Chapter 90: Reason for Survival – 1

The news of the annihilation of the Eight Knights spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom.

Letters poured in from the royal family and various noble houses, seeking to confirm the truth, but Vivian gave no response to any of them.

She simply had no time.

It had been ten days since Kailo began hovering on the brink of death.

With each passing day, his condition worsened, his appearance growing gaunter, and the pallor of death becoming more vivid on his face.

Watching this, Vivian’s spirit withered along with him.

Clinging to the faintest thread of hope, she struggled to maintain her composure, but every time Kailo coughed and retched even the thinnest oat porridge, that thread frayed a little more.

“Cough…! Hrrrk!”

-Thud…

Vivian, who had been desperately trying to spoon-feed Kailo, let the spoon fall into the bowl weakly.

Facing Kailo, who was wasting away before her, she felt utterly powerless.

How long had it been since she last felt this helpless?

Her tears had long dried up, and even Kailo’s current state left her numb.

She should have grown accustomed to such grim realities by now, but no amount of experience could dull the pain of this moment.

The last ten days could have easily been a dream, and she would have believed it.

The once indomitable Kailo lying there was still hard to comprehend.

It felt as if he might open his eyes at any moment and glare at her with those eyes full of disdain.

But the reality before her proved otherwise.

The maids, the companions standing silently behind her, all watching over Kailo—they said nothing.

Though unspoken, they all knew.

Kailo was dying.

It was an undeniable truth.

Yet, unlike the others, Vivian clung to a strange belief.

Perhaps it was a defense mechanism.

Kailo would wake up.

She was sure of it.

Her reason for believing was simple—because Kailo had told her so.

He had promised not to leave her.

He had chosen to stay by her side, even when he had the chance to walk away.

Vivian believed those words.

Kailo had never broken a promise to her.

Even when they argued, when they hurt each other, he always stayed.

This time, she believed, would be no different.

No matter the hardships, they were bound together in a way that could not be severed.

Vivian gently held Kailo’s cold hand.

It was now as icy as death itself.

Even so, she believed in the life force still faintly lingering beneath.

Master Crellin had often advised her to be prepared.

That death could come at any moment.

But Vivian had made no such preparations.

After all, Kailo would return.

She brought his coarse, slender fingers to her cheek.

Closing her eyes in peaceful resolve, she whispered softly,

“…I’ll wait for you.”

Everyone in the room likely heard her, but Vivian didn’t care.

“…I believe in you.”

She forcibly pushed away her negative thoughts.

If it was Kailo, he would overcome even this.

Ever since she had first known him at thirteen, Kailo had always been that way.

Time and time again, he had miraculously triumphed over adversity.

Vivian leaned closer and whispered into Kailo’s ear.

“…So I’ll keep fighting.”

Kailo didn’t respond.

“…But it’s hard, so…please, come back now.”

Even as she believed in him, she felt an unbearable loneliness.

Why did she feel so lonely amidst all these people?

She had built allies, expanded her influence, and even garnered supporters.

It was only after a brief moment of reflection that she realized—

Loneliness doesn’t vanish just because you’re surrounded by people.

It’s not about how many people are around you.

It’s about having people who truly care for you.

You’re not alone when there are those who genuinely hold you in their hearts.

Vivian had come to understand this now.

For her, Kailo was the only one who truly embraced her existence.

He was the only one who genuinely worried about her well-being.

The others saw her as the head of House Rondor, the lord of Loctana, or a means to a better future.

But to Kailo, she was simply Vivian Rondor.

No matter how much they quarreled and hurt each other, that was the truth.

And now, that one person who made her feel less alone was fading away.

The one who kept her from feeling utterly isolated was slipping further from her grasp.

Vivian could not bring herself to accept this fact.

And so, she chose to believe in Kailo.

***

Vivian led her horse out to the plains of Loctana.

Under the wide, makeshift tent, there were several guests: a royal envoy dispatched by the Kingdom and Count Corrode, the man responsible for all of this.

The moment Vivian saw the crest of the Corrode family, her teeth clenched.

But she knew this wasn’t the time to act on her emotions.

Following the guide, she stepped under the tent and glared at the seated Count Corrode.

The count avoided her gaze, while the envoy awkwardly cleared his throat, caught between them.

“…I am Rimble, here as a mediator on behalf of the Delrum royal family. Duchess, please take a seat.”

Even as Vivian sat down, her piercing gaze never left Count Corrode.

She couldn’t tear her eyes away.

She was waiting—waiting for the count to give her just one justification to attack.

Just as the count had persistently pushed for conflict on her lands, Vivian was equally prepared to fan the flames.

She was ready for this fire to spread.

After delivering a lengthy royal statement seeking peace between the two families, Rimble began the dialogue.

“…First, Duchess Rondor, let me express our regret for the incidents in your territory. The Delrum royal family does not hold you accountable for the current state of young Kailo Alan, who was a guest, and we pledge our full support in resolving future conflicts with the Alan family.”

