Chapter 343

-Hang the criminal on the highest tower. Show clearly what end awaits those who dare challenge the supreme authority of royalty.

Following the orders of a mage who was one of the Queen Dowager's close associates and a collaborator of Duke of Ophir's family, the guards dragged the corpse from the Mage Tower.

The body that had surely been a living person until last night was severely mutilated.

The body, stabbed dozens of times in various places with sharp objects, hung limply.

The overwhelming fishy stench and putrid odor made even the guards collecting the corpse continuously retch.

The corpse dragged down from the Mage Tower was handed over to an executioner hastily summoned from outside.

The reason was that those who ate the royal stipend could not deeply involve themselves in such vile work.

They handed over the criminal's corpse with disgust and informed him of the highest tower among the castle composed of several small castles and towers.

The tower that jutted up sharply from the center of the main castle.

On the tower symbolizing the majesty of Aquilonia's royal authority, the corpse of a criminal who dared attempt to assassinate royalty would be hung.

The executioner who nodded stuffed the corpse into a worn sack.

With a temporarily issued identification badge, he climbed to the highest point via the passages used by maids and servants,

And faced a large window from which he could look down at the royal castle and the distant capital at a glance.

He would probably be able to climb to the top of the spire through this window.

He threw the sack on the floor and untied the string that had bound the opening.

As he grabbed the corpse's red hair to pull it out, he suddenly discovered that the clothes the corpse wore were quite elaborate.

Decorations hanging here and there, buttons embedded with jewels. Even the shoes were sprinkled with small glittering powder.

The executioner looked around once.

Convinced that no one would come up here, he slyly touched the corpse.

It was a dead person anyway, and after the public execution ended, it would be dismembered and burned.

Wouldn't it be fine for him to collect these precious jewels first before they were buried in ashes?

The executioner began skillfully unbuttoning the clothes the corpse wore.

Though it was covered in blood, if washed clean with water, it might regain its original color. He could sell it for a very high price.

When the excited executioner was stripping off the gold-decorated upper garment along with the blood-soaked cloak,

The pale corpse's hand grabbed his wrist.

"Ah."

The dawn light flowing through the window began to illuminate the interior.

Red hair matted with dried blood.

A large stab wound still remaining on the neck.

Hideous wounds visible under the torn clothes.

Blood still bubbled and glistened wetly in the wounds that had miraculously not yet dried up.

Though it was a body pale without a trace of blood, the wide-open eyes glowed eerily amber.

The corpse sat up. Blood that had pooled in its mouth trickled down.

Crouched like a small animal, the corpse spat something from its mouth.

Things that might have been organs or clots of fresh blood poured out with splattering sounds.

The executioner shook off the corpse's hand. Cold sweat broke out. This, this was not human. His whole body warned him so.

"Huh, huaaaaaaak!"

It's a monster, a monster! Behind him screaming and running away frantically, the corpse staggered to its feet.

Splash. Splash.

One who walked on the blood he himself had shed.

Blood and flesh fragments flowing down from gaping wounds.

A monster moving to target the human ahead as if feeling no pain.

A wall-mounted lamp hit by the running executioner's shoulder fell, scattering glass fragments in all directions.

"Save me, it's a monster! A monster! That thing, that thing got up!"

"What are you talking about?"

At the bottom of the stairs leading up to the tower,

The guards who had been waiting for the executioner to finish disposing of the corpse stared blankly at the executioner running away in panic.

The corpse got up? Had he perhaps drunk heavily before entering the palace?

The guards exchanged glances among themselves and began slowly climbing the stairs.

However, before long, they encountered 'Eibon's teacher' and 'the attempted royal assassin' coming down toward them.

The guards were equally shocked and ran away,

But unlike the executioner,

The difference was that they knocked over a torch placed by the entrance while fleeing.

As dawn broke, light from another cause began shining into Aquilonia's capital.

The horses that had covered a distance that should have taken half a day in just three or four hours to return to the capital collapsed foaming at the mouth.

But regardless, the riders jumped down drenched in sweat and shouted.

"We have to run from here!"

"We can't walk to the royal castle! Too much time has already passed!"

"Can't we get horses from somewhere else?"

"Everyone look over there!"

At Valter's shout, everyone looked in the direction his finger pointed.

What entered their wide-open eyes was,

"Fire..."

The kingdom's citizens who had come out to the streets were also watching the scene.

Huge flames and smoke were rising. The royal castle that had stood firmly in a place where everyone could see it.

Where the fire's licking tongue had swept across the ground, nothing remained.

