Chapter 9 Part 13

Elia could hardly remember, as it was a story from her early childhood. 

Before Varlan suffered from a fever, he had once visited the count’s estate where Elia grew up. This was because the estate was near the resort he frequented. As the Crown Prince, Varlan was treated with the utmost respect, which was only natural due to his status. From birth, he had to be perfect. No one dared to call him by his name carelessly, and he had to dedicate everything to his life as the Crown Prince.

“You must be the most perfect being,” was the Emperor’s teaching.

Since his boyhood, he had grown weary of his life as the Crown Prince. That night was no different. Unable to sleep, he wandered the count’s garden late into the night. In the darkness, he did not see a tree branch and it left a slight scratch on his cheek.

“What bad luck,” he muttered, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.

“Don’t do that,” a voice called out from below his line of sight. A child was looking up at him from there, a scruffy and dirty child, but with patches of bright blonde hair hidden under the dust. Elia’s eyes were green back then.

“They said rubbing a wound makes it worse,” the child said, pulling a cloth from her pocket. Strangely, the cloth was very clean, unlike the child’s appearance. She stood on tiptoe, stretching her arm as far as she could, but she still couldn’t reach his cheek. Varlan instinctively bent down, letting the cloth touch his face. Though the child’s hands were clumsy, they were gentle.

He was used to being treated with reverence because he was the Crown Prince. But such innocent kindness was new to him. It was rare for the noble Crown Prince to bow his head to anyone except the Emperor. It amused him that this child didn’t know who he was.

“All done,” the child said, wiping the sweat from her forehead as if she had completed a great task. She handed the still-clean handkerchief to Varlan.

“I was going to give it to my mother, but I couldn’t just ignore someone who’s hurt.”

Varlan took it without a word. The cloth was too shabby to be worthy of cleaning the Crown Prince’s shoes, yet he accepted it because he liked the child’s attitude.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Elia… oh, I shouldn’t have said that,” she said, covering her mouth after she had already told him.

He thought she was just a commoner’s child, but maybe there was more to her story. If she had been a servant’s child, she wouldn’t have approached someone obviously noble.

“What’s your name, big brother?”

Varlan didn’t answer. He didn’t want the child to know the Crown Prince’s name. But he felt like hearing his name after so long.

“Rad,” he said, stretching out the last syllable, making up a name that felt like a nickname. The child waved her small hand in greeting.

“Be careful, big brother Rad,” she said.

Strangely, this improvised name felt more intimate than being called the Crown Prince. Hearing the child’s farewell made him feel lighter.

“I owe you. I’ll repay you someday,” he said, finding it curious that this child didn’t know he was the Crown Prince and yet was so kind.

He liked her honest demeanor and left the debt hanging over him. He didn’t know then that this child would become his sister. 

After that, whenever he grew weary of his life as the Crown Prince, he recalled that night. Remembering it felt like a breath of fresh air, even after he recovered from his fever. When Elia entered the royal palace, his duty was clear. 

Elia didn’t remember that night, but Varlan thought he had repaid his debt by helping the child who felt out of place in the palace. But it wasn’t true. That memory had taken a deeper root in his heart than he realized. 

Awakening from his reverie, Varlan looked at Elia. He didn’t intend to speak of that memory, but a debt must be repaid.

Her eyes, so similar to his, were bright and seemed capable of halting his nightmares.

“I have no intention of being sacrificed. So, I plan to eliminate the root cause of the impending doom,” she said.

“What should I do?” Varlan asked.

“Return to the capital, brother,” she replied.

Varlan nodded at once, surprising Elia, who widened her eyes. For the first time, a smile appeared on his lips.

“If I help you, perhaps the nightmares will end,” he said. Although it was actually to repay his debt.

Varlan stood up, knowing about the monsters attacking the capital. The journey would be perilous, so he needed to prepare.

He thought the conversation was over, but a worried voice followed him as he turned to leave.

“Please be careful, brother.”

Varlan thought himself unworthy of Elia’s concern, as in her memory, he was likely one of those who would sacrifice her. Yet, she still wished him to be careful. His sister was just as kind now as she was in the past.

Varlan exited the reception room, with Elia’s gaze following his back.

* * *

A week had passed since Varlan left for the capital with his knights. During that time, Elia received continuous updates from the capital.

“The temple made an official announcement.”

