Crown of Thorns

CHAPTER 71

Team : Cuties, WilsonWilson, Stephanie

I opened my mouth and replied with,

“He who has been abandoned by heaven cannot be given the title of the Son of Heaven.”

But the Emperor only gave a twisted smile, saying nothing. The distance between the two of us was vast but I began to narrow it. The Emperor did not look as old or sickly as I thought he would. His graying blond hair was not as glamorous as before, but he still had clear blue eyes.

As he was soon to die, rumor has it that the Emperor had bestowed the title of Princess. However, actually facing him now, he didn’t look like he was at death’s door. Perhaps it was due to the added strength of the warrior, Evan, as his Light heals people.

“I never thought you’d still be alive. Witches are indeed different.”

“You’re no different yourself.”

“Yes, but unlike you, I’ve tried so hard in order to live like this. If I had been able to get hold of that immortality, your life would have changed a lot, too.”

I don’t understand why he keeps on increasing his lifespan through other people’s lives. That doesn’t mean he can live forever. He’ll eventually die.

The Emperor continued in a satisfied voice.

“But today, you will die here.”

I know. I also want that.

I waited for this day to finish everything and start again.

As I stood in the middle without saying anything, he spoke, lifting a finger.

“I don’t know what confidence you had to blatantly come here. There’s no way you didn’t know that there was someone here who could kill you.”

As if to respond to his call, someone appeared from behind the curtain. In the midst of silence, only the pitter-patter of his footsteps filled the room. I couldn’t take my eyes off him, whom I hadn’t seen in such a long time.

Snow-like clean and transparent hair and eyelashes, red eyes like that of the sun, containing brilliant light inside them. He was manly but beautiful, and it warmed my heart to see him like that. I was happy and grateful to be able to see him at my end, but on the one hand, my heart sank.

The sword in his hand was directed at me.

“Witch.”

Yes, Evan. No, warrior. It’s finally time.

The young and weak warrior grew up with Light. It became clearer every day as the witch covered the world with Darkness. Therefore, in the bloodstained imperial palace, he alone was blessed with Light. Even by the Emperor’s side, who was abandoned by God, the warrior continued to be loved by God.

My Darkness dissipated like fog, though I was not even near him. It was as if I were about to crumble like ashes.

As soon as I reached the Light, I looked around at the falling Darkness, leading my gaze up to face the warrior. His eyes were like statues of the sun, and yet, they were so cool. They felt like hard, beautiful jewels.

I looked at the Emperor again because I couldn’t confidently continue to face his gaze, knowing that it wouldn’t be as friendly and warm as before. Perhaps having smelled his victory, the emperor flashed a ridiculing smile. So I smiled as well.

Just as the witch dies here, the Emperor’s long-winded lifetime will also end.

People will cheer. They will be pleased with the birth of a new Emperor. They will welcome the warrior who killed the witch, who had pitted the nobles against one another and made them self-destruct, who had covered the world in Darkness, and who had even murdered the Emperor. They will welcome the warrior with open arms.

Those who have hoped and prayed for the birth of a new sun will support the young King who will change the world and write a new history.

I stand here now to crown Evan.

The Darkness that was surrounding the corridor condensed together. Growing bigger beside me, it soon opened its mouth as if to swallow the Emperor and the warrior. A dark swamp unfolded, with no bottom nor end. As I pointed my arm toward the Emperor, Darkness rushed forward to devour him.

But even before it reached him, it began to get burned by Light. The warrior blocked its way to the emperor. His bright Light shattered the witch’s Darkness. I was glad and grateful that he had grown this way, and so, stood on the opposite side from me.

He really can kill me, just like in the future I’ve seen. As soon as I was happy thinking this, the Emperor roared.

“Kill that witch right now!”

I decided to help the Emperor’s words get through to Evan, who hesitated to move.

“Are you really able to kill me? Evan, don’t you cherish me?”

“…Nyx. What the hell is this? Why on earth would you do this?”

Evan asked, with a visibly stiff face. I curled up the ends of my lips and answered with a smile.

“I was going to do this from the start. I thought that I wouldn’t bother you if you were pathetically weak and kind enough to believe me. That’s right, Evan. You can’t kill me.”

“What the hell is going on? Do you perhaps… the witch…!”

If it became known that the warrior knew the witch, the crown that should have been glorifying him would immediately turn itself into the crown of thorns, but only me, the Emperor, and the warrior were present here.

I felt my heart ache at the look in Evan’s deep eyes. He didn’t show as much emotion as I thought, the same as in my dream, and it made me sadder. It was a pity that I was the one he chose to show his everything to.

“Nyx. Didn’t you want a new world? Didn’t you wish for a beautiful world, not revenge? Wasn’t that why you wanted me to be a warrior?”

“Did you believe that?”

I said, twisting my lips.

