*First pov*
“Ugh!”
When I opened my eyes, I felt nauseated. I curled up and ca to my senses to a stinging pain rising from my ankle.
Splints and bandages were carefully wrapped around the swollen ankle. And….
“Miss!”
I muttered to see Abigail hugging .
“…Bibi?”
At the sa ti, another person jumped in was Linon. He burst into tears and hung on my leg.
“Ahhh, Grand Duchess!”
The surrounding area was buzzing in an instant along with Linon’s scream.
“Stern has awakened!”
“Healing Priest!”
Warm water flowed into my frozen mouth. It was then that I felt real. My head, which had only been blurry as if it had been beaten, started to spin properly.
“What about Lesche?”
“Your husband is not a human, he’s a monster.”
“…huh???”
At that ti, the appearance that caught my eyes was like an illusion. Silver hair that I once thought resembled a glacier. Red eyes were fixed on .
The cold winter wind from the harsh cold of the north touched my cheeks. My heart jumped up to the tip of my neck, and then it went down very slowly. It felt like that.
It was Lesche.
He was alive and moving.
It was several tis faster for Lesche to close the distance than for to jump out of the patient’s bed. I felt as if my body was being ripped apart. His arms hugged tightly as he sat down.
His face was fine. There were no black stains anywhere. No skin was burnt in the constellation armor.
He was the sa as before.
Really, everything was fine…
“Lesche…”
Tears welled up without thinking. Lesche’s hand wiped my cheek. The corners of his eyes, who were smiling softly, were likewise distorted.
“Seria.”
The voice pierced my heart and shook . With both trembling hands, I carefully wrapped Lesche’s face.
At that mont.
“Stern!
“Stern is awake! Stern…! Ha.”
The two High Priests who rushed in, Joel and Henoch, were startled and averted their gaze.
A paladin rushed in behind the High Priests who coughed in embarrassnt.
“Sir! This is urgent news that the temporary boundary will be extinguished in two hours!”
The High Priests’ faces turned blue. After that, it was very urgent and noisy outside. Like an outpost that was still conducting an unprecedented subjugation of beasts.
“Demons…”
A wet voice ca out, I cleared his throat and asked Lesche.
“Weren’t the demons destroyed?”
“I couldn’t advance beyond the border. Now the first team is back.”
“…You have been cutting down the beasts so far. Aren’t you tired?”
“So what.”
It was then that I understood why Abigail called Lesche a monster.
At the sa ti, it was absurd.
While returning to this chaos, of course, I thought that Tuban would have taken care of the demons on his own.
I cursed at him for what all the divine powers ant, but I knew the truth. The fact that Tuban had poured all his strength into restoring Lesche’s body, which was stained with Magi and burned in the constellation armor.
I reflexively groped my neck. Berg’s circlet was still hanging well. As I was about to get up, Lesche frowned.
“You stay here, Seria.”
“Lesche.”
I shook my head.
“Let’s go to the laurel manor. Will we be able to get there before the boundary collapses?”
“Why there?”
“…Let’s go at once.”
“Prepare the horses!”
Linon jumped up and ran outside. He was so quick even though he was covering his mouth and only shed his tears. Guess who’s the chief aide…
Was it because Tuban’s divine power exploded? The heavy snowfall that seed to cover the world was quiet to so extent.
I couldn’t ride a horse alone because my ankle was injured, so I was wrapped in a blanket and and rode on Lesche’s horse. I felt a strange sense of dread.
“Your Highness? Grand Duchess…?”
“Oh my God, why are you so frozen…!”
Fortunately, I didn’t faint in the middle this ti. I told Susan and Joanna I was alright, but I was limping and was picked up by Lesche.
“I don’t want you to use your legs at all. Where do you want to go?”
“That… the basent.”
Berg’s morandum, which I saw in the lost ti, was not torn. Contrary to reality, it was intact. So, I was able to learn so things that I didn’t know about in reality.
Open the basent door covered with a large tapestry. I frowned. While I often visit the green manor, I never ca down to this grotesque basent.
