episode_0144

“Are you really leaving like this, oppa?”

Lizel looked at Raoul as he changed into his combat attire and spoke with concern.

“… Yes. Because it’s a battlefield where I have to step forward.”

Raoul turned his head towards Lisel as he buttoned up his clothes.

“But… if my brother doesn’t come back like this…”

“Then that’s all. Death is bound to happen on the battlefield, Lizel. Regardless of whether they’re soldiers or knights, there’s bound to be a few deaths. There’s no reason for my death to be particularly special.”

“Whether a soldier or a knight dies, their families will be sad…! Saying that my brother’s death isn’t special…! It’s the same as telling me that I’m not family…!”

Raoul also opened his mouth slightly, as if he was surprised by such a proper rebuttal.

“… I see. That’s right. ”

Raoul stroked Liesel’s head with the corners of his lips slightly raised.

“No matter what you say, I intend to do my best to kill you. But… I will do my best to protect myself for your sake.”

Raoul ruffled Liesel’s hair and then playfully took off Liesel’s hair tie and said.

“Come back to me and give this back to me.”

“That’s expensive, so you have to return it.”

“… No matter how I look at it, it looks like a cheap product that would be sold at the market.”

“This is Kyle’s mother’s heirloom.”

“Now that I look at it, the material finish and design look great.”

“When I die, I’ll tell Kyle what I just said.”

Raoul nodded reluctantly and left the mansion.

And the one who welcomed him was none other than his mother, Ratri.

It was a relationship that had once been a mess due to past hatred, but now it was safe to say that some of that hatred had been painted over.

However, it was a relationship where the scars engraved in our hearts could not be filled with paint.

“Raul.”

“… Mother.”

Ratri looked at Raul’s face as he walked with some unsteadiness, as if he was still having some trouble walking.

A face that somehow resembled her husband, even though he wasn’t her biological child. A graceful face that didn’t smile much, but seemed to be filled with kindness. A face with an androgynous beauty like Arthur Bergé.

Latri, who regretted why he hated this face, hugged his son tightly.

“Be sure to come back.”

“I intend to do that even if you don’t say so.”

“… Take this.”

Ratri gave Raoul an old necklace.

“… That’s a necklace with an odd taste. I knew you were frugal when it came to your appearance. ”

“It was the first piece of jewelry your father bought me.”

“Now that I look at it, the state of the jewel’s workmanship and finishing stage…”

“It’s okay. Even though he was smart, he didn’t have an eye for gifts. Likewise, he probably didn’t have an eye for women either.”

“……”

Ratri put the necklace around Raoul’s neck.

“Still, it is the most precious necklace to me. Just like that person thought I was precious. So please return it.”

“… Yes. I will definitely do that.”

Raoul took Catherine to the stables with it hanging on his neck.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been to Saji, Catherine. It’s a place full of blood and screams, but… Can you go?”

“Give me aaahh …

“I can’t understand what you’re saying, but it sounds good. Yes. That must be what I’m saying. Let’s go, to put an end to this tiresome story.”

“ZWOO …

“I guess I still can’t understand the language of words.”

So Raoul climbed on top of Catherine and, with a more satisfied expression on his face than ever before, he urges his feet, no, his horse’s hooves.

He would leave them behind, but he didn’t think he would be alone. He had two talismans that supported him, and he had spent those days shivering in the loneliness of the battlefield.

“Raoul Bergé.”

And even those who had not yet completed their atonement took courage and came forward.

Rosie, pushing through countless fears, reached out to Raoul.

What kind of harm will he cause this time? What kind of hatred will he pour out this time? As Raoul was worried, what caught his eye was a ring that looked incredibly familiar.

“Take it.”

“… This is.”

“A ring that is my sister’s legacy. You are the rightful owner of this item. Please take care of it until I become the rightful owner of the ring.”

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

Raoul put the ring on his finger and tried to leave absentmindedly.

But was it possible that something in the ring had moved? Or was it that my heart was moved just a little by the attitude of giving me the ring that was as precious to me as my life?

Raoul stopped Catherine and spoke quietly.

“Atonement must be shown through actions.”

