As the Emperor crossed the river of no return, the dragon skin that I was wearing disappeared.
The pupils turned green again.
The sword I was holding turned into a handful of ash and scattered into the air as if it had fulfilled its purpose.
A cool breeze blew, ruffling ny red hair.
I who was looking at the sky that was gradually getting brighter, soon closed my eyes.
Even though I succeeded in getting the revenge I had longed for, instead of feeling relieved, I felt frustrated and empty because I had lost something so big.
Perdes.
Even amid a fierce battle with the Emperor, an unforgettable name lingered in my heart.
I looked back in the direction where Perdes was.
"Miss."
Aldor, who had come up behind me, called out to me in a small voice.
But I did not look back at Aldor.
I stared blankly at Perdes, then lifted my feet from the ground as if they were nailed to the ground.
Thud, thud.
Tiny sparks danced and flickered along the footprints I left behind.
Byblos, who was standing in front of the fallen Perdes, looked back at me. His eyes, which were always so proud, had become sad and sunken.
I clenched my fists, thinking I knew what those eyes meant.
Byblos came and I had hoped for something, but it was as expected.
After all, dragons aren't gods, and there's no way they could bring the dead back to life.
I know that, but it was devastating when I actually faced the truth.
A deep sense of loss that was difficult to express in words began to creep up from the tips of my toes.
'It's just going to fail.'
So if I had died, I would have returned and Perdes would have lived again.
Blinded by the need for revenge, I failed to see the bigger picture.
Late regret made me even more miserable.
I sat down next to Perdes and stretched out my arms to hug him tightly.
"Sorry."
Clear tears flowed down my cheeks and soaked Perdes' collar.
“Because of me... Because I was greedy... I’m truly sorry.”
I wanted to express my feelings more properly, but my mind was filled with sadness and all I could say was that she was sorry.
“If I had known this would happen... I should have spoken up instead of holding back.”
If that were the case, would my heart feel a little lighter?
I don't know.
Since it was something I had never done before, I had no idea what the outcome would be.
But what I didn't say for sure was that I was so blinded by revenge that I lost something precious and only realized it afterward, which I deeply regretted.
"I like you."
If I tell you honestly, even if it's late, will my heavy heart feel a little better?
Will the regret that has dug deep into my bones go away a little?
“I really like you, Perdes.”
“...”
“I like you with the same heart.”
I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in advance.
I'm really sorry.
I tried to express the emotions I had been ignoring, but nothing changed.
Rather, at that time, I was shedding tears without stopping, feeling sorry for myself for not being able to let go of my extreme selfishness even in the midst of all this.
"...Really?"
“!”
A miracle happened.
I looked down at Perdes in surprise.
Then I saw golden eyes that I thought I would never see again.
It looks like the Emperor, but it's completely different.
The eyes that I loved so much.
“You wasn’t... dead?”
Perdes frowned at the words I muttered as if talking to myself.
“Don't kill people for nothing.”
The pupils turned green again.
The sword I was holding turned into a handful of ash and scattered into the air as if it had fulfilled its purpose.
A cool breeze blew, ruffling ny red hair.
I who was looking at the sky that was gradually getting brighter, soon closed my eyes.
Even though I succeeded in getting the revenge I had longed for, instead of feeling relieved, I felt frustrated and empty because I had lost something so big.
Perdes.
Even amid a fierce battle with the Emperor, an unforgettable name lingered in my heart.
I looked back in the direction where Perdes was.
"Miss."
Aldor, who had come up behind me, called out to me in a small voice.
But I did not look back at Aldor.
I stared blankly at Perdes, then lifted my feet from the ground as if they were nailed to the ground.
Thud, thud.
Tiny sparks danced and flickered along the footprints I left behind.
Byblos, who was standing in front of the fallen Perdes, looked back at me. His eyes, which were always so proud, had become sad and sunken.
I clenched my fists, thinking I knew what those eyes meant.
Byblos came and I had hoped for something, but it was as expected.
After all, dragons aren't gods, and there's no way they could bring the dead back to life.
I know that, but it was devastating when I actually faced the truth.
A deep sense of loss that was difficult to express in words began to creep up from the tips of my toes.
'It's just going to fail.'
So if I had died, I would have returned and Perdes would have lived again.
Blinded by the need for revenge, I failed to see the bigger picture.
Late regret made me even more miserable.
I sat down next to Perdes and stretched out my arms to hug him tightly.
"Sorry."
Clear tears flowed down my cheeks and soaked Perdes' collar.
“Because of me... Because I was greedy... I’m truly sorry.”
I wanted to express my feelings more properly, but my mind was filled with sadness and all I could say was that she was sorry.
“If I had known this would happen... I should have spoken up instead of holding back.”
If that were the case, would my heart feel a little lighter?
I don't know.
Since it was something I had never done before, I had no idea what the outcome would be.
But what I didn't say for sure was that I was so blinded by revenge that I lost something precious and only realized it afterward, which I deeply regretted.
"I like you."
If I tell you honestly, even if it's late, will my heavy heart feel a little better?
Will the regret that has dug deep into my bones go away a little?
“I really like you, Perdes.”
“...”
“I like you with the same heart.”
I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in advance.
I'm really sorry.
I tried to express the emotions I had been ignoring, but nothing changed.
Rather, at that time, I was shedding tears without stopping, feeling sorry for myself for not being able to let go of my extreme selfishness even in the midst of all this.
"...Really?"
“!”
A miracle happened.
I looked down at Perdes in surprise.
Then I saw golden eyes that I thought I would never see again.
