CH 108

16. Salvation

As Duke Theodore said, the situation was almost coming to an end.

The emperor’s army could not compete with the Allied Forces in both numbers and quality. In particular, thanks to the wizards of Pionia included in the Allied Forces, the Allied Forces easily defeated their enemy and occupied the Imperial Palace.

As the tide of the war was noticeably lowered, the nobles of the imperial faction raised their hands to flee or surrender, and the knights were no different. The imperial knights who resisted to the end abandoned their weapons when the emperor’s whereabouts became unclear.

When Duke Theodore parted from Estella and Lucian and arrived at the audience, Count Enderk was captured and dragged away by his men. The count was wearing the clothes worn by his servants. He seemed to have done so to escape but was caught.

His men forced the count to kneel before him.

“What the hell is this, Count?”

“I know… This… Haha, I don’t know what the hell this is. Heaven and earth are turned upside down in one day.”

“Did you want to live to the point of letting go of your pride? Life is the most important thing.”

“Pride? I have no pride left. It was abandoned in the past in order to survive by the emperor’s side.”

“Indeed. It’s your way, so I don’t intend to argue against or deny it. But…”

Duke Theodore looked down at Count Enderk with an unfeeling gaze. The duke was not unaware that the emperor’s atrocities had also been mixed with a lot of interest.

In front of the emperor, he pretended to be a faithful assistant. Behind, he was a person who took all kinds of dirty profits. The appearance of the count, who took care of things without a blink of an eye even when people died, was deeply engraved in the duke’s mind. As deep as the emperor’s sins were, the count’s sins of interest were also deep. He was not to be left alive.

“You’ve thrown away what shouldn’t be thrown away. You’ve been with the emperor for so long that you went crazy together.”

“Duke Theodore, those who enter and leave the Imperial Palace are nothing but crazy. It’s just a difference in degree, but it’s still crazy. In particular, Duke Rubius, who you’re now holding hands with, is the most insane. No matter how much he hates him, how can he kill his brother?”

“I didn’t know you would say that because you don’t see humans as humans. And I agree that Duke Rubius is crazy, but at least he hasn’t given up being human.”

“You are on his side.”

“I am just stating the truth. Now I have nothing to say to you. Knights, lock him up in a dungeon. He is a traitor, so make sure all his limbs are bound.”

“Yes. We’ll take him!”

Dragging Count Enderk, the soldiers disappeared out of the audience. Derek approached Duke Theodore, who looked at the back of the count as he was being dragged away, and whispered in a low voice.

“The lord has captured the emperor. He said he’s going straight to the dungeon, so I think Your Grace should move too.”

“Duke Rubius has been through a lot. Let’s go quickly.”

Duke Theodore went down to the dungeon with his talented knights and wizards, just in case.

*******

Deltinus couldn’t quite come to his senses. It was rather fortunate. Had he been conscious, he would have been barking and scratching Yulif’s nerves. Yulif couldn’t afford to have Deltinus insult Canaren now, if he had, he would have gotten impatient and twisted his neck on the spot.

Yulif imprisoned Deltinus in a cell with all kinds of magic in the innermost part of the dungeon, and put shackles around his arms and legs. Deltinus, who was unable to use his arm and was ignorant of magic, would not be able to get out of the cell unless he died.

Yulif checked several times that the shackles were strong before going out of the cell. Immediately afterwards, a lump of blood poured out of his mouth. Darkness crept towards the edge of his vision, then it was dyed black.

Only after blinking a few times did Yulif realize that he was lying on the cold prison floor. He didn’t even know he had collapsed because his sensation of pain and touch had disappeared.

‘…It’s over.’

The view of darkness was no different from closing his eyes. Not having the strength to lift his eyelids, Yulif closed his eyes. Now even the last remaining sense, hearing, would be turned off. It was not a natural death, but the end for a human who twisted and reversed time could only be such a terrible and quiet one.

“…My Lord!”

