In the third week of being away from the empire, Yerhan and the knights of Tiriad arrived in Haylor.
Deneb, the Lord of Haylor, knew the geography well and was able to come by a shortcut.
The Haylor that Yerhan remembered was always covered in snow.
It snowed all the time except in summer, and the snow hardly melted even in summer.
As a result, the houses, hills, and lakes in the Haylor region were all white.
There was a period of time when such a Haylor became warm for a very short time. That time was now.
By the time Yerhan’s party arrived, summer came to Haylor as well.
The snow, which had always been falling, stopped for a moment, and the sun hidden in the cloudy sky blew a faint sunlight.
As the sun shone on the region, the trees shed their snow and were ready to bloom.
The flower buds that appeared through the eyes opened up the petals.
Yerhan stood in the middle of the snowfield, then slowly moved forward.
As he headed somewhere, everyone followed in silence.
Yerhan headed to a forest full of snow.
The branches were blooming, but the snow had not yet completely melted.
After a week, snow would fall over the petals.
Yerhan left his footprints and headed into the forest.
When the little frozen lake appeared, he headed west as if he had been there again and again.
After walking for a while, a large tree appeared. The trees had flowers on each branch where the snow melted.
Under a large tree, there was a tomb covered with snow.
Yerhan put down the sword he was wearing on his waist and reached out.
And he plucked a branch with the prettiest petals.
Yerhan slowly knelt down on one knee.
“It’s been a while.”
With those words, Yerhan silently swept down the tomb. Snow smeared over the leather gloves.
The owner of the tomb without a tombstone was Yerhan’s mother. It was also a tomb made by Yerhan himself a long time ago.
The knights standing next to Yerhan stepped back, and moved aside.
As they disappeared from sight, Yerhan removed his hand from the grave. And he put down the flower branch he just picked.
“Today… I brought you flowers.”
Yehan smiled faintly.
Last time, Rosena said that his mother would have liked any flowers she received. Something told him that it really was the case.
When he was young, his mother was very happy even when he picked common wild flowers.
Yerhan looked down at the grave. It was as if his mother was smiling and looking at him.
Yerhan slowly got up from his seat and whispered.
“One day, I will introduce you to the person I love.”
The cape fluttered as he turned around. The petals on the grave fluttered as if they were answering.
Out of the grave, Yerhan saw a bird flying toward him.
As the bird got closer, he realized that it was a hawk he sent to the palace.
Yerhan stretched out his arm and the hawk landed lightly on his arm.
There was a small piece of paper on the hawk’s neck. He pulled out the paper right away.
The hawk flew back up and began moving in circles over Yerhan’s head.
Yerhan took off his gloves and carefully opened the folded paper in case it got wet.
The letter briefly stated what had happened recently.
Yerhan, who was meticulously reading the writing one by one, caught the last line in his eyes.
[I’ll be waiting for you, so come back safely.]
Yerhan, who had been looking at it for a long time, touched the paper. Then he kissed the letter slowly.
He couldn’t understand why the word ‘waiting’ was tickling so much.
Even today, Rosena taught him emotions that Yerhan did not know.
Yerhan, who cherished the letter paper, strode away.
Then the waiting knights gathered by his side at once.
Yerhan looked at them and commanded.
“Quickly tidy up and return to the capital.”
***
The knights of Tiriad took care of the monsters immediately from the day they arrived at Haylor.
Not only Haylor, but also there were many other objects crawling in from outside the border.
However, as the days passed, the number of monsters began to decrease noticeably.
As the monsters that had been swarming around the village disappeared, the people who could not even get out of the house appeared one by one.
With the help of Yerhan, Lord Deneb helped the residents, and Haylor slowly began to regain its original form.
The residents sincerely thanked Yerhan and the Tiriad knights.
They remembered Yerhan’s visit before, and knew Yerhan’s true identity.
When Yerhan was troubled by that, Deneb swore that he would completely silence the residents of the territory.
Deneb, who promised allegiance to Yerhan, did not spare any support.
Thanks to Deneb, the knights of Tiriad were able to at least sleep in a warm place and have a decent meal.
All of a sudden, Haylor’s short summer was coming to an end.
It started snowing again after just a week. Snow piled up on the roof and the arched bridge that had regained its original color for a moment.
Two days later, the whole area was dyed white again.
“Oh, how good it would be if this was flour.”
Yelvin, who grumbled that snow was useless, had piled up a lot of snow.
He kicked the pile of snowballs scattered around, making a loud sound.
