Epilogue (1)
My head felt hazy, as if I had only dozed off for a moment.
My body was strangely heavy and languid, making it difficult even to open my eyes. Perhaps because I had just woken up, my mind refused to work properly. Only fragmented thoughts surfaced one after another before scattering like smoke.
I was so tired that I considered falling back asleep, but since I was already awake, I decided I might as well get up.
When I tried to move, I sensed something around my thighs. My arms were wrapped around someone’s shoulders.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of footsteps echoed in my ears. I felt a warm, solid back beneath me. It seemed I was being carried piggyback.
By whom?
I didn’t need to think about it for long. It was obvious.
It had to be you, Ashtain.
If you asked how I knew, what could I possibly say? Because I recognized your scent? Because I knew the shape of your back? Taking all those things together, I couldn’t imagine it being anyone else.
A pleasant, low baritone voice reached me.
“You’re awake.”
At his words, I briefly considered pretending I had fainted again. It would have been pointless—like covering my eyes and claiming I saw nothing.
“…How did you know?”
“I felt you flinch.”
Embarrassed, I struggled to lift my eyelids. His broad back and the nape of his neck filled my vision. Just as I thought, Ashtain was carrying me through the streets.
I glanced around. This wasn’t the cult’s cathedral—it was the streets of Magdalena.
Reflexively, I checked my body. I had definitely been naked, yet at some point a neat white robe had been placed on me.
“Ashtain, this…”
“Wasn’t me. I asked a nun to do it.”
Were your feet hurting? You spoke quickly and then fell silent. I smiled without thinking.
You have clumsy sides too.
“It’s fine even if you see me, Ashtain.”
The moment the words left my mouth, I sucked in a sharp breath. My thoughts and my tongue had completely switched places.
Aghhh. “It’s fine even if you see”? Didn’t that make me sound like some cheap woman?
An awkward silence descended. My lips went dry and my throat tightened.
How did I blurt out something so stupid?
Ashtain turned his head, glanced at me, and let out a snort as if it were ridiculous.
“Don’t tease me.”
It hadn’t been a tease, but it seemed better to let him think it was. I nodded hastily.
“Sorry.”
“No need to apologize… Forget it. Why bother saying anything when you won’t even listen? Is your throat all right?”
The question caught me off guard. I touched the side of my neck. The stab wound from the dagger had healed completely, as if it had never been there.
“Yes, it seems so.”
I remembered everything clearly—being captured by Bishop Ronin. The last sensation before I lost consciousness was the cold steel sinking deep into my throat. The lightning-like burst of pain. I had bled so much that I was certain I would die.
Yet here I was, safely on your back. That could only mean one of two things: I was dreaming a sweet dream right before death, or you had saved me.
“It’s not a dream.”
How did you do it? How could you read my heart so easily?
My pulse stuttered like a faulty drum. You couldn’t hear it, could you? Please don’t. It was too embarrassing.
“…Thank you.”
“For saving you?”
“For everything.”
It had been an inescapable nightmare. A life of helpless violation. How could I not feel grateful to the person who had shattered those chains?
Ashtain seemed uncomfortable with my thanks and changed the subject.
“I had them wash and dress you, then left the cult right away. I didn’t want to stay there any longer.”
“Didn’t they try to stop you?”
“They couldn’t exactly block me by force. Not after what they did to you.”
I doubted they were the type to care about such things. More likely they had let us go because they were afraid of you. Instead of arguing, I simply agreed.
“I see.”
He continued, sounding irritated.
“Besides, I made quite a mess. The paladins kept bothering me, so I gave them injuries that’ll take weeks to heal. Turned the cardinal into a blind cripple with useless hands, and killed one of the bishops. After all that, even I felt too conspicuous to stick around.”
Indeed, the chaos Ashtain had caused was far too spectacular to overlook.
“That’s incredible,” I said, genuinely impressed. “Are you sure you’re the Hero and not the Demon King?”
“My methods for saving people are a little violent.”
