“Sister Hamil!”
Rose came running and threw herself into Hamil’s arms.
“Did you have fun, Rose?”
“Yup! So much! I even made lots of friends!”
Rose excitedly chattered to Hamil, recounting everything that had happened that day without pause.
Ian watched her fondly, then used a brief lull in the conversation to speak to Hamil.
“We sweated a lot today, so we should take a bath.”
“Okay, I’ll wash her. Rose, shall we chat while we bathe?”
“Yeah! But listen to this—”
Even as they walked off hand-in-hand, Rose didn’t stop talking.
Watching them go, Napharoa nudged Ian’s shoulder lightly.
“You’ve had a long day.”
“Not at all.”
“Oh come on. There’s just one place left now—are you going tomorrow?”
“Yes. I think we’ll have to stop by there and depart right after.”
“You’re leaving without resting?”
Ian nodded.
“There’s somewhere we need to stop by, so we have to leave quickly.”
Napharoa scratched his head.
“Really? I was looking up tourist spots, thinking you’d stay longer.”
“It’s fine. Rose has to get ready for the academy too.”
Napharoa’s ears perked up.
“Oh right, you said you were opening an academy in the duchy, didn’t you?”
“Yes, we’re nearly finished.”
The dorm buildings were completed, and teachers had already been hired.
All that remained was getting Bernaba’s approval and choosing the academy’s name.
Once those two tasks were done, the entrance ceremony would be held immediately.
“Hmm… are you planning to have Fenrex attend too?”
“Yes. I think it would be good for them to learn together.”
No matter how much he disliked Fenrex, he was still a child living in the duke’s estate—someone Ian was responsible for.
And since Fenrex liked swords and had the traits of a beastfolk, they’d placed him in the swordsmanship department.
“Huh… could other kids attend too?”
“Other kids?”
Napharoa asked, wagging his tail slowly.
“For royalty, there are always attendants chosen to support them. Once that day comes and they need to rule properly, they’ll need someone to assist them.”
Though Napharoa was referring to the brutal succession struggles royal families often endured, his voice was casual.
“From a young age, selected children are placed with them. It helps build loyalty.”
‘So it’s like how the emperor wanted Rose to be the Crown Prince’s playmate…’
That old saying about childhood friends wasn’t for nothing.
If someone grew up alongside the master they were meant to serve, the shared memories would deepen their loyalty—to the point where they’d feel like family, like two parts of the same body.
“Isn’t it possible that Fenrex might not return to the duchy?”
Ever since arriving at the royal palace, Fenrex had locked himself in his room and made no effort to see Rose.
Back when he was under the imprint’s influence, he’d blindly followed her to the duchy, but now that the imprint was gone, it was far more likely he’d stay at the palace.
“That’s not gonna happen.”
Napharoa’s tail swayed lazily.
“Wanna bet?”
“No.”
Ian firmly rejected the offer and started walking past him.
Napharoa quickly followed after, protesting.
“Come on, why not? Let’s bet, seriously!”
When it became clear Napharoa wouldn’t back off without a wager, Ian sighed.
“If Fenrex decides to return to the duchy, I’ll allow the children who came with him to also attend the classes. Satisfied?”
“Oh? Uh, yeah.”
“Then take it easy and rest.”
Leaving a baffled Napharoa behind, Ian entered his room, where he spotted Edelmar and Bernaba, comfortably drinking tea as if they were in their own place.
“You two…”
Edelmar was the first to speak.
“We need to talk.”
“Have you finished your business?”
Ian loosened the cravat around his neck and tossed it beside the bed before sitting down on the sofa.
Bernaba gestured with his fingers and poured Ian a cup of tea.
“Yes. And regarding that business, I’ve got something to say to you.”
“Please, go ahead.”
Just as Ian was about to take a sip of the hot tea—
“I heard Rose is a Saint.”
Ian froze.
“…What did you just say?”
“The priest who treated you told me—not to lose what’s in my hands.”
Edelmar leaned back, resting his elbow on the armrest and his chin in hand.
“I thought he was referring to you. Because being near you… gave me a feeling—something that normal people might experience.”
“I possess no such powers.”
“True. The High Priest clarified—it’s not you, but Rose. You only help forget the void because of your connection to her. But the one who can truly erase it… is the Saint. Meaning Rose.”
Ian lowered his gaze.
“Rose… is the Saint?”
He couldn’t believe it.
In the <Flow>, the Saint had been Yekhaterina, not Rose.
Even if the future had changed because Ian survived, there was no way Rose could become the Saint.
Because—
“Rose has mana.”
Mana and divine power were opposing forces.
Those who possessed mana could not wield divine power, and vice versa. It was a well-known truth in this world.
It was Bernaba who replied to Ian’s rebuttal.
“What if her mana gets devoured?”
“What do you mean, her mana gets devoured?”
“Humans think that divine power and mana are opposing forces.”
Bernaba said, waving his hand.
A red orb and a blue orb appeared, floating in midair.
“But their roots are the same.”
Beneath the two orbs, a thread of white light formed, connecting them.
Below that, a much larger golden orb glowed brightly.
“Both mana and divine power originate from Lord Aether’s power. Since they come from the same source, they can’t truly be opposites.”
“But those who have mana can’t possess divine power, can they?”
