“Your Highness, the search of the temple is complete, but we could not find any trace of Rehir. Commander Della has also disappeared. It seems they noticed something and moved first.”
The commander of the knights, who had led the search, bowed his head with a solemn expression.
“Please punish my incompetence.”
“Incompetence? That’s nonsense. The opponent is not human; it’s a transcendent like the wings. You did what you could.”
The princess smiled gently.
“Even with spirits and monsters tearing through the entire city, they are well hidden. It’s only natural that humans can’t find them. So don’t worry. Your loyalty to me is perfect.”
“…Thank you for Your Highness’s generous judgment.”
Despite the princess’s consolation, the commander’s expression grew darker. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for not yet finding the enemy who had killed such an excellent master. The princess noticed the commander’s inner turmoil but swallowed her smile without saying a word.
‘A moderate amount of guilt helps to increase loyalty.’
True to her role as the empire’s heir, the princess was calculating even after surviving a near-death experience.
‘Coming back from the brink of death is something worth trying once.’
There were pros and cons, but the advantages seemed to outweigh the disadvantages. The best part was that the nobles and knights had finally united. As she was contemplating how to use their loyalty most effectively, she heard a fluttering sound.
Flap, flap.
The princess flinched and turned her head. A one-eyed monster flapped its wings and approached her. It was the very monster she had spread throughout the capital to find Rehir. Ignoring the dark green fluid dripping onto her skirt, the princess forced a smile.
“Did you find any trace of Rehir?”
In response to her question, the monster opened its mouth wide and began to emit a high-pitched sound. Beeeeeep—!
“Is Her Highness interpreting the monster’s words?”
“As expected, she is extraordinary.”
The princess winced at the ear-piercing noise. At least the admiration of the knights around her was a consolation.
“What? Someone just entered the temple?”
Beeeeeeep!
“A young woman? And a holy knight?”
All the holy knights of the temple were imprisoned to prevent them from aiding Rehir’s escape. This meant that a holy knight who was not imprisoned had returned. Moreover, it was said to be a female knight.
“Could it be Della and Seidel?”
The two were Rehir’s last remaining wings, serving as the commander and vice-commander of the temple knights. They had disappeared before the search began, thus avoiding imprisonment.
“It seems to be them. They have come to their death.”
The monster’s description matched the two people the princess knew. Flames flickered in her eyes. Rehir’s wings had appeared. The day to avenge her grudge had finally arrived.
“Is it the older sister or the younger sister? Though they are twins, they can be distinguished. The elder, Della, is more human-like than Seidel. Seidel has a long scar on the back of her hand. Ah, no scar? Then it must be the elder, Della, who has come.”
The princess smiled coldly.
“Perfect timing. I’ll make sure she regrets coming back here until the moment she dies.”
If they had quietly stayed hidden beside Rehir, they wouldn’t have faced this fate. The princess was so delighted that she wanted to dance, wondering why they crawled out to their death.
“Where exactly did Della go? Can you lead me to where she is?”
Screeech! The one-eyed monster let out a creepy sound and began to fly quickly. Forgetting the monster’s fluid on her skirt, the princess grabbed her hem and ran.
“Your Highness!”
Ignoring the knights calling out to her, the princess ran enthusiastically but had to stop eventually. She had run so hard that her legs gave out.
“Huff, huff. Wait, huff. Wait a moment.”
She didn’t realize her poor physical condition would be so troublesome. Gasping for breath, the princess waved her hand. She also pounded her chest. The one-eyed monster, watching her quietly, landed on the ground. Its yellow eye gleamed in the shadows.
After a moment, a deep hum resonated in the air. With the vibrating sound, the monster’s body began to swell. Its sharp-clawed feet turned into large, furry black paws, and the thinly membraned wings became large arms.
The eye, previously the size of a fingertip, grew to the size of a human face. The fluid covering its entire body dried up, and spiky protrusions began to appear all over. The transformed monster opened its mouth. Gwaaaah!