Crayle, who was walking next to Yelvin, raised his head and looked up at the sky. Clouds were drifting strangely over the overcast sky.
“It will snow heavily in a few days.”
After a short summer, heavy snow fell. It was raining so much that the view was white and foggy.
Heavy snow fell throughout the week, during this time, no one could go outside.
Not only were all roads cut off, but they were buried in snow and were perfect for one to disappear. So before that, everything had to be done.
The knights of Tiriad headed towards the border of the empire
After walking around the Haylor area, all that was left was the snowy mountain at the edge of the empire.
The knights moved forward, shaking off their tiredness, to the fact that it was now the last time.
The knights who arrived in the snowy mountain immediately followed the traces of the monster.
They thought that most of the monsters were hiding here, but strangely, there was no sign of any kind.
When Yerhan, who was slowly riding the horse, raised his arm, all the knights stopped.
A man’s head was visible at the edge of the snow-covered hill.
“A man near the border when there are no villages nearby…”
Everyone held their breath at Crayle’s murmur.
The knights approached it little by little. Then the man standing tall tilted his head.
What they thought was a human, apparently was a creature very similar to a human being.
Eyes, nose, and mouth were all human-like, but the vertically torn pupils and blue skin were telling them that it was not human.
Everyone drew their swords at once.
When the sunlight reflected off the white snow hit the sword, it started running quickly.
“Ugh!”
It happened so quickly when it approached. Claws as sharp as rakes pierced Crayle’s thighs.
The knights cut it with their swords, but unlike human skin, it was hard like armor, so the sword did not penetrate.
When it was about to rush towards the knights again, Yerhan quickly swung his sword.
When the tip of the neck was cut off, it left scars on its body.
Like a human, red blood splattered over the white snow.
The knights were agitated for a moment.
“…Is that a monster?”
They had captured many monsters so far, but it was the first time he had spit out red blood.
No, it wasn’t just that. They had encountered all kinds of monsters, including beast-like monsters, but they had never seen anything so similar to a human.
Either way, it was clear that he wasn’t human.
It twisted its body to fight back. Yeerhan didn’t miss a moment’s break and thrust the sword deep into its chest. Then it trembled and fell forward.
On the red-soaked snow, it began to giggle.
Laughing until it’s waist bent, it stretched out its arm.
Yerhan twisted the sword and cut down its arm. It was in pain but never stopped laughing even when its arm was cut off.
Knights frowned at the sound of laughter penetrating their minds. It looked straight at Yerhan.
Yerhan was filled with vertically torn pupils.
And it whispered, pointing to Yerhan with one remaining arm.
– You’re just like us…..
After that, the laughter suddenly stopped and silence came.
In the snow falling over his head, Yerhan slowly drew his sword.
Yerhan had a complex look on its face as looked at it, which had already died.
He couldn’t understand, but he was sure it was saying something to him. His eyes were as if he were looking at its kindred.
“We’re going back.”
Yerhan took the first step, and the knights hurriedly retrieved the body of the monster.
***
Rosena stayed in the prince palace as usual and handled her daily routine, doing one thing at a time.
There was still a week left before Yerhan to return, but she had to slowly prepare to welcome him.
She was thinking of starting by tidying up the palace.
Coming out into the garden, Rosena tilted her head while looking around the tree.
“That’s weird…”
Some of the trees were scratched. It was like being beaten up with something.
It wasn’t sharp like a sword or an axe, it seemed to be hit by a dull wooden sword or something.
“Did the knights practice?”
Maybe they practiced too much, there was no clear corner. It’s an old tree, so she thought she’d have to tell them again next time.
Rosena slowly removed her gaze and walked into the garden.
The cherry tomatoes planted last time must have been growing, so she was planning to harvest them today.
As Rosena was heading to the place where the tomatoes were planted, two dogs from the imperial palace ran over.
As Rosena slowly bent her knee and extended her hands, the dogs reflexively licked the back of her hand.
Then it shook its head as if it was the wrong way. The two dogs started barking at each other.
It was a dog’s bark no matter who heard it, but to Rosena, it sounded like a human conversation.
“What?”
Rosena leapt to her feet in surprise and looked around.
No way. That man can’t be back already. Yerhan was still a week away from returning.
Rosena leaned down and looked at the dogs. It was during the moment when she was going to ask if it was mistaken.
With the rustling of the leaves, a shadow fell before Rosena.
Rosena raised her head slowly. Yerhan was standing a short distance away.
He, who had been looking at Rosena with a smile, slowly raised his lips further.
Yerhan took a step forward. The sun shone brightly on him.