“By human logic, mages shouldn’t be able to receive healing from divine power. But what happened? Didn’t you yourself get healed with divine power?”
Ian didn’t reply. So Edelmar asked.
“Then why can one only possess one type of power?”
“That’s because the two powers can’t coexist. The stronger one devours the weaker.”
The red orb grew and moved toward the blue orb.
Instantly, the blue orb was consumed and turned red.
The two orbs merged into one, becoming a larger red orb.
“If Rose awakens and her divine power blossoms, she’ll easily devour the mana.”
Ian stared at the floating red orb and muttered.
“The Saint I saw in the <Flow>… wasn’t Rose. There must be some kind of mistake.”
“The High Priest wouldn’t lie.”
Bernaba added.
“Sorry to say, but I confirmed it with the Lord myself. The one chosen by the gods as Saint… is Rose Loenbaum.”
Ian’s mind raced.
In the <Flow>, Ian had died. But now he had survived—and because of that, the future had changed.
That shift led to both Yekhaterina and the dark mages appearing earlier.
“That part I can understand. But what I don’t get is…”
Why were the dark mages acting as if they already knew the version of the <Flow> he’d seen—as if they were working toward that very future by trying to kill him?
Suddenly, a realization struck him.
“What if… the version of the <Flow> I saw was actually the worst-case scenario?”
“What do you mean?”
Edelmar asked.
Ian laced his fingers together and replied.
“In the future I saw, Yekhaterina becomes the Saint. But now, the gods say Rose is the Saint.”
The two nodded.
“If Rose continues to grow and eventually awakens, she will become the Saint. But what if—before that—she uses black magic, just as I saw in the Flow?”
“……”
“Once someone has used black magic, even once, their divine power becomes incompatible with them.”
Ian nodded at Edelmar’s words.
“I kept wondering why the dark mages were so determined to kill me—why they were so intent on turning Rose into one of them. Now I understand. They’ve been trying to prevent her from becoming the Saint.”
“Even if a Saint appears in the Empire, that doesn’t mean black magic can’t be used. So why the interference?”
“Because they’re opposing forces. It’s only natural to be wary.”
“That’s not the only reason.”
Bernaba interjected.
Both Ian and Edelmar turned to him.
Bernaba, hands clasped and resting on his knees just like Ian, began to speak.
“The first Saint despised black magic. Hated it so much, in fact, that when the founding emperor ascended the throne, she launched a full-scale purge of the dark mages. The blood of those who perished during that purge was so great that the name of the river running through the capital became what it is now—Santis River.”
Santis River…
An ancient word meaning ‘Black River.’
When one becomes a dark mage, not only their mana but even their blood turns black.
If the river’s color changed because of their blood… then it wasn’t just a few dozen who died—more like hundreds.
“So, what are you going to do?”
Bernaba asked Ian.
“What do you mean?”
Ian lifted his now lukewarm teacup and took a sip.
“It’s only a matter of time before Rose awakens as the Saint. The dark mages will do whatever they can to prevent that.”
Ian nodded.
The chaos they constantly caused was all part of a plan, to eliminate Ian—the protector—then isolate Rose, and finally tempt her into using black magic.
But now, the dark mages had realized Ian was more than just a swordsman.
He had magic—and powers they couldn’t understand.
So instead of targeting Ian directly, their new strategy would be to prevent Rose from awakening as the Saint.
“Are you saying… they might even go after her life?”
Edelmar asked with a frown.
“Exactly. If they can’t sway her with their methods, they might try that. That’s why we need a way to protect her.”
Bernaba added.
“In fact, Lord Aether has offered to protect her personally, to bring her into his domain. If you agree, she can be taken there immediately—”
“I’ll decline.”
“…What?”
Bernaba looked shocked.
“I appreciate the Lord’s offer, but I won’t imprison a child under the pretense of protecting her.”
“But their target is—”
“I understand. But even so—what difference would it make?”
Ian’s goal was Rose’s happiness.
And that included keeping her safe.
Even though the dark mages had relentlessly targeted Ian, he had never once neglected Rose’s protection.
Both Ian and the knights of Loenbaum always placed Rose’s safety above all else.
So even if the dark mages tried again to harm her—
nothing would change.
What he absolutely refused to do was isolate Rose in the name of “protection.”
Back when she was still Yoori… he hadn’t been there for her—and the consequences of that still haunted him.
“And… don’t you and Lord Bernaba also intend to protect Rose?”
They might not treasure Rose with love the way Ian did.
But regardless of their motivations, the fact remained:
they both wanted to protect her.
If that weren’t true, they wouldn’t have started this whole discussion about countermeasures.
“Well… yes, but…”
Bernaba let out a quiet sigh.
“I can only help to the extent that the balance is not disrupted.”
“That’s more than enough.”
Ian turned to Edelmar.
“What if I have no intention of protecting her? You’re not going to give me some speech about how the Empire is in danger, or that black magic is evil, are you?”
“I know those words wouldn’t work on you.”
“Then?”
“Just now, you said that when you’re near me and Rose, you feel emotions like a normal person. Doesn’t that mean—if Rose awakens, she could eliminate the void within you?”
Edelmar let out a soft chuckle.
‘Imagine reaching that conclusion from just a small clue… He’s sharp, isn’t he?’
Ian smiled gently and asked.
“So… which path will you choose?”
