Valentine—house of the most noble and legendary sacred knights in history.
“I don’t know how I appear to you… but I’ve received formal knight training.”
She smiled, slipping her straight white blade into its sheath—a blade worthy of the name.
“I can’t turn away from those who suffer.”
In that moment, Iris was unmistakably a true knight.
Theodore’s eyes shimmered with quiet gratitude as he nodded.
“Th… thank you.”
“No—I should thank you. For trusting me.”
Iris rose to her feet and extended a hand toward him.
“Now, guide me to the place that curse summoned you.”
And so, Iris and Theodore slipped out of the command tent under the veil of night.
Evading even the guards stationed nearby had gone smoothly.
But the journey afterward proved far from easy.
“…Young Master Theodore.”
“Y-Yes, ma’am!”
Theodore moved like a nervous spirit beast pup, flinching at every sound, ears perked for danger.
It was good to be cautious… but at this rate, they’d never find his family even if days passed.
“Worrying is fine—but now’s the time to act.”
If they delayed too long out of fear, they might lose the chance to save them entirely.
I’m concerned about demonic beasts too…
Iris glanced at the sacred sword hanging from her neck.
But I must move if I want to unlock its seal.
Theodore hesitated at her words, his silver brows drooping low.
“I’m sorry, Lady Consort…”
He looked just like a downcast puppy. He was taller and broader than Iris, yet his demeanor made her want to pat his head.
“I keep burdening you… I don’t know why I keep disappointing everyone.”
“Well, given the circumstances… just call me ‘Knight.’”
“…Yes, Knight. I’m sorry to trouble you.”
Theodore bowed deeply.
“Logically, I know I should’ve reported this and asked for help from other knights, but… it feels like my responsibility alone.”
Iris felt a pang of sympathy.
This situation isn’t his fault.
If anything, it was the work of whoever had attacked him.
Though Theodor was being comforted, he still instinctively blamed himself.
‘What could someone like me even do to offer solace…?’
Nothing had truly changed about their situation. Iris wasn’t confident she knew how to properly console someone who was suffering. But then, she recalled the words of the one who had always brought her comfort—Cedric.
“To me, My Lady, you are a remarkable and extraordinary existence.”
Her savior, Cedric—the one she loved with all her soul.
And then, one by one, the others came to mind.
The people of Leonteim. Zelda. The knights of the order.
All those who had reached out to her, even when she had nothing to offer in return.
“You don’t have to apologize to me.”
Drawing from the warmth of those words that once wrapped around her like sunlight, Iris offered them to Theodor, hoping they would become a balm for his weary heart.
“This didn’t happen because of your wrongdoings. I don’t want you blaming yourself any longer.”
Tears welled once more in Theodor’s green eyes.
Iris extended her hand to him—so he wouldn’t stay frozen in place, so he might take a step forward.
“Have just a bit more courage. And if that’s too difficult, then lean on me, for I stand beside you.”
Perhaps Theodor had simply never encountered people like the ones who had surrounded Iris.
And if that was the case—she wanted to be the first.
To help him. To walk with him, step by step.
‘Iris is someone truly admirable.’
She wanted to become the person Cedric had once described her as.
Theodor stared blankly at her outstretched hand.
“Thank… you.”
Tears streamed down his face, his expression overcome with emotion.
“Do you think I… could become like you, Lady Knight?”
“There’s no need to become me.”
At those words, Theodor broke into sobs.
“You can walk your own path in your own way.”
For some reason, Iris felt that, just maybe, she had finally become someone capable of comforting another.
‘It’s all thanks to Cedric.’
She believed she had only said what any person could say in such a situation.
‘And yet…’
Theodor’s reaction was quite different.
His eyes sparkled—like a lost pup who had finally found his master.
And perhaps because his heart had been slightly unburdened, he no longer struggled to keep pace as they moved.
“Would you mind telling me a bit about the family member we’re going to search for?”
“Ah… Angmu.”
Theodor’s face twisted with sorrow as he spoke the name.
“Angmu was my only family. Without them… I don’t think I could’ve endured that unfamiliar land.”
His voice cracked with grief.
Iris nodded solemnly, sincerely listening.
‘So he wasn’t on good terms with Duke Hill.’
Even Iris knew how complicated the affairs of Duke Hill’s household were.
