The Crossroad, drenched in snow, was chaotic.
The sky remained dark, the damage from the last Breath strike was still evident, and the plains to the east were ablaze.
In such a disordered atmosphere, a considerable number of people, led by the people of the Ariane Kingdom, fled the city heading north.
"..."
Bringar Duchy camp.
Observing the frantic city, Dusk Bringar was surrounded by priests administering healing magic.
The priests, shirts off, clung to the back of the Dragonblood Duchess, sweating profusely as they delivered holy power. However, the injuries were not healing easily.
The high priest, brought directly from the Imperial Capital by the Emperor, wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Your back injury is severe."
"..."
The state of Dusk Bringar's back was horrific.
Like a volcano boiling over with lava, the charred skin revealed deep, red wounds that emitted heat.
Struck directly by Ipian's Breath, it was a miracle that the injuries had not been fatal.
Moreover, it was nearly miraculous that Dusk Bringar, despite such injuries, could still move.
And yet, these miracles were insufficient to stop Night Bringer.
"The injury won't heal easily, especially since you fought with the Black Dragon... The wound has widened, and the Black Dragon's malevolent energy has infiltrated."
"Just get to the point, priest. So? What about it?"
"..."
"If I give it my all, as your Emperor desires... can I withstand the Black Dragon's next Breath?"
"I must speak frankly, Your Grace."
The priest, about to elaborate tediously that he served a Goddess, not the Emperor, stopped and gave a concise diagnosis.
"If you return to the battlefield, you will lose your life."
"..."
"With your current physical condition, you wouldn't just fail to block the Breath; you'd be swept away."
"I see."
Responding succinctly, Dusk Bringar stood up, donned a shirt, and fastened the buttons.
"Thank you for the treatment. I'll be leaving now."
"Your Grace..."
"I'll devise a way to stop the Black Dragon and let Traha know."
The priest, about to say more, simply closed his mouth and bowed before leading the other priests out of the tent.
"..."
After placing a thick shawl over her shoulders.
Enduring the burning pain in her back, Dusk Bringar exited her tent.
The camp of the Bringar Duchy's army was bustling.
The duchy's forces, having been directly under the monster front, had not been mobilized for this extermination mission and thus avoided annihilation. However, they were still in a precarious position, like a lantern in the wind before the approaching Black Dragon.
Watching her soldiers, busy with the city's reconstruction, Dusk Bringar entered the neighboring tent.
This tent was used by the dragon knights. Pulling back the tent's flap and stepping inside, Dusk Bringar surveyed the area.
"Andimion."
"Your Grace...!"
A pale knight, lying on the bed, startled and abruptly stood up.
Following him, the other dragon knights quickly knelt on one knee before the Dragon Lady, heads bowed. They were all bandaged and injured.
Dusk Bringar then recited the names of the remaining dragon knights.
"Berlin. Sieun. Zet."
"Did you call for us, Your Grace?"
After inspecting the faces of the knights who had loyally served her throughout their lives, one by one.
Dusk Bringar closed her eyes.
"...I'm sorry."
It was a sudden apology, but the four dragon knights immediately understood their master's intent.
"So, the time has come."
"We've been waiting for you, Your Grace."
The eldest and leader among the dragon knights, Andimion, smiled warmly.
"The power and life you bestowed upon us are yours to reclaim as you wish."
"..."
"But, please achieve victory."
Andimion pressed his forehead to the ground. His venerable white hair spread out on the floor.
"...I will."
Dusk Bringar slowly extended her hand.
"Then... take a little rest."
The four dragon knights each placed a hand over their chests, withdrawing a red magical conduit from within.
These magical conduits connected to Dusk Bringar.
Eventually, through these conduits, glowing red gem-like magic sources were withdrawn from the bodies of the dragon knights and reclaimed by Dusk Bringar.
It was the Dragonblood that Dusk Bringar had bestowed upon them.
The source of the power that had allowed them to become dragon knights, granting them lifespans several times that of an ordinary human and immense strength—this Dragonblood was returned by them without hesitation.
As the Dragonblood was reclaimed, tears uncontrollably streamed down from Dusk Bringar's large amber eyes.
Ssshhh...
The reclamation process was complete.
As the vitality provided by the Dragonblood disappeared, Sieun and Zet, who had appeared youthful, now looked middle-aged, and Berlin, who had appeared middle-aged, now looked elderly.
And Andimion, who was already of elderly appearance, passed away on his knees, head bowed toward his master.
In front of the fallen knight, Dusk Bringar, with tears streaking her face, wiped her face with the back of her hand and then tightly embraced the now cold shoulders of the knight.
"I will never forget your loyalty."
Excluding the deceased Andimion, the remaining three knights bowed their heads and whispered in unison.
"We pray for endless fortunes on Your Grace's path ahead."
After embracing and stroking each knight's head in turn.
Staggering to her feet, Dusk Bringar exited the tent and left the camp of the Bringar Duchy's army.
Her eyes were still filled with sorrow, but her steps were without hesitation.
"It's not enough... Not yet, this isn't enough."
Although the output had noticeably recovered with the Dragonblood reclaimed from her dear subordinates...
She knew it was still far from enough to contend with the Black Dragon. Dusk Bringar gritted her teeth and focused ahead.
There's no chance in a direct contest of strength.
If so, she must mix in the crooked path.
"It's time to reclaim."
She staggered into the downtown area of the Crossroad.
"The curse I laid out long ago..."
