CHAPTER 31
“No way…”
Renoa bit her lip as she stepped out of the room.
Up until just recently, that woman hadn’t even shown the slightest interest in Moria. She hadn’t even batted an eye when faced with Cretes’s advances—he’d heard that himself.
And now, just because the emperor was sick, she suddenly changed her mind? That made no sense.
No way…
Had her heart already turned?
To Cretes?
“It’s such a relief that Her Majesty the Empress has finally had a change of heart,” said Himos cheerfully, in stark contrast to Renoa’s confusion.
“Is it all right to leave the two alone together? His Majesty is currently defenseless.”
“They’re husband and wife—what reason could there be to keep them apart?”
“I heard that not long ago, Her Majesty was trying to leave Moria. And that she even tried to kill His Majesty.”
Despite Renoa’s protest, Himos only shrugged—as if he already knew.
“You mean… you already knew all of this?” Renoa’s voice trembled with disbelief. “Even though she tried to kill the emperor, you still kept her by his side?”
“What could I not know about His Majesty?”
A dry laugh escaped Renoa’s lips.
To think that Himos was still allowing Asilia near Cretes, even knowing she had tried to kill him…
Even for an empress, that should have been considered high treason.
“She’s a woman from Revilla. Who knows what orders she came here with? How can you be so careless?”
“If it’s orders, surely the only one would be to kill His Majesty. But what kind of command could possibly work on someone blessed by the god of life?”
Himos waved it off casually and dismissed the attendants nearby.
The maids, seemingly aware of what was happening, smiled joyfully and left the hallway.
“Himos!”
“Why do you seem so displeased, High Priest Renoa? Are you perhaps upset that His Majesty is recovering?”
“…”
“Or are you angry that you can no longer control the empress as you please?”
Renoa’s fingers trembled.
Himos’s tone and questions were those of someone who knew everything.
“What do you think the empress will do when she finds out that you’re the one who triggered Isaiah Heathclear’s brainwashing?”
“Oh? Are you trying to threaten me now?”
“That’s not all. I heard His Majesty collapsed without any warning or symptoms. That was you, wasn’t it?”
Renoa stared at Himos with eyes full of suspicion.
A god can only have one direct seed—a direct representative blessed with divine authority.
And if that seed was granted permission by the god, they could wield that divine power freely.
That meant Himos was likely the only one capable of knocking Cretes unconscious without warning.
“Haha. If I had done something, don’t you think His Majesty would know?”
“…”
“Well, I didn’t exactly share the steps or the result with him, but… I did it on a wager. A seven-day vacation.”
Himos grinned and made a light gesture with his hand—the same gesture Cretes used when activating his powers.
In that moment, purple energy rippled through the air and the oppressive force that had lingered was lifted.
It was unmistakably Cretes’s aura.
Renoa clenched his fist and snapped.
“What do you even gain from all this?!”
“High Priest Renoa,” Himos cut him off.
His soft green eyes darkened and turned cold.
“I don’t care what schemes you’re plotting.”
“…”
“But if you try to stand in the way of what His Majesty desires… that’s a different story.”
Then, as if nothing had happened, he smiled kindly again.
“So as a resident of Moria, I trust you won’t oppose His Majesty’s will.”
With that, he turned and began walking away.
Renoa called after him.
“Wait!”
“…?”
“Are you saying that His Majesty… truly desires the empress?”
Himos gave him a look that practically screamed, Why are you even asking?
“Of course. Why else would he start a war just to bring her here?”
“…”
“So if you’re harboring any dark thoughts about harming Her Majesty, you’d best abandon them. If I slip up and say the wrong thing, you might lose your head, not me.”
With those words, Himos walked away.
Renoa clenched his teeth as he watched him disappear.
If his wish ever came true, that wily old snake would be the first to die.
But before that, Asilia had to be dealt with.
Renoa still couldn’t understand her behavior. Could just one instance of brainwashing really erase her loyalty to Revilla?
“Did she undergo another kind of brainwashing…?”
With Cretes’s power, it was entirely possible.
There was no other way to explain her sudden dedication to his cause.
She would never betray her homeland over just one brainwashing spell.
“I won’t let her go.”
Just a little more… and it would all be his.
Even if she slept with Cretes—it didn’t matter.
It was probably just once.
It might ease his symptoms, but it wouldn’t change anything else.
So there was no need to panic.
Steeling his resolve, Renoa turned and headed for the temple.
He grabbed a nearby priest.
“Send word to Sir Monique in the field. Tell him his sister’s health has taken a turn for the worse.”
Asilia reached out and gently stroked Cretes’s cheek.
His face, once twisted in pain, had returned to normal—perhaps the worst of it had passed.
But he still hadn’t regained consciousness.
“…Why didn’t you tell me?”
The words slipped out, filled with blame.
If she had known his condition was this bad, she never would have let him come along on the campaign.
“I still don’t understand why you didn’t go after the sacred relic yourself.”
He called himself a “god who had lost his power,” but he had still been able to command the currents of the sea.
If he truly wanted the relic, he could have gone and retrieved it easily.
But Cretes hadn’t.
There were so many things about his behavior that made no sense.
“There’s still so much I want to ask you.”
About him.
About everything he’d done up until now.
Why it had to be her of all people.
“So wake up. You need to explain it to me… and watch what I do with that knowledge.”
He was the one who had shaken her.
He was the one who had broken down the tightly shut doors of her heart.
So he should take responsibility.
Asilia leaned down and gently pressed her lips to his forehead.
The emotions she had dammed up for so long—denied over and over again—slowly rose to the surface.
She loved the way his golden eyes softened every time their gazes met.
She loved the sound of her name spoken in his low, calm voice.
She loved the warmth of his large hands and long arms as they wrapped around her waist.
Lowering herself even more, Asilia placed a soft kiss on the tip of his nose.
“I want to know more about you.”
Not just simple things like what he liked or disliked.
She wanted to understand his thoughts.
Even the feelings he couldn’t share with anyone else.
“So please… wake up.”
People always said the same thing—
That they didn’t realize what was truly precious until after they lost it.
She thought she’d be different.
But in the end, she was just the same.
“I once said with confidence that I’d always treasure those who cared for me more than anyone else…”
But she had turned her back on his words and actions just because he was “the emperor of an enemy nation.”
“I hope it’s not too late.”
Bowing even lower, Asilia closed her eyes and pressed her lips to his.
It was the first time she had ever felt such a gentle touch.
Their breath mingled. Their lips pressed closer.
And just as she was about to dive into him completely—
“…I don’t even know what’s going on right now.”
Startled by the low voice, Asilia jerked back in shock.
But just as she tried to move away, Cretes reached out and grabbed her arm.
Then, in one fluid motion, he turned and pinned her beneath him.
“H-How…? I thought you needed direct contact with the mucous membrane…”
Yes, she’d kissed him—but it had been no more than a childlike peck.
How had he woken up?
She stared at him, confused, and he gently kissed her forehead, just as she had done for him.
“That’s not the point right now, is it?”
“…”
“Say it with your own mouth.”
“…”
“Is ‘wait’… finally over?”