It looks like the Emperor, but it's completely different.
The eyes that I loved so much.
“You wasn’t... dead?”
Perdes frowned at the words I muttered as if talking to myself.
“Don't kill people for nothing.”
Are you really alive?
Are you saying I didn't see things correctly?
I looked back at Byblos, still unable to believe it even after seeing it with my own eyes.
Byblos shrugged.
“I didn’t say anything. You were the only one mistaken.”
You looked at me with an expression that anyone could mistake!
As I was looking at Byblos with bewildered eyes, Perdes grabbed me by the collar.
It was a faint touch, like a feather landing, but I looked straight at Perdes.
Perdes smiled as he met my green eyes which were shaking in confusion.
The moment I saw that smile, my emotions surged.
Alive.
He is alive.
"Thank god...!"
I stretched out both arms and hugged Perdes with all my might.
If it had continued like this, it would have been a touching reunion.
"Ugh!"
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
Unfortunately, deep wounds that exposed bone and muscle prevented a touching reunion.
Byblos, who had been looking at us with slightly annoyed eyes, finally smiled in satisfaction.
***
I also have to take Perdes to the hospital.
Since I had to finish up the affairs of the empire, I left the care of the territory to Sir Aldor for a while and hurriedly returned to the capital.
Perdes went to the hospital with Byblos, and I went to the palace.
I was worried that Prophetes IV might change his mind while I was away.
“You’re here.”
He was waiting for me silently at the same place we had first met, to the point where my worries were in vain.
He must have ears to hear, so he must know that I'm gone.
In the meantime, he could have taken control of the palace and done whatever he wanted, so I was curious as to why he was just silently guarding his position, so I asked him directly.
“Why didn’t you do anything?”
Then Prophetes IV laughed.
“I learned that if you want what you want, you have to be patient.”
“What would you like to have?”
“That's a secret.”
The smiling face was extremely suspicious, but he hadn't done anything bad to me, and I had more important things to worry about, so I buried it for now.
***
It wasn't difficult to take over an empire without an Emperor.
Although there were nobles who remained loyal to the royal family or did not want to lose their jobs, they were rabble.
They were easily defeated by the allied forces including the Kingdom of Artina led by Prophetes IV.
They took away the national seal and broke the throne and crown.
With this, future maps of the continent will no longer contain the name of the empire.
Since the imperial family and royal family of the defeated country were all certain to die, the imperial family, including the Empress, struggled to survive somehow.
The same was true for the Empress.
“Please save the Crown Prince.”
The only difference is that the Empress begged for her child's life, not her own.
I have known the Empress since the days of Chernosser, but she was truly a woman full of maternal love.
“I will live in hiding without any useless greed. So please spare the Crown Prince, Duke.”
“It’s not a Duke, it’s Princess Leopold.”
Because Leopold's domain became independent from the Empire before the fall of the throne.
“And I cannot grant your request to spare the Crown Prince’s life.”
“Is it because that child is a member of the royal family?”
“No. The Crown Prince is already dead.”
“...!”
The Empress looked at me with wide eyes.
A look of absolute disbelief.
“He really is dead. Of course, it wasn’t me who killed him, it was the Emperor.”
I told the Empress all the stories I had heard from Sir Aldor.
He left the palace with the knights of the palace, but before he could even leave the capital, he deserted the unit with Sir Aldor.
Everything, including the body returned to the palace and was taken over by the Emperor.
To live forever, the Emperor discarded his current body when it grew old and sick and replaced it with a young and fresh body.
The ruins that Perdes had seen were the body that the Emperor had abandoned.
Of course, he can't just switch to anybody, only a body with the same blood flowing through it, like a child.
So the Emperor went on a rampage to have a child with the royal blood of Duke Leopold.
He wants to change into that body and use the power of Dragon Heart at will.
Anyway, the Crown Prince that Sir Aaron saw was actually the Emperor wearing the Crown Prince's skin.
The Emperor I fought so fiercely against was also the same person.
“That’s ridiculous. That’s a lie!”
The Empress still did not believe me and denied it vehemently.
Then I have no choice but to check it myself.
“There is an illegal casino run by the Dark Lords at 8th Avenue Blanc. If you go there, you will be able to see the Crown Prince’s relics.”
The Crown Prince didn't go there simply to enjoy gambling.
That was the Emperor's laboratory, and it was where the Emperor kept his shed skins hidden, so he went there.
Although he was moved to the basement of the Emperor's Palace after being caught by Sir Aaron and Perdes, he was also caught and returned to the casino.
Little did he know that that place would become his grave.
“I can’t take it with me right now because I’m conducting an on-site investigation, but I’ll give it to you later when things are sorted out.”
“...”
“By the way, the person who killed Prince Chernosser was also the Emperor. I saw with my own eyes the Emperor playing with his body.”
Among the corpses that the Emperor had manipulated to attack me was Chernosser. Of course, I hid the fact that I was the one who turned him into a piece of meat.
There is no need to make a fuss about it.
The Empress looked at me with trembling eyes, as if she still did not believe my story, and then hurriedly went outside.
Sir Corner, who had been waiting at the door, approached and asked.
“Shall we chase after her?”
“No. It’s okay.”
Because I know where the Empress is going.
“After about three hours, send your knights to the illegal casino at number 8 Blanc to bring the Empress back. And collect the Crown Prince’s body.”
"Yes."
I thought it would be better to show a little kindness rather than being too cruel, so I tried to do that.
“The Empress has committed suicide.”
The mother, who saw the terrible sight of her child, could not overcome the shock and chose to follow the same path as her child.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment