After sealing his power, Zion could not maintain his usual condition, but she was able to be reassured by Hills’ words that it was just temporary.
By the time she returned to the Empress’s Palace, it was already late in the evening. Arundel lay down on the bed.
Then, Belle approached cautiously.
“You need to take a bath, Your Majesty.”
“…I don’t want to do it today.”
She was too lazy to take a bath. Arundel, who buried her face in the bed, heard the sound of the door closing behind her back.
Even to Belle’s eyes, Arundel looked tired, so she did not urge her any further and left.
Arundel, who turned her head to the side, had a blurry look in her eyes.
‘Zion… lost his power.’
How much he must have struggled to make that decision. She knew how anxious it was to lose power.
She still remembered the anxiety and impatience when she entered the body of Empress Irina. But at that time, there was a premise that even if Empress Irina’s body died, she would not die.
But Zion doesn’t have that premise. The Emperor’s Palace was like an elegant jungle. She didn’t know where he would be threatened.
And that’s not all.
As the anxiety about the demons grew, the expectations and hopes for Zion grew. If they found out that Zion had lost his power, the resentment would be…
Arundel remembered what Hills had said before he left the training ground.
[You don’t need to feel guilty. Zion said it was for you, but it’s also for himself. The power will ultimately devour Zion.]
Honestly, she didn’t know. Whether it was a word to comfort her depression.
‘…No. Let’s stop thinking now.’
Zion has already lost his power. If nothing can be changed, she should think positively for now…
Bang!
Suddenly, a tremendous noise was heard. Arundel quickly got up from the bed.
She quickly went out to the garden and looked around.
‘The, the palace…!’
There was a fire. But the fire alone couldn’t have made such a noise.
As Arundel went outside, the maids were flustered, asking what was going on.
The head maid, who found Arundel, hurriedly approached.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“What’s going on?”
The head maid, pale, barely opened her mouth.
“The, the palace is on fire…It seems like part of the building has collapsed.”
“And?”
“I’m not sure about the details…It just happened…”
It had just happened, so no one seemed to have grasped the situation.
As Arundel prepared to go out, picking up her clothes, the head maid grabbed her.
“Are you going to the palace? It’s too dangerous!”
The head maid was sincerely worried about Arundel.
“All the royal knights will move. If you wait a little, they will report the situation…! And His Majesty the Emperor is strong enough, so there won’t be any problem…”
…No, Zion has no power now.
Unable to say so, Arundel slowly dropped the hand of the head maid.
“I’ll be careful, so don’t worry and stay here.”
Arundel went outside. The right side of the palace was engulfed in flames. The terrifying black smoke rose into the sky.
Arundel, who was in a hurry, looked around. There was no time to wait for a carriage.
She wanted to spread his wings if she could, but it was hard because of the people’s gaze.
Arundel, closing her eyes, sent the divine power to her toes as she did during the day.
This time, she used a large amount of divine power. The effect was quickly felt, and her feet became light.
If she used it to the maximum, the body of Empress Irina wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Even now, her feet were tingling.
But Arundel, who had no time to think about such things, ran towards the palace.
While running, she saw people running around. They all looked out of their minds.
After running for a while, the smoky smell hit her nose.
‘Zion…! Zion!’
Arundel turned her head this way and that, hoping to see Zion through the thick smoke. But all she could see were people covering their noses with their sleeves and running out.
Then, long red hair caught her eye.
“Bianca!”
At Arundel’s call, Bianca quickly met her eyes.
“Your Majesty!”
As Bianca approached, Arundel asked urgently.
“Where is His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Lord Royden has gone to escort him.”
But her mind was not at ease. Arundel’s fingertips were trembling without her knowing.
‘The flames are soaring like that…’
If it was the old Zion, he would have appeared laughing at such flames, but not now.
She couldn’t just stand still.
“I’ll go and look for him too!”
“No, Your Majesty! Lord Royden is coming out with him!”
At the voice of Bianca stopping her, Arundel stopped and focused.
“…Zion!”
Arundel quickly approached Zion. Zion’s eyes widened a bit when he found Arundel.
“Zion, are you okay?”
As she spoke, she scanned Zion here and there. Fortunately, there were no signs of injury.
Before she could even feel relieved, Zion’s low voice was heard.
“Irina, get out of here quickly.”
But Arundel had no intention of moving at all, thus Zion spoke to Royden.
“Royden, escort the Empress to a safe place.”
“Yes.”
But then, a strange noise was heard loudly. A black being passed quickly over their head.
“…What is that?”
Arundel asked with surprised eyes. Royden answered.
“It’s a demon.”
“A demon…?”
When she focused her gaze, it was a demon. The demon, which looked like a huge bat, had a strange face that strangely resembled a human. Each hand held a torch.