I pressed my face into the back of the man who could joke so lightly. The realization that I had truly been saved, that everything that had crushed me was gone, made me exhale in deep relief.
Ashtain must have misunderstood, because he whispered gently.
“If you want to cry, you can.”
“I’m not going to cry.”
Who did he think he was calling a crybaby? Feeling a little spiteful, I rested my chin on his shoulder. He could look at me like I was ridiculous all he wanted—I wasn’t moving.
“Instead of that, look at the sky. The stars are bright.”
He pointed upward. The cloudless indigo night sky of Magdalena sparkled with countless stars, their number impossible to count. It was a sight you could never see in the modern world.
Thinking how poetic it was, I asked, “Where are we going?”
“Looking for an inn for now. I’d rather leave this place entirely, but we’ll have to stay until the cult finishes cleaning up the aftermath. That golden-haired brat said it would look bad if we just ran off.”
Golden-haired brat. He meant Saint Makarof.
His words reminded me that there were still matters left unresolved.
“Saint Makarof said that?”
“Yeah. He’ll call for us once things are settled. But I’m not sure we should leave everything to that kid.”
“He may be young, but he’s a sharp and reliable saint. You can trust him.”
“He did seem clever.”
The winter air whistled coldly around us. Ashtain must have had many questions, yet he didn’t press me. It was a small kindness, and I liked that about him.
Still, I wanted to talk, so I spoke again.
“By the way, did you pass the Holy Sword’s test?”
You shook your head.
“No. It was difficult.”
“A test that even you struggled with? What kind of trial was it, if I may ask?”
“It’s not exactly pleasant. Still want to hear?”
His warning tone made me frown.
“…Is it cruel?”
“Hmm.”
Don’t just smile meaningfully—tell me.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“You don’t want to say?”
“…Meanie.”
You chuckled softly, then called my name with affection.
“Aria.”
“…What?”
“I’m glad I met you.”
The words came so suddenly they branded themselves onto my heart. How unfair. Why did you steal the very words I wanted to say? Now what was I supposed to say? I could only move my lips uselessly.
“Was that too sudden?”
Yes, it was. My head bowed on its own, hiding my flushed face.
“It’s awkward, so won’t you say something back?”
I cleared my throat.
“Aren’t you going to ask? You must be curious about so many things.”
“Even without hearing it, I can guess most of it. Why you scrubbed your body so hard, why you kept watching other people’s eyes—comparing it to what I already knew of your past, it wasn’t hard to figure out.”
“…You don’t want to hear it from my own mouth?”
“Are you confident you can talk about it without falling apart?”
When I fell silent, Ashtain spoke as if he had expected it.
“If satisfying my curiosity means you get hurt, there’s nothing more foolish. I told you before, didn’t I? Tell me once your wounds have healed.”
“…You did.”
“I’ll wait patiently, so don’t rush. More importantly, what do you think about staying at this inn?”
The place he indicated with his chin was a rather splendid-looking inn. I had wanted to stay in his arms just a little longer.
It seemed I would have to abandon that small wish.
“All right. You can put me down now.”
He lowered me to the ground. The moment my feet touched the earth I staggered, and Ashtain steadied me.
“Ah, thank you, Ashtain.”
“Aria Lameld.”
You spoke my full name in a voice so serious it made me bite my tongue in surprise.
“Y-yes?”
“You can drop the honorifics now, can’t you?”
“That’s… how should I put it. It’s not exactly psychological resistance, but it feels strange. Or weird. I’ve grown so used to calling you Ashtain that…”
As I rambled, he brushed the hair from my forehead and said,
“Call me Ashtain from now on.”
His tone was like an adult gently scolding a child. Could I really do that?
“…Ashtain.”
My chest tightened. It tickled, too. Without the honorific it felt endlessly awkward.
“Yeah. That sounds much better.”
You smiled, so brilliantly, so brightly, that I found myself smiling too.
“It doesn’t sound better. It’s still awkward.”