“…However, putting this matter aside for now, we need clarification on one particular issue. Are the Eight Knights truly all…”

“They’re dead.”

Vivian’s cold words cut through the air.

Count Corrode’s gaze sank even further to the ground.

You must have thought you could kill Kailo and leave without consequences.

Vivian suppressed the blazing fury in her chest as she thought.

You thought of him as nothing more than a barnyard chicken to slaughter.

That casual dismissal of his worth infuriated her most of all.

But your plan fell apart, and your most formidable force fell with it.

That, at least, was a small comfort in this wretched reality.

“…I see. Though I understand your discontent, Duchess Vivian, we must request the return of the bodies.”

“There are no bodies.”

“Please, let’s not be too hasty—”

“I fed them to the dogs. If you want them, you can try dissecting the dogs’ stomachs. Though by now, they’ve likely passed through and are scattered as dung across the kennels.”

“…Excuse me?”

You couldn’t have achieved a deeper silence if you had doused the space in cold water.

Count Corrode’s eyes, which had been glued to the floor, widened in shock as they fixed on Vivian.

Rimble’s jaw dropped and refused to close.

The soldiers guarding the perimeter of the tent exchanged uneasy glances, while only the soldiers of House Rondor clenched their eyes shut.

No one wanted to believe that the Eight Knights had been desecrated in such a way.

Their stature commanded respect by default.

In the Delrum Kingdom, every knight dreamt of one day standing among the Eight.

Even Vivian, as a child, had heard countless tales about them.

But with her actions, that dignity crumbled in an instant.

The institution of the Eight Knights would likely never be restored.

Reduced to dog dung by an eighteen-year-old boy named Kailo Alan, they were forever marked and buried in disgrace.

Rimble appeared ready to interrogate Vivian further, but the icy, resolute look in her eyes left no room for doubt.

In the end, Rimble’s trembling hand jotted something onto a piece of paper.

And so, the story of the Eight Knights came to an end.

That was the moment they vanished into history.

Visibly flustered, Rimble turned to Count Corrode.

“Co-Count Corrode. Now I must ask you—why did you do it?”

The count took a sip of water before answering.

“…It was because of my grudge against the Alan family.”

Vivian clenched her fists at the blatant lie, her eyes filled with rage.

The Alan family wasn’t the problem; it was her that Corrode had targeted.

He had been provoked by Kailo’s steadfast protection of her.

That was why.

As she thought of Kailo once again sacrificing himself for her, a deep sense of guilt weighed on Vivian.

Yet Count Corrode continued with shameless conviction.

“Jade Alan has fallen, and they have no strength left. Why shouldn’t we act? The Alan family was our enemy! Just because the royal family wanted peace with the Eastern Kingdom doesn’t mean our hatred has vanished!”

“Even so, Kailo Alan was a guest of House Rondor. The Corrode family had no grounds—”

“Grounds? Nonsense.”

Count Corrode scoffed, looking up at Vivian.

“…If anyone hated Kailo Alan the most, it was Duchess of Rondor sitting right there. Who was it that shoved the son of the Alan family into the punishment unit after inviting him to your house? Who made sure he could never return home, tormenting him in every way possible?”

“You treated him inhumanely, and now you cry foul when he’s stabbed? I merely dirtied my hands in your stead.”

“In fact…! Feeding the Eight Knights to dogs is far more disgraceful!”

Bang!

Vivian’s heart pounded wildly with rage.

In the end, she couldn’t hold back and slammed the table.

If only his words had been complete lies, she wouldn’t have been so furious.

But knowing that some of what he said was true made it all the more painful, like a sharper arrow to her heart.

Vivian bit her lip and trembled.

Yes.

It was she who had placed Kailo in the punishment unit and prevented him from returning to his homeland.

But that didn’t mean she ever wished for his death.

There were many things Count Corrode would never know about her and Kailo.

The unspoken memories they shared, the hardships they had overcome together, couldn’t be summarized simply as a relationship of enmity.

They had a deep, intimate, and complicated bond that outsiders could never truly understand or interfere with.

Yet an outsider had judged them based on appearances and drawn their own conclusions.

By whose authority?

Who had claimed to know what she had wanted?

“…You should have only apologized to me here.”

Vivian whispered in a low voice.

As the wind blew, Vivian’s red hair scattered.

Thud!

Vivian stood up from her seat.

She grabbed the glass of water prepared in front of her and threw it at Count Corrode.

Sploosh!

Then she declared,

“War. Until one side falls.”

Count Corrode, dripping wet, sat frozen in place without resistance.

Limber tried desperately to stop Vivian as she left, but she didn’t listen at all.

That night, after declaring war on the Corrode family, Vivian wasn’t attending to her duties.

Instead, she sat before Kailo.

Although the soldiers who had escorted her to the meeting spread rumors that filled the castle with talk of war late into the night, Vivian gave no orders to her vassals.