“I’m back.”
Rosena looked at Yerhan with a surprised face.
Blond hair, which grew a little longer than the last time she saw it, was shining under the sun.
Rosena rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
She wondered if she saw it wrong, but it wasn’t a fantasy.
“I’m sorry to come without a word.”
“No, you don’t have to…”
Yerhan walked slowly to Rosena, who was bewildered.
It had only been a little over a month, but his jawline was sharper than before as if he had lost weight.
In addition, his hair was a little longer, covering his ears.
If there was one thing that hasn’t changed, it was those eyes looking at Rosena.
Rosena looked up at him silently.
Sometimes it felt strange to see the face that showed up in her dreams in front of her.
Her heart, which was pounding with surprise, was now beating in a different sense.
If it wasn’t for the occasional sound of the wind, her heartbeat might have been heard outside.
Yerhan, who had been walking one step at a time, stopped in front of Rosena. And he looked at Rosena straight in the eyes and said,
“I came back early to keep my promise.”
What promise?
Rosena tilted her head, and he added.
“We’re going on a trip in the summer.”
“Ah…”
Rosena then remembered what she had said to Yerhan.
On the day Yerhan left, he said that when summer comes, they should go to the sea together.
She completely forgot about it, but she didn’t know that he was going to bring it up right away.
As she felt Yerhan’s tired gaze, Rosena involuntarily avoided his eyes. After seeing him for a long time, she became more conscious of nothing.
“Let’s go inside for now.”
Rosena took the first step. Yerhan quietly followed after Rosena, then naturally came to the side.
As she walked alongside him, Rosena walked stiffly.
She thought it was nothing for about a month, but strangely, her heart did not calm down. It was pleasant, awkward, and complicated.
“Your Highness, the Prince…!”
Entering the palace, the employees were surprised to see Yerhan.
They were told he was coming in a week, thus they weren’t ready to welcome him yet.
While the employees were at a loss, Rosena looked at Yerhan and said,
“They didn’t know you were coming today, so they haven’t prepared anything…”
“It’s all right.”
Yerhan shook his head to signify that it was all right. He didn’t go to war, so there was no need to be formal.
Rosena nodded at his usual appearance.
“Illian is taking a nap… Shall I wake him up?”
“No. I’ll go see him later when he gets up.”
In the third week of being away from the empire, Yerhan and the knights of Tiriad arrived in Haylor.
Deneb, the Lord of Haylor, knew the geography well and was able to come by a shortcut.
The Haylor that Yerhan remembered was always covered in snow.
It snowed all the time except in summer, and the snow hardly melted even in summer.
As a result, the houses, hills, and lakes in the Haylor region were all white.
There was a period of time when such a Haylor became warm for a very short time. That time was now.
By the time Yerhan’s party arrived, summer came to Haylor as well.
The snow, which had always been falling, stopped for a moment, and the sun hidden in the cloudy sky blew a faint sunlight.
As the sun shone on the region, the trees shed their snow and were ready to bloom.
The flower buds that appeared through the eyes opened up the petals.
Yerhan stood in the middle of the snowfield, then slowly moved forward.
As he headed somewhere, everyone followed in silence.
Yerhan headed to a forest full of snow.
The branches were blooming, but the snow had not yet completely melted.
After a week, snow would fall over the petals.
Yerhan left his footprints and headed into the forest.
When the little frozen lake appeared, he headed west as if he had been there again and again.
After walking for a while, a large tree appeared. The trees had flowers on each branch where the snow melted.
Under a large tree, there was a tomb covered with snow.
Yerhan put down the sword he was wearing on his waist and reached out.
And he plucked a branch with the prettiest petals.
Yerhan slowly knelt down on one knee.
“It’s been a while.”
With those words, Yerhan silently swept down the tomb. Snow smeared over the leather gloves.
The owner of the tomb without a tombstone was Yerhan’s mother. It was also a tomb made by Yerhan himself a long time ago.
The knights standing next to Yerhan stepped back, and moved aside.
As they disappeared from sight, Yerhan removed his hand from the grave. And he put down the flower branch he just picked.
“Today… I brought you flowers.”
Yehan smiled faintly.
Last time, Rosena said that his mother would have liked any flowers she received. Something told him that it really was the case.
When he was young, his mother was very happy even when he picked common wild flowers.
Yerhan looked down at the grave. It was as if his mother was smiling and looking at him.
Yerhan slowly got up from his seat and whispered.
“One day, I will introduce you to the person I love.”
The cape fluttered as he turned around. The petals on the grave fluttered as if they were answering.
