Deep into the night, Declan lifted his eyelids against the stifling heat that was suffocating him.
The screams of people running around in confusion filled his ears, and the acrid smell of coal filled his nose.
'Is there a fire in the castle?'
He ran to the window in a hurry and tried to open it, but was startled and withdrew his hand.
The hand holding the doorknob felt as if it was on fire.
He stared blankly at his hand, then turned his gaze beyond the window.
The garden of the Crown Prince's Palace, which the gardener had painstakingly tended, was burning red, and black smoke was spreading madly toward the sky.
‘What the heck is this...’
It was a time when he was lost in a situation that was so unrealistic.
Boom! Boom! Kwaang!
After a few loud bangs, the door slid open and someone rushed inside. It was Sir Arthur.
“Sir Arthur, what is this...”
“Come out, Your Highness. You must evacuate immediately!”
“Evacuate? Did a rebellion break out while I was sleeping?”
The Crown Prince asked in a resigned voice. It seemed that the people of the empire, who could no longer tolerate the incompetence of the imperial family, had finally risen up in revolt.
“It’s not a rebellion, it’s a disaster!”
"Disaster?"
“Yes, Your Highness. Not only the Imperial Palace but the entire capital is engulfed in flames. This is a natural fire. You must evacuate immediately, Your Highness!”
Arthur took the Crown Prince's robes from the hanger with a dry expression.
“There’s no time. Get dressed quickly!”
Declan, who had put on his clothes without even knowing anything, quickly left the building with Arthur.
In front of the main gate of the palace, the Emperor and Empress were waiting for him with anxious looks on their faces.
“Crown Prince!”
The Empress ran towards him and hugged him.
“Ah. You are safe, my son.”
“Are you hurt anywhere, Mother?”
“Then. His Majesty and I are both fine. You are safe too, which is a relief. Come, let’s get on the carriage. It’s too dangerous here. We must get out of here as soon as possible.”
The Empress hastily pulled his hand away, but the Crown Prince let go of his mother's hand.
“Crown Prince...?”
As she walked towards the carriage, she looked back at him with a puzzled look.
“You two go ahead. I am not leaving the capital.”
“What do you mean, you won’t leave the capital?”
“If all members of the royal family are evacuated, who will take care of the chaos in the capital? I must remain here.”
The Empress's face became dumbfounded at the Crown Prince's declaration. Instead of her, who was speechless and looking only at her son with wavering eyes, the Emperor intervened.
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about! You are the Crown Prince of Catalonia! The only heir! How dare you be so reckless! I left the training to the guards, so don’t worry and get on, get on quickly!”
The Emperor gave strict orders, but Declan did not budge.
“The imperial family, the masters of the empire, are abandoning the capital, so what sense of duty do we have to protect this place? I must remain here and lead them from the front lines. That is my duty as the Crown Prince.”
“But the Crown Prince...!”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll send you a message once everything is sorted out. I hope you get to safety.”
He bowed politely to the Emperor and Empress and then nodded to the knights of the guard. The knights immediately understood his intention and led the Emperor and Empress to the carriage.
“Hey, Declan! Declan!”
The Empress, who had been dragged away with a bewildered expression, came to her senses belatedly and desperately called out to her son, but he coldly closed the door and started the carriage.
Declan, who had been staring blankly at the back of the carriage rapidly moving away, turned his gaze towards Arthur.
“Please explain in brief. What is the current situation in the capital?”
“It’s exactly as I said earlier. The entire capital is burning in a fire of unknown origin. The situation is so dire that we can’t even determine the exact scale or number of victims.”
Declan, who had been furrowing his brow at the vague report, opened his mouth again.
“Sir, summon the Knights immediately. Let them take care of the urgent areas together with the guards. Find a relatively intact building, designate it as a temporary hospital, and move any injured imperial citizens you find there. The imperial medical staff...”
“Your Highness, will you not come with me?”
“I will go to the temple and make sure the Saintess is safe, then join you.”
He gave Arthur a few more instructions and then leaped onto his horse.
The horse ran faithfully and quickly in the direction its master led, but it had to change its route countless times because fires often blocked the way, and as a result, it took an hour to reach the distance that should have been covered in 30 minutes.
The temple that he arrived at was extremely quiet. Fortunately, the flames did not seem to have entered the temple, so Declan felt relieved and rode his horse through the main gate of the temple.
Heehee!
He pulled the reins urgently.
He was mistaken in thinking that the temple was safe. It was not engulfed in flames, but the inside of the temple was truly a disaster.
The once-green grass of the temple had turned black and dead, and on it lay the corpses of priests and servants dressed in white.
“What is this...”
As he gazed at the horrific sight with hardened eyes, he noticed one man who looked particularly different.
Unlike the other corpses strewn about like trash, a man was lying on the grass with his arms tied behind his back like a criminal. Surprisingly, he was the Pope.
"His Holiness!"
A terrified Declan dismounted and quickly picked up the Pope. Fortunately, he was still breathing.
