Hills cried out in desperation.
“Ah, don’t cry! He’s not dead!”
Despite this, Arundel’s tears flowed down her cheeks. A flustered Hills explained from the side.
“He’s just exhausted! He’ll get up soon!”
Arundel, who had wiped away her tears, looked at Hills.
“Why…why did he faint.”
“That’s because this crazy guy thought you were dead and went berserk.”
Hills ran his hand through his hair and sighed briefly.
“What? Zion made the surroundings like this now…? In that short time when I fell into the hole…?”
“Yeah. As soon as Arundel fell into the hole, he went berserk. If I hadn’t stopped him, we would have all really died.”
Tension seeped from Hills’ voice.
“I was worried about this guy going berserk and followed him… but I didn’t expect him to really go berserk. If I was a little late, the entire eastern region would have been blown away.”
Hills’ words didn’t seem to be a lie as there were bruises all over his face, and he looked quite tired.
Arundel approached Zion and hugged him.
As long as he wasn’t dead, it was okay. He was alive.
“Zion…”
She hugged Zion’s slumped body tightly.
****
The long and lengthy plague had ended.
Baphomet had become a handful of ashes in an instant due to Zion’s explosion, and the execution of Count Lillit had been decided.
The aftermath was also swift.
All the sick cows made by Baphomet’s magic were culled, and the already distributed jerky was all collected, so the plague subsided in an instant.
It was later found out that the reason why the clergy did not get the plague seemed to be because they had basic immunity to the dark magic of the demon.
And the news that the emperor himself handled the plague spread throughout the eastern region.
However, there was one problem in the situation that was not yet smoothly resolved.
Arundel looked down at Zion, who had a face as pale as a white bedding.
‘When is Zion…going to wake up.’
Even though it was the third day since he fell, he did not open his eyes.
Hills said it was just exhaustion, nothing to worry about, but there was no sign of him waking up.
‘…because of the explosion alone.’
As Arundel’s nose was about to sting again, she quickly turned around. Zion wasn’t dead, and she didn’t want to cry anymore.
As she left the room where Zion was lying, Hills was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
“Shall we talk for a moment.”
At his serious look, Arundel nodded her head. She had something to say as well.
The two went to the place where the statue of Mannheim was inside the temple. It was her first time seeing Hills inside the temple.
“Is it okay to be in the temple?”
“It’s okay for a while.”
Hills answered nonchalantly. It was the first time he showed himself after returning from the territory of the count.
Hills looked around once and soon met Arundel’s eyes.
“I think Arundel should know now.”
Arundel nodded her head.
Whether it’s about the devil or Zion, she had to know now.
“You must have noticed, but the balance of the world is collapsing.”
“I know.”
It was clearly proven through Baphura and Baphomet. The problem is the reason.
“Why?”
“I don’t know. But as the balance collapses, there are many demons who lose their minds.”
Hills’ purple eyes stared at Arundel.
“If it goes like this, the world will collapse. If there is no Archangel Arundel, this phenomenon will probably accelerate.”
“…What do you want to say?”
The introduction was long.
At Arundel’s urging, Hills sighed lightly and said.
“It’s good to play love games with that guy, but think about the priorities first.”
Arundel’s eyes widened in surprise. But Hills didn’t seem to have a mind to spare.
“You must have realized this time, right? Zion’s existence is like a time bomb. You never know when it will explode.”
“…Why is Zion like that?”
Arundel barely held back her trembling voice.
She knew Zion was strong. It wasn’t just that the title of the empire’s best magician was attached. But…this time was abnormal.
As Hills had said, he might not be an ordinary human. Arundel felt the fact she wanted to ignore was approaching coldly.
“I tried to figure out the source of his power while being next to him, but I haven’t figured it out yet…”
Hills said, bowing his head.
She thought the two were secretly doing something, but they were figuring out Zion’s power.
“What’s more important than his identity now is that Arundel is playing the role of his detonator.”
