Declan immediately recognized the woman's identity.
Because as far as he knew, there was only one being with ominous red eyes that did not even appear in mythology.
“Ibis.”
She furrowed her brows in displeasure at the name he unconsciously muttered.
“How insolent. How dare a human dare to use the goddess’s name so carelessly.”
But it was only for a moment. Soon, the anger subsided and a refreshing smile appeared on her face.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Considering the favor I received from you, this is all I can give.”
Favor? What favor have I shown her?
Ibis' smile deepened even further as she noticed his question through his narrowed eyebrows.
“Thanks to you giving up the three relics, didn’t I have an easier time seizing the victory?”
“...Three holy relics?”
“Yes, those cumbersome devices that Hethel has arranged for you. The last protective barrier that has been diligently refined for hundreds of years to block me.”
For a moment, Declan froze like a statue.
He remembered Shayne saying that they should go out and find the three remaining relics to prepare for the Ibis invasion.
In addition, he resolutely stopped Shaen.
“Surely not, then all of this...”
As Declan muttered in a trembling voice, one corner of Ibis's mouth curled up mischievously.
“Yes, it’s all thanks to you. Your desire to not look incompetent in front of this child when you can’t do anything, your selfishness in not wanting to see this child suffer when you can’t even think of a replacement.”
A woman approached him quietly and extended her hand.
A soft, slender hand slowly stroked his jawline and then lightly tapped his cheek. It was a touch full of affection as if giving him a reward.
“It’s all thanks to you.”
Finally, her hand fell away and elegantly cut through the air.
At the same time, an iron pole was erected over the dead lawn, and Shayne's body, which was lying on the ground, was tied to the pole.
"What!"
It was the moment when he, feeling an ominous premonition, was desperately trying to stop it.
Hururuk.
In an instant, Shayne's body was set on fire.
“How do you...”
She was mumbling with a blank expression, but then her shoulders flinched.
“Could it be that Your Highness is having the same dream?”
The answer to her trembling question was a weak nod.
The two looked at each other with eyes that were shaking miserably, and soon they had a gut feeling.
This is not an ordinary dream.
Maybe... it could be a precognitive dream.
Because as far as he knew, there was only one being with ominous red eyes that did not even appear in mythology.
“Ibis.”
She furrowed her brows in displeasure at the name he unconsciously muttered.
“How insolent. How dare a human dare to use the goddess’s name so carelessly.”
But it was only for a moment. Soon, the anger subsided and a refreshing smile appeared on her face.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Considering the favor I received from you, this is all I can give.”
Favor? What favor have I shown her?
Ibis' smile deepened even further as she noticed his question through his narrowed eyebrows.
“Thanks to you giving up the three relics, didn’t I have an easier time seizing the victory?”
“...Three holy relics?”
“Yes, those cumbersome devices that Hethel has arranged for you. The last protective barrier that has been diligently refined for hundreds of years to block me.”
For a moment, Declan froze like a statue.
He remembered Shayne saying that they should go out and find the three remaining relics to prepare for the Ibis invasion.
In addition, he resolutely stopped Shaen.
“Surely not, then all of this...”
As Declan muttered in a trembling voice, one corner of Ibis's mouth curled up mischievously.
“Yes, it’s all thanks to you. Your desire to not look incompetent in front of this child when you can’t do anything, your selfishness in not wanting to see this child suffer when you can’t even think of a replacement.”
A woman approached him quietly and extended her hand.
A soft, slender hand slowly stroked his jawline and then lightly tapped his cheek. It was a touch full of affection as if giving him a reward.
“It’s all thanks to you.”
Finally, her hand fell away and elegantly cut through the air.
At the same time, an iron pole was erected over the dead lawn, and Shayne's body, which was lying on the ground, was tied to the pole.
"What!"
It was the moment when he, feeling an ominous premonition, was desperately trying to stop it.
Hururuk.
In an instant, Shayne's body was set on fire.
Even as she was being dragged around like a slave, her eyes, which had been closed like a corpse, opened wide.
“Ahhhhh!”
