“……The sixth wing? Did you just say the sixth wing?”
Calisto’s eyes were full of doubt as he asked. It was natural. It would be hard to believe that the king of the principality, who knew nothing about the goddess, could predict the birth of a wing. Dietrian shook his head.
“There is no time to explain. Let’s move first. I’ll explain in detail after we rescue the sixth wing.”
* * *
The princess barely managed to lift her eyelids. It felt like her mind was full of fog. She couldn’t even guess where she was or what was happening.
‘I remember checking His Majesty’s condition…’
What had happened after that? The princess struggled to recall her memories. Slowly, things trapped in the fog started to emerge.
‘Kun, the wing of Josephina. He caught me.’
Finally, she remembered the moment just before she lost consciousness. She had felt a familiar yet unpleasant scent when a large hand covered her mouth.
‘That must have been an anesthetic.’
The scent of the hallucinogen she had been smelling in the Emperor’s room lately. It was very similar.
‘Those lunatics. They dared to drug the Emperor of the Empire and use anesthetics on the princess? How could they do such a thing? Have they completely lost their minds?’
The princess struggled to get up. The drug was so strong that she couldn’t even muster any strength in her hands.
“You’re already awake.”
The princess, who had paused for a moment, turned her head toward the voice.
“……Rehir.”
Not far away, Rehir stood against the pitch-black night sky. It was too dark to see well, but she could clearly feel that he was smiling.
“How do you feel?”
“You crazy bastard.”
In the end, she couldn’t help but curse. She tried to hold back, but it was impossible. It felt like all the self-control she had honed throughout her life had evaporated. Rehir burst into laughter.
“My, I never imagined that Her Highness the Princess could be so rough.”
“Where are we? Why did you bring me here? What kind of dog shit plan are you scheming?”
“Dog shit plan? Why such harsh words? What have I done?”
“You ordered Kun to kidnap me. Am I wrong?”
“Haha, I must be dreaming. The elegant Her Highness the Princess is acting so vulgar.”
The princess twisted her lips at Rehir’s mockery. Her gaze turned icy.
“Decency is reserved for those who deserve it. There’s no need to treat a trash who kidnaps the princess from the palace with any respect. Isn’t that right?”
Rehir was right. The princess said things she would never normally say. She was going too far.
It wasn’t just because of anger. Though she was furious, she had lived a life of patience. She could endure anything for ‘tomorrow.’ But she didn’t. Because there would be no ‘tomorrow.’
“What are you going to do with me? Are you going to kill me?”
“Hmm, why do you think that?”
“Because there’s no way you’d keep me alive after doing something like this.”
If Rehir were to let the princess live, she would immediately brand him a traitor the moment she left this room. The moment Kun kidnapped her, there was no turning back. Rehir smiled brightly.
“Correct, as expected, you are quick-witted. Truly clever. You are indeed fit to be the successor of the Empire. Though the day you ascend the throne will never come.”
“……!”
“Just as you guessed. Her Highness the Princess will not leave this place alive. I brought you here to see your blood.”
Rehir’s smile deepened. The princess clenched her fists tightly. Even though she had anticipated it, her heart felt like it was sinking.
“What are you going to do with me? What are you planning?”
Was there any way to escape? Could she survive? It seemed hopeless. The opponent was an adult man who could wield a sword and handle wings like limbs. She had no chance against him.
“Master.”
At that moment, a heavy, gravelly voice was heard. The princess flinched and looked in that direction. A huge man was bowing his head toward Rehir from the door. Kun, the sixth wing of Josephina who had brought her here.
“As you commanded, I have withdrawn all the knights in the vicinity. Not even a rat remains.”
“Was there any resistance?”
“I invoked Josephina’s name and showed the power of the wing. They all vanished without a sound.”
“Understood. Signal again after dealing with the princess. Hurry with the preparations for the next plan.”
“Yes, master.”
Kun bowed deeply. The princess watched in disbelief.
‘Master? Did he just call Rehir master?’
Kun, the wing of Josephina, called Rehir his master. He even mentioned Josephina’s name disrespectfully.
‘What is going on?’
It was unimaginable for a wing to be so insolent towards Josephina, to whom they should owe absolute obedience.
‘What about the pain of the covenant? Does he not feel it? Then what about Calisto? He suffered all his life. Why are their reactions different?’
While the princess was in confusion, Kun retreated from the room, still deeply bowing. His posture signified only one thing: absolute obedience. It meant that Kun, Josephina’s wing, truly served Rehir as his master.
‘Rehir. What is his true identity?’
Something was off. It seemed as though Rehir was not just following Josephina’s orders but was actually manipulating her.
‘How is that possible?’
Even though she didn’t understand, she felt like she was grasping an answer.
‘Could it be that the “Shadow” Calisto mentioned is Rehir?’
