episode_0033

It was a deep night with the crescent moon smiling faintly.

Nevertheless, Elaine couldn’t fall asleep easily.

The reason was that she stood by the wide-open window.

She was looking up at the moon.

Before she knew it, she was feeling the warm breeze of a spring night that had begun to mimic summer.

“….”

The reason she couldn’t sleep wasn’t just because of the upper-level problem she had gone to Ta Ji for and the big argument she had with her father, who had returned late in the evening.

-Why on earth did you go to Hwanghugung…?

-Wherever I went, what right do you have to question me? This is uncomfortable. Even if your mother forgave you, I haven’t!

The words Elaine spat out surprised even herself.

As if someone else inside her had spoken, they seemed to have burst out as if waiting.

Even without looking in the mirror, she could tell.

Her contorted face must have shouted silent anger, and her panting breath also must have conveyed a similar feeling.

-That…

Viscount Bart seemed to want to say something but closed his mouth for some reason.

He gestured as if to say she could leave, bowing his head with one hand.

Despite everything, he was still her father.

Perhaps it was too harsh after all…

Now, Elaine felt guilty belatedly.

Regret, gently flowing like the waves of the night sea, was never a light thing.

But still.

It didn’t hit her as strongly as her concern for the prince heading towards the border.

Yesterday afternoon.

The prince had told someone the truth that he hadn’t told anyone else.

He had been addicted to poison.

Of course, now he said he was completely detoxified.

He explained that his outburst was due to that, and the fact that he was known to have killed someone was also a false accusation.

Moreover, someone unknown was still trying to kill him, and the prince was risking danger to find out who was behind it.

He also mentioned that the magic the prince used involved spirits.

To the question of whether the otter and the eagle were spirits, he also answered yes.

It was not a very long conversation, but it felt like most of the curiosity she had been carrying had been resolved.

And it felt like a precious secret shared only between the prince and herself had emerged in this world, making her feel strangely happy.

Of course, I was worried no less than that.

I can’t believe the Crown Prince is in such a difficult situation.

It was impossible to suppress the feeling of pity and sadness.

Moreover, now I have to go to the border to prevent a war with the elves…

Even in her view, it was an unpredictable danger.

So if possible, she wanted to go together.

-I will go with you.

-That might be difficult. In the worst case, there could be a terrible battle.

-But if something happens to the Crown Prince…

-That won’t happen.

The informal speech of the Crown Prince made the distance between them feel much smaller.

The more she heard, the more excited she felt, but it was also true that she felt bitter about not being able to go together.

After glancing at the closed door, Elaine asked cautiously.

-Will you go together, Your Highness…?

-Astia is my escort, so of course we’ll go together.

…My escort.

It was a gap that seemed much narrower than the reduced distance between them.

She didn’t realize that the words filled with years of intimacy and trust would evoke such a heartbreaking feeling.

It was endlessly regrettable.

If she were as strong as this female knight, she could be with the Crown Prince too.

Elaine looked at the moon.

Perhaps the Crown Prince is looking at that moon right now.

A gentle breeze blew once, swaying her golden hair, and passed by.

Elaine closed her eyes tightly and prayed.

“Please, Aurora, help the Crown Prince stay safe…”

May this sentiment be reflected on the moon and conveyed to the Crown Prince.

She prayed for a while and then, with a fearful gesture, closed the window and lay down on the bed.

Then, as soon as she fell asleep, she dreamed.

In the dream, a remarkably beautiful woman appeared.

Even though the surroundings were so bright that even her own body couldn’t be seen, this woman was vividly visible.

She was a woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes like herself.

But she was much taller, and the transcendent beauty that permeated her face and body seemed like something humans could never possess.

“My most beloved child-”

The voice with an unattainable dignity resounded solemnly, as if speaking from within a cave.

“Wh-who are you…?”

“I am the Goddess of Light, Aurora-”

“Ah…”

It was such an unusual situation that I could immediately tell it was a dream.

But Aurora… A goddess had appeared in my dream.

Elaine was so bewildered that she forgot what to say.

“My child-”

“Y-yes…!”

“Do not be sad-”

“Y-yes…?”

“In this lifetime, I will surely lead you to happiness-”

“…”

With those words, the goddess vanished in light, and the scene before me suddenly changed.

I saw the figure of the prince being carried away.

His eyes were closed as if dead, and thick blood flowed from his mouth.

“Oh, no! Your Highness! Your Highness!!”

I shouted desperately, but no sound came out.

And as if becoming invisible, no one could see me.

Then I saw it.

A large hole pierced through the prince’s neck.

Countless bodies lay around him.

Amidst them, elves were urgently carrying the prince.

“Don’t let them escape! Kill them all!”

And behind them, a human army was closely pursuing.

“Oh, nooo!!!”

Elaine woke up screaming.

As is often the case after a nightmare, her whole body was drenched in sweat, and her hands and feet were trembling.

Tears even streamed down her face.

What on earth was this?

Everything she had seen in the dream was so vivid.

It felt like she had dreamt of a prophecy, just like when the dying prince had come to the viscount’s estate.

Elaine was convinced.

This dream must be a divine revelation.

“I have to go to the prince!”

If she could get there in time, she might be able to prevent the tragedy she had seen in her dream.

Elaine hurriedly got out of bed.

But she couldn’t shake the feeling that something inexplicable had suddenly changed.

Just that she had dreamt once.

Her mind was filled with unknown knowledge, and a mysterious sensation was emerging in her body.

“What on earth is this…?”

