Chapter 129: Butterfly

And so, this day has become eternally marked in the history of the kingdom. A warm column of light pierces through the temple, reaching towards the heavens. The light disperses out, swallowing everything in its three hundred kilometers radii. Those who have felt the light embracing them outside of the temple will never forget that day. Although Imogen has used light magic to clean the church's corruption, the light has felt like the goddess's touch to the citizens.

Those people that received the saintess's punishment have disappeared into thin air after touching the light. Unlike the previous loops, not a single spot of blood has been left in the scene after Imogen walks away from the purified temple. 

For the first time of all the loops, Imogen's name has been spread throughout the continent to be a strong and righteous saintess. She is the first of all the saints to gain recognition without words like gentle, merciful, or kind. Rather, she has gained recognition like she has descended into the world as a judge of light. 

Although she usually does not care about such mundane things, she feels the difference in outcomes. The overwhelming cheer when she steps out of the temple and the recognition poured from the people on the streets has allowed her to see a different scenery. 

The historical day does not stop there. In the capital, the king and the second prince received their sentence to death for their involvement with the corrupted church. Knowing that the Vicar has orchestrated the deaths of many, they decide to hide rather than give justice to those whose moments before death was completely inhumane. 

The pain must have been excruciating. Moments before death, those victims have felt their flesh melt off their bodies into chunks of gold, and just hearing it, people would shiver. Yet, the king and the second prince heartlessly disregard those human lives for the sake of their own wellbeing and wealth. The people roar for justice, so the king and the second prince end up paying the crimes with their own lives. 

Thus, the first prince steps up to become the next king, gaining fame as a hero who worked with the saintess to eradicate evil. When the first prince regains the trade agreements, his followers increase by two folds. 

The image of the new king gets recorded in history as a monarch who was raised to the throne with almost all control over the aristocrats of the kingdom - unlike the normal route where new kings have to face the divided power from the nobles scattered like loose sand.

The official history does not record what happened to the paladin or the disowned prince after the issue has been solved. The only recordings are that the foreign prince gets disowned by his father and is thrown into prison with the death penalty. However, history does leave hints that King Austin Ethern, later on, has changed that the prince was not disowned; rather, the prince has decided to step down from his title. 

That day, all of the citizens in the kingdom of Aria have felt the events strongly carved into their hearts. Even at late hours, the people remain awake from the shock and energetically exchanging stories about the occurrences. After that, folktales emerge, and songs get written about the occurrence of that day. 

One of the folktales, in particular, becomes very famous even though historians debate it as a myth. It says that the entire occurrence of that day started in the name of love. Such folktale exists because the entire issue stems from the disowned prince, cast into prison despite being innocent. The tale couldn't pinpoint who is the one who orchestrated the entire conspiracy. The guesses are the mysterious headmaster of the phantom guild, the young lord of a noble house, the holy paladin who suspiciously does not appear in the story, or the first prince who works the same objective as the saintess. This story manages to pass down due to the heart fluttering devotion to one person and the lengths one could go for love.

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The sun is quietly setting despite the intense incidents that occurred. The autumn season is coming to an end since most of the golden and red leaves cover the floor like a blanket. Looking out of the window, Ian daydreams of the recent events. 

Images of Kyrie burning in rage for him flood his mind. His skin remembers the trembling body, struggling to control the fury inside. He remembers Kyrie appearing behind the wagon door with a smile. Recalling those lips curving up makes Ian follow the memory and smile like a fool.

The dorm room door opens, and Kyrie's figure slowly reveals as he enters from the dark halls. His clothes are tattered and his hair messy. Although Kyrie has an overwhelming victory against Cynthia's plan, he comes in looking like a lost child. 

Ian walks closer to Kyrie, wondering why such an expression is on his face. A momentary thought gets into his mind that maybe he should have gone with Kyrie. He is at fault for falling for that man's charms and gets persuaded into staying in.

Ian wants to hug him, but Kyrie stops him saying that he is covered in dirt and blood. Recognizing that Kyrie might need some time on his own, Ian respects Kyrie's space and lets him peacefully go for a bath.

Kyrie comes out of the shower with a loose oversized shirt and underwear. He walks out with a towel around his neck, feeling much better. 

Ian is waiting for him while leaning against the desk, looking through some of the scrolls stacked into pyramids around his room. With some curiosity and free time at hand, Ian delves into the contents of the scrolls. His own stack starts to pile up on the desk.

When Kyrie walks out of the bathroom, Ian turns his eyes away from the scroll when his peripheral vision catches Kyrie's figure. His eyes inevitably travel to look at Kyrie's straight and smooth pair of legs. He blushes slightly and quickly looks away. Originally, Kyrie wants to go into the closet to get another pair of pants. He has dropped the pair he is holding on the wet floor.

Sensing the other person close, Ian turns his eyes back to Kyrie with a bit of shyness in his expression. Oddly satisfied, Kyrie lets out a smile at this weird man. Ian has seen everything, yet he still acts like a shy puppy. Maybe Ian has never graduated from being a mochi. 

"What are you reading?" Kyrie tips his toes to look at the scroll from above.

His damp hair loosens and cascades down, causing some droplets of water to drip on the scroll. Kyrie steps back, running his hand over his wet hair. Ian puts down the scroll and takes the towel that is around Kyrie's neck. He gently shuffles Kyrie's hair with the towel.

"Can you tell me what is bothering you?" Ian tries to casually ask the question to avoid Kyrie from feeling the pressure to answer. 

Kyrie gets quiet for a moment since he is not used to Ian asking him so directly. Oddly enough, he does not become anxious speaking more about himself. His breath is normal, and his heart is stable. After the secret of him knowing the future through a novel has come out, he feels less fear when he needs to reveal the truth.

"Cynthia got away with someone's help. He is someone that I have not thought about when making the plan… Plus… Fighting against Cynthia, I was able to test my current abilities," Kyrie lets out a sigh, "Fighting against her alone was hard…"

Kyrie pauses as he remembers how Cynthia's movements were very restricted as if she is holding her strength when striking him.

"I think the gap will get larger the longer I don't participate in closing the gates since I am missing out on the opportunity to absorb essence."

Another pause.

"Sometimes, I also think about if I was too hasty at using my soul to get out of the illusion. If there was another way, we could have stayed together, but I don't know if the cause is because I was too impatient."

Kyrie places his forehead on Ian's shoulder, and the towel falls to the floor. His silky hair tickles on Ian's skin. 

"I was having all these weird thoughts in my head when I was coming back. I was also thinking of what Imogen has said to me - how my overprotection will end up hurting you, and I felt that first hand when I didn't have the power to save you at the tunnels."

Although he is grateful that Kyrie finally opens up, Ian is still a bit stunned about the reveal. A man who seems to fear nothing also hosts insecurities. 

Ian pulls Kyrie closer by the waist. He is starting to notice that Kyrie is like a butterfly because butterflies cannot see their wings. They don't know how beautiful they are. Kyrie has gifted people around him second chances, but the man himself has no idea.