Episode 04
“—Kgh!”
The Holy Knight collapsed to his knees in an instant, clutching his throat.
Helios immediately erased Enya’s magic circle with his divine power. It was as if a flood had poured over raging flames—two overwhelming forces clashing and dispersing in a heartbeat. He lowered himself to check on his subordinate.
“Gray, are you alright?”
“Y-Yes… ngh, yes…”
“I look like the villain here.”
Enya, looking down at them, let out a cold sneer.
“They call you Radiant, and you do have the skill to match. But your subordinate could use some lessons in manners.”
“Manners are something you seem to lack.”
Helios spat the words out, his tone sharp.
His gaze shifted from the glass rolling near his feet back to her.
“Tower Master. The use of magic is forbidden within the Imperial Palace. Not only did you use magic—you threatened one of my knights.”
His face twisted as he rose, as though he had been betrayed.
Betrayed?
The thought was laughable.
Enya scoffed.
“Your little dog called my name as if we were friends. I merely punished him for his insolence. How is that a crime?”
“My subordinate is not a dog. He is a knight blessed by the gods.”
“Oh? Is that so? He still looks like a dog to me. I must have forgotten the temple hands out blessings to just anyone these days.”
Her voice was merciless, deliberately striking at the already weakened authority of the temple.
Was it because she had shown him even a shred of goodwill earlier?
A strange anger surged within her—one she couldn’t fully understand.
Helios seemed no different.
The cautious air from before had vanished, leaving behind only a cold, cutting gaze.
He stepped forward, closing the distance between them.
His eyes burned as if ready to devour her.
“I will formally press charges for your use of magic against a Holy Knight.”
“Oh, please. Why not just challenge me to a duel instead? Throw down your glove. I’ll accept.”
“Ah.”
Helios lowered his gaze slightly, brushing the edge of his glove before letting out a faint, humorless chuckle.
“What kind of knight duels a monster?
You simply kill it.”
In an instant, he reduced her to something less than human.
Yet unlike before, his tone was now smooth—refined.
Enya felt anger rise to the very top of her head—
And then, just as suddenly, it faded.
Not because of his beauty.
But because of the unmistakable contempt in his eyes.
It reminded her—
Of exactly who she was.
Ah. You are a noble Holy Knight—one who cast aside royal blood, slew the Demon King, and saved a nation.
And I… am a murderer who will be remembered in history.
Turning away from the turmoil in her chest, Enya spoke quietly:
“I told you. I’m not someone you should seek out.”
Not fate—
But something worse.
A bad omen of a connection.
It was better to end this here.
They would never meet again anyway.
At least—
That’s what she believed.
“Just what were you thinking?”
A sharp voice cut through the air early the next morning.
Gray, the knight whose throat had been crushed, was in the infirmary. In his place stood another—Marie.
With dull blonde hair closer to brown, Marie was nearly as stoic as Helios himself.
She stood before him, looking down at where he sat.
Helios Depert—the only commander of Holy Knights on the continent.
Even seated carelessly in his office, he looked perfectly composed.
Yet instead of praise, Marie offered blunt criticism.
“That was Enya Valencia. Not someone you can afford to offend. If anything, we should be making her an ally.”
His green eyes slowly lifted to meet hers.
“She’s not an option.”
“Why not?”
Marie pressed firmly.
“She has ties to His Highness the Crown Prince. As expected of a Tower Master, her abilities are exceptional. And most importantly—she hasn’t formed a contract with any noble in years.”
For a moment, the face that earned him the title Radiance—as if for its beauty alone—twisted faintly.
“How could I join hands with someone who killed her own master and seized her tower?”
“Think of it as bitter medicine.”
“Or perhaps a sweet poison.
You never know, Marie.”
Marie fell silent.
She understood his hesitation—but time was running out.
More than a decade ago, Helios had entered the western wastelands alone. Not only had he protected the land from monsters—he had transformed it into something worthy of being called a domain.
Though originally done for wartime logistics, the result was undeniable:
He had brought prosperity to the wasteland.
The people wanted him to become its lord.
But he belonged to the Holy Order.
He could not hold land, wealth, or noble titles.
And so—
He could not claim the west.
There was, however, one way.
He could abandon his position as Commander of the Holy Knights—
And accept a noble title.
That was why he had returned to the capital.
Of course, to receive such a title, someone had to grant it first.
The emperor would have been ideal—
But while he praised Helios’s achievements with words, he offered nothing else.
Indifference was the more accurate term.
Perhaps he feared Helios gaining enough power to threaten the Crown Prince—
But even so, such complete disregard was baffling.
Marie had often wanted to ask what had happened between father and son—
But in over ten years, Helios had never once spoken of the emperor.
Still—
She had to say what needed to be said.
