“Why? Why won’t they heal?”
Elizabeth cried as she continued to desperately apply her healing magic, unable to stop the bleeding.
Seeing Elizabeth in tears, King Henry raised himself, wiping her tears with his blood-stained hand.
“It’s alright, Elizabeth. Don’t push yourself.”
“No, you’ll heal. You will definitely heal. Your Majesty, I’ve been hiding it, but I have a miraculous power…”
“Yes, I know. I know you have a miraculous power.”
Despite blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, King Henry smiled gently at Elizabeth’s confession.
Elizabeth was shocked by his words.
Since receiving the miraculous power, she had instinctively felt she should keep it secret and had told no one until now.
“How… how do you know?”
“Well, I don’t know. I just knew when I saw you defeat Gallios. You are loved by the gods. I am not. Perhaps Ekaterina and Princess Lu also have similar powers.”
King Henry’s words struck Elizabeth like a second shock.
Until now, she had thought she was the only one blessed with miraculous power. But there was no reason to think she was unique.
Thinking back, Prince Henry’s magic and sword skills had dramatically improved after Ekaterina and Princess Lu joined them.
She had thought it was due to their guidance, but what if it wasn’t?
What if Ekaterina and Princess Lu also possessed miraculous powers that made Prince Henry stronger?
And Romelia… She had no fighting skills and was only useful for chores during the journey to defeat the demon king.
But would practical, no-nonsense Romelia really do something that would be a hindrance, even for Prince Henry’s sake?
King Henry’s observation had no evidence, but Elizabeth was convinced it was true.
“Henry… I… we…”
“It’s alright… thanks to you, I was able to dream.”
King Henry gently smiled at the trembling Elisabeth, but his face was filled with sorrow.
“Elisabeth, I… I wanted to be a hero…”
A single tear rolled down King Henry’s cheek as he collapsed onto Elisabeth’s lap.
“Henry… I’m sorry. I… we ruined your life…”
Elisabeth couldn’t help but apologize.
If Elisabeth and the others hadn’t offered their help, Henry might not have become a hero, but he might have been a good king who understood the pain and weaknesses of his people.
They had distorted his life, pretending to be goddesses of fortune.
“Henry…”
Elisabeth’s tears fell onto King Henry’s cheek.
“You are a hero. You always have been, and you always will be.”
She embraced Henry’s head with open arms.
An explosion rocked the castle, and the flames grew fiercer.
“Elisabeth! Henry!”
Romelia shouted from beyond the flames.
“General Zaria is defeated! Hurry, this way!”
As Romelia had said, General Zaria was dead, and the assassins had been defeated.
But Elisabeth shook her head.
“King Henry has just passed away. I will stay with him until the end.”
Elisabeth stroked Henry’s face and wiped away his final tear.
“Elisabeth! Even if King Henry is dead, you don’t have to die too. What about your two children?”
Romelia mentioned Elisabeth’s children,
But Elisabeth knew she could no longer help her sons.
“With these deep wounds, I won’t survive either. And I cannot leave King Henry alone. The hero protected the saint, and the saint stayed with the hero until the end. Not even death could separate their love. That’s how it will be written in history and sung in songs.”
Hearing Elisabeth’s words, Romelia’s eyes widened in shock. The castle shook violently, signaling its imminent collapse.
“Elisabeth!”
Romelia’s voice echoed.
I called out Elisabeth’s name with all my strength, but she wouldn’t move from the throne.
The castle trembled, and stones rained down from the ceiling.
“Lady Romelia! It’s dangerous!”
Ray protected me from the falling debris.
“Hey, Sergei? Are you alive? Stay with me. If you sleep here, you’ll die! What about the old man and the girl?”
Al found the fallen Deputy Commander Sergei, Cardinal Pharmaid , and a maid.
“Elisabeth! I’ll save you. Don’t give up!”
I tried to get closer to them, searching for a way to save them, but Ray grabbed my shoulder and stopped me.
“Let go! Ray! I have to save them!”