As the painful groan assaulted his ears, a terrible smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils. It was a horrible, repulsive smell.
He watched her blankly. He had to stop her, he had to run and pull her down right now. He had to save her somehow.
Even though he knew that fact, he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.
It was so tragic that all of this was his own fault, that it was all because of his incompetence and his pretense of being a good person. The weight of the price was so heavy.
He could only look at the sight, like a prisoner tied by invisible ropes.
“Ahahaha.”
The Ibis's vicious laughter echoed through the air as if mocking him.
Huh!
Declan let out a ragged breath and raised his upper body.
The surroundings were as dark as pitch.
He stared blankly around the cave-like room, then quickly ran to the window.
Beyond the window, a well-kept garden glowed softly under the moonlight.
There was no fierce flame or black smoke. Instead, only the soft, peaceful chirping of insects resonated.
“Ha, was it a dream?”
He let out a sigh of relief for a moment, but then immediately changed his clothes.
Even though he realized it was a dream, the thumping in his heart just wouldn't calm down.
He felt like he would be completely reassured if he saw Shayne in person.
He immediately climbed onto the horse's back.
He spoke in an unusually hurried manner and kept looking around.
The flames that had repeatedly blocked the path in his dreams were nowhere to be seen. Everything was quiet, and nothing he was worried about happened.
While he was trembling with anxiety, barely able to breathe a sigh of relief, then anxiously trying to calm his mind, and repeating this several times, the horse that had been running diligently had already arrived at the temple.
The captain of the guard, who had been faithfully guarding the main gate even when everyone was asleep, discovered him and approached him with a puzzled expression.
“Your Highness, what are you doing at the temple at this hour of the night...?”
“I was wandering around because my dream was so messy, and I ended up here. Since I’m here, I’d like to pray to the goddess. Can I come in for a moment?”
“Usually after 10pm, we strictly control the entry of visitors...”
The captain of the guard, who had been scratching his head as if he was thinking for a moment, soon nodded readily.
“It is to prevent the danger caused by unidentified persons coming in on a night when the control is loose, so there is no reason to control Your Highness’s entry and exit. You may come in as you wish.”
“Thank you.”
Declan strode through the heavy iron gate that creaked open, the captain of the guard quickly following behind him.
“I will take you to the mass.”
“No, that’s not necessary. It’s not like I’ve been here once or twice, and I can find the mass on my own.”
“But how could you do it without an escort...”
“It’s not anywhere else, it’s the temple. Where else in the empire can you find a place as safe as this? Don’t worry about me and just guard the main gate of the temple as you always have.”
“If that is so... Yes, I will follow Your Majesty’s orders.”
The captain of the guard bowed politely and stepped aside, and Declan walked alone and silently into the temple. Not to the mass room, but to the Saintess's room.
Of course, he had no intention of waking up Shayne and confronting her at this ambitious hour.
He thought it would be enough to just open the door slightly and check her peacefully sleeping face.
He thinks that just that much will be enough to shake off some of the anxiety that has built up in his chest.
However.
“Ahh!”
As soon as he arrived at the Saintess's room, a scream suddenly came out from inside.
A scream so faint that even the maid, who must have been fast asleep in the next room, alert for Shayne's reaction at that moment, couldn't hear it.
But the voice was clearly filled with fear.
Declan immediately opened the door.
The first thing he sees through the gap in the door is a lion.
Above the lion, who was sleeping soundly and snoring, was Shayne, leaning her upper body listlessly against the headboard of the bed.
Shayne is seen hugging her arms tightly as if trying to suppress her trembling body.
“Excuse me, Martha, can I have some water?”
She muttered without even looking at the door, as if she thought it was Martha who came in, and then turned her head in puzzlement when she didn't hear the answer she should have heard.
"...Your Highness?"
Shayne's eyes widened at the appearance of an unexpected character.
“Your Highness, what brings you here... What is this? Could this also be a dream?”
Declan burst out laughing at the sight of Shayne pinching her cheek with a puzzled expression.
It was only when he saw that she looked no different than usual that he felt relieved.
