There were no major movements in the Holy Empire yet. It was said that the Wings of the Goddess were holed up in their respective places, not making any moves. There was no large-scale military mobilization either. Even the borders remained quiet. It made the order to maintain a war-ready alert seem almost unnecessary.
There was one peculiar thing, though. The monsters were unusually quiet compared to previous years. It was strange, but it didn’t seem to have any major connection to the war. Still, I issued a warning just in case.
“It’s fortunate that the burden on the border cities has lessened, but we must not let our guard down. We don’t know when or where the monsters will rampage, so maintain strict vigilance.”
“Understood, Your Highness.”
I left the matter at that. Perhaps because the Holy Empire was surprisingly quiet, the tension that had been hanging over the Council of Elders in recent days had noticeably eased.
“Perhaps we were overly sensitive. There’s no real reason for Josephina to change her stance.”
“That’s right. With Her Majesty in Genos, there’s no need to risk a war.”
“Still, we should be prepared for the time being. Minimize the movement of the troops as well.”
“Indeed, we must.”
“I can’t shake the feeling that this might all be one of Josephina’s tricks. Perhaps she’s just showing off her forces to threaten Genos.”
“That could be. In any case, I think it’s important to keep all possibilities open. We’re dealing with Josephina after all, a being who defies common sense.”
Listening to the elders’ conversation, I found myself thinking of her again.
Had I been overly sensitive? Was there really no way the Holy Empire would invade Genos?
If so, did that mean I had more time left with her?
Could I dare to dream of a future with her?
I hadn’t seen her face in days, being so busy.
I missed her terribly. I looked at the elders, smiling as they chatted.
If all of this turned out to be nothing more than a misunderstanding, just as they hoped, I would take a proper vacation this time.
Even if it meant catching up on seven years of rest I hadn’t had.
For the woman who still wanted to kill me, I would do anything.
And exactly three days after making that vow, the capital became a battlefield.
* * *
In the end, I was right. The Holy Empire had broken its long-standing taboo and invaded Genos.
However, the method of their invasion was unexpected.
While everyone’s attention was focused on the borders, suddenly, the ground in front of the capital’s gates began to soften and sink, like a swamp.
From within, dozens of monsters crawled out. This bizarre phenomenon occurred in various places around the city walls.
“What the—? Aren’t those monsters?”
“How are monsters appearing from underground?”
The soldiers of Genos were brave, but they couldn’t help but be thrown off by an entirely unforeseen type of invasion.
Even enemies that ordinary humans could never hope to face appeared.
“Wings! The Wings have appeared!”
“The Dark Wing is controlling the monsters!”
“It’s not just the Dark Wing! The other Wings have appeared too… Aaargh!”
The white walls of the city were stained with the blood of soldiers. Inside the gates, chaos quickly turned the place into a battlefield. The Wings, said to have inherited the will of the Goddess, advanced slowly but steadily into the capital.
All this news was immediately brought to me, the king.
“Your Majesty…! You must flee…!”
The captain of the guard, who had barely escaped the chaos, burst into tears. He was a man who had guarded the walls of Genos since my childhood. The grizzled veteran, covered in the blood of his comrades, knelt and wept.
“We can’t hold them off with our strength. Please, flee!”
Grinding my teeth, I looked out the window. Under the red dusk, smoke rose from various parts of the capital.
In some way, I had anticipated this.
But I hadn’t expected it to happen like this. Everything was horrifyingly sudden. Nevertheless, retreating was not an option. I had to make a decision.
“Yulken!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Summon the royal knights. We will fight to the very last.”
Yulken lowered his head and replied, his voice trembling slightly.
“As you command.”
“The knights have one goal: save as many people as possible. Think of nothing else.”
Die while saving the people.
That was the order I gave.
No one thought the command was unfair. I, too, would fight alongside them.
I immediately left the audience chamber. The captain of the guard quickly stood and followed me in urgency.
“Your Majesty, you can’t do this. You must survive. Only then can we hope for the future!”
“Do you truly think hoping for the future is possible?”
I gently removed the captain’s hand from my arm.
“There is no future. Josephina declared Genos an enemy of the empire thirty years ago. She has tormented Genos endlessly during that time, but not once did she cross the border.”
Perhaps it was because she had no need or no means to cross it back then.
“But now, she has crossed it. And she’s appeared right at the capital’s gates. This means one of two things. Either something has forced her to cross the border, or she has found a way to invade Genos.”
“….”
“Whichever it is, it is now irreversible. Whatever Josephina’s ultimate goal is, she will see it through to the end. We can’t stop her with our power. So we must do what we can.”
Save as many people as possible.
