"I was going to go."
A low, rich voice tickled his ears.
He had the Facade prepared for the revelation of the central temple.
On the day of the oracle, he got hold of the names of those who were in the tombstone room and found out the irregularities of the individuals.
"Holy Nation is no different in the end. Flawless is just an illusion."
Cesare concentrated on corruption of the high priest, raging from the sale of priesthood and the fabrication of heresy, to the extent that they colluded with other kingdoms in other countries.
"If the corruption of the High priest becomes apparent, the authenticity of the oracle will also be questioned."
There is no undoing of the trust that has already been made.
So, Cesare attacked the central temple and found a lifeline to save Medea.
Medea couldn't believe it.
"It's literally the central temple. It's the sanctuary of the Old Church."
He shrugged.
"Except for the Pope, it's a Saintess and High priests, and it's already pretty rotten. I was just trying to cut it out and show it to the world."
His languid yet rich voice made her feel as if the devil was whispering in the darkness.
"Your life is at stake, and I wonder if I can afford to cry out for an oracle or care about the vanished Princess."
He smiled, saying that he was just taking advantage of the situation.
This was confirmation that the ship was intended to escape Medea from the oracle.
"..."
Medea bit her lip.
It was a light statement, but he knew better than anyone that the weight it carried would never be. Now, he was at the risk of turning the Holy Kindom into an enemy and trying to prevent the execution of the oracle.
Medea, for her.
It was a strange feeling.
"You've done something unworthy of you. I can take care of my own business, I don't want any more variables."
She wasn't used to knowing that a complete stranger, who wasn't even a family member, didn't have a drop of blood in it, was trying to protect her.
'No, interest...'
He is comparably better than Jason in her previous life, and therefore, he is even more dangerous.
If she is betrayed by him, she will never even get back on her feet.
Medea's words drew a line, and Cesare twisted his lips.
"If you say that, you know I'm going to back off."
There was a ferocity in his narrowed eyes. He leaned down.
The distance was so close that she could see herself in the crack where the sun was blazing.
For a moment, it felt overwhelming to make eye contact. Medea turned her head.
Her delicate and graceful eyes frowned, and Cesare spoke in a low voice.
"Medea, you don't have to think too hard. I'm just protecting what's most important to me."
"..."
"If you tell me to stop, I'll stop. But not now."
You can't do it when the world is looking after you like it is now.
His eyes curled softly over the sharp bridge of his nose, adding to the aura of danger.
At the whispers of a handsome man who seemed to be tempted by the devil, Medea involuntarily stepped back.
She wasn't sure if it was the warning from a previous life in her head of if it was the beating of her heart.
Cesare didn't catch Medea, who was fleeing.
A picturesque smile on the corners of his beautiful mouth hardened.
Boom, slap.
Only the sound of the waves crashing against the boat was loud.
***
On the other hand, that time. The messengers of the Holy Kingdom have arrived in each country.
"The oracle has descended! It is the command of the Holy Father to convey the will of God."
Valdina and Katzen, the two empires, as well as the kingdoms of Middle-earth, eventually learned of the oracle's contents.
Reactions from countries were mixed.
"All of a sudden, an oracle, and its content... What the hell is going on here?"
"It's an opportunity. The goddess took care of the luggage."
Embarassed, delighted, or...
Anger.
The crisp paper of the rubbing was torn from Peleus's hand.
"How dare Valdina refuse the oracle?"
The priest of the Holy Kingdom, who came as a messenger, looked at the torn tablet and looked at Peleus as if he had been insulted.
"Valdina doesn't accept as God's will. There are only fools in the Holy Land who don't even recognize this short reason."
The messenger stepped back for a moment in a chilly voice.
"Sir, if you turned your back on the oracle, disaster will befall the land. Valdina is confident that they can handle it..."
But before he could finish speaking, Peleus left the room.
The Emperor's pent-up anger was palpable in his hand.
"The priest begs you to understand."
Behind his glasses, he swallowed a heavy sigh and quickly erased his expression.
He turned to face the leaping priest.
"Even if it's an oracle, where in the world is there a brother who will obey the order to sacrifice his own sister?"
"But the oracle must be kept to prevent catastrophe upon the continent..."
"Do you have a family? If you were now, would you push your one and only family member to the brink without the slightest hesitation?"
The priest was speechless at his question.
"I don't think the goddess would have accepted someone who didn't have the slightest compassion as a believer."
"... I'm just a messenger who has come to deliver the oracle. The power to postpone the oracle's ceremonial day... I don't have one."
"Just give me a little bit of room to accept the situation. Nothing's happened yet."
Inspired by his persuasion, the priest's voice grew angry.
"I see, Your Majesty."
Peleus was in the palace.
Passing the maids who were looking at him and bowing their heads in thought, he went straight to Medea's bedroom.
The parchment paper on the bedroom table fluttered. Peleus looked over and over again, looking down at the words that had stuck in his mind.
"Peleus, I'm sorry to leave like this. I'll be back."
A single sentence written in Medea's handwriting.
It was as if all her worries and fears could be read in those few words.
Plop.
Peleus slumped down on his sister's bed. There was still the scent of Medea in the bedroom.
Peleus swallowed his silent rage, his fingertips pressing again his temples.
"Has there been any news from Dea yet?"
"I apologize, Your Majesty. It's a matter of conviction."
D'Angel bowed his head with a miserable face.
Peleus held a wooden doll neatly placed next to the bed.
The flimsy doll he had carved for his sister on the battlefield was still with Medea.
"I promised to protect you, but that made me even more afraid."
It was heartbreaking to think that Valdina and his sister would be harmed and that his little sister had left in such a hurry without revealing her whereabouts.
"It was rather good. Tell the Agemas not to look for Dea anymore."
He muttered, holding the wooden doll until blood gushed from his hand.
"And D'Angel."
He turned.
"You're going to go after Medea from now on. And when you see Dea, stay with her."
The young Emperor's handsome face looked so suppressed that he looked insensitive.
"If they find out that Dea is gone, thr Holy Nation will definitely be after her. Wonder, protect her instead of me."
Boom.
Peleus handed his sword to D'Angel.
"Until she escapes safely, until she settles down somewhere, until she meets someone and gives birth to a child, until there is no more danger, watch over her life."
The large sword, emblazoned with an eagle emblem, was a sword that Peleus had never taken away from his body since his first battle on the battlefield.
"And if Dea ever asks you what she have to say, tell me. I'm sure I'll find it someday."
But Peleus wasn't sure how long that day would take.
And if, as the oracle says, disater befalls the continent.
He must defend Medea not only against the Holy Land but against the entire continent.
And he will do everything in his power to get rid of the calamity, even at the cost of his life.
If that's the only way to keep Medea safe.
So maybe this is a promise he won't be able to keep.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
D'Angel prostrated himself, holding Peleus's sword.
"I will sacrifice my life to protect Her Highness. Forgive me for not fulfilling my duty by Your Majesty's side.'
He lifted his head and looked at his Emperor.
"I'm sorry for you, D'Angel."
The young Emperor's face was filled with anguish.
"I don't know if I'll ever see you again. Being able to share the development of my country with Your Majesty, God will never forget in death. Please, God, bless Your Majesty... No, I will always pray for the Star of Victory to be with you."
D'Angel, who was about to speak to God, swallowed a bitter smile and withdrew.
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