‘…It really just keeps piling on.’

I let out a deep sigh as I stared at the scene unfolding before me. The black sun looming larger by the minute, almost pulsating with a life of its own.

The red sky.

A hoard of crazed people rushing towards me.

It was truly a hellscape.

This was already bizarre enough, but the oddities didn’t end there.

The Empire’s Imperial Palace.

In a building that symbolized royal authority, I was the only one trying to fend off such rioters.

‘If only I could just abandon Yuli, at least that would be understandable.’

I neither dealt with Yuli, nor protected her.

I wasn’t explaining the situation or pacifying the madness of the crowd. Basically, my usual coping strategy was a complete standstill.

– It’s the Emperor’s command. Father personally ordered that all should flow naturally, as if by the hands of fate.

That was the answer Renya had given when I asked. But even he seemed clueless about why the Emperor made such a judgment.

Here I was blocking the castle gates all by myself.

‘I can’t take it anymore.’

No matter how much I fend them off, there seems to be no end in sight. For every one I subdue, two more pop up. What am I supposed to do about this?

I tried strategizing.

Crowd control. I flooded the area with my mana to show them how futile fighting against me would be. But it turned out to be in vain.

The ones charging at me didn’t even sense my magic. So what good was it to ooze out that killer intent if they couldn’t even perceive it?

‘Even my secret messiah routine isn’t working.’

I spread my shimmering wings and unleashed divine power all around, hoping to calm everyone down like a saint. Instead, I just ended up making them even more hyped.

They couldn’t even hold a conversation.

No matter how much I begged them not to enter, all I got back was, “Please watch over me, Saintess!” And then they charged at me.

‘And I even had a spear stuck in my heart!’

Since the saint concept wasn’t doing the trick, I decided to try the opposite.

I thought maybe, if I looked like a Death Knight who could come back to life after death, people would drop their fight. But news flash: that plan didn’t pan out either.

Rumors about the saintess of the evil god and the death knight she commanded started circulating, and then those holy church guys awkwardly swooped in for a visit.

For some bizarre reason, those middle-aged men who seemed to adore me were trying to kill citizens for “insulting the Saintess!” All I did was exhaust myself trying to stop them.

Neither coddling nor threatening worked. Well, to be fair, they likely did work… just not in the way I needed. For every person who lost heart, there were still more people rushing towards the palace in a frenzy.

‘If it keeps going like this, it’ll never end.’

My stamina was holding up fine.

Okay, sure, there was a spear in my heart. But that was my own doing, and I’ve become quite accustomed to subduing people without killing them.

I could hold out indefinitely, probably even for a year. But the problem was…

‘Why do I feel like time is running out?’

Rubia and the others were still investigating, but with how things looked, I doubted they could reach a solution in time.

The black sun had expanded to twice its size since yesterday.

The ominous feeling of something stirring within it.

Even if I gave it a long shot, something inside that would hatch would probably pop out in about three days.

And on top of that, I sensed something approaching from a distance. An opponent barely shy of Sword Master level.

I couldn’t lose, but fighting without getting the surrounding people involved was bound to be an ordeal.

At this point, I thought maybe I could leave it to Lucy while I focused on the investigation, but the truth was, I couldn’t just walk away.

This was a real headache.

As I sighed heavily again, I heard footsteps.

Of course, footsteps were nothing unusual, but hearing them from behind was suspicious. I hadn’t permitted anyone to intrude.

I immediately turned around.

And what I saw…

‘……?’

Was Yuli, looking at me with a face full of guilt, crying her eyes out.

*

I saw a familiar face.

But it was a sight that felt completely unfamiliar.

A body covered in wounds, stained with blood.

A massive spear lodged in the heart, and a body so mangled it was indistinguishable from a corpse.

What in the world was happening?

It was painfully obvious. Even someone who had never cared about martial arts could see it.

The boy was dying.

He was fighting desperately even as he was on the verge of death.

His already wrecked body was forcing itself to stand as he burned his own life away as fuel.

But why was he doing this? Why was he fighting instead of fleeing in this situation? The answer was crystal clear.

– So, you absolutely… absolutely cannot betray me.

– Don’t worry! I’m your guard knight, after all. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll fulfill my duty.

The promise made long ago.

The boy was trying to keep that promise.

He was fighting tooth and nail, even at the cost of his own life. That promise was not some fleeting lie.

But if that were the case…

What if the boy wasn’t lying…

‘What the hell have I done to that kid?’

An unbearable guilt trickled down my spine.

I told him not to betray me, to believe in me like no one else.

But what about me?

– Of all people, you can’t… you absolutely can’t betray me.

I couldn’t trust the kid.

Based on nothing but rumors I barely overheard in my sleep, I judged him to be a traitor. And even worse…

– You should just die, you worthless punk.

I said those heinous words to someone who was sacrificing his life for me, throwing his own life away because I didn’t care.

“I… I didn’t mean it…”

I didn’t say such words lightly.

I’m sorry. I was too harsh then. I should have trusted you more. So please, forgive me.

But none of those words could come out.

There was no way they could.

Everything was already too late.

Sion was dying.

Even with his title of Sword Master, there was no way he could survive those injuries.

On top of that, healing him was impossible.

Just how much divine power would be required to treat those kind of wounds? Even if I summoned the hidden Pope, the outcome wouldn’t change.

Sion would soon die.

Sion would soon be dead.

Because she treated Sion like a traitor.

Because she told him to die.

It was she who killed Sion. She had erased the only ally she had left in this world with her own two hands.

How could she now brazenly approach that kid to ask for forgiveness?

Ultimately, no words flowed out of her mouth. Only tears of regret for a past she could not undo.

In such a moment… I felt a warm touch.

Sion was holding her hand, looking as gentle as ever.

Their eyes met. Before she could say anything, Sion opened his mouth first.

“Don’t worry too much. My body is a bit special, so I won’t die from this, let alone feel pain.”

That boy, facing death, smiled brightly.

He said those absurd lies with a cheerful grin.

Who would sincerely fall for such a ridiculous claim? Stabbed through the heart by a spear and still smiling?

“And besides, if worse comes to worst, I have reliable backup. So you don’t need to worry about my safety.”

No backup would come.

The Emperor had effectively abandoned her. The Empire’s troops were not going to rush to Sion’s rescue. So this was yet another blatant lie.

But…

She couldn’t say anything.

She just choked down her urge to cry.

The meaning behind those lies.

After all that betrayal, after hearing such harsh words, he was still there for her.

Even in this moment where death loomed ominously, the boy was smiling, trying to ensure she wouldn’t shed a tear.

“Over there! Grab her and kill her!”

Voices rang out loud and clear.

Mad, crazed eyes converged on her.

She couldn’t even estimate how many people were directing hatred her way, attempting her execution. But miraculously, none of that hatred managed to reach the girl.

The boy stood up.

Certainly, he was in excruciating pain, struggling to breathe. But he rose to his feet again, using his weapon to hold himself up, pushing his wreck of a body forward.

He was doing this to keep that promise he made.

“Run away. Survive so we can meet again. There’s still so much we need to do.”

He spoke those ridiculous words again while firmly gripping her trembling hand.