Over the past two days, something had clearly shaken Cecilia’s mind. She no longer welcomed Zion’s misfortune with the blind glee she had shown just days before.
Noting the conflicted look on her face, Seiyad felt a quiet sense of relief. Perhaps because her time with Aster had been short, Cecilia still seemed capable of recognizing what truly mattered.
“Duke Bridehit came along to provide testimony, and we were just about to split up into groups to search for you and His Highness. When we heard he’d gone missing, it turned into utter chaos… Are you the one who found him?”
Having delivered a general report, Cecilia asked with a puzzled expression. Stella and Nova, who had stepped up beside her, also looked like they needed an explanation. Seiyad glanced around. All the knights who had gathered were now watching them intently. The more witnesses and spreaders of rumor there were, the greater Ressas’s influence would become. This was the moment to let that influence take root.
However, deciding how to frame it was the hard part. Seiyad wasn’t used to defending himself or manipulating others. What made it worse was that even he couldn’t fully explain Ressas’s abilities.
Just then, as Seiyad stood silent in his internal struggle, Ressas walked over to him. He met Cecilia’s eyes and opened his mouth to speak. Though he addressed the Tither, everyone’s attention was locked on Ressas.
“I entered the forest because the Sun spoke to me and commanded me to protect the Grand Duke.”
The calm explanation echoed with perfect clarity. His voice was measured but firm, instantly drawing everyone’s focus. As always when he stood before others, Ressas wore that serene smile. The golden glow of the sunset dusted his pale cheeks, casting an almost sacred radiance. Even Cecilia, for a moment, forgot her misgivings and simply stared at him.
“As many of you know, though my powers came to me later than others, I was blessed by our founder, Raman I. Ever since I awakened, I’ve occasionally received his revelations. This time, the Sun declared that the Grand Duke must remain by our side for the peace of Solias.”
Seiyad flinched, glancing at Ressas. What he said did align with what Seiyad had heard, but he never expected Ressas to so boldly secure his own footing in front of others like this. From his side, Ressas’s profile was resolute, unshaken by even a hint of hesitation.
“And I’ve witnessed the Grand Duke countless times risking his life to guard the forest, never sparing a thought for his own safety. Contrary to what the rumors suggest, he has always protected us from the Devils. As one who carries Solias’s blood, I could not leave him to fend for himself. The Guide is the one who protects the soul of Tither. Fighting beside them is my duty. That is why I entered the forest.”
The act of praising himself—albeit gently and without malice—was so unfamiliar that Seiyad fell silent. His lips trembled faintly. Though part of him wanted to refute Ressas’s words, his chest stirred in a way that made it hard to speak.
I’m… I’m not a good person. I don’t deserve words like that. I’m a sinner.
Even if that’s how Ressas saw him now, Seiyad knew what he truly was—a man who had stood by and watched others die, even taken lives himself in his past life. Everything he did now was merely penance. Even if Aster’s injustice played a part in shaping his path, it had still been his choice to follow it. Seiyad had no intention of shifting all blame onto the Devils.
It felt like he was lying. Deceiving everyone, cloaking himself in false righteousness—it felt like betrayal. His hands grew cold. Though his path began as one of vengeance, of preventing another Rampage, he had never imagined he’d be treated this way along the way.
“Eid, it’s all right.”
The one who steadied the icy chill taking hold of him was none other than Ressas. Still facing forward, he whispered just loud enough for Seiyad to hear.
“To restore the honor of House Brosius, the Grand Duke must be loved. This is the love you were always meant to receive.”
Their arms, pressed close together, brushed briefly. That small warmth passing between them brought an odd calm. The backs of their hands came so close they nearly touched. Ressas’s fingers, twitching as if they longed to clasp Seiyad’s hand, slowly returned to their place. Then he turned back to Tither and continued.
“I can’t be safe on my own. While the knights and Tithers risk their lives in battle, I can’t just stand outside the forest. So from now on, I’ll enter the forest as well and fight alongside you until every trace of the Devil is gone.”
The declaration—that the most noble blood of the kingdom would fight beside the knights—caused those gathered to lift their heads in awe. Their eyes lit up as if their morale had risen in an instant, hearts drawn to Ressas.
Now Seiyad, too, understood what it felt like to not fight alone. The sense of isolation he used to feel whenever he saw Ressas standing among the other Tithers no longer lingered. He felt like he was truly part of this.
The Tithers seemed to feel the same. Even Cecilia, for a moment, eased her hostility and watched Ressas with an unreadable expression. Then Stella, who had been listening closely, asked the one question that mattered.
“Tithers couldn’t fight beside the Guide before because protecting the Guide from Nir’a would’ve put us in even greater danger. We’re thankful for your resolve, Your Highness, but… is that really the right thing to do?”
Ressas smiled softly. His gently curved eyes put those around him at ease.
“Nir’a cannot kill me. The power given to me by the Founder protects me. They cannot claim my soul.”
“Ah…!”