“Huff!”
The princess, too out of breath to notice what the monster was doing, was startled and stood up.
“What, what is this? Why, why are you doing this?”
Gwaaah!
“What? You want me to ride on you?”
Gwaaah!
“Me? On your back?”
Gwaaaah!
Simultaneously, the monster prostrated itself, placing its two arms on the ground. The sight of its spiky shoulders made her shiver. As the princess stood frozen in shock, the monster screeched again.
“…Even now, Rehir’s wings are getting further away, so hurry and get on?”
The monster snorted and nodded. In the end, the princess suppressed the urge to cry and grabbed the monster’s shoulder. The sensation was like gripping fish scales, and she nearly screamed but managed to hold it in.
‘I am normal. Let’s fulfill the duties of a normal person.’
As the only normal wing, let’s fulfill my duty; I am the heir to this country. Riding on a monster’s back is something I can certainly do… At that moment, the monster took off into the air.
The princess squeezed her eyes shut. The fierce wind slapped against her cheeks.
‘Is it really beneficial to have survived…?’
* * *
As Della entered the temple and the princess who received the news rode the monster and took off.
At that same moment, Dietrian was entering the temple garden, carrying Irene. He was trying to fulfill the future shown to him by Gilead’s power.
Dietrian had seen only two futures concerning Irene. First, a little girl in a thin dress urgently opening a second-floor window. Second, a grown-up Irene, holding someone’s hand and walking through the Principality’s palace.
“Please inform Her Majesty that we have arrived.”
“Understood, Lady Irene.”
That was the last dream he had about Irene. He vaguely remembered a child calling out with a lisp, but he couldn’t hear it clearly. He didn’t know who Irene was, why she was in the Principality, who the child with her was, or why Irene was looking for Leticia. The fragments of the future he saw didn’t provide answers.
But he could deduce that Irene was destined to go to the Principality, and he had to work to make that future happen. So Dietrian searched the capital for the building he had seen in his dream. At the right moment, he found Irene opening the window of her lodging and was able to help.
“Irene, let’s return to the mansion for now. It’s safest to be near the wings of the goddess. Don’t worry about your father. I’ll bring him to where you are.”
The Irene he met was indeed connected to Leticia. She was even being chased by someone. Dietrian suspected that the pursuers were likely Rehir’s minions. With everyone praising Leticia now, no one would dare attack someone who had once been her guest.
“Yes! I’ll wait quietly at the mansion!”
Irene answered with bright, shining eyes. Ever since she learned that Dietrian was Leticia’s husband, she had shown him endless affection.
“Your Highness, but where are we now?”
“This is the temple garden. That ash-colored building over there is the east temple. If you cross the arch, you’ll find the main road. Walk a little along that road, and you’ll reach the mansion you lived in.”
The temple was very quiet. Only traces of the knights’ search remained in disarray. Dietrian walked as much as possible along the scattered items to hide his tracks.
‘This won’t be enough. If they’re Rehir’s minions, they’ll surely find the trail.’
Holding Irene, he didn’t have enough time to erase his tracks. Dietrian increased his speed, checking his next plan. If their pursuer was indeed one of Rehir’s wings, a solid plan was necessary.
‘With my aura, I can withstand attacks. They say the older sister controls shadows, and the younger one deals with death. I don’t know which one will move. It could be both.’
The wings’ powers weren’t fixed; they manifested in ways most needed for the era. Some powers, like the flames of purification or the power of darkness, appeared briefly during times of great chaos and then disappeared. There were many other types of powers. One thing was certain: there were a total of nine wings.
‘Shadows control shadow armies, and the power of death controls corpses. These powers can command multiple entities at once, so it might not be easy to face them alone. But they have weaknesses, especially the shadows…’
At that moment, a chilling monster’s cry echoed from not far away. Irene, terrified, exclaimed.
“Your Highness, a monster has appeared in the temple!”
