#120 The Heroine's Path

Within the vast royal palace of Tairon, there are several annexes.

Some are luxurious palaces where the King's favorite concubines once lived, but others were built to confine women of high status.

These are places for women who have committed crimes that are difficult to make public, or those who have simply incurred the King's wrath. Tracing back through the kingdom's long history, there were even cases where the King's mother or the Queen herself was imprisoned there.

While such palaces appear grand on the outside, they are far from comfortable to live in. Though they look fine on the surface, they are often impoverished, filled with broken furniture and lacking in basic necessities like firewood and supplies.

They are intended to be places of neglect. Since the servants and maids who manage the annexes share this mindset, it is difficult for a prisoner to escape such treatment unless specific orders are given otherwise.

The annex where the Heroine had been moved was just such a place.

The escort knight, who was almost solely responsible for managing the Heroine, let out a long sigh.

He dreaded the hours he spent visiting her. Dealing with the Heroine was incredibly exhausting because he had to keep his nerves taut every single minute, every single second. It often left him with a throbbing headache.

But it couldn't be helped. Ordinary people could not be kept near her. Already, several maids and servants had suffered mental breakdowns.

Only a few people—himself, the High Priest, and a handful of shrine maidens—had managed to maintain their sanity after prolonged contact with her.

Ultimately, when she was moved to the annex, all the maids previously assigned to her were banned from approaching.

Most of the palace's maids come from noble families. With several of them losing their minds, ominous rumors had begun to circulate among the nobility.

The knight knew how the Heroine felt about it, but it was an unavoidable decision.

Currently, two shrine maidens were attending to her in shifts.

However, shrine maidens are not trained as professional servants. At most, they brought meals to the annex, delivered necessary items, or listened to her demands and tried to soothe her.

As her displeasure and resentment grew, her abilities intensified in proportion.

'Sigh.'

The escort knight closed his eyes. They ached. Every time he blinked, the surface of his eyeballs felt raw, as if sand had been rubbed into them.

The King seemed to be expecting a child from her. This was because the offspring of such unions often became exceptional mages.

The initial order given to the escort knight was to comfort and seduce the Heroine, winning her affection.

The King's intention, as explained to him, was to gradually sever the bond between the male Hero and the Heroine in the near future and then bestow her upon the escort knight.

'But...'

The escort knight looked up at the building, which included a high tower, and let out yet another sigh.

The influence of the Heroine's power on her surroundings was growing by the day.

He had heard that one of the shrine maidens attending her had been complaining of constant mental fatigue and was being replaced by someone new starting today.

'I wonder how much longer I can hold out.'

If this continued, his own mental strength would be whittled away until he, too, eventually lost his mind. Likely before he could ever take the Heroine as his wife.

Yet, there was no one else to take over his duty. Ordinary nobles or knights could not handle her. They would go mad.

On the other hand, it was impossible to marry the Heroine to a priest.

It wasn't that relationships were strictly forbidden for priests. While some remained celibate for life, a surprisingly large number had unofficial lovers.

However, legally, a priest could not marry. They were considered bodies offered to the gods.

Regardless of the private reality, forsaking a god to take a human spouse was taboo.

A priest was not a suitable match for the Heroine.

He was the only one for the job—a man who had been a priest but had returned to secular life to become a knight. Even if it was painful, he had no choice but to continue.

The escort knight took a deep breath and entered the annex.

The mere thought of meeting that woman again made his heart race frantically. It felt as though he were jumping off a cliff. That was the sensation.

"...."

As he recalled her eyes, which seemed to stare right into a person's soul, the knight's heart was dyed in a shade of black.

His heart was being pulled toward that eye color.

It was being painted in a dark, murky black.

If fear had a color, it would surely be the same as her eyes.

She dragged out the thing a person feared most from deep within their heart.

'O God, please help me endure her safely again today.'

His heart desperately sought the divine.

* * * * * * * * * *

Glenn, the Crown Prince of Tairon, set down his pen upon hearing the servant's message that the escort knight had arrived. He rose from his desk and moved toward the area with the chairs and table.

A few days ago, the Heroine's escort knight had requested an audience.

He said he had something to report regarding the Heroine.

'I think I know what he wants to say.'