I tried to shake off his hand, but Ray wouldn’t let go.
“Lady Romelia, you can’t go any further! We’ll all die! If you insist, I’ll go. You need to escape.”
Ray’s words made me grit my teeth.
I couldn’t let Ray jump into the flames. If I didn’t escape, neither would the Romelia squad nor the Cashew guards.
I couldn’t take all 700 of them with me to death.
“…Alright, we’ll retreat. Al! What about the survivors?”
“Only these three!”
Al carried Deputy Commander Sergei on his back, with Cardinal Pharmaid and the maid under his arms.
It must have been heavy, but Al showed no sign of struggle.
“Elisabeth, Henry!”
I tried to look back at them one last time, but they were already engulfed in flames.
“I’m sorry!”
I turned away, cutting off my feelings, and headed outside.
We ran through the burning, collapsing castle and joined the Cashew guards.
As we ran through the blazing castle, I suddenly heard singing.
No one else seemed to notice the singing, so it might have been my imagination. But I was certain.
“Elisabeth is singing.”
It was the song Elisabeth used to sing during our travels.
By the campfire, watching the sun set over the ocean, in the desert under a sky full of stars, she sang to comfort her heart.
“Elisabeth… Henry…”
We crossed many plains and mountains, traversed ice fields and seas, and overcame many hardships on our journey.
Why did it come to this? Where did we go wrong?
The answers lay buried in the burning castle.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
Under the lily of the valley flag, I stood on a hill, surrounded by countless corpses. Not just in front of me, but all around, bodies lay everywhere.
Soldiers moved among the dead, trampling on the fallen flags without a care.
A mud-stained flag bore the emblem of a golden eagle on a black field.
It was the flag of the Black Hawk Knights, renowned as the strongest in the Lionel Kingdom.
Once a symbol of glory, it now lay in the dirt, forgotten.
The day after King Henry and Queen Elisabeth were killed during the founding ceremony, Deputy General Kalena of the Black Hawk Knights marched into the capital with his troops.
I tried to convey the news of General Zaria’s rebellion and death, urging them to surrender, but Deputy General Kalena refused any negotiation. With their leader’s betrayal, they had no way to retreat.
The Black Hawk Knights’ desperate actions were mirrored by our precarious situation in the capital.
Most of the knights at the ceremony were under General Zaria’s influence. Those who joined the rebellion surrendered upon hearing of his death, but the loyalty of the other knights was uncertain.
With the castle burned down and the citizens in turmoil over the sudden rebellion and the king’s death, fighting in the capital was not an option.
We retreated to the kingdom’s second city, Lakria, and fortified ourselves.
I negotiated with Cardinal Pharmaid , who had conspired with General Zaria, to pardon him in exchange for support.
Evidence later confirmed Cardinal Pharmaid ‘s involvement in the conspiracy, but many witnessed his attempt to save Queen Elisabeth during the final stages.
To avoid scandal, we agreed he would step down under the pretense of mourning King Henry, while the church officially denounced General Zaria’s rebellion and excommunicated those who supported it.
This declaration isolated the Black Hawk Knights.
To cement our position, I had myself recognized as a saint by the church.
Though it felt wrong to self-appoint, this move gained me church approval and broad support, drawing reinforcements from nobles who had previously been hesitant.
With a strong enough force, we confronted the Black Hawk Knights.
In the end, they faced us head-on, seeking an honorable death in battle.
We won, but the future remained uncertain.
A political vacuum couldn’t be allowed. A new king was needed immediately.
But with King Henry, Queen Elisabeth, and their sons missing, the succession was unclear.
The two princes were last seen in the summer palace during the rebellion, but soldiers sent by General Zaria had attacked there.
Though the nursemaids and attendants were killed, the soldiers’ bodies were also found, and the princes’ whereabouts remain unknown.
Without the direct heirs, we needed to find another royal relative to take the throne, but it was not a decision I could make alone.
Of course, it’s out of the question for me to take the throne in place of the late king.
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