#133. Sacrifice
Olivia dragged Ian away. Three knights were escorting her. It was a number that could easily be used to escape. But instead of running away, Olivia grabbed Ian's hand.
Olivia followed the knights, indescribable tears streaming down her chin.
“Where should I go?”
The knight said in response to Olivia's question.
“You can go wherever you want.”
Olivia nodded. She looked up at the sky and sighed. It was such a clean farewell. No, should she call it a 'farewell'? If there was a line between them, it was a very brief meeting, just like a brief moment of contact and then a crossing.
They said goodbye without even a brief kiss or holding hands. That's how it ended.
That was it. Since their reunion at the city's conquest, Asherad has not been blindly obsessed with Olivia. He has not tried to change her mind. Only once, when she tried to offer herself to the King of Pindus, did he get angry and tell her that she was wrong.
Since then, there have been no collisions.
He shook everything off with that physical relationship. He cleared his mind, and there was nothing left between them.
However, he treated Ian well. Was he so affectionate because he was Ian's father? Olivia suddenly realized that Ian was not looking for Asherad.
“Ian.”
"Huh?"
“Didn’t your father say anything?”
Ian nodded quietly. His eyes were utterly melancholy.
“I talked to my dad last night.”
Before she knew it, the term for calling Asherad had become 'Dad'. Ian said with his eyes, which resembled Asherad's, looking down gloomily.
“Dad is going to go fight.”
“...”
“So, take care. Take good care of Mom.”
Olivia held her breath at those words. Ian, whom she thought would cry, looked indifferent. Ian looked at the tree that resembled his father's eyes and said.
“He said we might never see each other again.”
“...”
“Then, I’ll live well with Dad Derek.”
Derek. That's where the name comes from. Asherad let her go to the point where he told her to live well with Derek.
“Mom, didn’t Dad say goodbye to you?”
Olivia couldn't respond to Ian's words.
"Why?"
She smiled bitterly.
'I guess it's because we weren't close enough to say goodbye.'
She couldn't bring herself to say that. Their relationship was difficult even for Olivia, so it was time for her to ride.
“Wow!”
A shout began to be heard across the city. Olivia blinked, not knowing what was going on. The sound was echoing from where she was going. A knight had climbed a tree to scout out and quickly came down.
“Come on, get on your horse!”
The knights shouted in confusion, some of them even drawing their swords.
“We must return to the original location. It seems that Thalassa has sent a pursuit party!”
At that sound, Olivia quickly mounted her horse. She rode quickly at the urging of the knights. Why don't you just stay here? I'm a civilian... And besides, Thalassa values children, right?
But when she heard the distant vibration, her face turned pale. How could one woman know whether she was an ally or an enemy? Olivia knew how cruel men could be to women and children in such a place.
She headed in the direction of Asherad, who was trying to leave. Fortunately, her words were swift. The knights shouted as they watched those who were making camp.
“Prepare for battle!”
She doesn't know what happened after that. The knights and soldiers put on their weapons again and prepared to fight. Olivia looked for Asherad without knowing it, but he was nowhere to be seen among the crowd. A battle broke out when the knights tried to evacuate Olivia and Ian.
Olivia was quickly dragged away by the knights, but was pushed by the crowd of people. She almost fell off her horse, but the knights caught her. The knights ended up stabbing someone. However, she couldn’t scream at the horror. She had Ian, and getting out of here was her priority.
Olivia looked around and quickly escaped to a place with fewer people. At some point, she stopped hearing the voices of the knights guiding her. However, Olivia didn't bother to look back.
“Ahhhh!”
All sorts of tragedies unfolded before her eyes. Olivia stepped over a warm body and almost slipped in a pool of blood.
“Ahh!”
Despite all that caution, Ian fell. Olivia saw someone grabbing Ian's feet. It was a Pindus soldier.
“Why are you the only one, why are you the only one living?”
The man shouted and grabbed Ian's foot.
“Save me, save me!”
Ian tried to run away, kicking his feet with all his might, but it didn't work. Ian screamed in horror. No matter how much Olivia pulled, Ian's feet wouldn't come off. That was it.
“Yaaaah!”
