Golgotha Hill.
Where Eliya had vanished, a cross-shaped mark was left behind.
It was regarded as a stigmata that had descended upon the earth.
Around that mark, a camp had been set up.
“Hmm…”
Lindell emerged from a tent with a sigh.
“Hey, you’re up.”
Richard, Argon, and Hermis waved their hands in greeting.
Lindell, who had been on night watch, finally woke up around lunchtime.
“Uh… are there any news?”
“No. Nothing today either.”
This was a camp where many knights belonging to Eliya’s elite guard were staying.
They were all waiting for Eliya and Judas to return.
But there was still no word.
In fact, it was uncertain whether waiting here was even the right choice.
They had no idea when or how they would return.
They were simply waiting here because it was the place where the two had disappeared.
They even took turns on night watch just in case they might come back while they were asleep.
“Is Yuel still like that?”
Right after Judas had vanished following Eliya.
Yuel had curled up and slept right there.
“Yeah. He doesn’t seem to want to wake up at all.”
“Is it really okay for him to just sleep like that…?”
“The doctor keeps checking on him. There doesn’t seem to be any health issues.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“Go eat first. You must be hungry. We’ll patrol the area.”
Since they had no idea when someone would show up, they also patrolled the surroundings near the stigmata.
“Yeah. I’ll be back. I’m heading to eat.”
Lindell walked toward the makeshift dining area.
It was called a dining area but was not an independent space at all.
They simply laid a long table in one corner of the camp.
There wasn’t really a fixed time for meals.
At the table sat Dillon, Shylock, Jericho, and Perlyn, along with Bolse, the camp’s wizard.
They seemed to be having a serious conversation.
Lindell caught their serious expressions a beat late.
Dillon noticed first and greeted him.
“Oh, Lindell. You’re up. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah, I did. But what’s everyone talking about so seriously?”
“We’re thinking about going to look for the lady and Judas.”
“…Huh? Have they returned?”
“Not that we know of.”
Then, Shylock explained.
“The gist is this. There’s no guarantee they’ll come back here. They could show up anywhere else.”
“That’s true.”
“If they returned somewhere else, what if we discovered it too late? For example, what if they ended up in the middle of the Demon World and were passed out? We have to anticipate the worst-case scenario.”
Lastly, Bolse added.
“So, how about splitting the people here? Some to guard this place, and some to go looking. I’ll stay here as the wizard to prepare for any unforeseen circumstances…”
-Boom!
An explosion suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned their heads.
Dust began to rise from the place where the stigmata had formed.
The dust cloud quickly disappeared to the east.
As if some superhuman were running full speed to escape.
“…What was that?”
“Who’s running away in such a hurry?”
While everyone was puzzled, someone shouted energetically from the direction of the stigmata.
“The lady has returned-!”
It was Richard’s voice.
Confirming what had just been heard, Argon shouted right after.
“The lady has come back-!”
They all hurriedly ran toward the scene.
At the place where the stigmata had formed, Hermis was checking on Eliya’s condition.
“Lady! Lady!”
But Eliya remained unconscious with her eyes closed.
She looked fast asleep.
“What happened? When did the lady return?”
Richard answered.
“We don’t know exactly. We were patrolling when we suddenly heard that explosion, and when we came over, the lady was here. By the way, what was that explosion earlier?”
“I don’t know. There were heavy footsteps heading east…”
“The lady has returned?!”
Doctor Mei dashed over with a face just having woken up.
She hurriedly checked Eliya’s pulse and breathing.
“She’s alive. She seems to be fine. From what I can see, there are no visible injuries. We’ll have to move her to check further.”
At that moment, Yuel also opened his eyes and got up.
Yuel immediately approached Eliya and gently nudged her face.
“She’ll wake up soon.”
Mei said reassuringly, and Hermis carefully picked up Eliya to move her to a nearby tent.
They would conduct a quick examination before transferring her to the safer mansion.
Yuel followed her while glancing back.
At the place where Eliya had returned, several members of the elite guard remained and discussed.
“Where’s Judas…?”
“Is he coming at a different time? Or is the location different?”
“Could he be the one who just ran away?”
“That’s the most likely scenario… But why would Judas run away like that? Seems strange, right?”
“Whoever it is, we can’t just let them go like this. We need to quickly organize a pursuit team to chase after them.”
Dillon was making decisions and giving orders while Yuel blankly watched.
If Judas and Eliya had seen Yuel, they might have wondered why he was so relaxed, but there was no one here who could read Yuel’s expression.
Eventually, Yuel turned away and crouched in front of the tent where Eliya had entered.
Eliya had returned.
It was the third day since she had disappeared.
*
Eliya woke up a day after being found.
The first thing she looked for was none other than…
“Where’s Judas?”
The name of the savior who had brought her back from death.
“Uh…”
Mei hesitated to speak.
“Where’s Judas?”
“Well… we haven’t found him yet.”
“…You haven’t found him?”
“No. It seems he didn’t arrive at the same location as you. We can’t even know if he made it back at all.”
Eliya returned to the place where she had vanished.
However, she had no idea about Judas.
Had he returned only to a different location?
Or had he not returned at all?
Eliya recalled what had happened in the afterlife.
At the time, she had no consciousness, but now that she was back, she remembered.
Not everything, only bits and pieces. Even those were a bit hazy.
Judas had entered into her Black Sun.
And that she had met Maria after taking him out.
“……”
Eliya turned her gaze.
The wall facing her bed.
A giant crystal leaned against it.
Maria.
The frozen space where her mother slept.
Her mother in the afterlife.
Had she truly died?
Was she beyond salvation?
Never again…
The sight of Maria made Eliya dazed.