Though he didn't show it to the King or Glenn, the escort knight believed the Heroine might be a mass of malice sent by the Evil God to destroy humanity.

Glenn had received a report that the knight had once said as much to the High Priest.

'The Evil God...'

The Evil God was a being who hated humans and brought forth suffering and calamity.

In mythology, it was said that several gods had joined forces to barely manage to seal the Evil God away, unable to bear the sight of humans suffering because of it.

It was believed that the seal might break if its name were spoken, so even the Evil God's true name was unknown to the public. Unlike other gods, the Evil God was simply known as the Evil God.

Glenn wasn't sure if the Evil God truly existed. Unlike other gods, it didn't grant oracles, and no ancient temples dedicated to it had ever been discovered. There was no evidence anywhere that it had actually existed. It might just be a story passed down through the ages.

However, it seemed quite a few priests believed in its existence. Was the escort knight one of them?

'Well, regardless of what he thinks, her treatment won't change.'

That woman seemed to hold some significance to the male Hero. She couldn't be handled recklessly.

Her move to the annex had also taken place immediately after the male Hero, Kang Taehyung, left for the border of the Simoni Kingdom. If Kang Taehyung had remained here, the Heroine would still be staying in the main palace.

'It's a headache.'

Lost in thought, Glenn was inwardly surprised when he saw the escort knight enter. In just a few days, the knight's face had become significantly gaunt.

"Are you alright?"

When he asked reflexively, the escort knight started to respond but hesitated. After a moment of thought, the knight bowed his head.

"...Your concern... I am grateful..."

The knight stopped as if something were caught in his throat. Unable to make a sound for a moment, he finally spoke in a strained voice.

"...I am sorry, Your Highness. I... can no longer stay by her side..."

Mid-sentence, the knight's body suddenly shuddered. He began to cough violently.

The servant standing a short distance away stepped closer. The position of Crown Prince meant those around him were sensitive even to a minor cold. The servant likely thought Glenn should not be near the knight if he was ill.

But in an instant, the escort knight's body pitched forward as if he were falling.

His hand went to his waist as if to draw a sword. However, his sword was not there.

When entering the Crown Prince's private chambers, even those permitted to carry weapons within the palace were required to leave them behind.

The escort knight lunged low to the floor, diving for Glenn's legs.

"An assassin!"

Glenn saw the servant shouting and rushing over out of the corner of his eye.

But the escort knight was much faster. He was a highly capable man. That was why he had been assigned to her. Deeply pious and skilled in martial arts...

Glenn tried to coat his hands in mana to counter-attack, but the knight was already pinning him down.

With a loud crash, the chair toppled backward. A heavy impact struck the back of Glenn's head.

At that moment, a chilling mana flew from the escort knight's hand toward the Crown Prince's face. The knight was a rare user of ice magic.

The phlegm and saliva he had coughed up earlier thinned into thread-like strands atop the knight's palm, bridging the space between them.

The thread-like ice needles pierced directly into Glenn's eyes.

Almost simultaneously, he felt pain in his lower abdomen—or perhaps even lower.

His vision went dark in an instant from a sensation he couldn't tell was hot or cold.

"Aaargh!"

As he screamed and his body bucked, it felt as though the servant had slammed into the escort knight with his full weight.

Amidst the dark agony, the heavy weight of the knight suddenly vanished.

It seemed the knights waiting outside the door had rushed in. The sound of clashing steel and someone's screams echoed nearby.

"To His Majesty! Inform His Majesty immediately!"

"Call the doctors and healers!"

"Hurry!"

The voices of the people grew distant. The last thing that remained in Glenn's mind were the words the escort knight had muttered at the moment of the attack.

[She must be killed. She must be... You must die.]

When he had entered the room, the escort knight had seemed terribly distraught. Perhaps in his eyes, Glenn had appeared as her.

'Foolish...'

* * * * * * * * * *

The report that the Crown Prince had been attacked by his escort knight was immediately brought to the King.

By the time the King of Tairon rushed to the Crown Prince's bedroom, healing mages and doctors were already there.

The doctors were assessing the overall condition and taking measures.

If something is embedded in the body, if limbs are torn, or if there are large lacerations, using healing magic in that state is less effective.