“Your Holiness! Come to your senses, Your Holiness!”
He tried to bring the Pope back to consciousness somehow. He shook his aged shoulders and even patted his cheek, despite the rudeness.
Fortunately, the Pope responded.
He barely lifted one eyelid and stared at Declan's face as if trying to figure out who was waking him up, then muttered weakly.
"Your Highness..."
“Yes, Your Holiness. It is. Are you awake?”
The Pope nodded slowly.
A moment of relief came over him, but it only lasted for a moment.
“Where is the Saintess, where is the Saintess?”
This was all he could do to wake up the dying Pope and ask him what was wrong.
Clearly, there were more pressing issues. What had happened in the temple without his knowledge, and who had done it.
There was a lot to take in from the Pope, who appeared to be the sole survivor of this mountain of corpses.
That was what the Crown Prince had to do when his country was on the verge of destruction.
But unfortunately, he didn't have the energy to worry about anything else right now.
The temple was turned upside down.
Even the Pope was not spared from the blow.
In this situation, there was no way Shayne would be safe.
“Your Holiness, please answer. Shayne, where is she? Is she okay? Please tell me!”
He asked desperately, but the Pope seemed to have no more strength to continue. Only a hissing sound came out of his slowly smiling lips, unable to form any clear words.
It was at this moment that Declan, who had become impatient, was about to urge the Pope again.
Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps cut through the silence. At the same time, a soft voice flowed into his eardrums.
“Are you looking for this child?”
Declan turned his head reflexively. He saw a woman in black robes walking towards him.
A woman leisurely crossing a hell where there is only death on all sides.
A woman smiles without any hesitation while lightly stepping on a corpse that is caught in the way.
Anyone who saw it would see that she had the appearance of a conqueror.
This woman is the one who created this mess.
But there was something else that really caught his eye.
Another woman is dragged behind the woman.
The woman he was dragging with her arms tied behind her back was the very woman he had been trying to find even at the cost of disturbing the Pope's peace.
“Shayne!”
He immediately drew his sword and was about to run, but then stopped in his tracks.
Something was strange.
Shayne's body was unbound by anything. There were no ropes to constrain her, no handcuffs to force her.
And yet she was being dragged along like a dog on a leash, like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.
As if something invisible was leading her.
Declan, who had been staring blankly at the sight, turned his gaze to the conqueror.
She was wearing a robe, but the hood did not cover her face, so her facial features were clearly visible.
Long purple hair that reached down to her waist and red eyes as dark and clear as blood.
The screams of people running around in confusion filled his ears, and the acrid smell of coal filled his nose.
'Is there a fire in the castle?'
He ran to the window in a hurry and tried to open it, but was startled and withdrew his hand.
The hand holding the doorknob felt as if it was on fire.
He stared blankly at his hand, then turned his gaze beyond the window.
The garden of the Crown Prince's Palace, which the gardener had painstakingly tended, was burning red, and black smoke was spreading madly toward the sky.
‘What the heck is this...’
It was a time when he was lost in a situation that was so unrealistic.
Boom! Boom! Kwaang!
After a few loud bangs, the door slid open and someone rushed inside. It was Sir Arthur.
“Sir Arthur, what is this...”
“Come out, Your Highness. You must evacuate immediately!”
“Evacuate? Did a rebellion break out while I was sleeping?”
The Crown Prince asked in a resigned voice. It seemed that the people of the empire, who could no longer tolerate the incompetence of the imperial family, had finally risen up in revolt.
“It’s not a rebellion, it’s a disaster!”
"Disaster?"
“Yes, Your Highness. Not only the Imperial Palace but the entire capital is engulfed in flames. This is a natural fire. You must evacuate immediately, Your Highness!”
Arthur took the Crown Prince's robes from the hanger with a dry expression.
“There’s no time. Get dressed quickly!”
Declan, who had put on his clothes without even knowing anything, quickly left the building with Arthur.
In front of the main gate of the palace, the Emperor and Empress were waiting for him with anxious looks on their faces.
“Crown Prince!”
The Empress ran towards him and hugged him.
“Ah. You are safe, my son.”
“Are you hurt anywhere, Mother?”
“Then. His Majesty and I are both fine. You are safe too, which is a relief. Come, let’s get on the carriage. It’s too dangerous here. We must get out of here as soon as possible.”
The Empress hastily pulled his hand away, but the Crown Prince let go of his mother's hand.
“Crown Prince...?”
As she walked towards the carriage, she looked back at him with a puzzled look.
“You two go ahead. I am not leaving the capital.”
“What do you mean, you won’t leave the capital?”
“If all members of the royal family are evacuated, who will take care of the chaos in the capital? I must remain here.”
The Empress's face became dumbfounded at the Crown Prince's declaration. Instead of her, who was speechless and looking only at her son with wavering eyes, the Emperor intervened.
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about! You are the Crown Prince of Catalonia! The only heir! How dare you be so reckless! I left the training to the guards, so don’t worry and get on, get on quickly!”