Stella’s eyes widened in shock. Vine, who had been waiting for the perfect moment, spoke up.
“We witnessed it with our own eyes. Nir’a didn’t attack us when we were by His Highness’s side. As long as he’s with us, killing Nir’a isn’t difficult.”
Rigda shouted loudly so everyone could hear.
“His Highness will protect us!”
For those who had always believed they’d never escape the darkness surrounding the kingdom, the unprecedented purification of the forest and the miracles unfolding before them sparked hope.
Faces once tense with anxiety now beamed with radiant joy, and a thunderous cheer erupted from the gathered knights.
The overwhelming wave of blind faith crashing down upon him made Seiyad feel an even greater churn in his gut than before. Though every part of him wanted to shout that it was a lie, that he wasn’t worthy, he managed to hold it in as Ressas’s earlier words echoed in his mind. For the sake of the family… for Cecilia… even if it was undeserved praise, he had no choice but to accept it—for now.
The atmosphere in the southern Shildras territory was strangely uneasy. Both the citizens and knights found themselves unsure how to react to the overlapping misfortune and fortune that had struck all at once.
On the bright side, there was the unprecedented news that the southern forest known as the Nightmare of Daylight had been purified for the first time in recorded history. It was no longer a place of danger. That was no small event to be taken lightly as “good news”—it was a monumental miracle, and rumors of it were already spreading beyond the territory and across the kingdom. Not once in history had any Guide or Tither managed to purify such a massive forest.
While it was only made possible thanks to generations of ancestors gradually shrinking the forest’s boundaries, what truly captured people’s attention was the rise of a hero worthy of admiration. The fact that it was the Grand Duke of the North and the Second Prince who had reached the heart of the forest quickly swelled into larger-than-life stories, with all sorts of fantastical embellishments added to their feats. The speed of it all was terrifying.
In contrast, the backlash against House Shildras was severe. The rumor that Sirkan Shildras, the beloved Lord of the South, had summoned a Devil was too heavy to be spoken aloud, yet precisely because it was dark and scandalous, it fascinated people even more.
Although many came to the Shildras family’s defense, the rumor that Zion Shildras had been involved in the affair ballooned out of control. By the time evening came, word of Zion’s punishment had become the favorite whisper in every tavern—passed along through the lips of curious knights.
No wonder the territory was in such turmoil. For those who lived under its roof, the well-being of their Lord was a matter of survival. And on what should have been a day of celebration, the bubbling resentment naturally turned toward Zion Shildras.
Seiyad could feel that shift in the air. As they made their way back to the ducal estate, they passed through crowds of people who had come to see the forest. Their murmurs and cheers reached Seiyad’s ears with crystalline clarity. His senses had always been unusually sharp, which was why he avoided crowds to begin with.
Among the whispers were slanders against Zion. Few seemed truly interested in the truth; most were simply eager to see someone punished. That sort of malice was thick in the air, and Seiyad had always felt disgusted by this side of people. Crowds were never concerned with truth—they only sought what was shocking, someone convenient to vilify. The desire to belong to the group always led to willful blindness.
Tiring.
Though he knew it was something he couldn’t avoid, and didn’t try to, Seiyad still found this more exhausting than fighting Nir’a. Thankfully, thanks to Ressas’s purification, his body wasn’t in bad shape. At some point, the chronic headaches he’d lived with for years had started to ease, and by now he’d grown used to the sensation of not having one.
“Thanks to all of you, we were able to prevent needless casualties. The situation is complex, but for tonight—please rest easy.”
Once back at the estate, Ressas dismissed the knights and gave the same message to the Tithers. Since they still had to figure out how to deal with Zion, Seiyad was waiting for a moment alone with Ressas. That’s when Cecilia spoke up.
“We… haven’t received purification. I can wait, but Stella and Nova need Your Highness’s purification.”
It seemed she’d been mulling over something the entire way back—this, apparently, was part of it. Seiyad’s eyes widened slightly. He hadn’t expected Cecilia to be the one to ask Ressas for purification first. The thought that she’d genuinely taken his words to heart made him unexpectedly happy.
“Ah.”
Ressas’s eyes opened wide in what looked like genuine surprise. Then he turned to Cecilia with a deeply apologetic expression. Unlike when he looked at Nova or Stella, this time there was a joy in his face as he approached Cecilia.
“I’m sorry, Cecilia. That’s something I should have considered. It was my oversight. I will gladly bring you peace.”
His radiant smile was like that of someone receiving an unexpected gift. Stepping forward, he gently extended his hand toward Cecilia.
As Seiyad watched, proud of his sister’s resolve, his expression hardened in the next instant. His sharp gray eyes turned cold, and an overwhelming sense of irritation surged through him. A fire ignited deep inside, filling him with fierce resistance.
It was because, until now, he had never once seen Ressas physically touch someone to purify them.
“What are you doing?”
Cecilia had just begun to hesitantly reach for Ressas’s hand when Seiyad, without even realizing he’d stepped in, spoke up.
