The wind blows.

Cardinal Vincenzo’s ashes scattered in the air, carried by the wind.

Watching the scattering ashes, Choi Hyun-seok let out a deep sigh.

“Hah, this old man causes trouble until the very end.”

“Why?”

Rachel tilted her head as she approached.

“He says God won’t lose to anyone. Just how strong is he supposed to be?”

“Hmm, wouldn’t that mean he’s incredibly strong!?”

“That’s what I’m asking – just how strong is this ‘incredibly’?”

What is the limit of the strong?

A legend above all legends?

Park Hyun-a, who is strong even among such legends?

The Demon King’s Army Corps Commanders who might be stronger than Park Hyun-a?

Hemis, who boasts overwhelming power even among those commanders?

The Demon King who might be equal to or greater than Hemis?

“There’s no end to strength. There might be strong ones that the old man Cardinal Vincenzo doesn’t know about.”

Won’t lose to anyone.

That’s only from Cardinal Vincenzo’s perspective.

Does he properly know Hemis’s power?

What about the Demon King’s power?

Can he definitively say the Pope is stronger than them?

“At least he should be stronger than most commanders, right?”

“That’s probably true.”

“Then anyway, you’re going to get crushed, hero. You need to keep training.”

“Watch your language. What do you mean ‘crushed’?”

When Choi Hyun-seok criticized her, Rachel snorted.

“It’s really touching to hear that from a hero who lives by cursing.”

“Shit. How can you not let a single thing go?”

“Thanks to our excellent hero!”

Rachel smiled brightly.

Choi Hyun-seok was about to give her a knuckle tap but stopped.

He didn’t even have enough energy left to joke around with Rachel.

“Is it already over?”

At that moment, a familiar voice was heard from above.

Looking up, he saw Sara Dunphy and the supreme warrior Liam.

“What brings you here? And what are those things behind you?”

Liam’s shoulders were loaded with chunks of armor.

Behind him, 10 more such armor pieces were lined up.

“Found some interesting things and brought them along.”

“Interesting…?”

“I’ll explain gradually.”

Sara Dunphy said with a smile.

“Anyway, the situation seems to be resolved.”

“Yes. The battle just ended.”

“Where is the enemy’s corpse?”

Sara Dunphy asked while looking around.

While there were some bodies that appeared to be royal knights, the corpse of who Choi Hyun-seok fought wasn’t visible.

“Well… It disappeared.”

“Disappeared?”

“Actually, I wanted to ask about something related to this…”

Choi Hyun-seok explained about Cardinal Vincenzo.

How his seemingly frail old body suddenly grew enormous and displayed tremendous power.

In terms of pure strength, he was overwhelmingly stronger than Choi Hyun-seok.

By his estimation, he was similar to or slightly superior to Park Hyun-a.

“How is such a thing possible?”

“Hmm, it’s certainly strange. Enhancement magic should have its limits.”

“That’s what I think too.”

Even Plomot, which carries enormous risk, only provides two to three times the original power.

No matter what life-risking magic was used, it shouldn’t be possible to turn a powerless old man into such a monster.

“Wouldn’t he have been hiding his power from the start?”

“I thought about that too… But there are too many strange points for that to be the case.”

Cardinal Vincenzo couldn’t properly use his power.

There were many awkward aspects that made it seem unlikely to be power built through effort.

While there could be other possibilities like judgment becoming clouded with age.

To Choi Hyun-seok, it felt like a gap created by accepting power beyond his capacity.

“We’ll need to think more about this matter. Nothing comes to mind right now.”

“Understood.”

It was unfortunate that Sara Dunphy couldn’t see Cardinal Vincenzo directly, as she arrived after he had completely disappeared.

“Um… Mr. Choi Hyun-seok.”

“Yes? What is it?”

At that moment, Abelson called out to Choi Hyun-seok.

“Could I be alone for a while? I seem to be tired, perhaps from overdoing it.”

“Of course. Don’t go too far though, there might still be enemy remnants.”

“Thank you.”

Abelson nodded and turned around.

“Hmm…”

Choi Hyun-seok groaned while watching her retreating figure.

“Did something happen?”

“Just… Thinking about it must be difficult.”

“Difficult?”

Sara Dunphy doesn’t know what Abelson went through.

Choi Hyun-seok briefly conveyed her story.

The death of her family.

Even killing her brother and cousin with her own hands.

