“A dream?”
“Lord Sigmund visited my dream. He foretold that a welcome guest would come.”
“Ah, the dragon.”
Ahwin nodded. Leticia continued with a smile.
“Moreover, the princess mentioned the barrier stones in the capital a while ago. I thought she would send someone to me soon. I also have some business to attend to in the Empire.”
“You mean you have to go to the Empire?”
Leticia looked up at Ahwin gently.
“I need to resolve the curse.”
“…Oh.”
The smile vanished from Ahwin’s face. He tried to smile again but ultimately failed. Leticia spoke to him, seeing his apparent struggle to hide his distress.
“Ahwin, don’t be troubled. I’m happy. You know me better. You can feel my emotions, can’t you?”
“Yes, I can.”
“I don’t want anyone to suffer because of me anymore. You too, Ahwin. Please don’t suffer. Can you promise me that?”
“I’ll try.”
Ahwin nodded with a pained expression. He was more composed than Noel or Calisto. Relieved, Leticia realized why Josephina trusted Ahwin.
‘Ahwin is indeed rational.’
She had no idea what he had done in the past week. Ahwin continued calmly without revealing the insane deeds he had committed.
“Lady Leticia, you are right. The princess asked me to escort you. Out of the nine barrier stones, five have completely lost their light.”
“So only four are intact.”
They had obtained four wings and four barrier stones were intact. This couldn’t be a coincidence.
“After the Divine Palace collapsed, Josephina disappeared. She is likely hiding in the Imperial Palace. She seems to be targeting the barrier stones. Perhaps she intends to destroy the remaining four as well.”
“It might be the opposite.”
“The opposite?”
“Instead of five barrier stones being damaged and four remaining, it might be that all the barrier stones were damaged and four were restored.”
“What do you mean?”
“Four wings have pledged their loyalty to me. Conveniently, four barrier stones are intact. If the barrier stones regained their light because I obtained the wings, it would make sense.”
“That’s a possibility.”
Ahwin’s expression grew serious as he pondered for a moment.
“Ahwin, is something bothering you?”
“Actually, after parting ways with Noel, I went to fetch Kailas.”
Kailas, the wing of healing. Josephina’s fourth wing.
“Because she’s a wing. Real or not, I thought it best to secure her as soon as possible.”
“I don’t know much about her. I’ve never properly met her.”
The other wings actively participated in Josephina’s abuse. Kailas, however, did not. Until now, Leticia hadn’t thought much of it, assuming it was due to her healing nature and lack of interest in abuse.
‘But what if it wasn’t because of her healing nature?’
A sudden thought made Leticia flinch as she looked at Ahwin.
‘What if Kailas also felt a sense of discord towards Josephina?’
“Ahwin, could it be that Kailas…”
“Actually, I had the same thought as you, Lady Leticia. That’s why I moved quickly, but…”
Ahwin shook his head with a grim expression.
“Just before I arrived, Kailas disappeared.”
***
Meanwhile, in the Holy Empire.
“A Queen Consort as the new saintess? That’s ridiculous!”
“Yeah, that’s right!”
“There’s no way such a demon could be chosen by the goddess!”
The restaurant quickly filled with noise. The patrons, as if on cue, became excited and talked about one person. Leticia, the daughter of the saintess, who had begun to claim herself as the new saintess.
“It’s all thanks to Lady Josephina that we can live so well! And now they’re calling her a false saintess!”
One voice stood out particularly loudly. It was a thug from the back alleys of the capital. His muscles bulged under his thin shirt. He raised his fist and shouted with veins popping in his neck.
“We should drag the witch out immediately and burn her alive!”
“Right on!”
“Of course!”
The thug’s subordinates cheered wildly at their boss’s words. The other patrons couldn’t help but follow the atmosphere.
“But what if the Queen Consort is the real saintess?”
Sometimes, there are those who speak the truth. A young man, cautious of the thug, spoke carefully as he hung his young daughter’s coat on a chair and sat down.
“They say two of the wings have pledged loyalty to the Queen Consort. There’s even a rumor that the prince himself is one of her wings… Ugh!”
The man didn’t finish his sentence. The thug’s fist struck his temple. He collapsed limply like a broken scarecrow.
