The afternoon sunlight streaming through the stained glass is vivid.
"…"
A grand chapel in a convent with no one inside.
Vlad, standing there alone, silently reached out and grasped at the colored lights illuminating him.
However, the lights he attempted to capture only scattered into the void.
The light streaming through the stained glass was bright, but in the palm of his hand, only a small dust floated.
"What is this?"
Vlad chuckled helplessly as he watched the dust scatter under the sunlight.
From afar, it seemed so large and tall.
"…"
Vlad let out a small sigh and turned his head to look back.
At the back, where not even the window light reached, stood the door of an ancient convent.
It was also the door that never allowed Marcella in on a cold winter day.
"Just for that."
Virgins inside, prostitutes outside.
Although not pure, the prostitute who was purer than anyone even lost the right to enter.
The rules imposed by someone, not God, were not fully understood by Marcella.
It won't just be Marcella.
Everyone lives like this.
They are evaluated and judged by the standards of others, not their own.
"I don't like just looking at the cancer."
And Vlad hated it.
Even when he was Vlad from the alleys and even when he was Vlad from Soara, Vlad was just Vlad.
Vlad's eyes began to harden as he looked at the convent door, knowing that not everyone could have someone like Andreas the same way he did.
***
Although it was the beginning of winter, the atmosphere in front of the gates of Soara Castle was warm.
The sound of spears clashing and soldiers swinging echoed everywhere.
However, at the end of those sounds, there were no cries of pain, but cheers of joy that extended to the town hall in the center.
"Have you returned, father?"
"Yes, you have worked hard all this time."
The sound of spears being shaken and clashed by soldiers.
A man with a face similar to his walked in front of Joseph, who courteously bowed his head.
Although he looked well-dressed, dust fell from his shoulders, indicating the distance he had walked.
"Congratulations on your victory."
"...I do too. I recognize your effort in defending Deirmar. Son."
Although loud voices could be heard outside, the atmosphere inside the mayor's office of Soara was calm.
With councilor Ragmus and Joseph's knight, Jager, holding their breath, only the shared gaze between father and son was filled.
"Are you in good health?"
"I have improved greatly."
The eyes that looked at his son were still full of power, but his previously black hair now seemed to have more white.
Peter was now at an age where he had to think about the path that those who stayed would follow rather than the path he himself would take.
"Did my brother not come with you?"
"Rutiger will stay there until the new connecting gate is installed."
Therefore, now was the time to make a decision.
This war was short but intense, and it was a good opportunity to reflect on his children.
"...Is that so."
Peter guessed his son's intentions as he watched Joseph's eyes deepen.
Other people may not have noticed, but that intelligent boy would have noticed.
The newly built western fortress was a monumental first step taken by the Northern Alliance, and it was a place that Timur the Lord of Steel, the leader of the alliance, paid special attention to.
Rutiger, who would stay at the fortress as Bayezid's representative, would meet there with numerous figures from the north and also strengthen his political position.
"We managed to invite the people of Nidavellir, the Dwarven Liberation Front. They are now at the docks of Soara..."
"I see."
The pitiful look in his eyes deepened at Peter's cold interruption.
Joseph's eyes began to tremble as if he guessed something from Peter's attitude.
"Good job. It was great."
Joseph clearly accomplished what needed to be done and did everything he could.
However, Peter could not congratulate his son with complete joy.
He had been thinking a lot while facing the bleak winds from the west, and now it was time to give Joseph the answer.
"...How about Nassau as compensation for that?"
Jager, who was one step behind Joseph, shuddered at Peter's words.
It was a statement that omitted many explanations, but there was a fluid atmosphere, and it was enough for everyone here to think the same.
"It is warmer there than Soara, and the air is better. It will definitely be a good place to care for your weak body."
"..."
There are three cities that represent Bayezid. Sturma, Varna, and Soara.
However, Peter was recommending Nassau, a city obtained from the west, instead of these three cities.
Nassau was certainly a great city, but it was not a place with the history and traditions of Bayezid.
"...Father."
"I want to give you an option. Son."
History repeats itself, and so Bayezid survived.
A world where only the strong can survive.
Peter still seemed to remember the expressions on the faces of his brothers who had been pierced by his sword.
"I will give you the position of governor of Nassau. There will be more authority and support than now."
So stop being the head of the family.
Because only then can you live.
"...Is this the end?"
"Yes."
Joseph felt dizzy hearing Peter's final words.
A long, endless test that began from birth, though I did not want it.
I did my best with my weak body for the test, which I do not know when it will end, but my struggles ended here.
