They had heard that the blue bird Leticia saw was related to Julios’s soul.
Rehir using the dead Julios—it was a shock that flipped the Wings from the principality upside down. Especially for Julia, who had set up the barrier around the palace. She was determined to tear Rehir to pieces if she ever caught him.
Though their reasons varied, their goal was the same.
To bring about Rehir’s downfall and ensure Leticia’s safety.
They would do anything to achieve that.
* * *
Three days had passed since they entered the desert.
The desert winter was far harsher than anything in the capital.
Sleet fell relentlessly, and cold air seeped from the sand.
There was a saying among travelers to never set foot in the desert during winter.
However, this didn’t apply to Leticia.
With her abilities, she could easily change the weather.
But she didn’t do so intentionally.
It was to make Rehir, who might be watching from somewhere, lower his guard.
To deceive Rehir, Leticia also deceived the spirits.
She had considered telling them the truth, but after seeing them get overly agitated, she decided against it.
As a result, the spirits genuinely believed Leticia was dying and wailed as they roamed the desert.
「Waaah! Lady Leticia! Lady Leticia!」
The spirits’ wailing frightened even the monsters.
The princess, who had to govern the Empire, could not join this journey.
Without her sole ally, the more powerful spirits were going berserk.
They couldn’t help but be afraid.
‘We just have to wait a little longer.’
The trap was set. Now they just had to wait for the prey to be caught. And after a week in the desert, one day,
“Lady Leticia!”
Ahwin burst into the tent urgently.
“Rehir has shown himself.”
At last, the prey had appeared.
* * *
「Waaah!」
The water spirit collapsed in front of Noel, crying.
The water it shed quickly soaked into the dry desert sand, then froze solid.
「It was definitely the aura of darkness! He appeared before us! But we couldn’t catch him!」
Believing Leticia to be truly ill, the spirits couldn’t fully exert their powers.
While they wandered, dripping tears like soaked cotton, Rehir appeared before them.
He mocked the spirits and hurled curses at Leticia before disappearing.
「I’m so frustrated! We couldn’t catch him!」
“I understand. Calm down, everyone. Don’t worry. I’ll catch that bastard and make sure he dies miserably.”
After soothing the spirit, Noel quickly reported the news to Leticia.
Leticia’s complexion brightened.
“Rehir’s patience is reaching its limit. We just need to wait a bit longer.”
Rehir had lived his life being worshipped as the son of the saintess.
Such a person could not endure a life in hiding.
If he saw even the smallest opening, he would undoubtedly go berserk and charge.
And as Leticia predicted, Rehir was slowly revealing his true colors.
If he heard that Leticia was dead, he would likely appear openly.
‘For now, let’s hold off on that. It’s too risky.’
Pretending to be dead was an option, but it meant she couldn’t step forward herself. She also couldn’t calm the spirits who went into a frenzy believing she was truly ill.
‘I must meet Rehir alive. Only then can I confirm the soul of Lord Julios he possesses.’
While making Rehir lower his guard, Leticia needed a natural way to be alone. There was a suitable method.
Leticia lowered her voice and whispered to Noel.
“Noel, right now, spread new information to the spirits about me. Tell them that I am actually…”
* * *
“Ha ha ha!”
Rehir burst into wild laughter. Under the pitch-black sky, sleet continued to fall. The foul weather had no effect on his mood. The harsh winter felt like it had turned into spring, filled with joy.
“Really, the spirit said that?”
「Yes.」
The black energy wriggling in front of Rehir spoke.
Recently, Rehir had begun summoning his minions one by one.
He had refrained before to avoid the spirits’ notice, but there was no need for that now.
Not long ago, he had openly appeared before them, yet the spirits couldn’t capture him.
It meant Leticia’s power had weakened considerably.
‘She might be on the brink of death.’
As if to confirm his suspicion, his minion brought him new information. Rehir couldn’t suppress his laughter.
“Leticia, that woman has gone completely mad.”
They said she had lost her mind due to the shock of losing her child.
Every night, she would wander out of her carriage, insisting she had to go to her child.
“Her minions are at a loss.”
They should tie her up to stop her, but they can’t bring themselves to do it.
“Fools. Ha ha ha!”
This is why soft-hearted fools can never deal with darkness.
“Good job. Continue to provoke the spirits and extract information whenever you meet them.”
「Understood, Master.」
As Rehir waved his hand, the wriggling darkness dispersed into the air. After the darkness vanished, Rehir turned and approached Julios, who stood at a distance.
“Julios.”
“…Yes.”
Julios looked at Rehir with emotionless eyes. His cheeks were pale, perhaps from being exposed to the cold wind for too long. Seeing him, a very amusing thought crossed Rehir’s mind.
“Julios. Do you remember your mother, Mano?”
Julios blinked slowly, staring blankly at Rehir.
‘Mano?’
His mother, Mano. Such a person had indeed been by his side once.
“Yes. I remember.”
But he felt nothing.
It was like waving his hand in a box filled with mist.
As time passed, Julios was becoming more and more assimilated into the darkness.
His kind heart and emotions crumbled by the day.
Even when talking about the mother who went mad because of him, his eyes remained dry.
‘Attacking Leticia with Julios would make a splendid scene.’
Julios, who had left the world and driven his mother mad, attacking Leticia, who had gone mad from losing her child.
If Julios’s consciousness returned later, it would be a spectacular sight. His despair would be far stronger than any physical pain. The law of causality would surely reward him richly.
“We might be able to catch Leticia, that woman. Julios.”
Rehir whispered.
“Let’s wait for the night.”
* * *
The group heading to the principality set up camp near a desert spring.
Everyone was busy preparing the camp.
Though the weather was cold enough for their breaths to be visible, the campsite was warm enough to make them sweat. The fire spirits were crying out, releasing warmth throughout the camp.
「Lady Leticia… Lady Leticia…」
Those who knew the truth felt sorry for the spirits, but they still basked in the warmth. The heat generated by the spirits was far warmer than any campfire.
As they were enjoying the warmth, something unusual caught their eyes.
“Sir Banessa is eating again?”
“Really? What’s going on?”
Having fasted for almost two weeks, Banessa’s cheeks were completely sunken. Thanks to Kailas’s healing powers, he had plenty of energy, but he looked like a walking corpse.
Even though they knew it was an act to deceive Rehir, it was unsettling to watch.
But today, Banessa was eating meat as if preparing for battle, fully armed. It wasn’t just Banessa.
The other Wings also seemed different. They exuded a sharpness, like well-honed blades ready to cut at the slightest touch. Ordinary knights didn’t dare meet their eyes.
Finally, the long-awaited night arrived.
Creak.
Around midnight.
The door of the carriage opened, and Leticia emerged, wearing only a thin dress.
She walked slowly towards the desert.
With every step she took, cold air rose from the ground.
The spirits, worried for Leticia, wept and wailed.
In contrast, the people remained dead silent.
Before leaving the camp, Leticia paused to look at the desert night sky.
The pitch-black sky seemed about to spill over with stars.
She suddenly recalled the first time she spent a night in the desert.
In her first life, just after marrying Dietrian. She had spent the entire night crying, staring at the back of the man she was supposed to kill.
Back then, she had resented the desert stars looking down on her.
But not anymore.
Miraculously given a second life, everything had changed.
The desert, which had been hell in her first life, had become a completely different place for her.
It was the place where her fate changed, filled with memories with her beloved.
And now,
‘It’s time to save Lord Julios.’
It was time to create another miracle.
With this thought, Leticia took one step after another into the desert.
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