Raoul, who was riding Catherine, joined Camilla, who was riding a white horse.

“Are you done with the greetings?”

“You’ve been watching from the beginning, but you’re really good at being sarcastic. Camilla. Do you think I’m so insensitive that I don’t even notice your gaze? ”

“… That’s unexpected. I thought you wouldn’t notice me hiding and watching. ”

“I remember the smell of my beloved lover.”

“You’re right… That part is fatal.”

Camilla was resentful of Raoul, who continued to seduce her without intending to.

If their sexes had been opposite, Camilla would not have been able to resist the temptation and would have taken Raoul. Camilla could be sure of that.

Camilla, grateful to have been born this way, forced a smile and joked.

“By the way, those three people are really giving you a hint of death. Family ornaments? They’re the ones knights in novels often carry.”

“… Indeed. But I don’t plan on dying. With these things, I can’t die even if I want to.”

“Really? Then I guess I should add one too.”

Camilla smiled seductively and whispered in Raoul’s ear.

“When this war is over, let’s do this with me.”

Then Raoul’s face turned redder than the Emperor’s flames.

“Where on earth did you learn such vulgar language…”

“Hehe, isn’t it good? Or do you hate it?”

“I don’t think it’s a matter of liking or disliking it.”

Raoul scratched his head and expressed his embarrassment.

“I will definitely try to come back. I want to start a small drama about everyday life instead of a war story.”

The Demon King, who had been lying on his wife’s grave and smelling the unpleasant smell of grass, finally got up from his seat and stared at the real thing.

“I think I really have to go now. No… I think I have to.”

The Demon King washed his face dry and collected the fog he had scattered around.

As the fog cleared, a beautiful flower garden appeared again, and amidst its flowing beauty, the Demon King quietly kissed Rain’s tombstone.

“My spring came when I met you.”

“Your face, shining down on me as I lived with you, was like the summer sunlight.”

“The sadness of autumn that came after losing you is still so vivid.”

“The lonely winter wind blowing into my heart shows no sign of stopping.”

“When a flying bird loses its mate, it falls to the ground, and when a lotus loses its mate, it will just rot away.”

“What difference would it make just because it’s just a sword?”

The Demon King turned his back and chased his wife’s tombstone out of his sight.

Because while watching it, you can’t help but be a mere mortal in love, not the Demon King.

When I became a scribe, I couldn’t swing my sword. But when I did swing my sword, I couldn’t look her in the eye.

The Demon King, who had barely made a decision in such a dire conflict, had eyes that were sadder than anyone else in the world.

“……. I’m sorry.”

Having emptied himself of many things in order to fill up his strength, he is no longer the same person he used to be.

The gentle and dull man that the Demon King’s Rain loved is no longer there.

He was no longer the considerate king who remembered everything about him.

The only thing that was there was a tyrant who had thrown everything away just to become stronger. Now, he was nothing more than a monster who had no pride, no honor, and no kindness.

“You can hate me. You can ignore me. If that’s what I deserve, then so be it. I’m not the king you loved anymore. You’re just an idiot who forgot everything.”

With every step I took, one was emptied.

One step.

“I don’t remember what food you liked.”

One more step.

“I don’t remember the lyrics you liked.”

One more step,

“I don’t remember where we first met.”

And one more step.

“If our child was born, I don’t remember the names I was going to give them.”

Tears filled with clear memories flowed down his cheeks.

By shedding a single tear, I ended up forgetting something again.

“I don’t remember your hair color.”

One more drop.

“I don’t remember the color of your eyes.”

One more drop.

“I don’t remember your warmth.”

And then another drop.

“I don’t remember the day we got married…”

Every time I forgot, tears flowed, and every time a tear flowed, an important memory disappeared.

The Demon King was finally able to rise again after going through countless cycles of forgetfulness and forgetting even the sadness of forgetfulness.

He finally drew his sword, repeating something he would never forget.

“You loved me… and I love you… yes… that’s enough… if I just remember that, I can… fight as much as I want.”

The Demon King advanced forward, his clothes embroidered with flying birds fluttering.

“I’ll go. To end this hateful empire.”