CHAPTER 30
She tried to pull away from his embrace, but Kretes wouldn’t let go of Ashilia.
“……”
With a troubled expression, Ashilia eventually gave in and leaned against him.
“What if a monster shows up while you’re like this?”
Though she said that, she wasn’t actually worried.
If something really happened… wouldn’t he protect me?
It was a trust built on everything Kretes had shown her so far—part faith, part instinct.
As she leaned on him, gazing blankly into the flickering flames, she realized just how much things had changed since she first arrived in Moria.
At first, everything Kretes said and did had felt like deception.
But now… it didn’t.
She could feel the sincerity in him. She could see it.
Ashilia turned her head to look at Kretes.
Ever since she met him, everything had changed.
And she didn’t hate it.
Isaiah had collapsed due to brainwashing.
She herself was also under its influence.
There were memories that had been cut away.
And yet, she still had to carry out her mission.
There was so much she had to reclaim—so much she needed to understand.
Which meant… it was time to choose.
Whom she would trust. Whom she would follow.
Ashilia reached out and gently stroked the sleeping Kretes’s cheek.
“I’ve decided… I’ll try to believe in you.”
She had always thought that staying resolute and unshaken was the duty of a knight.
But what she had gotten in return for her loyalty was only distrust and manipulation.
She no longer intended to trust a place where no one believed in human sincerity.
“So… I hope you won’t lie to me.”
She’d had enough of a life built on lies.
With that firm resolution, Ashilia closed her eyes.
The monster subjugation continued the next day.
Ashilia loosed arrows half by routine, slashed with her sword, and climbed the mountain without showing a trace of exhaustion.
Kretes, watching nearby, clicked his tongue in disbelief.
“No wonder the Moria army struggled every time they fought the Revila forces. You just don’t get tired, do you?”
Kretes spoke with pure admiration as he watched her.
Anyone else would’ve been winded by now, but Ashilia pressed on like it was nothing.
“In Revila, physical training is the top priority. That’s probably why.”
At her reply, Kretes widened his eyes in surprise.
“Wait… did you just—”
Ashilia had casually spoken about her time in Revila.
Specifically, about its training methods.
Before, she would’ve either kept quiet or responded with cold indifference.
Kretes was still staring at her in surprise, so Ashilia raised a brow at him.
“What? Should I not have said that?”
“No, not at all. I just enjoyed hearing it, that’s all.”
Kretes’s words opened a door Ashilia had long kept closed.
She started to speak—little unconscious comments, memories from Revila, things she’d never said aloud before.
This was the first time since he asked about her past that she’d spoken in any depth.
“I didn’t think I’d come on a monster hunt and come back with such valuable intel.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
“I mean it.”
Ashilia let out a small laugh and started walking ahead.
The voices of the knights rang out louder than the growls of monsters now.
She had thought it would take longer due to the dense mountain terrain, but with so many participants, the hunt ended quickly.
“I think we can head back now.”
Ashilia tied a marker on a nearby tree to indicate their departure.
As she turned to pack up, she saw Kretes staggering and clutching a tree for support.
“Your Majesty?”
“…It’s nothing. You said we should go back, right?”
Suddenly, last night came to mind.
Though he had recovered quickly—almost too quickly—she couldn’t help but worry.
What if it’s worse than we thought?
She hurried toward him, but Kretes stepped back a few paces.
“…I said I’m fine.”
But he didn’t look fine at all.
Ashilia’s face, filled with concern, made Kretes let out a weak chuckle.
“Boasted that I’d protect you, but look at me now.”
He murmured like a whisper.
Ashilia grabbed his arm and draped it over her shoulder.
“Let’s save the talking for when we’re back.”
Despite the sharp pain in his chest and the cold sweat running down his back, Kretes couldn’t help but find this small woman utterly endearing.
“When we get to the palace… if Runoa throws a fit, don’t take it too seriously.”
“…Pardon?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I wouldn’t let you suffer.”