‘It was a matter of marriage, wasn’t it?’
Theodor had been born to a mother of a southern minority tribe and the Eastern Duke Hill.
The problem was—the child had come before a formal union between the two.
‘Children born before official rites are always recorded as illegitimate.’
In most cases, such rumors would be smoothed over by a quiet marriage ceremony afterward.
‘But in this case… they never married. The mother disappeared, and it became a scandal.’
The exact details were unknown, but it was said to be due to tribal customs.
Later, Duke Hill had officially registered the young Theodor into his household, bringing the matter to a close.
“And… I didn’t meet my father until I was twelve, after my mother passed away.”
What had transpired during that long gap was known only to the parties involved.
“The new household… everything was different from my mother’s tribe. I struggled to adapt. Still, I thought I’d be okay as long as my father was with me.”
His voice held a deep loneliness.
“But now I think… he only took me in out of duty.”
“I see.”
“He did come to see me often, but… he was always angry.”
“That must have been hard.”
“More than that… I think it just hurt to know I couldn’t be someone he loved.”
Iris, who already knew the future, nodded a little awkwardly.
‘I can’t say what truly lies in Duke Hill’s heart…’
But she didn’t believe the duke treated Theodor like he was disposable.
After all, the man had collapsed from grief upon Theodor’s death and even withdrawn from Eastern affairs.
“I’m sure… if he finds out about today, he’ll be furious. Disappointed in me.”
“Have you ever tried speaking with him? Maybe things would change if he heard your side.”
“That’s not likely.”
Theodor shook his head with a crestfallen expression.
“My father doesn’t really… like me.”
“Even so, you should try to speak with him.”
Iris understood just how deep the wounds inflicted by cold, indifferent family could be.
“I don’t know if I’m even in a place to offer such advice…”
That was why she couldn’t make assumptions about the present just because she knew the outcome of the future.
Still, she wanted Theodor to try speaking with his father.
“Even if you must give up, it’s better to have one final conversation.”
Iris had been able to let go of her own family ties easily because she had already devoted her utmost effort to those relationships.
That was why she held no lingering attachments to her family.
She hoped Theodore would not carry regrets.
“That’s better for your own sake. At least then you can clear your heart.”
“I understand. Knight, you always say such wise things. You’re amazing.”
For a moment, Theodore seemed like a dog wagging its tail behind her.
Though I haven’t really done anything for him.
Her words sounded reassuring, but in the end, Theodore was the one who had to face everything himself.
Still, he treated Iris as if she were performing some great deed for him.
I’m just doing what Cedric did for me.
“First, we should focus on safely rescuing that parrot. How far are we?”
“Almost there!”
Theodore glanced around cautiously as they pressed forward.
Then, carried on the wind, a presence drifted from the path ahead.
Goosebumps broke out across Iris’s body.
Who could it be?
An extremely powerful aura.
“Young Master Theodore.”
Just one word, but Theodore immediately sensed the danger and swiftly slipped away, hiding behind a tree.
That’s a relief.
Though he seemed untrained in martial arts, he knew how to conceal himself well.
Iris steadied herself, drawing her sword as she cautiously advanced, making sure she had enough room to wield it.
Then—
“Ugh!”
Something lunged sharply toward the back of her neck.
She twisted her blade just in time to block and spun around, only to be struck hard on her shoulder blade by something solid.
The impact was strong; her sword was knocked away.
Lifting her head, Iris nearly lost her breath at the sight before her.
“You are…”
Golden hair shimmered like finely drawn gold threads.
The sharp-featured man resembled Cedric somewhat, but unlike Cedric’s wolf-like lithe build, this man gave off a decadent and chilling serpent-like aura.
His long, deep-set eyes with dark crimson irises bore down on Iris.
Her body trembled under the immense pressure.
She had never met him, but had heard his name hundreds of times in stories and records.
The Sun of the Empire.
The one who will kill Cedric.
Emperor Ludwig.
Iris swiftly lowered her head and bowed deeply, paying the utmost respects.
“I greet the Radiant Sun of the Empire, Your Majesty.”
Ludwig slowly swept his gaze around.
A lone woman, standing in this desolate patch of grass.
‘And in my hunting ground, no less…’
He had deliberately come here alone, not wishing to be bothered by his retainers, which made the intrusion even more displeasing.
