Chapter 1
21 years.
It’s not smooth but it was a pretty normal life.
Many people said that I was indifferent.
I didn’t usually feel it, but when I looked back, it seemed to be correct.
I was contemplating even though I couldn’t move my body in the dark.
Actually, I don’t know. This is the first time I died, too.
I, Lerine Duke Milion, the vice-general of the Knights of Dojino, died while protecting the third prince of the empire, Signus D. Avita.
I didn’t regret my death.
I had my own reason to save him.
However, I wondered how long I had to lie down like this.
When you die, your life passes like a flash.
I lived that kind of life as if I ran out of time every day.
I always run forward, so I was longing for a short break. I needed time to catch my breath.
It can’t be helped even if it was irresponsible.
What else could I do when I’m already dead?
I’ve finished my work. Now I wanted to fall asleep.
“….Miss….”
At that time, I heard people crying.
“How can you leave us behind….!”
“You’ve spent most of your life in the bed because of your weak body, so how could you go like this…..”
“If I had known this, I would’ve taken you for a walk often…”
Those mournful voices were distant.
“What kind of doctor are you! Medical genius, my foot! You couldn’t even save my sister!”
The grief-stricken outcry of a young man was distant, too.
“I send-off my wife that way, and even my daughter…”
The sad voice of a middle-aged man was cut off.
“Oh no! Master!”
“Get a hold of yourself, master!”
How did it feel to have your child die?
When I was young, my parents disowned me, so it was an emotion that I couldn’t expect.
‘But why do I hear such things?’
Like I said before, I’m dead.
I’m not only dead, but my whole body completely ceased to exist.
Because I had to protect Signus from the intruders who attacked the Imperial Palace.
Why did I do that?
Why did I sacrifice my life for the third prince, who wasn’t even the Emperor or the Crown Prince and was the weakest among the princes?
There was only one reason.
Because Signus had to live.
***
I used to have premonition dreams ever since I was a child.
The accuracy of the dream was very high.
I couldn’t explain it in words, but what I saw, whether it was a small thing or a big thing, came true.
There was one dream that I had steadily.
It was a dream where the first prince, Demian, became the Crown Prince, and the empire was destroyed.
There were demons next to the princes.
There was darkness that hovered around the first and second princes, but nobody was aware of that.
Eventually, the princes were brainwashed by the power of demons. The moment when the first prince, Demian, whose mind was devoured, becomes the crown prince…
The barrier that sealed the demons was opened.
The third prince Signus D. Avita and his fiancee, Ayaran Leo Cyben.
The two were my friends who had been together since childhood.
The day the sky turned gray.
Signus and Ayaran were coldly turned into corpses under the feet of the princes.
At first, I thought it was just a nightmare.
The intelligent Demian, and gentle second prince, Aslan.
They all cared so much about Signus, their youngest brother, so I thought it was impossible, and the empire would be just fine.
But from the time I became an adult, my dream really tormented me.
Signus and Ayaran die every day.
I had to watch my precious friends die without doing anything.
While suffering from repeated dreams, a group of people who serve the demons attacked the palace.
The Imperial palace was turned upside down, and people were dying.
Only then did I realize. It’s time to make up my mind.
There was neither the first nor the second prince.
The Crown Prince must be Signus.
Otherwise, this empire would be ruined.
That was the future and the truth I’ve seen.
As a knight, I and the other knights used the pledge of guardianship with the intention of dying, and I succeeded.
Only the best knights were capable of forming the pledge of guardianship by putting their lives as a mortgage to borrow god’s power.
I died on behalf of Signus, so there was no chance that I would live.
I’m sure it was.
‘But I can hear people talking.’
My consciousness faded and I couldn’t feel any sense of reality.
Was it the afterlife?
As if I was listening to the sound outside the closed door.
‘It’s either a dream or a ghost.’
I just stayed there, feeling at ease.
It’s been a long time since I had a break like this.
Soon, there was the sound of thumping footsteps was heard as if someone was climbing the stairs from a distance.
“Master! Master! Oh no…”
A faint scent of grass spread around when the man’s voice was heard.
‘I can smell it.’
Indeed. I could think, I could feel the touch, and even I could smell?
The man sounded embarrassed when he spoke.
“I understand how you feel, but you have to get up now. A man came from the palace.”
Crank-!
Something heavy was thrown, and a loud cracking sound was heard.
“My daughter is in that mess, what do you want me to do! Tell them to wait!”
At the fierce cry of the middle-aged man, the man with a grass scent started to lower his voice.
“The butler is dealing with the aide, but we can’t buy more time. I’m sure you know about that.”
“What do I need to know! They don’t have circumstances like us.”
The voice of a middle-aged man contained sorrow.
