Eliya sat there, blankly hugging her knees.
Without bothering to tidy her disheveled hair, she simply remained still.
Her eyes burned like gold, yet lacked vitality.
In front of her was a crystal.
Inside it was Maria, who had a dagger stabbed into her chest.
Ria. She was Maria.
Since when? Why?
It was confusing.
Chaotic lines scribbled in her mind.
Lines being drawn repeatedly turned into planes.
So chaotic that her mind was as clean as a fresh sheet of paper.
She lay still like a dead person with her eyes open, periodically asking questions.
“Judas?”
Then, the knight guarding the door answered.
“He has not returned yet.”
“……”
She could no longer use magic.
She could not even receive signals transmitted by the artifact they shared.
She worried about where he might be, whether he was alive or dead.
She was anxious, but there was no way to confirm.
Unable to use magic, she was no different from a regular person and couldn’t go out.
Helpless.
All she could do was wait.
Did you feel this way, too?
It was a terrible feeling.
“My mom… didn’t die.”
In other words, Judas didn’t kill her mother.
Then, did that document she saw mean it was false?
No. Judas had been confused, too.
This situation was like a cruel joke of fate.
His voice suddenly came to her mind.
“In fact, I mean, I’m not the Judas you think; I’m someone who came from another world….”
She ignored it.
She believed it was nonsense.
But what if, by some small chance, that was true?
Though it sounded unbelievable, if she assumed it was true, all doubts would be resolved.
What a comfortable excuse it would be—if it were true.
“……”
Eliya, curled up, raised her head.
She opened her eyes.
For the first time in a long while, Eliya recalled her own criteria for judgment.
“Everything that constitutes this world can be classified into just two criteria.”
Verifiable facts.
And unfounded guesses and assumptions.
“Verifiable facts.”
Judas liked Eliya.
Judas protected Eliya.
Judas was willing to die for Eliya.
Judas became Eliya’s ally.
Judas held Eliya’s hand and embraced her.
At the same time.
Judas was an assassin trained by Molsin Church and the Imperial Family to kill Eliya and Maria.
But Mom didn’t die.
How?
She thought she was dead.
Why did she believe that?
“……”
The scene of Maria’s death from ten years ago.
The carriage burned, and there was no trace of her mother.
All this time.
Because of the shock.
She had never paid attention to it.
Looking back, it was such a strange fact.
“The Assassin Guild, Ramek, always lets it be known that they committed the act.”
They always leave evidence behind.
That is the special poison.
When attacked, the flesh rots black.
In other words, they do not burn their targets to death.
Because no evidence would remain.
One of the reasons Eliya could immediately identify Judas’s disguised corpse.
Despite that, she believed it because she had heard from Balak that Maria had died, but also because Ramek’s poison remained at the scene.
The coachman driving the carriage died from Ramek’s poison.
But Maria.
Mom had no remains.
She was burned beyond recognition.
There were traces of a sword where Mom had sat, and from those scars, they had detected Ramek’s poison.
However, that evidence does not prove that Mom was affected by Ramek’s poison.
“……”
Mom died.
The true state of that verifiable truth she thought was turned upside down.
Mom wasn’t dead.
She could have guessed that truth if she wanted, but she hadn’t realized it until now.
Red hair, but black roots.
Not excessive, but slightly thick makeup.
Black eyes.
The name Ria. And Maria.
If she had tried to recognize them, she might have been able to.
But she didn’t.
She thought her mother was already gone.
She had received word that she was dead.
Looking back, though slight, it was credible evidence at the time.
Since her mother had died, she could never have predicted that someone would hide their identity and stay by her side.
Because you cannot think something that doesn’t exist is true.
It’s only natural.
Regretting that she could have known beforehand after discovering the result is a foolish thing.
Anyone can think that way after confirming the outcome.
The clues scattered occasionally in the past.
That she could have noticed them if she had been a little more attentive.
There is no way.
Until one knows the result, a person is forever unaware of the end.
And yet, regretting after knowing the result is an irrational and unreasonable, unavoidable defense mechanism of humanity.
If she had been by her mother’s side that day, she could have protected her.
It’s an extension of regret she has mulled over for almost ten years.
Ria.
What thoughts did you have by my side for ten years?
What information did you convey to the family?
What were your feelings when you looked at me?
