Chapter 21: The Elder Council - (7)
“Phew…”
I let out a long sigh, clutching my aching right hand.
The system window hovering before my eyes informed me that Lincia’s stress had spiked.
My gaze naturally drifted toward her.
Slumped deep in her chair, Lincia stared blankly at the floor, her eyes unfocused. She looked completely drained, like she might collapse at any moment.
She’d been like this ever since the incident in the garden.
And honestly? Who could blame her?
She nearly died on a walk she suggested. Even if there were no ill intentions behind it, the guilt must be eating her alive.
No matter how much I told her it wasn’t her fault, she remained sunk in self-blame.
“In any case, the council meeting has been suspended…”
I glanced at the blade resting on the table.
The very one that pierced through my hand not long ago.
Barely the size of a palm—more like a short dagger than a proper weapon.
Yet an eerie blue light shimmered along its edge.
A glow I recognized from Founding Day.
It was the same curved blade Slane had carried.
According to Rowan, it had undergone special mana processing—an enchantment technique used exclusively by the Evil Church.
So, all the suspicions surrounding the Church’s involvement had proven true, and the Elder Council had erupted into chaos.
The meeting was now indefinitely suspended.
To protect Lincia from further danger, she’d been all but confined to her chambers.
And I stayed at her side constantly.
I was the only one acting as her guard in the room—
At Lincia’s own request.
“This is turning into a real mess.”
I sat alone, fingers tangled in my hair.
The Church’s interference…
That wasn’t part of the first arc.
In the game’s original storyline, you’d fend off a covert ambush led by the main villain, Edwin Faylid, and then confront him head-on to clear the stage. A straightforward progression.
But after today’s events, everything was spiraling out of control.
Why are they targeting Lincia?
The answer came to me soon enough.
“...It’s because of me.”
I had gotten too involved—too close to her.
To them, it probably looked like betrayal.
They planted a spy… and I turned into her most loyal knight? Must’ve been quite the shock.
Honestly, yeah. Compared to the game, I’d gotten far too involved with Lincia.
This story had already derailed from the original path.
It was like a runaway truck with no brakes.
Everything I thought I knew from the game? Completely useless now.
And to top it off, the stress meter had gone up.
Great. Now I really wanna cry.
“Freud.”
“Yes?”
I was just about to rip my hair out when Lincia suddenly spoke.
She looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“…I’m sorry.”
“There’s no need to apologize.”
“I got carried away and ended up getting you hurt…”
“It’s fine. I failed to anticipate it—that’s on me.”
I tried my best to comfort her, but it didn’t seem to help.
“I really am pathetic… And I still dared to dream of becoming Empress.”
“This wasn’t your fault, Your Highness.”
“But it definitely wasn’t your fault either, Freud.”
“…Mm.”
Lincia smiled faintly at my reply.
But that forced smile only made her look more pained.
“You seem really tired.”
I stepped closer and gently pulled the heated blanket up to her shoulders.
She clutched it wordlessly and lay halfway into bed, but her eyes still flickered with unease.
“I think some sleep would do you good.”
“Freud.”
“Yes?”
“…You’re not going anywhere, right?”
Like a child seeking comfort.
I let out a small sigh and softened my expression.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I swear it.”
“…Thank goodness.”
Lincia slowly closed her eyes. She stopped moving altogether.
Soon, soft breaths filled the silence—steady and light.
Only then did I allow myself to breathe again.
She must’ve been utterly exhausted.
The dark circles beneath her eyes told the story—she’d clearly been pushing herself too hard.
I gently brushed her messy bangs aside. My fingers slipped through the strands, and a faint warmth seeped into my skin. For some reason, it felt strangely intimate.
Returning to my seat, I flexed my injured hand.
A sharp, needle-like pain stabbed through it each time.
Still, I could fight. Thank the heavens it was my non-dominant hand—the one that doesn’t hold the sword.
“Pull yourself together, dammit.”
I slapped both cheeks lightly and forced my eyes wide open.
I stayed beside Lincia, alert.
Who knew when the next danger might strike?
There was no room for sleep in a situation like this.
And the Elder Council? Suspended indefinitely.
How was I supposed to clear Act 1 now?
I spent a while trying to come up with an answer.
None came.
-Knock knock.
A sudden knock at the door snapped me out of my thoughts.
I reached for the hilt of my sword and cautiously approached.
“Who’s there?”
I asked quietly, and a hoarse voice answered back.
“It’s Melina.”
…Her voice sounded different than usual.
Why did I feel uneasy?
****
“Why are you here so late?”
“I just… couldn’t sleep. How’s Her Highness doing?”
“She’s resting now. It seems the incident shook her up quite a bit.”
“I see.”
Melina nodded faintly.
After briefly peeking into the room, she stepped back.
She looked even worse than Lincia.
Her complexion was pale as death, like she’d just heard something traumatic.
Even her words trembled with fear. She was clearly not in a normal state.
“…Sir Freud.”
After a moment of silence, Melina finally spoke.
Her lips were dry and cracked.
“I heard you were injured… protecting Her Highness.”
“Oh. It’s nothing serious.”
The wound that pierced through my palm had been manageable.
Rowan patched me up with a bit of magic, and the pain subsided fairly quickly.
Melina’s gaze lingered on my hand.
“I must’ve misunderstood you… I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright. I understand.”
Her suspicion hadn’t particularly bothered me.
At least it had come from a place of genuine concern for Lincia.
That was clear enough.
Which is exactly why it was so hard to believe she’d end up playing a major role in the Dead End route.
Melina opened her mouth again but faltered, her breath visibly fogging up in the cold dawn air.
Then, desperately:
“Can you… truly protect Her Highness to the very end?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Promise me.”
Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed my wrist—tight.
Her hand was ice-cold.
“Just… say you’ll promise. That’s all I need right now.”
“…Hah.”
That voice was unmistakably pleading.
A far cry from the cold words she’d thrown at me just yesterday.
The shift was chilling.
“Will you protect her—no matter the cost? Even… if it means your life?”
“…”
“Can you swear it? That you’ll protect Princess Lincia—no, Lincia, the person?”
I didn’t answer.
Seeing that, Melina looked even more devastated.
“Did something happen?”
“…I can’t say.”
She shook her head.
“Swear it. You’re a knight. Please… just give me something to believe in.”
Her face was so desperate, I couldn’t speak.
Given everything Lincia had been through, it was understandable for someone close to her to feel this shaken.
Still… this wasn’t normal.
Whatever her reasons, I needed to calm her down first.
I gently placed my hand over hers. Her eyes widened.
“Her Highness Lincia will, without a doubt, become a great Empress.”
I drew on the memory of the game.
“There will be hardships. Countless challenges. But she will overcome them. She’ll grow stronger. She’ll rise to the throne and usher in an age of peace. She will rule for the people and light the empire with her radiance. She will… bring forth a new dawn.”
The True End. The Empress of Dawn.
That’s the ending I want.
“I don’t know if I’ll be there at the end.
But this much I can promise—Princess Lincia will be the light that pierces through the darkness.”
“…”
“And I’ll make sure she becomes that light.”
Melina listened quietly, then lowered her head.
“…Alright.”
She looked resigned… but the color slowly returned to her cheeks.
“I feel… a little better now.”
“…So, what exactly happened?”
“I’m sorry.”
She looked up, forcing a smile that looked all too fragile.
“Please… take care of Her Highness.”
“…Huh?”
With that, she turned her back to me.
Ding!
“…What the hell was that?”
I murmured blankly.
And just like that, Melina vanished down the hallway—fleeing into the dark.
That was the last I ever saw of her.
---The End Of The Chapter---
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