The silence that flowed through the dry autumn air was crumbling. Breaking the stillness, Kael closed his eyes and smiled.
“Thank you so much for coming to see me off.”
It was a typical tone for them, so Damia responded with ease.
“You’re leaving now?”
“Yup. My mission is over, so I have to leave now.”
Kael, who had lost his object to protect, smiled dejectedly. He looked lonely. A dark shadow was cast on his appearance for the first time, whereas before, he’d always shined like a nobleman who had never known hardship.
And his pain was well warranted; the person he vowed to follow for the rest of his life was actually an impostor and even a man.
The captured Callistea—no, Calix, confessed his identity. He also stopped disguising himself by ceasing to draw power from his twin sister. Then, his young and pretty appearance utterly disappeared, leaving only a skinny, middle-aged man.
Seeing this, Kael was traumatized. Shocked, he fainted on the spot, and Akkard caught him from crashing on the floor.
“What a weak man,”
Akkard spit out as he clutched Kael with one hand and made him lean against the wall like a sack. Far from sympathizing with Kael, inside he sneered coldly at him.
It was unbelievable that someone would leave a woman like Damia and instead choose a celibate life for a middle-aged man in disguise. There was only a certain degree of stupid he could tolerate.
‘Wait… But aren’t I in a worse situation than that idiot?’
Akkard, who was snickering at Kael, suddenly felt deeply uneasy. Then Damia, who had been watching this spectacle from the side, put her hand on Kael’s shoulder with a sigh.
“Are you okay, Kael? Can you stand up?”
“Damia.”
In a stunned state, Kael fumbled for Damia’s hand and held it. An instinctual habit of childhood friends came out.
Akkard saw this and immediately threw a bloody gaze.
‘How dare that bastard?’
His fierce momentum was like a beast on the verge of attacking. Kael’s attention was drawn to the incredible energy and, upon meeting Akkard’s glare, withdrew his hand in panic. And muttered in a feeble voice.
“I… … I want to go home, Damie.”
Unsurprisingly, Damia did not laugh at him. Instead, she spoke kindly as if she had returned to her childhood.
“You can go. I’ll tell the Crown Prince, so you can leave as soon as possible tomorrow.”
Damia felt a little sorry for him. The man who dumped her because of the Saint was on the verge of becoming ruined because of the very same person.
‘It would be a lie if I denied that there was no was no satisfaction about this fact.’
But it could not be helped that her pity exceeded her self-satisfaction. Like it or not, Damia knew it very well. How sincere Kael Roysten was to ‘Saint Callistea.’
But now that everything had been revealed, how much of a shock must he have gone through? Damia was weak for those who were close to her and sighed.
After going straight to Heinrich, she explained his circumstances and asked for a special pardon. When he heard this, of course, the noble Crown Prince burst into laughter.
“Pu ha ha ha!! haha!! Ahaha!!!”
He soon wiped away his tears and donned a grin cold enough to make the air crack. And he answered with a serious expression.
“Alright, I’ll take Kael Roysten out of this. But just in case he doesn’t know, he can’t return to the High Temple.”
“I understand.”
Damia nodded. Like it or not, Kael was a paladin, but he couldn’t be sent back to the enemy.
Fortunately, Kael, who heard this, did not resist much. He was willing to go anywhere as long as he could just leave this royal palace full of memories of the Saint.
“So, where are you going now?”
The only friend who came out to see him off asked. Seeing that beautiful face, Kael smiled stiffly.
“Wherever.”
“What?”
Damia furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if he was still sane after the violent heartbreak of his imagination. Then, seeing this, Kael quickly added an explanation:
“I suddenly had a thought… I felt skeptical about the too narrow world I’ve confined myself in.”
“Well… … I understand.”
Unable to deny Kael’s words, she faintly smiled. Maybe he felt that way because he naively threw his life away for a dream that evaporated before his eyes. After all, he fell in love with his fantasies.
“Damia.”
Before leaving, hesitantly, Kael looked down at the floor. And he said in a voice heavy and full of sincerity.
“I’m sorry. Everything I said and did to you. All of it.”
