The Calus Empire.
In the northern continent, the master of this colossal nation was ironically the smallest girl among those who owned land in the northern continent.
Although still a mere girl, the beautiful maiden with a gentle demeanor, rare platinum hair, and heterochromatic eyes seemed like someone who could win the people’s support through her appearance alone in the future.
And the girl was well aware of that fact.
Thus, young Ilyena of House Kel accepted the maids’ touches while gently blinking in a bathtub filled with scented oil.
The aromatic oil, extracted from all sorts of flowers, emitted a subtle yet enchanting fragrance. As the maid’s hands caressed the girl’s body submerged in water infused with the oil, the captivating scent lingered strongly.
Truly a seductive aroma.
Sniffing the scent piercing her nostrils, the girl slightly raised her arm to halt the maids.
As those softly wiping the Emperor’s body stopped, the girl rose from the bathtub.
“…Is it excessive?”
She momentarily thought so.
Of course, it was an anticipated meeting. Indeed, it was natural to expect it.
Aslan was practically her savior, the one who opened another path for her when only the worst fate awaited.
Instead of being offered to a martial artist or marrying into a powerful noble family, he made her the emperor.
He also instilled determination within her. Therefore, having interest in such a person wasn’t strange at all.
If there was any issue, it would be that her interest was excessive.
The girl pondered if she was overly concerned about Aslan.
“Was the aromatic oil too much?”
At her fleeting glance towards the bathtub, the maids hurriedly emptied it.
Steam rose as the water drained, and the faint pleasant scent of the oil still lingered.
“No, using aromatic oil is something I do regularly…”
Though she didn’t use it often, the young Empress justified herself and waited for the maids to dry her body.
When the maids brought dry, high-quality cloth to pat her dry, the Empress silently accepted their touch.
Regardless, the young Empress was secretly thrilled about finally meeting Aslan.
Even though the messenger had returned saying, “There are matters regarding the future alliance to discuss,” Ilyena did not mind much.
Whatever the reason, the fact remained that they were meeting.
As the maids who dried her body stepped back and others approached with clothes, the Empress draped herself in the attire they provided.
A blue silk dress that suited her pale skin and blue eyes well. The dress was adorned with natural patterns embroidered with golden thread.
While draping the dress around her, the girl thought.
She had no particular purpose or selfish intention.
No matter how things turned out, Aslan was not just her savior who saved her from a humiliating fate but also a renowned hero.
A hero who captured the attention of the times and even drew the gaze of evil deities.
A hero acknowledged even by the proud Belus Alphen, known as the veteran of battles and slayer of priests.
Naturally, the girl believed she should recruit such a hero.
If her beauty played its part during this recruitment process, then such effort would not matter much to her.
Certainly, there was personal desire too.
She wanted to show him that she had changed from the weak self who used to avoid fights.
Even a calm acknowledgment following this would satisfy her.
With a soft smile, the Empress adorned herself with the jewelry handed by the maids, unable to erase the smile.
“Surely, he’ll at least say I’m pretty.”
With a gentle smile, the girl finally finished preparing herself. Checking her appearance, she turned her head towards the head maid standing behind her.
“Your Majesty, the distinguished guests have arrived.”
“…Is that so?”
Suppressing the rising corners of her mouth, Ilyena responded, and the head maid bowed deeply.
“Inform them that I will await them in the audience chamber.”
While trying to suppress her excitement, the Empress ordered the head maid and headed straight to the audience chamber where the jade throne was located.
It was the audience chamber where Aslan had killed her older brother, the former emperor, along with his soldiers and martial artists.
Since it was the starting point where her destiny changed, seeing Aslan again in that very place gave the girl a subtle sense of satisfaction.
“Indeed, it’s satisfying. After all, the empire is mine now.”
Sitting on the jade throne, the Empress realized how familiar the cool sensation under her soft buttocks had become.
The solemn atmosphere of the audience chamber had become familiar, and receiving nobles daily in the audience chamber felt like part of everyday life.
Today’s events might deviate from the norm, but even so, the young Empress could gladly accept them.
Enjoying the discomfort of the throne that had already become part of her life, the Empress maintained her dignity while waiting. At that moment, the massive doors of the audience chamber finally opened.
The first figure to enter was a familiar one to the girl, the old knight Reynold.
He bowed deeply and greeted before speaking.
“Your Majesty, I have brought the guests.”
“Let them enter.”
Expectation welled up on the Empress’s face, and with a nod from the old knight, the grand doors opened again, revealing a procession beyond.
The group crossing the audience chamber following the old knight was unique.
There was a giant dragon-person, a woman with white hair, a noble-looking woman carrying a spear on her back, and a barefooted girl who clearly looked like an elf.
According to Aslan’s report, these diverse individuals were veterans.
Impressed by their diversity and profound aura, the Empress slightly frowned.
Because Aslan wasn’t there.
As the young Empress’s face furrowed with curiosity, the old knight stopped the group calmly, as if expecting this question.
“Where has Aslan gone?”
The curious expression and lowered voice asked. In response, Lumel, the only human noble among the group, stepped forward.
“Your Majesty, it’s an honor to meet you. I am… .”
“That’s enough. I merely asked where Aslan has gone. Answer me.”
Lumel stiffened, seemingly startled by the words, then hesitated before replying.
“Aslan sir… well…”
The Empress’s gaze pierced Lumel, silently watching him.