“You bastard, are you crazy? The prince pledging loyalty to that fake? Does that make any sense?”
The thug mounted the man and rained down punches. The man couldn’t even resist and lost consciousness.
“Throw this bastard out.”
The thug spat and ordered his subordinates. They quickly ran over and dragged the man out, leaving a trail of red blood on the floor. The thug glared fiercely at the now deathly silent patrons.
“Daring to doubt the saintess. A bastard like that should have his tongue cut out. He should be thankful this is all he got!”
Then he glanced around. Opposite the seat where the man had been, a small girl was trembling.
“What is this now?”
Tears fell from the girl’s large eyes. The thug grinned mischievously.
“Must be that bastard’s daughter.”
“What should we do?”
“What do you mean? Dump her outside.”
“Understood.”
The subordinate nodded and dragged the girl out. Shortly after, the restaurant returned to its noisy atmosphere as if nothing had happened. Josephina’s supporters were more boisterous. Those who supported Leticia couldn’t say a word.
Satisfied with the scene, the thug went upstairs. On the spacious second floor, there was only one table occupied. The thug’s demeanor changed from swaggering to tense. He quickly bowed to the man sitting at the table. The man had luxurious blond hair and dull purple eyes.
“Lord Lansen, everything is sorted out.”
“Too slow. It should have been dealt with before it reached my ears!”
Lansen, Josephina’s fifth wing, looked up at the thug irritably.
“Sorry… ugh.”
The thug’s face turned bright red as he got punched in the stomach. He couldn’t even groan, trying to read Lansen’s expression. Lansen muttered darkly.
“Do it properly if you don’t want to die.”
“Understood.”
After the thug left, Lansen let out a long sigh. He nervously ran his fingers through his hair and spoke to the woman sitting across from him.
“Kailas, it feels like my ears are rotting. How can they present that lowly wench to Lady Josephina? If Tenua knew, he’d crawl out from the ground.”
“Indeed.”
Kailas replied softly, looking down at the first floor. Next to the bloodstain where the man had been dragged out, a small coat lay on the floor. It was the one the little girl had been wearing. Outside, snow was falling heavily. A storm of emotions flickered in Kailas’s eyes and then disappeared.
“It’s snowing a lot.”
“All because of that damn Leticia. The goddess is angry because she destroyed the Divine Palace.”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Kailas nodded agreeably. Then she stood up. Lansen immediately grabbed her wrist.
“Where are you going?”
“Just to get some fresh air.”
“Hmm.”
Lansen’s eyes narrowed.
“Kailas, you’re on Lady Josephina’s side, right? You’re loyal only to her, correct?”
Kailas chuckled lightly.
“Of course. How many times are you going to ask the same question?”
“You’re not like Ahwin or Noel, those lowly traitors, right?”
“Think logically.”
Kailas calmly freed her wrist from Lansen’s grip.
“If I had other intentions, I would have followed Ahwin to the Principality. Why would I bother coming to you?”
“That’s true.”
“And Lady Josephina hasn’t contacted you yet?”
“Not yet. There’s been no word at all. It’s frustrating.”
Lansen scowled deeply.
“She’s definitely in the Imperial Palace. I wonder why there’s no news. Is she hiding because of that damned prince?”
“Now more than ever, you need to stay sharp. Lady Josephina is more likely to contact you than me. She has always trusted you more.”
Kailas tilted her head slightly. Her long, dark blue hair cascaded down. She smiled faintly.
“When Lady Josephina contacts you, please let me know. I need to run to her side immediately. At times like this, who else but us can protect her?”
“Yes, you’re right.”
Kailas slowly descended the stairs. She walked leisurely as if she were really going for a stroll until she reached the restaurant door.
As soon as the door closed, her expression changed. Entering the blizzard, she quickly scanned her surroundings. Not far away, she heard the sound of sorrowful crying.
“Sob, sob.”
Rushing over, she found the man and his daughter from the restaurant. Letting out a sigh of relief, she cupped the little girl’s frozen cheeks.
“Don’t worry, little one. Your dad will be fine.”
She knelt down and examined the man’s condition. As expected, it was terrible. He had been struck in a vital spot and seemed on the verge of death. However, Kailas did not panic. She was, after all, the Wing of Healing.
