They say people recall their happiest memories when facing death.
It’s said to be an instinctive mechanism to dilute the pain and suffering of the moment of death.
In her teens, when she was deeply pondering life and death, Elise wondered:
What will I recall when facing death?
It seems I won’t have anything, so will I be several times more painful and sad than others when I die?
Smelling her burning skin, Elise smirked.
Because in this moment heading towards death, Elise wasn’t in pain at all.
Happy memories kept coming to mind.
[Why are you crying?]
It was a warm touch.
[Did you get scolded?]
It was a gentle voice.
[Don’t cry. I’ll scold all those who made you cry.]
[Why would you…?]
[Well, because… you’re pretty.]
The hand offered by the boy who sniffled shyly was small. Much smaller than her own.
[Am I pretty? My dad and mom call me ugly. My sister says I’m useless. They say I’m a disgrace to the family.]
[What? There are people who say such vulgar things? Are they crazy, or rather, are those respected people crazy?]
[Am I really a useless child? Will I live my whole life as someone’s disgrace?]
[No. From this moment on, you’re not. Because from now on, you’re my pride. Understand?]
The boy’s out-of-context comfort was salvation.
Karan, you were… my savior. So this time, I’ll save you.
Iris was right in front of her. Her shocked face was quite a sight to see.
The sword, imbued with all her strength, pierced Iris’s abdomen. The sword vibrated and the magic activated. It was a magic that caused thorns to sprout.
“Aaaaargh!”
Iris’s internal organs were mangled.
Ragnaros had shared his power with Iris, but couldn’t bequeath her a strong body.
“Cough!”
Iris fell to her knees. She clutched her stomach and rolled on the ground.
“Huff.”
Elise, no longer able to stand, collapsed to the floor.
“Lady Elise!”
Haltbin rushed over. As he approached Elise, he felt the intense heat.
Her body was still burning.
Haltbin clenched his fist. Elise barely moved her finger to point at Iris.
“Cir… into the magic circle…”
“Understood. Joseph! Move Lady Elise!”
Haltbin ran to Iris. Iris was rolling her eyes back, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.
It looked like she was screaming, but only blood came out of her mouth.
Haltbin grimaced and picked up Iris. Then he charged towards the magic circle and threw her in like a sack of goods.
When her body hit the ground, her bones shattered. Broken ribs pierced through Iris’s skin.
It was a miserable sight befitting Iris. No one cried or prayed for her. They didn’t even avert their eyes from her pitiful state.
Everyone watched her final moments with wide eyes.
Elise was no exception. However, Elise wasn’t watching Iris die, but rather her blood filling the magic circle.
“From now on, you’re my pride. I hope I can become your pride someday too.”
Back then, Elise couldn’t respond properly because she was crying.
But there was definitely something she wanted to say.
What was it again? What was it?
Elise’s consciousness flickered and then abruptly cut off.
And shortly after, a intense light illuminated Ragnaros’s lair.
****
The subjugation battle was over.
Ragnaros and Iris were dead. The allied forces’ losses were not insignificant either.
One-third of the allied forces had lost their lives.
And Karan and Elise were in comatose states.
People cheered. Minstrels composed songs about the allied forces’ story. It became a popular song in an instant.
The allied forces didn’t release specific details about the subjugation process. How Ragnaros died wasn’t revealed either.
People only learned the heroes’ names and courage through the songs.
Although Deboa’s newspaper company persistently conducted interviews and in-depth coverage, it was futile.
This was because all the warriors and knights who participated in the allied forces said the same thing:
“I’m not sure. We fought fiercely. Even so, Ragnaros was powerful. I thought we might lose. But then everything went dark for a moment, and when it brightened again, the battle was over.”
Not a single person remembered clearly.
“Deboa, forget it and enjoy this moment! The evil dragon that has long tormented humanity is dead.”
Jasmine offered Deboa a glass of alcohol. Deboa downed the glass in one gulp and shook her head.