A man, who might have been Thalassa's army, Pindus' army, or Peneus' army, spotted them and swung his sword. But Olivia could not let go of Ian's hand.
It was because she had already let go of this child's hand several times. The end would be with this child. At that moment, someone stabbed the sword-wielding man in the stomach. Once again, something terrible happened to her eyes.
"Daphne!"
She came to her senses at the sound of her name. It was Asherad, standing with his back to the sun. He looked at Olivia and Ian. An unknown emotion flickered in his eyes. It seemed like joy, or perhaps even more like ecstasy.
Without hesitation, he cut off the wrist of the soldier who had grabbed Ian's arm. The soldier's desperate screams were piercing to the ears. She wanted to cover her ears right away, but no one did.
He was wearing armor and pointed in a direction to Olivia and Ian. There was no time to talk for long. As they went in the direction Asherad pointed, a city appeared like a mirage. It was Asophos, the capital of Thalassa!
Should I go there? Is it safe? However, her feet could not move any further. The enemy archers were waiting to target those who left the battlefield. Olivia tried to walk into the chaos again, but the archers had already seen them.
“Ian, come on!”
She wrapped her arms around Ian and hugged him. She thought she was going to get shot. She squeezed her eyes shut, and something brushed past her hair.
Then Olivia realized that she wasn't hurt. She opened her eyes wide and turned around to see Asherad standing there, looking down at her with his arms outstretched.
Olivia and Ian's gaze turned to Asherad. The arrows continued to hit him, and he flinched.
Uh...
Why is this person here?
Shouldn't he be back on the battlefield swinging his sword? Why is this man here? It was like that old rainy day. The embarrassment of the Crown Prince coming to see her in his wet, untied shirt. Olivia somehow remembered that time.
A mother trying to save her child, and a man who is nothing, trying to save the mother. This is clearly a comedy.
In this ridiculous farce, Olivia recited her lines.
“Why…... Asherad, why?”
“You... This is how love should be...”
What on earth are you talking about? Asherad collapsed before he could finish saying anything. Olivia and Ian shook Asherad, who had collapsed.
“Daddy, daddy!”
Ian and Olivia shook Asherad. But the man didn't move. Could this man be dead? Did he sacrifice himself to save Ian and me?
Sacrifice!
'Love isn't like that.'
'What is love?'
'Not to put people in your grasp, monopolize them, and imprison them.'
'...'
'Wishing that person happiness. Wishing that person happiness. Wanting that person to be happy. I want that person to be happy even if I get hurt or die. That's love.'
She bit her lip as a memory flashed through her mind.
Ah.
She remembered what Asherad had finally tried to say. What she had said then. That love meant making me happy, even if I got hurt or died.
Asherad thought of it.
That's why I've wished you happiness in this way and in this way! Asherad has now learned love. He knows what love is!
However...!
Olivia did not hesitate to reveal her feelings at this moment. She did not even try to leave the fallen Asherad, but grabbed him and shook him, screaming.
“Asherad, Asherad!”
Asherad told Olivia to run away from him. But Olivia couldn't do that. She couldn't run away in the first place.
She hated this person.
It was so boring.
However, it's not that she didn't love this person.
She was not Olivia, but the eternal Daphne. Her love had already taken root, and there was no getting away from it.
So running away was impossible. Olivia, no, Daphne burst into tears and complied. Daphne picked up the fallen Asherad. She had to get him to safety. She had to quickly heal him...
“It’s the Emperor, the Emperor has fallen!”
However, the enemy forces all recognized Asherad. They surrounded Daphne and Ian. The friendly forces who recognized the fallen Emperor in the fierce battle either fled or fought to the death.
Daphne looked around while holding the fallen Askelad. The Emperor, the woman holding the Emperor, and the child. Fortunately, the soldiers who had regained their senses did not attack Daphne and Ian. Instead, they looked at the woman and child who had appeared on the battlefield with wary expressions. Even amid this chaos, the enemy forces were steadily gaining the upper hand.
Daphne hid Ian behind her, keeping a close eye on him.
“Olivia!”
But Daphne couldn't help but stop crying when she heard a voice. Derek was standing there. They were reunited in a pool of blood after a long time.
