Ludger and Yekaterina walked along a forest path.
When was the last time the two of them had walked together so quietly like this?
Not even during the civil war, he recalled, had such an opportunity existed.
Back then, the people of her faction had practically burned holes in the air with their vigilance, all to protect Yekaterina.
A spy from the prince’s faction had infiltrated their ranks, creating constant unease.
No one knew when or where an ambush might strike, so her escorts would never leave her side.
Especially her adjutants—the sibling duo of Bataly and Valentina—those exceptionally skilled knights.
Which was why walking down a quiet path, untouched by anyone's gaze, felt like a first.
Yekaterina seemed to be thinking along similar lines.
“Being alone like this... it’s almost the first time, isn’t it?”
“Right. Given the circumstances back then, we barely had the chance.”
“I actually prefer conversations like this, you know. To truly learn about someone, you can’t be worrying about others watching.”
“You, of all people, should worry about that a little.”
It was a mild jab about how a queen shouldn’t wander around alone, but Yekaterina seemed to take it as a joke.
“Ohohohot! You’ve gotten funnier since I last saw you!”
“That wasn’t a joke. And when are you going to fix that laugh?”
“What’s wrong with it? Isn’t it the hearty, noble laugh befitting a royal lady?”
“No, not noble at all.”
If anything, it sounded like the laugh of some dimwitted young noblewoman who had nothing but her family name going for her.
Well, if he wanted to be harsher, he could’ve said “villainous noble lady,” but Yekaterina was far too removed from anything villainous for that to apply.
“You can say what you want, but this is my true nature! And every lady has her own world, you know!”
“A world I have zero desire to know.”
“More importantly, what exactly happened to you?”
Yekaterina brushed the snow that had settled lightly on his shoulder as she asked.
“You didn’t hear?”
“I heard after the Holy War was over. Bits and pieces. But even as a queen, I wasn’t told the full story.”
Of course she wasn’t. Even for a reigning monarch, this was not pleasant news to receive.
“It wasn’t exactly the kind of story worth spreading.”
“You mean your origin, right?”
“That’s right. I’ve cut all ties now, but... they were curses more than anything.”
The bloodline of the Holy Sovereign of Bretus.
That blood still flowed through Ludger’s body.
In truth, he would have loved to eradicate the entire Sovereign’s lineage down to the last root, but suicide was not an option.
Besides, he was not the one who had ended the holy family.
From the moment Salesin °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° began freely modifying his own siblings, ruin was already inevitable.
Well, I did finish it all off by defeating Salesin in the end...
While Ludger entertained that detached thought, Yekaterina’s expression tightened with regret, as if she realized she’d touched a sore spot.
“Sorry. I asked about something painful.”
“It’s all in the past. And the Holy War really was a battle that decided the fate of the world.”
Lumenis had built a cage to suppress humanity’s progress.
And when that wasn’t enough, it created its own puppets to continue that oppression even within the cage.
Twisting memories, erasing recollections, hiding truths.
For years.
For a very, very long time.
“So you fought against it. To resist the world’s suppression.”
“I simply chased freedom, while carrying my own dreams.”
“That was the same for me.”
Originally, the Yuta Kingdom would never have fallen into civil war.
Because Yekaterina had planned to disappear from the people’s memories as an evil princess.
“When Father passed away, and my brother painted me as a woman of indulgence and decadence... I was fine with it. If the people could unite through that, if the kingdom could move forward, then I was willing to climb the scaffold.”
Yes. Yekaterina had always been like this.
Lighthearted yet heavy. Seemingly oblivious yet deeply considerate.
“But my brother never wanted freedom for the kingdom. He only wanted to oppress the people even more tightly and mold them to his will.”
If the prince faction had even a shred of nobility in their intentions...
Yekaterina might have harbored grievances, but she would never have defied them outright.
But what they wanted was absolute rule—
A monarchy of blood and ice, where even the smallest opposition was unacceptable.
“That was something I couldn’t allow.”
So Yekaterina rebelled.
For the future of the Yuta Kingdom.
For the precious people who lived in this harsh, frozen land.
What this frigid country needed was not iron discipline.
It needed a warm torch to heat its people’s hearts.
And so Yekaterina raised the sacred flame.
Cutting through the blizzard, becoming the beacon that led her people—the birth of the Torch Queen.
“Many died because of that civil war. Sometimes I wonder... if I hadn’t rebelled that day, would they still be alive?”
“But if you hadn’t, even more would have died later.”
Ludger stated firmly—no hesitation.
“If you give in to a moment of temptation, what follows is an endless swamp. If you had given up, the prince’s faction would have turned the Yuta Kingdom into hell.”
“I... suppose so.”
“And even if many died in the civil war...”
Ludger looked directly into her eyes.
“You must not regret that choice.”
“Why? People who followed me died. Too many of them.”
“That’s exactly why. Do you think they followed you with a light heart?”
Of course not.
The princess’s faction, despite the disadvantage, had given everything.
“You weren’t the only one willing to give your life for the kingdom’s future. Everyone who followed you was prepared. Even if they died, even if their bodies became steps for those behind them—they accepted it. Willingly.”
“That’s...”
