episode_0112

The city of blacksmiths, Blacksmith.

The Frozen Knights of the Blazing Heart stationed in its front courtyard were not just symbols of the empire’s greatest military power gone missing—they were also emblems of chaos, representing Riel Frost’s betrayal.

The chunks of ice that had never melted even in summer were finally beginning to thaw. Though nearly half a year had passed in reality, to those who had been frozen, it felt like a mere moment.

One by one, the knights freed from the ice exchanged bewildered glances, disoriented by the changed environment. Klaus, the only one who had endured to the end, had some inkling of what might have transpired.

Though he didn’t know the full details, the fact that Arina had undone their imprisonment meant the grand scheme had already been settled. Raising a hand to calm the still-guarded knights, Klaus approached Arina.

“My daughter—what happened to Leona?”

Cold sweat trickled from Klaus’ tightly clenched fist as he asked.

The seasons had shifted, and now Arina had returned to the empire to free them—which could only mean his daughter had already fallen prey to her.

“I was just about to go meet her now.”

“At least that means she’s still unharmed… for the moment.”

“I wouldn’t be so relieved. Whatever the case, your daughter is definitely playing into some man’s hands by now.”

“What do you mean?”

For now, it was just Arina’s speculation. But the odd shift in Marika’s final actions, lingering in her memory, and the unnatural behavior of her former party members had always nagged at her. If the Porter had used some trick to enslave them, it would all make sense.

“You turned against me for your daughter’s sake, but your real enemy was someone else all along.”

She didn’t know how Porter had turned Leona into his slave. But if it were true, then his daughter had been brainwashed by an outsider, submitting to him again and again—even using her own father as a pawn.

Klaus’ pupils trembled violently at those words. He clenched his fists so tightly his bones creaked, grinding his teeth.

“Riel. There’s no mistake in what you just said?”

“I told you—it’s just speculation. But the high probability of it happening isn’t wrong.”

As if he had heard enough, Klaus pushed past Arina. Ignoring the Blazing Knights under his command, he marched off alone toward some unknown destination.

“You’re leaving? Do you even know where they are?”

“Not for certain. But I can guess. You’ve got business with that bastard too, don’t you?”

“I do, but there’s someone I need to see first.”

“Is that so?”

Muttering as if talking to himself, Klaus resumed walking—unyielding, even if he had to go alone.

“Going by yourself is reckless. A normal human can’t defeat a Hero. If you wait just a little—”

“I can’t. I have to see for my own eyes. If that damn porter forced himself on Leona, I won’t let him stay alive a second longer.”

This time, Klaus truly left alone. Watching his shrinking figure disappear into the distance, Arina murmured under her breath:

“Even the Blazing Knight Commander, feared and respected by his men, is just a father when faced with his daughter’s crisis.”

“You’re not going to help? By himself, he’ll…”

He’ll lose his life. Ian swallowed the rest of his words.

In a way, it felt like shifting responsibility for Klaus’ fate onto Arina. But she had warned him—even if just verbally. The choice to leave was ultimately Klaus’ own.

No point in burdening Arina with unnecessary guilt.

So Ian cut himself off—but Arina rejected his consideration and answered anyway.

“I don’t owe him that much. I kept my promise with the Emperor. He was the one who betrayed me first.”

Her tone was somewhat callous. Given the insults she’d suffered, it was natural for her to resent the other party—yet she didn’t seem to hold any deep grudge.

“Let’s get going, too. There’s nothing left for us here.”

She was simply indifferent.

Unexpectedly, Arina remained composed—as if she felt no particular emotion toward Klaus and the Blazing Knights, who had once distrusted her.

—

The Empire of Flames, Highzan.

Before the Demon King’s Army was formed, the Highzan Empire was once the strongest nation on the continent—so much so that legendary nationwide festivals were held.

Though diminished now from war and resource depletion, traditions were still maintained in the capital to uphold the Emperor’s authority.

Having arrived in the capital to use the teleportation gate, Arina’s party found the streets bustling with preparation for the Festival of Flames.

“I’ve been to the Empire plenty, but this is my first time joining the festivities.”

“I hear there’ll be fireworks at night.”

“Milene’s one thing, but… even you seem too relaxed, Arina. I would’ve expected you to rush straight to the Holy Kingdom.”

Dressed in festival attire while trailing behind the two women, Ian voiced his surprise.

“No need to hurry anymore, right? Porter’s a rat in a trap now. If anything, he’s probably desperate to find me. Not that it’ll help him.”

“Yeah! Yeah! With two Guardians as strong as that giant statue we destroyed, even if the Hero’s whole party came at once, they’d still lose!”

Perhaps due to the lingering shifts in Arina’s emotions, she and Milene—who had been snarling at each other at every opportunity before—now seemed rather close.

At least they weren’t fighting daily anymore—that was a relief. But Ian couldn’t shake his unease.

Even now, wasn’t Porter plotting something? Would he torment Arina again? Or—would he take her away from him entirely?

“The festival lasts a week. For the grand finale, we can all go together—but first, we should decide who gets to go on a date with Ian first.”

“Fine. Same rules as always.”

“Naturally.”

Milene tucked her hands behind her back.

Arina closed her eyes, steadied her breathing, counted three seconds silently—then both raised their hands and shouted in unison.

“Rock.”

“Scissors.”

“Paper!”

Rock and scissors collided mid-air—settling the match.

Arina, who had thrown rock, smirked victoriously.

“Another win. That makes eight wins, two losses now.”

“Ughhh! Seriously, no WAY! How am I losing this badly?! You’re using magic, aren’t you?!”

“Don’t be a sore loser. What kind of magic could even do that?”

“BUT HOW?!”

“Your expressions gave you away. You’re pretty obvious.”