“…”
“Tell me exactly? If you keep staying next to Zion, he might go berserk again. If there is no one to stop him, it will be a matter of time before part of the empire flies away.”
Hills approached and grabbed Arundel’s wrist.
“Isn’t this enough? The reason to return to heaven.”
Arundel’s eyes trembled at the rushing words.
Hills was always like this. He was foolish, but he was surprisingly sharp to pierce the void.
Arundel shook off Hills’ hand.
“It’s none of your business.”
As if her weakness was exposed, her voice was sharp.
“No, I can interfere. If it goes like this, you will be ruined.”
“What does it matter if I’m ruined?”
Arundel glared coldly at Hills. But Hills did not back down.
“I have the right to interfere.”
Purple eyes contain a desperate light.
“Because I like you.”
At Hills’ calm words, Arundel felt her breath choked.
She stepped back without knowing it. But she was caught by Hills again in no time.
His trembling emotions were fully conveyed to the caught wrist.
“I never wanted or expected Arundel to like me. But, I can’t stand you being ruined.”
“I’m not…ruined…”
“Not ruined? Don’t make me laugh. You, who are tightly bound by a sense of mission and responsibility, can you just watch as the world crumbles? You, too, will crumble as you watch.”
Hills gave a hollow laugh.
“Besides, do you think you can stay by his side forever? You should know better than me what happens to an angel who leaves heaven? Eventually, they lose their purpose and disappear!”
It was a fact that she knew better than anyone, but it was a reality she wanted to deny.
In the end, Arundel shed tears. Her trembling eyes were lost and didn’t know what to do.
Her heart hurt.
“Don’t cry.”
Hills approached and kissed Arundel’s tear-streaked eyes.
“When you cry, my heart tears apart.”
But Arundel’s tears didn’t stop. It felt like her emotions were about to explode.
“It seems better for me to disappear. Think carefully about what I said.”
Hills seemed to disappear after her words. When she opened her eyes, there was only an empty space.
She felt dizzy. It felt like she had been hit hard by Hills’ words.
Arundel, who had wiped away her tears with his sleeve, sat down anywhere on the floor in front of the statue.
Her face was hot, and she needed to cool down. If someone saw her, they would definitely think she had been crying.
Arundel raised her head and looked at the sky.
As she exposed her face to the cold winter air, the redness around her eyes gradually disappeared.
But her head was still dizzy.
[I have the right to interfere.]
[Because I like you.]
She had never seriously considered Hills’ feelings towards her. Perhaps have hoped that the box, which the inside was unknown, wouldn’t open.
Suddenly, curious about what was in the box, but it didn’t last long. This distance, this relationship was good.
But in the end, the box opened itself. And it was full of tremendous things.
“Your Majesty…?”
At the voice calling her, Arundel quickly got up. The person who spoke was Lucas.
Arundel opened her mouth carefully so that the moisture in her voice wouldn’t show.
“Lucas.”
“I came to offer a brief prayer… but Your Majesty was here first.”
Lucas, who was speaking with a smile, had shallow wounds all over his face.
It was only yesterday that Lucas opened his eyes.
It was the aftermath of Zion’s explosion. He was the closest human being, so it must have been hard to bear.
“How is your body?”
“I’m fine. It’s just embarrassing to show you such a disheveled look.”
Lucas made an awkward expression.
“No, it’s a relief that you’re up.”
Arundel smiled with a genuinely happy heart.
If Lucas had died in the process, she would have felt a tremendous sense of guilt. She was really grateful that he was not wrong.
“…I really thought you were gone then.”
Lucas was talking about when she fell into the pit made by Baphomet.
“There is always a way to survive.”
Arundel vaguely answered. But Lucas’s gaze persistently followed Arundel.
“How did you get out of the hole?”
“…With divine power.”
“You can’t fly with divine power.”
“What are you curious about?”
Tired emotions seeped into Arundel’s voice. She was already drained from the conversation with Hills.
“I want to confirm if my thoughts are correct.”
“What is Lucas thinking?”
When Arundel asked sharply, Lucas lifted a long branch nearby.