After hearing everything, Sara Dunphy nodded.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Is that better?”

“She is now this country’s Queen.”

Sara Dunphy’s gaze followed Abelson’s back as she disappeared into the palace.

“A Queen is one who bears everything alone. That’s why they must be lonelier than anyone else.”

“…”

“This is her first step as Queen.”

Sara Dunphy turned her gaze away from Abelson.

“How can we call someone who cannot walk on their own a Queen?”

***

The palace was on the verge of collapse from the battle’s aftermath.

Abelson walked through it with an indifferent expression.

Drip… Drip…

Blood drops fell one by one from the tip of her mace.

Some of these drops must be Labrun Mariette’s.

As if trying to leave her trace.

Red dots repeatedly marked the broken palace floor.

“…”

Abelson continued walking in silence.

Her memories were embedded in each destroyed place.

Abelson looked at them and finally stopped at one location.

It was her former room.

‘This place hasn’t changed…’

The bed she used before leaving the palace was still there.

Abelson sat down on the bed.

And then took out a box from her chest.

It was a box containing records of Reis Mariette, her younger brother she killed with her own hands.

“…”

Abelson, who had been staring at the box silently, reached out her hand.

Click-

The box’s lock opened.

Notes left by her siblings from childhood became visible.

She unfolded the note at the very front.

‘Please make our family happy.’

-Claire Mariette-

It was first-born Claire Mariette’s note.

Kind-hearted since childhood, she had married a foreign prince and started a family.

‘Sister was the same even back then.’

Despite agreeing to write about ‘how to lead the country,’ she wrote something like this.

It felt very like Claire.

Abelson smiled and opened the next note.

‘I will become the most excellent king. I will lead the prosperity of the Mariette Kingdom together with the people.’

-Hog Mariette-

It was second-born Hog’s note.

‘Was brother around ten years old at this time?’

Though Hog was young too, his ambition could be felt.

Abelson checked the next note.

It was the note she had written.

‘Brother Hog will probably become king, right? I hope brother creates a world where everyone is happy!’

-Abelson Mariette-

Unlike her cold present self, Abelson had a bright personality in childhood.

Her personality from that time was clearly shown in the note.

“A world where everyone is happy…”

Now as an adult, she knows that’s impossible.

That’s why it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

Abelson picked up the last remaining note.

“This is what Reis wrote…”

A particularly crumpled piece of paper.

Looking closely, there were traces of it being opened and folded many times.

It seemed Reis had repeatedly read the note.

“…”

Abelson bit her lip hard.

What words did he leave behind?

What ambition did he have that made him decide to kill his family and betray his homeland?

She opened the note with trembling hands.

What was written inside was completely unexpected.

‘I will create a strong nation that is no longer swayed by Gatren.’

-Reis Mariette-

Abelson gave a bitter laugh upon seeing the contents.

“Ha, haha…”

The laughter that flowed like leaking wind gradually grew louder.

“Hahahahaha!”

Abelson laughed while holding her stomach.

As if it was truly amusing.

She laughed for a long while.

“Haha… Haa, ha…”

Eventually, the laughter subsided.

She muttered to herself.

“Reis. What did you think while looking at this note?”

The Mariette Kingdom was just one of many small kingdoms.

However, due to its geographical proximity to the super-power Gatren, it suffered many hardships.

It was understandable why Reis wrote such words.

‘Creating a strong nation not swayed by Gatren…’

Reis Mariette, who wrote these words but ended up using Gatren’s power to overthrow the kingdom.

What did he think while looking at this note countless times?

Did he lament his situation?

Perhaps he resigned himself and accepted reality.

“Reis… You fool…”

Tears welled up in Abelson’s eyes.

“Why did you do it… Just why…”

No matter how much she asked, her brother who could answer was already dead.

Only Abelson’s crying echoed quietly through the ruined room.

***

Several days passed.

During this time, every day in the Mariette Kingdom was like a storm.

The death of King Labrun Mariette.

The betrayal of the trusted Deusis faith.

The atrocities committed by Reis Mariette.

Abelson Mariette suddenly appearing and claiming to be the new Queen.

Some cheered that a new era had begun.

Some treated Abelson as a traitor, saying it was an unbelievable story.

Disturbances occurred everywhere.

Some territories even broke out in rebellion.

On the surface, the reason was they couldn’t accept Abelson as Queen, but the reality was different.

Dark and ugly interests.