“How fun. You worthless and insignificant human, you didn’t think I would love humans, who had only ever caused me pain, did you? I knew at once that you would be a hindrance, so I reached out my hand, pretending to be kind, and you got conceited as if you were something. How pathetic. Human beings are like that, and you are no different.”

Evan kept his mouth shut. Next to him, the Emperor shuddered with anxiety. The Emperor shouted, but I couldn’t hear his words at all. I continued to speak in a voice as attentive and friendly as possible.

“All those things you believed in were false, warrior. Still, it’s a little sad to see you like that. I’ll give you one last chance. It’s a reward for all the fun I’ve had.”

“…”

“Kill me. Try and kill me.”

“…What?”

Evan’s face shook visibly for the first time. His eyes were stained with bafflement. I had hoped he would be provoked and quickly flung his sword. I wanted to run away from this situation. I wanted it all to stop. It was so terrible that Evan had to suffer through this.

“Come on, kill me. This is your first and last chance. You can kill me with that sword. Hurry, stick that sword to my heart, warrior.”

Then I opened my arms and posed as if I were welcoming him for a hug. I was trying to look arrogant and conceited, but it wasn’t easy. The tips of my hands trembled slightly. I would rather have him yell at me and get angry and hurt, but it was more painful because he still kept his mouth shut as if he didn’t believe this reality. I was afraid that he would still be in denial about my involvement in this.

Evan, who had been standing still for a long time, opened his mouth and asked.

“You’re asking me to kill you?”

“Yes. Didn’t you already know? That the only warrior who will kill me is yourself. That’s as true as day. You can kill me. So go ahead and kill me. Are you still weak and foolish enough to fail to raise your sword at such an opportunity? Are you still nothing more than a monster like in your childhood, a monster who did nothing on his own?”

His eyes opened wide.

Soon after, however, he couldn’t hold back his laughter. With his body shaking, he eventually covered his face with one hand and smiled coolly. When he lowered his hand and faced me again, it was after his expression changed dramatically. No, not just his facial expressions. His whole atmosphere, his pupils… everything was different. The Evan I’ve known so far was nowhere to be seen.

When I was phased by the illusion that he had turned into someone else, he spoke, with a look of ridicule.

“So that was it. Oh, why didn’t I notice something so simple before? I was stupid. I didn’t have to come this far. The answer was that Light drove out Darkness, and the answer was right in front of me all this time.”

“…What?”

“Now, I see. Now I know everything!”

He seemed to be both in a good mood and a bad mood—both angry and smiling. The Emperor, who was constantly being ignored, approached Evan and shouted, fearing that he might have gone crazy because he could not handle the great pain.

“What the hell is this? Go and kill her right now. Urgh… keugh!”

“E-Evan!”

Unknowingly, I screamed his name. But it was late. His sword had already penetrated the body of the Emperor. He looked up at Evan with his unbelieving eyes, but soon after, death took him. The blood, flowing from his mouth and his sword-pierced chest, had soaked the floor. The blood that had not been absorbed slowly flowed before me. I looked at it with blank eyes. The scene slowly caught my eye as if the time had slowed down for everyone except for me. I couldn’t understand the current situation.

With his sword in the Emperor’s body, Evan pushed him away with a face of calmness and frightful coldness. The Emperor collapsed on the floor, with the sword still attached to his body. Evan, who was wiping away the white hair and blood on his face, turned his head toward me. I stumbled back unknowingly.

But he came to me with no hesitation at all—wielding no weapons, with an expression that had a hint of arrogance.

“What-what the hell is going on…”

“What you wanted was death?”

I couldn’t hide my surprised expression when he cut me off and asked me dryly. I quickly tried to look as indifferent as usual, but my trembling body and racing heart were not complying.

“The thing that I could do for you, I mean, was it because you wanted death that you did all this?”

Evan came close without minding my current state. Closer, and then closer. I couldn’t read any emotion in his eyes, so I was going crazy.

“Oh, I guess it’s over already.”

A heavy voice fell between us. When I turned my head in a hurry, Yohan stood with his sword dripping blood. He looked a little tired. I didn’t know what was going on at all, and this alone was shocking and overwhelming enough. But, Evan, who had been standing in front of me, sat with his knee bent.

“Yes, my Liege.”

I felt a chill in my head. Evan added that title to Yohan as if he were very familiar with it.

“Give me your orders, my Liege.”

Taking off his helmet and sweeping up his sweaty hair, as if he were very familiar with the situation, Yohan spoke.

“…Take care of the remaining rebels.”

“…Yes, I understand!”

After raising himself up, Evan whispered something to me as I was still frozen with shock, and then left through the door. I couldn’t help but collapse on the floor as I was. I stared blankly down at the floor. I heard Yohan walking toward me, but I had no time to care.

– Wait for me a little bit. I’ll be right back.

He knew that I wouldn’t run away. He figured out that what I wanted was death. But, knowing that, if he hadn’t killed me yet, then doesn’t that mean that he doesn’t plan on killing me at all??

Doesn’t that mean that the future that the witch wants will not come to be?

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