Sunlight seeped in through the window, bringing with it warmth and a new dawn slowly burning over the horizon.
─…Deculein.
Iggyris’s voice faded in the twilight, and Deculein bowed to him. Now, the rest was up to him.
“…”
Without a word, Deculein left holding Julie in his arms and stood by the window in the hallway. He watched the sunrise over the empire.
“…Professor.”
Julie tried to catch his attention.
“Professor…”
She couldn’t say more than that. Her heart ached as if it was going to break, and her limbs trembled. Still, she couldn’t fall. Not as a knight.
“…I.”
Julie looked up at Deculein. He was immersed in thought while holding her. Her head was tangled with countless thoughts, it was hard to breathe, and her chest felt stuffy.
“I…”
Too many questions ran through her mind until one finally reached her lips. It was childishly simple, yet enough to contain her feelings…
“…I was wrong.”
He gave no response. Not a single wrinkle on his face moved. On the other hand, Julie sank into the gloom. Was the apology too late? He just stared into the dawn and muttered softly.
“Julie. I am not worthy of an apology from you.”
He shook his head.
“I’ve killed too many people, and I feel no remorse.”
Julie lowered her head, resting it against his chest.
“If the purpose was right, I trampled on whoever I needed to.”
Deculein tried to put his hand on her shoulder and stopped. He clenched his teeth and suppressed his urges. Instead, he used Psychokinesis and took something out of her pocket.
“I’m someone who would prefer beheading over persuasion if something got in the way.”
Looking at what Deculein grabbed, Julie’s eyes widened.
“As you might think, I’m a villain. A despicable villain who will face the multitude of people I have killed in Hell, with no room for salvation.”
“Professor. That is-“
It was the mana stone that her guardian angel gave her. The only evidence with a video of a certain day recorded inside.
“It’s not your fault, Julie. If there is anything wrong with this world, it must be the fault of the God who created us.”
Julie reached out to the mana stone. However, before she could-
Crack-!
It shattered in his hands.
Swoooosh…
The debris flowed gently from his palms. An image leaked out of the pieces as they hit the ground. Like fragments of a mirror, the records of that day were projected randomly.
“Julie. You are dying.”
Drip- Drip-
Tears mingled with the remains of the mana stone. Blue smoke rose as mana and water mixed.
“I admit it. It was my greed to see you alive.”
Deculein released Julie from his arms. She grabbed his shoulders so she could stand up straight.
“So, now…”
He put his hand to her cheek and wiped away the flowing tears.
“I will give up. I will try not to love you.”
Suddenly, the morning sun rose completely.
“It’s a breakup, Julie.”
Deculein looked at Julie. She was too overwhelming to look at and was such a lovely woman that he wanted to hold her right then. He placed his hand on her cheek. Although Julie trembled, she did not refuse his touch.
“Live your life.”
Saying that, he pressed the acupuncture point on her neck as if to caress her. For a moment, Julie’s eyes widened, but her already worn-out mind couldn’t stand it.
“No…”
She fell onto Deculein’s shoulder, and he gently caressed her head.
“…”
And without a word, he looked at the man standing behind Julie. No, there wasn’t just one. Lawaine, Isaac, Ihelm, Adrienne. The party of four was standing there with wide eyes.
“Take her.”
Ihelm ran up first and put Julie on his back at his command. He was about to run away but glanced back.
“Deculein. Are you not going?”
“There is still work to be done.”
“…Okay. Well.”
Ihelm didn’t pretend to be curious. Adrienne, on the other hand, tried to approach with a question and exclamation mark over her head at the same time.
“Ah?! What was that just now?! Deculein— hey, what the hell!”
Ihelm grabbed her by the hair.
“What are you doing?! Let me go!”
“Just come on.”
“It looks fun, ah no, no! Tell me later, at least!”
Adrienne was taken away by Ihelm, and Lawaine and Isaac followed them after bowing with stiff looks.
…Deculein stared into the darkness at the corner of the window.
“There is something I want to ask you.”
—…What.
A distant voice returned from within.
“Have you not loved Julie?”
—…
Iggyris was silent for a moment.
-The person I loved more than my life chose that child instead of her own life.
It was a voice full of regret and sorrow.
—It would be a lie if I said I didn’t resent her, but when I think of the one I love, even this knight’s heart gets soft. Every time I see that child, I think of my dead wife.
Deculein turned his head.
—My wife’s cause of death was freezing.
A child born with overwhelming magical talents and a legendary bloodline could sometimes drive their mother to illness or even death.
—At the moment of childbirth, her body froze from within. My wife died in excruciating pain.
Julie was a child of winter born by freezing and killing her mother.
—…Because of such an insignificant and gloomy me.
Julie was born with a different harness from Zeit’s and Josephine’s. The curse of being chosen as the lead role in the world.
—Professor, I couldn’t love her as much as you did.
“…”
For a moment, Deculein frowned. His chin raised with unbearable anger and contempt.
“You’re pathetic.”
Thud-!
Deculein stepped away, his cane clinking sharply against the hallway.
—Are you going to go?
“…There is still work to be done.”
Before the sun fully rose, before the gates of this underworld closed, he still had work to do.
* * *
…Weaving mana and forging it into a sword, an intangible sword was crafted by the Emperor’s magic. Wielding that dazzling blade, Sophien moved like a winter gale.
Craaaash-!
The magical sword cut through flesh with ease, letting organs and blood flow freely to the ground. It was filthy. Nevertheless, the Emperor didn’t hesitate.
