Black magic sacrifice.

Low-level demon contaminated by black magic.

Everything started with black magic.

“I’m tired.”

Charlotte whispered softly.

Holding the reins, she quietly passed through the imperial road.

“……”

The prolonged silence made the guards solemn. Hand signals were exchanged between them.

‘Why is she like that?’

‘Ask her.’

‘Her mind is troubled, let’s wait.’

‘Dark clouds are coming. If we leave her like this, she’ll get wet in the rain.’

It was true that dark clouds were gathering.

“Your Majesty.”

“……”

“Your Majesty, are you listening?”

There was no answer to the guards’ subsequent calls.

“I’ll approach her for a moment.”

Catarina gripped the reins and approached.

“Are you feeling unwell……”

The empress turned her body.

A cold gaze swept through the air. Her eyes were empty. They were like carved stones.

The angular stones had collided and been worn down. And, she became numb to everything.

“……”

Catarina swallowed hard.

‘Something’s strange.’

The empress’s pupils were dilated.

It was inhuman. She had erased the human parts of herself.

Humans weave relationships and blend into culture to remain human, but this wasn’t blending in.

The empress seemed to have fallen away alone from there.

‘As if suddenly disconnected.’

Catarina sensed it. This is dangerous!

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!”

Catarina roughly pulled the empress’s shoulder.

“Where are you looking!”

“Ah……”

“Your Majesty! You’re falling off the horse! Hold the reins tightly!”

Catarina shouted roughly as if scolding. She was urgent, like trying to wake the eyes of a dying soldier.

Laying hands on royalty violates palace etiquette, but she committed the rudeness knowing it was rude.

‘What is this? What is this depth?’

Thump,

A pressure crushed her brain.

“Can’t you get your wits about you!”

Some guards lost their senses and let go of the reins. Other guards grabbed their necks and sat them upright on their saddles.

“Don’t lose your senses!”

“……I’m sorry.”

“You look like you’ve been possessed by ghosts.”

This was different. It was unlike before.

The empress exuded a restrained solemnity.

‘The sense of disconnection one would feel when facing a being of a different level.’

A being fundamentally different from humans.

Such a sense of disconnection flowed around the empress.

“You all.”

Soon, Charlotte lowered her eyes.

“What.”

“……”

“You’re spacing out.”

Charlotte exhaled softly.

“The court physician?”

“Yes?”

“Did you send for the court physician?”

“Ah, they’ve just arrived at the royal residence. Please don’t worry too much.”

“I’m not worried.”

Charlotte carefully touched her neck.

“That child was a hostage, and they were after me from the start.”

“I know. They needed a hostage, and even criminals wouldn’t have intended to kill a child.”

Charlotte blinked slowly. Her brain felt submerged in water, but now it was fine again.

“Are you alright?”

The guards also noticed the empress’s change.

“Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

“My breathing is a bit tight.”

Charlotte languidly tilted her neck.

“The last traces were cut off in Pofuta, weren’t they?”

“……”

“We’re going to Pofuta.”

“That’s an active subjugation front!”

The guards warned.

“In life, there are paths one must walk even knowing they’ll get hurt. Even if the soles of your feet are stripped bare.”

Charlotte only answered like that.

[This is the timeline separator]

The captain of the 2nd Imperial Knight Division swallowed hard. The 2nd Division was the empress’s personal guard.

‘A sense of disconnection.’

The empress now exuded a sense of disconnection. As if losing her humanity piece by piece, needed for humans to exist as humans……

That kind of disconnection.

Eventually, he exchanged brief gestures with the knights.

‘Did you send an urgent message to the subjugation unit?’

‘We sent an urgent message, and received word that His Majesty will arrive soon.’

Pofuta subjugation front.

The empress set foot on Pofuta land.

Pofuta was a subjugation front crawling with demons, and where the last traces of Teuteuga’s family head were cut off.

‘Why do I feel like she’s getting further away?’

The empress seemed like a person who had fallen alone in a remote place.

“The subjugation unit is returning!”

“Open the path. It’s His Majesty the Emperor’s return!”

The emperor approached, leading his warhorse.

The humidity brought a mist. Everything became quiet.

The rain pouring on the subjugation front also calmed, and only the chirping of insects could be heard.

Chirp.

Chirp.

Both the 2nd Imperial Knight Division and the subjugation unit gradually melted into this silence.

The subjugation work also reached a lull.

Tap tap, pitter-patter− rainwater seeped into the soil. The cool night breeze chilled their cheeks.

Whoosh−.

The shawl came off and curly red hair got wet in the rain.

Charlotte tilted her neck. Her cheeks were pale and bloodless.

“Did I tell you”

“What story?”

Benjamin tightened his grip on the reins.

“You, when left alone, stop my words with eyes soaked in melancholy.”

“……”

“You make me sad.”

Because I can’t get angry at you for coming like this.

“You’ve stopped talking again.”

A solemnity flowed through the subjugation unit that had finished their work. The unit pleaded nearby.

“It would be best to take shelter for now. The subjugation unit has also been exposed to the rain for too long.”

[This is the timeline separator]

“The subjugation unit is returning! Open the gates!”

The guard announced the return of the subjugation unit. The gatekeepers guarding the inner gates of Pofuta opened them wide.

The subjugation unit rushed into the inner city.

“It’s the count’s residence!”

The subjugation unit stopped in front of the Pofuta count’s residence. Having ridden their horses without rest from the subjugation front, when the horses stopped with a snort, the heat dissipated and a hazy steam rose.