He strode into the room and opened his mouth.
“It’s not a dream. It’s reality.”
“You’re saying this isn’t a dream? But why are you in my room at this late hour...?”
Shayne glared at him warily.
Looking at those eyes, he felt depressed as if he was a piece of trash who came to rape a woman in the quiet of dawn, but he was in no position to argue with her.
Of course, Declan didn't mean to rape her, but it was true that he had invaded her room without permission at that time.
He started making excuses in a hurry.
“I had a bad dream and ended up here while riding a horse. I was going to stop by the mass hall to pray, but I took the wrong road.”
He was mistaken because he had visited the place thousands of times over the past twenty-two years.
It was a ridiculous excuse, but Shayne nodded coolly.
“I see.”
It seemed like all her attention was focused elsewhere.
'Why are you sweating so much?'
Feeling a bit worried, Declan handed Shayne a glass of water on the table.
“Oh, thank you.”
She quickly accepted the drink and gulped down the water. Judging from the fact that she emptied a considerable amount of water in one gulp, her throat must have been very parched.
“What happened? You don’t look so good.”
“No, nothing happened, I just had a bad dream.”
“What if it’s a bad dream?”
“No, well! In my dream, that Ibis guy appeared and said to me...!”
Shayne, who had been unconsciously responding to his words, hesitated and closed her mouth.
“Oh, no. Just know that it was a really horrible dream.”
She looked like she didn't even want to talk.
But he couldn't just let her keep quiet like this.
That would be the case, that dream...
“Did you dream that you were being burned at the stake?”
"Yes?"
Shayne looked up at him with a surprised expression.
Declan, who had been meeting her eyes for a while, barely managed to tear his lips apart.
“I asked you if you had dreamed that the world would be turned into a sea of fire, that the Pope would die, and that you would be burned at the stake.”
“Ahhhhh!”
As the painful groan assaulted his ears, a terrible smell of burning flesh filled his nostrils. It was a horrible, repulsive smell.
He watched her blankly. He had to stop her, he had to run and pull her down right now. He had to save her somehow.
Even though he knew that fact, he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything.
It was so tragic that all of this was his own fault, that it was all because of his incompetence and his pretense of being a good person. The weight of the price was so heavy.
He could only look at the sight, like a prisoner tied by invisible ropes.
“Ahahaha.”
The Ibis's vicious laughter echoed through the air as if mocking him.
***
Huh!
Declan let out a ragged breath and raised his upper body.
The surroundings were as dark as pitch.
He stared blankly around the cave-like room, then quickly ran to the window.
Beyond the window, a well-kept garden glowed softly under the moonlight.
There was no fierce flame or black smoke. Instead, only the soft, peaceful chirping of insects resonated.
“Ha, was it a dream?”
He let out a sigh of relief for a moment, but then immediately changed his clothes.
Even though he realized it was a dream, the thumping in his heart just wouldn't calm down.
He felt like he would be completely reassured if he saw Shayne in person.
He immediately climbed onto the horse's back.
He spoke in an unusually hurried manner and kept looking around.
The flames that had repeatedly blocked the path in his dreams were nowhere to be seen. Everything was quiet, and nothing he was worried about happened.
While he was trembling with anxiety, barely able to breathe a sigh of relief, then anxiously trying to calm his mind, and repeating this several times, the horse that had been running diligently had already arrived at the temple.
The captain of the guard, who had been faithfully guarding the main gate even when everyone was asleep, discovered him and approached him with a puzzled expression.
“Your Highness, what are you doing at the temple at this hour of the night...?”
“I was wandering around because my dream was so messy, and I ended up here. Since I’m here, I’d like to pray to the goddess. Can I come in for a moment?”
“Usually after 10pm, we strictly control the entry of visitors...”
The captain of the guard, who had been scratching his head as if he was thinking for a moment, soon nodded readily.
“It is to prevent the danger caused by unidentified persons coming in on a night when the control is loose, so there is no reason to control Your Highness’s entry and exit. You may come in as you wish.”
“Thank you.”