“I’m sorry, but I ask that you recover from your wounds as quickly as possible and take up your sword again.”
The captain, tears streaming down his face, finally bowed his head. I left him behind and headed to the inner palace.
There was someone I absolutely had to save.
* * *
“Julia, please take care of Mother.”
“I will protect Madam Mano with my life.”
“Where are we going?”
“Mother.”
I knelt on one knee and held my mother’s hand as she looked down at me.
“We’re going on a wonderful trip, but it might take a little time to prepare. If you go with Julia first, I’ll follow soon.”
“Do I have to go first?”
“It’s such a wonderful place, I wanted you to be the first to see it. Please have fun with Julia there.”
Even though I knew this was the last time, I smiled as I bid her farewell.
My mother, who had been silently looking down at me, gently stroked my head.
“You’re making promises like that again. Saying you’d come back… and then…”
Seven years ago, my brother had promised he’d return, but he never did. That promise left my mother with a broken heart.
For the past seven years, she had resented him for making a promise he couldn’t keep, and now, here I was, doing the same thing.
“I’ll keep my promise this time. I swear.”
“I know… We will meet again.”
Her frail arms, speaking lies, pulled me into an embrace.
Was it because this was the last time?
Her voice sounded like it did before she got sick, back when she was healthy, and a wave of sorrow surged through me. I barely held it back. If she sensed something was wrong and refused to leave, insisting on staying, it would have been a disaster.
“We’ll meet again. I’m sure… I saw it. I saw it, so we will meet again. And when we do, you’ll come with a beautiful baby. Right? I’ll be here until then, so we have to meet again. Okay?”
Thankfully, my mother quietly listened to my request. She was much calmer than usual, even as Julia helped her into her outdoor clothes and carried her on her back.
I clasped my mother’s hand, which was gently caressing my cheek, and gave Julia a nod. Julia returned a slight nod and took my mother into the secret passage connected to the inner palace.
“Madam Mano, it might be dark and stuffy in here, but please bear with it for a little while. I’ll take you outside soon, and then we can ride a big horse together and have fun.”
“Okay.”
With that, I closed the door to the secret passage. After moving the bookshelf back to its original place, I took a deep breath.
It was truly the end now.
The reality of parting with my mother began to sink in.
‘Mother, please survive.’
Even if she had to spend the rest of her life in an illusion far worse than now, I selfishly hoped she would survive.
After ensuring my mother’s escape, I went to see Leticia. The palace servants, unsure of what to do, were pacing nervously in front of her tightly shut bedroom door. They were the ones who should have already escaped with her.
As I quickened my pace, the servants noticed me and hurried over with relief.
“Your Majesty, Her Highness…”
“I’ll persuade her.”
I didn’t knock, and instead opened the door directly.
Even though I’d sent people to her long ago, she was still sitting there in her thin indoor clothes.
I approached her, holding the winter coat that the servants had clearly prepared in both hands.
“Get up.”
Without asking for her opinion, I lifted her up, helping her into the coat like I would dress a child. She offered no reaction, no matter what thoughts might have been running through her mind.
Afraid I might explode if I looked at her face, I remained silent and focused only on fastening the buttons. After buttoning up her coat and wrapping a scarf around her, I lifted her into my arms, but something felt off.
Even though I’d heard she had been eating properly, she felt much thinner than she had just a few days ago. As I sat her down on the bed to put on her boots, I hesitated.
“Why does your face look like this?”
Even though she was clearly alive, it felt as though she had already died. There was no trace of life in her. I couldn’t believe she had become like this in just a few days.
“What… what happened? Why are you like this? What happened?”
She slowly shook her head.
“Nothing happened.”
“Leticia!”
“The Holy Empire has invaded, right?”
“Yes, but before that, we need to talk about your condition…”
“Don’t worry. I told you, it’s almost over. There’s not much time left for this mess.”
She smiled as if she had given up on everything, gently cupping my cheek.
“You came to save someone like me when you should be fighting? Honestly… why are you like this, even at the very end?”
I couldn’t say anything.
It was the first time she had ever reached out to me.
It was also the first time she had looked at me with such soft eyes.
“Maybe… giving up wasn’t so bad after all.”
“Giving up? What are you talking about? What have you given up on?”
“I know Genos is precious to you, but don’t overdo it. Stay alive. That way, at least my giving up won’t be in vain.”
“What are you saying…?”
“No matter how I think about it… I figured you were better off than I was.”
As she continued speaking in riddles, she smiled softly. It was a breathtakingly beautiful smile.
“Fine, I’ll escape, just like you said. I’ve worried you enough until now… I guess I owe you at least this much. I’ll go. But don’t worry about me. Just promise me you’ll survive.”
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