The Crown Prince walked toward the shining core of Orpheus, glowing brightly within the pitch-black mental landscape.

Around him, Orpheus’s past unfolded, appearing one scene at a time, as if projected onto an invisible screen.

‘Is this the story of what happened afterward?’

To his right, he saw children who appeared a year or two older than the boy and girl he had glimpsed earlier.

“Kate, Kate…! You can’t just come in like this!”

The boy panicked at the sight of the girl who had sneaked into his room.

“Oh, come on, what’s the big deal? As long as we don’t get caught, right?”

The girl winked, clearly unbothered by whatever feud existed between their families.

“Our Ian. Why are you so adorable?”

Her small, delicate hands cupped his cheeks and stretched them playfully.

“Uwahh….”

“Pfft. You look like a frog. It’s so cute.”

“…You’re calling me a frog again.”

Could he never be a prince?

...Even if he couldn’t, it didn’t matter. Even as her pet frog, every second spent with her brought him happiness.

The boy and girl kept their distance from the concerns of adults, cherishing their own little world.

“I went to Rai’s concert yesterday,” the girl said, breaking the peaceful silence.

“Rai? Is he a boy?”

The boy’s eyebrows rose sharply.

“Yup. Rai Berdolt. He’s a boy our age,” she replied nonchalantly.

“…He’s our age and already holding concerts?”

“Yeah, he’s a musical prodigy. He’s amazing with the violin.”

The boy felt a pang of annoyance.

“I can play the violin too.”

It was just a secret hobby he practiced in defiance of his parents, but he was confident he could outperform this so-called prodigy.

“…Really?”

“I’ll show you.”

With a soft hum, mana gathered in the boy’s hands, forming into the shape of a violin.

“Wow!”

The girl’s wide-eyed amazement filled the boy with a rush of satisfaction as he began to play.

The melody was simple yet beautiful, carrying the essence of mana as it resonated through the room.

“This melody is so pretty.”

“…You think so?”

Encouraged, the boy repeated the melody several times, improvising variations to show off his skills.

“Wow!”

The girl clapped her hands excitedly, cheering. Embarrassed, the boy scratched his head.

“…This is called an ostinato,” he explained.

“Ostinato?”

“It’s when you repeat the same melody over and over.”

“Wow! That’s so cool! Ostinato is beautiful!”

“…You really think so?”

“Yeah! Usually, even if I like a melody, it just passes by as the music plays. But with ostinato, you can keep listening to a melody you don’t want to let go of.”

“…I never thought of it that way….”

The girl responded to even his smallest comments with a radiant smile. The boy lowered his head to hide his flushed cheeks.

“…If there’s a melody you’d like to hear, just let me know. I’ll play it for you.”

The vision dissolved into smoke before the Crown Prince’s eyes.

On his left, another vision emerged, showing the same boy and girl, now looking noticeably older than before.

“Are you really not coming to the academy?”

“Yeah. Sorry, Kate.”

The boy smiled awkwardly.

“…That’s disappointing. I think it would’ve been nice if we went together.”

The girl, sitting close beside him, leaned her head on his shoulder. Their relationship seemed much closer than before.

“We can still stay in touch, right?”

The boy gestured to the mana communicator he had made for her.

“I guess, but staying in touch isn’t the same as being together, you know?”

She reached out and pinched his cheeks again.

“To think I won’t be able to squeeze my frog’s cheeks anymore… It’s cruel.”

She pouted playfully.

The vision faded once more, replaced by yet another.

“I told you, the child of Carlyuga bloodline must not associate with her,” a pale-skinned man said sternly.

The man picked up the mana communicator the boy had made and snapped it in half.

“How many times do I have to tell you? Those who don’t understand the greatness of Carlyuga’s magitech, especially the Vilgames family, who lead the charge in persecuting us as agents of the gods, are our enemies!”

The girl’s family name: Vilgames.

For generations, the Vilgames family had been devoutly religious, staunchly opposing magitech, which they deemed a sin proclaimed by the gods. The two families had been bitter rivals for ages.

“With the power of magitech, we will overturn this continent. So forget about that vile Vilgames girl. I’ll find you a suitable magitech scholar to marry.”

The man turned to leave but paused at the doorway.