Olivia dragged Ian away. Three knights were escorting her. It was a number that could easily be used to escape. But instead of running away, Olivia grabbed Ian's hand.
Olivia followed the knights, indescribable tears streaming down her chin.
“Where should I go?”
The knight said in response to Olivia's question.
“You can go wherever you want.”
Olivia nodded. She looked up at the sky and sighed. It was such a clean farewell. No, should she call it a 'farewell'? If there was a line between them, it was a very brief meeting, just like a brief moment of contact and then a crossing.
They said goodbye without even a brief kiss or holding hands. That's how it ended.
That was it. Since their reunion at the city's conquest, Asherad has not been blindly obsessed with Olivia. He has not tried to change her mind. Only once, when she tried to offer herself to the King of Pindus, did he get angry and tell her that she was wrong.
Since then, there have been no collisions.
He shook everything off with that physical relationship. He cleared his mind, and there was nothing left between them.
However, he treated Ian well. Was he so affectionate because he was Ian's father? Olivia suddenly realized that Ian was not looking for Asherad.
“Ian.”
"Huh?"
“Didn’t your father say anything?”
Ian nodded quietly. His eyes were utterly melancholy.
“I talked to my dad last night.”
Before she knew it, the term for calling Asherad had become 'Dad'. Ian said with his eyes, which resembled Asherad's, looking down gloomily.
“Dad is going to go fight.”
“...”
“So, take care. Take good care of Mom.”
Olivia held her breath at those words. Ian, whom she thought would cry, looked indifferent. Ian looked at the tree that resembled his father's eyes and said.
“He said we might never see each other again.”
“...”
“Then, I’ll live well with Dad Derek.”
Derek. That's where the name comes from. Asherad let her go to the point where he told her to live well with Derek.
“Mom, didn’t Dad say goodbye to you?”
Olivia couldn't respond to Ian's words.
"Why?"
She smiled bitterly.
'I guess it's because we weren't close enough to say goodbye.'
She couldn't bring herself to say that. Their relationship was difficult even for Olivia, so it was time for her to ride.
“Wow!”
A shout began to be heard across the city. Olivia blinked, not knowing what was going on. The sound was echoing from where she was going. A knight had climbed a tree to scout out and quickly came down.
“Come on, get on your horse!”
The knights shouted in confusion, some of them even drawing their swords.
“We must return to the original location. It seems that Thalassa has sent a pursuit party!”
At that sound, Olivia quickly mounted her horse. She rode quickly at the urging of the knights. Why don't you just stay here? I'm a civilian... And besides, Thalassa values children, right?
But when she heard the distant vibration, her face turned pale. How could one woman know whether she was an ally or an enemy? Olivia knew how cruel men could be to women and children in such a place.
She headed in the direction of Asherad, who was trying to leave. Fortunately, her words were swift. The knights shouted as they watched those who were making camp.
“Prepare for battle!”
She doesn't know what happened after that. The knights and soldiers put on their weapons again and prepared to fight. Olivia looked for Asherad without knowing it, but he was nowhere to be seen among the crowd. A battle broke out when the knights tried to evacuate Olivia and Ian.
Olivia was quickly dragged away by the knights, but was pushed by the crowd of people. She almost fell off her horse, but the knights caught her. The knights ended up stabbing someone. However, she couldn’t scream at the horror. She had Ian, and getting out of here was her priority.
Olivia looked around and quickly escaped to a place with fewer people. At some point, she stopped hearing the voices of the knights guiding her. However, Olivia didn't bother to look back.
“Ahhhh!”
All sorts of tragedies unfolded before her eyes. Olivia stepped over a warm body and almost slipped in a pool of blood.
“Ahh!”
Despite all that caution, Ian fell. Olivia saw someone grabbing Ian's feet. It was a Pindus soldier.
“Why are you the only one, why are you the only one living?”
The man shouted and grabbed Ian's foot.
“Save me, save me!”
Ian tried to run away, kicking his feet with all his might, but it didn't work. Ian screamed in horror. No matter how much Olivia pulled, Ian's feet wouldn't come off. That was it.
“Yaaaah!”
