Calisto, contrary to the princess’s concerns, held onto his reason. At the sight of the fallen Leticia, his eyes did momentarily roll back. However, he quickly tensed up, sensitive as a well-honed blade.
The most important person in his life was in danger. He couldn’t afford to mess things up blinded by anger. So, he made his calculations and chose the action that would be most helpful to Leticia.
It’s just that his criteria were quite different from those of the princess.
For the princess, smashing the temple seemed like mad venting, but not for Calisto.
“O Goddess! Did you truly abandon this country!”
“This is, a dream.”
“Sob!”
The Holy Empire was the only country on the continent blessed by the goddess. The people of the empire had lived proudly of this fact for a long time. Calisto intentionally shattered this pride in front of everyone. It was because it was the most effective way to announce Leticia’s entrance.
“You devil! Go to hell!”
There were some side effects, indeed. Josephina’s priests cried and cursed Calisto. He didn’t care. In fact, being called a demon was somewhat pleasing. If people considered him a demon, then Leticia would be the only one in the world who could hold a demon’s leash.
That fact would surely elevate her reputation. If necessary, he could even hand her a sword to slay the demon—offering her the right to kill himself.
As thoughts flowed smoothly, he briefly pondered. Was his blind loyalty merely because he was born under the fate of wings? Or had Leticia already become special?
“Where is Josephina?”
“You demon-like creature! No, worse than a demon! I don’t even want to tell you… Aargh!”
Having smashed the temple for Leticia’s sake, he decided on the lives of the priests in a way that would be helpful to her. He genuinely wanted to kill all the priests, but he restrained himself. Ultimately, Calisto failed to extract Josephina’s whereabouts from the priests and summoned the earth spirit.
“Antus.”
[Yes, master.]
The earth spirit wriggled and rose from the ground.
“Find Josephina. She couldn’t have gone far.”
[Understood.]
The spirit bowed slightly and then seeped back into the ground. Moments later, dozens of whips made of dirt rapidly rose and seeped into the debris of the collapsed buildings.
Calisto leaned against a tree and briefly closed his eyes. His lips were slightly stiffened. Even though everything was proceeding as planned, his heart sometimes felt chillingly torn.
The shock of seeing the fallen Leticia kept haunting him. While he was driving all the temple people into terror, he himself was also trembling with anxiety.
The world she had returned to him was not always sweet. Yet, he thought. Because it was what that person had given, even that pain was sweet.
* * *
The earth spirit quickly found Josephina. Calisto moved relentlessly. Josephina was not in the temple but near the north gate. The moment Calisto summoned the earth spirit, she had used the goddess’s power to escape from the temple.
However, she couldn’t leave through the north gate. Hundreds of tree trunks blocked the gate where Josephina stood, surrounded by terrified knights and priests. Josephina screamed.
“Calisto! Stop this madness right now! Open the north gate!”
Calisto ignored her words and strode towards Josephina. Overwhelmed by his presence, Josephina unknowingly stepped back and shouted.
“Stop it right now! Aren’t you afraid of the goddess’s wrath! Open this gate now!”
“Answer my question first. What have you done to my master?”
“Calisto!”
“What have you done to her?”
Simultaneously, deep pits formed in the ground, while elsewhere, mounds of earth shot up into the sky.
“Aargh!”
“Cough, choke!”
The priests and knights fell helplessly under Calisto’s attack. Some were buried in the ground, and others hung suspended in mid-air. Only Josephina remained unharmed.
“Calisto…! How dare you!”
Josephina’s face contorted like a demon’s. Calisto, with a frightening calmness, asked again.
“I ask you once more. What did you do to her? Don’t tell me you cursed her?”
While he was sure this was Josephina’s doing, part of him hoped it wasn’t. Curses were many times more troublesome and difficult to break than ordinary magic. Some curses required the caster to remain alive until they were broken. Calisto, who wanted to kill Josephina as soon as possible, desperately wished to avoid this scenario.
“Ha-ha-ha! As expected! The curse worked!”
Yet, at Calisto’s words, Josephina started laughing, holding her stomach.
“Hehehe! I knew it! There was no backlash! That woman can no longer block my attacks! The dragon has abandoned her!”
“So it was your doing.”