After a while, a bright white light flowed into the man’s body. It was a light much stronger than divine power. The man’s wounds healed perfectly in an instant. The crying child’s sobs subsided. She stared blankly at her father’s now perfectly healthy face. Kailas healed the child as well and then spoke.
“Kid, you don’t have to worry anymore. I’ve healed all of your dad’s wounds, so he’ll wake up soon.”
“Really?”
“Of course. You must have been very scared, but you’ve already stopped crying. I’m very proud of you. Your dad would be very proud too. What’s your name? Where’s your mom?”
“My name is Irene. Mom went to heaven, so I live with just Dad.”
“Oh… I see.”
Kailas gently stroked Irene’s head in silence for a moment. Then, holding her small hand, she spoke.
“Irene, when your dad wakes up, go straight home. Make sure to tell him not to leave the house for a while. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”
Kailas reassured the child before walking towards the restaurant. She hadn’t taken many steps before she encountered a familiar face. It was the thug who had earlier attacked Irene’s father.
“Lady Kailas, why did you heal that guy?”
The thug said angrily. Kailas looked up at him indifferently.
“Are you betraying Lord Lansen?”
“You, what did you say to the saintess in the restaurant earlier?”
“What?”
“You said if someone insults the saintess, you should cut their insolent tongue, right?”
“Why are you bringing that up now…?”
“I’m going to do what you said.”
With that, Kailas grabbed the thug by the collar. She pulled out the poison needle she always carried.
“It’s a paralyzing poison. It won’t hurt. It will hurt when the paralysis wears off, but you won’t be able to say it hurts. Because I’ll cut your tongue.”
The thug collapsed forward. His large body convulsed and then went limp. Watching him indifferently, Kailas raised the dagger high. After a moment, she calmly stepped on the severed tongue before returning to the restaurant.
* * *
Less than half a day after Ahwin arrived in the Principality, preparations to depart for the empire were complete. As rapid movement was essential, the number of escorts was not large. However, the members were as splendid as the entire knighthood.
First, the responsibility of escorting fell to Banessa and Ahwin. With the two wings that burned beasts with fire and controlled the wind together, no one could target Leticia in the desert.
In addition, the Principality’s best knights, including Julia, Victor, and Enoch, accompanied them. Special meals were provided to the knighthood in anticipation of the significant event.
While everyone enjoyed the feast laid out before them, one person looked down at their plate with a worried expression. It was Victor. Seeing the untouched food on Victor’s plate, Julia asked in a puzzled voice.
“Are you sick? Why aren’t you eating?”
“Sigh.”
Victor let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. Though Julia tilted her head in confusion, she eyed Victor’s turkey.
“Isn’t that turkey? If you’re not going to eat it, can I have it?”
“Go ahead.”
Victor weakly pushed the plate towards her. Julia, instead of taking the plate, stared at him in shock.
“What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy?”
Victor was a turkey fanatic. He loved turkey so much that he could eat a whole one in a single sitting.
“I need to lose weight.”
“……What nonsense is this? Are you really crazy?”
“My belly is too big.”
“What?”
“I’m disqualified as a knight.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Julia, stunned, asked again. Victor closed his eyes in sorrow without further explanation.
[Baby, can I touch your belly?]
Victor’s sudden diet change was due to the shocking words he heard from Mano the previous day.
[My belly?]
Victor had grown somewhat accustomed to Mano’s term of endearment, “my baby.” It was awkward at first, but he accepted it because it seemed precious to Mano. Leticia was also called that by Mano. However, the request to touch his belly was perplexing.
[Why my belly…?]
[Isn’t baby moving? Not yet? When will it start moving?]
Mano’s eyes sparkled as she spoke, and Victor was greatly shocked. Was she asking if the baby inside was moving? Mano had astonishingly mistaken Victor for being pregnant. Just how big was his belly for such a misunderstanding to occur?
‘I need to reflect on this.’
After playing the baby-naming game with Mano, Victor finally set his first-ever weight loss goal.
‘I’ve gained weight recently.’
After the incident in Heden, his appetite had exploded. Staring wistfully at the turkey, he straightened his back and closed his eyes.
“Julia, go ahead and eat.”
“Really? I’m really going to eat it. Think carefully before you regret it later.”
“You can eat it. Please, just get it out of my sight.”
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