The silence that flowed through the dry autumn air was crumbling. Breaking the stillness, Kael closed his eyes and smiled.
“Thank you so much for coming to see me off.”
It was a typical tone for them, so Damia responded with ease.
“You’re leaving now?”
“Yup. My mission is over, so I have to leave now.”
Kael, who had lost his object to protect, smiled dejectedly. He looked lonely. A dark shadow was cast on his appearance for the first time, whereas before, he’d always shined like a nobleman who had never known hardship.
And his pain was well warranted; the person he vowed to follow for the rest of his life was actually an impostor and even a man.
The captured Callistea—no, Calix, confessed his identity. He also stopped disguising himself by ceasing to draw power from his twin sister. Then, his young and pretty appearance utterly disappeared, leaving only a skinny, middle-aged man.
Seeing this, Kael was traumatized. Shocked, he fainted on the spot, and Akkard caught him from crashing on the floor.
“What a weak man,”
Akkard spit out as he clutched Kael with one hand and made him lean against the wall like a sack. Far from sympathizing with Kael, inside he sneered coldly at him.
It was unbelievable that someone would leave a woman like Damia and instead choose a celibate life for a middle-aged man in disguise. There was only a certain degree of stupid he could tolerate.
‘Wait… But aren’t I in a worse situation than that idiot?’
Akkard, who was snickering at Kael, suddenly felt deeply uneasy. Then Damia, who had been watching this spectacle from the side, put her hand on Kael’s shoulder with a sigh.
“Are you okay, Kael? Can you stand up?”
“Damia.”
In a stunned state, Kael fumbled for Damia’s hand and held it. An instinctual habit of childhood friends came out.
Akkard saw this and immediately threw a bloody gaze.
‘How dare that bastard?’
His fierce momentum was like a beast on the verge of attacking. Kael’s attention was drawn to the incredible energy and, upon meeting Akkard’s glare, withdrew his hand in panic. And muttered in a feeble voice.
“I… … I want to go home, Damie.”
Unsurprisingly, Damia did not laugh at him. Instead, she spoke kindly as if she had returned to her childhood.
“You can go. I’ll tell the Crown Prince, so you can leave as soon as possible tomorrow.”
Damia felt a little sorry for him. The man who dumped her because of the Saint was on the verge of becoming ruined because of the very same person.
‘It would be a lie if I denied that there was no was no satisfaction about this fact.’
But it could not be helped that her pity exceeded her self-satisfaction. Like it or not, Damia knew it very well. How sincere Kael Roysten was to ‘Saint Callistea.’
But now that everything had been revealed, how much of a shock must he have gone through? Damia was weak for those who were close to her and sighed.
After going straight to Heinrich, she explained his circumstances and asked for a special pardon. When he heard this, of course, the noble Crown Prince burst into laughter.
“Pu ha ha ha!! haha!! Ahaha!!!”
He soon wiped away his tears and donned a grin cold enough to make the air crack. And he answered with a serious expression.
“Alright, I’ll take Kael Roysten out of this. But just in case he doesn’t know, he can’t return to the High Temple.”
“I understand.”
Damia nodded. Like it or not, Kael was a paladin, but he couldn’t be sent back to the enemy.
Fortunately, Kael, who heard this, did not resist much. He was willing to go anywhere as long as he could just leave this royal palace full of memories of the Saint.
“So, where are you going now?”
The only friend who came out to see him off asked. Seeing that beautiful face, Kael smiled stiffly.
“Wherever.”
“What?”
Damia furrowed her eyebrows, wondering if he was still sane after the violent heartbreak of his imagination. Then, seeing this, Kael quickly added an explanation:
“I suddenly had a thought… I felt skeptical about the too narrow world I’ve confined myself in.”
“Well… … I understand.”
Unable to deny Kael’s words, she faintly smiled. Maybe he felt that way because he naively threw his life away for a dream that evaporated before his eyes. After all, he fell in love with his fantasies.
“Damia.”
Before leaving, hesitantly, Kael looked down at the floor. And he said in a voice heavy and full of sincerity.
“I’m sorry. Everything I said and did to you. All of it.”
