“Have we been freed from the curse?”
Bell stared at Yuma, who said that with wide eyes.
“Uh, yeah. It feels like… we’ve been freed from the Blood Pact.”
Bell’s voice trembled. She still couldn’t believe that the White Night Clan was freed from the chains of this White Night land.
And how could she? Just yesterday, she couldn’t even imagine this moment. It never crossed her mind, not even in her dreams.
“Congratulations.”
Yuma said to Bell casually and started walking.
Sizzle—!
Then, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
Black embers were left on the ground.
‘…That was close.’
He had just killed Ades and nearly got engulfed in Ades’s flames.
Yuma solemnly stepped over Ades’s fire and continued to walk gracefully forward. The members of the White Night Clan watching his steps thought nothing of the scene they had just witnessed.
Stopping and starting again flowed as naturally as water.
The chief, Luke, thought to himself about Yuma’s actions.
‘He must be feeling the aftermath of battle…!’
A strong warrior who could pause briefly to savor the remnants of the battlefield…!
With the colossal giant, Ades, the King of the God Race, lying behind them, and Yuma striding forward with dignity, it could only be interpreted as a magnificent spectacle.
Not just the chief Luke, but all of the clan’s main fighters, around sixty of them, felt the same.
They had truly come to recognize Yuma.
They had just witnessed it with their own eyes.
The King of the God Race, Ades, who had oppressed their clan for centuries. They had seen with clarity as that giant, boasting regenerative power fueled by divine energy, was killed in a single blow.
And at that moment, the specific scene unfolding before them didn’t even matter.
It wasn’t the time to fret over Yuma’s level of power.
Everyone blankly checked their own bodies and their families’. Then they embraced each other.
“Ades…!”
“The King of the God Race is dead!”
“We’re free! We’re free!!”
As the giant’s body completely tilted, and the chains of the curse that had tightened their hearts dissipated entirely, the clan finally grasped what had happened to them.
Freedom.
Freedom had come to the bloodline of the White Night.
They held each other for a very long time.
“…Now’s the time to give thanks.”
Luke, who was the first to regain his composure, opened his mouth, and everyone turned toward Yuma.
Step— step— thud— thud—
Yuma looked at the members of the White Night Clan gathering around him, making all sorts of sounds.
He sighed inwardly as he scanned the closely packed clan members that surrounded him like a siege. Their bodies were slowly leaning down.
‘Are they going to kneel again?’
Lately, Yuma had seen more kneeling than he cared for.
But this time, it wasn’t kneeling.
Done.
—
Boom─
They took it a step further than just kneeling…!
They bowed.
Starting with Chieftain Luke, the entire tribe of over 120 people bowed to Duke Yuma.
From the front, Luke’s deep voice echoed out.
“The grace that has freed our tribe from our burdens, we will never forget for a lifetime.”
“We will never forget, our benefactor.”
The quiet voices responded from all around.
“We will never forget, our benefactor.”
Among them, there were quite a few who sounded like they were about to cry.
After a long moment of silence,
Every member of the White Night Tribe slowly rose to their feet.
“Phew….”
An 8-year-old boy, looking like he was in tears, sniffled.
“Can we finally go outside of the fortress?”
“Yes, yes. Now you can go out freely. Diorn.”
The voices of a mother and son could be heard.
Yuma looked at the large man standing beside him, the tribe’s chieftain, Luke. Luke gazed at Yuma with intense eyes.
“You said you are the Grand Marshal of the Empire? If you need military strength, don’t hesitate to call on us.”
Luke’s mind, worn down over decades, had been completely restored. Having freed himself from the burdens he had carried for a lifetime, it was no surprise.
Luke continued speaking.
“Every member of the White Night Tribe is always ready to be your sword.”
The warriors behind Luke deeply bowed.
“That’s right. Wherever we are, in any land or country, we will serve you as our lord.”
“Our benefactor.”
Yuma scanned the White Night Tribe.
Though the number of warriors and mages among them wasn’t that many, even these would far surpass the Empire’s First Knight Division.
Most of the warriors had superior natural talent for swordsmanship. Profoundly exceeding what is generally called ‘talent.’
“Impressive.”
If they became Yuma’s blades, they would surely be a great help.
However, Yuma didn’t plan to take them along right away.
He slowly shook his head.
“But this is not the time for war. For now, enjoy the freedom and liberation that you’ve earned. What I need right now….”
Pausing momentarily, Yuma looked at Bell, who was pressed up against Luke’s side.
“Is just that.”
Though it was an unconscious slip of exhaustion, Bell’s eyes widened as she was treated like an object with ‘that.’
Luke turned to Bell and nodded.
“I shall give you this.”
Bell’s brow wrinkled tightly.
“What, what are you talking about?! Acting on your own! Damn father!!”
Bell looked back at Yuma.
“If I give it, it’ll be because I willingly chose to give it!”
Fueled by her anger towards her father Luke, Bell hastily blurted out her words. A moment later, she rewound her thoughts and realized what she had just said to Yuma.
“Set it up.”
A rosy tint bloomed on her snow-white cheeks.
“Ugh…!”