***
When the first Breath of Night Bringer occurred, the inn 'Etty's Honey' within its range had crumbled.
The residents of the inn, having lost their lodging, moved together to the barracks.
The Glory Knights who were at the temple at the time of the inn's collapse, and the mage Junior, also had to move their lodging.
"..."
Junior's room.
Junior, with a feverish face, lay gasping for breath, suffering.
And Hecate sat beside her bed, replacing the wet towel on her head.
Junior had not only exhausted her magic power in the last battle but had also used her equipment 'Past Future' to borrow and expend future magic power.
After the battle ended, she collapsed from severe magic power depletion and thus was in agony.
Hecate, needing rest herself and having shared the same lodging by coincidence, took it upon herself to care for Junior.
"..."
Through Junior's sweat-drenched disheveled hair, a burn scar on the left side of her face was visible.
Hecate stared at the scar and muttered softly.
"I didn't choose to lodge across from you for this to happen."
How did it come to this? Hecate propped her chin and sighed.
That was when there was a knock at the door, followed by another Glory Knight's voice.
"Lieutenant Hecate, you have a visitor."
"Who is it?"
"It's Duchess Dusk Bringar."
Surprised, Hecate stood up just as the door swung open and Dusk Bringar entered with a firm stride.
Startled by the sudden visit of the Duchess, the other Glory Knights hurriedly followed.
Dusk Bringar looked around at the fallen Junior and the weary knights, then smiled bitterly.
"You've all been through a lot."
"Your Grace. What brings you..."
Hecate cautiously asked, guessing inwardly. Dusk Bringar nodded.
"Let's cut to the chase. Have you considered the proposal I gave you before the battle with Ipian?"
"...Yes."
Before the battle with Ipian, Dusk Bringar had come to Hecate with a proposition.
The predetermined doom for the Glory Knights—to be buried alive or beheaded as monsters. She had offered them a third path instead.
That third path was—
"So, have you decided? To return 'the curse' to me, and you live on as ordinary humans."
That was it.
In exchange for taking back the curse that afflicted the Glory Knights... they would no longer be able to live as knights forever.
Dusk Bringar thought it a very reasonable proposal. But Hecate,
"...I guess not."
She refused.
Dusk Bringar's eyes narrowed. Hecate placed her hand over her chest and said,
"The Glory Knights were created to protect the Emperor... and now, they exist to protect Prince Ash."
"Ash has gone missing."
"That is exactly why we cannot lay down our swords. If we failed to protect the prince, at the very least, we must seek vengeance."
Hecate expressed her firm resolve, and the rest of the Glory Knights nodded in agreement.
"To thrust our swords at the Black Dragon and die right there, becoming malevolent spirits if the curse runs wild... that wouldn't be too bad."
"..."
"If we become undying monsters, wouldn't we be able to help defeat the Black Dragon, even just a little?"
Hecate smiled softly at Dusk Bringar.
"Dying with a sword in hand suits knights like us. So, Duchess, while we appreciate your offer to let us live as humans... we must decline."
"..."
"We'd rather die fighting with a sword than live by running away. That is our will."
"...No."
Dusk Bringar shook her head slightly, then suddenly opened her amber eyes wide.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't come here to hear a refusal."
"What? What do you mean?"
"To take it back."
The next moment.
Whoosh—!
A tremendous magical force erupted around Dusk Bringar.
Hecate and the Glory Knights tried to react quickly, but they hadn't anticipated that Dusk Bringar would suddenly demonstrate such power, especially since—
Having reclaimed all the Dragonblood she had distributed to her own dragon knights, Dusk Bringar's power was much greater than expected.
Crash! Bang! Crunch—!
The magical force wreaked havoc in the bedroom, scattering furniture to the floor.
"What? What, what's going on?!"
Junior, though down with pain, was inevitably awakened by such intense magical activity.
As a disoriented Junior propped herself up, her swollen eyes wide open, she looked around...
"Chk, chkeuh... Chkheuk...!"
All the Glory Knights were caught by the tangible magical force emanating from Dusk Bringar's body.
Among them, Hecate was physically held by the throat and lifted into the air by Dusk Bringar's hand.
Completely subdued, Hecate struggled with her limbs flailing.
"Duchess...! Please don't do this. We are on the same side...!"
"..."
"We are the knight order you created, created to fight to the death just as you made us...! At least to be together till the end—"
"No."
Dusk Bringar coldly cut her off.
"Your fight ends here."
Thump—!
Immediately afterward, the tangible magic holding the Glory Knights emitted a dazzling red light.
The bodies of the five knights contorted in agony. The knights screamed terribly as if their souls were being ripped apart, but Dusk Bringar remained unemotional.
"I'll take it back."
As the red magic cores were extracted from the chests of the five knights—
"The 'curse' I bestowed upon you."
The ancient, densely written bandages that had enveloped the knights unraveled.
Spreading thickly through the air as they unraveled, the bandages slithered under Dusk Bringar's clothes like snakes, wrapping around her body.
From the tips of her tiny fingers to her injured back—her entire body was tightly enveloped by the bandages.
Shhrrk!
As the bandages fully integrated with Dusk Bringar's body, the red magic cores extracted from the knights were also absorbed into her chest.
"No..."
Hecate murmured despairingly,
"...Huuuh."
Dusk Bringar let out a long sigh.
"If it's necessary to protect the world..."
Wearing the curse she had crafted long ago, her amber eyes tinged with red lowered... the Dragon Lady smiled.
"I shall fall into hell."