Lumel felt the intense gaze pressing down on him and stammered several times.
Finally, with a perplexed expression, Lumel spoke.
“He saw… what seemed to be his late wife. He left his post.”
His late wife.
Empress Ilyena paused at this unexpected answer, entirely out of context from what she had anticipated.
“Late wife?”
She wasn’t sure which aspect to respond to first.
Should she react to the mention of death? Or to the fact that Aslan had been married? Or should she focus on the absence of Aslan here?
The girl had no clue.
Ignorance brought silence, and the silence spread an uncomfortable stillness, making the tense atmosphere in the audience chamber even more awkward.
In that awkward stillness, Tiamat scratched a scale, and Ilyena spoke.
“…Did you have a wife?”
It wasn’t a carefully considered statement.
*
Everything seemed to be going smoothly. Especially concerning the city of Ashan.
The engineers led by the old knight Reynold and Lord Devok would each play their roles in rebuilding and managing the city, so Ashan would be quickly restored without Aslan needing to worry about it.
Initially, managing or rebuilding Ashan wasn’t Aslan’s responsibility anyway, so upon seeing Lord Devok and the engineers find their places and begin reconstructing the city, Aslan relaxed and immediately followed Reynold toward Belus Ma’Kel.
The distance between Belus Ma’Kel and Ashan wasn’t far, so the journey itself didn’t take much time.
Subsequent tasks weren’t particularly difficult either. Rather, they were quite simple compared to battling priests or high-ranking priests.
Gathering allies, declaring the purpose, and preparing to form a massive alliance that would encompass the continent while getting ready to incorporate the Northern Empire at the southwestern end of the northern continent.
That was Aslan’s plan.
Everything was going well.
It had to go well.
There were no signs of instability.
Still, Aslan couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease.
In the desolate land of sorrow and death, he heard that his wife was alive.
He heard that she hadn’t died.
Yet, he knew she hadn’t appeared before him even once.
This suspicious situation made Aslan uneasy.
The last deity she served was the Dark Ram Herd, the entity responsible for casting Aslan into this Geladridion.
Considering recent direct interference with Aslan, Lewena should have revealed herself much earlier.
But she hadn’t.
Therefore, Aslan entered Belus Ma’Kel with heightened alertness, scanning his surroundings with his remaining eye.
Then he saw her.
A woman dressed in her favorite black dress, with crimson patterns resembling flowing blood, hugging her body tightly.
Beneath that dress lay the silhouette he could trace with his fingertips even with his eyes closed — so familiar.
Her face was veiled, preventing a clear view, but the long hair flowing beneath the veil was unmistakably black.
That black hair, which frequently appeared in his dreams, seemed even more vivid than in his dreams.
So, Aslan hastily excused himself and rushed after her, hoping it was a mistake.
Part of him wished it wasn’t.
Blindly chasing after her shadow,
Every alleyway he ran through only caught glimpses of her figure and the hem of her dress, prompting Aslan to leap over walls, dash through barriers, and bound across obstacles at increasing speed.
After running and leaping for some time, Aslan arrived at an empty alley between buildings, devoid of any sound.
Only then did Aslan realize he had mistaken what he saw.
Relief and self-loathing surged forth immediately, causing Aslan to slump against the wall and slide down to a sitting position.
Between gasps for breath, mental exhaustion seeped through. That exhaustion turned into a sigh that escaped as he hung his head low.
He felt ashamed of himself, having failed to accomplish even half of what needed to be done and already falling apart due to a momentary impulse, abandoning the Emperor’s audience.
He imagined the Emperor must think poorly of him right about now.
Adding to his thoughts, Aslan sighed while sitting on the ground and muttered.
“I should go back…”
Using those words as a signal, Aslan shakily stood up.
“Even if she’s alive, it’s not logical for her to come to me. Lewena knows I would kill her. Suddenly appearing after avoiding me all this time makes no sense.”
So what Aslan saw must have been either a hallucination or an illusion. As he rose to leave the alley, he suddenly stopped.
It was because of the sensation under his feet.
Though dulled by his boots, it was a sensation that provoked many thoughts.
Surprisingly, it was in an unexpected location. It was precisely where Aslan had fallen to his knees, as if anticipating his collapse, directly beneath where he had placed his first step.
Aslan’s emerald eyes narrowed, and suppressing his instinctive reluctance to confirm, he bent down. With the hand that approached the ground, he picked up what his boot sole had pressed down.
It was a familiar item.
First, the flowing mana was familiar. If mana had a color, it could be described as wine-like or purplish.
Its flow was both supple and passionate, like a snake crawling.
Next, the craftsmanship was familiar.
The stitching habit that left threads on the left side. Aslan traced the thread with his thumb, recognizing its exact placement with regretful fear.
It felt as if a long needle of memory pierced and ravaged his brain.
Staggering, Aslan leaned against the wall and stared blankly at the object.
It was a talisman.
A magical charm made from metal or fabric.
A charm for protection and blessings of an individual, and also a catalyst with magical utility.
And this was no ordinary talisman.
It was Lewena’s talisman.
The charm she often made to protect Aslan.
Aslan, feeling a throbbing sensation in his invisible left eye, recalled the words Lewena always said while handing him the talisman, touching his left forehead.
“Forever love.”
Forever.
What a truly terrifying word.