Mei remained quiet for a moment in front of Eliya, who was gazing silently.
Eliya splashed water on her face to gather her thoughts.
She redefined the priorities.
“So, you say you don’t know Judas’s whereabouts…”
“Actually, just before we found you, someone had bolted out of there. We found traces of someone having fled. The elite guard is currently selecting a pursuit team to track them down. As it stands, Judas is the most likely suspect.”
“He fled?”
“Yeah. According to the circumstances, that seems to be the case. We suspect the place they might be heading to is Jericho.”
“Jericho…”
The place where he had once lived alone after she sent him away.
Eliya thought that Judas would likely go there. Or that he was on his way.
It was just a feeling, with no solid evidence.
But it was a primal instinct that surfaced whenever she thought of him.
She desperately wanted to go there immediately.
To confirm his safety, to hold him close.
But at the same time, she hesitated.
He had paid a price of memories to save her.
How such a thing was possible, she didn’t know.
What the content of the memories he had sacrificed was, or how many pieces he had taken, Eliya had no way of knowing.
But she could speculate.
He had brought back someone who should have died.
There was no way he had done it lightly.
Then, there was a very high probability that Judas had forgotten her.
Because the most important memory for him was her.
It wasn’t an overly arrogant judgment.
She had entered Judas’s memories and experienced his feelings herself.
How much he cherished her.
How much she was loved.
That’s why she was afraid.
Afraid to confront him when he might not remember her.
“Phew…”
Yet, she must face him.
She would have to.
There could be no avoidance.
But, not now.
“Bring Miguel and Gawain to me.”
Mei quickly brought the two people in.
Eliya decided to first confirm the current situation.
“How many days has it been since I disappeared?”
“It’s been three days since you went missing, and you woke up a day after returning.”
“Four days of absence… What’s happened during that time?”
Before Eliya confronted the Evil God, she had killed the two main pillars of the continent.
Balak and Johan.
As such, the leadership position of humanity was now vacant.
There might be a bloody storm to fill that void.
Miguel explained.
“The Helios Empire has fallen into great chaos. Especially since the truth about Emperor Johan sacrificing citizens for dark magic and trying to massacre many people was revealed. The feudal lords who supported the previous emperor and the Senate are trying to stabilize things, but it isn’t calming down easily.”
“That makes sense. So, the power vacuum must mean that there’s turmoil everywhere…”
“But it’s not entirely like that… thanks to you.”
“Me? Why?”
“I don’t know if you’re aware, but when you ascended, all humanity shared a vision. A scene that felt like a dream.”
Eliya tilted her head in confusion.
“It was the image of being consumed by flames together with the evil god and disappearing. The entire humanity witnessed that sacrifice to save this world.”
Eliya hadn’t intended to save the world.
She only wanted to save Judas.
But while the results had ended up the same, it was hard to understand what he meant. However, looking at Miguel and Gawain’s expressions, it seemed to be the truth.
Eliya accepted that fact for now.
“So, what does that have to do with the Empire’s situation?”
“Everyone is waiting for you. They believe that your return will bring peace to the world.”
“I…”
A fleeting thought crossed her mind.
Golden eyes, the symbol of a savior.
She glanced at the mirror beside her.
It showed a vivid red.
However, in the last moments before her ascension, her reflection in Judas’s eyes had been golden.
‘A figure destined to save the world and bring forth a new order. A being born of gold…’
It drew a hollow laugh from her regarding the remarkable prophecy.
Whatever the case, whether this was fate or destiny.
Even if the world held her in high regard as a savior, what she truly desired was only one thing.
Judas.
The rest was merely a byproduct.
Gawain continued.
“However, there are still factions attempting to seize power amidst this.”
“List them.”
Gawain mentioned about three factions.
They were alliances formed by various noble families.
“And who is in the lead?”
“Everyone is tightly contested.”
“Good… It doesn’t matter who is in the lead.”
Eliya stood up from her seat.
Mei, as her doctor, was worried, but Eliya had too many tasks to handle now.
“Gather all the remaining personnel in the mansion.”
Eliya briefly glanced at the window frame.
The place where a pot was placed.
Anemone.
The flower that should have bloomed red had wilted and fallen due to prolonged neglect.
Even seeing that, Eliya remained unfazed.
Given the meaning of that flower, there was no reason for her to be shaken now.
In her heart, the red anemone was still in full bloom.
A vibrant red.
And the anemone in her heart decided to have a different meaning from the one in reality.
Steeling her resolve, Eliya left her bedroom.
She stepped into the mansion’s courtyard.
The people who served under her had gathered and were waiting.
In front of them, Eliya suddenly declared.
“I will become the Empress.”
Eliya decided to become the Empress.
She would prepare everything.
As soon as Judas returned.
“From now on, this land will be under my dominion. I will seize the power vacuum for myself. I am capable and duly qualified to do so.”
Those gathered responded with a heavy silence of agreement to her words.
“Let it be known to all those competing for dominion over the continent. To cease their meaningless struggles. And whatever the current situation of the royal palace, convey to all those worthy of hearing my will. I will soon be visiting the royal palace.”
“Yes!”
Those who received the commands dispersed in perfect order.
Eliya looked down at her right hand.
An ivory ring was on her ring finger.
This was the pair that shared the coordinates with Judas’s necklace.
She fiddled with it and changed its position.
Moving it to her left ring finger.
She wore his necklace around her neck as well.
Until she gave it to him, she would keep it for herself.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she slowly opened them and spoke as if making a vow.
Her red eyes were filled with a resolute will.
“Judas.”
He might not hear it, but she hoped he would.
The words he spoke when he brought her back.
His answer.
“I’ll be back soon.”
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