All the maids and guards in the mansion were evacuated.
They were asked to spread the rumor that the baron had died, and that his illegitimate child remained.
Now, all that was left to do was wait.
Sena, in his pajamas, headed towards the balcony.
‘It’s bright tonight.’
He opened the window and stared blankly outside.
Once the clock passed, there would be 9 days left.
9 days.
Finally, it had decreased to a single digit.
‘Can I do it?’
He knew how to extend his life.
The problem was time.
Could he find the devil worshiper within 9 days?
More importantly, could he solve this case in 9 days?
-I disagree. This matter should have been entrusted to the knights. As Her Majesty said, you’re a physician, not a knight.
Sylvia had given this advice until the very end.
She wasn’t wrong.
That might be the most rational choice.
Would solving this case be more valuable than fulfilling his last wish of returning to his hometown?
If he asked himself, the answer would still be the same.
‘Yes.’
Sena had imagined his end countless times.
A little over 9 days. If he didn’t extend his life, he would die in a carriage.
If so, he would rather die helping others. At least then, his existence would have some meaning.
Sena’s resolve was firm. It had been ignited at some point.
At that moment, a silent figure suddenly appeared.
“Senior.”
“Oh, you scared me.”
“Why are you so startled?”
Sylvia lightly jumped over the window sill.
‘This is the third floor.’
It was always surprising how knights of this era displayed superhuman strength.
“Did you come because you were worried about me?”
“That’s not it.”
Sylvia seemed eager to make up for her past mistake.
“…As long as I’m here, unauthorized intrusions are impossible. I won’t make the same mistake as last time.”
What should he say?
The decision didn’t take long.
“I trust you, my knight.”
Sena smiled faintly.
“By the way, why did you come here?”
“…You called for me, Senior.”
“Oh. Right, I did.”
– The two of us have something to talk about.
He recalled the words he had whispered to Sylvia.
“What is it?”
“Well, you see.”
Sena’s face was slightly flushed. It was probably the cold. But perhaps it was also a bit of excitement.
“Um, it’s nothing.”
“What is it? Don’t leave me hanging.”
“Haha.”
“It’s about your lifespan, isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“It’s alright. I already know and I’m prepared to hear it. And don’t worry too much.”
Sylvia closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“I’ve encountered a devil worshiper once before. And I never miss the presence of someone I’ve met, even once.”
“Oh, how reassuring.”
Sena clapped his hands with a happy face.
The applause soon faded, and Sena smiled faintly.
“Alright, I’ll tell you.”
But when he actually tried to speak, the words wouldn’t come out.
He had been hiding this for so long.
‘I never thought this day would come.’
A secret he had vowed never to tell anyone. A secret he desperately wanted to keep hidden.
Now, it was time to speak.
Sena spoke neither too seriously nor too lightly.
“I’m going to die in 9 days.”
“What do you mean…”
Sylvia didn’t quite understand what Sena was saying.
“What… are you talking about?”
“Just as I said. It’s past midnight now, so I have 9 days left. There’s very little time left, isn’t there?”
“What do you mean, what are you talking about right now?!”
Sylvia’s sharp voice echoed in the air. Sena was momentarily surprised by the loud voice but then smiled bitterly.
The normally pitiful sight of his drooping silver hair didn’t evoke any sympathy today.
“9 days? You’re saying 9 days?”
“…You know, right? I don’t have much time left.”
“No, right? You’re lying, right? That doesn’t make any sense. No matter how great of a physician you are, how can you know that so precisely?”
Sylvia couldn’t believe it. No, she didn’t believe it.
“How can you make such a scary joke, Senior? I know your health isn’t good, and that your remaining lifespan isn’t long. But 9 days is just too short. At least a year, that much…”
“Wow, it would be really nice if I could live for a year.”
He knew.
He knew that Sena didn’t have much time left.
He had seen and heard enough to know.
So he had been prepared.
But Sylvia only just realized it now.
She didn’t know what it meant to lose this person standing before her.
The fear made her mind go blank.
“…How can you say that?”
“What?”
“You only have 9 days left.”
She looked at Sena. He had the same face as usual. He looked somewhat relaxed, with no sign of anxiety. A saintly face.
“But how can you be so calm? No, what are you doing when you have so little time left?”
“Haha, sorry, sorry. I’m a bit slow. You know? It takes me two hours to eat a baguette.”
“You’re too slow! This is no time to be like this! We don’t have enough time even if we start looking for the devil worshiper right now!”
Every minute and second felt incredibly precious to Sylvia now, moments that had passed by unnoticed until yesterday.
Sena, as if reading Sylvia’s thoughts, said.
“Don’t be so impatient. The demon who will extend my lifespan will show up.”
“How can you be so sure…!”
Sena got up from the bed and wiped Sylvia’s tears.
“Don’t cry, or Santa won’t bring you a gift.”
“What’s Santa… sniff.”
“…There’s no Santa here, right? I forgot. Anyway, don’t worry too much. I’m fine. I’m the one who’s going to die, so if you cry, what am I supposed to do?”
He felt a small hand in his grasp.
Though she was small, her attempt to comfort him was touching.
Her silver hair fluttered, and her pure eyes were like lakes.
Sena’s unique clear scent. The soft touch. His voice that seemed to tickle her ears.
All of it.
Really? I won’t see you anymore?
“Lies.”
“…”
“Please, tell me it’s a lie like you always do.”
“Yeah. It’s a lie.”
Sena said it as if it were nothing.