“Bring blankets.”

“Bring something to cover them!”

Thanks to the urgent message sent to the count’s residence, maids rushed out to greet the party.

“Please come inside. We received advance notice from the lord.”

The maids brought blankets. Charlotte silently wrapped herself in a blanket. The servants glanced at the empress. When the butler scolded them with his eyes, the servants all bowed their heads.

“We’ve prepared bath water.”

“Clear out one meeting room. We’ll come out soon.”

Benjamin picked up Charlotte in his arms.

“I can walk by myself.”

Benjamin silently looked down at her in his arms, biting his lip.

“Be quiet, Charlotte.”

Having roamed the subjugation front, a thick killing intent flowed around the emperor. The subjugation front where they fought demons was always harsh.

The stench of demon blood and corpses put nerves on edge.

That’s how the subjugation front was.

The body holding a sword always fought with death. Even if he didn’t die, Benjamin pushed his body ruthlessly every moment he gripped the sword hilt.

The blade became sharper, and the body rolling on the subjugation front also hardened to survive.

“Your, Your Majesty!”

The servants hurriedly cleared the way. The guest room of the count’s residence opened, and Benjamin set Charlotte down inside.

“Where are you hurt?”

“Nowhere.”

“……If you were hurt, I would have held the guards responsible and dismissed them all.”

Benjamin swallowed a sigh.

“You’re still shivering.”

“……Are you cold?”

Benjamin dropped his arms.

“I’m not angry at you. Don’t be scared.”

“My body feels sticky from sweat.”

“The sweat stole your heat. It’s because your body is wet, take off your outer clothes first.”

Benjamin removed Charlotte’s shawl. As the outer clothing came off, her delicate shoulders were revealed. Her frail body cooled in the cold air. Charlotte looked up at Benjamin, hunching her shoulders.

“The head maid will help you bathe.”

Soon, the head maid knocked on the door from outside.

“The bath is ready.”

“Come in.”

Benjamin called the head maid and ordered.

“Take good care of her until I return. Stop her if she tries to go out.”

Somehow words failed him.

“I’ll be back soon, so bathe and wait until I return.”

[This is the timeline separator]

“The captain of the 2nd Knight Division is waiting in the meeting room.”

Benjamin passed through the long corridor. He had changed out of his outer clothes that were ruined from rolling with demons. Benjamin carefully buttoned his cuffs and wiped off their blood that had stained his wrists.

‘It’s not completely clean.’

The meeting room door opened.

“The captain of the 2nd Knight Division greets His Majesty the Emperor.”

The 2nd Knight Division assigned to the empress’s side seemed dazed somehow.

“I apologize. I will gladly accept punishment for failing to properly carry out my duties.”

“I’ll determine responsibility later. Explain.”

Benjamin opened the meeting room door and entered.

“Why was everyone in a daze?”

The captain of the 2nd Imperial Knight Division spoke first.

“There was an attack on the imperial residence.”

“I heard about that through the urgent message.”

“Her Majesty the Empress subjugated the low-level demon. Then, after seeing the child taken hostage, she chose to go to Pofuta.”

“Also.”

“Please punish me, Your Majesty.”

The division captain knelt.

“I apologize. I failed to stop her on the road.”

“I never ordered you to stop her.”

Benjamin pressed his fingertips to his eyelids.

“You all followed the empress with dazed eyes.”

“……It was inhuman.”

“Speak more clearly.”

“It was the sense of disconnection one would feel when facing a being of a different level.”

A being fundamentally different from humans.

“It’s difficult to explain.”

The level was different. There’s no other way to explain it.

And in the silence, he heard a buried scream. The voiceless scream was tragic. The back standing alone was lonely and weary.

The empress seemed like someone who came alone and would leave alone. Not keeping people close, but shouldering responsibilities at a proper distance…

‘If the time comes to walk alone someday, she seemed like someone who would walk away alone.’

Unable to speak these words, he remained silent.

[This is the timeline separator]

Warm heat rose from her body after finishing the bath. Her curly red hair was tangled. She untangled her hair and touched her pale cheeks.

A shadow fell behind Charlotte after her bath. Since all the maids had been sent out, it wasn’t a maid.

“You’re here?”

Benjamin closed the door and entered.

“When will the subjugation work resume?”

“The subjugation unit will need to replenish their strength, so we’ll need to reorganize the subjugation system before resuming.”

After a short silence, Benjamin asked.

“Why did you come here.”

Benjamin embraced Charlotte’s neck.

“Seeing you on the subjugation front made the hairs all over my body stand on end.”

Benjamin touched Charlotte’s shoulder. He brushed her long hair to the side of her shoulder, checked her white nape, and examined her shoulders and arms. There were a few red scratches remaining.

“You’re scratched.”

“……This isn’t from them.”

Charlotte pulled up the edge of the blanket to hide the scratches.

“Don’t underestimate an active subjugation front.”

“I didn’t underestimate it.”

“You take death lightly. This subjugation front is where a mercenary unit was wiped out, corpses were torn apart by demons beyond recognition, and swordsmen grip their hilts trying to die together with demons even in their dying moments.”

Benjamin was wary of something.

“You said there are paths one must walk even knowing they’ll hurt their feet?”

“Ah……”

“Don’t walk dangerous paths with your own feet.”

So it wasn’t anger, but worry.

“Promise me you’ll prioritize your safety above all. That you won’t walk alone, won’t cry alone…… and won’t leave alone.”

The last words were a bit strange.