The Empire’s Princess (3)

Holy light poured in like a waterfall through the shattered gate. Pure white feathers fluttered like the Milky Way.

With eight wings spread wide, she slowly walked in. Her white hair shimmered in the moonlight, and her violet eyes shone like jewels. Her unique pale skin glowed even brighter with divine power.

But on her usually pure and kind face, a never-before-seen anger was etched.

“Stop!”

Seraphina’s cry echoed through the cathedral.

The Royal Guard moved first. With the heavy sound of armor, several men blocked Seraphina’s path.

“Please step aside!”

“Uninvited guests are not allowed to enter!”

But their words were cut short. With a single flap of Seraphina’s wings, the Royal Guardsmen flew away like paper dolls.

Kung─!

The Royal Guardsmen groaned as they hit the wall. But soon, holy light bloomed from their wounds. Broken bones snapped back into place, and bruises disappeared. It even looked like their skin got better?

“I’m sorry. But I have to stop this wedding.”

Seraphina’s voice was soft, but the will within was as strong as steel.

“Oh my, what rudeness.”

Iris twisted her red lips. A cold sneer settled on her face.

“The Saintess-nim has come to visit in person. What an honor. Ah, may the grace of the Goddess be abundant.”

“Stop this coercive ceremony immediately.”

“Coercive? But wasn’t it you from whom the Hero ran away? Fleeing from the coercive Hero party’s women?”

“…….”

“I’m just trying to make Haru-gun happy, what’s the problem? At least I didn’t make him run away.”

At Iris’s words, Seraphina’s wings trembled.

“There’s no way Hero-nim would dislike me.”

Seraphina’s voice was resolute.

“It’s because of the other party members. The dragon’s greed, the elf’s obsession, the beast’s instincts… those are what made Hero-nim run away!”

“Really? But how about you take a look in the mirror and say that?”

Iris laughed. But her laughter didn’t sound pleasant at all.

“The Saintess’s pure faith isn’t dangerous? What about that blind fanaticism?”

“Hero-nim and the Saintess must be together. That’s the divine revelation!”

“Revelation? Heh…”

Iris laughed coldly.

“Then what is this situation right now? Is the result of that revelation that Haru-gun ran away? If so, then it seems the Goddess’s will isn’t perfect.”

“That’s…”

“Besides, Saintess-nim, what about your vow of chastity? Are you going to break the sacred law? Or…”

A dangerous smile spread across Iris’s lips.

“Perhaps you think it’s okay if it’s the Hero? That desire hidden within that pure soul… the Saintess is just a girl after all.”

“Don’t insult me!”

Seraphina’s face turned red. Her violet eyes trembled violently.

“Hero-nim and I… that’s… well…”

Suddenly, Seraphina’s voice trembled.

“It’s been 5 years. For 5 years, I… prayed for Hero-nim every night. Whenever a miracle of healing was needed, I risked my life to protect Hero-nim.”

Tears welled up in her violet eyes.

“When everyone feared and shunned me, calling me the Saintess of Calamity… only Hero-nim approached me…”

“So? Do you think pity is the same as love?”

Iris laughed coldly.

“Besides, I’m not restricting him. If he becomes the Emperor’s consort, he’ll receive the best treatment….”

“Not restricting him?”

Seraphina suddenly laughed. A cold sneer, never before seen on the pure Saintess’s face, settled there.

“Isn’t this situation exactly restriction? This elegant prison surrounded by knights and mages…”

“At least I’m promising realistic happiness. Unlike the Saintess-nim, I’m not suffocating him with sacred rules.”

“Hero-nim is special to me. The Goddess will allow it too!”

“Still talking about the Goddess? This is the Empire, the Imperial Capital Chronicle! Don’t you know that belief is suffocating the Hero even more?”

“It’s you! You’re trying to trap Hero-nim with that cold calculation!”

Seraphina’s voice changed. She lowered her head and continued in a low voice.

“I don’t need anything. Not power, not honor… I just need Hero-nim, only him. If I’m with him, I can throw away my divine power, my position as Saintess, everything. Can you do that? Can you abandon the Empire, give up everything… and live only for Hero-nim?”

Iris’s lips trembled slightly. Faced with the pure sincerity in Seraphina’s words, her cold calculation seemed to pause for a moment.

“I’ve watched Hero-nim sleep during the war. Wounds that couldn’t be erased with my healing magic… I cried all night looking at them. At that moment, I swore. That I would protect this person for the rest of my life. Even if my divine power runs out, even if my life ends… that I would stay by his side until the end.”

Seraphina slowly raised her head. Something flashed in her eyes.

“It’s different from the Princess-nim. It didn’t come from calculation or politics.”

Seraphina’s voice trembled.

“It’s just… a woman’s love.”

Intense emotions burst forth like an explosion. The two women’s gazes collided in the air.

A rational princess and a pure saintess. Cold calculation and blind faith.

But the source of all of it was the same. An obsession with me.

“Heh, anyway, that precious Hero-nim is by my side right now, isn’t he?”

Iris grabbed my arm. I felt a dangerous obsession in her grip.

“Besides, we’re going to have a wedding soon. Ah, I’ll tell you how the first night was later.”

“You…”

Seraphina’s wings trembled violently. Holy energy swirled like a storm.

“Dare to… Hero-nim… my Hero-nim…”

In that instant, the air in the cathedral froze. Iris’s crimson eyes and Seraphina’s violet eyes clashed.