Some territories had close relationships with the Deusis faith or even received direct instigation from the Church to rebel.

Moreover, there were quite a few forces that had been preparing for a coup to take the throne from the beginning.

“I’m back.”

Choi Hyun-seok waved his hand as he entered the office.

Abelson greeted him with a slight bow.

“I’m sorry for always troubling you.”

“It’s fine. This work is actually becoming quite interesting.”

Choi Hyun-seok, who had established peaceful cooperation with another lord today, lay down on the sofa.

Though the lord’s family shed tears of blood in the process, what did it matter?

Peace was achieved in the end, and that’s what counts.

“How is the work as Queen?”

“There’s too much to do. How did the kingdom end up in this state…”

Abelson devoted herself to work, even reducing her sleep.

But no matter how much work she completed, it felt like it was increasing rather than decreasing.

Without Maxwin Gordon, who previously handled the same duties, it would have been impossible to endure like this.

“Still, I’m glad your expression seems brighter.”

“Does it?”

“Until a few days ago, you looked like someone about to die. Honestly, I was worried.”

Abelson smiled faintly.

For some reason, Choi Hyun-seok’s concern felt welcome.

“By the way, the coronation is tomorrow.”

Tomorrow afternoon.

Abelson Mariette’s royal coronation will take place.

She will officially take the throne as Queen.

The coronation had been postponed due to the unstable situation, but now it was truly time.

“Miss Abelson.”

Abelson turned at Choi Hyun-seok’s call.

For some reason, he was looking out the window.

“When you become Queen, it will be difficult to travel together from now on, right?”

“That…”

Abelson closed her eyes.

As if thinking about something for a moment, she opened her eyes and continued.

“No. I don’t plan to stop traveling.”

“Is it okay for the Queen to be absent?”

“It will be difficult for a while. But as soon as the situation stabilizes, I’ll join you.”

Choi Hyun-seok smirked at her words.

“Can I believe that?”

“Of course. After all…”

Abelson smiled brightly.

“We have to save the world, right?”

A journey that began to create a world where everyone is happy.

Abelson had no intention of ending the journey yet.

***

“The royal coronation will now begin.”

A magically amplified voice rang out.

Thunderous cheers erupted from the plaza.

Waaaaaah-!

The central plaza of the capital, Scolbon, was packed with people.

Choi Hyun-seok made a daunted expression at the cheers from tens of thousands of people.

“It’s incredible.”

“Is this your first time seeing such a sight?”

“Except for war, this is the first time I’ve seen so many people gathered.”

Sara Dunphy smiled faintly at Choi Hyun-seok’s words.

“You too have lived quite a tumultuous life.”

As the two conversed.

Abelson, adorned in splendid attire, appeared atop the central spire.

Waaaaaaaaaaah-!

The cheers grew even louder than before.

Sara Dunphy stared blankly at the scene.

“Are you thinking of the past?”

Choi Hyun-seok asked.

From his time with Sara Dunphy, he knew she had been a Queen of a nation.

He thought perhaps this scene reminded her of her past.

“Why do you think that?”

“Your eyes look somewhat distant.”

“Hahaha. I showed an embarrassing side.”

Sara Dunphy laughed awkwardly.

Choi Hyun-seok shook his head as if to say not to worry about it.

“It’s understandable. You must have had times like this too.”

“Indeed. It certainly exists in my memories. I too had such times. However…”

Sara Dunphy’s bright smile suddenly turned cold.

“Is the me of that time the same me as now?”

“Pardon?”

“The me who reigned as everyone’s Queen died. My soul would have left this world long ago with that. Then what am I now, after a thousand years?”

“…”

“Did I bring back a departed soul? Or am I merely an empty creation moving according to magically constructed memories, without a soul?”

Choi Hyun-seok couldn’t say anything.

He didn’t know what mechanism moved her as an undead.

No, even if he knew, it wasn’t a topic he could speak of carelessly.

“Oh my, I’ve troubled you. It’s just idle thoughts, so don’t worry about it.”

Just as Sara Dunphy smirked.

Peeeeeng! Peoong!

Magical fireworks painted the sky.

Finally reaching the finale of the coronation.

Abelson waved her hand amidst everyone’s cheers.

‘How strange…’

A Queen of the past who had already died.

And a Queen newly born.

It felt as if the two were crossing paths across 1,500 years.

For some reason, Choi Hyun-seok felt a heaviness in one corner of his heart.

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