Declan strode through the heavy iron gate that creaked open, the captain of the guard quickly following behind him.
“I will take you to the mass.”
“No, that’s not necessary. It’s not like I’ve been here once or twice, and I can find the mass on my own.”
“But how could you do it without an escort...”
“It’s not anywhere else, it’s the temple. Where else in the empire can you find a place as safe as this? Don’t worry about me and just guard the main gate of the temple as you always have.”
“If that is so... Yes, I will follow Your Majesty’s orders.”
The captain of the guard bowed politely and stepped aside, and Declan walked alone and silently into the temple. Not to the mass room, but to the Saintess's room.
Of course, he had no intention of waking up Shayne and confronting her at this ambitious hour.
He thought it would be enough to just open the door slightly and check her peacefully sleeping face.
He thinks that just that much will be enough to shake off some of the anxiety that has built up in his chest.
However.
“Ahh!”
As soon as he arrived at the Saintess's room, a scream suddenly came out from inside.
A scream so faint that even the maid, who must have been fast asleep in the next room, alert for Shayne's reaction at that moment, couldn't hear it.
But the voice was clearly filled with fear.
Declan immediately opened the door.
The first thing he sees through the gap in the door is a lion.
Above the lion, who was sleeping soundly and snoring, was Shayne, leaning her upper body listlessly against the headboard of the bed.
Shayne is seen hugging her arms tightly as if trying to suppress her trembling body.
“Excuse me, Martha, can I have some water?”
She muttered without even looking at the door, as if she thought it was Martha who came in, and then turned her head in puzzlement when she didn't hear the answer she should have heard.
"...Your Highness?"
Shayne's eyes widened at the appearance of an unexpected character.
“Your Highness, what brings you here... What is this? Could this also be a dream?”
Declan burst out laughing at the sight of Shayne pinching her cheek with a puzzled expression.
It was only when he saw that she looked no different than usual that he felt relieved.
He strode into the room and opened his mouth.
“It’s not a dream. It’s reality.”
“You’re saying this isn’t a dream? But why are you in my room at this late hour...?”
Shayne glared at him warily.
Looking at those eyes, he felt depressed as if he was a piece of trash who came to rape a woman in the quiet of dawn, but he was in no position to argue with her.
Of course, Declan didn't mean to rape her, but it was true that he had invaded her room without permission at that time.
He started making excuses in a hurry.
“I had a bad dream and ended up here while riding a horse. I was going to stop by the mass hall to pray, but I took the wrong road.”
He was mistaken because he had visited the place thousands of times over the past twenty-two years.
It was a ridiculous excuse, but Shayne nodded coolly.
“I see.”
It seemed like all her attention was focused elsewhere.
'Why are you sweating so much?'
Feeling a bit worried, Declan handed Shayne a glass of water on the table.
“Oh, thank you.”
She quickly accepted the drink and gulped down the water. Judging from the fact that she emptied a considerable amount of water in one gulp, her throat must have been very parched.
“What happened? You don’t look so good.”
“No, nothing happened, I just had a bad dream.”
“What if it’s a bad dream?”
“No, well! In my dream, that Ibis guy appeared and said to me...!”
Shayne, who had been unconsciously responding to his words, hesitated and closed her mouth.
“Oh, no. Just know that it was a really horrible dream.”
She looked like she didn't even want to talk.
But he couldn't just let her keep quiet like this.
That would be the case, that dream...
“Did you dream that you were being burned at the stake?”
"Yes?"
Shayne looked up at him with a surprised expression.
Declan, who had been meeting her eyes for a while, barely managed to tear his lips apart.
“I asked you if you had dreamed that the world would be turned into a sea of fire, that the Pope would die, and that you would be burned at the stake.”
“How do you...”
She was mumbling with a blank expression, but then her shoulders flinched.
“Could it be that Your Highness is having the same dream?”
The answer to her trembling question was a weak nod.
The two looked at each other with eyes that were shaking miserably, and soon they had a gut feeling.
This is not an ordinary dream.
Maybe... it could be a precognitive dream.
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