Chapter 453
Thud!

Eriphony’s body collapsed forward, utterly limp. The arrow lodged deep in her heart had pierced even further, and blood poured helplessly from the wound.

She seemed unable to believe what was happening, her eyes darting rapidly around. All she could see was the indistinct ground beneath her feet—no faces, no help.

Her ragged breaths came in harsh gasps, making her feel like a lowly insect dying on the floor.

“King Eriphony!”
“W-What is the meaning of this?”
“Who fired that arrow just now? Was it Bariel?”
“I don’t know. It appeared suddenly out of thin air.”
“We’ll know once we retrieve the arrow. Move! Approach King Eriphony and check the wound!”
“That’s not a Bariel arrow. It’s made and used in Luswena.”
“More importantly, shouldn’t we check if she’s alive first?”
“It doesn’t look good. The arrow hit right near the heart.”
“And do you even intend to save her?”
“Bariel has no reason to. Hmph. She caused a disturbance with force and dared to aim a bow at His Highness.”
“But she’s still breathing. Her chest is rising and falling. Check her pulse! Confirm if she’s alive—!”

The official’s voice suddenly cut off.

Eriphony struggled desperately to steady her ragged breathing. It felt as if poison was seeping into every fiber of her being. Her heart was spewing black blood, her limbs drained of strength, and her mind clouded with the shadow of death.

A soft sound.

Before her, someone knelt down on one knee. Though only their ankles were visible, she instinctively recognized them. The aura of elegance, arrogance, and commanding presence was unmistakable.

It was Ian—the one who had collapsed after drinking poisoned tea—alive and well.

“Are you in pain, King Eriphony?”
“Y-You…”
“This is the weight of the lives you have taken.”

Ian lightly placed his hand over the arrow, and an indescribable wave of agony crashed over Eriphony.

The golden arrows she had casually fired from the hill on the battlefield—the countless lives they had pierced—now pressed down on her with unbearable force.

Crawling on the ground, Eriphony screamed in torment.

“Ahhhhhh!”
“And this is the weight of the anger held by the one who fired the arrow.”
“Y-You! I’ll kill you! Aaaah! Shut up! Shut up!”

The arrow vibrated faintly, and Eriphony writhed in agony as if her heart would burst.

Kneeling is a humiliation on the floor, but this was a misery that dragged her beneath the floor itself. White foam bubbled at the corners of her mouth, and her three hundred eyes—once filled with will and spirit—were bloodshot and red.

“Hyunyo (Dazzling Radiance). It’s a spell that steals the breath of its target when they feel intense joy or happiness. It’s practically a curse. The trigger is a death caused by the target themselves. King Eriphony, this arrow is none other than the one you fired yourself.”

“What are you—”
“No need to understand. Your Majesty, you only need to writhe in pain and die as agonizingly as possible. Enough to satisfy the caster.”

Ian—did you cast this? Eriphony wanted to scream, but blood surged up her throat, choking her words.

Then, her gaze locked with Zaira, standing upright nearby. Clutching her collar tightly with small fists, her brows furrowed fiercely, eyes blazing with rage.

Eriphony instinctively knew that Zaira was the one who had cast the spell.

“You bastard—! Guhk!”

Betraying her homeland wasn’t enough, but to drive an arrow into the king’s heart? Crawling forward with the sole determination to strangle Zaira’s neck, Eriphony left a long trail of blood behind her—a snake dying in a pool of its own blood.

“…!”

The moment Eriphony’s fingertips brushed Zaira’s sleeve, her hand fell limply to the ground. She was dead.

No one spoke as they silently witnessed the final moments of the Luswena king, Eriphony, who had died staring at the floor. Ian slowly knelt and closed her eyes.

“Luswena’s envoys, hear this.”

He addressed not only Luswena but all the foreign nations present.

“King Eriphony of Luswena has passed away. She died by the arrow she herself fired, so no one can be held responsible. Those who witnessed this know the truth. The delegation must decide whether to remain for negotiations or return to Luswena. Bariel mourns King Eriphony’s death deeply, but that is where it ends. Negotiations cannot be delayed, no favors will be granted, and no sympathy will be shown.”

She died by the arrow she fired herself.

Though hard to accept, the witnesses had no choice but to believe it. Moreover, this was the royal palace. Just moments ago, there had been a violent disturbance, and Eriphony had attempted to kill the crown prince. Given the circumstances, her execution would not have been surprising.

The envoys fell into a selective silence and looked to Eldert. With the king dead, wasn’t the authority to decide now his?

“Ah…”

Eldert seemed unable to make a decision easily. What was unusual was the emotion on his face. Despite his lord’s death, surprise came before grief or anger.

Ian raised an eyebrow, urging him to answer. There was only a thirty-minute break, the seconds ticking relentlessly, and little time left.