Aquilonia's royal castle was being devoured by flames.

Though they had witnessed the scene of the castle, no different from the history that began with Aquilonia's founding, being scorched,

What Yurik actually cried out was the name of just one person.

"Yesung!"

Eva, who had been covering her mouth, grabbed her churning stomach and barely came to her senses.

Looking around, she ran into a conspicuous inn.

The owner happened to be away watching the fire.

Eva randomly untied the horses tied in the stable,

The startled horses neighed and kicked, but had no choice but to follow her as she grabbed their reins.

"Your Highness!"

Yurik received the reins from her as she struggled to lead out four horses and immediately leaped onto horseback.

Behind Yurik who instantly galloped far away, Eva and Cellinne rode together spurring their horse,

When Dardin, Milo, and Valter were just mounting the remaining horse.

"W-wait a moment! Are you planning to enter the castle in this situation? This is suicide!"

"We have no intention of releasing you here, Captain of the Royal Guard. We're also pressed for time!"

Milo felt like he was going insane. Were these people sane? Even if the 3rd Prince had left, still.

How could they think of jumping into those flames?

There was no death more cruel and painful than burning to death!

"Think about it. With Primavera Viscountess and the Lady having gone, if we go too, we'll only cause confusion."

"Then are you saying only we should remain here? This is absurd."

"No! What I mean is, since three people have entered, we should focus on firefighting! If the flames are only in the main castle, shouldn't we suppress them faster before they spread to the surroundings? Aren't you two worried about His Highness the 3rd Prince and the Ladies? Moreover, there might be people trapped inside the castle!"

He desperately tried to persuade the two. Dardin asked Milo.

"Can you command the firefighting?"

"Please go in the direction I indicate. If you take me to the Royal Guard training ground, I'll mobilize knights and soldiers."

Eva and Cellinne had the white snowman's protection, so there wasn't much worry about them in the flames.

But Dardin had made a promise with Yesung. So he nodded.

It couldn't be helped. To not disappoint Yesung, he had to choose the moderate path.

* * *

Yurik knew that Yesung didn't die.

More precisely, he understood that he returned even from death.

Nevertheless, he couldn't stop running toward where Yesung was.

Why didn't you come?

You promised, so why?

Yesung was always like that. Saying he would return, reassuring that this time was real.

You always deceive others like that.

Despair boiled up along with anger. He lightly crossed the entrance to the royal castle where the guards had disappeared.

Hot wind blew suddenly, flipping back his hood.

-From the spire, they say it will be hung at the highest point of the royal castle.

-Is that accurate information?

-There will be a time difference due to distance, but they say it's information just obtained from the royal family.

Spire.

Around the burning main castle, there was a huge crowd of people either fleeing or trying to enter. Gowns caught fire, sparks filled the air, and servants who had rushed out with burns.

The acrid air was full of cries calling for Her Majesty the Queen Dowager or someone to handle this situation.

Those who had evacuated outside tried to somehow suppress the flames with water brought from nearby,

But a few buckets of water couldn't possibly extinguish the fire.

Without thinking deeply, Yurik got off his horse and jumped into the flames surrounding the main castle.

His eyes stung from the bright light. Black smoke obscured everything. Even beautiful carpets were being eaten away by fire with black holes from sparks that fell from burning portraits.

He tried not to breathe as much as possible while going deeper inside.

Fallen chandeliers. Burning chairs and portraits. Burning timber and embers constantly falling from the ceiling.

Enduring all of that, he continued climbing to higher places. As if believing that everything would end if he went there.

But when he pushed open the door blocking the end of the spiral staircase with trembling hands, the person who faced him was.

"My son."

The Queen Dowager, who had been looking outside from the window and turned around, smiled brightly.

The flames hadn't reached here yet. But it was only a matter of time.

If he were Aquilonia's 3rd Prince, he would surely have taken the Queen Dowager and descended the tower.

Yurik stared briefly at the bloodstains and messy traces on the floor.

They were not the Queen Dowager's. They were probably from someone who had to be brought here.

Yurik slowly drew his sword from under his robe.

"Where is Yesung?"

"Didn't you come to save this mother? I knew everything. The fact that my son would come here."

"Yesung."

"Such a sudden fire. How frightening. No one could start flames this quickly. I'm worried it might be something that mage did to escape."

"What did you do to Yesung?"

"Well. I think he left this royal castle first. Since he started the fire, wouldn't he have fled so as not to get caught?"

The Queen Dowager slowly approached and caressed the back of his hand.

Though it seemed like an intimate gesture, Yurik immediately shook it off.