“I need to know. This doesn’t make sense. Even when an ant dies, there’s a process. But the great Ragnaros is dead! Someone must have killed him. I need to find out who.”
“Nobody knows. You’ve met and asked everyone you could.”
“No! There’s still someone I haven’t met.”
“Who… Don’t tell me it’s Elise? Are you going to Tetris?”
“Why can’t I go? Now we can travel safely through the Land of Death. I’ve already sent a cooperation request to the Dex territory.”
As soon as Deboa heard that Elise was in a coma, she bought a lot of beneficial medicinal herbs.
And she sent the herbs through Rosh, whom she had become acquainted with during Elise’s previous engagement ceremony.
In the process, a friendship sprouted between the two.
“So when are you going?”
“Tomorrow morning?”
“I want to go too!”
Jasmine jumped up and hastily emptied her glass.
“I don’t mind you coming along, but Jasmine? Where are you going now?”
“To find doctors! I’m going to bring all the most famous doctors from Bedrokka!”
As Jasmine rushed out, Deboa muttered.
“Hmm… With Leber there, we probably don’t need doctors.”
Deboa trusted Leber.
****
At that time in Tetris, Leber, who had Deboa’s full trust, was agonizing and doubting his own abilities.
“Why! Why won’t they wake up!”
He came out of the room where Elise and Karan were sleeping and cried out, tearing at his hair.
“Are you alright?”
Regina, who had come to prepare wet towels to wipe Elise, asked carefully. Leber raised his head. His eyes were so bloodshot that his irises seemed to be red.
“You’re not alright.”
Regina answered for him, seeing he looked too exhausted to speak, and entered the room.
The room, bathed in deep sunlight, smelled pleasant.
“You’re here, Regina?”
“Your Highness, you’re here again today?”
“Yes. I’ve been telling my brother and sister-in-law various stories, thinking they might be curious.”
Since Elise and Karan’s return, Cowett had visited them daily. He told them about matters related to Ragnaros’s subjugation.
“The Land of Death has unanimously become Tetris’s territory. His Majesty intends to give that land as a wedding gift to my brother and sister-in-law. And King Lange has abdicated to His Highness David. His Highness David has fully recovered, they say. He sent a generous donation to Leber to establish a hospital.”
The same stories.
“What news have you brought today? I’m curious too.”
Regina asked while wiping Elise’s hand.
“This is really incredible news.”
Cowett giggled, finding something very amusing.
“What is it? I’m really curious.”
“His Highness David, you see, to Her Highness Ilaria…”
Cowett had a knack for making people curious.
“To Her Highness, what?”
“He sent a marriage proposal, of course!”
“Aaaah!”
Regina was so surprised that she couldn’t help but scream.
That gentle His Highness David to the outspoken Her Highness Ilaria?
“Hehe, funny, right?”
Cowett, who had briefly seen David and Ilaria, seemed to find it amusing too.
Even when young, other people’s romances are always interesting.
“Yes, it’s funny. How about Her Highness Ilaria’s side? Have you heard anything?”
“She refused, they say.”
“Why? It couldn’t have been a bad proposal.”
“That’s right. But…”
Cowett’s expression suddenly darkened. He shifted his gaze to Karan and Elise.
Everyone was pretending to live as if nothing had happened. Those who survived had their daily lives to return to, after all.
But looking deeper, no one was truly normal. They consciously avoided joyful things and voluntarily chose unhappiness.
They thought this was proper respect for their sleeping comrades.
Their smiles and meaningless jokes were just an act.
Even young Cowett was the same. He laughed and joked in Karan and Elise’s room, but when he returned to his own castle, he didn’t smile and refused snacks.
Regina nodded as if she understood his true feelings completely.
After Karan and Elise fell asleep, everything stopped.
As a result, like stagnant water rotting, their emotions gradually became murky. Hope faded, and despair began to mix in.
Living day by day became burdensome. It felt like at any time, anyone might do something drastic.
They need to wake up before something bad like that happens.
Regina prayed fervently.
