Crown of Thorns

CHAPTER 67

Team : Cuties, WilsonWilson, Stephanie

Neriano grew his knowledge by meeting the descendants of the sorcerers who disappeared a long time ago, Yohan sought a new world by meeting the aristocrats who had been kicked out of the capital, and Heleina spent more time with Evan in and out of the palace.

Everything was in sync and moving toward the future I had looked at. Each one was different and moved separately, but in the end, they all converged toward a singular path. There was only one way they would go.

I tried to remember the place I saw in my dream, there isn’t much left; Evan, standing by the Emperor’s side. The sword which I saw in my dream. And Count Phyletto, gradually reaching out to the palace. The world weighed down by fear of witches, crying out for a warrior to save them.

It was a reminder that time was running out.

Although the warrior could not forget the witch, it was not enough for him to trust her fully by simply going in and out of the tower. However, I did not doubt that he would aim a sword at me if he knew the whole truth. If he found out that I was the one who made the world this way and the one who was aiming for the warrior, he would have no choice but to kill me, just like in my dream.

If I claim that everything I ever said to him was false, that all the favors I showed him were for my own amusement, and that everything that I had him know and believe in was all for the sake of using him, then his childhood memories would be turned into nightmares, and his friendly red eyes would immediately cool.

Since he had firmly believed that I was not a witch, the shock would be even greater if it turned out that it was me all along. It will hurt him so much at first, but his hurt will soon turn into anger, and he will direct that anger toward me. He’ll want to kill the witch who had made him suffer; the witch who made the world like this.

Which was exactly what I wanted.

Before I knew it, I returned to Evan’s room and approached him, who was caught in a deep slumber. I then stretched out the Shadow and cupped his still face, which had lost a lot of its sense of youth. It resembled that of the young man who was only in my memory, but at the same time, it was very different.

From the day I first saw him, I brushed my fingers through his white hair, remembering the first time he had ever come to visit me, knowing that he was the warrior of my salvation. Young Evan’s hair was shaggy because there was no one to trim it for him, and the young man in my memory roughly tied up his loose strands of hair. But Evan, who was sleeping now, had his hair cut short to make it easier for him to practice. Still, I tried to sweep it over because it had grown a little longer and covered his forehead, but the Shadow just passed over it.

His white eyebrows were still as delicate, but they were thicker than before. The eyes below them were peacefully concealed beneath his eyelids and eyelashes. I missed his red irises, which were dyed a red color, as beautiful as the sun burning the witch, as of a flower blooming in antiquity.

Still, unlike the young man who died in a lonely way, I could see him whenever I wanted. I didn’t have to be in pain, missing someone I’ll never see again. So I was very glad and thankful. I couldn’t believe that I didn’t have to suffer that much anymore. I felt sorry for him as he has to stay behind and suffer, but I couldn’t give up on the one opportunity to reach the end of my life either. I couldn’t repeat the pain I had already experienced once. I wanted to pass it on to Evan, who had a short, fast life. It was the last of my selfishness and greed.

The shadow continued passing over his rich and mysterious eyelashes and came down to his nose. The small, squishy, lovely nose had gotten so long, high, and sharp. His nose, which had changed as much as his eyes, made his face feel like a different person in general, giving him the reliable air of a man, not a weak boy.

The Shadow then rose to the tip of his high nose and moved to the lips below it. Although he still looked soft and affectionate, his tightly closed lips also showed strength. The Shadow that reached there hesitated. Because I remembered the memory of those same lips, kissing my eyes and head. And although it was much different from the young man in my memory, who had seen a woman in me, its effect remained the same. It let me know that I am also a woman. His actions awoke the woman inside me.

In addition, I looked at his thick jawline and ears that looked just like his childhood self. I stared and memorized Evan’s sleeping face. I had to remember his face even when I closed my eyes because I didn’t want to forget him well after my death, so I tried to see him again and again and imprint his image in my memory.

Evan, I am so, so happy to have met you. Thank you so much for coloring the end of my cursed life with happiness. And I’m sorry to give you this pain. I don’t expect you to understand that it’s inevitable, but I do pray that you don’t get too hurt.

The Shadow fell on his body, obviously unable to feel anything. I won’t be able to do that ever again.

*

The whole world was screaming.