Calisto gritted his teeth. The murderous intent he had suppressed flared up like flames.
“You will not die a peaceful death.”
“Hehe. I don’t care. Leticia’s end will be the same.”
“Trying to curse her again? Drop that pathetic dream. Do you think I’ll let you?”
“Ha-ha! You should drop your pathetic dreams. You can never stop me. The curse is already planted deep in her heart!”
Josephina looked at Calisto with shimmering eyes.
“Her remaining life is less than half a year! My curse will consume that girl eventually! Calisto, your master’s days are numbered! You can never save Leticia!”
* * *
Leticia lifted her flickering eyelids. Gazing at the unfamiliar ceiling, she thought blankly.
‘A carriage?’
Before she could continue her thoughts, a warm energy seeped into her wrist. Reflexively turning her head, Leticia’s eyes widened.
“…Noel?”
“You’re awake.”
Noel smiled faintly as she held Leticia’s hand. The warmth was from Noel’s divine power.
“Noel, how are you here…”
“Don’t get up yet. It might still strain your body.”
As Leticia looked at Noel in confusion, her eyes widened again. Black castle walls were passing by outside the window.
“Noel! We’re right in front of the capital. Why are we still here? You should have left long ago!”
“Lady Leticia.”
“Did you forget it’s dangerous here? What about Ahwin? Where is he?”
Despite Noel’s attempts to calm her, Leticia forced herself up.
“Did you return to the capital? What were you thinking? If Josephina notices Ahwin is alive, she would never…”
“Josephina can’t do anything anymore. The temple has collapsed.”
“…What?”
“The Fourth Wing did it. I wanted to join, but I had to see you, so I came here.”
“What are you talking about?”
Noel looked up at Leticia and whispered.
“It means I’ve heard everything that happened to you, Lady Leticia. You vomited blood twice.”
Noel smiled faintly. Leticia felt choked up. Her smile looked profoundly sad.
“Letitia, actually, when Tenua attacked you in Heden, I was in a lot of pain. Your pain was transmitted to me. It was really scary. It felt like the world was ending.”
It was exactly the sensation that a wing feels when the emissary of the goddess is in danger.
“But this time, I felt nothing. Do you know what that means?”
Noel said with a face that looked like she was about to cry.
“It means that an evil power was blocking the power of the goddess. It’s because of Josephina’s doing, right?”
“…Noel.”
Josephina’s curse was something she wanted to hide until her death. But Noel had noticed it. If possible, she wanted to disappear from this carriage immediately.
“Letitia.”
However, her wish did not come true. She was still inside the carriage, and Noel was holding her hand.
“Letitia, please tell me honestly this time. You collapsed, but I had no idea. If something similar happens in the future, I won’t be able to know. You don’t know how anxious that makes me feel. Please.”
Noel’s voice was tinged with moisture. The tears of the person who worried about her the most in this world. Letitia could no longer be stubborn.
“…Noel, promise me that no matter what I say, you won’t get angry.”
“Don’t worry. Even if the sky falls, I cannot be angry with you, Letitia.”
“No, it’s not about being angry with me. Noel, promise me you won’t be angry with anyone, including yourself.”
She meant not to blame herself for failing to protect her. There was silence for a while before Noel nodded.
“…I promise.”
“I won’t speak unless you swear.”
“Yes, I will.”
Letitia clenched her eyes shut.
“…That’s right. My mother cursed me.”
She felt Noel’s hand tighten around hers. Letitia could not bear to open her eyes to see Noel’s expression. Noel asked very slowly.
“What curse is it?”
Letitia could not open her mouth. She couldn’t say that she had only a few months left to live. Unable to meet Noel’s eyes, she lowered her head. And at that moment. Letitia swallowed her breath. The warmth she felt in her hand was gradually disappearing.
“Noel?”
Letitia was startled and lifted her head. Noel was gone. No, everything was gone. The carriage she had been riding, the distant black castle walls. Instead, bright sunlight was pouring in through the window. Beyond that, well-maintained trees were flaunting colorful leaves.
“…Where is this?”
Confused, Letitia quickly got up. She ran to the window.
“This can’t be.”
Not far away, the bench where she had met Sigmund was in sight. She had returned to the Principality.
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