#308
308. Epilogue1. Taoni
A crescent moon hung in the starry sky.
Freea sat on a chair on the terrace and looked at the scenery outside.
The capital of the Millennium Empire, Bardia.
To commemorate the 10th anniversary of Priasis all Ragnar’s ascension to the throne, a grand festival was taking place in the streets.
Bright magic lights were turned on everywhere to illuminate the road, and citizens of all ages gathered to dance and sing while cheerful music played.
“ha…….”
Freea drank from the glass.
A bitter liquid flowed down her throat.
‘Ten years.’
It has already been 10 years since she ascended the throne.
It was once an empire that was suffering from war, but now the wounds were gradually healing.
“Your Majesty, are you here?”
Freea looked back.
A man in short armor pulled through the curtains and entered, bowing his head to her.
“Is it Yoshu?”
“yes.”
A man named Yoshu stood behind Fria.
The man’s gaze scanned the city.
“…a lot happened.”
“I see. I still remember it vividly.”
Freea looked at her confidant with a smile.
That man’s name is Yosh Knanze. He was from an insignificant commoner, but he led the war to victory while standing by Freea’s side, and was now a positional figure who became the leader of the imperial guard knights.
“Look at the people enjoying the festival. If it weren’t for you, they would still be suffering.”
“Do you think so too?”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
black war.
It was the name of the disaster that shook the whole of Taoni ten years ago.
Unidentified monsters called ‘debris’ rose up in various places and began to sweep the entire continent.
‘War.’
Priasis recalled the past.
The war ended with a Taonier victory.
All races on the continent, including humans, joined forces to drive them out.
‘Was it a fight that would end so easily?’
In her memory,
For sure,
“…”
Freea frowned.
Occasionally, strange memories come to mind.
A memory of a time she had never experienced.
“By the way, Your Majesty, aren’t you going back to the president?”
“You mean the ballroom?”
“The main character of this festival is Her Majesty.”
“What would I do if I went to a place like that?”
“I heard that the court mage, Sir Iolka, prepared a special stage…”
“A special stage?”
Yoshu scratched the back of his head.
“It is said that without magic, it summons a pigeon from a hat, disappears on the spot, and performs tricks such as reading the back of a card.”
“Whoops, that’s interesting.”
Freea rose from her chair.
“I’ll say no. If I’m watching, wouldn’t it just be a burden? Let them enjoy it. I’m satisfied with their laughter.”
After capturing the scenery of the street once more in her eyes, she left the terrace.
Walk along the long corridor.
Yoshu came after her.
“Sir Yoshu, let’s go back.”
“Your Majesty, this time too… are you going to inspect it?”
“What if?”
“At least, go with an escort. It’s dangerous.”
“I am confident in the security of the imperial capital. If the daughter and the daughter can’t walk safely at night, isn’t that also my responsibility?”
Freea took off the coat she was wearing and handed it to Yoshu.
The golden coffin and scarf were also thrown off.
“Whoa, that’s cool.”
“Your Majesty, how many times have I told you. If something happens to the prison…”
“It’s okay. It’s okay. Don’t follow me. It’s an order. You protect this place so that the servants of the imperial castle can enjoy the festival.”
Freea pushed against one side of the wall, leaving Yoshu standing in a daze.
Doo kung. A passage opened with a light vibration. A place that no one knows except for a very few people in the imperial palace. It was a secret route she made to look directly at her ecliptic.
“Hiccup! Taalkuk! Long live Her Majesty! Long live! Long live!”
“This man! He’s drunk! Drink in moderation!”
“Hee, hee hee…”
The drunken crowd, in groups of threes and threes, staggered with their glasses.
After changing into a shabby robe, Freea was walking down the street wearing a hood.
‘Are they happy?’
Freea looked at the faces of the people.
Ten years since she ascended the throne.
The Empire was being evaluated as having achieved a golden age.
‘A land where you can live tomorrow without any worries or worries.’
It was the paradise she wanted to create.
but… … .
Freea put her hand on the wall of the alley.
A hollow voice leaked out of his mouth.
“What use do you mean?”
You are forgetting something important.
No matter how many times I tried to think of it, it didn’t come to mind.
I wanted to show it to someone.
This land I worked hard for.
‘Where the hell did he go?’
Freea staggered through the alley.
‘once. You can be satisfied with just once.’
I’m living well, if you say hello to me.
If only I could show her a smile one more time.
From then on, Freea intended to live her own life.
I was thinking of chasing the thing called ‘happiness’.
But why
‘Where are you?’
Tears ran down Fria’s cheeks.
10 years. No, for more than that, a huge hole had been pierced in her heart.
Neither the status of a noble royal family, nor the faithful subordinates who followed her, nor the position of emperor of the empire could fill Freea’s heart.
“This is… where is it?”
When she came to her senses, Freea was standing somewhere in a dark alley.
A musty smell wafting from somewhere. She had smelled it decades ago.
“Hehe, what is it?”
A man sitting on a broken pillar in an abandoned house stood up.