“The emperor shows no interest in you, and the high nobles are busy suppressing rising powers. That leaves only one option—allying with a Tower Master and receiving a title through them.”
For an ordinary title, perhaps not—
But to become the Marquis of the Western Frontier, a contract with a Magic Tower was essential.
And finding an uncontracted tower?
Nearly impossible.
“You can’t afford to antagonize Enya Valencia when you should be winning her over.”
“I already have an arrangement with Tower Master Lows.”
Once his position in the capital stabilized, Lows had promised to grant him a title.
Moreover, Lows had agreed to break his contract with the Crown Prince and form a new one with Helios.
The Crown Prince had already approved.
On paper, there was no issue.
“Commander. With respect—may I offer my opinion?”
Despite the formal phrasing, Marie spoke bluntly.
“You trust Lows because he serves the Crown Prince. But that’s exactly why he can’t be trusted. If you rely solely on His Highness, you may find yourself in trouble.”
At present, Helios’s strongest ally was Ogedai .
And his greatest weakness—
Was that Ogedai was his only ally.
If the Crown Prince withdrew his support, Helios’s position would become dangerously unstable.
Marie let out a quiet sigh.
“You need another reliable backer.”
“And you believe that backer should be Enya Valencia?”
“She’s one of the best options.”
Marie continued calmly.
“She may be an illegitimate child of House Valencia, but she’s known to have completely severed ties with them. No external faction can interfere in her contracts. And since she hasn’t partnered with any territory, her taxes have quadrupled—she’s reportedly buried in debt. That gives us leverage for negotiation.”
A perfectly rational argument.
Yet Helios remained silent.
Normally, he would consider his knights’ opinions carefully—
But today, he was immovable.
It’s the report.
Long before arriving in the capital, Marie had prepared detailed reports on every noble house and Tower Master.
Of course—
That included Morgenda’s master.
Part of it read:
“During the Argos Subjugation, Enya Valencia cast the wide-area spell ‘Mental Collapse,’ securing victory.
The issue lies in the process.
To amplify the spell, she absorbed the mana of her own master and allies on the front lines—annihilating not only Argos, but her own forces.
Immediately after, she was tried. With her confession and testimonies of prior conflict, she was sentenced to execution.
However, Crown Prince Ogedai strongly defended her. That same year, she was chosen as the next Master of Morgenda Tower, thus escaping punishment.
Since then, she has remained in seclusion.
Though born in the slums as an illegitimate child, she rose to become a Tower Master at a young age—earning both disdain and recognition.
As a rare mental-type mage, she is considered powerful enough to stand against the Demon King.
Strongly recommended for further consideration.”
Marie had presented this report in good faith—
Believing Enya would be a powerful ally.
But perhaps she had pushed too far.
Because when Helios read it—
He showed rare, unmistakable contempt.
“A creature worse than a beast.”
It was not the reaction Marie had expected.
She had assumed that, as a royal, he would see Enya’s ruthlessness as strength.
Lowering her gaze slightly, she spoke again.
“Commander… Gray was at fault yesterday. Enya Valencia is a Tower Master. Regardless of how hollow the title may seem, calling her name so carelessly—and pointing at her—could have cost him his head.”
Enya had not cut Gray’s throat.
She had only crushed it.
Even that was mercy.
“No matter how urgent things are, I negotiate with people—not beasts that don’t even understand gratitude.”
Helios dismissed her argument outright.
Clearly unwilling to hear more, he leaned back in his chair, brushing his thumb over the ring on his finger.
Sunlight streamed through the tall arched window, illuminating the sharp line of his jaw.
Last night, he had attended the banquet under tension—
But managed well enough.
Though his true nature was closer to an unrefined beast, his cold, composed demeanor made him appear every bit a noble.
Still—
The nobles clinging to him, the endless words he had to interpret—
They exhausted him.
Not physically—
But mentally.
And so he had stepped outside, seeking a moment alone.
Only to encounter her.
A woman with long black hair that seemed to hold the night itself—
Yet stand apart from it.
Eyes that shimmered faintly blue, despite their darkness.
A languid, feline presence—
That struck him all at once.
“If you go east, there’s a maze garden. You should rest there.”
Perhaps it was because she showed no interest in him at all—
That he had sat beside her without thinking.
Even drank from her glass.
Watched her quietly as she rolled ice across her tongue—
And somehow—
Felt a strange sense of camaraderie.
They spoke of fountains, of storms—
Trivial things.
Yet he felt at ease.
Even as he thought of it as a fleeting encounter—
There was a lingering regret.
Then—
Her words.
“So you should endure it too.”
“……”
“Thinking of what you’ve killed—and what you’ve protected.”
Something about those words struck him.
Before he could stop himself—
He had spoken his name.
An impulse.
A mistake.
And yet—
He did not regret it.