The Emperor gave strict orders, but Declan did not budge.
“The imperial family, the masters of the empire, are abandoning the capital, so what sense of duty do we have to protect this place? I must remain here and lead them from the front lines. That is my duty as the Crown Prince.”
“But the Crown Prince...!”
“Don’t worry, Mother. I’ll send you a message once everything is sorted out. I hope you get to safety.”
He bowed politely to the Emperor and Empress and then nodded to the knights of the guard. The knights immediately understood his intention and led the Emperor and Empress to the carriage.
“Hey, Declan! Declan!”
The Empress, who had been dragged away with a bewildered expression, came to her senses belatedly and desperately called out to her son, but he coldly closed the door and started the carriage.
Declan, who had been staring blankly at the back of the carriage rapidly moving away, turned his gaze towards Arthur.
“Please explain in brief. What is the current situation in the capital?”
“It’s exactly as I said earlier. The entire capital is burning in a fire of unknown origin. The situation is so dire that we can’t even determine the exact scale or number of victims.”
Declan, who had been furrowing his brow at the vague report, opened his mouth again.
“Sir, summon the Knights immediately. Let them take care of the urgent areas together with the guards. Find a relatively intact building, designate it as a temporary hospital, and move any injured imperial citizens you find there. The imperial medical staff...”
“Your Highness, will you not come with me?”
“I will go to the temple and make sure the Saintess is safe, then join you.”
He gave Arthur a few more instructions and then leaped onto his horse.
The horse ran faithfully and quickly in the direction its master led, but it had to change its route countless times because fires often blocked the way, and as a result, it took an hour to reach the distance that should have been covered in 30 minutes.
The temple that he arrived at was extremely quiet. Fortunately, the flames did not seem to have entered the temple, so Declan felt relieved and rode his horse through the main gate of the temple.
Heehee!
He pulled the reins urgently.
He was mistaken in thinking that the temple was safe. It was not engulfed in flames, but the inside of the temple was truly a disaster.
The once-green grass of the temple had turned black and dead, and on it lay the corpses of priests and servants dressed in white.
“What is this...”
As he gazed at the horrific sight with hardened eyes, he noticed one man who looked particularly different.
Unlike the other corpses strewn about like trash, a man was lying on the grass with his arms tied behind his back like a criminal. Surprisingly, he was the Pope.
"His Holiness!"
A terrified Declan dismounted and quickly picked up the Pope. Fortunately, he was still breathing.
“Your Holiness! Come to your senses, Your Holiness!”
He tried to bring the Pope back to consciousness somehow. He shook his aged shoulders and even patted his cheek, despite the rudeness.
Fortunately, the Pope responded.
He barely lifted one eyelid and stared at Declan's face as if trying to figure out who was waking him up, then muttered weakly.
"Your Highness..."
“Yes, Your Holiness. It is. Are you awake?”
The Pope nodded slowly.
A moment of relief came over him, but it only lasted for a moment.
“Where is the Saintess, where is the Saintess?”
This was all he could do to wake up the dying Pope and ask him what was wrong.
Clearly, there were more pressing issues. What had happened in the temple without his knowledge, and who had done it.
There was a lot to take in from the Pope, who appeared to be the sole survivor of this mountain of corpses.
That was what the Crown Prince had to do when his country was on the verge of destruction.
But unfortunately, he didn't have the energy to worry about anything else right now.
The temple was turned upside down.
Even the Pope was not spared from the blow.
In this situation, there was no way Shayne would be safe.
“Your Holiness, please answer. Shayne, where is she? Is she okay? Please tell me!”
He asked desperately, but the Pope seemed to have no more strength to continue. Only a hissing sound came out of his slowly smiling lips, unable to form any clear words.
It was at this moment that Declan, who had become impatient, was about to urge the Pope again.
Thud. Thud.
Heavy footsteps cut through the silence. At the same time, a soft voice flowed into his eardrums.
“Are you looking for this child?”
Declan turned his head reflexively. He saw a woman in black robes walking towards him.
A woman leisurely crossing a hell where there is only death on all sides.
A woman smiles without any hesitation while lightly stepping on a corpse that is caught in the way.
Anyone who saw it would see that she had the appearance of a conqueror.
This woman is the one who created this mess.
But there was something else that really caught his eye.
Another woman is dragged behind the woman.
The woman he was dragging with her arms tied behind her back was the very woman he had been trying to find even at the cost of disturbing the Pope's peace.
“Shayne!”
He immediately drew his sword and was about to run, but then stopped in his tracks.
Something was strange.
Shayne's body was unbound by anything. There were no ropes to constrain her, no handcuffs to force her.
And yet she was being dragged along like a dog on a leash, like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse.
As if something invisible was leading her.
Declan, who had been staring blankly at the sight, turned his gaze to the conqueror.
She was wearing a robe, but the hood did not cover her face, so her facial features were clearly visible.
Long purple hair that reached down to her waist and red eyes as dark and clear as blood.
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