A man, who might have been Thalassa's army, Pindus' army, or Peneus' army, spotted them and swung his sword. But Olivia could not let go of Ian's hand.
It was because she had already let go of this child's hand several times. The end would be with this child. At that moment, someone stabbed the sword-wielding man in the stomach. Once again, something terrible happened to her eyes.
"Daphne!"
She came to her senses at the sound of her name. It was Asherad, standing with his back to the sun. He looked at Olivia and Ian. An unknown emotion flickered in his eyes. It seemed like joy, or perhaps even more like ecstasy.
Without hesitation, he cut off the wrist of the soldier who had grabbed Ian's arm. The soldier's desperate screams were piercing to the ears. She wanted to cover her ears right away, but no one did.
He was wearing armor and pointed in a direction to Olivia and Ian. There was no time to talk for long. As they went in the direction Asherad pointed, a city appeared like a mirage. It was Asophos, the capital of Thalassa!
Should I go there? Is it safe? However, her feet could not move any further. The enemy archers were waiting to target those who left the battlefield. Olivia tried to walk into the chaos again, but the archers had already seen them.
“Ian, come on!”
She wrapped her arms around Ian and hugged him. She thought she was going to get shot. She squeezed her eyes shut, and something brushed past her hair.
Then Olivia realized that she wasn't hurt. She opened her eyes wide and turned around to see Asherad standing there, looking down at her with his arms outstretched.
Olivia and Ian's gaze turned to Asherad. The arrows continued to hit him, and he flinched.
Uh...
Why is this person here?
Shouldn't he be back on the battlefield swinging his sword? Why is this man here? It was like that old rainy day. The embarrassment of the Crown Prince coming to see her in his wet, untied shirt. Olivia somehow remembered that time.
A mother trying to save her child, and a man who is nothing, trying to save the mother. This is clearly a comedy.
In this ridiculous farce, Olivia recited her lines.
“Why…... Asherad, why?”
“You... This is how love should be...”
What on earth are you talking about? Asherad collapsed before he could finish saying anything. Olivia and Ian shook Asherad, who had collapsed.
“Daddy, daddy!”
Ian and Olivia shook Asherad. But the man didn't move. Could this man be dead? Did he sacrifice himself to save Ian and me?
Sacrifice!
'Love isn't like that.'
'What is love?'
'Not to put people in your grasp, monopolize them, and imprison them.'
'...'
'Wishing that person happiness. Wishing that person happiness. Wanting that person to be happy. I want that person to be happy even if I get hurt or die. That's love.'
She bit her lip as a memory flashed through her mind.
Ah.
She remembered what Asherad had finally tried to say. What she had said then. That love meant making me happy, even if I got hurt or died.
Asherad thought of it.
That's why I've wished you happiness in this way and in this way! Asherad has now learned love. He knows what love is!
However...!
Olivia did not hesitate to reveal her feelings at this moment. She did not even try to leave the fallen Asherad, but grabbed him and shook him, screaming.
“Asherad, Asherad!”
Asherad told Olivia to run away from him. But Olivia couldn't do that. She couldn't run away in the first place.
She hated this person.
It was so boring.
However, it's not that she didn't love this person.
She was not Olivia, but the eternal Daphne. Her love had already taken root, and there was no getting away from it.
So running away was impossible. Olivia, no, Daphne burst into tears and complied. Daphne picked up the fallen Asherad. She had to get him to safety. She had to quickly heal him...
“It’s the Emperor, the Emperor has fallen!”
However, the enemy forces all recognized Asherad. They surrounded Daphne and Ian. The friendly forces who recognized the fallen Emperor in the fierce battle either fled or fought to the death.
Daphne looked around while holding the fallen Askelad. The Emperor, the woman holding the Emperor, and the child. Fortunately, the soldiers who had regained their senses did not attack Daphne and Ian. Instead, they looked at the woman and child who had appeared on the battlefield with wary expressions. Even amid this chaos, the enemy forces were steadily gaining the upper hand.
Daphne hid Ian behind her, keeping a close eye on him.
“Olivia!”
But Daphne couldn't help but stop crying when she heard a voice. Derek was standing there. They were reunited in a pool of blood after a long time.
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