Just before Yulif became deaf, he heard Derek’s voice from afar. The sound of footsteps that followed belonged to several people. It seemed Duke Theodore had arrived just in time.

After counting moderately in his mind, Yulif guessed the direction the solitary cell containing Deltinus might be, and pointed his finger.

“The emperor is imprisoned there. It’s impossible for him to run away on his own because his arm is disabled.”

Dun! All senses were turned off. After losing his hearing, Yulif felt as if he had been thrown into the depths of darkness alone. At times, he couldn’t even feel the magic that flowed through his body more clearly than his blood. He was cold. No, it seemed cold. He was numb, so he couldn’t be sure.

Yulif opened his still moving lips and spoke slowly. He had a request to make to Derek, who would be by Canaren’s side.

“When I die, my body will disappear. Don’t erect a gravestone. Canaren will be sad.”

It was not a certaintly, but somehow Yulif was convinced it would be. A human who touched the time belonging to the realm of the gods would not leave a trace even after death. Yulif painted Canaren in the abyss. Her eyes shining bright like the sun always contained only him. With her thick and soft lips, she whispered his name lovingly.

—Yulif. I want to visit the castle together. Does this dress look good on me? Yulif. I’ll do my best. It’s my first time, so I don’t know if I can do it well. I love you. I love you, Yulif.

“I want you to look after her, see that she’s happy and doing well.”

In his previous life and in this life, it was only Canaren for him. She was the only one.

From the moment she saved him from drowning in cold water, his soul was only for her.

“Don’t let her die after me. If that would be the case, erase her memory.”

If she could live happily. For her who cried in the cage. He could give his life over and over again. It was okay for her to not know a man like him.

Yulif reached his hand out to Derek. Losing his senses, he whispered over and over again, not knowing that a small, pale hand was holding his hand, or that his own head was on someone’s lap.

“She doesn’t have to sacrifice anything for me… Yes.”

He hoped she wouldn’t cry for him. If someone had to cry, then it should be him who cried for her.

Yulif saw a vision of Canaren waiting for him at the edge of the abyss. Having drank the poison that Deltinus had given her, she looked at him with blood dripping from her mouth.

The dark and painful past would now be forever forgotten with him.

Yulif dreamed of Canaren’s happiness and was completely buried in the abyss. The vision of Canaren, which he had not been able to save long ago, embraced him with her whole body. A sweet death overflowed. Yulif’s consciousness was engulfed in dazzling sorrow and fell to the other side of darkness.

*******

Canaren arrived at the Imperial Palace with Roana’s help, but after that, there were more problems. The palace was truly a mess. People dying or screaming and running away from the riot were mixed together. It was truly a chaotic sight.

As Canaren stood in the halls of the messed up palace, her chest choked up; it felt like a stone. Her legs and hands trembled. It was as if the emperor would appear any moment from somewhere and grab her by the neck. Like he was about to wield his whip. Asking sarcastically why she was out, and she would never be able to run away.

Canaren shook her head vigorously, brushing off the remnants of the eerie feeling. She didn’t come here to sit back and suffer.

“Where is Yulif?”

Her voice trembled with anxiety. Roana wrapped her arms around Canaren and looked around. Fortunately, she found a familiar face. A colleague who had worked together in subjugations. Sensing Roana’s gaze, her colleague looked over and uttered, “Oh,” and approached her first.

“What are you two doing here…”

“Where is he? Our Lord? Say it quickly!”

“The lord? I don’t know where the lord is, but I’ve heard that all the high-ranking people went to the dungeon.”

“How do we get to the dungeon?”

“Can you see the crowd over there? That’s the entrance…”

Canaren shook off Roana’s arm and spread her wings. “Canaren, go with me!” Roana’s cry was heard from behind, but she ignored it.

Yulif might die. He might disappear from her side forever. The black blood pouring from his body and the thick smell of death did not leave her mind.

Ame: Next episode… Canaren! finally! knows!