A short party was held at the Lemea Duke’s mansion to celebrate the success of the operation.
Epherna asked for this gathering to commend Duke Lemea, who had put in a lot of effort even though he didn’t participate in the operation.
She openly expressed her thoughts and aspirations at this party, determined to seize as many opportunities as possible.
“Everyone here has worked hard as my brothers and sisters, so I will not hesitate to face danger for you all.”
“I promise to fairly distribute the merits of this operation without any personal bias, and I will further strengthen the bond with our brother nation, the Shamans.”
“And someday, in the future when I stand at the height of the sun, I hope our ties will continue.”
This was, in effect, a declaration of her claim to the throne.
Epherna had never so directly expressed her ambitions regarding the imperial throne until now.
There was a strong candidate for emperor in the form of Second Prince Elius Grandeum, and with the chaotic state of the empire, it was not a good time for a struggle for the throne.
But now, things were different.
The Second Prince had fallen into a coma and could no longer manage state affairs, and the once-chaotic empire had regained stability.
Even the empire’s leaders, who quickly sensed this change, were already preparing behind the scenes to support Epherna Grandeum as their empress.
Eperna Grandeum. Preparing to accept her as the emperor.
“Loyalty!!”
Everyone at the party knelt and pledged their loyalty.
Even the Shamans, who were not subjects of the empire, paid their respects to the next emperor of their brother nation in their own way.
There were three heroes present in this gathering.
The Guardian of the North, Simon Lemea.
The Continent’s Greatest Alchemist, Belladriel.
And the former commander of the Astrape Special Forces, Ern Astra.
Though she was not physically present, there was an unspoken support for her.
The Disaster of the Sky, Bergamot Katia.
Having received the loyalty of more than half of the heroes, she had become the most powerful figure on the continent at that moment.
Unless the Emperor awakens, no ruler would dare to challenge her position.
I watched her with invisible eyes, bowing my head.
Compared to her untainted childhood, she had become much more cunning and had taken on a lot of worldly filth, but she still shone brightly.
Even if she had come to realize and accept reality, even if her essence had changed, she had not strayed from the path of righteousness to walk the road of corruption.
That alone was enough.
What I did back then, to take you in, was by no means a mistake.
The proof was right before my eyes, and I couldn’t suppress the urge to smile.
*****
The last night at the Lemea Duke’s residence.
Epherna fell asleep first, perhaps due to her accumulated fatigue.
As I sat in the bedroom, staring at the moon rising in the sky, I placed my hand over my chest.
When I tried to draw out the winter energy, a cold chill spread wide.
I contained the coldness to ensure Epherna wouldn’t feel cold and let out a deep sigh.
“Hah…”
I had initially told Epherna that I had sealed away the Winter Blizzard.
It was clear she would be furious if I said I absorbed it, and since I couldn’t spit it out right away, I decided to postpone that explanation.
At that moment, I heard a voice.
[You absorbed the Winter Blizzard of all things?]
It was Shir’s voice, one I hadn’t heard in a long time.
“…It’s been a while.”
[Cut the greetings, are you in your right mind?]
“I didn’t expect it to turn out this way. Still, if I try hard enough, it should be okay, right?”
[Make some sense!! Do you think the Winter Blizzard is the same as the essences of the other three?]
“…?”
[Looking at your face, it seems you know nothing at all.]
“What do you mean?”
[The Winter Blizzard you completely absorbed is not gentle like the essences of the other three. Why do you think the original owner of the Winter Blizzard was called the Demon King? It is that vicious and difficult to control that it carries the name of ‘demon.’]
“Is that all? The grandiose expression makes it seem even more dangerous.”
[Don’t you feel it? The sharp malice piercing your heart.]
A faint pain in my heart. Was he referring to that?
“What’s so different about the Winter Blizzard compared to the other essences?”
[It has to be different. While the other essences are natural phenomena created to govern life, the Winter Blizzard was uniquely created to govern death.]
That meant.
[Now that you’ve absorbed the Winter Blizzard, your end will be one of two things: either you will die, or you will be consumed by the Winter Blizzard.]
It was a simple statement indicating that my fate wasn’t looking good.
I would either commit s*icide or lose my body to it.
What a fantastical dilemma.
No wonder I kept having a bad feeling.
I shouldn’t be unable to repel a chill that is merely a form of energy.
