Chapter 20: After the Silence of War
The moment Darius and Roland saw what stood in the distance, both of them froze.
A massive moon hung above the horizon, so large it seemed to overshadow even the mountains. But its surface was fractured—cracks running through it like something had once tried to destroy it... and failed.
Then they saw the throne.
It was blurry, almost unreal, as if their eyes refused to fully accept it. And upon it sat a figure.
A woman with two violet suns where her eyes should have been.
The moment their gazes met hers, both of them felt something wrong—something beyond fear.
"W-what!!!"
"What’s happening—"
Their voices didn’t finish.
They broke apart mid-sentence, as if the sound itself had been cut away, and then their presence followed—erased completely, as though they had never been there at all.
Silence returned.
Finally, the being seated on the throne spoke.
"Aurielle... you should not have awakened me now."
She shook her head slowly, then lowered her gaze toward a golden chain that extended from her heart, its other end bound to a black-haired man.
"So you found someone..."
For a moment, it almost looked like she smiled.
Then even she began to fade, her form slowly being erased from existence.
"I hope you will survive this time..."
A faint, distant voice echoed—
Then—
**SHATTER.**
Reality broke apart.
And just as suddenly, everything returned to normal.
No throne remained.
No moon lingered in the sky.
No figure sat in the distance.
Only the battlefield was left behind—
And Blackstone’s soldiers, scattered across it, slowly beginning to rise in confusion.
"What... happened?"
"I don’t know... I think I just blacked out..."
They looked around in confusion, slowly realizing something was wrong.
The enemies were gone. All of them.
"Aurielle!"
A sudden voice cut through the confusion.
They turned toward it and saw a young man with black hair, wearing black-blue armored knight gear, running toward the center of the battlefield.
In an instant, awareness returned to the soldiers. One after another, they began moving as well, rushing toward the same direction.
"My lord, are you alright?"
Osric reached her first, stopping beside Aurielle and looking down at her anxiously.
But she didn’t respond.
She was unconscious.
Soon, Luke arrived with the silver knight at his side. His gaze immediately fell on Aurielle—no wounds, no visible injuries, yet completely unresponsive.
"Move aside."
Luke’s voice was firm.
Osric hesitated for a moment, exchanging a glance with him, then reluctantly stepped back.
Luke carefully lifted Aurielle into his arms.
Without another word, he turned and began walking toward the mansion.
But as he walked, his voice carried an order behind him.
"Kill the traitors. If they surrender, subdue them."
"Yes, sir!"
A loud response echoed across the battlefield.
As more than a thousand voices from the Blackstone Guardian Legion followed.
The unified roar shook the surroundings, startling even the nearby soldiers who had just regained consciousness.
---
As I reached the mansion gate and pushed it open, Margaret’s rushing figure appeared in front of me.
She was breathing heavily, panic clear in her voice as she asked,
"What happened to my lady?"
I shook my head.
"I don’t know... but let’s take her to Elena. Maybe she can help."
Margaret nodded quickly, worry still written across her face.
Soon, we reached Elena’s room. Since the mages had been assigned separate quarters, she was likely inside.
KNOCK-KNOCK
"Elena, are you inside?" I called.
A moment later, the door opened. Elena stood there in a nightgown, still half-awake. Without wasting time, I gently placed Aurielle into her arms and immediately turned away.
"Elena, please check her condition," I said without looking back.
She froze for a moment, clearly confused, then glanced down at herself. Her face turned slightly red as she spoke in a soft, shy voice.
"Yes... master."
The door closed.
I waited outside for a few moments.
Then Elena’s voice came from inside.
"Master... she seems fine. Just exhausted."
I turned back and looked inside. Margaret was carefully taking care of Aurielle, while Elena—now properly covered with a coat—looked at me for instruction.
"Good. Take care of her. If you need anything, tell me."
I said it calmly, then turned away and walked out again.
There was still a rebellion to deal with.
Someone had to restore order.
The moment I stepped outside, the sounds of chaos reached me again.
Pleas, begging, and desperation spread across the broken battlefield, turning orderless voices into a single wave of panic.
"Don’t kill me! I was brainwashed by Roland!"
"Please! We didn’t know the truth!"
I ignored the chaos behind me and approached Osric. The guilty ones would be sent to the mines later.
He was still directing the soldiers when I reached him.
"Osric, how is the situation?" I asked.
He turned toward me and let out a deep, tired sigh.
"Situation is very bad, young master."
He paused for a moment, gathering his thoughts before continuing.
"We’ve lost nearly seventy percent of our forces. Only a few remain now—most of them wounded... some even crippled."
His face looked older as he spoke, as if each word carried weight on his shoulders.
I nodded grimly. I could already see the truth of it around us.
Then I spoke, trying to steady the broken morale.
"Don’t worry. My soldiers will handle the burden and make up for the losses."
At my words, his expression eased slightly.
Behind him, hundreds of Iron Knights stood in formation, along with dozens of Bronze Knights. The sight alone seemed to restore a bit of hope in him.
"Thank you, young master. If the lord were here, she would be very happy," Osric said with a faint smile.
I nodded again.
Then I asked about the damages.
His expression darkened immediately.
"Young master... Roland burned nearly half of the military facilities. Many buildings were destroyed during the battle, and even more collapsed afterward."
I looked around.
Broken walls. Burned structures. Shattered stone scattered across the ground. And among them—silent corpses covered in dust.
A territory that had barely survived a disaster.
"Give them proper burial rites. Honor those who died protecting this land," I said quietly.
Then I took out a pouch of gold and placed it in his hands.
"Use this to compensate their families. Repair the structures. Rebuild what was lost."
Osric stared at the pouch for a moment. The weight of it was enough to shift the mood in his eyes.
With this, the territory might actually survive the aftermath.
"God has blessed our territory... to have you, young master," he said, voice trembling slightly with gratitude.
I simply nodded.
After that, I dismissed him and called the silver knight over.
I led the silver knight to Aurielle’s room.
Standing at the entrance, I gave my order in a low voice.
"Guard this place. Only allow entry with Margaret’s permission."
She nodded immediately without a hint of hesitation.
Her posture straightened as she took position outside the door, as if the entire corridor now belonged under her watch.
I then relayed the same order to Margaret.
She froze for a moment, clearly shocked. A Silver Knight was not an ordinary existence—such figures were rarely seen outside Viscount-level or higher territories.
In the Blackstone Highlands, there was only one Silver Knight, a relic brought by the Lord’s mother long ago, now stationed at the border as its silent guardian.
"...Thank you," Margaret said softly, her voice calmer now, though still carrying disbelief.
I gave a small nod in return.
My gaze lingered for a moment on Aurielle’s resting figure inside the room.
After a brief silence, I turned away.
It was time to rest.
[Chapter End]
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Author note: Guys, mass release is going on—make sure to add this to your library so you don’t miss it!