“Tch. Fine—next time, I’ll win.”

Still, seeing Arina joke and laugh like this—so ordinarily—made him think maybe things really would be alright.

All he had to do was protect the world where she could be happy.

“Ian!”

Before he knew it, Arina was right in front of him, pressing her face close.

“Wait for me by the bridge. I’ll go change and be right back.”

“Change? What’s wrong with what you’re wearing now?”

“Festival clothes and date clothes are different! Just wait a little!”

Without giving him time to reply, she and Milene disappeared into the crowd.

“Ah—”

Left behind, Ian’s voice—still struggling to adjust to Arina’s changes—lingered unheard in the air.

—

She’s late.

“A beautiful face is a painting unto itself”—a saying applicable not just to women but men as well—meant this was a frequent occurrence for Ian whenever he waited for someone.

“Excuse me, are you… from somewhere else? Not from the Empire, right? The Kingdom, perhaps?”

A woman struck up irrelevant conversation. Just as Ian opened his mouth to politely refuse—he felt arms slip around his from behind.

“…Kept you waiting, huh?”

He had tried dismissing the woman quickly, sensing this would happen—but too late. Hugging his arm with a smile, Arina stared fixedly at the woman before stiffening slightly.

“…Um. As you can see, I already have plans.”

“Ah, yes…”

The woman only needed one glance at Arina’s face before turning on her heel and fleeing without another word.

Not that Arina had outright threatened her—but any woman locking eyes with her felt it instinctively.

You can’t win against her. Run before you’re even compared.

While the woman could escape unscathed, Ian was left behind—forced to monitor Arina’s mood as she visibly deflated even before their date began.

“Let’s go, Master.”

“…Why the sudden title?”

“It’s a special day, isn’t it? Thought I’d change things up.”

That’s definitely not the only reason.

After hesitating, Ian finally spoke up.

“Even so, people might misunderstand.”

Arina considered this for a moment—then clung to him fully and looked up.

“Then… honey?”

While the lover-like term pleased him, the hint of ice in her tone left Ian still cautious.

“Festival of Flames,” huh….

While trading glares with the men eyeing Arina, he tried to think of a way to recover their mood—until she abruptly spoke.

“Hm?”

“Isn’t it too early?! The sun hasn’t even set yet!”

“Well… I’m not from the Empire, but isn’t this about the right time?”

“Is that so? I wouldn’t know—I’ve never attended one.”

Research in the Magic Tower. Combat during her time with the Hero’s party. Afterward, a life drowned in vengeance. Though festivals had passed by countless times, Arina had never properly experienced one.

“Things will be different from now on.”

Taking her hand, Ian led her toward a less crowded area.

Their fingers interlacing naturally, the two exchanged a glance—their youthful energy palpable beneath the festive air.

“We’ll do everything we couldn’t before. Festivals, travels—anything, anywhere… together.”

“…Three of us—unless you want Milene picking another fight. And once you’re officially king, you’ll be swamped.”

“The Grand Duke is the real power anyway. Barely a figurehead role. If I don’t like it, I’ll throw it to someone else.”

“Pfft. Such an irresponsible king.”

She laughed. Was her mood improving?

Arina hadn’t been that angry to begin with—especially since Ian hadn’t actually done anything wrong.

Leaning in, he sought to naturally carry the moment forward—

But the woman who would normally meet him halfway squirmed out of his grip, pressing a finger to his lips in an X.

“No affection today. No—not until I say so.”

“Huh?! Why?! You know that earlier thing was a misunderstanding! I didn’t—!”

“Punishment for making me see that. Should’ve shooed her away faster.”

“That’s so unfair—!”

To Ian, this proclamation struck like lightning. Not only had their nightly activities been postponed, now even basic affection was banned?!

His pent-up longing for her made this unbearable.

“Though… I might allow hand-holding.”

Either way, Arina clearly had no intention of listening to protests—she was already heading back toward the lively streets.

“Wait.”

Before she could fully disappear into the crowd, Ian grabbed her wrist—dragging her toward an even quieter alley and pinning her against the wall.

“You once said everything about you is mine. And now you pull this?”

“Oh, that? I changed my mind. With women constantly swarming you, I just can’t feel at ease. For now, I think I’ll—”

“I already said no! Arina. If you push me like this, I won’t have a choice.”

His hands roughly groped her chest—squeezing hard enough to make her twitch from the electricity of pain-pleasure. Rather than resisting, Arina only moaned in excitement.

“Hahhh…♡”

“Only one way to keep you from running—knocking you up. Once you accepted me, I could never go back. Don’t push me this far.”

He growled into her ear—a dark, possessive threat.

Trembling under his voice, Arina whispered back:

“…Then do it….”

“……What?”

Ian had meant it purely as a statement of intent—yet this utterly unexpected reply left him blinking stupidly.

Avoiding his stunned gaze, Arina’s face flushed faintly.

“…Have I ever said no…?”

“H-Huh?! No, but—!”

Ian floundered. What kind of situation was this?!

Had she not been angry? Actually—had she been expecting this?!

The way she glanced at him—eyes half-lidded, almost encouraging.

And before—hadn’t she reacted too fiercely?!

…So she had been acting?! To create this moment?!

“…Want me to make you say it?”

Breed me. Knock me up with your kid.

It wasn’t as if any real obstacle had stopped them from consummating their relationship before now.

Circumstances just… happened to interfere.

And now Arina, unable to voice her desires outright, had seized this chance to provoke Ian—forcing his hand.

Backing out now would make him less than a man.

Understanding it all, Ian suppressed the heat roaring in his veins—grabbing her wrist and yanking her along.

“…You damn tease! You won’t be walking straight after today.”

“Eeek~♡”