“Speaking of which, I hear that girl is even running for the position of Saintess now. The very vanguard of the religion that oppresses magitech. She clearly doesn’t care about you at all.”

Bang!

Left alone in the room, the boy carefully gathered the shattered pieces of the mana communicator.

“Ferbenit Certum.”

As mana flowed from his hands, the fragments began to reassemble, forming the device back into its original state. The restoration spell, requiring a complete understanding of the communicator’s intricate workings, was proof of the boy’s extraordinary genius.

He picked up the restored communicator and initiated a call to the girl.

Beep… beep…

Beep… beep…

Click.

“Oh? Ian? You’re calling?”

Her voice was as gentle and kind as ever, as if nothing had changed.

The boy opened his mouth to reply.

But no sound came out.

“Hello? Ian? Are you there?”

Click.

The boy turned the communicator off.

If she truly intended to become the Saintess, the representative of the god who persecuted magitech…

Her association with a child of the Carlyuga family would be a terrible blemish on her reputation.

Even if he was merely her pet frog, not her lover…

The boy channeled his mana into the communicator, setting it ablaze.

His happy dream ended there.

Hum.

The vision faded, replaced by another.

This time, the boy had grown into a man.

“Congratulations on your great victory, Count Carlyuga!”

“Hah! Count, you say?”

“Oh! Forgive me, Your Majesty!”

“Hahaha! Today’s a good day. I’ll let it slide.”

“Your benevolence knows no bounds, Your Majesty.”

Surrounded by his close aides, Count Carlyuga stood atop thousands of magitech golems, creations of unparalleled genius, laughing and joking as they celebrated their triumph.

The golems, crafted by Ian’s extraordinary talent, had crushed the Holy Knights—the divine army—and even the kingdom’s forces, turning the tide of the war.

With control over the golem army, Count Carlyuga had vanquished all his enemies and seized absolute dominion over the kingdom.

“Father.”

“…Isn’t this a day to celebrate, Ian? You should be smiling.”

“I have a request.”

“…Very well. Given your immense contributions to this victory, I’ll grant it. Speak.”

“Give me Kate Vilgames.”

“Vilgames… You mean that Saintess?”

Count Carlyuga fell silent, pondering.

“She’s a war criminal and should be executed… But fine. Here’s my condition. Go to her prison cell right now and propose to her.”

“…What?”

“If she accepts, I’ll spare her. Even as a war criminal, no one will dare lay a hand on the wife of a war hero. But if she refuses, judgment will be carried out.”

“…Understood.”

Ian rushed to the underground prison.

At the deepest, darkest level of the dungeon, in a solitary cell hidden in the damp and muddy depths, she was there.

“Kate.”

Her blank gaze lifted to meet his.

“…Ian.”

Though her beauty had faded after years of war, she was still breathtaking.

‘…If only I hadn’t created those golems, things wouldn’t have turned out like this.’

He never imagined that the technology he had crafted so casually would back her into such a corner.

If he could go back to the past, he’d never make the same mistake again.

“Kate, I’m here to get you out.”

“Ian. If you free me, your position will be jeopardized.”

“I don’t care. My father promised. As long as you agree to marry me, you’ll be free.”

“…So that’s how it is.”

Kate let out a hollow laugh as understanding dawned on her.

“I’m sorry, Ian. If that’s the case, don’t free me.”

“…What?”

“I’ve decided. I’m going to die here.”

“…What are you saying, Kate?”

“I am Saintess Cartecia, devoted to the god I serve. I won’t disgrace myself by begging for mercy from my enemies to survive.”

“Kate, if you stay here, you’ll die.”

“Even if I die… there are things I must protect.”

For hours, Ian pleaded, argued, and even threatened, but Kate remained steadfast.

When desperation overwhelmed him, Ian tried to force the cell door open, but a hand gripped his arm.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” said Count Carlyuga with a cold smile.

“She seems to have a death wish. Guards!”

The guards escorted a distraught Ian out of the prison.

“Wait! Kate! KATE!”

Bang!

The heavy door to the underground cell slammed shut. Ian couldn’t hear Kate’s muffled sobs from inside.

“I’m sorry, Ian… I’m so sorry…”