The Temple of Light officially recognized Sharon as a saintess. To celebrate, they announced a festival would be held at the Grand Temple in two weeks.

The Grand Temple was in the capital, which was currently suffering from monster attacks. Yet the temple insisted on proceeding with the festival. They promised to actively assist with the extermination of the monsters by deploying priests and holy knights.

“It’s not too serious yet.”

Monsters invading the capital was an unusual event. People were shocked, but the capital hadn’t suffered severe damage yet. The real problem was what would happen next. The monsters seemed to grow stronger over time, eventually becoming too powerful for humans to handle.

After the sun disappeared, the situation worsened. It wasn’t just the loss of the sun, but the fact that the world was overrun by monsters during the ensuing night that led to the apocalypse.

Elia, staying in the north, focused on organizing and fortifying her forces with Aksion. Her domain was safe thanks to her barrier, but they needed to monitor the monsters’ movements.

During this time, Tartan’s summoning of troops scattered across the north caused a problem.

“The monsters weren’t just moving in that forest.”

Monsters from all over the north attacked the territories left undefended when the troops gathered. Aksion worked to redeploy forces and stabilize the region, a task that should have been Tartan’s responsibility.

Currently, the Duke of Tartan is confined to his castle. It was rare, but not unheard of, for a noble of his rank to be imprisoned. It required clear evidence that he had endangered the territory’s safety, the consent of the majority of the elders, and the participation of the heir.

The Duke had redirected all his troops to protect the saintess, neglecting the defense of his lands. The elders couldn’t overlook the risk he posed, leading to his confinement once the chaos was under control.

Elia now headed to meet Tartan in his guarded chamber.

“Who dares imprison whom!” shouted a voice in the hallway. Four knights guarded the Duke’s chamber door, while the elders who opposed his confinement angrily tried to enter.

“It’s the heir’s command,” one knight explained.

“It’s outrageous for someone, not even the official heir, to imprison the Duke!”

The knights, troubled by the ongoing scuffle, brightened when they saw Aksion and his wife approaching.

“Young master, please come.”

“What’s this commotion?” Aksion asked.

“Well…” one knight hesitated.

Seeing Aksion, the elder, Merkus, turned red with anger.

Elia could hardly remember, as it was a story from her early childhood. 

Before Varlan suffered from a fever, he had once visited the count’s estate where Elia grew up. This was because the estate was near the resort he frequented. As the Crown Prince, Varlan was treated with the utmost respect, which was only natural due to his status. From birth, he had to be perfect. No one dared to call him by his name carelessly, and he had to dedicate everything to his life as the Crown Prince.

“You must be the most perfect being,” was the Emperor’s teaching.

Since his boyhood, he had grown weary of his life as the Crown Prince. That night was no different. Unable to sleep, he wandered the count’s garden late into the night. In the darkness, he did not see a tree branch and it left a slight scratch on his cheek.

“What bad luck,” he muttered, wiping his cheek with the back of his hand.

“Don’t do that,” a voice called out from below his line of sight. A child was looking up at him from there, a scruffy and dirty child, but with patches of bright blonde hair hidden under the dust. Elia’s eyes were green back then.

“They said rubbing a wound makes it worse,” the child said, pulling a cloth from her pocket. Strangely, the cloth was very clean, unlike the child’s appearance. She stood on tiptoe, stretching her arm as far as she could, but she still couldn’t reach his cheek. Varlan instinctively bent down, letting the cloth touch his face. Though the child’s hands were clumsy, they were gentle.

He was used to being treated with reverence because he was the Crown Prince. But such innocent kindness was new to him. It was rare for the noble Crown Prince to bow his head to anyone except the Emperor. It amused him that this child didn’t know who he was.

“All done,” the child said, wiping the sweat from her forehead as if she had completed a great task. She handed the still-clean handkerchief to Varlan.

“I was going to give it to my mother, but I couldn’t just ignore someone who’s hurt.”

Varlan took it without a word. The cloth was too shabby to be worthy of cleaning the Crown Prince’s shoes, yet he accepted it because he liked the child’s attitude.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“Elia… oh, I shouldn’t have said that,” she said, covering her mouth after she had already told him.

He thought she was just a commoner’s child, but maybe there was more to her story. If she had been a servant’s child, she wouldn’t have approached someone obviously noble.

“What’s your name, big brother?”

