episode_0211

Woosh—.

The illusion of the two people, their bodies intertwined, vanished like mist.

All the bright lights extinguished, leaving only a dark, heavy iron door standing before me.

Swoosh—.

Their voices, which had been engaged in sweet conversation, were completely washed away by the sound of the rain.

Only the occasional rumbling thunder confirmed my presence in this lonely, vast royal palace.

I reached out and placed my hand on the iron door.

It was cold. Truly cold. Even though it was a humid and sweltering summer, my fingertips felt as if they would freeze instantly. That chilling cold traveled up my arm and into my heart, freezing it solid.

Still, I put my weight into my fingers and gently pushed the iron door.

It didn’t budge.

“…”

Just below my hand was something that didn’t look like an ordinary decoration. I lowered my head to examine it closely. The hallway was too dark to scrutinize it thoroughly, but recalling old memories, it looked like a lock.

In other words… it was similar to the ‘wooden door’ that stood in front of Tia’s house.

It was strange.

Though I didn’t know much about the life of a king, wasn’t it customary for a Deseo King to have guards stationed at the door?

This was the royal palace. It wasn’t an inn where travelers sought a comfortable night’s rest. Nor was it some secret room of an organization.

But to have such a lock on the King’s bedchamber?

It didn’t seem like a traditional ritual carried out by past Deseo Kings.

This royal palace was incredibly ornate, yet at the same time, it felt old. The wooden doors connecting the corridors were rotten and decaying, making grotesque noises, and the hinges were covered in rust.

However, this particular door shone as if it had just been made a few days ago.

As my fingertips traced it, I felt a bumpy texture. Its appearance and structure were similar to the ‘wooden door,’ yet different.

The wooden door had a somewhat crude method of dropping wooden blocks into holes to match the code, but this one was an intricate form of interlocking iron discs, as if crafted by a metal artisan.

I was certain. Tia had designed and attached this device to the door herself. No one else in this world would order such a peculiar lock.

I raised my head.

So, this mysterious lock was blocking the door, then.

I didn’t know the password, but of course, I could easily find out. I just had to summon the memory illusion of Tia and Fosao entering the password.

…But there was no need.

Because I somehow knew.

I moved my fingers, manipulating the discs.

Click— click—.

It wasn’t as noisy or heart-pounding as dropping wooden blocks.

Dozens of silently turning cogs followed the movement of my fingers, pointing to numbers.

The moment I aligned 4 and 2.

Click!

I heard something unlocking beyond the door.

“…So that’s it.”

It was as I had guessed.

The numbers were April 2nd.

It was the anniversary of Tia and Fosao’s marriage.

Just like the wooden door in Breezedon, Tia didn’t use passwords simply to guard a house. To her… a password was something very special.

It was the only device through which Tia, who always showed only her lively side to others, could hide her true feelings.

The numbers hidden within it held a meaning that directly reflected her heart.

Therefore, I came to know.

From the moment I solved this password in one go. I had accurately understood ‘Tia’s heart’.

Who was in her heart right now.

It was strange. Surprisingly, I felt absolutely nothing.

My chest didn’t ache maddeningly, my tongue wasn’t bitter, and my hands weren’t trembling.

Was it a thought like, ‘Isn’t it about time I got used to this?’ Or was it the thought that I could now change this fate with my own hands?

I was merely indifferent.

I felt unfamiliar with myself.

Somehow, it felt as if something had just shattered inside my chest. As if ’emotions’ had slowly cracked and finally completely broken down.

Well, does it matter?

Since I had nothing left anyway. I could take my final step without any lingering regrets.

Creak—.

The gap in the iron door slowly widened.

The inside of the bedroom, gradually appearing—was darkness.

Even though faint moonlight entered the hallway through the window. Tia’s bedroom was enveloped in complete darkness by thick curtains.

It was quite different from what I had seen in the illusion. Not a single candle was lit, so it felt like facing pitch-black darkness.

“Rumble—.”

And a low vibrating sound that resonated in my skull.

My hand twitched reflexively.

Ah.

I had waited. To hear this sound.

Just how long… had I yearned and endured?

Just twenty steps away. Right there—the one I had to kill.

Was sound asleep, oblivious.

I gripped the scabbard of the Rose Sabre tightly with my left hand. Then I moved my right hand to rest naturally on the hilt.

Swish—.

I couldn’t see anything. But my hand was naturally drawing the sword.

Of course. I had drawn my sword tens of thousands of times in my mind, solely for this moment.

…Swish!

The Rose Sabre emerged, cleaving through the darkness.

The eerie sound of the blade tip scraping against the scabbard briefly echoed, but Tia and Fosao did not wake.

I was now entering the darkness.

Crossing the threshold between the hallway and the room, I plunged completely into the abyss with heavy footsteps.

