Chapter 81
“Just like the Three Realms War, this time too, a clash of immense powers will be necessary.”
Just as angels and demons had once tested their strength against each other, if they were trying somehow to recreate the dynamic between the Holy Kingdom and the Demon King this time…
“Could it be that Gregorian intends to use Her Highness the Princess as a substitute for the Demon King?”
If that were true, it would be a disaster.
Her reason for wanting to become the Demon King was to revive her sisters, but regardless of that, the moment she became the Demon King, her mere existence would plunge the world into suffering.
Because of Gregorian.
Knock, knock.
Despite the late hour, the sound of someone knocking at the door made Asterios rise immediately.
“Maria has come under Your Highness’s command. Go and call her in.”
“Yes, my lord.”
In an instant, Nox disappeared into the shadows. At the same time, Asterios drew back the curtains of the window, letting the moonlight pour into the room. The night had grown deep.
He turned toward the door and commanded Maria to enter.
“Your Highness, Her Highness requests your presence.”
“I’ll go immediately.”
After tidying himself, he set off with Maria toward Rosiana’s room. Just then, Izeff was approaching from that direction.
“I have something I wish to discuss with Your Highness, so I came to consult you.”
Izeff’s face, already pale, looked even more so.
“I also have something to discuss. But since I’m heading to the Princess’s summons, is it urgent?”
“No, please go ahead to Her Highness first. I can speak to you tomorrow.”
“Then we’ll discuss it at tomorrow’s breakfast.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As he passed, Asterios placed a hand on Izeff’s somewhat gloomy shoulder.
“You don’t look well. Try to rest a bit. You still haven’t recovered properly since returning from the mountains.”
“Thank you for your concern. I am relieved that Your Highness looks well.”
Though his smile was gentle, a trace of fatigue showed in his face. Asterios’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“…Izeff. If it’s important, it’s fine even at this late hour.”
“No, it’s not that urgent, so please don’t worry. Tomorrow at breakfast will be fine. You may go now, Your Highness.”
“Very well. Rest easy.”
Izeff watched Asterios’s back as he walked down the corridor.
Though he felt an urgency to speak with him, he knew his own anxiety could not take precedence over the Princess’s matters.
Rosiana had just finished her shower and held a cup of warm tea. She closed her eyes and sipped, the warmth helping to soothe her fatigue. The first contest had been utterly chaotic, spanning more than a full day.
Everyone had spent the day on edge due to an unexpected death, but afterward, nothing significant occurred, so she could finally relax.
She wanted to talk a little more with Asterios before trying to sleep. The worries and curiosity that had built up while waiting for him at the entrance of Secret Fog had yet to dissipate, leaving her body and mind insufficiently relaxed.
I feel like I need to talk with Asterios more to feel at ease.
And also to see his face. Even in that brief moment, she missed him.
Looking at the moonlight, she felt as though she had returned to the days when she was Erica, waiting for him—over 500 years ago.
“Still awake?”
Guided by Maria, he entered her room at that moment.
“Ah, come in.”
Rosiana greeted Asterios with a bright smile. Maria bowed and left, leaving the two of them alone.
“Was everything resolved during the day?”
“The autopsy concluded it was an accidental fall. Some doubts remain, though.”
“…”
Asterios approached Rosiana and studied her expression.
“Why do you look so worried? Sit here.”
She gestured to the seat opposite her and poured a cup of tea.
“Maria prepared this for you. It’s supposed to help with sleep.”
“Thank you.”
With eyes that seemed distant, Rosiana began speaking.
“You know, Asterios… I realized something today.”
While waiting for him, she had felt her blood run cold. Every moment replayed the scenes of him drenched in blood, and whenever the sound of the horn rang, her senses sharpened.
Until she confirmed his safe return, she could not feel truly alive.
“I was terrified during those hours you weren’t by my side. I thought I might go mad.”
Her previously gentle expression now fell into an awkward sadness, her long eyelids and the tips of her eyebrows lowering.
“I’m sorry.”
She hadn’t brought it up to make him feel guilty.
“I didn’t want to just hear that. I wanted to let you know how I feel… I realized I must speak while you are here.”
She spoke softly, staring into her teacup, then suddenly raised her eyes to meet his gaze.
“About my true feelings.”
Her violet eyes shone in the moonlight, more radiant and profound than any galaxy or gem.
“…I felt the same.”
Though delayed and exhausted from the illusions of Secret Fog, he had finally realized his own feelings.
He recognized both how deeply he had hurt her and how precious she had been to him.
“It’s my fault for never explaining properly… Erica, please forgive me for leaving your side.”
His low voice trembled, as if begging for her forgiveness. The sincerity was palpable, reaching for her soul.
Their teary eyes met. They were grateful to be able to finally express themselves, yet regret for the years of delay surged.
“I apologize for being late. I wish to tell you now why I could not be by your side, Your Highness… no, Erica. Will you listen?”
His expression was so sorrowful that Rosiana felt a sharp ache in her own heart.
“Yes. I want to hear it.”
Hearing her answer, Asterios gave a faint smile and began quietly.
The night was deep, and much remained to be shared, but it didn’t matter. They were finally able to convey their hearts to each other, and that alone was a blessing.
Even back then, when they first met—when she was Erica and he was Tenebres—it had been the same.
Back then, the war had ended but danger was everywhere. Tenebres had fought hundreds of monsters alone, and while hiding in the forest injured by a sudden ambush, Erica had found him.
Seeing the blood, she ran to him. She had been collecting herbs nearby, and her basket tumbled to the ground.
As she approached, Tenebres’s eyes widened. Her pale face, red hair, and beautiful violet eyes immediately captivated him.
He felt as if the entire universe had stopped and held his breath.
The approaching witch, introducing herself as Erica, gently laid him down and began to treat his wounds.
While she focused on healing his injury, he could not take his eyes off her. The way she brushed her hair behind her ear while tending to him seemed more captivating than any sensation of pain or heat.
Now, through the eyes they shared, they were together again in that moment from centuries ago.
“In the future I foresaw with Nox’s power, you did not exist.”
Sharing memories brought them together again.
“The foolish and fearful me was so desperate to find a way that I failed to consider the emotions you would have to bear.”
The thought of a future without the woman he had instantly fallen for drove Tenebres into despair. He had found a method, but it was dangerous, requiring the sacrifice of the witches and over half his own power.
“Amazingly, your sisters first proposed a plan to me. They offered themselves as shields. As witches of the four cardinal powers, if they became the barriers themselves…”
Recalling his sisters who had restrained the Demon King with their own bodies made his lashes tremble.
“They asked me to destroy the Demon King once his limbs were bound.”
Her eyes quickly grew hot with tears. She could not stop them from flowing.
Ah.
She had never known that her sisters’ noble sacrifice had come about in such a way, and the sudden pain struck her heart. Tears spilled immediately.
Indeed, they were my sisters.
“They believed you would respect any choices made in the future in which you survived. They trusted that you would understand and honor their decisions too.”
Until the very end, I only thought about myself and my worries.
The witches, knowing what burdens Erica would bear alone, wisely sought to ease her load. They told her there was no need to feel guilt over their deaths.
“I did not intentionally leave no trace. Though they left me these words, the destruction of Belzebub caused me far more injury than expected.”
That was why he could not come to Erica immediately.
“For ten years, I lay unconscious, and when I awoke, Nox had already sought you as we had planned with the witches.”
It was ample time for her longing, anger, and misunderstandings to accumulate.