Arundel knew the name of that demon.
‘Haures.’
It was a demon that secretly set fires and caused chaos in the human world. Often, wildfires in the winter were often the work of that demon.
But it wasn’t just one. There were at least dozens of demons covering the roof of the palace.
People approached Arundel, who was momentarily lost and watching the situation.
“Your Majesty!”
It was Bianca. Hills and Lucas were with Bianca. Hills laughed as if it was ridiculous after confirming the demon.
“They’re crazy. Where do they think this is, coming in groups.”
“It’s Haures.”
Hills was not the only one who knew the identity. Lucas recited the exact name.
“First of all, we need to quickly suppress the demons. If we leave them alone, they will soon turn the palace into a sea of fire.”
Everyone nodded at Lucas’s words.
And then Royden looked at Arundel with a worried expression.
“I will escort Your Majesty the Empress to a safe place.”
No. The person to evacuate was not herself, but Zion.
It seemed that Royden thought he only needed to worry about Arundel because he didn’t know that Zion had lost his power.
Arundel shook her head.
“I’m fine…”
While speaking, the demon Haures passed over their head again. The torch dangerously grazed their heads.
Relief was only momentary. The torch came threateningly again.
Arundel, whose defense mechanism activated in an instant, quickly drew the sword stuck in Royden’s waist and struck down the torch. The torch head, which was soaked in oil, fell weakly to the ground.
The startled demon attacked again.
‘I’m not used to using a sword…’
But this much is okay.
Arundel swung the sword quickly again. The demon fell to the ground, making a squeaky sound.
“…What the hell.”
Royden looked surprised as if he had seen something absurd.
“There’s no time to be surprised!”
As soon as she said that, Arundel threateningly stabbed the sword. The pierced demon’s corpse fell to the ground again.
Arundel, who pulled the sword out of the corpse, returned the sword to Royden.
“I don’t need a safe place. I’ll protect my body.”
And Zion too. Because Royden didn’t know the whole story, she swallowed the rest of her words.
“…Understood.”
Royden couldn’t hide his surprised expression at Arundel’s unexpectedly threatening appearance.
Then the knights gathered.
“Is His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress okay!”
Without saying anything else, Arundel took out the sword stuck in the knight’s waist.
“Yo, Your Majesty?”
“Sorry, but I’ll borrow this for a moment.”
The startled knight just mumbled. Arundel didn’t care and cut down the approaching demons.
‘But really…’
Arundel thought for a moment. The behavior of the demons was a bit strange. As Royden said, they appeared in groups in places like the palace where there were many people, and above all.
‘They don’t actively attack.’
The attitude was strange.
They flew in the sky passively and attacked sporadically. It seemed to distract attention.
But thinking strangely was also for a moment.
Had she been swinging the sword for a while? When she looked around, the situation was largely sorted out.
Bianca put out the fire in the palace, and Hills and Lucas were cleaning up the demons flying in the air.
On the ground, the knights, Royden, and Arundel were cleaning up the demons.
‘Zion?’
Arundel, who had been checking Zion’s safety from time to time, confirmed Zion holding a sword.
He swung his sword as skillfully as Arundel.
Come to think of it, even without magic, Zion was much stronger than ordinary people. He won first place with just one bow at the hunting competition.
As if she had let go of a worry, Arundel, who was concentrating on eliminating the demon, looked around again.
The black figures were almost gone.
‘…Is it over?’
As expected, fighting with a human body was not easy. Arundel, who was gasping for breath, put down the sword to approach Zion.
“Are you okay?”
Somehow, the roles had reversed. Zion was always the one who asked her that.
But then.
“Zion! Behind you…!”
A demon was attacking Zion from behind, revealing its sharp teeth. Arundel, who had put down her sword, quickly drew it again and threw it.
Fortunately, the terrifying teeth did not reach Zion before they pierced the demon’s mouth. The demon fell, making a sound they didn’t want to hear.
Arundel, unable to calm her surprised heart, quickly approached Zion.
“I thought you were hurt…!”
Zion, seeing her, stroked Arundel’s head.
“I wasn’t hurt.”
At the sound of his voice, which even sounded playful, Arundel felt like she was about to get angry.
“Why didn’t you evacuate to a safe place!”
“You’re here, how could I evacuate alone.”
“You are now…!”
You’ve lost your power, you’re different from me…!
But she couldn’t say it. There were too many people around.
Then, Royden, Bianca, Lucas, and Hills, who had finished the battle, approached.
Royden, tidying up his disheveled hair, spoke.
“What on earth is going on?”
“…Even to the palace.”
Bianca muttered quietly. They all seemed surprised by the surprise attack.
But before she could even catch her breath, Hills’ low voice caught everyone’s attention.
“We need to talk for a moment.”
