Boom.
The crack that swallowed Jason and Rachel has completely closed.
At the same time, the bodies of Neriel, Saya, Cesare, and Peleus, who had been blurry until just a moment ago, became clear again.
"What the heck just happened..."
"It's divine punishment! The goddess has punished Castullo!"
Someone gritted his teeth and shouted.
Their relief at surviving soon turned to anger at the villain and the joy of witnessing his end.
"He was trying to take us all away as sacrifices with that ugly face!"
"He's more vicious than the devil, more vicious than the warlocks! What a Prince, what a waste of a name! You son of a bitch! You'll spend your whole life in hell!"
"Even the Grand Duke and the fake Saintess, they all have to die! Not that crazy madman! Enough!"
They spat.
Rachel and Jason, who joined hands for each other's greed, eventually drove each other into a pit and perished together.
It is unclear whether Jason's demise was truly due to the statue of the goddess falling on his head, the price of the Golden Rule, or divine punishment for attempting to harm the Goddes deputy, Medea.
But one thing is certain: Medea will never see Jason or Rachel again in this life.
They are trapped in a crack that they will never be able to escape.
Medea picked up the broken piece of the crown.
Even though everything that had appeared in the distorted space-time had lost its form and disappeared, this faded fragment still remained.
Could it be Jason's persistence that prevented him from giving up on her until the very end?
Or is it evidence of the original sin he committed?
At that moment, Medea's body returned.
"...Dea, damn it."
Medea raised her head at the hot warmth that enveloped her.
Cesare held her in his arms and exhaled.
The breath on his shoulder was ragged and unsteady. Medea could sense the fear he must have felt.
It was both funny and pitiful to see the man who had not been afraid at all when he had sworn a vow of eternity that would burn his soul, now breathing so anxiously.
"Dea, whenever I'm next to you, my heart breaks."
His voice was pushed low.
Cesare would never forget that moment.
When he becomes transparent.
That fleeting moment when the boundary between past and present separated Medea and him.
“Me too.”
He stiffened slightly at Medea's answer.
"While you were sleeping, I wondered how much I would have worried, in case something went wrong."
The steady voice grew longer, its end trembling.
Even after becoming aware of the divine power flowing through her body, even in the very moment she was preparing to finish off Rachel and Jason today, the occasional flicker of fear was solely because of this man.
Cesare Katzen, I'm afraid I'll lose this person
Medea hugged him tightly.
His lips descended upon her forehead, her eyelids, and a warmth spread, as if the tense tension was being released.
"Your Majesty! The coronation must be concluded quickly!"
At that moment, the shout of Marquis Leniard was heard from under the altar.
The Crown was sitting on the velvet cushion he was holding.
Even in a situation where Jason's black magic distorted time and space and the blood of the beginning poured out, creating a living hell, this old man sacrificed his life to protect this crown.
Strictly speaking, the coronation ceremony of Emperor Cesare has not yet ended.
"Your Majesty."
At the Marquis's plea, the tension in Medea's body was released.
“They're calling you."
Medea smiled brightly and gently pushed him toward the altar. The old man looked as if he might collapse.
But Cesare didn't budge at all.
"It doesn't matter, I won't become Emperor."
"What?"
Medea raised her head from his embrace.
"I will not be anointed."
"Are you saying you will give up the throne that is right in front of you?
The throne is waiting for him right there in front of him?
"Dea, I promised you I would leave this place and become independent. Even if things change, that won't change."
Cesare squeezed Medea's hand tightly.
"You are the only thing that matters to me. Without you, nothing else means anything to me."
His golden eyes darkened.
The grip on Medea's hand was tightening.
The man, who rarely reveals his inner feelings, was unable to hide his anxiety.
Medea fears that he will be lost forever to this variable.
Medea was speechless.
"I will become independent. Katzen was a painful land for you. So, I want to change it. I hope you live in a safe and warm place. I will be with you, too."
On the iceberg, Cesare did not forget the promise that he had made that day.
Even the throne, which was now waiting for him, he was turning his back on without a shred of regret. It was only because of her.
"If you're going to leave it..."
That is, when Medea kissed him, he froze.
There was a contradiction between his eyes trying to understand the meaning of the kiss and the corners of his lips softening without him knowing it.
"What if I say I'll stay in Katzen?"
"...Are you serious?”
"Now, you, Cesare, you have proven to me that this place is no longer just a land I know."
As if to compensate for the sufferings Medea had endured, new happy memories were added to her past one by one.
So now, recalling the past no longer causes pain.