Out of the grave, Yerhan saw a bird flying toward him.
As the bird got closer, he realized that it was a hawk he sent to the palace.
Yerhan stretched out his arm and the hawk landed lightly on his arm.
There was a small piece of paper on the hawk’s neck. He pulled out the paper right away.
The hawk flew back up and began moving in circles over Yerhan’s head.
Yerhan took off his gloves and carefully opened the folded paper in case it got wet.
The letter briefly stated what had happened recently.
Yerhan, who was meticulously reading the writing one by one, caught the last line in his eyes.
[I’ll be waiting for you, so come back safely.]
Yerhan, who had been looking at it for a long time, touched the paper. Then he kissed the letter slowly.
He couldn’t understand why the word ‘waiting’ was tickling so much.
Even today, Rosena taught him emotions that Yerhan did not know.
Yerhan, who cherished the letter paper, strode away.
Then the waiting knights gathered by his side at once.
Yerhan looked at them and commanded.
“Quickly tidy up and return to the capital.”
***
The knights of Tiriad took care of the monsters immediately from the day they arrived at Haylor.
Not only Haylor, but also there were many other objects crawling in from outside the border.
However, as the days passed, the number of monsters began to decrease noticeably.
As the monsters that had been swarming around the village disappeared, the people who could not even get out of the house appeared one by one.
With the help of Yerhan, Lord Deneb helped the residents, and Haylor slowly began to regain its original form.
The residents sincerely thanked Yerhan and the Tiriad knights.
They remembered Yerhan’s visit before, and knew Yerhan’s true identity.
When Yerhan was troubled by that, Deneb swore that he would completely silence the residents of the territory.
Deneb, who promised allegiance to Yerhan, did not spare any support.
Thanks to Deneb, the knights of Tiriad were able to at least sleep in a warm place and have a decent meal.
All of a sudden, Haylor’s short summer was coming to an end.
It started snowing again after just a week. Snow piled up on the roof and the arched bridge that had regained its original color for a moment.
Two days later, the whole area was dyed white again.
“Oh, how good it would be if this was flour.”
Yelvin, who grumbled that snow was useless, had piled up a lot of snow.
He kicked the pile of snowballs scattered around, making a loud sound.
Crayle, who was walking next to Yelvin, raised his head and looked up at the sky. Clouds were drifting strangely over the overcast sky.
“It will snow heavily in a few days.”
After a short summer, heavy snow fell. It was raining so much that the view was white and foggy.
Heavy snow fell throughout the week, during this time, no one could go outside.
Not only were all roads cut off, but they were buried in snow and were perfect for one to disappear. So before that, everything had to be done.
The knights of Tiriad headed towards the border of the empire
After walking around the Haylor area, all that was left was the snowy mountain at the edge of the empire.
The knights moved forward, shaking off their tiredness, to the fact that it was now the last time.
The knights who arrived in the snowy mountain immediately followed the traces of the monster.
They thought that most of the monsters were hiding here, but strangely, there was no sign of any kind.
When Yerhan, who was slowly riding the horse, raised his arm, all the knights stopped.
A man’s head was visible at the edge of the snow-covered hill.
“A man near the border when there are no villages nearby…”
Everyone held their breath at Crayle’s murmur.
The knights approached it little by little. Then the man standing tall tilted his head.
What they thought was a human, apparently was a creature very similar to a human being.
Eyes, nose, and mouth were all human-like, but the vertically torn pupils and blue skin were telling them that it was not human.
Everyone drew their swords at once.
When the sunlight reflected off the white snow hit the sword, it started running quickly.
“Ugh!”
It happened so quickly when it approached. Claws as sharp as rakes pierced Crayle’s thighs.
The knights cut it with their swords, but unlike human skin, it was hard like armor, so the sword did not penetrate.
When it was about to rush towards the knights again, Yerhan quickly swung his sword.
When the tip of the neck was cut off, it left scars on its body.
Like a human, red blood splattered over the white snow.
The knights were agitated for a moment.
“…Is that a monster?”
They had captured many monsters so far, but it was the first time he had spit out red blood.
No, it wasn’t just that. They had encountered all kinds of monsters, including beast-like monsters, but they had never seen anything so similar to a human.
Either way, it was clear that he wasn’t human.
It twisted its body to fight back. Yeerhan didn’t miss a moment’s break and thrust the sword deep into its chest. Then it trembled and fell forward.
On the red-soaked snow, it began to giggle.
Laughing until it’s waist bent, it stretched out its arm.