And she grasped her long blue hair with both hands.
Slowly releasing her grip, she let out a sigh.
“…Bell, that’s my name.”
“Bell.”
“Yeah.”
Although Duke Yuma had already confirmed it through the Search Eye, he prompted Luke to deal with the warriors behind him since she said her name herself.
Luke nodded without hesitation and commanded his subordinates as Yuma directed.
“Alright, Bell. For now, we just need to head to the imperial capital together.”
Yuma thought it necessary to inform the two of the details.
“In the prophecy regarding the imperial princess I’m assisting, a figure referred to as the ‘Blue-Haired Sword Saint’ appears. That’s definitely you.”
Yuma glanced at Cloney standing beside him.
“Since we have resonated.”
Bell nodded at Yuma’s explanation.
“Ah…just before the battle, something rang in my head. So that was the resonance between her and me?”
With her pink eyes sparkling, Bell approached Cloney.
“In any case, according to the prophecy, I will take you both in front of Princess Brigitte, the First Princess. We can think about what comes next later.”
Yuma gestured toward Bell with his chin.
“I’m planning to leave for the empire tomorrow morning. It’ll take about a week, so say your goodbyes to your clan.”
“Yeah….”
Bell trailed off, perhaps caught up on the word ‘goodbye.’ She quickly walked away.
Yuma turned to Luke.
“You promised to become my army.”
Luke’s blue hair fluttered.
“Of course, just say the word, Yuma. You are a being of the clan that must be worshipped, at least in this generation.”
A being to be worshipped, huh?
Yuma clicked his tongue internally. But the loyalty Luke currently possessed was valuable.
‘Who knows when it will be, but I will surely need them when the time comes.’
He had almost pieced together almost all the fragments of the prophecy.
If there was a storm in this world, it was certain that he stood right at its center.
“As I just said, for now, enjoy your freedom. I’ll prepare to call you to the empire when the time is right.”
Luke smiled wryly.
“Freedom, huh? The very thing I wanted most in this world. But now that I have it in my grasp, I don’t know how to use it.”
Yuma replied indifferently.
“Well, just go on a trip. Enjoy some good food.”
Luke chuckled.
“Culinary delights, that sounds nice.”
*
The sun had completely set, and the night deepened.
The White Night Castle stood empty.
The White Night clan gathered in groups, stepping outside the outer castle.
And they wandered through the wilderness beyond that outer castle.
They had left the land of White Night.
“I’m not dead….”
“My heart isn’t bursting.”
Choked voices and mutual reassurances echoed.
“Freedom.”
“Damn, I never thought this moment I’ve been dreaming about would actually come true.”
Among the White Night clan, praises for Duke Yuma continued to flow non-stop.
“To defeat Ades, you’ve truly accomplished something amazing…”
One young man, tears welling in his eyes, wiped them away. A woman behind him smacked his back.
“Well then, you really did something great! If things had gone wrong, we might have had to marry each other!”
“In, inbreeding…? But the older generation, our father’s generation mostly married people from other kingdoms, right?”
The woman twisted her mouth.
“That was thanks to the conquering king blabbering on for generations. Our mothers fled for their lives, running into our White Night land that the Barbarian Nation didn’t touch. From our clan’s perspective, it was a stroke of luck. Normally, who’d marry in a place no one could even step into if people came in? The kids can’t even take a step outside.”
The young man bowed his head at her explanation.
“But, but do you really hate me that much?”
The woman’s face scrunched up.
“Then, damn! Would that be great, huh? Ugh!”
And she raised both hands high.
“Long live Duke Yuma! The one and only god of our clan! Long live Yuma!”
The women of the clan genuinely believed Yuma was a god.
*
“….”
Haven looked up at the countless stars in the sky and smiled brightly. It was only slightly beyond the White Night land, yet it felt like a completely different world.
Freedom.
Is this freedom?
Just having taken a single bite.
That freedom was incredibly sweet.
Sssh sssh-
“Brother.”
Haven stepped on the snow and gazed at his younger sister, Bell, standing next to him. He slowly opened his mouth.
“They said you’re going to the Astes Empire with Duke Yuma, right?”
Bell nodded.
“Yeah, that’s how it is.”
“Well, you’re just going a bit ahead. Father said he’ll call us soon.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
The siblings leaned against a tree and looked up at the sky.
Haven spoke again.
“Really, Bell, you’re the chosen one in many ways. If it weren’t for you… if you weren’t in our tribe, would Duke Yuma have come here? I don’t think he would have.”
Bell fell silent.
Haven patted Bell’s shoulder.
“Thanks for everything.”
“…That’s what I should be saying.”
It was merely the trust of siblings. However, the trust as blood relatives was incredibly strong.
“Still, I won’t give up. Swordsmanship… one day, I’ll surpass you.”
At Haven’s words, Bell chuckled. She found it endearing that her brother was so determined not to give up.
“Go for it, give it a shot.”
“Right, you take good care of Duke Yuma first.”
The two leaned against the tree, looking at the starry sky for a while before slowly returning to the White Night land.
It was a night when all of the White Night lineage tasted freedom for the very first time in their lives.