There are more days when she wakes up in a warm embrace than days when she wakes up in a nightmare.
Rather than days when a cold breeze seemed to cut through her heart, days when she felt the coolness of the wind brushing her cheeks became more frequent.
Medea took Cesare's hand and placed it on her stomach.
"I don't feel bad about drawing a future with you and this child in this empire."
“That’s enough.”
Cesare kissed her. A surge of joy spread through his lips.
"Dea, if you are in my tomorrow, if our child is in my tomorrow, I can do anything."
The black star cried out in joy after finding its owner.
Medea embraced her beloved and loyal star by the neck.
People saw a cluster of golden stars descending upon the two people embracing each other.
The pure white radiance widened its circle, illuminating Medea with its brilliant light as if telling her not to forget it.
The darkness was dispelled by the boundless radiance, and the hidden blue sky was revealed.
The remaining corpses of the victims, touched by the light, crumbled like ashes and were carried away without a trace by the blowing wind.
“Saintess..."
Those who witnessed the vastness with their own eyes knelt and touched their foreheads to the ground.
It was a show of reverence for the true representative of the Goddess.
Everyone here was a witness.
The story of the end of those who impersonated the Saintess, and the moment when the true Saintess appeared on this earth, will soon spread throughout the continent through their mouths.
"Saintess Medea! Protect this land!"
The survivors' cries of relief and relief shook the roofless cathedral.
***
Katzen capital, Persepolis.
A few days had passed since the Deputy descended and the unfinished coronation of Emperor Katzen.
"Hey, there's nothing left intact."
Gallo clicked his tongue as he looked around the cathedral, where the ceiling had blown away, and the pillars were half broken.
"Boss, I think it would be better to tear everything down and build anew."
"That's not bad either."
Cesare nodded absentmindedly.
The cathedral's basement was already contaminated with dark magic. It would take considerable time to completely cleanse it.
"Your Majesty, no, Your Highness."
Marquis Leniard hurriedly lowered his address at the sight of Cesare's gaze.
Cesare did not accept the title of Emperor due to the unfinished coronation ceremony and maintained the status of First Prince.
"Then, please hold the coronation ceremony in the palace. We cannot leave the throne empty."
But Cesare was already far ahead, striding ahead.
***
Medea felt a presence behind her as she collected the remains of the coronation ceremony.
“Saintess.”
It was Theo.
Medea noticed that he was wearing the armor of a Knight of the Holy Nation.
"Are you awake?"
"...There is no daytime."
He lowered his head.
"You've worked hard. You led the facade well."
After pouring his holy power into Jason's black magic circle, Theo lost consciousness. He had just gotten up from his seat.
Instead of showing a happy face at Medea's praise, he already knelt down.
At the sound of the object hitting the floor, Gallo and Terrence, who were inspecting the state of the broken cathedral, turned their heads in surprise.
Gallo tried to approach, but Terrence raised his hand and said,
"I apologize, Your Highness."
Theo's voice trembled.
"If I had kept a close eye on Rachel from the beginning, this situation would not have arisen."
He lowered his head.
In the end, all this tragedy was his fault, so he felt ashamed to even dare to breathe.
However, he still had a reason to stay alive.
"I know this is a shameless thing to say, but..."
Theo shook his head. His forehead hit the cold stone floor repeatedly.
"Saintess... please save the Holy Nation."
Then, the high priest of Katzen also knelt beside Theo and pleaded with her.
"Please help us. A wicked name has taken over the temple and murdered His Holiness, and we have no way of knowing the fate of the survivors."
However, the vassals of the First Prince's faction, including Medea, were not surprised by their request.
Because they already anticipated that after defeating Rachel and the warlocks, she would have to restore the Holy Nation.
The problem now was that Medea's position was not just that of a Saintess.
"No, what are you talking about!"
Marquis Leniard blocked the path of Theo and Katzen's high priest.
"There is no need for Her Highness to go in person. It would be better to send aid from Katzen and actively help."
"No. Only the Saintess can set things right. Now that the dark magic may have penetrated the heart of the central temple, only the Saintess can set this chaos right."
Theo raised his head and looked at Medea.
"So please, I beg you."
He pleaded again.
Even now, he had no peace of mind when he thought of the remains of the Knights of the Temple, which must be abandoned somewhere in a cold place.
Medea met Cesar's eyes and nodded slowly.
"I'm going to the Holy Nation."
“Your Highness...!”
At that moment, it seemed as if the suppressed screams of the 1st Prince's followers had gathered.
"I'll go with you too."
Then, suddenly, a voice came from next to her.
Comments
Post a Comment