In front of the ruined imperial palace, the Emperor stood silently.
This place, now a complete ruin, had nothing left but the remains of the proliferated and collapsed Everblack.
The Thorn Palace, which had guarded the center of the Imperial Capital for hundreds of years, was completely gone.
"..."
As the Emperor silently gazed at this desolate and tragic sight,
"What are you thinking about so deeply?"
Someone approached from behind with light footsteps. The Emperor slowly turned around.
Approaching the Emperor with light steps was the Dragon Lady, Dusk Bringar, wearing a mischievous smile.
"It's been a while, Traha."
"Noona." (TL Note: Remember, Noona is how Koreans respectfully refer to older women they are familiar with. It means Older Sister, but I didn't want to translate it to not cause confusion.)
The Emperor promptly corrected Dusk Bringar's title.
"No... It's been a long time, Duchess Bringar."
Although he changed the title, since it was a private setting, the Emperor used honorifics with Dusk Bringar, as he had always done since ancient times.
"Hmm? You may call me Noona. It reminds me of the old days when I changed your diapers."
"Now we are not in such positions anymore."
Standing right behind the Emperor, Dusk Bringar narrowed her eyes slightly.
"For someone who tried to kill me and my kingdom, your greeting is rather bland. Don't you have more to say?"
"Spouting excuses seems even more ridiculous."
"Still, try. Let's at least hear what you have to say."
"...It was all for the Empire."
At the Emperor's words, Dusk Bringar gritted her teeth.
"To protect the Empire, you tried to burn my kingdom, the shield of the Empire?"
"It was the prophecy of Everblack."
The Emperor nodded solemnly.
"The prophecy that Duchess Bringar and your duchy would become one of the pillars of the Empire's destruction."
"And now? Why don't you try to kill me now?"
"..."
The Emperor turned his silent gaze back to the ruined imperial palace.
"I'm starting to think, what's the point of a prophecy?"
Despite hearing the prophecy.
The Emperor never imagined a future where his second son would rebel and his eldest son would die trying to stop it...
Losing the foundation of the nation along with the imperial palace. He had not even guessed.
Dusk Bringar snorted.
"Prophecies are always vague, like chasing clouds. Even if it had precisely foretold such a future, it would have been difficult to handle."
"..."
That was true.
Among the four destinies that were to destroy the Empire - Everblack had definitely warned about the underground forces in the Imperial Capital.
The one entrusted with handling it turned out to be a traitor...
"Sigh."
The Emperor let out a short sigh.
The Imperial Capital was saved. The citizens survived.
But two of his sons, the very foundation of the nation, were gone.
The Emperor no longer knew. Whether he had truly averted the destruction foretold by Everblack. Whether the prophecy had even referred to this event.
Was he, as an Emperor, clinging to the illusion of prophecy, engaging in meaningless battles on the other side of paradise... missing the essence of the world?
So, the Emperor decided, from now on, to let it go.
To release himself from the shackles of prophecy and face reality.
"The war declared against your duchy will be nullified. We will proceed with compensation for the damages."
Although there was already a de facto ceasefire, the Emperor declared a formal end to the war between the Bringar Duchy and the Everblack Empire.
"However, I will not apologize."
"I didn't expect it, damn it. Always so stiff-necked."
Dusk Bringar scoffed.
The Emperor sent her a look of surprise.
"You, Duchess, aren't angry? Honestly, I thought you would breathe fire at me the moment we faced each other."
"Well, I'm as furious as a chimney, but... I am a Queen. In other words, a politician."
Dusk Bringar shrugged her slight shoulders.
"I'm not foolish enough to not realize that fighting the Empire to the bitter end would be fatal for my kingdom."
"..."
"Proper compensation for damages, a non-aggression pact, and a sincere apology from the Emperor! Wouldn't it be beneficial for both of us to stop here?"
"I will not apologize."
"I don't need a verbal apology! What I'm demanding is tangible compensation. My kingdom is in ruins because of your army!"
With a hiss, Dusk Bringar actually spat a small flame from her mouth, then exhaled a dry breath.
"I'm quite heated, but that's enough for me not to go further."
"...For someone who claims to have a fiery attitude, you seem to have cooled down a bit."
The Emperor, knowing Dusk Bringar's character well, was puzzled.
Compensation is compensation, and grudge is grudge.
Usually, Dusk Bringar would have attacked him right away saying this. Why so tame now?
"Thank your youngest son for that."
Dusk Bringar laughed with a snort.
"Your son neutralized all my anger towards the Empire."
"..."
"When Lark and the 1st Legion nearly killed me and my people... Ash saved us. Thanks to him, we could regain our footing."
Ash interfered with the Dragonblood Front.
But because of that, Dusk Bringar survived as an ally of Ash, contributing to the Monster Front.
Now the Emperor was even more uncertain. What future the past prophecy had foreseen.
So... he decided to just look at the present.
"Noona."