A long, sharp cut is engraved on the cheek. The man’s gaze landed on Freea’s face revealed under the hood.
“There’s a lady here. On a happy festival day. Kikki.”
Came too deep
Freea’s hand touched the dagger behind her.
Even if the war is over, it’s not for the municipal miscreants.
“It was worthwhile to crouch while everyone else was playing and falling asleep.
puck!
The man fell forward.
“You’re doing a lot of shit.”
Kwajik!
The back of the man’s head was trampled by military boots.
A sharp-looking woman stepped forward.
“you are…….”
“My name is Edith Carlen. I’m a mercenary. But why did the aristocratic lady come here? The Temple of the Nameless God isn’t going this way.”
Edith twirled the dagger with her index finger and looked at Fria.
‘A god without a name.’
Fria’s eyes blinked at the first words she heard.
“What, did you come without knowing?”
“What is a nameless god?”
“Anyway, mercenaries like us need someone we can trust.”
Freea narrowed her eyes.
When the fragments began to rampage, a group of evil cults called the ‘Cult of Tel Ikar’ made a fuss.
Is this woman their pawn?
“It’s not a church. It’s like a folk religion. If you’re curious, you can follow me. It’s like a common legend, I don’t know if you’ll be interested.”
puck!
Edith kicked the downed man and started walking inside.
‘No name… … god.’
Freea swallowed.
And he started following Edith.
“You know?”
“…?”
“They said that the fragments that attacked this place 10 years ago were only a fraction of them.
“Are you saying Taonier is doomed?”
“Oh, do you know?”
Edith smiled.
The road soon widened.
Legend of the Nameless God.
Freea thought she knew the circumstances of the imperial capital to some extent, but she had never heard of such a thing.
“Can you see it?”
Edith looked to the side.
On the outskirts of the imperial capital, in the wide alleyways, people wearing black goat masks were walking in a row.
“These are people who believe in a nameless god. Once a year, they gather here for a banquet. They’re just walking, so don’t mind.”
Edith took the goat’s mask out of her bosom.
and put it on the face.
“I brought another one for spare. Do you want to use it? It’s fun.”
“…and, thank you.”
Freea accepted the goat mask.
‘What does this mean?’
I don’t know.
In a way, it seemed like a joke.
Freea sighed and put on the goat mask.
“Victory.”
The girl walking next to Freea murmured.
“Victory to the nameless god…”
As if praying earnestly.
The girl in the sheepskin was walking slowly with her hands clasped.
“Victory.”
This time the short man muttered.
Everyone gathered here was offering their prayers.
“What are they doing?”
“I’m rooting for you.”
Edith replied.
The eyes behind the mask narrowed.
“Somewhere here, deep in space… a nameless god is fighting.”
“…”
“We fight against countless enemies over a long, long time. To protect us.”
“To keep.”
Freea suddenly became urgent and pulled Edith’s hem.
“Then, the reason we didn’t perish…”
“Don’t believe it completely. It’s an unreliable legend. Just know that there is such a story.”
Freea looked around.
Hundreds of people in masks were walking down the street.
A scenery that could never have been seen from the terrace of the Imperial Palace.
‘These… … .’
will you march
Praying for the victory of the nameless god.
“When will the fight end!”
Freea grabbed Edith like she was clinging to it.
desperate expression.
“When will the nameless god return?”
“I don’t know. Some say decades, some say millions, tens of millions of years, or forever.”
“I can’t wait that long!”
“Why are you excited?”
Freea bit her lip.
“sorry…….”
Freea looked up with wet eyes.
starry sky. I looked down again.
Hundreds of believers were continuing the march.
“Victory.”
The voices of the crowd merged into one, and a low roar rang out.
“Victory to the nameless god…”
Freea closed her eyes in prayer.
Beyond the dark vision, a landscape came to mind.
‘They are fighting.’
A world she could not perceive with her senses.
A man swung his sword over a long time.
Even if you die, you will come back to life
Even if you live, you die again.
The man was fighting, repeating resurrection and death.
‘This… … .’
It wasn’t what Freya wanted.
‘Where is your happiness?’
no one looks back
It is to lose all humanity, to suffer eternally, neither dying nor living.
The man could not be seen alive.
‘shade.’
Freea held out her hand to the man.
but it doesn’t reach
The distance is too far.
‘Please, save me.’
It is okay if Taonier perishes.
It doesn’t matter if this world burns up and disappears.
All she wanted was… … .
Roaring!
At that moment, a dazzling red flame blocked her eyes.
“miss.”
“uh?”
Edith is patting Freea on the shoulder.
Freea looked around.
The fantasy that had floated in his vision had completely disappeared.
“What are you doing standing still?”
“…was it a dream?”
“What dream?”
“I’m sorry. It’s nothing.”
Freea shook her head and recalled the scene in her head once more.
nameless god.
That was the true identity of the man Freea had seen.
And, the end of fantasy.
‘I wasn’t alone.’
It felt like someone was fighting by his side.
holding a sword blazing with fire.
‘If someone else went to rescue him.’
Freea decided to pray.
“To the nameless god… salvation.”
