Dietrian tightly closed his eyes. He didn’t have the courage to turn around and embrace her. He was afraid that everything he had held back would crumble all at once. In his mind, he thought he had to leave after treating Leticia as calmly as possible. But.
“…Dietrian.”
He could no longer endure her trembling voice. He firmly grasped Leticia’s hands that were holding him and slowly turned around.
“Leticia.”
He carefully cupped her tear-streaked cheeks. As he wiped away her tears, he whispered tenderly.
“It’s been a long time. I missed you.”
There were so many other things he wanted to say. That he had seen her past, that he was sorry for not understanding her pain, and that he would never leave her alone again.
He also needed to talk about the future. That he had seen her future too, and that although it was unfortunate, there was no future where they were together. It would be best to stay apart until her curse was lifted. But he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He didn’t want to part with Leticia, even if it meant dying.
Leticia felt the same. She needed to talk about their child, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. She was afraid he would show reluctance because of the curse.
The fear she had forcibly suppressed seemed like it would collapse all at once. In the silence filled with unspoken words, Dietrian spoke first.
“Have you been well?”
“…Yes.”
Leticia nodded slightly. Dietrian’s warmth had calmed her down more than before. She slowly looked around. The traces of the battle still remained. Blood soaked into the dirt, broken trees, and swords lying on the ground. Knights running around to find any remaining enemies, and beasts still snorting from the aftermath of the battle.
Doctor, who was stunned by the shock that his daughter had become a wing, Irene, who was comforting the doctor, and Julia and the princess, who were watching the two.
The other wings, who had run together from the palace but couldn’t get close, were watching the reunion of Leticia and Dietrian from a distance.
It didn’t seem like the right time to have an important conversation. After things settled down and emotions calmed, they decided to have a proper talk when they were alone.
“Leticia. Shall we return to the palace for now?”
Leticia nodded slightly, her face buried in his chest.
***
At the same time. Julios was desperately struggling to escape the darkness.
“No, please! How could I ruin the future I’ve changed like this!”
He first began dreaming of his future when he was not yet twenty years old. He had decided to save everyone in his repeated dreams, but there were many times he wanted to run away or turn a blind eye. Although he had been raised as a king, in truth, he was just an ordinary young man.
What comforted him was the image of Leticia he saw in his dreams. In his long, long dreams, he saw both the first and second lives of Leticia.
“Your Highness. It’s been a long time. In this life, I will surely send you back to your homeland.”
Seeing someone who didn’t know him at all hugging his remains with tears in their eyes was quite a strange experience. It was sad and frightening, but in a way, it was also healing.
Even if he died, there was someone to look after him. Even if it was just bones, he could return to his mother’s side. That was why he could face death so calmly, even though he was just an ordinary young man.
“I will go to the Empire instead of Dietrian, Mother. I will definitely return, so please allow me.”
Even though he knew his vow would break his mother’s heart, he promised to return.
“Josephina, you’re a fake.”
Despite having a way to survive, he deliberately provoked Josephina to meet his death. It was possible because he believed in Leticia. In that moment, he felt relieved. Even though his life was over, the remaining people would definitely find happiness. He firmly believed that all he had left now was a long rest.
“Resistance is futile, Julios. Your fate is already decided.”
Why did the eternal rest he deserved end?
“Since you’re mine, Leticia, that worthless thing will never be able to defeat me.”
Moreover, the voice was targeting Leticia and Dietrian. It intended to revive him to harm the two of them. Julios couldn’t accept this fact. He wasn’t happy about being revived. In all the futures he had seen, he didn’t exist. So, he struggled to return to the world of the dead by any means.
He felt a foreboding sensation beneath his feet. Julios flinched and looked down.
“This is…!”
A dark purple aura, almost black, was wrapping around his legs.
“The fall of a virtuous soul is one of causality’s favorite delicacies. Go ahead, struggle as much as you can. The more you do, the higher the causality will value your antics.”
With a mocking voice, the purple aura penetrated Julios’s soul. A vast sense of despair overwhelmed him. Everything he had built by sacrificing himself was collapsing.
“No, please. Please…”
A sob filled with grief. With those words, the darkness completely swallowed Julios.
