No one was left in the ruined temple.
The bombing that lasted from the afternoon and through the evening forced everyone to evacuate. The temple, which was the most sacred space in the empire, turned into a bleak place where wild beasts started rummaging through corpses the moment the sun went down.
A bloody sunset illuminated the ruins.
Even the sky was stained with blood.
Rather, it seemed more peaceful once darkness fell. There were no people at the moment, but sooner or later people would come once chaos would subside.
Whether it’s to find survivors buried under rubble or rebuilding buildings, they would come. But right now, it was nothing for Jiwoo to worry about.
Even so, Jiwoo glanced back, as if something was constantly nagging at her. It felt as if she had left something behind, like something was lingering on the back of her mind.
It was one year that she endured alone as the Akarna, and five years that she barely survived because of the Crown Prince.
More than six years was not something that could easily be shaken off.
Helkainis and Tevon, who knew how complicated the feelings Jiwoo had were, didn’t say a word to Jiwoo while they carefully moved her.
Rather, them staying quiet helped her organize her mind.
Soon, they entered an inconspicuous space at the entrance of the temple.
A group of familiar people were waiting there.
“Ah, Seo Jiwoo! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Callandein saw them first and waved his hand. Lanceil and Enciertes were by his side.
After letting go of Tevon who was holding her, Jiwoo ran to Lanceil first.
He smelled of the nostalgic scent of wild flowers she had longed for. It was only when she smelled that scent that she knew she had finally found stability.
“Jiwoo, I missed you.”
“Me too…”
The same was true of this voice that gently reached her ears.
“I was worried. Are you okay?”
Callan and Enci also came running.
“Why are you all here?”
“We’re ready to go to El Ragneil, but we were afraid that something might have gone wrong.”
“This is a more dangerous place.”
“I know.”
Callan said charmingly, winking an eye at her.
“I just came because I wanted to see you earlier than everyone else.”
“I went first…”
Callan’s gaze turned to Jiwoo’s hand. And he smiled brightly.
“Ah, the ring! You accepted it!”
Callan boldly took Jiwoo’s hand and kissed it.
“Did you know? Enci’s meant to make this gem, but he was just going to give it to you by threading it on metal.”
“He has no bone of romance in him.”
Lanceil let out a low laugh.
“A ring only needs to function as a ring, so what’s the problem!”
Enci, who had been arrogant with his arms crossed all this time, was flushed with redness in his face.
“Anyway, the ring fits perfectly. I was worried because I didn’t see it before making it…”
“There can be no error in my measurements.”
“…It really suits you.”
Dark hair and a white dress. It looked like a mixture of Akarna and Elandos.
And the ring on that hand had a similar shape.
They stared blankly at Jiwoo again.
“Seo Jiwoo, the way you look today…”
Enci opened his mouth and stopped. He seemed to be at a loss for words. The gazes staring at her were embarrassing.
Callan said the rest.
“You are so beautiful. I want to carry you on my back and get married right away.”
Jiwoo laughed.
If it’s a wooden sculpture-like design, it would look good on anyone anyway. Look at them say such flattery.
“By the way… Jiwoo, are you sure you’re okay?”
“What?”
“If you come with us, you’ll never come back here again. The Great Vortex is not something that can be easily crossed.”
Jiwoo glanced at Helkainis. That’s true, but there was this person who could make the shift possible anyway?
“If you ask me to send you back, then I might have to…”
“Do you think you would like that?”
“If I must.”
“Then we’ll have to convince her. For a long, long time.”
Helkainis interrupted.
“I don’t think I can.”
“Why?”
Helka, who had interjected without hesitation, tilted his head to the side and did not respond quickly. He was quick to tell the truth, but he was always like this when he said something emotional.
“He can’t do it because he’s old. Don’t overwork the old man. In any case, today is today and tomorrow is tomorrow,” Tevon answered instead.
As Jiwoo covered her mouth and laughed quietly, Enci spoke dryly.
“Helka will get tired for a while.”
Curious about the reason, she looked at Helka and he immediately explained.