"Goodness, it's quite a shock to be actually called that. Why do you address me so?"
"Please take good care of my son."
The Emperor slowly bowed his head to Dusk Bringar in respect.
"Though it's presumptuous, like you helped me in my childhood... please look after Ash from now on. He is destined to be the future Emperor of this nation."
"...Well."
Dusk Bringar didn't respond immediately.
The Emperor looked at her curiously. Dusk Bringar revealed her sharp teeth and laughed brightly.
"Of course, I will continue to help Ash in the future. But whether he really becomes the Emperor... we'll have to see when the time comes, won't we?"
"Excuse me?"
What did she mean?
Ash is now the only remaining imperial heir. Who else could become the Emperor if not Ash?
"I do hold Ash in high regard, but he's not... what you'd call ordinary, is he?"
Calling it remarkable was an understatement.
To be frank, he was quite eccentric.
Dusk Bringar playfully twirled her index finger beside her temple.
"I have a feeling. His ascension to the throne... it will be quite a challenging affair."
The Emperor burst into hearty laughter.
"Rulers are usually broken in one way or another, aren't they?"
"Like you and me?"
"I learned it from you, Noona."
"How amusing. You were a lunatic from birth, my boy."
A smile finally crossed the Emperor's face, which had been stiff.
But it quickly faded. Turning back to the ruined palace, the Emperor spoke again in a lost voice.
"There's still a long way to go."
"The road is always long. It has no end."
With the appearance of a young girl and the wisdom of a sage, Dusk Bringar slapped the Emperor's back.
"The important thing is not just to watch the road but to take one step at a time, isn't it?"
Smack!
As the Emperor staggered, Dusk Bringar called out boldly.
"Now, move along, Emperor! Raising a fallen nation is also the duty of a ruler! And I too must go to my kingdom to do the same."
"..."
Rubbing his aching back, the Emperor thought.
No matter how he considered it, that slap on the back was filled with emotion...
***
After sending Serenade to the Merfolk King.
I hurried through the streets of the Imperial Capital to join my other party members.
They were all scattered, and gathering them in this vast city was a task.
The main roads were crowded with people pouring out.
Relieved at the lifting of the emergency situation and still anxious, I made my way through the crowd.
That's when it happened.
"...?"
A group of women had appeared and stood demurely before me. I looked around at them, puzzled.
All were women.
All wore black hats with black veils and dresses of mourning.
These women sent me a sad, longing gaze from behind their veils... indescribable.
I sweated coldly, confused.
"Um... Do you have business with me?"
"No."
The woman at the front answered me.
"We have no business with you now."
What sort of ordeal they had been through.
The face of the woman who answered, visible beneath the veil, was bruised and swollen. Had she been tortured?
But her gaze at me was filled with affection. The scars seemed to be worn like medals of honor.
Suddenly, I thought I understood their identity.
"So, you are..."
I looked around at the women and nodded.
"The 'Jilted Women'. The women who have been jilted by me."
"No."
The woman quickly denied it and explained calmly.
"We were jilted not by you now, but by you in the past."
"..."
"Grateful to him, fell in love with him."
As if recalling a memory.
The woman closed her eyes and continued.
"The you of the past was so beautiful, perilous, and... lovable. For you, we could easily risk our insignificant lives."
And so, they did.
They risked their lives, opposing Fernandez's rule in the Imperial Capital, acting as a covert force for the Aegis Special Forces.
Without their operation, the shutdown protocol would have been activated earlier, and the chance for a counterattack would never have come.
Also... without the flag pieces they secured.
If it weren't for the letter the past me sent to the present me.
I might also have been defeated in the final battle against Fernandez.
"I..."
I carefully began to speak.
"What can I do for you?"
"..."
"What compensation do you desire? I want to duly reward you for your efforts."
"We did it voluntarily. We need no compensation."
The woman looked at me with tender eyes... no.
She looked at the Ash before his memories were overlaid.
"But we do have a wish. Please, live."
The woman's hand clenched the hem of her dress tightly.
"As the person we loved. Unbowed by any adversity..."
"..."
"Enjoy the peace and happiness he could not."
Those who loved me, whom I can't remember, offered me their heartfelt wishes.
"We will watch from afar and support you."
"..."
"Beloved one."
The woman wore a sad smile.
"May you have been happy. And continue to be happy."
Dozens of women in black bowed to me, holding their dress hems.
And then they turned and dispersed into the city, melting into the crowd.
Whoosh...!
The dispersing women threw off their black hats with veils into the air.
Their neatly tied hair of various colors cascaded down behind their dresses. The women, now seemingly lighter, vanished into their own worlds.
"...You too."
I watched this breathtaking scene and whispered softly.
"May you have been happy, and continue to be happy."
And then.
Hoping that the long mourning of their lover, paid by them, had also completely ended today.
I stood there, watching the women's figures disappear completely.
Sending a farewell to the past me who had been with them.