Gozine

Penelope von Arkheim.
The empire’s emperor had another blood relative besides First Prince Louis.
Of course, it took a long time to recall this memory, but it was an undeniable fact.
Many might have already guessed, but she was none other than one of my masters, Luna, the one who desired the downfall of the Arkheim Empire.

“What… What do you mean by saying the leader of a criminal organization Luna is my blood relative?”

Emperor Penelope spoke with visible confusion. I began my explanation slowly. From the earliest point. The corruption of the late Emperor, known as the Sun King.

**********

Esteban von Arkheim.
Naturally, the Emperor of the Empire had countless women who followed him. The method he used to deeply root his power from the very beginning was none other than betrothal.

After the founding of the Arkheim Empire, Esteban gained various glorious titles such as the Unifier King and the Sun King, but his influence was still not fully consolidated.
Thus, he enacted a new law to unite the nobles.
It was a decree that allowed any direct descendant of the imperial family to betroth themselves to whomever they wished.
This was a law that could easily create bonds through marriages with other nobles.

While this partially quelled the dissatisfaction of the nobles, there was a problem. The risk of Esteban having too many children.
Therefore, he bound only the most powerful families through marriage, while the remaining noble houses were tied to him as concubines. But even so, Esteban was still human, and it was inevitable that his heart would lean toward certain women.

Exactly, that woman was Emilia de Lilia, Luna’s mother.
As evidenced by the middle name “de,” she was a noble, but not from a prominent family. By all accounts, she was considered not suitable for Esteban, the leader known as the Sun King.
Naturally, she was favored by Esteban, but ultimately remained nothing more than a concubine who failed to become his official wife.

Amidst this, an incident occurred leading to Emilia’s death. One that even I, after 27 cycles, had not discovered. As a result, Esteban lost the woman he loved and fell into despair, ultimately losing himself.

Meanwhile, First Prince Louis and Princess Penelope, born from the marriage with his official wife, received divine blessings and smoothly inherited the attributes of divine punishment, raising the imperial family’s expectations. In contrast, the child born to Emilia before her death was branded a disgrace to the imperial family and abandoned.

This child’s name was Luna.
According to the orthodox laws of the imperial family, she was little more than a bastard child and should have been executed. But she was fortunate.
Fortunately, someone saved her at the worst possible moment, that person was Luna’s master, the one who gave her the name Luna. The reason a child who survived by stealing and committing crimes lived to become a leader of Lunatic was due to this very coincidence.

Luna’s master recognized her shocking talent and taught her the Moonlight Sword. Until their death, they raised her just like their own daughter.

But that master’s death came suddenly one day.

Just like Paracelsus’s master Celsus, a mysterious being appeared to cut her down, turning her and her master into victims of a poorly staged hostage situation.
Because of this, Luna made a vow. To break free from this situation, she had no choice but to destroy the imperial family.
A commoner surviving through theft. Though it’s not like she had no expectation for Emperor Penelope, who had recently ascended the throne by pushing aside the First Prince Louis, the recent resurgence of the Resistance made her realize that Penelope was just the same human.
Luna knew. The nobles would never understand unless they were trampled into the dirt.
They would never realize how precious what they had was, nor how desperately others yearned for it.

And so, she resolved to destroy it all.

The Empire, Arkheim. And ultimately, Emperor Penelope.

But there was one thing she didn’t know. The story I just told. The fact that she and Penelope were half-sisters was something she herself was still unaware of.

That’s why I’m telling this now.
If she were to find out?
The target of Luna’s wrath would become even clearer, and by then, even the title of Emperor would no longer protect Penelope.
The continent is on the brink of war.
This is an unavoidable fate.
In such circumstances, the Arkheim Empire cannot serve as a sturdy fence to protect her.

That’s why I decided to tell Emperor Penelope this truth first.
If there was ever a chance to escape this war, it had to be now. Hadn’t Penelope strived all this time to carry out her will?
There was no reason for her to meet a ridiculous, meaningless death now.

But her answer was completely different from what I had expected.

“I’ve actually wondered what it would be like to have an older sister… Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.”

“Your Majesty, this is no time for jokes.”

“Huhu, why? Are you worried that your position as my husband might lose its meaning?”

“That’s not the issue!”

Without realizing it, I slammed the table and stood up. It wasn’t the proper attitude to show before the Emperor, but she calmly lifted her teacup, took a sip, and continued.

“I know. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised… But Luna. If she’s my half-sister, she must hate me. She might feel like I stole everything she should have had.”

“If you want to flee, now is the only time. No one would blame you. Your Majesty has done everything you could, and I was merely by your side. As for Luna… I will stop my master. So please, make a selfish decision now.”