Elaine cautiously looked at her two hands.

She could see countless streams of light flowing in her palms.

Hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of streams of light flowed rapidly across the palm, flowing through every nook and cranny of the body more meticulously than blood.

Furthermore, there was an immense and inexplicable knowledge that even a slight headache could be felt.

As a result, it seemed as if one could freely manipulate sanctity.

As an experiment, let’s imagine a form; various streams of light seeped from the palm and converged into small clusters of light.

It floated quietly above the palm, shimmering like the sun.

Then, upon gathering one’s will, the light burst out like exploding stars, swirling back into the body.

The outstretched hand soon clenched into a fist.

There was a feeling that anything could be accomplished.

Elaine quickly changed into comfortable clothes and sneaked out of the viscount’s residence using a hole in the wall she had known about since her maid days.

If she were to borrow a horse outside the mansion, it would be much better.

***

Countless stars scattered under a black curtain of silver dust.

Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop! Clippity-clop!

Elaine rode non-stop.

She had never ridden a horse before, not even once.

Yet, riding felt surprisingly easy.

It was strange from the moment a horse she had never seen before approached, nudging her forehead as if asking to be petted.

“No, why is this one acting like this?”

The man, owner of the inn and the horse, couldn’t hide his surprise.

“Even though he’s not usually aggressive, he’s not like this. It seems the lady really likes him. Is it because of sanctity?”

As if understanding Elaine’s heart, the horse immediately put forth its best effort and galloped.

That wasn’t the only strange thing.

Despite likely being sleep-deprived, she didn’t feel the least bit tired.

Perhaps that too was due to sanctity, she had an inexplicable conviction.

Of course, the horse, breathing heavily, showed signs of fatigue.

Elaine cautiously leaned down and placed her hand on the horse’s neck.

Through the touching hands, sanctity flowed in.

Unlike when she treated the prince, only the necessary amount flowed, without any sense of burden.

Heeheeheehee!

As soon as she let go of the reins, she burst into a powerful cry and began to run even faster.

It was simply a divine power written for fatigue recovery.

It felt like not only her physical strength but also her muscular strength had become stronger beyond just recovering her stamina.

The wind brushing against her body felt so refreshing.

Like that, Elaine ran through the fields that night, heading towards the southern border of the empire.

Her destination was the territory of Count Tenafel.

Although she had set off quite late, she believed that if she ran diligently, she could arrive without being too late.

Strength involuntarily filled her hand gripping the reins.

“I will definitely save you, Your Highness.”

***

Drrrr- Cool!

I woke up at the sound of Glentino’s snoring.

He was quite a character, anyway.

Even when Astia was busy training the knights, he slept like a log, and now, even though it was time for breakfast with the sun high in the sky, he was still sleeping comfortably.

Astia had already lit a fire again and was happily watching the deer meat roasting, emitting a delicious smell.

Ten knights, each with tattoos resembling thorny crowns around their necks, sat quietly in their places like hunting dogs.

Their posture literally resembled that of hunting dogs.

The reason? It was probably because of the marks of slavery tattooed on their necks.

It was the result of putting on the slavery necklace meant only for battle slaves.

I had bought about 20 of them, thinking they might be needed someday, but I never knew they would come in so handy, entrusted to Astia in advance.

Thanks to Astia’s grace, Rufus’s cleanly severed arm was now reattached.

It seemed like he had used the high-grade potion given to him in an emergency.

However, his nerves probably weren’t fully connected, and handling a sword as before wouldn’t be easy.

We had our fill with the deer meat.

Of course, Glentino, for his failure to fulfill his duties as a servant, was scolded by Astia before eating and even got smacked after eating for sulking after the meal.

After the ten knight slaves quickly tidied up, we rode toward the border again.

Finally, it was night by the time we could set foot in Count Tenafel’s territory.

Thankfully.

The confrontation between the Count’s army and the elven army was still ongoing when I arrived.

As soon as I arrived, negotiations were held at a table placed in the center of both forces.

“……”

“……”

The leaders of each army did not even glance at each other, only glaring at me.

The situation seemed much more complicated than I had anticipated.

Strictly speaking, those controlling the situation were in great difficulty, more so than the situation itself.

“Surely you haven’t come as reinforcements, Your Highness? It’s truly disappointing that only ten knights are your support. How could you bring such a force when these wretched elves are trying to devour our empire? Sending useless garbage like you, it’s no different from ordering my lord to die.”

A man with an extremely displeased expression spat out these words, and so did Count Tenafel.

“So, you’re the son of Wibleia. You’ve removed the traitor who betrayed her family and country… It’s truly a waste of blood. Mixing noble blood with the flesh of such a base and wicked human… I want to kill you right now, I’m going mad.”

The elf, with the same silver hair as mine, was also shooting hateful glances just like the Count.

Eventually, Count Tenafel slammed the table three times and stood up from his seat.

“Yes, if His Majesty wishes for my death, then so be it. There will be no negotiation with you. It’s war!”

He said this, but why is he looking at me?

In response, the elf prince, undoubtedly a third party, stood up with eyes full of determination.

“By the desired sea! Let them pay dearly today for their arrogance and cunning, which they have relied on to oppress inferior races! Especially you. As an individual who dared to covet noble blood in the form of a human, tonight, you must be killed without fail!”

Whether it’s the fallen prince in the novel or myself possessing his body, I’ve never coveted blood.

“As the one who has sentenced us to death, stand at the forefront, Your Majesty!”

One thing is certain.

Both leaders of the two armies hated me more than they hated each other.