Cyrus raised an eyebrow.

“You thank me every chance you get.”

“Because I am grateful. And now I must be on my way.”

“Where is your way?”

“You know.”

“I don’t.”

Ariana did not respond. It seemed like he was setting a trap.

Cyrus stared at Ariana intensely before rising to his feet.

“I may not know where you’re going, but where I’m going is clear.”

He’ll probably go to the North.

Although he could’ve crossed straight from the West to the North, Cyrus had traveled with her across imperial lands. Knowing it was for her journey to the East, Ariana was very grateful.

Though the Empire wasn’t exactly safe, she couldn’t ask him to accompany her all the way to the far East.

She felt she had already received too much and didn’t want to owe more.

“I’m going to the East. Is that the same direction you’re headed?”

Startled by his words, Ariana didn’t notice Noah and Isaac behind her drop their jaws. Louis was still observing the scene with a pleased look.

“Your Highness, if you intend to take me to the East, you don’t need to waste such precious time. I can manage on my own from now on.”

“You’re awfully confident. Why would you think I’m going to the East for you?”

“…Are you not?”

“I have business.”

Ariana narrowed her eyes, trying to gauge his sincerity. But his expressionless face revealed nothing. Turning her head, she saw his subordinates nodding with smiles.

As if to say, the words of His Highness are always correct and true.

“Do you really have business in the East?”

“Yes.”

“Because of Paganus?”

At Ariana’s question, Cyrus’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“You are indeed interesting. I’ve never heard a woman speak their name so freely.”

Paganus.

They were a heretical group living in a vast city in the northeast of the continent. The term “vast city” was an understatement; it was practically a nation.

Initially, they were just a group worshiping different gods, but their actions began to turn horrific.

They kidnapped people as offerings to their gods and drank human blood to gain strength.

The Empire, unable to tolerate it anymore, declared war on Paganus. Both sides suffered great losses. Cyrus’s parents were also killed in the war against Paganus.

When Cyrus assumed his position as the Emperor of the North, the first thing he did was attack the spreading Paganus. Cyrus was victorious, gaining a position even the Emperor couldn’t casually challenge.

However, they couldn’t completely eradicate the extensive group that was Paganus. Remnants of Paganus still scattered across the continent.

Ariana often heard that Cyrus was at war with Paganus’s remnants, so she suspected that might be why he was headed to the East.

“The East still has many remnants of Paganus. After the Emperor lost interest in the East, it’s been up to the Eastern Emperor to deal with the Paganus remnants alone. Scary, isn’t it? They say Paganus especially likes eating women.”

He was probably trying to scare her, but she wasn’t scared at all. Due to the horrifying rumors about Paganus, women were afraid to even utter their name. But Ariana had her own real fears.

The fear of dying again without accomplishing any form of revenge.

“Wherever people live, there are dangers. Whether you die by the hands of a loved one or get eaten by heretics, death is death. What is there to be afraid of anew?”

A slight smile graced the corners of Cyrus’s mouth.

“It’s said that the women of the White family are all excellent warriors. It’s clear that the blood of the White family flows in you.”

“Do you think I could become a warrior?”
“Each person has their own way of waging war. Whether you use force or intelligence is up to you, and you become a warrior in that way.”

Ariana felt refreshed by his firm words.

Throughout the journey, I had blamed my lack of strength and regretted it. I wanted to become as strong as Louis, so I learned self-defense from Cyrus, but I didn’t feel any stronger.

However, his words about finding one’s own way had shown Ariana her path.

She never planned to crush them with brute force.

Nobly, yet also crudely, she would bring them down in their own way.

“Your Highness.”

Ariana looked up at the man before her with a newfound feeling.

Technically, Cyrus was much younger than Ariana. After all, Ariana had lived until the age of 28 before turning back to this age.

Yet Cyrus was enviably wise.

“Quite dignified.”

Not knowing what else to say, she blurted it out, causing Cyrus to burst into laughter. It was the first time he had laughed audibly, and Ariana’s eyes widened.

His silver hair shook as he laughed heartily. He was breathtakingly beautiful, from his crescent-moon eyes to his wide-open mouth and the orderly teeth inside. She would remember it deeply in her heart.

Eventually, the laughing Cyrus gently patted Ariana’s head and spoke.

“Only you.”

+++

Noah had a vacant expression as he rode his horse. Then he failed to notice a low-hanging tree branch and was knocked off his horse.

Cyrus, who had been leading, must have heard the noise but didn’t look back.

“Right, he has to be my lord like this…”