Ceres nodded absentmindedly, but as the realization slowly sank in, her expression turned strange.
Nora...? Could it be the House Nora I know?
“The head of the family...”
“That’s right. I’m the Duke of Nora. Pretty impressive, don’t you think?”
“.....”
He flashed her a grin and folded his arms with pride. Ceres could only stare at him, speechless.
How could someone who’s a duke be like this...
“Why don’t we try every cake in the shop before we leave? That one looks delicious too, don’t you think? Do you like chocolate cake, Ceres? I absolutely love it. It’d make me happy if you liked it too.”
...He’s so carefree? Aren’t dukes supposed to be a little more dignified?
“Oh! Right.”
Just as he was ordering yet another round of chocolate cake, he suddenly clapped his hands together.
“There are a couple more people I’d like you to meet.”
“Who?”
Still smiling, Duke Nora clicked his tongue.
“I asked them to come with me, but the two of them said they just couldn’t face you.”
“Huh?”
“They feel too guilty.”
Watching Ceres tilt her head in confusion, Duke Nora hesitated before asking one last question.
“If you’re comfortable with it, would you be willing to meet them too?”
***
“It’s been a long time.”
Emperor Devrica was tending to the flowers in the greenhouse when he noticed someone standing beside him. A faint smile touched his lips.
“.....”
Despite the Emperor’s warm welcome, Duke Schweiss didn’t bother returning the greeting. His displeasure was written plainly across his face.
“You haven’t changed.”
“Neither have you, Your Majesty.”
After Emperor Devrica shook his head with a helpless smile, Duke Schweiss asked.
“I told you I didn’t have time to come. Why do you keep sending people after me?”
The Emperor had summoned him on the very day he arrived in the capital, asking for a meeting. Duke Schweiss refused without hesitation, saying he was too busy.
Even after that, messengers kept arriving every other day. It seemed the Emperor had no intention of stopping until he showed up at the palace. Duke Schweiss had no choice but to come in person.
“You’ve become quite difficult to meet.”
“Just tell me why you called me here.”
Seeing Duke Schweiss’s fierce glare, one that made it clear he wouldn’t take kindly to being summoned for no reason, Emperor Devrica averted his gaze.
“Do we really need a reason to meet? I heard you were back in the capital after so long, so I thought I’d at least see your face.”
“I told you I was busy.”
So there really wasn’t any reason at all. Duke Schweiss scoffed and turned to leave.
“Why did you visit that woman in prison? How do you know her?”
He ignored that question.
“Do you know the girl named Ceres?”
He came to an abrupt stop. That name changed everything.
“Ceres is someone who’s caught my attention lately.”
Duke Schweiss turned back and strode toward Emperor Devrica. Stopping in front of him, he spoke in a low voice.
“Stay away from her.”
The Emperor’s eyes widened slightly. Duke Schweiss wasn’t asking. He was warning him, in all seriousness, to leave Ceres alone.
“She’s my daughter.”
“...What?”
For a moment, Emperor Devrica was dumbfounded.
“W-wait. What did you just say? You have a daughter?”
It made no sense. This was the very man who had refused to marry for years, giving the previous Duke endless headaches.
After losing his first love, he’d wanted nothing to do with women, and every noblewoman in the empire knew it. Yet somehow, he was suddenly claiming to have a daughter.
“I’ve learned that keeping someone hidden isn’t the only way to protect them.”
“Hidden? You mean she’s really your daughter? Have you been hiding her all this time?”
“I told you to leave her alone.”
“How am I supposed to do that?!”
“.....”
Duke Schweiss offered no further explanation. The anger vanished from his face as quickly as it had appeared. His usual detached expression returned.
“At least explain yourself!”
The Emperor called after him in exasperation, but Duke Schweiss merely bowed before turning on his heel and walking away without another glance.
***
“Mm... mm...”
“Lord Ersi!”
“You’re awake!”
The voices of the two young priests stirred Ersi from the darkness. As he slowly opened his eyes, the familiar sight of his own room came into focus.
“The Black Forest...”
The words scraped painfully out of his throat, as though it had forgotten to speak.
“It’s gone! The Black Forest’s been dispelled!”
“...Ah.”
Relief washed over him as he let out a long breath.
Just before he’d lost consciousness, he vaguely remembered seeing the blazing sun disappear and the desert-like wasteland slowly return to its original landscape.
Master... It had to be her.
There was no one else who could’ve done it.
Following Ceres’s orders, Ersi had remained behind to defend the area around the temple, but even he had been pushed to his limits by the endless tide of monsters.
Even so, one belief never wavered.
If it’s Master, she’ll find a way.
That faith stayed with him even as wounds accumulated across his body and the hand gripping his sword grew too weak to obey him.
The instant he cut down the last monster and collapsed to his knees, he felt the air around him change. The scorching sandstorm gradually died away.
Certain it was over at last, Ersi let his sword slip from his hand. Darkness claimed him soon after. When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his own room.
“Was anyone hurt?”
“A few of the holy knights were injured, but none of them were seriously hurt.”
“Lord Ersi was hurt the worst!”
One of the young priests lowered his head, tears welling in his eyes.
“Thank you so much!”
The young priest had stumbled while trying to escape the monsters’ sudden attack. Just when he thought he was about to die, Ersi had stepped in front of him without hesitation. It was a sight he knew he’d never forget.
Everyone else felt much the same.
When the temple’s staff stood paralyzed with fear under the monsters’ assault, they watched Ersi charge straight into the horde, his sword flashing as he carved a path through them.
Everyone knew Ersi was a genuinely kind person. He always looked after the young priests who had only recently joined the temple. No matter who asked for his help, he never brushed them aside.
At the same time, he could be absentminded, made his fair share of mistakes, and wasn’t exactly intimidating. Compared to the other priests, he was the sort of person people found easy to approach.
But then...
[SKREEEE!]
Slash!
With a single swing, he split the giant centipede cleanly in half. Every jaw dropped.
Was this really the same Priest Ersi they knew? The one who always wore that carefree smile?
From that moment on, everyone looked at him a little differently.
“How long was I unconscious?”
“Today’s the eleventh day.”
“...Eleven days?”
“Your body was freezing cold!”
“W-We all thought... you weren’t going to make it...”
The young priest sobbed.
Bandages covered nearly every part of his body. After a quick look over his injuries, Ersi pushed himself to his feet.
“Please don’t get up! You need more rest!”
“Your injuries haven’t healed yet!”
The two young priests hurried to stop him, but Ersi only shook his head. There was nothing to worry about anymore.
While he was unconscious, his body healed no faster than anyone else’s. But now that he was awake...
He began unwrapping the bandages around his arm.
“Lord Ersi! You can’t take those off yet...!”
“Hm?”
The priests, who had rushed forward in alarm, suddenly stopped.
“Your wound...”
When they’d changed his bandages the evening before, the injury hadn’t even begun to close. But now, only a faint scar remained.
If no one were watching, I wouldn’t have let myself get hurt in the first place.
When the wounds accumulated and exhaustion set in, he had no choice but to keep fighting. If he’d used his true abilities, everyone would’ve witnessed wounds closing the instant they were inflicted. They would’ve seen him as a monster.
“There’s somewhere I need to go.”
“In your condition? You shouldn’t be walking around yet.”
“I’ll be fine.”
Ersi slipped on his outer robe and headed for the door. Just before leaving, he looked back at the two young priests, who were still fidgeting anxiously.
He asked one last question.
“Do either of you know where House Drow is?”
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter