Delphine watched as Ioan picked up the longsword he had hidden.

“No, Ioan. There’s no need for that, this village is peaceful!”

Delphine cried out urgently and quickly opened the door before he could wield that longsword at the stranger.

Standing at the door, drenched in the pouring rain, was the village chief who was completely soaked.

“Village chief? What brings you here…?”

“Oh dear, please help! You’re the only one who can save us now!”

The village chief cried out in a desperate tone, as if time was of the essence.

“What do you mean…?”

Delphine was puzzled, and was greatly shocked by what followed.

“Please, I beg you…Lady Saint!”

They headed towards the village hall through the pouring rain, carrying the sleeping child in their arms.

The small hall was already packed with villagers.

As they opened the door and entered, the people greeted her with joy.

“Oh, thank you! Lady Saint!”

“The Lady Saint and the little Lady Saint have come! We’re saved now!”

Seeing this, Delphine muttered in a shocked expression.

“Then, did all of you… already know?”

Since when?

Could it be, for the entire three months?

Seeing Delphine’s face, the villagers cried out with an even more surprised look.

“What, did you really think we wouldn’t notice at all?”

“When you made it so obvious?!”

“How can that be…”

The shock was momentary.

Soon regaining her senses, Delphine asked with a serious face what the situation was.

They explained the whole story like this.

“Lightning struck and toppled the village’s largest and oldest tree!”

“But as luck would have it, a young man from the village who was under it got his leg trapped.”

“It’s a huge, towering tree that could be called a sacred tree, so even if all the villagers combined their strength, we definitely wouldn’t be able to lift it.”

“And on top of that, mana is blocked here…”

Understanding the situation, Delphine’s face darkened.

It was a catastrophe compounded by a series of misfortunes.

They pleaded with earnest faces, clasping their hands together.

“The village has a piece of construction magical tool for times like this! Could you please charge it up?”

“Charge up the mana, you say…”

“Yes, yes!”

“The Lady Saint can do it, can’t you?!”

The people looked at Delphine with eyes full of hope and expectation.

“Well…”

Delphine hesitated to answer rashly and trailed off with a troubled face.

Charging the aurum would shorten her lifespan.

Delphine glanced at her daughter, sleeping innocently in Ioan’s arms.

‘But just once should be okay, right?’

The typhoon would engulf this village by dawn.

If they couldn’t rescue him before then, the life of the person trapped under the tree would be in danger.

“Then, just a tiny bit…”

“That’s out of the question.”

At that moment, a voice as chilly as the northern wind stopped her answer.

Turning her head, she saw Ioan glaring at the villagers with burning eyes.

“You make it sound like you’re asking for a favor. How dare you, to my woman…”

Gasp.

The sound of the villagers drawing in their breath could be heard.

It had been a long time since they had seen Ioan like his old self as the “Pryde Marquis”.

She had thought he had become much gentler.

But it seemed he still easily lost control when it came to matters involving her.

“Ioan, calm down.”

Delphine quickly spoke before he could wield the longsword he had brought along after all.

“If I charge it for just a very short while…just a tiny bit…”

Even if it did shorten her lifespan, the difference would only amount to a few minutes.

“If that can save one person’s life, it’s well worth it.”

However, even with Delphine’s persuasion, Ioan didn’t look convinced at all.

“What does it matter to you if that human lives or dies?”

The villagers who were listening to the conversation were shocked by those cold words.

Some even shouted out in anger.

But Ioan didn’t even turn his head towards them and kept his gaze fixed solely on Delphine.

Even after a considerable time had passed since they settled into this peaceful life, his world was still narrow.

Only Delphine and Arwen, just the two of them.

‘Is it too greedy of me to hope for a complete change in just three years…?’

Delphine let out a sigh mixed with difficulty and pity.

A deep sigh.

That was all it was, but Ioan flinched slightly as if she had shouted at him.

“…Ioan?”

He seemed to bite his lower lip slightly, then abruptly turned around.

“All able-bodied men, follow me.”

At those words, the people hesitated with doubtful expressions.

“What? B-but with just this many people, there’s no way…”

“That tree is so huge. There’s no way human strength alone can lift it.”

Then Ioan raised his voice loudly.

“If you truly wish to save someone, don’t even think of relying on others or some mystical power! Think for yourself and take action!”

He had once commanded an empire and led tens of thousands of soldiers.

Overwhelmed by his charisma, the villagers stopped arguing and sprang up from their seats.

“You wait here.”

“Wait, Ioan. What are you thinking…”

Ioan handed Arwen, whom he had been holding, to Delphine.

Hurriedly receiving the child in her right arm, Delphine called out to him as he was about to leave.

“Wait. I’ll come with you…!”

She reached out with her left hand, but with barely any strength left in it, there was no way she could grab him.

Without giving her a chance to stop him, Ioan left the hall leading a group of men.

“Uwaa… Mama…”

Soothing and comforting the child who occasionally mumbled in her sleep, Delphine paced the hall anxiously.

Now that he had lost his demonic powers, he was just an ordinary human…! Moreover, the typhoon would soon directly pass over and engulf this island.

‘…Ioan!’

Delphine blamed her unmoving left arm and paced restlessly without being able to sit down.

How long had it been like that?

Just before dawn, in the deepest night.

The sound of rain and earth-shaking thunder gradually intensified. That’s when it happened.

“We saved him!”

“A healer! Quickly, a healer! His leg is badly injured!”

A group of people drenched by the rain poured into the village hall.

They had brought the man who had been trapped under the tree on a stretcher.

The man looked to be in great pain, but at least his life didn’t seem to be in danger.

Considering he could have suffered a worse fate if he had remained trapped under the tree, it was truly fortunate.

“My goodness! Did you really lift that huge tree?”

“Without even a single magical tool?”

“Yes! That man is really amazing!”

“He said it can be done using the principle of leverage, we just followed his orders without really understanding.”

“He seemed very used to giving orders…Was he a soldier before?”

“More than anything, his strength was tremendous. He could easily beat three…no, four or five able-bodied men.”

As Delphine listened to the villagers whispering, she tapped her foot impatiently.

Before long, she saw Ioan approaching through the pouring rain.

Delphine quickly handed the child to a village woman and hurried over to him.

She quickly looked him over, but fortunately he didn’t seem to be injured anywhere.

“…Ioan! You, really…!”

Delphine hit his wet chest with her powerless left arm.

But Ioan simply placed his large hand on top of her head and said,

“You’re getting wet from the rain. Hurry and go inside, Delphine.”

“Really… You…”

Delphine muttered, dumbfounded.

His world was still narrow, revolving around her alone.

But so what if it was?

He would no longer walk the wrong path now. Because she would always be by his side.

Because she would always be the reference point for his happiness and goodness.

Delphine hugged him tightly.

Though he mumbled that she was getting her body wet, he couldn’t bring himself to push her away.

Even with the cold rain falling, there was no room for the chill to seep in as they held each other.

It was warm and comfortable.

As it always was whenever she was with him.

It was just as the village elders said.

The typhoon engulfed the island in the deepest night and gradually subsided as dawn broke.

The long night passed, and morning came once again.

“Mom! Dad! Come out and see!”

Arwen, who never slept in, called them out of the hut in an excited voice from early morning.

“You should say ‘please come out and see’.”

Disciplining in place of the dad who rarely scolded the child, Delphine went out to the beach in front of the hut.

Then she let out a gasp of great admiration.

“Oh my…!”

The sky and sea were clearer and more pristine than ever before.

Closely observing her delighted appearance, Ioan muttered softly,

“It would be nice if we could always enjoy a sea and sky like this without a typhoon.”

“Really?”

Turning her head at the unexpected words, Delphine realized that his gaze was not on the sea but on her left arm.

“Perhaps you would have been happier without me.”

Could he still be thinking that way?

Blaming himself for his past mistakes?

“Oh, come on. Didn’t you hear what the village elder said?”

Delphine deliberately asked in a lively voice.

“What…”

“The reason that sea can be so clear is not because of the bright sun, but because of the occasional typhoons, right?”

Perhaps life was so beautiful precisely because of the trials faced from time to time.

By overcoming and conquering them, humans become strong and finally gain a heart that can truly feel happiness and gratitude.

Just as they lived their present life faithfully, knowing that an end would come someday.

The child couldn’t stand the sight of mom and dad being tenderly attached to each other, leaving them out.

“I wanna play too! I wanna play with you!”

Picking up the child who came running towards them shouting, Ioan burst into a bright laughter.

Seeing his refreshed face, Delphine also smiled with a peaceful heart.

The clear, blue sea spread out before them shone dazzlingly under the light of the tropical sun.

Another ordinary day on the small, peaceful island.

-The End.