“Eldert, decide. If you choose to return to Luswena, our soldiers will lower their spears and clear the way. However, the king’s body must remain here, and you must accept all terms of the negotiations unconditionally, without further objection. Consider the price for aiming a bow at His Highness the Crown Prince to be the king’s life. Or—”

Zaira, unable to believe Eriphony’s death, bowed deeply to look at her fallen form. The king who had shaken their peaceful forest life so violently. Though it was her grandmother’s will that led her into the abyss, it was this very king who had pushed her there. The king who had abandoned their homeland and the enemy she had wanted to kill even at the cost of her own life.

Ian glanced at Zaira before continuing.

“If you choose to remain in the negotiations, that will be respected as well. But know this: the crime of causing a disturbance in the royal palace will be punished separately. After the schedule ends, you will not be free to leave the palace. This message will be officially conveyed by Bariel’s envoy.”

They stood at a crossroads.

Leaving Bariel now meant returning to Luswena to report the king’s death and discuss the next government, but it would put them at a severe disadvantage in negotiations. Bariel, Klipford, and Burgos were not so easily swayed to favor a nation that did not participate.

On the other hand, staying in the negotiations meant the news of the king’s death would reach Luswena, possibly sparking rebellion. A defeated king dying outside the palace left the royal court like an empty house without a master.

‘Even if they stay, can they really achieve the outcome they want?’

Eldert hesitated, and Ian tilted his head in mild surprise.

“Eldert, is this really so difficult a choice?”
“…Isn’t it obvious?”
“You are a member of the royal family, but you…”

Ian stopped himself, sensing the hidden desires within Eldert.

Eriphony and Eldert were cousins. But in Luswena, where legitimacy was paramount, Eldert’s chance of inheriting the throne was slim. If there had been a real chance, he wouldn’t have left the palace to become a university professor.

Though he returned at Eriphony’s summons, there were clearly others who could succeed Luswena.

‘As the king’s advisor and closest confidant, if the king dies, those in key positions should be replaced and step down. His hesitation shows he has no intention of stepping aside. He may claim to act for the royal family’s legitimacy, but all the more reason to return first and inform the next heir—not through Bariel’s envoy, but Luswena’s own.’

Though it would weaken their position in negotiations, that was preferable to having their legitimacy shaken. External issues could be solved collectively, but internal matters were the palace’s burden, with limited solutions.

Ian checked his pocket watch with a click.

“Ten minutes remain. Decide and inform us. Everyone, prepare to clear this place.”
“Yes, Lord Ian.”
“We will move King Eriphony’s body first.”
“We will transport it safely with magic. Clear the way.”
“Make way! Make way!”

The mages obeyed without surprise at Ian’s sudden reappearance. Others looked back and forth between the fallen Ian and the living one, bewildered.

“Your Highness, are you all right?”

Ian adjusted his collar and approached Jin, lowering himself to the child’s eye level. The boy’s eyes were wide and moist, speechless, as if unsure whether what he saw was a ghost.

“How… how is this possible? Your body still lies there.”

“It’s an illusion crafted by the Ministry of Magic, Your Majesty. They are those who soar through the skies and cleave the earth—surely they could have created a single corpse.”

“So, he’s not dead? He’s alive?”

“Yes. Just as you see. I apologize. There was never any intention to put Your Majesty in danger. Due to the conditions of the current magic, we had to stage the situation briefly. I didn’t expect you to rush here like this.”

“Of course I would…”

How could I not rush here the moment I heard Ian was dead? Jin’s brows furrowed as he grabbed Ian’s arm.

“Sir Ian!”

“My apologies, Your Majesty.”

“You’re… a fool!”

“…Pardon?”

Taken aback by the unexpected words, Ian hesitated, and even the mages trying to manage the situation paused. The child’s eyes welled with tears, then he stuck out his lower lip and shouted,

“You’re a know-it-all!”

“Your Majesty.”

“…Crazy. Did you just hear that?”

“…Pretend you didn’t. Do you want to die?”

“Wow, how can you pretend not to hear that? That’s not easy.”

It was a stark contrast to the child who, just moments ago, had sworn at the king of a nation, demanding he kneel or else face decapitation.

While Ian kept soothing Jin, Zaira was cradled in the arms of the mage family.

The blazing flame of vengeance had finally burned out, leaving only ashes behind. Those ashes were acrid, cold, and stained. When vengeance burns, it feels like it will consume everything, but why does it always leave such a deep stain in the end?

“Zaira, are you alright?”

“…Yeah.”

“How’s your body?”

Zaira looked down at her palm and shook her head.

“No problem. Not yet.”

“You’ll have to be careful from now on. You’re still young, but you’ve already lost so much time.”

Zaira knew. The price of the cursed magic, the current spell, was half of her remaining lifespan.

She didn’t know how much time she had left, nor how close she was to death’s door. All she could do was guess that thirty to forty years of her life had already slipped away.

“Your Majesty, please, let us move to another room. There are too many eyes watching.”

As Ian supported Jin and led him into a nearby parlor, the hallway where the two lords had disappeared buzzed with whispers. News that Bariel had accepted Cliford’s proposal, speculation about what would become of Luswena, murmurs suggesting a need to revise negotiation strategies, and more.

Zaira turned her back, holding in her heart the path toward the fracture ahead.