I pretended not to see the densely hung portrait as much as possible. The real purpose was further downstairs.
Ossuary of the previous Grand Dukes.
The skeletons embedded in each wall did not match the proportions of the human body at all. So, just like the demons who were swarming over the boundaries.
If there was a difference, was it that they were holding a sword in both hands?
If I had to co here alone without Lesche, I would have shed tears. I was terrified of horror movies, and this place was so scary. It was still the sa today.
“Lesche. Drop over there.”
Where the constellations were piled up. Lesche dropped down in front of it. I limped a little and bent over. The mont when I took the circlet I was wearing around my neck and strongly infused with divine power.
This ti, tears really flowed.
It was because the skeletons that had been embedded in the wall raised their bodies. Dragging the swords, the skeletons crawled out of the door.
A family that has had the duty of a watchman for a very long ti. Berg’s morandum had very important information torn out.
‘Warrior. I don’t know who ca up with the na.’
I grabbed Lesche’s shoulder and climbed up. With a thumping sound, the skeletal warriors were running towards the mountain range.
Lesche, who was staring at the scene, said.
“Go up. There are many knights waiting for Stern.”
At the border of the Laurel Manor, the Knights of Berg were already waiting. They looked like they were going to faint when they saw the swarm of skeletons running away, but when there were no words from Lesche, they just stood in line and held out.
Lesche, who was holding with one arm, checked his sword with the other hand as usual.
“See you later. Seria.”
“You can’t die.”
Lesche smiled faintly.
“How hard did you save my life?”
“…”
“How am I going to die?”
He shook his head. Lesche with a soft smile kissed my forehead. And handed over to Abigail, who had co close without any signs.
“Miss.”
I was truly amazed.
“Bibi is really strong. Aren’t I heavy?”
Abigail was not as big as Lesche, but she was bigger than . Still, I didn’t know how they could hold so well.
“Not at all.”
Abigail smiled darkly.
“I’m glad you’re safe. If you were not, I’d prepare to throw Sir Alliot into the Beast Border.”
“What?”
“Shall we go?”
Abigail started running with on her horse. I held her tightly so I wouldn’t fall. Then the horse stopped.
“Ha, Stern!”
Two High Priests recognized and ran to . Their complexions were also pale and tired.
“What is that? Those monstrous bones…!”
“High Priests.”
With Abigail’s help, I got off the horse and said with reverence.
“The guardian of Stern gave a ssage.”
“….?”
“Just before the world is destroyed, he will send powerful warriors with the power of the stars, so don’t lose hope.”
“….!”
Tuban never said anything like that, but I said it roughly.
The skeletal warriors didn’t harm humans at all and only slaughtered the demons. So the priests would have no choice but to trust.
It’s been a while since they were thrown into chaos, they weren’t idiots to miss this opportunity.
“Build a new boundary line!”
“We will divide into 5 groups!”
“Skeletons don’t harm people, so you can leave them alone!”
Aside from the fact that the Great Temple was friendly to Stern, if people found out that such warriors existed, they would imdiately try to overthrow the Berg Mansion.
The mont this fact beca known to the outside, there would be a real war over this circlet that could awaken the skeletal warriors.
Maybe that’s why it was hiding in the morandum.
As the boundary line began to slowly recover, the fluttering snow gradually subsided. The battle to subdue the demons that had lasted for several days was almost coming to an end.
The news that Lina’s body had been found was heard in top secret.
It was news that only reached and a few high-ranking priests.
“…Stern?”
“High Priest.”
High Priest Jubelud was silent and only tears were falling. I walked slowly, approaching Lina’s corpse lying as if asleep.
My eyes widened a little.
I had heard a glimpse of Lina’s last appearance from Lesche. According to him, Lina’s skin was all black.
Now it was different.
Lina was completely human. Magi seed to disappear from her body completely.
And a silver branch that pierced her chest was still there.
“Lunaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The divine power that bound Liegel’s hand and held him back was definitely Lina’s.
“Grand Duchess.”
High Priest Jubelud said in a watery voice.