“On the day I was asked to come to the palace, I clearly told the aide that my daughter was in critical condition. I said today she was in critical condition, too! But do they have to come find me?”
The sound was small, but I couldn’t rest from the constant conversation.
‘Do I need to know about what they were saying?’’
I was slightly scared because I muttered so much.
“But they’ve been waiting for a long time already.”
“Don’t wait and die!”
“Please lower your voice, what if they hear it!”
“That’s great then.”
The middle-aged man shouted out loud.
“Hey! If you can’t even wait, why did you come? Get lost!”
“Master! Augh, really!”
I heard the thumping of something.
When the faint smell of grass got a little stronger, the man must have hit his chest.
“Young Master Ulysse, don’t just cry over there and please come here.”
“…Why?”
The voice of the young man who was responding was hoarse.
“Hurry up and persuade the master. It’s been a while since the aide arrived. He said he wouldn’t go, maybe, the young master, too…”
After a brief silence, the young man answered.
“I’m not going either.”
“…Pardon?”
“Who am I going to meet when my sister has become like that?”
His voice trembled.
“Just kill me instead!”
Thud-! Sobbing was heard along with a slamming sound.
‘He’s crying.’
I could hear the crying sound again.
“…what should I do? At this rate, we will get exterminated.”
“Exterminated?”
The middle-aged man’s voice became dark.
“They are the one who have business with us, so they should be the one who should think about our situation.”
His voice gradually raised.
“But there’s a thing called respect in work! Do you really have to come at a time like this, and that’s when my daughter closes her eyes? How could you do this!”
I could hear the voice of an old woman from another direction.
“Master is right.”
“…Anna.”
“Our miss comes first. We need to send her somewhere nice before she gets lost in the way!”
Voices burst from all sides.
“I agree.”
“That’s right. It’s a good idea to focus on the funeral.”
It was even more distracting when people spoke at once. Soon, the man with the grass scent spoke in a more subdued voice.
“Therefore, I’m asking you to meet him first for now. He says he won’t go back until he sees you, master.”
The man’s voice got smaller.
There was only one sound that stuck in my ears.
“The Crown Prince, Signus, will definitely understand your situation once he hears about it.”
Signus.
My eyes opened without my awareness.
“At this rate, we won’t be able to do anything, and it’ll be dark soon.”
The confused mind cleared up. The voice of the man, who sounded far away as if there was a curtain in the middle, gradually became clear.
“….”
High ceiling and sparkling chandelier entered my blurry vision.
‘It looks like a noble lady’s room…’
I just rolled my eyes and remembered what I just heard.
‘He definitely said Signus.’
I tried to turn my head to confirm, but a tremendous pain came.
‘…What the hell!’
My whole body ached as if I was beaten. My arms and legs were numb, my head was buzzing, and my eyes were very dry.
‘What’s wrong with this body?’
I held back my groan and turned my eyes. Next to the gruesomely cracked table, I opened my eyes widely at the sight of a bright blond middle-aged man.
‘Marquis of Elaine!’
***
This place where I live was the Holy Empire of Avita.
The Avita Empire was an empire. Why is it holy?
It was thanks to Creavo D. Avita, who founded this empire. Creavo, who miraculously appeared in the human world dominated by the demons, joined forces with the dragons and fairies to subdue and seal the demon king into the sacred ground.
He used his own blood to put the barrier on the gate leading to the sacred ground, and established an empire called ‘Avita’.
The first emperor’s aide was Ophian Lu Yeronimo.
“…That’s right. I need to explain the situation first.”
I swerved my gaze at the sound of his voice. A middle-aged man who spoke with a sad face. His name was Elaine Lu Yeronimo.
“I’m sorry. I was too agitated.”
“No, it can’t be helped.”
The marquis’ eyes turned towards the door.
“I’ll be right back, but can I ask you a favor?”
“Please go ahead.”
Marquis of Elaine struggled to smile.
“In the meantime, please find a place where the sun is good and the scenery is good. My daughter, Navian, liked the sun.”
“…..”
“You are the only person who can do this since you’ve been a gardener of this house for a long time.”
The man with the smell of grass burst into tears, and the maids cried again.
Marquis’ mouth trembled when he saw it.
“Then…I guess I should greet my daughter first. Ulysse, you come too.”
Another bright blonde-haired man who was half blocked by the wall, grumbled.
“I can’t.”
“Are you going to send her off without saying goodbye?”
“……”
At his words, the bright blonde man rose from his seat and staggered.
Soon, I could clearly see the neat face of the young man, who was hidden behind the wall.
His eyes were red because he cried a lot.
“Let’s go.”
The young man and marquis moved to my direction. He bowed his head as if unable to bear the sight.
“My dear daughter…”
Then, Marquis Elaine raised his head with determined look.
“Navian.”
The Marquis’s green eyes met with my gaze.
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