Being bullied by direct descendants in the family.
Being educated while beaten bloody by Narcissi.
When you became a wreck knowing that Mom was dead.
What were you thinking when you looked at me?
She wanted to know, wanted to ask.
But there was no one to answer.
Any words would do.
She thought she wouldn’t even mind if it were bad news.
If you said you didn’t think about anything, it would truly hurt and sadden her, but she could accept that.
If only you could open your eyes again, breathe, and live before her, that would be enough….
Eliya slowly leaned her body against the ice where Maria was sealed.
It was cold.
She touched the face part, like her mother used to do for her when she was little.
Cherishing it tenderly, she embraced the ice.
She pressed her ear against it.
But she couldn’t hear any breath or heartbeat.
Is she dead?
Will she really come back? Mom?
“I… what have I been…?”
The last truth.
The final question.
Judas did not kill her.
He had countless opportunities to do so.
Even if it was to await the optimal moment, he had reserved far too many chances.
Even if she thought the Emperor’s goal was not just her, but the entire Bevel Family.
Judas already had several moments he could have killed her.
Even at that last moment.
Eliya had even asked him to kill her instead.
She was ready to offer her neck.
But Judas did not do that.
Why?
At that time, Eliya could not properly comprehend his feelings.
She was buried in her own emotions.
She did not try to see the truth.
She simply thought that Judas was tormenting her.
That he was purposely being cruel to make her hurt.
“Verifiable fact. Judas was an assassin who tried to kill me.”
But despite that, Judas had not killed her, and Maria was actually alive.
“Ah…”
After a long time, Eliya spoke.
“Ahh…”
Judas had no fault.
It was all her misinterpretation and wrong judgment.
But what had she said to him?
How had she treated him?
It shouldn’t have been like that.
Ah.
“Ah, ahh…!”
Amidst the carefully filtered facts, only a single one shone miserably.
She had said irrevocable words to Judas.
The reason the situation had twisted this much was that neither Judas nor Maria was at fault.
It was all her fault.
Eliya fell into self-blame.
“AAHHH-!”
She screamed as if her throat were torn apart.
She beat the desk, rolled around, and eventually fell under the sofa.
“Miss?!”
Mei, the physician, rushed in, startled, but Eliya couldn’t stop her flailing.
“Ugh…! Ugh! Kkwee…! Uaaaaah-!”
She banged her head against the floor, desperately screaming.
“Miss! Calm down!”
“Uugh… Kkwee….”
She just clung to herself, sobbing.
Her body hurt so much.
Not just the place where she hurt herself, but within.
“Ugh….”
Eliya clutched her chest.
It felt like her heart was being ripped out of her body.
As if being twisted and torn from both sides.
“Kh, Khuuh, Uhh…!”
She couldn’t hold back the cries bursting from her.
Eventually, she covered her face, not even feeling the pain in her throat as she wailed.
If only she had trusted him a little more.
If only she had recognized Ria a bit more closely.
If only. If only.
Ah. In those countless moments, if she had been a bit more rational and wise.
The present would have yielded a better future.
Meaningless regrets and self-blame repeated endlessly.
“Huh…! UAAAAAH-! HuuAAAH-!”
Screams and cries.
Including Mei, those in the same room couldn’t dare to comfort her.
After a while, she looked up with vacant eyes.
Golden eyes sparkling with rage.
She looked down at her hands.
For some reason, the palm of her left hand, which had been intertwined with Judas’s, was stained with gold.
It looked similar to how Judas’s body got scorched black.
‘…?’
Eliya turned off her senses.
Judas was currently on the battlefield; she couldn’t just sit there.
She had to sort things out, even now.
She had to apologize for her mistakes.
Before it was too late.
The situation reaching its worst was all her fault.
Eliya blamed herself that way.
With clarity came resolute self-blame.
Simultaneously, she felt her magical energy starting to activate again.
The moment she felt the certainty that she could use magic again, the necklace started to shine.
‘…What is this?’
An artifact she had brought from Balak’s secret lab activated on its own.
It responded to her magic.
Outside was in turmoil.
Eliya looked at the window.
Wide open grounds outside.
Beneath the now dark night sky, pillars of crimson flames soared in various places.
‘Balak’s… color….’
It was only after the artifact activated that Eliya realized its effect.