“Seo Jiwoo, we decided to take you, the answer, and take all the children of Elandos who had crossed over to this continent.”
The children of Elandos here were all those who came in order to find a way to cure their sick Elandos, and to avoid burdening the sick Elandos as they did not have that ability.
Having found the answer, it was time to go back together. There will be no reason not to rejoice at the idea.
Since they tend to exclude outsiders, they probably didn’t attach much affection to this place.
So they seemed worried.
For them, they were going back to their hometown, but this Caranazion was the only place Seo Jiwoo could call home.
Helka and Tevon watched anxiously as Jiwoo continued to glance at the ruined temple.
However, Jiwoo was anxious in a different way. All of this was based on the premise that Jiwoo would succeed in treating Elandos.
“But isn’t that a gamble? I don’t know yet if I can heal Elandos properly…”
“Seo Jiwoo, you said you will try.”
“But… I’m not sure.”
“I think it’s going to be fine. If that power is a force expressed by will, isn’t it most important you decide to try it? Or am I wrong to feel this way?”
Was it just a feeling? Her heart fluttered because of those who were blindly believing her. But it felt really good. So Jiwoo also vaguely thought that way.
Even if she failed, Jiwoo was the Akarna. At least she will be able to care for them anyway. As Helka said, just like a tree rooted in one place.
When Jiwoo held their hands and completely took her mind off Caranazion.
“Akarna!”
An unforgettable voice caught her steps.
“Akarna…!”
She turned to where the sound came from and saw someone running towards her. Large stature and stocky physique. Black hair and a black outfit perfect for the day. He was the entity of Jiwoo’s lingering feelings.
Tevon drew his dagger and looked in the direction of the sound.
“Shall I kill him?”
He wasn’t just talking to himself. When he said that while glancing at Jiwoo, it was to ask Jiwoo’s intention on this matter.
Jiwoo shook her head and stopped Tevon.
“…No. I’ll go.”
Jiwoo left them behind and approached the Crown Prince.
As Jiwoo approached alone, the Crown Prince stopped in his tracks.
Facing him, she seemed to be standing on the border between El Ragneil and Caranazion.
The Crown Prince waited quietly for Jiwoo who slowly approached. Like waiting for a sentencing.
The Crown Prince who she saw up close looked terrible. He didn’t appear to be seriously hurt, but the dried blood on him made him look as if he had just walked out of hell. It was a miserable figure that he didn’t show her even when he was desperately clinging to her.
He was the one who looked like he could keep Jiwoo by force no matter how much she refused. Now, he seemed to realize that Jiwoo could completely slip out of his hands and abandon him.
“…Your Highness.”
“Akarna, don’t go.”
“I have to go now.”
“Please don’t go. I… I need you. I can’t live without you.”
The Crown Prince said urgently.
He was a man of good sense. This time, he must have instinctively felt that if he got separated from Jiwoo, he would never see her again.
“Your Highness. You don’t need me. You need the Akarna.”
“Akarna…”
“Yes. Akarna… Your Highness has even forgotten my name.”
The Crown Prince stopped moving for an instant. That even his breathing seemed to have stopped.
Jiwoo thought that reaction was because of his guilt or at least shock for forgetting her name.
With the setting sun behind him, his black hair shone with a halo of red light. Red wet eyes. Cheeks flushed from running around endlessly looking for her.
Looking a little older than his old self that Jiwoo had fallen in love with. Years had passed..
When she felt that way.
Tears flowed from his eyes.
“…How could that be, Jiwoo.”
—
t/n: Aaaahhh this is the moment when I literally gasped and wanted to scream. Not out of hatred but more like shock— you’ll know more about it in the next chapter.
The author is really pushing the CP-route (there’s also an ‘IF’ spin-off about the CP), but it hadn’t hit me even from his redemption-regretful arc since he found Jiwoo again. And it hit me only once I read this particular line.
I adore stories that make you question ‘do I really hate the villain’ like [Be Fascinated] and well even though (spoilers!!) since we will be saying goodbye to the CP after this, I’m really curious about what will happen in the spin-off~
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