The exam is over.
In the end, the person my father chose was my older brother, not me.
"I have had many conversations with your mother. She also said she would accept this decision as long as she could be sure of your safety."
The deep sense of defeat that he had been repressing for so long began to surround Joseph's entire body.
It felt like the emotions that had been suppressed by reason were spilling out like a broken dam.
"I think you will understand my decision."
"..."
Of course, it is understandable.
The current world is going through a difficult time, and it will take a strong lord to overcome such times.
Joseph already knew that a weak lord who would fall to his knees with a single blow was not suitable.
But how I feel.
Who the hell understands how I feel about losing the goal I have pursued all my life?
"After this winter, pack your bags and head to Nassau. Your mother will be with you."
"Father."
Joseph slowly raised his head amidst Peter's words, which were full of consideration for his son but ultimately were only unilateral comments.
This was the head of Joseph, who was repressing frustration, defeat, and helpless anger.
"Wasn't I good enough?"
"...No."
However, in the gaze they met, the sticky emotions had been soothed unknowingly.
Although not as strong as Rutiger, Joseph had survived until now by enduring much pain and had risen to the occasion.
"Was I a son who embarrassed my father and wanted to hide?"
"...No. You are my son of whom I am proud."
Children are great.
Even if it is different from the direction and limits set by the parents.
Joseph's soul, thickened by hardening, was more persistent than Peter thought.
"Then I will die."
Parents can determine the beginning, but they cannot determine the end.
My life is mine alone, and it is I who can decide its end.
"I want to die with my name engraved on at least one star among the countless stars floating in the sky."
"..."
Because my body is weak and I lack talent.
I do not want to live a life where I simply exist as I was born because I couldn't do it.
Because I, your proud son, was not born to live like that.
"As the proud son of my father, I want to become the next head of the Bayezid family."
Joseph, who floated in the night sky but no one looked at, now decided to burn his entire life without hesitation.
Only according to your own will.
Although it may not work for everyone, I followed something worthwhile because I wanted to.
***
Boom!
A strong explosion shook the convent of Soara.
The noise was so loud it made the ground tremble.
"Stop! Stop!"
The mother superior, startled by the blast, rushed down the stairs, incredulous at the scene before her.
The convent chapel was still filled with smoke.
Wooden boards were scattered everywhere, rolling in a mess.
"What's going on, bishop? Even though I am a follower of the Holy See!"
"Ha ha."
Andreas, who was conversing with her in the office, was also startled by the noise and descended the stairs.
Stephan, the leader of the mercenaries, felt uneasy as he watched the nuns gather, looking nervous as he swallowed nervously.
However, the man drawing all the attention simply closed his left eye again, as if nothing had happened.
"They said the door wouldn't open."
Although he smiled wryly, the golden light flowing between his closed eyes was somewhat unsettling.
"A door that doesn't open for prostitutes, nor for the absent, nor even for the needy."
A door that was built with noble intentions but opens and closes according to the standards of those who hold it.
For Vlad, who recognized the shallowness of the standard, the firmly closed door of the convent was nothing more or less than something to be removed.
"So I tried to fix it, but it didn't work."
"…If?"
There was a nun beside him yelling at him, asking him what the hell he was doing, but Bishop Andreas only nodded and smiled.
"It's fine! It was a door I was planning to put a new one on anyway!"
This was why he, who roamed the desert, assumed the position of bishop.He was planning to break it anyway.
He was tired of the high threshold you set, ever since he was a priest.
"Aren't there still a few things left? There are no men here to help, so you'll destroy everything to the end!"
As Andreas said so, there was a door that still trembled.
Vlad was surprised to see Andreas get excited and tell him to destroy more, but since he got permission, there would be no reason to hesitate.
"It's okay. Bishop."
Vlad's light began to flow from his closed left eye.
Your own light that not even the colorful stained glass shining from above could erase.
Though he couldn't surpass the moon, Vlad, who had his own world, was someone who shone brighter than anyone else at that moment.
The first blow was for the prostitute.
The second blow was for the girl.
They were all people who fought not to live as they were born.
"…!"
With the permission of the noble Bayezid and the assurance of the bishop, the knight's blow surged through the highest hill of Soara.
Kwaaang!
The roar was louder than before, and even the soldiers below startled and looked up at the convent.
The convent door exploded after Vlad's angry blow.
Standards set by someone else cannot fully judge me.
The boy from the dark alley, who followed what he had to do and did what he could, ended up doing what he wanted to do.
It was the potential of the child that only a true priest recognized.
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