"Y-your Highness, I am not like that," Celestian stammered at Ryuk's words, causing him to step back.
Ryuk's smile vanished as he witnessed the misunderstanding that had just taken place.
He turned towards his mother, who had already averted her gaze.
She understood Ryuk's gesture in holding Celestian's hand— It was an indirect expression of his inability to accept someone as his knight when that person's hands didn't seem capable of holding a sword.
Ryuk had known about Celestian becoming his knight due to Oath.
Unlike normal promises or slave seals, when someone takes an oath to serve as a knight, a connection forms between the servant and the one to be served.
This connection allows for a sensation of the knight's health or whereabouts, though it offers vague details rather than pinpointing the exact location.
Ryuk became aware the moment Celestian took the oath to serve him.
Of course, it was impossible for him to hate this, as he knew the reason his mother chose Celes as his Knight— it was due to his passive ability.
Turning towards Celes, who looked surprised while gazing at Ryuk, a torrent of memories resurfaced inside his mind....
// Past Life memory //
SWISH
"Haa.....haa.." Heavy breathing, a figure with short pink hair dashed through the forest, pursued by several others dressed in black attire.
"Stop there, you bastard!" The pursuers shouted, hurling daggers that Celestian easily deflected.
CLANK
"Of course, why not!" Celestian picked up his pace, but the poison coursing through his body worsened his wounds, making it harder to control himself.
SWISH
"What a cute fellow we have here." Suddenly, an old man closed the distance between Celes and himself, arriving with a smile that prompted Celes to swing his sword.
"Shut up, you perverted old geezer!" Celes swiftly halted, swinging his sword at the man, who effortlessly deflected it before delivering a kick to his abdomen.
BANG
"Kugghhh!...THUD." Thrown against a nearby tree, Celestian's eyes widened as his back collided with the tree before he collapsed onto the ground.
"HOHO, you have quite a sharp tongue, boy." The old man moved, smoothing his long white beard with a hand folded behind his back, slowly advancing toward Celes before placing his foot on Celestian's head.
"AGghhh!" Celestian groaned as the old man exerted force on his head while feeling satisfied, before mocking, "You can't even handle this much pressure."
"Bastard, its just your feet that smell so bad...Ughh, Get this off me!" Celestian's mind raced as he processed the information about his surroundings, realizing it was his last day added with this poisoned body.
Witnessing someone of the Old Man's strength arriving, his mind held only one wish: 'I want to see him once.'
.
.
.
.
Thousand miles away from the Aidiac Kingdom existed the capital city of the Selvius Empire.
In recent years, after Queen Alisia left the Selvius Kingdom to make way for her son's ascension to the throne, the new king expanded the borders swiftly, gradually merging nearby lands and uniting other countries under a single flag.
In the Heindal Continent, only three divisions remained: the Selvius Empire, the Aidiac Kingdom, and the Ashyn Kingdom.
The reason the Aidiac Kingdom still held its ground was credited to the Reinguard family, who kept the Selvius Empire's army on edge.
However, consumed by bodily desires and immersed in lust, the present king, Leudric de Aidiac, ordered the execution of the very protector of their nation.
The execution was scheduled six months from the current date.
The Aidiac Royal Family requested the return of Karina, who was soon to be betrothed to Leudric but had fled to an enemy Empire.
King Leudric declared the entire Reinguard family traitors and ordered their execution, unaware that the disappearance of the swords protecting the Royal family would signal their end.
"Your Majesty, Lady Karina is deeply engrossed in her sword training within Elysium," Johan bowed, informing Ryuk who was seated at his desk, in the midst of writing a letter.
"What about Olivia's health?" Ryuk inquired, referencing an incident a few days prior when Olivia had nearly fallen down the stairs but was saved by Amayara.
"Her Majesty's health has improved, but she expressed a desire to meet with you," Johan conveyed the message he received from his wife while maintaining his bowed position.
"You may leave," Ryuk calmly ordered, focusing on the letter he had penned for Henna Quintain.
The letter aimed to dispel any misunderstanding regarding the event several months ago when he had killed Quintain Family.
Despite being an emperor, he took the initiative to clear any miscommunication.
"Haa... Who would have thought that insect wouldn't let me take that bracelet?" The old man ran through the forest, his body exhausted and frustrated.
He had tried to seize a bracelet from the dying Celestia, but despite her weakened state, her stubbornness prevented him from taking it.