* * *
The long, long night for everyone had passed. It was a time that had truly turned the Empire’s history upside down. In a single night, three wings had died, and three new ones were born. Josephina, who had been the saint, lost everything, and in her place, Leticia became the Empire’s only saint.
The people of the Empire chanted Leticia’s name throughout the night, praying for her grace. When news spread that two knights from the Principality were chosen by the goddess, there were even those who praised the Principality. The sudden change in attitude among the clergy was particularly noticeable.
“Congratulations to both of you on becoming wings.”
“I heard Sir Banessa handles the flame of purification? It’s a great blessing to the Empire that a power lost long ago has returned.”
“Dame Julia, I heard you became the wing of protection. Congratulations.”
“Seeing Dame Julia in person makes me feel so reassured as a priest of the Holy Empire. Now, no one on the continent will dare to challenge the Empire.”
The priests showered them with all kinds of praises, as if their tongues were coated with honey. The more they did, the colder Banessa and Julia’s responses became.
“Hey. You guys. When did you ever give a damn about our Principality, and now you praise us? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Oh, that wasn’t our true intention. We had no choice because of Josephina. We have respected the Principality for a very long time.”
“Respect? That’s laughable. I still remember what you did to Enoch. Watching him suffer and die, you said he had to die? You treated him like garbage because he had a filthy disease?”
Banessa growled menacingly. The priests’ faces turned pale. They were facing the intimidating presence of a Wing directly. It was overwhelming. Terrified, the priests pleaded with Julia for help.
“Dame Julia! Please help us! Please calm Sir Banessa!”
“That’s right! We are sorry about Sir Enoch, but we had no choice at the time.”
“Indeed! We had a duty to protect the citizens of the Empire!”
“We couldn’t easily admit someone who might have a filthy, no, a dreadful disease! If a plague spread, countless people would have died!”
“As the Wing of Protection, Dame Julia, you must understand our hearts. Unfortunately, sometimes small sacrifices must be made for the greater good. So please have mercy…”
“I understand you, but I cannot forgive you.”
Julia said coldly, looking at the priests.
“Enoch is my brother.”
“Wh-What?”
“The person who almost died because of you is my brother.”
With those words, the intimidating presence of the Wings, which had only been felt from Banessa, suddenly doubled. The priests, frozen like ice, quickly bowed their heads. They realized that if they persisted, it would be their end.
“W-We will take our leave.”
With those words, the priests scurried away. Julia brushed her hair back irritably.
“It’s absurd that people like that have been living arrogantly as priests all this time.”
“That’s why the Empire is in such a state. But it should be better now. Most of them have lost their power.”
“Losing their power isn’t enough. They must be punished for their crimes. Aren’t they all criminals? Why are they still in their priestly positions?”
“Let’s wait patiently. Lady Leticia will take care of it.”
Seeing the priests running away, Banessa smiled. He patted Julia’s shoulder.
“Julia. Lighten up. Think about those guys running away just now. Isn’t it satisfying?”
“Well, yes.”
Julia let out a soft sigh. Her expression remained stern.
“Seeing those guys makes me keep having bad thoughts.”
“What thoughts?”
“The thought that they won’t let Her Highness go.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“You heard what they said to us just now.”
“What did they say?”
“They said that us becoming Wings is a great blessing for the Holy Empire.”
“So what? Isn’t that obvious?”
“You and I are knights of the Principality. We’re people who will return to the Principality, and they said that thanks to us, the Holy Empire will become the best on the continent. What do you think that means?”
Banessa blinked. Then he chuckled.
“Do they expect us to stay in the Empire? No way. They can’t be that crazy.”
“Well, you never know.”
“Julia, that’s being too paranoid. Sure, those guys might try to keep us here. But then we just cause a big scene and that’s it. Think about how they ran away earlier. They have no conscience or determination. If we use our power, they’ll run away quickly, probably begging us to leave for the Principality.”
“That might be true for us, but do you think Her Highness would be that easy to let go?”
“Huh?”
“What do you think Her Highness means to the people of the Empire?”
“The most… important person in the world?”
“Yes, exactly. And that’s the problem.”
Julia nodded slightly with a frown.
“Would they really let such a precious person go back to the Principality so easily? Won’t they cause all sorts of trouble to keep her in the Empire?”
