The shout of a stagehand echoed from afar.
At that, she slapped her cheeks and hastily began to rewrap the bandage.
“…”
Lucia, who had been silently observing her, looked on.
One might feel compassion for such a sight, but her gaze suggested otherwise.
The same military uniform, black hair.
She who expressed her living zeal through sadness, anger, and desperation seemed like her doppelganger.
It was as if she saw a version of herself that should not exist in this world, more than mere compassion.
“Ah, I’m sorry! I didn’t know someone was here. I’ll finish tying this and get up!”
It seemed Lucia had unconsciously moved.
At her own actions, Resa was startled and awkwardly began to tie the bandage.
Lucia had no choice but to speak.
“…You won’t be able to go on stage with that leg.”
“Ah, haha… It’s fine. The Knight in Black doesn’t have a double… and black hair is rare…”
With difficulty, Resa spoke, and Lucia lost herself in thought.
And,
[Dash]Thud.The sound of the eagle head falling off.
The flowing black hair from the takenoff mask.
Most shocking of all was that only one person had the special permission to wear the black military uniform—Lucia, the Black Monster.
“Yo—you are…!”
The bandage slipped from Resa’s startled hand and rolled to her feet.
Then from afar, an urgent voice echoed.
“The second act curtain is rising!”
[Star icon]When had she sneaked into that place?
From when she flapped her wings in front of the Knight’s building?
‘Ah… no, it can’t be.’
Leon, who had followed Lucia and hid among the costumes, pressed his furrowing forehead.
And now, something even more startling happened.
She was going on stage.
Seeing Resa handing Lucia the mask, it seemed she intended to perform on the real stage, replacing the injured woman.
Why? For what reason?
During the war, his role had been to protect Lucia, who was fighting on the front lines, as a magician.
That meant he had seen her indifference towards others more than her past kindness.
He knew people couldn’t change so easily.
So he wanted to know why she, who had never changed, was helping an unrelated woman named Resa.
In one breath, Leon climbed up to the ceiling above the stage.
“Aah! You startled me! Yo—you are…!”
“I’ll be staying here for a while due to some circumstances.”
“Yes, yes! Lord Leon!”
Though the lighting technician recognized him and was startled, his eyes were fixed on Lucia, who was wearing the mask.
The second act commenced.
Lucia, in the same pose as the end of the first act, was supporting the fallen enemy hero.
The enemy knight let out a forced performance, speaking in a broken voice in Lucia’s arms.
So, the intent was to slaughter the Titurshan people, as if it was inevitable.
She raised one corner of her lips at his lines.
Because the thought crossed her mind that it sounded ridiculous no matter how many times she heard it.
Soon after, Lucia followed suit with her acting.
[“Ah, such a shame. The enemy knight has died.”] [“…? Uh!”]A voice that would sound stiff and annoying to anyone listening.
Cynium tried to get up in bewilderment, but he couldn’t beat her swift hand movements.
Thus, the enemy knight was dead. No, Cynium had fainted.
…A hero is dead!
The audience started to murmur in shocking news.
Especially the children who had seen this play several times were shocked, screaming towards their favorite character.
“No way! Enemy Knight, get up!”
“No way, this can’t be happening!”
Thus, the children plunged into a pot of chaos.
Amidst the chaos of the surprised children and the crew, there were people who froze at the sound of the Black Knight’s voice.
“Could it be, the commander?”
The members of the Black Knight Order, and also.
“…Commander Lucia?”
It was Crown Prince Airen who had been waiting backstage.
Wondering if it was a misunderstanding, he quickly hid behind the scenery to look at the Black Knight.
She was now slowly pushing the enemy knight backstage with her foot.
There was no one else bold enough to do such a thing other than Lucia, just her.
Convinced, Crown Prince Airen was greatly puzzled as to why she would do such a thing.
Could it be, her pride was hurt by the absurd plot of the play?
No.
In this empire, she is the only one who doesn’t care about the eyes of others.
If the members who follow her make a fuss, she would at best give them a glance indicating her displeasure.
Even the Emperor had approved of this content for that reason.
So why then?
Similar questions were on the minds of two men above the stage and behind it.
And then, someone caught the eye of these two men at the end of Lucia’s gaze.
A face that was clearly revealing itself with redrimmed eyes.
“Mother…?”
The subject was Nia, who had just noticed the existence of her mother.
So, the reason the Black Knight Commander was doing such foolish things was,
‘Because of her daughter?’
‘Because of her daughter?’
Both men thought the same at that moment.
Realizing the unusual relationship between the mother and daughter, both men’s resolve intensified, as if fuel had been poured on their already existing goals.
Be that as it may.
Lucia, who had shoved the fainted enemy knight just anywhere, soon began to emit a red sword aura.
The intent was to bring the bewildered actors back to their senses with this changed story.
However,
“Wow, so cool!”
“What? The Black Knight is angry! Fires are forming all around!”
“Awesome! Avenge him! Black Knight! Win!”
Although not intended, the children were captivated by the spectacular effects they had never seen before.
And the stage began to shake as if there was a small earthquake.
The director of the play raised a thumb towards the stage manager.
‘Oh, you. Preparing something like this without telling me!’
“…?”
Although he didn’t understand the sign, the stage manager also raised his thumb, thinking it was a prepared direction.
Then soon after the director’s signal fell, the Titurshan people who had crowded in began to rush in for an attack.
Watching them rushing toward her as if she was on a battlefield again, Lucia thought.
War had initially been a choice for the sixteenyearold Lucia where humanity was abandoned, but after 5 years of war, she had realized something.
Helbert, the members of the Black Knight Order.
What the knights desired in that brutal war was not victory, nor was it to survive alone; it was the joy of enduring today together.
Now that she was on stage, she hoped that at least one truth could be captured in this fake historical play.
For her daughter.
[“In gratitude for the martyrdom of my comrades, to survive together! Now, let’s go!”]Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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