Varlan didn’t answer. He didn’t want the child to know the Crown Prince’s name. But he felt like hearing his name after so long.

“Rad,” he said, stretching out the last syllable, making up a name that felt like a nickname. The child waved her small hand in greeting.

“Be careful, big brother Rad,” she said.

Strangely, this improvised name felt more intimate than being called the Crown Prince. Hearing the child’s farewell made him feel lighter.

“I owe you. I’ll repay you someday,” he said, finding it curious that this child didn’t know he was the Crown Prince and yet was so kind.

He liked her honest demeanor and left the debt hanging over him. He didn’t know then that this child would become his sister. 

After that, whenever he grew weary of his life as the Crown Prince, he recalled that night. Remembering it felt like a breath of fresh air, even after he recovered from his fever. When Elia entered the royal palace, his duty was clear. 

Elia didn’t remember that night, but Varlan thought he had repaid his debt by helping the child who felt out of place in the palace. But it wasn’t true. That memory had taken a deeper root in his heart than he realized. 

Awakening from his reverie, Varlan looked at Elia. He didn’t intend to speak of that memory, but a debt must be repaid.

Her eyes, so similar to his, were bright and seemed capable of halting his nightmares.

“I have no intention of being sacrificed. So, I plan to eliminate the root cause of the impending doom,” she said.

“What should I do?” Varlan asked.

“Return to the capital, brother,” she replied.

Varlan nodded at once, surprising Elia, who widened her eyes. For the first time, a smile appeared on his lips.

“If I help you, perhaps the nightmares will end,” he said. Although it was actually to repay his debt.

Varlan stood up, knowing about the monsters attacking the capital. The journey would be perilous, so he needed to prepare.

He thought the conversation was over, but a worried voice followed him as he turned to leave.

“Please be careful, brother.”

Varlan thought himself unworthy of Elia’s concern, as in her memory, he was likely one of those who would sacrifice her. Yet, she still wished him to be careful. His sister was just as kind now as she was in the past.

Varlan exited the reception room, with Elia’s gaze following his back.

* * *

A week had passed since Varlan left for the capital with his knights. During that time, Elia received continuous updates from the capital.

“The temple made an official announcement.”

The Temple of Light officially recognized Sharon as a saintess. To celebrate, they announced a festival would be held at the Grand Temple in two weeks.

The Grand Temple was in the capital, which was currently suffering from monster attacks. Yet the temple insisted on proceeding with the festival. They promised to actively assist with the extermination of the monsters by deploying priests and holy knights.

“It’s not too serious yet.”

Monsters invading the capital was an unusual event. People were shocked, but the capital hadn’t suffered severe damage yet. The real problem was what would happen next. The monsters seemed to grow stronger over time, eventually becoming too powerful for humans to handle.

After the sun disappeared, the situation worsened. It wasn’t just the loss of the sun, but the fact that the world was overrun by monsters during the ensuing night that led to the apocalypse.

Elia, staying in the north, focused on organizing and fortifying her forces with Aksion. Her domain was safe thanks to her barrier, but they needed to monitor the monsters’ movements.

During this time, Tartan’s summoning of troops scattered across the north caused a problem.

“The monsters weren’t just moving in that forest.”

Monsters from all over the north attacked the territories left undefended when the troops gathered. Aksion worked to redeploy forces and stabilize the region, a task that should have been Tartan’s responsibility.

Currently, the Duke of Tartan is confined to his castle. It was rare, but not unheard of, for a noble of his rank to be imprisoned. It required clear evidence that he had endangered the territory’s safety, the consent of the majority of the elders, and the participation of the heir.

The Duke had redirected all his troops to protect the saintess, neglecting the defense of his lands. The elders couldn’t overlook the risk he posed, leading to his confinement once the chaos was under control.

Elia now headed to meet Tartan in his guarded chamber.

“Who dares imprison whom!” shouted a voice in the hallway. Four knights guarded the Duke’s chamber door, while the elders who opposed his confinement angrily tried to enter.

“It’s the heir’s command,” one knight explained.

“It’s outrageous for someone, not even the official heir, to imprison the Duke!”

The knights, troubled by the ongoing scuffle, brightened when they saw Aksion and his wife approaching.

“Young master, please come.”

“What’s this commotion?” Aksion asked.

“Well…” one knight hesitated.

Seeing Aksion, the elder, Merkus, turned red with anger.