The Queen's bright face immediately hardened.

"Bring him here."

"Why are you so obsessed, my son? He's nothing. Causing such an accident and abandoning you to run away is not good at all."

"You said he ran away."

"Yes. He's nowhere to be seen. Though you left the royal castle out of fear, my son, if that mage truly cared for you, he should never have run away."

Her tone in admonishing Yurik was affectionate,

But he, receiving her goodwill, was grinding his teeth from the rarely felt disgust.

The Queen Dowager, oblivious to his feelings, smiled as if dealing with foolish love.

"Come, let's go out. My son, the flames will reach here soon. If your precious body gets burned, this mother's heart will ache. Let's go down together. And let's discuss what to do about that impudent mage-"

"Why should I, for what reason?"

"My son? ...What are you saying?"

"I asked why I should take you out with me."

"Of course, I am Aquilonia's Queen Dowager. Aren't you my adoptive son, the 3rd Prince?"

"Adoptive son?"

Yurik began to laugh.

But laughing loudly while holding a sword was similar to a madman.

However, the Queen neither retreated nor approached, just stared at him.

After giggling for a long time, Yurik asked back with mockery.

"When have you ever treated me as an adoptive son? It would be more appropriate to think you considered me a hidden mistress."

"3rd Prince."

"Your favor, the gifts you sent, your hostility. Though it was irritating, I was curious to see how far you'd go, and you finally committed such an act."

"3rd Prince! Refrain from rude words and behavior before me!"

"You drank the poison yourself, you framed innocent Yesung as the criminal. The inside of the cup was obviously blackened and rotten, so why didn't you stop drinking? How could you miraculously survive? Doesn't it look like a too well-planned scheme to call it coincidence?"

"What are you saying, 3rd Prince! I cannot tolerate such baseless speculation any longer!"

"Were you also the one who leaked Primavera's story to the current royal physician? Knowing that he felt jealous of a 'mere' viscountess?"

Yurik approached the Queen one step at a time. Flames surged beyond the window.

The Queen asked quietly.

"...Do you want me to confess? In this empty room, to you?"

"Confession? Is such a thing useful at this point? You crossed the line."

"I only tried to show that he couldn't become a trustworthy person. Don't you already know how easily those who show favor turn their backs! He's the same. He'll change his mind. Someday he'll leave you!"

"He is the person I can rely on most in the world."

"The only person you should trust is me. In this world, only me."

"No. You just want to possess me."

"I love you. More than anyone!"

"Who said that was love? Even if you try to package base jealousy and possessiveness, the ugly essence remains the same."

"It's not too late even now. Give up the mage. And take my hand."

"I refuse."

Yurik had no intention of prolonging this conversation.

His sword gleamed sharply.

The Queen Dowager's eyes fiercely stared directly at him.

It was the third time. That she had been rejected by him.

Even if the entire royal castle burned down, even if she died from poison, what she wanted was only one thing.

But, but still.

It wouldn't come into her hands. No matter what she did, he wouldn't face her emotions.

What returned after three attempts was helplessness and defeat.

Probably even if she tried ten times, a hundred times, the result would be the same.

Trampled pride. What was this, what was such a thing?

The Queen Dowager muttered as if talking to herself.

"I tried to give you everything."

"You would have fed me like charity after I became yours. Like to stray dogs on the street."

Ah, the mage's prophecy was right.

Her love would not be reciprocated. It had been so until now and would be so in the future.

Love, what was love?

What was such desire, what help was such a thing that brought her here?

She could clearly hear the sound of past memories shattering. That day, walking the forest path of the royal castle with her hand on his arm. Sunlight coming through the leaves. That day when she gazed admiringly at his shining platinum hair. His lips faintly curved in a smile. First love.

She was tired. It hurt. She was wounded. But she loved. She had loved. As she always had.

The Queen's lips moved slightly.

"I lost."

Why did the person who loved first always lose?

Why did the person who loved always stand on the losing side as if it were promised?

The sword was raised high.

The Queen Dowager didn't even glance at the sword, only looking at her coldly beautiful adoptive son's face.

"For the last time."

A beautiful person.

Someone she couldn't love but wanted to remain beside.

"-Call my name."

The Queen Dowager pleaded. As one person, as one who desired affection.

But the words that came from Yurik's twisted lips were cold.

"Farewell, Mother."

He left no room at all.

With a teardrop flowing down the Queen Dowager's cheek as the last,

Blood splattered on the large window.

In the royal castle's spire, there was neither love nor screams.

The curtain fell. The farce between just two people with no audience finally ended.