It was more than just an alliance for war or a shared purpose; something deeper was beginning to emerge.
“But… I still owe you so much.”
She smiled faintly.
“Don’t think of me as someone who will always be weak. There may come a time when I can help and protect you.”
“You’re already doing that, aren’t you?”
He replied with a teasing tone.
“I am truly grateful for that.”
They exchanged a glance.
Deep within, a feeling difficult to articulate spread through them.
That sensation seemed to erase all past bad karma little by little and laid out new possibilities before their eyes.
As night fell, they set up camp again, lit a fire, and rested.
The soldiers celebrated their victory, sharing meager food and water, while those in need of healing helped each other and shared healing magic.
Aisia, though more physically tired than before, felt more at peace in her heart.
She sat alone by a small fire, reflecting on Adolf Kareha.
“Being filled with gratitude, apology, and deep affection… I’ve really changed.”
But the wounds of the past were not fully healed.
The despair of her infertility was not entirely resolved, and he carried the trauma of many difficult decisions made during the war.
Even so, it became clear that the wall between the two was gradually coming down.
Soon, Adolf approached.
“Are you uncomfortable? You’ve pushed yourself quite a bit today. I’m glad you held up.”
She chuckled briefly.
“I’ve merely done what I can. You might say I wanted to lighten your burden a little.”
He sat down.
The flames flickered between them, casting unstable light and shadows across their faces.
Though both looked tired, strangely, their gazes were warm.
“There’s something…”
She started carefully.
“To tell you the truth, it’s still not easy for me to trust you. After all, I used to despise you.”
She clearly remembered how he had acted so ruthlessly against the Liberian Empire.
Acknowledging her point, Kareha nodded gently.
“I’ve hurt you before and undoubtedly caused pain to people in your country during the war. For that, it’s not easy to forgive me.”
“But… that doesn’t mean the feelings I have now are false. Without realizing it, I’ve grown afraid of you being hurt, and I’m grateful for how you care about me.”
Breathing softly in the dark, she added,
“I’m just… confused.”
He reached out slightly with his hand, but she didn’t take it.
Though not ready to accept him fully, she also couldn’t bring herself to completely push him away either.
“There’s no need to rush. Let’s just take our time and wait patiently.”
“Take our time… and hope.”
Mulling over Kareha’s words, she turned her head away, but felt a small relief that his demeanor wasn’t burdensome.
‘The expression ‘from instinctive trust to deep affection’ might fit perfectly,’ as their feelings were becoming noticeably softer.
Under the dark sky, the soldiers leaning against the ancient ruins’ walls appeared even more wretched.
Continual battles and relentless tension had visibly drained their energy.
That day was no different.
A cold breeze blew through the high piles of rubble, and as dusk settled, the soldiers gathered around small fires to eat and rest.
“Today has been unusually quiet,” said an officer in a dry voice.
“Both monsters and assassins don’t usually stay silent this long.”
Another soldier nodded in agreement.
“Still, we shouldn’t let our guard down. They could attack at any moment. We haven’t dealt with all the creatures guarding this place…”
The fire crackled as it burned dry twigs.
The red flames cast shadows over their tired faces, and the soldiers exchanged glances filled with unease.
The ancient ruins, like a vast and deep maze, didn’t easily let go of those who had entered.
At that moment, faint footsteps were heard from afar.
The soldiers immediately reacted sharply, but it was Adolf Kareha who soon appeared.
Despite having been recently injured, he had recovered enough to walk steadily due to a simple bandaging of his wounds.
“Is anything unusual going on?”
He asked the officer and knights.
“So far, it’s quiet. But this very silence makes me uneasy…”
The officer turned his head to look beyond the wall.
“Patrol teams haven’t returned yet. They must be taking their time checking the surrounding areas.”
Adolf’s lips tightened.
“I commanded them not to overexert themselves. Let’s just hope they weren’t attacked.”
He slightly bowed his head, probably due to lingering effects of his injury, and then lifted his gaze again.
His sharp gaze remained as intense as ever, though signs of fatigue were evident.