“They could make that resolve because you lit the first beacon. Because you stood at the front.”
Yekaterina’s eyes trembled at his words.
“So don’t grieve their deaths. You don’t need pity, or sorrow. Just remember their nobility, like today, and honor their brave lives.”
The dead would want nothing more than that.
His final words sent ripples through her heart.
“You’re right... I must have gotten too sentimental. I forgot their bravery.”
“That sentiment is also your strength.”
People never wanted to be ruled by a cold-blooded monarch.
Even if royalty lacked grandeur, they wanted a warm person to hold their hand and lead them.
In a world buried under snow—too harsh, too cold—
They needed fire.
“I saw the city on the way here. It’s grown much more prosperous.”
“Since the contract with Seorn stayed intact, our finances have improved a lot.”
And much of that was thanks to Ludger, who had served as Chief Strategist at the time.
With the patent rights to Seorn-made magitech devices, the Yuta Kingdom had risen far higher than where it had fallen during the civil war.
A three-year contract, since the Holy War—made possible by Yekaterina’s dedication.
“So what were you doing those three years? You disappeared, reappeared, and suddenly a public execution was happening. Do you know how shocked I was?”
“Hm. Something like that.”
Ludger explained what had happened to him during those three years.
Which wasn’t much of an explanation.
He had simply been trapped in a hollow dimension.
When Yekaterina heard everything, she recoiled in shock.
“Three years?! That’s horrible! What about food?!”
“That wasn’t an issue. I was protected by divine power, so all necessary nutrients were supplied regardless.”
“Then you didn’t even poop?!”
“............”
Ludger stared at her with cold, hollow eyes.
He was starting to feel a very real urge to wring this queen’s neck.
Sensing danger, Yekaterina instinctively scurried back.
“I–It’s a normal thing to wonder about!”
“I told you to keep your dignity as a princess... no, as a queen. Isn’t it time you did that?”
“If you keep that dignity locked up all the time, you’ll break. Sometimes you need to let it go freely like this!”
“That may be true, but why in front of me?”
Because she trusted him enough to show her real self.
Ludger sighed softly.
He wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or annoyed at this wild, thawed-out princess.
He worried if a nation’s leader should really act like this... but if Yekaterina behaved exactly like Aileen von Exilion, that would be even stranger.
Hmph. If Aileen heard that thought, she’d be furious.
Aileen was the one who truly deserved the title of iron-blooded ruler.
Just comparing her to Yekaterina would disgust her.
But whatever. People complain behind rulers’ backs all the time.
Thinking such things in this faraway northern kingdom was harmless.
“Still... I’m glad.”
“What is?”
“You finally obtained the freedom you always wanted. You don’t have to struggle anymore. You can do what you wish.”
“What I want, huh.”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t found it yet? Everyone has at least one thing they want.”
“What about you? What do you want to do?”
Even at his sudden question, Yekaterina didn’t flinch.
“Obviously, I want to go down in history as a great queen and make the Yuta Kingdom prosper!”
“You’re doing well already.”
“Maybe so. But no country is perfect. The kingdom still has a long list of things to fix. I need to work harder. Which means I need talented people.”
Then she looked at him meaningfully.
“The kingdom is suffering a talent shortage, you know. We’re searching for exceptional individuals. Would you be interested?”
“Oh my.”
Ludger let out a small laugh.
“As expected of a queen. Making a recruitment pitch at a time like this.”
“I’m prepared to meet any conditions you demand.”
“I appreciate the offer, but if you want to recruit me, you’ll have to get in line.”
It sounded like a joke, but he meant it.
Many sought him.
Aileen, for example, had practically lit her eyes on fire trying to recruit him.
She respected his newfound freedom for now, but when the time came, she’d be relentless.
“To take me, you’d have to be ready to face the current Emperor.”
“Eugh.”
The moment he mentioned Aileen, Yekaterina reacted violently—
Like a child forced to eat bitter vegetables.
“I–I mean... meeting the Emperor is a bit...”
“Well, then it's unavoidable.”
“N–No! I can’t give up! To recruit someone like you, I have to at least try!”
“And there’s also Headmaster Elisa you’d have to face.”
“Eeeek!”
At the mention of Elisa, Yekaterina recoiled even harder.
Meeting Aileen was rare, so tolerable—but Elisa was a different story.
The Yuta Kingdom still maintained close cooperation with Seorn.
So she frequently had private meetings with Elisa—and every time, it drained her soul.
At their first meeting, Ludger had been there to support her.
But now, he wasn’t.
Some people just didn’t mix well.
And next to Elisa, Yekaterina always felt like a mouse before a cat.
That was when it happened.
Two presences shot through the forest, rushing straight toward Ludger.
Chaeeng!
Swords flashed through the blowing snow as a man and a woman appeared before and behind him.
Their blades pointed at his throat.
“You there—who are you? Why are you approaching Her Majesty?”
“State your purpose.”
The two resembled each other—and of course they did. They were siblings.
“It’s been a while, and you greet me by pointing swords at me? Still as reckless as ever when it concerns her.”
Ludger lifted his hat slightly, and when they recognized him—
Bataly and Valentina’s eyes widened.