[52]
Slowly but steadily.
Sena was preparing to leave.
“…Sena-nim. You really don’t have to go this far.”
The first place he visited was Serilda’s house.
Although he knew her brother’s condition had improved, it had been almost three weeks, so it was time to check up on him.
“He’s been taking his medicine regularly, and the environment is good.”
The room was small but cozy.
Much better than the slum they used to live in.
“Since it’s a place provided by the imperial family. It’s a bit expensive, but we managed with the money you gave us, Sena.”
“I’m glad it helped.”
“Astin, you should thank him too. You’d be dead by now if it weren’t for Sena-nim.”
“…Sis, watch your language.”
Serilda’s brother, Astin, couldn’t look Sena in the eye. After hesitating for a while, he finally spoke.
“…I’m so indebted to you that I don’t know how to properly express my gratitude.”
‘Kids these days are so mature.’
Isn’t it surprising? This was spoken by a child around ten years old. What was I doing at that age? Probably pestering Cruyff every day to tell me more stories.
“Your sister has already repaid the favor. So you just focus on growing up healthy.”
Sena, finding Astin adorable, patted his head and gave him advice. His precociousness likely stemmed from his early home environment.
I hope he can be happy from now on.
“I’ll be going.”
“Sena, please wait a moment!”
Just as Sena finished the brief consultation and was about to head back to the palace, Serilda hurriedly searched through a drawer in the corner of the house.
After a while, she came running with a rather heavy-looking pouch.
“Um, Sena-nim. It’s not much, but please accept this.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s 50 gold. I saved it up with the remaining money and this month’s salary. I’ll definitely repay the remaining 50 gold as well.”
Sena waved his hands.
“Ahaha, use it for your brother. I’m fine.”
“But…”
“How did you manage to save anything with that meager maid’s salary?”
“As a personal maid, I earn several times more, so it’s okay! Please, take it!”
Serilda closed her eyes tightly and bowed deeply.
Sena felt nothing but pride.
Indeed, when you help others, it always comes back to you.
He wished a certain someone knew this too.
Still, there was one thing that was disappointing.
‘Oh, but I don’t have any money?’
“…I’ll accept it then.”
It would have been cooler if he left without taking the money.
He always ends things so sloppily.
**
‘The last thing to do is meet with Cruyff, but that can wait.’
Sena casually postponed it and returned to his room. He intended to fulfill his most important duty.
There was a book he had written last time detailing Astria’s physical condition, but he wanted to check it again just to be sure.
As he opened the door, he saw a stranger.
A maid with red hair, wearing an eye patch, sat sprawled out on his table, yawning.
She had her legs spread out in a crude manner, looking almost like a thug.
“…Wrong room.”
Sena blinked and tried to leave. She was too intimidating. The maid noticed Sena and smirked as their eyes met.
“I came because I was called, but the reception is quite poor.”
Her name was Isabella.
The leader of Labella. Known to the public as the revolutionary Isabella.
“Isabella, what brings you here?”
Sena laughed awkwardly.
Even so, how could the leader of an anti-empire group like Labella appear in the imperial palace in a day?
Isabella shamelessly pointed to her face.
“I’m in disguise.”
“…I see.”
“I’m wearing an eye patch and a maid outfit.”
Can that even be called a disguise?
Sena sighed.
Still, it was interesting to see Isabella in a maid outfit.
“Well, that’s how it is. Astria is arrogant. If there’s a challenger, she won’t avoid it. She might even welcome it. In other words, the palace security is surprisingly lax.”
“…Really?”
“Of course, no random riffraff can break in. However, it is not that difficult for the former Empress’s Guardian Knight.”
Isabella walked over to Sena with cat-like grace.
Being quite tall, she looked down at Sena from her height, which seemed to be around 175 cm.
“Taking you out of here is not difficult at all.”
“…I see.”
“Sit down. Let’s hear why you called me.”
Sena nodded and sat quietly on the sofa. Isabella sat opposite him, crossing her arms.
“What was that about in your letter? Saying it’s time to start regretting things.”
“You and Astria can never coexist. If she’s fire, you’re water. Together, you’ll only end up destroying each other.”
“Then what about you, Isabella?”
“I am the wind. I can extinguish the fire if it gets annoying, but I can’t do anything about the water.”
‘Is that really the case?’
What does Astria mean to him? Sena thought about something he had never considered before.
Astria was a person who embodied everything he disliked. At first, he thought it was just rumors, but now he knew those rumors were not exaggerated.
She only does what she wants. Anything that bothers her, she removes, and she doesn’t listen to any advice.
She treats human lives lightly, and her rule is undoubtedly tyrannical.
But why?
Why doesn’t he feel any hatred? Even now, rather…
“Most importantly, she doesn’t have the capability to keep you.”
“Haha, what am I to her?”