His gaze grew sharper as he scrutinized her. Though her body was well-tempered, there was no trace of killing intent.
‘Not an assassin, then…’
She seemed to be one of the rare noble daughters who had undergone physical cultivation.
And if a noble lady had come all the way into the imperial hunting ground where the sovereign roamed alone, there could be only one reason.
‘So they’re even resorting to pushing women into my path this way…’
Petty schemes of underlings. Laughable, yet irritatingly presumptuous.
Ludwig let out a cold, mirthless smile and studied the bowed woman again.
‘…However.’
She was strikingly beautiful.
What was he thinking? A fleeting whim, perhaps.
“I permit you to raise your head.”
Normally, he would have cut her down without hesitation. But this once, he wanted to see her face again.
She hesitated, then released the hem of her skirt and slowly looked up.
Lavender hair cascaded over her shoulders like silk. Her pale skin was luminous, almost ethereal—like a forest nymph from a minstrel’s ballad.
She stood gracefully, like a dancer painted on a scroll. Her mysterious sky-blue eyes shimmered with a melancholic hue that tugged at his gaze.
A strange, sorrowful air clung to her.
Ludwig’s throat tightened.
“I apologize for obstructing your path with my lowly presence.”
She lowered her gaze again, evading his eyes.
It was only natural for those beneath the heavens to lower their eyes before the Emperor, yet somehow, it unsettled him.
“I shall take my leave before I bring further offense.”
She bowed once more with perfect etiquette and turned to depart.
Why was it?
‘I feel parched…’
Ludwig hastily grabbed her wrist and turned her around.
The motion stirred her dress, and her wide, startled eyes met his once more.
When his reflection appeared in those sky-blue irises, a strange satisfaction swelled within him.
Ludwig smirked faintly.
“Are you lost?”
Something felt off.
He remembered well—how his own mother had clawed her way into the Emperor’s bedchamber to seize power.
Because of that memory, Ludwig had never allowed a woman close, nor accepted an empress or imperial consort.
Anyone he accepted would only serve to further consolidate his power.
“What is your name?”
Yet, this time, that wasn’t the reason he reached out to her.
Only after the fact did such thoughts surface.
‘Perhaps… I could tolerate having an empress.’
Even without a grand scheme, perhaps it was acceptable.
Yet, instead of receiving his question with trembling gratitude, the woman gently shook her head.
“My name is far too humble to present before Your Majesty.”
“Humble? All beneath the Empire are lowly compared to me.”
Still, she politely declined again.
“Your Majesty, even among the humble, there exists a hierarchy.”
Irritation stirred in Ludwig’s chest.
Was she a slave? Not that it mattered—slavery had long been outlawed in the Empire.
Still, it was clear she had no intention of revealing her identity.
‘Is she running from something?’
As she once more tried to slip away, Ludwig unsheathed his blade.
With a single motion, he tore the imperial insignia from his garment.
“This is your doing.”
He pressed the embroidered cloth bearing the royal crest into her hand.
“Thus, I expect you to come before me again, with the same reverence, bearing this token.”
Her bewildered expression wasn’t unpleasant.
With a sardonic smirk tugging at one corner of his mouth, Ludwig sheathed his sword.
“I shall take my leave—for now.”
As Ludwig’s silhouette faded into the woods, Iris collapsed to the ground where she stood.
Truthfully, she had been utterly terrified.
She’d braced herself for that cold blade to pierce her throat at any moment.
‘What does this mean…?’
The fact that Ludwig didn’t recognize her—that, at least, was a stroke of luck.
‘Thankfully, in this life, we’ve never properly met.’
It was true. By some twist of fate, Iris had never once exchanged formal greetings with Ludwig.
‘And fortunately, he was alone…’
Had there been even a single attendant at his side, her identity would have been exposed in an instant.
Few truly knew Iris’s face well, but that didn’t mean everyone was ignorant of the Duchess of Leontheim.
If they had known I was the Duchess of Leontheim,
they would have slain me long ago to torment Cedric.
Even in the original tale, driven by jealousy, they killed those close to Cedric.
“Knight!”
Theodore, who had been hiding, rushed out hastily but couldn’t reach the struggling Iris, pacing anxiously nearby.
“Are you alright?”
“Haa… I’m fine.”
It was just that the tension coursing through her entire body had suddenly released.