She had no real intention of waging war.

After all, she still hadn’t unified the knightly orders under her command, and an uncoordinated force couldn’t be sent to battle.

The only group she could truly rely on was the Fourth Order of Knights, the former punishment unit.

She still couldn’t discern the intentions of the other orders.

Well, she knew the First Order—they had long been marked for elimination, and she couldn’t go to war with them either.

Then why had she declared war?

Vivian already had the means to end the war.

Sitting there holding Kailo’s hand, the scent of tobacco wafted over her.

“…It seems you’ve chosen who to kill.”

Elena said.

Vivian nodded.

But for now, that wasn’t the most pressing matter.

“…Master, please help me.”

“With what?”

Vivian sat still, holding Kailo’s hand without doing anything else.

She still trusted him but wanted to make it easier for him to return.

She was tired of waiting.

She had reached her limit.

Elena exhaled a puff of smoke and asked,

“…Why should I?”

“Vivian, you know Kailo Alan has already killed two witches. They were my friends. So why should I help save him?”

“If it was not for me, it wouldn’t have been two of your friends but ten or more. Have you already forgotten who stopped the Las Order?”

“I haven’t experienced it, so I wouldn’t know. Perhaps the Las Order was a better future.”

Elena clicked her tongue lightly.

“Vivian, give it up. There’s no reason for Kailo to live anymore.”

Despite her swollen gums, sore from clenching her teeth too often, Vivian ground her teeth again and muttered,

“…Master.”

“You don’t need Kailo for the path you’re taking. Have you forgotten? You said you wanted to restore your family. You wanted to survive until adulthood. It’s time to leave Kailo behind.”

Knowing she had something to ask of Elena, Vivian didn’t refute.

For now, she understood too well that Elena held the upper hand.

Elena continued.

“Let me remind you, Kailo’s father killed your family. And on top of that, you’re a witch, and Kailo Alan is a witch hunter. Does it make sense for someone who wants to survive to keep such a sworn enemy, such a dangerous predator, by their side?”

“In my view, the biggest threat to your survival now is Kailo Alan himself. When the opportunity arises, you should eliminate him. That’s my advice as your master.”

Vivian ignored all of Elena’s words and looked up at her.

The full moon shone bright and silver behind Elena, casting her figure into a backlit silhouette, hiding her features.

In that moment, to Vivian, Elena felt like a deity to be revered.

Under the dazzling moonlight, another teardrop rolled down Vivian’s cheek.

She made a promise, disregarding her master’s sincere advice.

“…I’ll make sure the Las Order never sets foot in the territory again.”

At that moment, Elena also listened attentively.

“I’ll drive them out, so this land becomes a haven for witches.”

“And Kailo too—I’ll do my best to keep him from descending to the territory. I promise you, Master. Loctana will become a land for witches.”

“Do you really think you can do that? The Las Order—can you?”

“…Only Kailo… I mean, only Kailo…”

Elena continued smoking silently for a long time.

After Vivian had proposed everything she could, she waited for the outcome.

“…It will hurt.”

Elena finally said with a deep sigh.

“This spell shares the pain of its target.”

“I’m ready.”

Vivian replied without hesitation.

Under the moonlight, Elena whispered the spell to Vivian, and Vivian memorized every word.

Only after Elena vanished did Vivian’s spell begin.

That night, Vivian undressed and lay beside Kailo.

She covered his body, cold as the chill of the northern winds, with the warmth of the south.

Vivian then licked his neck, swallowing the metallic taste of blood that flowed from his wound.

Next, she bit her tongue to draw her own blood.

Without hesitation, she kissed Kailo, letting her blood flow into his throat.

Vivian held him tightly, powerless.

Carefully, she whispered the spell she had learned from Elena into his ear, word by word.

It was then that an excruciating pain crept into her body, making her grimace.

She felt the same pain Kailo must have been experiencing.

A lifetime of pain he had borne for her sake—now it was her turn to take responsibility for that pain.

Vivian realized why she had survived: it was because of Kailo.

“…Did it hurt this much?”

She asked Kailo as she whispered the spell.

Her body trembled with the agony.

Slowly, she began to understand how much he had endured.

Overwhelmed by his sacrifice, tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes.

Crying meant losing the wager, but that didn’t matter to her anymore.

What meaning would a wager have if the person you were competing against disappeared?

Despite the pain, Vivian did not stop the spell.

The more she endured, the closer Kailo would come back.

It felt easy—easier than the ache in her heart.

All she wanted was for the pain in her heart not to transfer to Kailo.

Vivian continued to whisper the spell into his ear.

To save the son of the man who had killed her family, she writhed in endless agony.

As a witch, she shared her life force to save the witch hunter.

We are one, Vivian thought.

Somewhere along the way, it had become so.

They couldn’t live without each other.

Kailo undoubtedly knew that too.