The mysterious force aiding Josephina and the power that rescued her from the divine palace—if that were Rehir, it would make sense why Kun obeyed him.
‘Is he really the Shadow?’
The princess swallowed dryly.
Facing the possible “Shadow” made her tense.
‘Why does the Shadow want to kill me?’
Even if Rehir was the Shadow, his intentions were unclear. She still had some value, didn’t she? What reason could he have for such an extreme action, even at the cost of that value?
“Why are you trying to kill me?”
Eventually, the princess decided to ask directly. If she couldn’t survive, she needed to gather information. If she left any trace, Calisto would undoubtedly find it.
“Are you really planning to completely sever ties with the royal family? What about the nobles? The citizens? Do you think my brother Calisto will just stand by?”
The princess deliberately raised her voice, pretending to be agitated, hoping to catch Rehir off guard.
“Are you trying to take over the empire? By killing me and His Majesty, do you plan to become the ruler of the empire? Is that why you’re doing this?”
“Ruler of the empire, huh? Well, something like that.”
Rehir chuckled. His priestly robes glowed white in the moonlight, making him look like a messenger sent by the goddess. Despite his benevolent appearance, his true nature was undoubtedly vile.
“If everything goes well, I will indeed have everything. Not just the empire but the entire continent will be mine.”
“What nonsense.”
“Whether it’s nonsense or not, you’ll see later. Ah, but by then, you won’t be in this world anymore.”
“What?”
“Your Highness, do you know how the empire was founded?”
Rehir suddenly changed the subject while the princess was still trying to express her anger.
“The land chosen by the goddess was cultivated by nine archpriests. They have reincarnated repeatedly, protecting the empire. The nine barrier stones symbolizing their souls have protected the entire empire. The royal family has kept these barrier stones for ages.”
“Why are you telling me this now…”
The princess, who was about to burst out in anger, stopped short. In Rehir’s hand was an object she hadn’t noticed before.
“That…!”
Recognizing the object, the princess widened her eyes. Rehir chuckled and nodded.
“You’ve figured it out.”
“…”
“Yes, this is indeed one of the barrier stones.”
Rehir shook the crude gemstone in his hand.
“More precisely, it is one of the broken barrier stones.”
There were nine barrier stones representing the nine wings. Recently, five of them had lost their light. One of the remaining four was also in poor condition, its light faint as if it might disappear at any moment. This had been a significant concern for the royal family.
The only solace was that after Calisto awakened, the fourth barrier stone, which had been losing its light, had been restored. This gave the princess hope that the remaining stones could also be restored someday, especially with Leticia here, she believed that day would come soon.
That was until she saw the broken barrier stone in Rehir’s hand.
“How did you get the barrier stones?”
The barrier stones were kept in the safest place in the palace. Even if they lost their light, they were still securely stored with the hope of their eventual restoration.
“There is no place in this palace I cannot go.”
Rehir sneered. The princess’s body stiffened. He seemed to sense her fear and shook the barrier stone. Then, he casually dropped it and ground it under his heel. Crunch.
“…Huh!”
“Did that surprise you?”
“…”
“Well, I suppose it did. You never imagined a barrier stone imbued with the goddess’s power could be broken so easily.”
Rehir spoke arrogantly. The atmosphere around him changed instantly.
“Since things have come to this, let me show you something more interesting.”
A black circle appeared in the air. Rehir reached into it and pulled out several objects. They were more barrier stones.
One, two, three, four. As more barrier stones appeared in the air, the princess’s face turned pale. The four stones that had appeared in succession crumbled to dust in an instant.
Watching the powder scatter in the air, the princess’s body shook with shock. Five barrier stones had turned to dust before her eyes. It was an impossible sight, something out of a nightmare.
“That’s quite a face you’re making.”
Rehir chuckled and lifted the princess’s chin.
“Dana, did you really still have hope? Did you truly believe your brother could restore the barrier stones?”
“…”
“Sorry to shatter your dreams. But even if that girl saw the barrier stones, she wouldn’t be able to restore their light. They lost their light forever a long time ago.”
Rehir’s eyes gleamed cruelly.
“Five of the nine wings.”
“…”
“The souls of those five have completely vanished. They can’t reincarnate. They’ve disappeared without a trace.”
“What, what?”
“I only broke stones.”
Rehir coldly declared.
“If that bastard Sigmund hadn’t interfered, I would have destroyed the sixth barrier stone too. But things got messed up, damn it.”
The sudden burst of murderous intent made the princess flinch. The pressure was so overwhelming she could hardly breathe. As she gasped for air, Rehir chuckled.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Your brother survived, so you will die. Dana.”
He grabbed the princess’s neck and pressed on her throbbing artery.
“Cause and effect do not choose their sacrifices.”
