
“Eek!”
“Why! Why is this happening!”
Josephina felt like she was going mad. As Leticia had predicted, she had come to the fortress to fetch new beasts. The desert was teeming with them, so it should have been possible. But it wasn’t.
“Where have all those numerous beasts gone!”
All the numerous beasts had disappeared. There was not even a trace of them. It was as if they had deliberately hidden. One of the guards, trembling and wanting to live a bit longer, dared to speak.
“Perhaps they hid because they knew the Holy Lady was coming?”
“What?”
“Oh, just before you arrived, I saw the beasts! They burst out as if they were about to have a feast. But then, suddenly, they all disappeared—the only reason must be because of that!”
Beasts that had been hiding underground popped out, and those flying in the sky landed. Massive beasts that were rarely seen even a few times a year briefly appeared on the horizon.
“They looked so terrifying. I thought the empire was turning upside down. And then it was quiet. It must be because the Holy Lady appeared…”
The man could not finish his words. Josephina, looking as if she would kill, glared at the guard and then turned around. The guard quickly lay flat on the ground. Her presence was so menacing that he dared not speak further.
It was a wise decision. Any further words could have led to a horrific death at the hands of a terrified Josephina.
‘Beasts suddenly appearing all over the desert? Even those that should have been asleep? What is going on? What is happening?’
She had a natural talent for rationalizing things in her favor. That meant she had the ability to interpret anything in her favor. Despite numerous ominous signs appearing over time, she had ignored them all. She lived convinced she was the empire’s only holy woman.
‘There must be something. Something terrible is happening!’
But not anymore. No matter how bad her luck was, all these ominous events couldn’t happen all at once. The news of the sudden appearance of the beasts finally convinced her. Something terrible was approaching.
‘Therefore, the only thing awaiting you is a miserable death.’
That cursed prophecy kept taking over her mind. Fear rose, and her fingertips trembled.
‘No way. It can’t be. There’s no way I’ll die like that!’
As Josephina tried to erase her fear, a plan flashed through her mind like a lightning bolt as soon as she recalled the prophecy.
‘Yes. The prophecy! I can overcome this crisis with the prophecy!’
Why had she only thought of this now? If her authority was crumbling, she could lean on a greater power to restore it. In the capital, only Josephina could interpret the prophecy.
So, whatever she did, no one would notice. With this resolve, Josephina quickly issued an order.
“Listen! Send someone to the temple immediately! Prepare the rites to be offered to the goddess right now!”
* * *
“If she fails to control the beasts, then she’ll turn to the prophecy.”
“Prophecy?”
“There’s no better way to restore lost authority than by relying on a prophecy.”
Leticia explained.
“She believes only she can interpret the prophecy, making it easy to manipulate, especially since she doesn’t know I’m here.”
Leticia glanced briefly at the Divine Palace and smiled faintly.
“Mother will surely start by preparing the rites. She’ll need witnesses, so she’ll gather as many people as possible. That’s when I’ll make my move. I’ll reveal the truth of the prophecy in front of everyone.”
* * *
The carriage carrying Noel and Ahwin continued to distance itself from the capital. The farther they got from Leticia, the heavier Noel’s heart became.
‘Should I return to Lady Leticia now?’
Her heart was resolute, but she couldn’t muster the courage. She couldn’t be stubborn after hearing that it would make Leticia unhappy.
“Ahwin, Ahwin.”
If only Ahwin were awake, they could have endured together. But he was asleep, making it impossible. Noel briefly touched Ahwin’s forehead before resting her chin on her hands again.
“Can the prince really handle this?”
Although Calisto was supposed to be on the same level, Noel had her doubts. She knew of Calisto’s capabilities, yet she was still unsure. Noel tried to shake off the worry from her mind.
“It should be fine. They said he might be the next Archmage of the Tower, given his prowess. He saved Ahwin earlier, too…”
As she thought this, Noel hesitated. Archmage of the Tower. That thought brought something to mind. It was something she had completely forgotten amidst the chaos.
“My goodness.”
Noel quickly pulled a crumpled note from her pocket. A circular symbol was drawn on the note.
“I meant to tell the prince once things settled down. I completely forgot about it.”
It was the exact symbol she had seen in Josephina’s room.
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