After sealing his power, Zion could not maintain his usual condition, but she was able to be reassured by Hills’ words that it was just temporary.
By the time she returned to the Empress’s Palace, it was already late in the evening. Arundel lay down on the bed.
Then, Belle approached cautiously.
“You need to take a bath, Your Majesty.”
“…I don’t want to do it today.”
She was too lazy to take a bath. Arundel, who buried her face in the bed, heard the sound of the door closing behind her back.
Even to Belle’s eyes, Arundel looked tired, so she did not urge her any further and left.
Arundel, who turned her head to the side, had a blurry look in her eyes.
‘Zion… lost his power.’
How much he must have struggled to make that decision. She knew how anxious it was to lose power.
She still remembered the anxiety and impatience when she entered the body of Empress Irina. But at that time, there was a premise that even if Empress Irina’s body died, she would not die.
But Zion doesn’t have that premise. The Emperor’s Palace was like an elegant jungle. She didn’t know where he would be threatened.
And that’s not all.
As the anxiety about the demons grew, the expectations and hopes for Zion grew. If they found out that Zion had lost his power, the resentment would be…
Arundel remembered what Hills had said before he left the training ground.
[You don’t need to feel guilty. Zion said it was for you, but it’s also for himself. The power will ultimately devour Zion.]
Honestly, she didn’t know. Whether it was a word to comfort her depression.
‘…No. Let’s stop thinking now.’
Zion has already lost his power. If nothing can be changed, she should think positively for now…
Bang!
Suddenly, a tremendous noise was heard. Arundel quickly got up from the bed.
She quickly went out to the garden and looked around.
‘The, the palace…!’
There was a fire. But the fire alone couldn’t have made such a noise.
As Arundel went outside, the maids were flustered, asking what was going on.
The head maid, who found Arundel, hurriedly approached.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
“What’s going on?”
The head maid, pale, barely opened her mouth.
“The, the palace is on fire…It seems like part of the building has collapsed.”
“And?”
“I’m not sure about the details…It just happened…”
It had just happened, so no one seemed to have grasped the situation.
As Arundel prepared to go out, picking up her clothes, the head maid grabbed her.
“Are you going to the palace? It’s too dangerous!”
The head maid was sincerely worried about Arundel.
“All the royal knights will move. If you wait a little, they will report the situation…! And His Majesty the Emperor is strong enough, so there won’t be any problem…”
…No, Zion has no power now.
Unable to say so, Arundel slowly dropped the hand of the head maid.
“I’ll be careful, so don’t worry and stay here.”
Arundel went outside. The right side of the palace was engulfed in flames. The terrifying black smoke rose into the sky.
Arundel, who was in a hurry, looked around. There was no time to wait for a carriage.
She wanted to spread his wings if she could, but it was hard because of the people’s gaze.
Arundel, closing her eyes, sent the divine power to her toes as she did during the day.
This time, she used a large amount of divine power. The effect was quickly felt, and her feet became light.
If she used it to the maximum, the body of Empress Irina wouldn’t be able to withstand it. Even now, her feet were tingling.
But Arundel, who had no time to think about such things, ran towards the palace.
While running, she saw people running around. They all looked out of their minds.
After running for a while, the smoky smell hit her nose.
‘Zion…! Zion!’
Arundel turned her head this way and that, hoping to see Zion through the thick smoke. But all she could see were people covering their noses with their sleeves and running out.
Then, long red hair caught her eye.
“Bianca!”
At Arundel’s call, Bianca quickly met her eyes.
“Your Majesty!”
As Bianca approached, Arundel asked urgently.
“Where is His Majesty the Emperor?”
“Lord Royden has gone to escort him.”
But her mind was not at ease. Arundel’s fingertips were trembling without her knowing.
‘The flames are soaring like that…’
If it was the old Zion, he would have appeared laughing at such flames, but not now.
She couldn’t just stand still.
“I’ll go and look for him too!”
“No, Your Majesty! Lord Royden is coming out with him!”
At the voice of Bianca stopping her, Arundel stopped and focused.
“…Zion!”
Arundel quickly approached Zion. Zion’s eyes widened a bit when he found Arundel.
“Zion, are you okay?”
As she spoke, she scanned Zion here and there. Fortunately, there were no signs of injury.
Before she could even feel relieved, Zion’s low voice was heard.
“Irina, get out of here quickly.”
But Arundel had no intention of moving at all, thus Zion spoke to Royden.
“Royden, escort the Empress to a safe place.”
“Yes.”
But then, a strange noise was heard loudly. A black being passed quickly over their head.
“…What is that?”
Arundel asked with surprised eyes. Royden answered.
“It’s a demon.”
“A demon…?”
When she focused her gaze, it was a demon. The demon, which looked like a huge bat, had a strange face that strangely resembled a human. Each hand held a torch.