However, unlike usual, Sena’s hair was calm.
Transparent drops fell from Sylvia’s eyes.
Sena smiled weakly. There was nothing he could do except hold her.
‘How long did it take me?’
He thought as he held Sylvia.
The time it took to fully accept his death.
At first, he couldn’t believe the reality, so he desperately tried to cure his illness.
‘Was it about a month?’
After doing everything he could, he realized that his illness wasn’t something he could cure.
It took him a month to accept his death.
Sylvia didn’t even have that month.
‘If I had known it would come to this, I should have told her sooner.’
“I will definitely.”
“Yeah.”
“…Find the devil worshiper and offer them to you, Senior.”
Sena didn’t know.
He didn’t realize how strong Sylvia’s resolve was.
**
On the city wall.
Astria faced the cold night air directly, looking down.
“Why are you here? Go and guard my furball.”
Ellie and Lucia had come to Astria’s location.
“…If you’re so worried, why don’t you guard them yourself?”
Lucia spoke with a prideful expression.
“Even if I combine my strength with Miss Sylvia’s, it wouldn’t reach half of Your Majesty’s power.”
“Oh, you’ve noticed that.”
“I am a servant of Justitia. No matter how much you suppress it, the truth is bound to be revealed.”
Astria glanced at Lucia as if she were surprised, then chuckled.
“You knew I was suppressing my magical power. Are you saying you can see through anyone?”
“As you say. An inquisitor must be able to discern the truth.”
Ellie looked back and forth between Astria and Lucia.
While Lucia’s gaze was directed at Astria, Astria’s gaze was fixed on the distant darkness.
‘What is she looking at?’
Ellie tilted her head in pure curiosity.
“That’s a very arrogant statement. Then tell me, why are you suspicious of Cruyff? You must have come to advise me about that anyway.”
Astria’s guess was accurate.
Ellie nodded as she looked at Lucia.
“We are from the Silania Cathedral.”
“I know.”
“That church holds greater power than any other church. In other words, it’s not our place to come to a remote territory like this for an inquisition. There is another reason why we came here.”
“Go on.”
Ellie took a moment to catch her breath.
She pulled out a cross from her chest and handed it to Astria.
Astria took the cross without much emotion.
“A direct order from the Pope?”
The Laperci Empire’s royal family had a very old debt to Justitia.
For certain reasons, the Church helped the royal family, and in return, the first Emperor declared that he would grant the Church three requests.
Even after a thousand years, that promise had continued.
It was also the first thing Astria inherited when she ascended to the throne.
Astria held the cross in her fist and extended it into the air.
It ignited brightly, burning with a blue flame, but the cross did not disappear.
This relic was genuine.
“…Speak. The church, which hasn’t made any requests in a thousand years, now brings a holy relic and makes a request to the Emperor. What is it?”
“His Holiness the Pope believes that only the Empress can resolve the current situation. However, he also said that he cannot trust the Empress.”
Lucia was the one who answered. Astria did not get angry at the mention of mistrust. It was a given.
She herself did not trust the Justitia Church in the slightest.
“He asked us to gauge your intentions. And based on Archbishop Ellie’s judgment, he was certain that you would not refuse this proposal.”
“That’s very displeasing. But, it has piqued my interest. I will listen.”
Lucia looked at Ellie.
Ellie nodded and stood respectfully before Astria.
“We detected a Great Demon. It has regained considerable power and seems to have been summoned about two years ago. The summoning point is near here. It has likely been growing stronger by instigating war.”
Astria spoke nonchalantly.
“Whatever it is, I’ll just kill it, won’t I? After all, I am here. The Pope has wasted a precious relic on something trivial.”
“…According to the Church’s findings, the Great Demon has already regained so much power that it’s impossible to stop it with human strength. Even Sena, who possesses immense divine power, cannot stop it.”
“And the solution?”
“We must eliminate the summoner using the Empire’s full might. If the summoner, who is the medium, dies, the Great Demon will have no reason to exist in this world.”
“Who is the summoner?”
After a brief silence, Ellie spoke.
“…The archbishop in charge of this area is Lord Cruyff. And no matter how great a demon it is, it cannot hide from the Church’s eyes early in its summoning. Unless it is concealed by a high-ranking priest who can manipulate the Church.”
Astria reached into the air with an expressionless face. Soon, her Holy Sword was in her hand.
“So that’s why you mentioned Cruyff Birkender to me.”
“…Yes. We wanted to gauge your intentions.”
“And why reveal your hand now?”
Ellie slowly lowered her eyes.
“It’s today. The day the Great Demon will come to kill the only priest who might be able to kill it.”
“Indeed, the tension in the air must be because of that.”
As soon as Astria finished speaking, the ground beneath them shook.
Thud, thud, thud-.
Having experienced numerous battlefronts, Astria immediately recognized the sound.
It was the sound of an army charging on horseback.
“Hey, church people.”
Lucia, annoyed but realizing she was being addressed, responded immediately.
“…Yes.”
“You said you could gauge the amount of suppressed magic power?”
“That’s correct.”
Astria’s smile deepened.
“Is that so?”
Kuhwaaak-!
The air around Astria roared.
Lucia realized she had made a grave mistake.
The power she had perceived as a lake within Astria was just a fraction of her true might, akin to the surface of an ocean.
“Seeing that nauseating expression, it seems you’ve finally realized.”
Astria’s eyes burned calmly.
“Whether it’s a Great Demon or whatever, to me, it is nothing more than ordinary.”