Sena, with a sigh, played with the empty teacup, smoothing down his hair.
“Join Labella, Sena.”
Isabella got straight to the point. Sena hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“What kind of work would I be doing if I joined Labella?”
Isabella frowned as if the question was unexpected, responding as if it was a given.
“Labella means freedom. If you thought we’d confine and bind you like Astria, you’d be disappointed. Did we do that when we brought you?”
“…No. You let me move around freely.”
“And you didn’t run away. Perhaps that’s the strongest kind of restraint. Show someone paradise, and they’ll want to stay.”
Sena asked the crucial question, seeking a clear answer.
“Can I return to my hometown?”
“There’s no one to bind you anywhere. Go to your hometown, do whatever you want. Just promise to heal any patients we send your way and send them back.”
“That’s not difficult.”
Sena smiled bitterly. It was surprisingly easy. If he had known, he would have contacted Labella sooner.
‘…It’s because Astria got angry when I first contacted Labella. If I hadn’t done that, I would have used Labella during my first escape. Then I would already be in my hometown, right?’
There was no one to blame. It was all his own doing.
Yet somehow, he didn’t regret it. Otherwise, everything that happened with Astria would have been for nothing.
“Take my hand, Sena. Close your eyes, and when you open them, you’ll be in Labella.”
Isabella smiled and extended her hand.
It was a sweet offer. The long-awaited dream was right in front of him.
But Sena, looking at her hand, shook his head calmly.
“There are still things I need to do.”
“What do you need to sort out when you’re running away?”
Isabella awkwardly withdrew her hand.
“I need to tidy up before I leave. And…”
Sena gazed out the window.
“There’s something I still have to do.”
Thinking of someone who would probably be in the garden at this hour.
**
‘You should have treated me better.’
Isabella’s smirk didn’t fade. She had just stolen what her most hated opponent cherished the most, right from their palace.
It was worth coming here herself. Now, all that was left was to return to Labella’s base and prepare to extract Sena.
‘I’ll create a commotion, and in the chaos, I’ll secretly bring him out.’
True to her role as a revolutionary leader, she quickly formed a plan and moved. The bright flower beds greeted Isabella.
This route was a place unknown to most except for the royals. If you crossed the garden, a secret passageway would appear.
By the lakeside, Astria was squatting and throwing stones. Seeing this, Isabella’s body froze completely.
She was the last person Isabella wanted to encounter. She was about to turn back when her curiosity got the better of her.
That empress never wastes time on meaningless things, so what is she doing now?
And there was no way that yellow fool wouldn’t notice someone coming this far.
“What are you doing, Your Majesty the Empress?”
If you can’t hide, be bold.
Isabella approached Astria with a crooked smile.
But inwardly, she was nervous. She confidently called Astria names in front of others, but the sight of Astria’s face always made her right eye sting.
Perhaps what Astria had given her was not just the scar on her right eye, but fear.
“If you’ve come to play in my garden, leave quietly. I am not in a good mood right now.”
Splash, Astria threw another stone into the lake.
Isabella squinted her eyes. Had she finally gone mad?
It would be something to celebrate. She was about to smile when Astria spoke again.
“Did you cause the monsters in the Giaanan Mountains?”
‘…Does she know?’
Isabella’s shoulders flinched.
The darkest place is under the lamp. Labella’s current base was the peak of the Giaanan Mountains, closest to the capital.
But the question was wrong. Isabella shook her head.
“We’re having trouble because of that too. The monsters keep causing problems while we transport supplies.”
“I see.”
Even while conversing, Astria didn’t turn around. She only spoke coldly.
“Get lost.”
“Gladly.”
Isabella crossed the mountains with Labella’s members.
“Is Sena really coming?”
“Hahaha! Of course! Sena is now one of us, Labella!”
People from Labella smiled at each other.
Sena was quite popular within Labella.
Due to the nature of Labella’s activities, many got injured, and Sena, who had stayed with them for a year, treated them sincerely.
“We should prepare a gift.”
“And some delicious food.”
It was only natural they welcomed Sena warmly.
“If we tell everyone this news, they’ll be thrilled.”
“Right? Huh?”
“Boss. The monsters are dead over here.”
A cleanly severed head of a Cerberus lay nearby. Isabella crouched down, sniffing the air.
“…Our people?”
But Isabella’s expression quickly hardened.
‘This is the work of a Master.’
Her pupils trembled as she stood up. A bad feeling crept over her.
“Boss!”
With quick movements, she climbed the highest peak nearby. Through the faint mist, she could see her village.
“…!”
And then she saw it.
The village was burning.
Knights and soldiers ravaging it.
It looked like hell.
Isabella’s face twisted like a demon, her blood vessels bursting. Enraged, she screamed the name of the only person capable of such an atrocity.
“Astria-!”