And then he swung the branch like a spear.
“Are you familiar?”
“…”
“It’s a unique spear technique handed down in the Arundel temple. It’s similar to the spear technique you used when you were attacked by demons.”
Lucas broke the branch in two.
“Of course, it could be a coincidence. There are not many spear techniques, and they all look similar at a glance.”
Suddenly, Lucas swung one side of the broken branch like a dagger at Arundel.
“What are you doing?”
Arundel quickly dodged and grabbed Lucas’s wrist. Lucas’s brown hair was close enough to touch her forehead.
Lucas shook off Arundel’s hand as if he was serious. And he swung again. Despite being a branch, the sharp cross-section was quite threatening.
Startled, Arundel pushed him away with her divine power. Lucas, who was directly hit by a large amount of divine power, hit the wall and fell.
“Cough!”
Lucas coughed painfully from the shock.
She didn’t want to go this far knowing that his body wasn’t in good condition, but she didn’t want to be stabbed by a branch.
“Are you going to attack again?”
“…I’m sorry for attacking all of a sudden. I won’t attack anymore.”
Lucas, who got up staggering, obediently raised his hand and surrendered.
“I wanted to confirm your divine power, Your Majesty. It’s as tremendous as I’ve ever seen. It’s enough to be no match for most priests.”
“Don’t beat around the bush and just talk. What do you want to say?”
Arundel asked, even though she anticipated what he was trying to say. She had already passed the stage where she could avoid it.
Lucas’s light-colored eyes were filled with Arundel.
“Archangel Elbis, Arundel.”
“…”
“Is it you?”
Arundel closed her eyes. It was a tough day indeed.
Her heart ached when she saw him struggling to protect the collapsing Elbis temple.
He was a clever man, proud to be her priest. In the short time she had experienced, he had a strong sense of responsibility and outstanding abilities.
He, who had a strong faith, would not resent or demand anything even if she revealed her identity.
However,
“No.”
She couldn’t reveal it.
She had to appear before him as Archangel Arundel, not Empress Irina.
“Why.”
Lucas asked in a desolate voice. But when Arundel didn’t seem to answer, Lucas continued.
“If I didn’t resent Lord Arundel while watching the collapsing Elbis temple, it would be a lie. I was burning inside because she didn’t even let me hear her voice.”
“…”
“What on earth is she doing? I sometimes wonder.”
“…”
“When I saw you then. Funnily enough, as soon as I saw you, I thought Lord Arundel had appeared.”
He gave a bitter laugh.
“But that was only for a moment, soon I realized. You were an ordinary human who knew how to cry and get angry. I expected and was disappointed at will.”
Lucas looked at the sky.
“I had high hopes again when I saw your abilities at the last moment. Maybe my first thought was right.”
“…”
“I stubbornly hovered around you. Hoping that what I’m thinking is right.”
“…”
“And I found a clue. Your incredible divine power and an indescribable feeling… as if it’s familiar like it’s old…”
Looking at Lucas, who seemed desperate, Arundel shook her head.
“Lucas. It’s a pity…but I’m just an ordinary human.”
Lucas’s pupils shook anxiously.
“Then, what is Lord Arundel doing now? Is she really listening to our voices? Does she really exist?”
His voice trembled. He looked painful.
“I just… want to confirm that she really exists. It’s painful. Whether I’m not chasing a phantom…”
Arundel approached and held Lucas’s hand tightly. His hand, cold as an ice cube, was trembling.
“Lucas. I know what you want to say. But, I hope you just believe in her. If she knows Lucas’s feelings like this, wouldn’t she make an effort?”
Saying so, Arundel stroked Lucas’s back. His trembling gradually stopped. Arundel slowly detached her body.
“I’m not her, but I promise. She will definitely show herself in front of Lucas someday.”
Arundel smiled at Lucas. But Lucas was looking elsewhere.
“So, take good care of your body.”
He seemed greatly disappointed, but she believed he would understand if she talked like this, being a smart person.
No, she hopes so.
