Episode 0

The castle crumbles.

Crimson dust whirls around the brilliant Princess’s palace.

Once the dust subsides, the shattered perimeter walls come into view.

Massive slashes marked the outer barricades, akin to the gashes of an enormous beast.

Beneath this spectacle, countless knights’ bodies are strewn about.

Over one of these lifeless forms, an impaled, shattered sword protrudes.

The sword is familiar.

The cherished blade that Princess Irina bestowed upon me.

I vowed to protect Irina with my sword for all my life.

And today,

That pledge is realized.

The bloodshed began when the Sun Emperor passed away.

She fled from the Crown Prince’s forces, while I single-handedly stalled for time.

Now, I find myself defeated and sprawled on the ground, but it’s inconsequential.

Because I’ve won us the precious time we needed.

By this time, she should have escaped the castle.

To die while safeguarding one’s lord,

Perhaps it is the greatest honor a knight can achieve upon death.

This notion prompts my eyes to close gently.

Silence prevails.

Yet, my barely shut eyelids show signs of tension.

For I begin to notice minute vibrations reaching my ears, which I had presumed to be closed off.

It must undoubtedly be a spearman, approaching to verify my demise.

A hefty spear destined to impale and rip apart my body.

This thought stirs my dormant heart back into rhythm.

However, that vibration was not synonymous with a spearman’s heavier footfall.

It was significantly softer.

Delicate.

And uncertain.

Anxious premonition prompts me to open my eyes quickly.

First, I see my rough, battered hand, a testament to numerous trials.

Above it, a familiar hand reaches out.

That hand is not unknown to me.

Could I ever forget?

A life was sacrificed to barely save that hand.

Strands of silver hair cascade over my battered armor.

Between each of them, a delicate fruit fragrance wafts.

Moments later, a warm breath brushes against my rigid face.

“Vail….”

The weak strain in the voice is unmistakable.

No matter how strained, how could I fail to recognize it?

I was indeed happy.

Yet resentful.

For with this, the Empire’s fate was sealed.

The final royal opposition to the Crown Prince had ceased to flee.

“Why in the world did you return…”

I asked her, my voice heavy with sorrow.

If possible, I would have asked dozens, no, hundreds of times.

Nevertheless, my body, on the verge of death, forbade even this.

All I could manage was to weakly gaze at the face of Irina.

Irina’s green eyes sparkle even more, thanks to the shadow cast.

Whispering in a calm voice, she lays my head on her knee.

“While on the run, I thought about this countless times.”

There was definitely a smile on her face.

However, her eyelids were red and trembling.

“But, in the world I’ve decided to create…”

At last, tears started streaming down her cheeks.

Those tears, like raindrops, fall onto my stiff face.

“I can’t… without you.”

We are in a palace, dense with ash.

Soon, the dust settles, unveiling the shattered outer walls.

Sunlight streams in through the gaps in those walls.

At that moment, we were bathed in its radiant glow.

It illuminated her, allowing me a glimpse of her final moments.

The Princess wore a pristine white dress.

However, a crimson streak blemished her gown, flowing from her abdomen.

Irina’s dress was soaked in red.

Amid the seeping blood, a dagger protruding from her abdomen became visible.

This dagger bore no affiliation with the Crown Prince or his soldiers.

In the past, I had gifted her that dagger.

Comprehending the Princess’s intentions caused me to scream out loud.

“Why… why…!”

I screamed again and again.

Until the black blood simmered to a boiling point.

My consciousness blurred.

Yet, I could not fathom her choice.

“I’ve protected you all my life…”

As my life ebbed away.

My last words were transformed.

They no longer held any honor embedded in them like, ‘Please, survive.’.

Even that was denied to me.