Yerhan twisted the sword and cut down its arm. It was in pain but never stopped laughing even when its arm was cut off.
Knights frowned at the sound of laughter penetrating their minds. It looked straight at Yerhan.
Yerhan was filled with vertically torn pupils.
And it whispered, pointing to Yerhan with one remaining arm.
– You’re just like us…..
After that, the laughter suddenly stopped and silence came.
In the snow falling over his head, Yerhan slowly drew his sword.
Yerhan had a complex look on its face as looked at it, which had already died.
He couldn’t understand, but he was sure it was saying something to him. His eyes were as if he were looking at its kindred.
“We’re going back.”
Yerhan took the first step, and the knights hurriedly retrieved the body of the monster.
***
Rosena stayed in the prince palace as usual and handled her daily routine, doing one thing at a time.
There was still a week left before Yerhan to return, but she had to slowly prepare to welcome him.
She was thinking of starting by tidying up the palace.
Coming out into the garden, Rosena tilted her head while looking around the tree.
“That’s weird…”
Some of the trees were scratched. It was like being beaten up with something.
It wasn’t sharp like a sword or an axe, it seemed to be hit by a dull wooden sword or something.
“Did the knights practice?”
Maybe they practiced too much, there was no clear corner. It’s an old tree, so she thought she’d have to tell them again next time.
Rosena slowly removed her gaze and walked into the garden.
The cherry tomatoes planted last time must have been growing, so she was planning to harvest them today.
As Rosena was heading to the place where the tomatoes were planted, two dogs from the imperial palace ran over.
As Rosena slowly bent her knee and extended her hands, the dogs reflexively licked the back of her hand.
Then it shook its head as if it was the wrong way. The two dogs started barking at each other.
It was a dog’s bark no matter who heard it, but to Rosena, it sounded like a human conversation.
“What?”
Rosena leapt to her feet in surprise and looked around.
No way. That man can’t be back already. Yerhan was still a week away from returning.
Rosena leaned down and looked at the dogs. It was during the moment when she was going to ask if it was mistaken.
With the rustling of the leaves, a shadow fell before Rosena.
Rosena raised her head slowly. Yerhan was standing a short distance away.
He, who had been looking at Rosena with a smile, slowly raised his lips further.
Yerhan took a step forward. The sun shone brightly on him.
“I’m back.”
Rosena looked at Yerhan with a surprised face.
Blond hair, which grew a little longer than the last time she saw it, was shining under the sun.
Rosena rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.
She wondered if she saw it wrong, but it wasn’t a fantasy.
“I’m sorry to come without a word.”
“No, you don’t have to…”
Yerhan walked slowly to Rosena, who was bewildered.
It had only been a little over a month, but his jawline was sharper than before as if he had lost weight.
In addition, his hair was a little longer, covering his ears.
If there was one thing that hasn’t changed, it was those eyes looking at Rosena.
Rosena looked up at him silently.
Sometimes it felt strange to see the face that showed up in her dreams in front of her.
Her heart, which was pounding with surprise, was now beating in a different sense.
If it wasn’t for the occasional sound of the wind, her heartbeat might have been heard outside.
Yerhan, who had been walking one step at a time, stopped in front of Rosena. And he looked at Rosena straight in the eyes and said,
“I came back early to keep my promise.”
What promise?
Rosena tilted her head, and he added.
“We’re going on a trip in the summer.”
“Ah…”
Rosena then remembered what she had said to Yerhan.
On the day Yerhan left, he said that when summer comes, they should go to the sea together.
She completely forgot about it, but she didn’t know that he was going to bring it up right away.
As she felt Yerhan’s tired gaze, Rosena involuntarily avoided his eyes. After seeing him for a long time, she became more conscious of nothing.
“Let’s go inside for now.”
Rosena took the first step. Yerhan quietly followed after Rosena, then naturally came to the side.
As she walked alongside him, Rosena walked stiffly.
She thought it was nothing for about a month, but strangely, her heart did not calm down. It was pleasant, awkward, and complicated.
“Your Highness, the Prince…!”
Entering the palace, the employees were surprised to see Yerhan.
They were told he was coming in a week, thus they weren’t ready to welcome him yet.
While the employees were at a loss, Rosena looked at Yerhan and said,
“They didn’t know you were coming today, so they haven’t prepared anything…”
“It’s all right.”
Yerhan shook his head to signify that it was all right. He didn’t go to war, so there was no need to be formal.
Rosena nodded at his usual appearance.
“Illian is taking a nap… Shall I wake him up?”
“No. I’ll go see him later when he gets up.”