Helping Iris to her feet, Theodore glanced nervously at the torn cloth in his hand.
“What should we do?”
“Was the one who attacked you the cursed one?”
Iris asked, and Theodore shook his head vigorously.
“They didn’t even look human.”
“I see.”
Iris stared coldly at the piece of fabric embossed with the imperial crest, forcibly handed to her by Ludwig.
I don’t know what this means, but it’s distasteful.
With a frosty gaze, she discarded the cloth like a burden and brushed off her clothes as she stood.
“Let’s keep moving.”
“K-Knight!”
The one shocked by her action was Theodore.
“Are you really alright?”
He asked as he hurried after her, but Iris said nothing.
She might be, or she might not.
What mattered was this:
Iris hated the emperor who killed Cedric, who abused others recklessly and lusted for power.
That discarded emperor’s cloth would, much later, fall into the hands of a noble lady and draw the emperor’s wrath.
The place Theodore led them to was not far away.
But there was nothing there.
“Are you sure this is the right place?”
“He definitely said this was it. Kept telling me to come here and die… really.”
“My mind might be clouded. Maybe you’re not remembering correctly.”
“B-But the voice was clear…”
He pointed distinctly to the area.
Strangely, every time that cursed voice echoed in his head, this spot appeared vividly.
It told me to hang myself from a tree around here.
Startled by his own thoughts, Theodore glanced around nervously.
Could someone be waiting to kill me?
Iris calmed the tense Theodore.
“You can relax. There’s no one nearby. I sense no presence.”
“That’s a relief…”
Theodore’s emerald eyes scanned the surroundings carefully.
“Maybe I really took the wrong path.”
Just then, Theodore lightly stamped his foot.
Suddenly, the ground beneath him gave way, and he plunged downward.
“Ah!”
But Iris was quicker, lunging forward to catch him.
“Ah, ah.”
Shaken by the fear of falling, Theodore looked up at her.
Despite everything, he felt a strange sorrow that Iris was the one holding him steady.
After briefly checking below, Iris said to him,
“I’m letting go!”
“Waaah!”
Thump
“Ah?”
The ground was right below after all.
Embarrassed, Theodore watched as Iris jumped down after him.
Though it seemed underground at first, it was merely an illusion.
As Theodore looked around, his gaze settled on a nearby rock.
His face turned pale and trembled.
Fragments of memory flickered, and that rock was part of them.
“This is it for sure.”
His chest tightened with thoughts of his family as he ran toward the rock.
“Parrot… are you inside here?”
But what he saw was far from what he had imagined.
Black threads tangled in a chaotic mess draped over the rock.
“What is this?”
Horrified, Theodore reached out to touch them.
Crackle!
Flames suddenly erupted.
He groaned and was thrown back, raising his hand.
His palm was stained with burn marks from the threads.
Iris hurried over and helped him up.
“Are you alright?”
“It… looks like we can’t enter. What do we do now?”
Tears streamed down Theodore’s face.
“Is this really the end?”
If so, there was no chance even to attempt a rescue.
“There are trials that remain impossible to overcome, no matter how much courage one musters.”
With tears streaming down his face, Theodore clutched his hands in despair.
Iris attempted to sever the black threads with her sword, but all that came in return was a sharp
clang!
—as if striking spirit-forged ore.
No matter how many times she slashed, not even the faintest scratch appeared.
‘But if it were the Sacred Sword…’
She turned her gaze to the obsidian threads, her expression solemn with tension.
‘If this is the place the Sacred Sword was pointing toward…’
Theodore, still trembling, seemed on the verge of surrendering his hope entirely.
“I’ll be fine… You don’t have to push yourself for me.”
Hearing those words struck a chord in Iris.
In that moment, she saw herself reflected in him—the version of herself who once resolved to die if she could not save Cedric.
“It’s too soon to give up. If saving your kin is your wish, then press on a little further—”
Just as she extended her hand to draw the Sacred Sword from its sheath, her pale fingers brushed against the black threads.
‘What…?’
Crack—
A sound like shattering glass echoed through the air.
Fine fissures splintered across the black threads, spreading rapidly.
And then, as if some great seal had broken, the threads collapsed completely to the ground.
“…It… opened.”
Iris and Theodore stared at one another in stunned silence.
The boulder they had believed could never be opened—
had parted before them.
Chapter 72