Cold calculation and pure madness collided. The Empire’s authority and the sacred blessing clashed.

The obsession of the two women surrounding me was now on the verge of explosion.

In that chilling atmosphere, I could only remain silent.

“Escort her quietly.”

Iris’s cold voice echoed. At her gesture, three figures stepped forward.

The Imperial Guard Captain in silver-white armor, the Court Mage in a black robe, and the Head Maid in an elegant maid uniform.

The strongest forces supporting the Empire. Superhumans with S-class stats.

Eisen Valdstein, the Imperial Guard Captain known as ‘The Empire’s Sword’. The Empire’s strongest knight and undefeated general. No enemy could withstand his sword.

Roy Arkel, the Court Mage known as ‘The Ruler of Elements’, who freely wielded countless spells. If it weren’t for the Hero party’s Golden Dragon, he would have become a Sage.

Eva Schwarz, the ‘Refined Maid’. The Head Maid of the Princess’s personal guard, also known as the Noble Assassin. Iris’s most loyal right-hand woman and a hidden blade. The number of nobles who disappeared at her hands was countless.

My mind raced with calculations. Of course, the Saintess Seraphina was a hero with abilities beyond them. She had SS-class stats and SSS-class skills.

But…

‘In the end, the Saintess is a back-line supporter.’

Her specialties were healing, protection, and blessings. At least if the opponent was a demon, divine power would be fatal, but the opponents were human.

“Saintess-nim, I’m sorry, but please step aside.”

“If you leave now, we won’t stop you.”

Mana flickered at the tip of the Court Mage’s staff. The aura of high-level magic was felt, amplifying the mana several times over.

The Head Maid said nothing. But the daggers hidden beneath her maid uniform gleamed faintly.

Still, this was suppression. It was clear that they had received orders to capture her alive without killing her.

‘Well, if Seraphina is seriously injured or killed… Iris would be in an awkward position too.’

Because the relationship between the Empire and the Order would reach its worst. But the situation was still unfavorable for Seraphina.

‘Should I help?’

Five years of shared life and death flashed through my mind. Her healing and blessings that protected us in countless battles. That warm touch that cared for our wounds all night long.

‘Is doing nothing… the best option?’

Was it right to just watch?

While I was agonizing, the three superhumans moved simultaneously.

Like beasts approaching with their claws hidden. They cautiously approached Seraphina.

The Captain of the Guard’s sword plunged down towards Seraphina’s wings. The Court Mage’s magic exploded, burning the air. The Head Maid’s transparent aura scratched the protective barrier.

“For Hero-nim…”

Pure white wings spread out like a storm. Holy light filled all directions.

“This much is…”

Seraphina’s pure white wings shone brightly. Streams of holy light poured out.

But the Captain of the Guard’s sword even cut through that light. The Court Mage’s ice wall hindered Seraphina’s movements, and the Head Maid’s daggers dug in like shadows.

“In the name of the Goddess!”

Seraphina recited a prayer.

But the three superhumans could not be stopped.

Pure white wings trembled. Pure white feathers began to fall one by one.

I couldn’t watch anymore.

I jumped into the pouring attacks.

Gray aura surged through my entire body. The aura soared like an explosion, vibrating the surrounding air.

“Stop!”

One step. With a single step, I cut through the three superhumans and intervened. The aura burst out like an explosion, pushing back their attacks.

The Captain of the Guard’s sword stopped. The Court Mage’s spell was disrupted. The Head Maid’s daggers slashed through the air.

The three superhumans stopped simultaneously at my strike.

“He… Hero-nim?”

I heard Seraphina’s trembling voice. In her violet eyes, anxiety, doubt, and hope intertwined.

“Perhaps… did you…”

Seraphina’s pure white wings shrank. Tears streamed down her white cheeks.

“Did you run away because of me? Because it was the Goddess’s will… did I force you too much?”

“No.”

I turned my head and looked at her. The Saintess who had always protected me by my side for 5 years. Those eyes, once full of pure faith, were now trembling with anxiety.

“It’s not that Saintess-nim did anything wrong. It’s just that I… ran away like a coward.”

“I kept believing.”

Seraphina’s voice trembled.

“Hero-nim would never betray me… it’s always been like this. Whenever I’m in danger… Hero-nim always comes to save me.”

I gave a bitter smile at her words. I wanted to say, ‘Of course I have to save the healer when she’s in danger…’ but now wasn’t the time for such jokes.

“Let’s do it like always.”

At that one sentence, Seraphina’s face lit up brightly. Pure white wings spread out powerfully once again.

“Yes! Hero-nim!”

I turned my back and stood in front of her. Just like always, just like we had done countless times.

And I raised my right hand.

Holy light gathered in my hand. At first, it was small like a faint flame, but it gradually became more intense. As if a small sun was burning in my hand.

When the light reached its peak, I clenched it tightly. In that instant, the light subsided and a sword appeared.

The Holy Sword ‘Dawn’.

A sacred sword blessed by the Goddess, with the meaning of ‘the light that opens the dawn’.

“I have no choice.”

Iris sighed. Her crimson eyes turned cold.

“This wasn’t part of my plan….”

She smiled coldly and ordered.

“Subdue him. We’ll have to proceed with the wedding with the groom tied up. Well, that’ll be a memory too.”

Iris’s command was given. The three superhumans began to move again.

I raised the Holy Sword. Dazzling holy light filled the cathedral.

Behind me, Seraphina’s wings spread out greatly. Wings that were no longer wavering, but strong.