Bending slightly, Kretes tried to act casual.
Just as Ashilia was about to say something, he snapped his fingers.
Instantly, the world twisted.
Her vision distorted, nausea surged, and she closed her eyes tightly as her body felt like it was being sucked away.
When the dizzying sensation faded, the sounds around her had changed.
And Kretes’s body, leaning on her, suddenly went limp.
“Your Majesty!”
Ashilia caught him just in time.
A voice cried out behind her—it was Whymos.
“Hurry! Move His Majesty! Now!”
A knight on watch quickly rushed over and carried Kretes away.
Whymos, without hesitation, summoned Runoa.
She arrived as though she’d been expecting this, immediately beginning treatment.
Just by holding his wrist with her eyes closed, Kretes’s condition began to improve slightly.
Time passed.
Runoa wiped the sweat from her forehead and stood, walking over to Ashilia.
“If His Majesty’s condition deteriorated, I specifically asked for physical contact at minimum, and ideally mucosal contact. Did Your Majesty follow that advice?”
There was anger in her voice.
Ashilia turned to look at Kretes in response.
“I did.”
“…”
“Last night, he was drenched in cold sweat and clutching his chest. After some contact, he recovered almost miraculously.”
But today was different.
They hadn’t been far apart—they’d even held hands at times.
Yet Kretes collapsed so suddenly. No warning. No groan of pain.
“…Did you engage in mucosal contact?”
Ashilia couldn’t answer.
Mucosal contact would mean at the very least… a kiss involving the tongue.
Though they were married, their relationship was far from ordinary.
“Do you want His Majesty to die?”
Runoa snapped.
Still unable to take her eyes off Kretes, Ashilia finally turned and spoke to her.
“It sounds like I have questions for the imperial physician.”
“…”
“I am the Empress of Moria. I have the right to know clearly about His Majesty’s condition—from you, his doctor. Not through vague assumptions.”
Runoa let out a bitter laugh, almost involuntarily.
Wasn’t this the same Empress who, not long ago, couldn’t care less about the empire?
Who hadn’t blinked at the Emperor’s condition, or the fate of Moria?
Now, after slaying a few monsters, she was acting like she truly belonged.
“Or do you want him to stay like this?”
“Even if I explain, will Your Majesty be able to do what I ask?”
“That’s for me to decide.”
Runoa clenched her fists.
But she held back her emotions and explained.
“Divine beings regulate their energy through their sacred relics. When that energy surges or weakens, they exhibit symptoms like His Majesty’s.”
“…”
“The only things that can alleviate those symptoms are either their own relic… or the power of a divine being with opposing energy.”
But Kretes’s relic was most likely still in Revila.
Which left only one option—the power of a divine being with opposing energy.
“…You’re saying I have that power?”
“I’ve told you already. You were born with the blessing of the Goddess of Life. Far more than I could ever compare to.”
Ashilia let out a hollow laugh.
So this is what she meant when she insisted on physical contact without giving any real explanation?
“…How long has he been like this?”
Ashilia turned to Whymos.
He hesitated, then finally confessed.
“It’s been quite a long time. Nearly a thousand years, if counted in solar years. But… it’s never been this severe before.”
He spoke as if he had seen it himself.
“Until now, he managed to suppress the symptoms. This is the first time he’s ever collapsed.”
Whymos looked just as panicked and concerned as she felt.
Runoa crossed her arms and added,
“His body’s already in a weakened state. Using too much power like this only worsens it. I did warn you. Closing the overland route would put enormous strain on him.”
Her sharp words were clearly aimed at Ashilia.
But Ashilia’s gaze remained on Kretes.
“If I make mucosal contact… will it truly help?”
“…He will improve. More than now.”
After a long silence, Ashilia spoke with firm resolve, addressing Whymos.
“Clear this area tonight.”
“…Pardon?”
“To heal His Majesty… we’ll need mucosal contact, won’t we?”