In a fit of frustration, he ended up stomping on her face.
Even in her unconscious state, Celestia's grip on the bracelet was too tight for the old man to remove.
Prioritizing his arrival at the capital city of the Aidiac Kingdom, he ensured that the death of the boy was certain before proceeding on his way.
"You shouldn't have touched her."
Suddenly, a voice interrupted the old man, causing him to halt.
He slowly turned towards a figure whose amber eyes radiated a strong killing intent, standing beside him.
"W-what?!" The old man's eyes widened in recognition, realizing these were the amber eyes of only one person he had ever encountered in his life, "E-emperor."
"What are you doing within these borders—" SCHLKT!
The old man tried to question the Emperor about his presence in the Aidiac Kingdom, but suddenly a sharp force struck his shoulder. "Kughhhh!"
In an instant, Ryuk's blade dissipated the man's hand from his shoulder.
THUD
"Aagh! Your Majesty, have mercy!" Pleading for mercy, tears formed in the man's eyes before he fell to the ground, not understanding the whole situation.
"Ahh, M-my l-legs!?" His eyes turned downward only to see nothing; the old man's eyes reflected his bloodied feet as he lay fallen on the ground.
Understanding that the moment his hand got slashed, his legs were too, causing a vivid sound of flesh cutting.
Ryuk looked at the pleading old man, whose beard was now painted in red, slowly moving towards him, having already decided the fate of the Aidiac royal family.
"Y-you majes....AAAAKK?! " Before the man could say something, he felt two hands clenching his jaws, gripping his insides while slowly stretching them.
"AaaGgghh.....S..t..o— SKLCHT "
Thud
Ryuk, using force, tore his face into two parts before the man's lifeless body fell to the ground.
Reaching back, his eyes fell on the bracelet, which held a small message prepared by Celestia for him years ago.
Ryuk sensed the remaining bit of energy within it, allowing him to see the message before lifting Celestia's lifeless body and moving in the opposite direction of the Selvius Kingdom....
// The End //
"What is your name?" Ryuk asked, slowly calming himself as he looked at Celestia, who was surprised by his words before bowing. "It's Celestian Reinguard, Your Highness."
Ryuk, seeing her here, understood that her presence inside Selvius Kingdom was a butterfly effect.
In past life, Karina had caught the king's attention when she was 20 years old, from the present perspective, six years later.
But her memory awakening had hastened the process.
Celestia had come at that time with her parents when he was still under training with Wang.
At that time, due to the discovery of a mana mine, the Reinguards had something to offer in exchange for keeping their daughter safe.
Slowly, Karina had fallen for Ryuk's swordsmanship, but things didn't remain the same once he ascended to the throne and killed the Aidiac royal family to take revenge for Celestia, who was sent to the borders — at least that was the excuse he made.
He didn't want to tell a sister that he found her brother's mutilated body in a forest, bloodied and missing limbs, thousands of miles away from where he was.
It was clear that he would be blamed for Celestia's death, though he didn't care, already becoming habitual of people's condemnation.
The real reason he hadn't brought Celestia's body back with him was her dying wish hidden in that locket.
// Your Majesty, could you bury me where I can always see the ocean, hear its waves? But of course, don't think I am girlish or something; it's just that I felt like it would be a soothing heaven for me //
And just two months after this, Ryuk waged war against the Aidiac Kingdom on the pretext of Aidiac's ultimatum to take Karina's lifeless body.
His anger, long hidden inside, surged out, leading him to feed nobles to vultures and mete out the same fate to the royal family that they had given Celestia.
"Y-your Highness?" Celestia, seeing Ryuk lost in his thoughts, inquired, feeling confused, causing him to come back from his thoughts.
"Nothing, I was just thinking how you are going to lift a sword with that twig-like hand of yours," Ryuk narrowed his eyes, not delving too much into the past but focusing on what was about to come.
However, he wanted to ensure that this girl did not have the same fate as before.
"S-sorry?" Celestia's face twitched, seeing Ryuk's smirk, which seemed to be clearly mocking her.
Ryuk slowly moved towards the window, observing a caramel-haired girl deeply engrossed in her training.
Aware of the reason behind her dedication just outside his window, he, wanting to offer her a companion, turned towards Celestia.
"If you wish to be my Knight, then defeat Bella"