Swiiiish-!
The Emperor’s swordsmanship was noble and perfect; the essence of the Imperial Palace assembled by gathering only the essence of swordsmanship. Her movements, which fully embodied and accepted all of them, were stronger than any others. At the same time, she was more beautiful than a gorgeous ballerina.
“…That is why it is boring.”
However, the Emperor’s demonstration lasted less than five minutes. The group of Altar warriors was slaughtered and strewn about. With a laugh, she swept away their blood with her magic and looked elsewhere.
“Are you okay?”
“…”
Sophien asked the professor. He cleared his throat and nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then, now explain. You mean you’re going to die?”
Deculein put his wood steel away.
“I am both memory and mana. So if I become one with Deculein, he will get all the memories of that day, but he won’t be able to withstand the chaos.”
The turbulence of memories and mana filled with hundreds of years. Even Deculein couldn’t withstand that.
“Of course, he won’t die right away. However, he will become a body waiting for death.”
“…”
Sophien frowned.
“…What if I don’t?”
If she didn’t want the current Deculein to die, it was enough to leave the underworld Deculein here. She just had to not let them see each other. However, there were problems with that too.
“Professor, and you?”
The professor who shared memories with her, Sophien. He introduced himself as memory and mana, but he must also be a soul not much different from the original Deculein. He thinks, perceives, speaks, and… loves Julie.
Damn it.
“As a memory, I would stay here forever.”
If there were differences from the original Deculein, it would only be that he wouldn’t go to the bathroom, eat, or be able to die.
“…Indeed, it is a decision.”
Sophien smirked. She faced dilemmas often in state affairs, but there was no proper solution this time.
“The sun has risen. The door is now open.”
The professor said so and opened the door.
“Let’s go.”
“…I have not yet made a decision.”
“For you, worry is as good as a decision. I have been with you for hundreds of years. Do not try to deceive me.”
“…”
He was right. Sophien scratched the back of her neck, and the professor nodded. It meant it was okay.
“It’s worth staying forever. Even if I’m just a memory, it’s worth living. Even if I get stuck in a game-over niche, it’s well worth going on. From here, I can watch.”
“…Professor.”
Boom, boom, boom, boom-!
However, the disturbance was still there, and different types of mana resounded like an earthquake through the old house. They would not be as easy as the previous guys.
“…Let’s go quickly. The Altar is coming.”
The professor opened the door. Sophien took a step forward and looked at him.
“The memories with Your Majesty. I will hold them carefully.”
The professor in her memory conveyed his words as if he were teaching again.
“Keep in mind. Your Majesty is not alone.”
“You will know. This is not the end. After six years and six months-“
“Just go.”
“…This bastard.”
The professor pushed Sophien out, and she stepped through the door.
…Outside the old house, into the Imperial Palace.
“Hmm.”
Standing there, Sophien looked around for a moment. After that, she looked back to the other side of the door. She smiled and furrowed her brow.
“Look, Professor. Is there much difference between inside and outside?”
The Palace was also full of the Altar.
-It’s fine. It will be easier there.
The professor’s voice trembled beyond the door.
‘It will be easier there.’
Sophien grabbed the magic sword and looked around.
“How many?”
There were a lot of guys wearing robes. It was an unfavorable and desperate situation, but Sophien smiled.
“…Do you know? I had a discussion with the professor one day.”
She suddenly looked very relaxed as she bore the dignity of the emperor.
“Pretending to wage an all-out war against the Altar, gathering all your powers into the Imperial Palace and sweeping them all away at once….”
—We won’t kill you. We need you too.
A guy with a fairly high rank among the crowd that spoke. His attire and tone were like a nobleman’s. However, Sophien’s expression hardened.
“Do you dare interrupt me?”
—I’m sorry, but please come with us. Bluffing won’t work.
The Altar knew the situation in the Palace. Isaac and Lawaine were still locked in the old house, and the core power of the Imperial Palace was fighting in temples across the continent. Therefore, there was only the Emperor here now.
—Even if you are the Emperor, you can’t do anything alone.
“Hmph.”
Sophien snorted and let her magic sword drop.
“It’s funny. Do I look like I’m alone?”
There was certainty in Sophien’s voice. She wasn’t bluffing or delirious.
“Look.”
She pointed to both sides of the hallway, where countless statues of knights stood.
“Aren’t there plenty of knights here?”
─…
It was a strong hint, but the Altar guys didn’t understand it at all. Sophien wore a fox-like smile.
“Take it.”
She took something out and threw it into the hallway: it was a snow globe. It rolled and hit the foot of the Altar executive.
“…”
However, there seemed to be a reason why he was an executive. The man who had arrogantly interrupted the Emperor’s words suddenly called out with urgency.
─Retreat!
The others looked bewildered, but the executive quickly ran to the other side of the hallway.
“…There will be neither time nor room to retreat.”
Cruelty lingered across Sophien’s lips. His talent was to be a statue. As a knight, he was a statue. He was able to imbue his consciousness and mana into the countless statues throughout this imperial palace and could move all of them as if they were himself.
“Do you know how many statues there are in this Palace?”
There were tens of thousands. He was all the statues, and all those statues were him. Therefore, this was the place of massacre predicted by Sophien.
“Finally, he’s coming.”
Crack-!
A crack formed across the surface of the snow globe, and mana exploded out of it. Sophien smiled.
“Damn you. You’re late, but this is good timing, so I’ll forgive you.”
…The Emperor’s knight, Keiron.