Count Phyletto, who eventually overthrew so many nobles and seized all the land, immediately turned to the palace. The soldiers all looked tired. It would not be strange if they collapsed just like that.

Moreover, their eyes were dark, and no light could be seen in them. They didn’t want to protect anyone, and they didn’t want to kill anyone. How painful must it have been for them to be forced to come to the task of killing their fellow people?

They came all the way here, wielding swords, in order not to die. Everywhere they walked, dead bodies were dumped under their feet. The river of blood had soaked their clothes. They went on, killing and killing people almost reflexively, marching on without souls. Even if a colleague, who had just been eating together with them, suddenly died, or even if someone they had been laughing with until recently ran to the enemy’s side, they just wielded their sword mechanically.

They just wanted to go back alive. It didn’t matter who gave them orders. They were soldiers, willing to betray and turn their backs on any master at any time if that meant their survival. That was the reality of today.

But the palace was different. They stood in the position to protect the country. As they calmly mauled the mercenaries wielding their swords with evil intent. At first glance, the seemingly insignificant difference in mindset produced a great change.

It was Count Phyletto, who had absorbed all the land and soldiers. Still, he struggled, unable to even enter the capital. The number of people dying had sadly increased. He asked the witch for help.

I helped, knowing that Evan was in the middle of the palace. The rebels turned into the witch’s army and aimed for the palace. Eventually, even the knights, who were pursuing the monsters, gathered in the capital. They fought for the country. No, they fought to protect the Imperial Palace. It was there where they fought to protect their emperors. The emperors, who stayed there, even though he doesn’t care about their lives.

Knowing that well, Yohan was forced to come to the capital, but he put the lives of the Knights’ Order and his trainees as the utmost priority. He fell back, pretending to be waiting for orders, which was unlike himself.

“Stay back! We fight from the back!”

But this place was a mess; it was not a fight between both systematically trained knights. The enemy were mercenaries, fighting for money, and young people, fighting because they didn’t want to die. And sometimes, the fight developed in a way that was completely unexpected. Not only Yohan but also the knights and trainees were in danger.

Knowing that the attacking group would lose their lives, protecting Yohan’s people while empowering Count Phyletto meant there was nothing I could do. Evan would be sad if they died or got hurt. He’d be in pain, and my guilt would be nothing compared to his grief.

I put priority on what was currently happening because I couldn’t have even known what Evan was doing when the emperor was threatened.

Such terrible days had passed. As time went by, people became more and more tired. It was the same with Yohan. He had to move more, especially to protect his knights and trainees. He stood back because he wanted to avoid killing as much as he could but constantly wielded a sword to save his life or another’s. Count Phyletto’s soldiers were insignificant, and their motivation was far lower than that of the knights, but their numbers were enormous. He pushed them without distinction between day and night. The knights had little time to rest. Eventually, they began to be pushed out. And soon after, the capital fell.

Yohan must have thought everyone was going to die so he took the lead in fighting the battle. Specialized in fighting ahead enough to be regarded as the Knights’ Sword, he dealt a heavy blow to the enemy, even though he had only moved a little. The more soldiers he fought, the more aimed for him. Count Phyletto sent a large number of people there, perhaps because he thought he had to kill Yohan.

I tried hard to protect him, but sneaking up on him wasn’t enough. There was a limit to changing the direction of an arrow, tripping a soldier’s foot, or striking a sword so that the attack would deviate. There were so many that even that was hard.

So despite all that effort, the Commander was in grave danger. He fell off the horse and lost his consciousness because he couldn’t bear the weight of his heavy armor. I gave up on protecting him and teleported him away from the battlefield and into the palace, helping him little by little.

When I took off his armor, I noticed a big cut on his stomach. He had a frame larger than anyone else and had a manly body, but he had no way to escape the sword that came through his armor. Still, his muscles were so tightly woven that it seemed like he’d have no big problem in moving around.

I looked at him, breathing a little with ease after I healed his wound. His face was covered with small cuts. I whispered to him wholeheartedly.

“You must protect Evan. Never die. Never.”

It would be too much for him to go back and fight right away, but there was nothing wrong with his life, so I left him like that, leaving before he came to his senses. I teleported back to the battlefield to protect the rest of his knights and the trainees.

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