“Where’s the princess?”
He asked the officer quietly.
The officer pointed across the fire.
“She’s in the tent. Word is, her condition isn’t good today, so she retired early to rest.”
“I see. Call me immediately if anything happens.”
He took a few steps toward the opposite side where the tent was set up.
He didn’t enter but instead remained some distance away, observing the faint glow of a lamp inside.
Aisia must be resting in there.
Lately, amidst the battles and exploration of the ruins, she had pushed herself too hard using magic and her body was weakened by tension and fatigue.
However, the signs from inside the tent were not peaceful.
At one moment, faint voices and movements could be heard from within.
It seemed like soft whispers were echoing inside the tent.
Initially, he thought it might just be the wind, but it wasn’t.
“What’s going on?”
He frowned slightly and moved a few steps closer to the tent.
He thought he heard Aisia’s voice, though the words were unclear.
Her tone, however, was unusually low and tinged with both anger and agitation.
“Princess?”
He hesitated, calling out gently, mindful of protocol.
He didn’t want to startle her by barging in unannounced.
But then, after a while, the whispering subsided, and the strange noise disappeared.
He felt something odd and moved closer to the tent’s entrance.
“Is someone inside?”
He asked with a low voice.
There was no response.
Instead, a few seconds later, the tent flap slowly opened, and Aisia emerged suddenly.
Her face bore complex emotions, and her eyes were flickering intensely.
“Is something the matter?”
He asked in surprise.
“No, nothing’s the matter,” she muttered, biting her lips.
“Just… ignore it.”
However, her voice was clearly trembling, and her unstable demeanor was unmistakable.
“Princess, are you sweating from feeling unwell? Has your condition worsened?”
She shook her head.
“No, it’s not that. It’s just…”
She couldn’t finish her sentence and looked around aimlessly.
The soldiers lingering around the fire, the dark sky behind them, and the crumbling ruins of the city all came into her view, but she couldn’t find a place to settle her heart.
Adolf Kareha instantly realized that the presence he had sensed earlier inside the tent explained her reaction.
“If you don’t mind, could you please explain slowly? Was there someone inside earlier…?”
She quickly darted her eyes away and muttered under her breath.
“A demon… I’m not sure if it was one, but a strange being came to see me and disappeared before I could identify it.”
His heart sank upon hearing the word.
“A demon…?”
“I’m not entirely sure either, but it didn’t feel human. Its tone was off, and above all, its gaze…”
She wrapped her arms around herself slightly.
Recalling the earlier incident, she began speaking with an uneasy look as she glanced at Kareha.
“It was extremely unpleasant. That individual said things to me like this:”
“Adolf is using you to take your power. Do you know how ruthless he is in war?”
Apparently, the figure had tried to sow discord against Adolf Kareha.
“What…?”
He furrowed his brow in shock.
‘A demon… if her intuition as a hero’s descendant is to be trusted, then it could be possible.’
He then realized the connection to the assassins that had been stalking them.
“If there’s a fiend lurking within these ruins, spreading such malicious plots, it is probably a demon or one of its followers.”
She looked at him but couldn’t find the words to continue immediately.
Still, the suspicion and unease were evident in her gaze.
“Can you… can you say for sure that what it said isn’t true?”
He sighed, feeling frustrated but understanding.
However, Adolf Kareha was confident that she wouldn’t fall victim to such simple deception.
“Are you doubting what you’ve seen of my actions up until now?”
“No, it’s just that…”
She lowered her head, unsure of what to say.
“Oddly, everything that being said keeps replaying in my head… the way you executed the knights you captured in war, the way you forcibly embraced me… and how you clutched on to Liberia’s legitimacy… all those memories keep scrambling my mind…”
“That was its game.”
“I know. Even though my rationality tells me that, I keep feeling emotionally swayed.”
She closed her eyes tightly.
“What exactly is this demon trying to accomplish? Why would it disturb me like this…”
Aisia repeated in her mind that it was just an illusion while questioning the purpose of the mysterious figure, possibly a demon.