Arundel knew the name of that demon.
‘Haures.’
It was a demon that secretly set fires and caused chaos in the human world. Often, wildfires in the winter were often the work of that demon.
But it wasn’t just one. There were at least dozens of demons covering the roof of the palace.
People approached Arundel, who was momentarily lost and watching the situation.
“Your Majesty!”
It was Bianca. Hills and Lucas were with Bianca. Hills laughed as if it was ridiculous after confirming the demon.
“They’re crazy. Where do they think this is, coming in groups.”
“It’s Haures.”
Hills was not the only one who knew the identity. Lucas recited the exact name.
“First of all, we need to quickly suppress the demons. If we leave them alone, they will soon turn the palace into a sea of fire.”
Everyone nodded at Lucas’s words.
And then Royden looked at Arundel with a worried expression.
“I will escort Your Majesty the Empress to a safe place.”
No. The person to evacuate was not herself, but Zion.
It seemed that Royden thought he only needed to worry about Arundel because he didn’t know that Zion had lost his power.
Arundel shook her head.
“I’m fine…”
While speaking, the demon Haures passed over their head again. The torch dangerously grazed their heads.
Relief was only momentary. The torch came threateningly again.
Arundel, whose defense mechanism activated in an instant, quickly drew the sword stuck in Royden’s waist and struck down the torch. The torch head, which was soaked in oil, fell weakly to the ground.
The startled demon attacked again.
‘I’m not used to using a sword…’
But this much is okay.
Arundel swung the sword quickly again. The demon fell to the ground, making a squeaky sound.
“…What the hell.”
Royden looked surprised as if he had seen something absurd.
“There’s no time to be surprised!”
As soon as she said that, Arundel threateningly stabbed the sword. The pierced demon’s corpse fell to the ground again.
Arundel, who pulled the sword out of the corpse, returned the sword to Royden.
“I don’t need a safe place. I’ll protect my body.”
And Zion too. Because Royden didn’t know the whole story, she swallowed the rest of her words.
“…Understood.”
Royden couldn’t hide his surprised expression at Arundel’s unexpectedly threatening appearance.
Then the knights gathered.
“Is His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress okay!”
Without saying anything else, Arundel took out the sword stuck in the knight’s waist.
“Yo, Your Majesty?”
“Sorry, but I’ll borrow this for a moment.”
The startled knight just mumbled. Arundel didn’t care and cut down the approaching demons.
‘But really…’
Arundel thought for a moment. The behavior of the demons was a bit strange. As Royden said, they appeared in groups in places like the palace where there were many people, and above all.
‘They don’t actively attack.’
The attitude was strange.
They flew in the sky passively and attacked sporadically. It seemed to distract attention.
But thinking strangely was also for a moment.
Had she been swinging the sword for a while? When she looked around, the situation was largely sorted out.
Bianca put out the fire in the palace, and Hills and Lucas were cleaning up the demons flying in the air.
On the ground, the knights, Royden, and Arundel were cleaning up the demons.
‘Zion?’
Arundel, who had been checking Zion’s safety from time to time, confirmed Zion holding a sword.
He swung his sword as skillfully as Arundel.
Come to think of it, even without magic, Zion was much stronger than ordinary people. He won first place with just one bow at the hunting competition.
As if she had let go of a worry, Arundel, who was concentrating on eliminating the demon, looked around again.
The black figures were almost gone.
‘…Is it over?’
As expected, fighting with a human body was not easy. Arundel, who was gasping for breath, put down the sword to approach Zion.
“Are you okay?”
Somehow, the roles had reversed. Zion was always the one who asked her that.
But then.
“Zion! Behind you…!”
A demon was attacking Zion from behind, revealing its sharp teeth. Arundel, who had put down her sword, quickly drew it again and threw it.
Fortunately, the terrifying teeth did not reach Zion before they pierced the demon’s mouth. The demon fell, making a sound they didn’t want to hear.
Arundel, unable to calm her surprised heart, quickly approached Zion.
“I thought you were hurt…!”
Zion, seeing her, stroked Arundel’s head.
“I wasn’t hurt.”
At the sound of his voice, which even sounded playful, Arundel felt like she was about to get angry.
“Why didn’t you evacuate to a safe place!”
“You’re here, how could I evacuate alone.”
“You are now…!”
You’ve lost your power, you’re different from me…!
But she couldn’t say it. There were too many people around.
Then, Royden, Bianca, Lucas, and Hills, who had finished the battle, approached.
Royden, tidying up his disheveled hair, spoke.
“What on earth is going on?”
“…Even to the palace.”
Bianca muttered quietly. They all seemed surprised by the surprise attack.
But before she could even catch her breath, Hills’ low voice caught everyone’s attention.
“We need to talk for a moment.”