“Huh…”
Strangely enough, I wasn’t that flustered.
It was troubling, but in some ways, it felt refreshing.
As I thought about why that was, the answer came to me easily.
I could finally clarify
‘Everything’.
The heart that had wandered endlessly now ran along a single line.
Everything that had been ambiguous became clear.
Though my decision was not entirely from my own will, what does it matter?
The nature of human emotions is like that.
Life is about being swayed this way and that.
Meanwhile, the instinct of the dragon spoke.
Isn’t it a shame to die like this?
To be honest.
It is a shame, yet it is not at all a shame.
It’s a shame because I have not fulfilled my personal desires.
It’s not a shame because I have accomplished everything I needed to do.
Instinct and reason clashed.
The wall of the heart, standing vacantly in between, sided with reason.
In truth.
Instinct, reason, and the wall of the heart are all just excuses.
I was exhausted.
I’m just so tired.
I have no confidence in enduring the disasters and tsunamis that lie ahead.
Life is inherently hard and exhausting, but if that’s truly the case, I do not wish to live.
It’s absurd to speak as if I’ve lived my whole life after just 30 years.
—If someone were to say that, I wouldn’t have any retort.
However, if I were to make a slight counterargument.
A person’s life cannot be measured by its length.
Although my life hasn’t yet reached 30 years, I can assert that it has been as intense as that of a seasoned veteran.
So.
“That’s right.”
I could say it with a smile.
[What do you mean that’s right? You’re about to die, and you have that kind of composure?]
“You don’t know? In such situations, one must be overflowing with composure.”
Because.
Without composure, one wouldn’t even be able to entertain such thoughts.
“Get some sleep for a while.”
[…What? Suddenly, what’s with this out-of-the-blue remark…?]
Without any forewarning or sound, I pulled up the energy of winter.
Could it be that Shir never imagined I would attack myself?
He hesitated to remain on guard against me until the end.
In that fleeting moment of weakness, I struck, as if it were second nature.
Shshsh—!
The Winter Blizzard was not just an essence that emitted cold.
Just as the former Lord of Winter, the Demon King, had halted the very energy of winter, I could also freeze the imagery and mana that served as Shir’s source of power.
The Winter Blizzard, filled with malice, aided my will to attack my ally as if it were its own.
Not only did it trap the movements of the spirit beast Shir, but it also sealed his consciousness, preventing him from emerging from the world of imagery for the time being.
After one winter passed, Shir lay trapped in pure white ice, his eyes closed.
He would not awaken until my lifespan ran out.
“Thank you for everything until now.”
As I bid my final farewell to Shir, I lay down on the bed to relieve the fatigue that had built up over the past few days.
It was a cold and refreshing night.
*****
The next day.
Waking up, Epherna instinctively sought the familiar warmth she had grown accustomed to.
She waved her hands around, trying to feel that warmth she hadn’t experienced at all over the past week.
But.
‘Why… is he not here?’
The man who should have been sleeping beside her, she felt not a single trace of his presence.
At that moment, Epherna felt the warmth of a hand holding hers.
“Are you awake?”
A smile naturally spread across her lips.
The gentle voice and slight warmth.
It was a sensation anyone could feel, yet why was it so joyful?
No matter how she thought about it, she felt truly captivated by the man before her, and just as she began to rise, he spoke.
“Good morning.”
Kiss—
With such a natural movement and sound, Epherna momentarily failed to grasp what was wrong.
Wondering if it was a dream, she pinched her cheek.
Is it an illusion? She spread her sensory awareness in all directions.
After a few moments.
“It’s not a dream?”
Epherna’s eyes widened as she saw Ern, skillfully decorating her with an abundance of embellishments.
No matter what Epherna said, Ern continued to adorn her with expert hands.
Epherna then asked him.
“Are you feeling sick, Mister?”
“Where would I be sick?”
“But why are you suddenly kissing me on the forehead… no, doing something you’ve never done before?”
Of course, Ern had kissed her before.
Of course, Ern had kissed her before, but that was under circumstances that led to that moment; he had never done it of his own accord.
“Why do you think so?”
Ern asked with a playful smile.
Epherna pressed her lips tightly together.
A shock hit her like a hammer, and her cheeks turned as red as if she had failed at makeup.
It was the start of a day filled with many changes.