“That’s why.”

“Huh?”

“Have you ever thought about what a selfish decision would be for me? Nox. I”

She continued with a transparent smile.

“I once dreamed of a world where no one suffered unjust deaths or sacrifices, where everyone could be happy. After realizing that was impossible, I dreamed a new dream, to save as many people as possible. At the very least, my worth lies there. If I am the Emperor, I must be someone willing to lay down my life to protect the people.”

“Everyone only has one life.”

“You’re no different. Yet you’ve chosen sacrifice, haven’t you?”

“…Your Majesty.”

“You were the one who first said our values are the same. Since my future husband thought so too, I’ve made my decision. It’s nothing grand. I’ve never wanted to die, but if there’s even the slightest chance of persuading her, I’ll take it.”

“…”

I couldn’t say further.

The young Emperor spoke of risking her life as if it were nothing.
What answer could I possibly give here?

It wasn’t difficult. I turned away from her and bowed.

“I’ll take my leave now. Thank you for your time.”

“Very well.”

As I was about to walk away, she called out to me.
Very calmly, she said the following words.

“Perhaps our wedding will only take place in the afterlife after both of us have died.”

“…I think breaking off the engagement wouldn’t be so bad either.”

With those words, the only thing I could do was force a faint smile.
Then I turned away and contacted Luna. The crystal orb. She responded to the object that required a password input and relayed her current location.

“I need to speak with you privately.”

— Newcomer. If this is about the sacrifice you mentioned earlier…

“It’s something else. Something important. I have a request for you.”

— I’ll send you the coordinates. Come here, and we’ll talk further.

Luna’s voice cut off there. I steeled myself.
From here on out, I couldn’t afford any mistakes.

**********

Theo von Reinhaver. For the first time in a while, Theo left his office and stood in the training grounds, checking his forms as he gazed at the polished floor.
A great battle was about to begin, and he had to give it his all.
Moreover, it was said that Nox von Reinhaver would be there to fulfill his family’s duty as well. Rumors had spread that he intended to end this battle through his own sacrifice.

‘Such an arrogant decision for the youngest son.’

Theo bit his lip as he thought this. An excellent genius? Of course. Even Theo himself hadn’t reached that level of martial prowess at that age.
But did Nox have any reason to become Baal’s host and sacrifice himself? Honestly, no.
No matter how talented he was, there was no reason for him to sacrifice himself for others. This wasn’t noblesse oblige or fulfilling one’s duty. A hero? Even if he were sung in ballads and epic poems, death was ultimately unconquerable.

Record’s book.
Stories may lose their power over time, and though they may be sung by others, once those people are gone, they become little more than myths. Just like the first family head, Jin von Reinhaver, who was preserved in the corners of books at the mere age of fifteen forgotten before his prologue even began.

“Rodwell, take charge of the family estate. Allen and Hats, you two prepare as well. When the final battle against demons comes, there will be no place to run like in the past. Understood?”

“Yes, Father.”

“We will fight to our utmost.”

Allen and Harts, the twins, had received this news just before their enrollment at the Eldain Academy under the new regulations. Signs of the coming battle were evident.
Thus, they were told. Protect this place.
That was the message they received.

“Patriarch. Are you sure about this? Even if we deploy the entire Black Sword Knight Order, our chances of victory are slim. Though we’ve sent letters to prominent sword families like the Stiliner and mage families like the Sader, requesting their participation in the war…”

“Rodwell. Nox once said something. In war, someone inevitably will die. So, you can only hope it won’t be you, and pray even more desperately that it won’t be your family or companions.”

“…Young master said that..”

“Yes. In some ways, he’s deeper than I am. And Nox’s story hasn’t even been fully engraved into a record yet. Do you understand? Do you see why we reached this conclusion?”

“…I have always lived by Patriarch side, for the sake of the Reinhaver family. But for the first time, I wish to oppose your words. Is this truly the best path? I still don’t know. I don’t even know if young master would accept this outcome or endure it.”

Theo gave Rodwell a rare warm smile and just said.

“That boy has companions, doesn’t he? I sometimes wonder… If she hadn’t died back then, if he’d had someone to return to… maybe he wouldn’t have grown so cold. Of course, now it’s nothing more than an excuse.”

Theo sheathed his sword and adjusted the insignia on his shoulder.
From his cold, lifeless eyes, a blue fire seemed to rise.
The swordsman known as a Conqueror spoke indifferently.

“Stormbringer. With that sword and Nox’s talent, He can do it. No matter who stands before him, he can cut them down. That is the only one thing we elders can trust.”