“…I intend to give up the seat of the high priest. I thought that ending the rest of my life by making atonent for this person was the last task God gave …”
There was a handful of hair lying in front of Lina’s body. It was the hair color of High Priest Jubelud.
I lifted the scissors without a word. A handful of my cut hair was placed in front of Lina.
High Priest Jubelud’a shoulders shook as he put a white cloth over Lina’s face.
A quiet silence passed.
Then I walked out. I smiled at the familiar presence.
“Why are you here?”
Lesche, who had been waiting with his back against the wall, looked back at . He walked up to and picked up right away. Embarrassed, I put my hands on Lesche’s chest.
“Lesche?”
“Seria.”
He raised one eyebrow.
“Do you really want to lose your legs?”
“The healing priest said it was okay to walk this far, right?”
“How many tis are you walking around saying that?”
“But Stern can’t just lie down. It’s a demon subjugation battle.”
“You can be carried by your knight. Or call .”
“… to call the front-line knights?”
I scratched my cheek with my finger.
If either one of them was missing, it was obvious that the battle to subdue the demons would be delayed more. I wanted to finish the subjugation battle as soon as possible and get out of here.
Lesche moved forward with a terrifying expression on his face.
The sun shining through the window was dazzling.
“By the way, Lesche. Why are you here already?”
The demon subjugation always ended just before the sun went down. Now, it was still so bright….
As if to answer, Lesche took outside.
The bitter winter wind had been fading for a few days, and the unusual weather was slowly returning to the late sumr temperature.
My eyes went wide.
In Stern’s formal dress, Myote Stern was returning. She was out of the mountains and ca back so early….
“Sir Abigail!”
In the distance, Linon saw Abigail and was walking fast. Berg’s aide one after another moved toward that direction. Alliot and the Berg Knights were returning.
Countless knights and priests returning one after another.
Then I realized.
The cold from the north was no longer felt.
“The subjugation is over.”
“Oh my gosh….”
My eyes once again opened wide. I asked Lesche in a whisper.
“What about the Skeletal warriors?”
“They disappeared when there weren’t many demons left, and went back to the manor.”
“Oh…”
If they were that smart, they would have returned without being noticed by others. I fidgeted with the circlet, thinking it was amazing. A Berg heirloom made of moon bones and imbued with the power of stars.
The hell-like battle to subdue the demons that seed like it would never end, was over.
I exhaled slowly.
“Lesche.”
I looked into Lesche’s eyes right in front of . Suddenly, I rembered what I had to say to him.
“I forgot, I have sothing to tell you.”
“Huh?”
The words Seria couldn’t say when Lesche died early in the first tiline.
“I like you.”
“…”
Lesche frowned. Lesche squeezed hard and asked.
“Why did you suddenly change your mind after saying ‘I love you’?”
“No… I love you too, but I also like you.”
At that mont, Lesche’s expression softened a little.
“Then let just tell you. Don’t make people’s hearts flutter.”
“…what kind of words make your heart flutter?”
I asked in annoyance.
“You, haven’t you already forgotten how I got it?”
“Can’t forget it.”
Lesche tucked my hair behind my ear. He had a faint smile.
“I will never forget. Seria.”
My heart pounded aimlessly. I thought of Seria from the past who had lovesickness, and a little laugh ca out.
I leaned over and gently kissed Lesche’s lips. A smile spread slowly.
anwhile, the commotion was getting closer and closer from behind. It seed that the Knights of Berg had completely returned and were approaching.
“Now go ho. Lesche.”
Lesche laughed.
“Let’s go back, Seria.”
When I got ho, I thought that I just wanted to sleep for a few days. On the one hand, will this man leave alone for a few days? That thought crossed my mind.
But I didn’t bring it out of my mouth because I thought I’d be at a disadvantage no matter what I said.
The sumr sun was dazzlingly pouring over the nurous knights wearing constellation armor that protects humans from demonic beasts. It reminded of the brightly shining guardian. Tuban.
I looked up at the sky. It was such a hot sun.
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