Those fire pillars targeted only the Imperial knights and royal guards.
This thing was created by Balak to counter the Imperial family.
*
Judas braced for death.
Directly in front of him was the Captain of the Royal Guards.
Behind him was Geist, the head of the Royal Wizard Order.
There was no escape.
So, he would take one of them down with him.
A massive ice sphere towered over him.
He had to kill the captain faster than that.
He charged toward the captain wielding a zweihander.
His whole body was in agony.
He commanded himself to collapse and rest.
His heart felt like it would burst, and due to numerous wounds, he didn’t have the strength to hold his sword anymore.
Gritting his teeth, he held on.
He raised the moon’s orb high.
Using the inertia, he swung it down.
-Fwuuuuck!
He struck the captain at a precise angle.
However, he was also stabbed.
“Khoo….”
He landed a hit, but due to exhaustion, he couldn’t exert more force.
The angle misaligned slightly, catching on the shoulder and grazing the chest.
He pushed harder on the embedded sword.
“Kuhak…!”
The captain spat out blood.
He exerted more force.
He twisted the zweihander embedded in the body.
The blade pierced through organs.
Judas desperately tried to kill him, but he knew it was already too late.
An ice sphere was approaching.
He felt the massive mass pressing down on the air as it barreled toward him.
But he wouldn’t give up.
As long as he had breath, he would fight until the end.
Sometimes, the world would show miracles.
-Fwalump!
Suddenly, light filled his vision.
A massive crimson firestorm erupted around the captain.
“Ugh-?!”
It shot high into the sky.
The dense flames enveloped both of them.
Such was its power that Geist’s ice sphere melted the instant it touched it.
Judas sensed this was his chance.
He was immune to fire.
Unlike Geist’s sun, he had enough breath to spare.
He had to kill the enemy here.
“Hup-!”
With the last of his strength, he hoisted the moon orb and struck down again.
The captain, caught in the flames, allowed the attack very wastefully.
His upper body split apart as he died.
Just as he died, the firestorm faded.
Revealing the outside scene, flames raged everywhere.
Fireworks flared up around the royal knights and guards.
It looked like a burning hell.
“Hah… hah….”
Judas pulled out his zweihander.
Though he tried to lean on the moon orb to sustain himself, he eventually collapsed over the captain’s corpse.
He strained to get up.
Reaching out to grab his sword, but it wouldn’t budge.
His exhausted body had fought for too long, losing too much blood.
“Eli… ya….”
The sound of someone approaching echoed distantly.
Was it the remnants of the Imperial army that hadn’t been caught in the magic?
‘He should get up and retali….’
Judas’s eyelids slowly closed.
“Eliya….”
‘I’m sorry I couldn’t say it sooner….’
*
At the moment when firestorms surged everywhere, Geist received a signal.
A notice that they had secured the Sun Symbol.
They couldn’t kill Judas in this spot, but the Sun Symbol was more important.
He had confirmed he was pierced.
He couldn’t survive. Not against that monster.
Geist immediately teleported away to seize the Sun Symbol.
“Finally got it.”
Afterward, he ordered the Imperial army to withdraw.
“You couldn’t kill Eliya? I don’t care. With this artifact, His Majesty will become a new god to rule over the world, surpassing humanity.”
Having given the withdrawal order, he vanished with a teleportation.
Heading towards Emperor Johan, who awaited the Sun Symbol.
*
Eliya had intended to rush out to find Judas when she was watching the firestorm.
At that moment.
Bang! The door burst open violently.
She had expected it to be Judas, but it wasn’t.
“Miss.”
It was Dillon.
“The enemy is retreating. Bolse said a wizard came into the mansion and immediately fled, saying the Sun Symbol has disappeared. We suspect that’s the enemy’s objective.”
“……”
“The current Viscount Gawain has solidified the defense formation. It seems they decided not to pursue the enemy for the time being.”
Eliya wanted to ask about Judas’s whereabouts, but her mouth wouldn’t move.
She felt stuck under her throat.
“There are many injured, but fortunately, there are no casualties….”
-Thud thud thud thud.
Urgent footsteps approached the room.
Dillon raised his head in confusion.
From beyond the door appeared Argon.
He was puffing as he rushed over.
“Miss, Judas is….”
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