Healing magic is incredibly effective at restoring the body, but it remains a supplemental treatment.

The King hurriedly checked on Glenn, who was lying on the bed.

From his face down to his neck, and even the bed and his clothes, everything was covered in blood. A cloth was wrapped around his eyes. It seemed to be a poultice of herbs.

The King's voice turned sharp instinctively.

"What is the Crown Prince's condition?"

At the King's question, the doctor bowed his head with a grim expression.

"The treatment has only just begun. We must observe his progress further, Your Majesty."

"Tell me what you know now."

"...."

The doctor bowed his head, looking troubled.

The King suppressed his rising impatience.

Even if there was a chance the Crown Prince might die right now, a doctor could not speak such a truth freely. At the very least, they wouldn't dare utter it until the situation was certain.

To get a proper answer, he had to make it possible for the man to speak.

"What of the Crown Prince's life? Is he in critical danger?"

When the King asked in a calm voice, the doctor chose his words carefully and replied respectfully.

"We believe he will be fine. Fortunately, no vital organs were struck. Though the wounds are not light, so I cannot be certain, as long as we and the healers remain by his side, his life should not be in danger. Of course, nothing is absolute. People have died from far smaller wounds."

"...."

The doctor's words sounded like a merely cautious response. However, the doctor repeatedly emphasized that his life was not in danger. This meant something else was the problem.

The King fell silent and signaled the Chief Chamberlain with his eyes.

Taking the hint, the Chief Chamberlain sent all the maids and servants out.

Only the doctor, the healing mages, and the Chief Chamberlain remained in the room.

"Anything said now will be kept in absolute confidence, whether it proves right or wrong. Speak honestly. What is the problem?"

After exchanging a glance with the healing mage, the doctor spoke quietly.

"One of His Highness's eyes has lost its sight entirely. The eyeball must be removed."

"...."

"And."

The doctor paused for a moment before continuing as if he had made up his mind.

"He was stabbed in the lower abdomen, and the location is unfortunate. He may not be able to produce an heir."

"...What is the probability?"

"I am sorry to say, but it is almost certainly impossible."

The King closed his eyes. Silence filled the room until he composed himself and opened them again.

"Do not speak a word of this. If rumors spread, it will be the doing of someone in this room, and no one shall be spared."

The doctor and healing mages bowed deeply. After sending them out, the King looked down at the Crown Prince, who lay unconscious as if dead.

He didn't know how long he stood there.

The Chief Chamberlain called to him.

"Your Majesty, the night is late."

"...He was a good son."

When the King spoke while looking down at Glenn, the Chief Chamberlain bowed his head slightly.

"Yes."

"Though his heart was a bit weak, there could be no better Crown Prince than him. He would have been a wise king."

"...Yes."

"...."

The King turned his head to look at the Chief Chamberlain.

"You said you discovered a spy from the Simoni Kingdom, didn't you? That they were trying to approach the Heroine."

"That is correct. There are traces of contact with the son of a Wind Kingdom merchant who handles looted goods. It seems they also made contact with a few people in the royal palace."

"That woman... send the Heroine to Simoni. Create an environment where it is easy for the spy to operate, and put pressure on that girl to make her run away."

"I understand."

"...I should have done so sooner. Before things reached this point."

The King looked down at the Crown Prince's face.

He had known that the Simoni Kingdom coveted the Heroine. While he hadn't identified every spy, he had discovered several who were trying to approach her. Simoni was using every method at their disposal.

"Since they want her so badly, let us give them the Heroine."

After muttering the words, the King placed his hand on his son's forehead. It was as hot as a furnace.

After standing there for a moment, the King turned away.

Crown Prince Glenn had no sons. Only a princess. If there was no hope for an heir, he would eventually have to be deposed from his position as Crown Prince.

His heart felt as heavy as lead.

There was no other son who could compare to Glenn, who had been educated as the Crown Prince since childhood. Glenn was the son most suited for the role.

It was too late to begin educating another prince now. None of them had the necessary qualities anyway.

"For the time being, he shall remain the Crown Prince."

After speaking in a low voice, he left the Crown Prince's bedroom. The candlelight illuminating the palace corridor flickered in the spring breeze. It seemed somehow ominous, as if foretelling the future of the Tairon Kingdom.