“…”

The moment my boots touched the soft carpet. The last remaining moonlight slipped from my shoulder.

The Deseo King’s bedchamber.

Now, there were… three people here.

No one… could leave.

Clank.

The door closed quietly.

Immediately, I wedged the Rose Sabre’s scabbard onto the cogs of the lock. With all my might, I forced it in so the door couldn’t be opened from the outside or the inside.

Thunk!

Then I turned my head.

A single sword in my hand.

An unbearable, disgusting snore.

And the faint scent of apples lingering at my nose.

I walked towards it. One step at a time.

There was no need to walk carefully at all. The carpet on the floor was incredibly soft and plush. It was as if I was walking on air; I couldn’t even hear my own footsteps.

Rumble—!!

The sound echoing from the depths of darkness.

It felt as if I was entering the cave of a giant hibernating bear.

Then the wound on my chest throbbed hotly.

It was a strange sensation. My skin felt as if it were ablaze, but beneath it, I was as cold as a glacier.

Was it rage and composure, or ecstasy and fear?

No.

This was… a shiver.

No longer an illusion.

The undeniable fact that, in this very real world, he was finally before me…

Made me tremble like crazy.

Although it was clearly not far. It felt like I had been walking for a very long time.

It was as far as the path I had walked from Breezedon to Deseo.

It was even more so because I couldn’t see.

Was I truly heading straight?

As if answering my question, the sky illuminated the place with a momentary flash.

Rumble—…!

The moment a fleeting light swept past.

The sight imprinted on my eyes was—a man and a woman lying naked together on a pale bed.

There was no doubt.

Tia, nestled demurely against Fosao’s plump flesh, with her eyes closed.

Tia was there.

Because this was by no means an illusion.

The sight that entered my eyes was more vivid than ever.

And cruelly pierced my heart.

The composure I had steadfastly maintained shattered. My lungs felt like they would burst, and my breathing grew ragged. I gritted my teeth, fearing even this sound of my breath would be heard.

I held my breath and listened, wondering if Tia might have woken up, but.

Accustomed to the pouring rain and Fosao’s loud snoring, she ultimately did not wake.

Swish—.

I raised the Rose Sabre into the air. I felt the heavy touch of the curtain against the tip of the blade. Moving forward, I quietly pushed the curtain aside.

Soon I stopped. Because I could no longer take another step forward.

I lowered my head. Fosao’s shadow was right in front of me.

This snoring, still piercing my ears, was reverberating from that bulky body.

I slowly raised the sword.

About two spans away from his belly, which rose and fell with each snore. Faintly, but ‘the thinnest part’ of his body.

It must be his neck.

Now, if I just accurately brought it down there…

It would be over.

“…”

But what was it? What was holding my hand back, preventing it from moving easily, as if seized by something?

If I was afraid of missing his neck, I could aim for his heart, a little further down and to the left. Even if I missed the heart, if I crushed his ribs and successfully gouged out his lungs and intestines, I might not kill him instantly, but I could make him die a painful death.

I knew well that killing a person wasn’t difficult at all, as I had done it once before.

What… was I afraid of, waiting for this moment to stretch on for an eternity?

[Yes. What then?]

Uncle Joseph’s question echoed in my ears.

What I feared.

…It was ‘the fear of the unknown’.

I always envisioned the future.

In my ignorant days, I had envisioned a future of living happily with Tia. After that was brutally shattered, I had only dreamt of a future where I killed Fosao.

I had planned to achieve my objective. Although there had been twists and turns, it had largely gone according to plan. Since there were no major flaws in my plan, I could ultimately stand here now.

But from now on, I didn’t know.

I still hadn’t found an answer to Uncle Joseph’s question.

There was no plan for after killing Fosao. From the beginning, there was no other path than this.

So I had to go there myself.

To the end of this path.

“Mmm…”

Tia stirred slightly, as if uncomfortable in her position. Still with her eyes closed, she detached her body from Fosao, fully revealing herself before me.

I could see a swollen belly reflected in her faint outline.

Blood… ran cold.

I gripped the Rose Sabre in a reverse grip, then gathered my trembling hands and clenched them tightly.

The tip of the blade aimed precisely at Fosao’s heart.

Just as I brought it down with all my might.

“…!”

Just before the blade tip touched Fosao’s chest.

A streak of light instantly passed before my eyes.

Clang—!

Immediately, an absurdly powerful blow—struck the sword.

At the same time, my arm twisted, slashing a different spot instead of Fosao’s chest. And then the Rose Sabre slipped from my grasp and fell into the pitch-black darkness.

“Aaaargh—!!”

Along with Fosao’s terrible scream.

“…”

It felt like my breath caught.

Two fiery red eyes, fiercely flying towards me.

My love.

It was Tia.